All-Time non-Elite Fantasy Draft, Draft Thread

[poopdamoop]

Rotation:

Jerry West/Deron Williams
Sidney Moncrief/Dan Majerle
Chris Mullin/Elgin Baylor
Buck Williams/Al Horford
Alonzo Mourning/Yao Ming

Coach: Tom Thibodeau

I think this team can be the best defensive team in the league. I've got DPOY's in both the frontcourt and backcourt, as well as all-D team members in West and Williams, plus one of the best defensive coaches of all time running the show. Given what he was able to do with the Celtics and Bulls, Thibs should turn this team into a powerhouse D with Zo and Squid holding down the fort. Many of my backups, including Yao, Horford, and Majerle, are also elite defenders, so the whole team will shutting down opponents for 48 minutes.

Offensively, the team has one of the elite guards of all time in Jerry West to lead the way. If you've never seen West play, his closest comparison is Dwyane Wade, statistically, except West was also an elite shooter. His shooting and playmaking abilities mean that he can excel at either PG or SG, and his backup, Deron Williams, was one of the best PG's in the league in his prime. My backup PG is very comparable to some of the starting PG's in this game.

At SG, Sidney Moncrief was one of the best defenders in the world, but he was also a great mid-range shooter with multiple 20 ppg seasons on over 50% shooting. He's the perfect compliment to West on that end. Majerle won't play much, but if I need a 3/D guy, he's one of the best there is.

Chris Mullin was an All-NBA 1st forward in the 90's, beating out guys like Barkley and Malone, and his all-around game was fantastic. 25+ per game on great percentages from 3, and will help space the floor along with West for the starting line-up. Off the bench, I have (IMO) the best 6th man in this game in Elgin Baylor, who was an elite all-around scorer and rebounder. He's taken some criticism for his efficiency, but the average efficiency in the 60's was generally low due to the style of gameplay, and off the bench his role will be much more restrained, while still allowing him the spacing and ability to showcase the talent that allowed him to average 38/17 for a season.

Buck Williams isn't a well-known guy, but he was a great player in the 80's and 90's. Much like Horace Grant, Buck was a great mid-range shooter and a stud defensively, and even though he shifted to that role later in his career, he was still an all-NBA 2nd team player in the beginning of his career when required to shoot more. Al Horford is very similar, in that he's a well-rounded PF with no real weaknesses, and can fill any role, be it floor-spacer or primary defender.

Mourning is one of the best C's of all time, and even though his kidney problems cut his prime short, he was an elite defensive anchor, winning back-to-back DPOY's. He was also a very strong scorer, but given how talented this team is, Mourning can focus his energy on D and take advantage of strong matchups on offense. Off the bench, Yao Ming is another elite C who was hampered by injuries, but was an all-time great shooting big-man and defensive player, and will get plenty of time to feast on opposing backup C's.

Overall, I focused more on my bench than most other people did, and I believe that should give me the edge here. Much of my team consists of older players, which may put me at a disadvantage, but given the way guys like West and Baylor played, their games would easily translate to the modern era. My main backups (D-Will, Baylor, and Yao) could easily be starters for many teams in this league, and when you combine that with the stifling D of my starting lineup, I hope you can see why my team deserves to win.

[trex_8063]

Starters
PG - Chauncey Billups (‘06-’08)
SG - George Gervin (‘78-’80)
SF - *Rick Barry (‘67-’70)
PF - Horace Grant (‘92-’94)
C - David Robinson (‘94-’96)

Bench
*Bruce Bowen (‘04-’06)
Dave Cowens (‘74-’76)
Terry Porter (‘91-’93)
Danny Green (‘13-present)
Kevin Willis (‘92-’94)
Coach: Bill Sharman

My general philosophy was to create a team that is deep, that is great and balanced on both sides of the ball; a team without significant weakness in any area of the game.

To go thru, I’ll begin by outlining the qualities I see in my 1st unit (hinting at their application), then my “2nd unit”, then a word about my coach, and finally a few comments on minutes/usage of the players at my disposal.

1st Unit
Offensive
My 1st unit has elite-level perimeter scoring and elite-level interior scoring. I have one of the GOAT-level slasher/finishing perimeter scorers, an elite post scorer, 3pt shooting/floor spacing, good ball-control, and pretty good passing from nearly all positions.

My offensive front-man is going to be The Iceman. This was a guy who even prior to changes to hand-check rules was slashing and getting into the lane effectively. Was an amazing finisher, even more amazing at finishing what appeared to be almost “circus-shots” (finger rolls from 5 feet from the basket??), good mid-range shooter, excellent at hitting little “leaners” and “floaters”, too. In the span of his career I’m going with (‘78-’80) he was averaging a big 36.2 pts/100 possessions while shooting an amazing 53.5% FG% . Decent at getting to the line, too, where he shot 83.6%; overall 59.1% ts (+6.6% to league avg) during this span, which is pretty amazing while scoring such volume and shouldering that level of primacy.
And did it generate effective team offense? You bet it did. If you scrutinize those Spur teams: his biggest offensive help were guys like Billy Paultz and James Silas. And yet the Spurs ORtg during the span: 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd (out of 22) respectively.
With modern rules (no hand-checking) being in place for this fantasy league, makes me think he could be even MORE effective/efficient in getting into the paint or to the line. Just an amazing scorer.

When David Robinson (GOAT-level rs performer, and who knows how good he could be in post-season with the focus taken off him) is your SECOND option, how good must your offense be?!? In the years specified this guy averaged 37.0 pts/100 poss @ 58.9% ts (+5.13% to league avg). He gives me a center who can run in transition and finish off oops as good as any center that has ever played. A nice face-up game with the quickness/athleticism to blow by slower centers, and the strength and explosiveness to bully weaker centers on the block. Doesn't let you off the hook at the FT-line either, where he was a career 73.6% shooter. Where his playoff short-comings are concerned, well…..that isn’t much of a concern now, as he no longer has to shoulder the burden of being my primary scorer. And Gervin, you’ll note, doesn’t appear to skip a beat in the playoffs (nor do some of my other starters; more on that later). Pretty decent passing big, and a consummate teammate, too.

Chauncey Billups provides a more than capable floor general, good play-making, very good ball-control (Ast:TO ratio of 2.81 during his prime), and clutch play (1-Time FMVP, nicknamed “Mr. Big Shot” for a reason; and you’ll note he too doesn’t appear to skip a beat in the playoffs). Elite outside shooting, which also helps with the floor spacing; and it’s pretty nice to have a ~60-61% ts scoring as your third (at times perhaps 4th) option scorer.

You may be wondering why I had an * by Rick Barry and Bruce Bowen. It’s because while I may be starting Rick Barry, I actually don’t intend to play him much with the 1st unit. I am more intending to use him as the offensive engine of my 2nd unit.
We all know Barry likes a lot of shots, and that he has more than his share of ego. However, he’s also an intelligent guy with a pretty high bball IQ. I think even he would recognize that he’s a superstar among superstars on this team, and that he simply cannot warrant/demand the kind of primacy that he was otherwise used to.
My intent was to probably start him (to soothe his ego with the distinction of being a “starter” on this team full of superstars), but then likely bench him early in the first quarter in favor of Bruce Bowen. An additional perimeter scorer (Barry) is a touch redundant with the line-up I’ve already described. Really what I need is an additional guy to space the floor (Bowen: 39.9% 3pt shooter on avg 2.9 3PA/g in years specified; really elite in the corners), and do little else offensively; the rest of Bowen’s value would come on the other end (more on that below). And then Barry is free to get lots of shots while on the court with the 2nd unit, as that is my primary intention for him. So anyway, that was the purpose of the * by each of their names.

And lastly, at PF, I intend to start Horace Grant. His role on offense will be to occasionally catch an interior pass from a penetrating guard and finish at the rim (he’s proved to have great hands and nice finishing ability), hit the occasional open 11-18 footer (another thing he’s pretty well proven at), do some facilitating from the high post (not unaccustomed to that either; avg as high as 3.4 apg in the years specified, with a cumulative Ast:TO ratio of 2.06---which is almost unheard of for a PF). And otherwise, I want to crash the offensive glass (another thing he’s proven capable of: OREB% of 14.0% in years specified).
All in all, this seems like a marvelous offensive line-up, imo.

Defense
I’ve one ELITE level perimeter defender who can stymie most perimeter scorers to some degree---Bruce Bowen.
I’ve got another very good perimeter defender in Chauncey Billups.
In Horace Grant I’ve got a guy who is mobile and smart enough to defend very well against the pick-n-roll, is a very good low-post defender (against PF or C), and a decent help defender, too.
And then to pick up any slack, protect the rim, defend pnr and anything else that needs doing I’ve got a short-list all-time great defensive center to anchor it all in DRob.

This defense frankly looks every bit as amazing as the offense. On to the 2nd unit…..


2nd Unit
Rick Barry is intended to be the primary scorer with this group, with the rest more or less working off of him and the attention he’ll draw. Aside from shooting, Barry was a more than competent passing SF, too; was a totally decent defensive player from what I’ve seen, too.

I should have great floor spacing with this group: Danny Green is an absolutely lights out 3pt shooter (42.1% from downtown on 5.2 3PA/g over the last three years). And what’s more, he’s a scrappy defender (with nice DRAPM in recent years). He tends to bring his A-game in the playoffs, too.
Terry Porter, despite playing in an era before the 3pt line was in such high usage was shooting 40.8% from trey on 4.0 3PA/g in the years specified. He also gives solid leadership, play-making, and ball control.

Dave Cowens should more or less be able to fill every function (on both offense and defense) at the PF that I wanted in Horace Grant: can hit open mid-range shots, can pass/facilitate from the high post, quick enough to defend the pick-n-roll or if caught on a switch, and tough/strong enough to defend the low post. Maybe not quite as good a finisher as Grant, but has a little more in the way of post-up game should that be required (only reason I’m not starting him ahead of Grant, is that this aspect of his game will get lost among this stacked team); and he’s probably a MORE elite rebounder than Grant.

And Kevin Willis will provide some reasonable offense, again the lateral quickness to defend the pick-n-roll, and the strength to defend the post. And while he’s not much of a rim protector at all, he’s an absolute beast on the boards (he’s rebounding just a small step below peak Dwight Howard, with a Reb/100 poss rate of 18.5 during the years specified).


Coaching
At coach I’ve got a very cerebral, tough-minded warrior in Bill Sharman. A guy who understood well both sides of the game, and appeared capable of dealing with big egos (coached both Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain in his career, and took both of them to the NBA finals, winning it all with Wilt. He also coached one ABA champion).

Come on!…..this team is remarkable in all aspects of the game.


Minutes/Usage
I’m generally only going 9 guys deep in my roster…..

David Robinson is clearly my most dominant all-around player, and also plays the position for which I lose the most in going to his replacement (Willis, although I’ll likely use either Cowens or Grant at the C position once in awhile). So he’s going to be getting the largest minutes.

Second in minutes will likely be Gervin, as he’s my most reliable high volume/high efficiency scorer (at any position). As long as he’s on the court (with just about any other compliment of the players I have on the roster), that will put pressure on any defense. Can’t see playing him any less than about 30 mpg.

Billups will likely be third, with Porter pretty consistently being his sub. Barry will likely only be about 4th in minutes (again: mostly as the leader of my second unit, though he may spell Gervin at SG here and there; only rarely intend to have both he and Gervin on the floor at the same time).

Bowen, although just a role player, will likely be getting ~24 mpg. Barry and Gervin on the court at the same time creates a bit of redundancy, so I’ll usually have Bowen at SF when Gervin is on the court. Bowen (in combo with either Billups or Porter) ensures floor spacing on offense, and is my most elite perimeter defender who can be assigned to the best SG/SF on the other end.

Both Cowens and Grant will likely see at least a little time at the C position, otherwise each spelling the other at PF. Both will likely be >24 mpg.

Green will also get relevant playing time, mostly alongside Barry with the 2nd unit.

Kevin Willis is mostly just a bit of filler, really only getting minimal minutes to help get Robinson a the minimum reasonable amount of rest, and/or filling in when there’s foul trouble issues, etc.

Overall, the minutes per game will look something like this:
David Robinson 34-36 mpg
George Gervin 30-32 mpg
Chauncey Billups 27-30 mpg
Rick Barry 24-27 mpg
Horace Grant 24-27 mpg
Dave Cowens 24-27 mpg
Bruce Bowen 24 mpg
Terry Porter 18-21 mpg
Danny Green 18 mpg
Kevin Willis ~6 mpg

[thizznation]

So are we PM'ing these to Beast? How do we move forward now?

If you are done you should just go ahead and send your final write up to penbeast. We should have our final edits ready so we all only send peanbeast 1 private message with your finished product. If we all send 2 or more pm's his inbox is going to be flooded.



For deadlines, I'm not sure. Some people could of been busy for Easter so I will suggest Wednesday or perhaps Friday for a final deadline of your team writeup to be sent to penbeast. Anyone have some input?

[RevisIsland]

I'm working on mine, presently. I was extremely busy this weekend, since it was Easter. I'll most likely have mine finished today.

[JeepCSC]

This is just seeding. I say people send what they can now, let pen decide, and then we move on to matchups. That would likely be more involved and detailed.

[RevisIsland]

I don't plan to write an exhaustive post for seeding purposes. Here's a general outline:

G - Gary Payton (96-98) / Kyrie Irving (13-15)
G - Kawhi Leonard (13-15) / Raja Bell (06-08)
F - Kevin Durant (12-14) / Paul George (12-14)
F - Blake Griffin (13-15) / Pau Gasol (09-11)
C - Artis Gilmore (72-74) / Wes Unseld (76-78)

Coach Mike Budenholzer

Coach Budenholzer is a disciple of Greg Popovich and it shows in his coaching of the Atlanta Hawks. He has led a team with little star power that is 26th in the NBA in payroll to the number 1 seed in just his second year as Head Coach. The Hawks are an "extra pass", "dirty-work" team. They win through communication. Does anyone doubt that Bud would win championships if he was blessed with the same roster Scott Brooks has disappointed with?

I did not draft role-players. I absolutely believe that talent wins out in the end. I built this roster to capitalize on incredible length and athleticism without sacrificing skill and actual basketball ability. A 2/3 rotation of Durant/George/Leonard means that I either have 2 7-foot wings playing together at all times or one of them is paired with the most terrifying defensive wing since Scottie Pippen. Gary Payton is a 6'4 DPOY at point guard who guarded Michael Jordan in the Finals and held him to some of his worst playoff performances of his career. Artis Gilmore is a 7'2 monster in the middle who immediately transformed the Colonel's defense into the best in the ABA from his rookie year onward and is generally regarded as (aside from Wilt), the strongest man to play the game of basketball. He set ABA records for blocks and rebounds and won MVP as a rookie over prime Julius Erving. Raja Bell is an All-NBA defensive player off the bench. Wes Unseld is one of the greatest rebounders ever. Pau Gasol was a very good defender with the Lakers in his prime. My defense IS elite. I was, however, able to select very good defensive players who don't give up anything on offense. I have no players like Rodman or Ben Wallace. There is no one on my roster that is one-dimensional, but there are players on both sides of the ball that are game-changers.

My offense clearly runs through Kevin Durant. It's arguable that his 2014 MVP season is the greatest scoring season ever. He's unstoppable. There is no defender that can mitigate what he brings offensively. I can line him up as a 2-guard and laugh as a he shoots over the top of any 6'7 SG that is tasked with "defending" him. Between Irving, Bell, George, Leonard and Durant, I have 5 players that are capable of shooting the ball at a very high level and 2 of them will be on the court at all times. Add to that the fact that Gasol and Griffin are both very good midrange shooters, my spacing will be excellent. At all times, I will have 3-4 players capable of creating their own shot, unnasisted, on the floor. There is no one you can ignore on my offense. The center in my offense is primarily tasked with setting hard picks and rolling to the basket. They are there for dirty work. Offensive rebounds and putbacks. It's good that I have two of the strongest, hardest-working 5's in basketball history. Listen to any of their peers speak about Gilmore or Unseld and you will first hear about their strength and how they physically beat you up during the course of the game. Gasol, Griffin and Unseld are all phenomenal passers. The ball will not stop when passed to a post player. However, if left one on one, Griffin and Gasol will take their man to the basket. Kyrie Irving is on this team to be a shot in the arm off the bench. He will come in and play limited minutes, typically with Durant sitting, and be asked to simply score the basketball. My favorite aspect of my team is their ability in transition. Watch a couple of videos of Payton and Kemp in transition, then imagine that with a superior player in Blake Griffin. Now imagine that with a famous Wes Unseld outlet pass. Now add the length and speed of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Now add the scoring prowess of Kevin Durant. No one is stopping an Unseld -> Payton -> Durant/Griffin/Leronard/George break.

TLDR version:

Game-changing defenders = Payton/George/Leronard/Bell/Gilmore
Unstoppable scorers = Durant/Griffin/Irving
Bone-jarring picks = Unseld/Gilmore
Elite rebounding = Gilmore/Unseld/Gasol/Leonard/Payton/George
Great passers = Payton/Irving/Gasol/Griffin/Unseld
MVPs = Durant/Unseld/Gilmore/Leonard (FMVP)

Run, run, run, pass, pass, pass. Score. Defend.

[JeepCSC]

Pick: Charles Barkley

Pick : Dwight Howard

I'll take Julius Erving!

Oooh just caught this. Oscar is also in the top 12.

I think these are the four we are missing. I'm hoping we can begin soon.

[HeartBreakKid]

Isn't the draft over, why can't we just start?

[JeepCSC]

We need match ups and penbeast was nice enough to offer help in seeding. If people are fine with just using owly's post a page back in lieu of anything else, penbeast can use that. I'm in favor of not dragging this out.

[SkyHookFTW]

I sent Penbeast a private with my write up.

[parsnips33]

My write up will be done very soon. Sorry I've been a bit busy

[trex_8063]

Don't know if it's necessary to mention it, but I already PM'ed penbeast0 with my write-up. Just waiting for word on everything.

btw--When it comes time for the actually voting, I think we all owe each other the courtesy of thoroughly reading everyone's write up before casting a vote. Maybe that goes without saying, but just mentioning it because I think it would be inappropriate to merely scrutinize the line-ups and draw your own conclusions without reading the author's thoughts on application, etc.

[Warspite]

Don't know if it's necessary to mention it, but I already PM'ed penbeast0 with my write-up. Just waiting for word on everything.

btw--When it comes time for the actually voting, I think we all owe each other the courtesy of thoroughly reading everyone's write up before casting a vote. Maybe that goes without saying, but just mentioning it because I think it would be inappropriate to merely scrutinize the line-ups and draw your own conclusions without reading the authors thoughts on application, etc.

I was hoping that we could move it to the PC board and let them vote.

[penbeast0]

I have about 6 writeups PM's . . . when do you need the seedings?

Doesn't really belong on PC board, belongs here. Do you want only the people active in the game to vote (certainly gives you more control/less trolling but also potential for gaming the system) or do you want to throw it open?

[thizznation]

I will pm soon...keyboard broke the other night, clumsy girlfriends for the loss

[trex_8063]

I will pm soon...keyboard broke the other night, clumsy girlfriends for the loss

Sure....."clumsy girlfriend". Freaky circus sex FTW!

[thizznation]

I will pm soon...keyboard broke the other night, clumsy girlfriends for the loss

Sure....."clumsy girlfriend". Freaky circus sex FTW!

[Owly]

Pick: Charles Barkley

Pick : Dwight Howard

I'll take Julius Erving!

Oooh just caught this. Oscar is also in the top 12.

I think these are the four we are missing. I'm hoping we can begin soon.

Most have written hype-info packages now. HeartBreakKid, like Jaivl appeared to decline/feel no need to hype.
Of the publicly written hype (some may have added in PMs, and certainly thizznation has been talking about PM-ing but wasn’t on the list of haven’t done hype visibly guys).

The Teams (in one place, so someone can judge them) not necessarily arranged as players intended, just as done by me, with higher drafted players typically amongst the first five. This is based on 3 year peaks (consecutive, Yao-esque 48 game seasons are considered as pro-rated 82 game seasons, major injuries allow for a one year exception). In draft order...

SkyHookFTW
Moses Malone
Kevin McHale
Bobby Jones
James Harden
Isiah Thomas

Jack Sikma
Billy Cunningham
Alex English
Hal Greer
Calvin Murphy

Coach: Billy Cunningham

Spoiler:

No team has the pure level of talent, versitility and accolades that my team has. The RealGM Top 100 project agrees: 8 of my 10 players, 80% of my team, is represented in the Top 100 project. My team is the best balanced out of all. GOAT rebounding, GOAT post play, speedy, athletic combo guards, fast, rebounding SF's (one a combo forward), insane volume and efficient scoring, plenty of defense...and 70% of my team played or coached in the 80's, the toughest era of basketball ever. My players excelled on the court. Plus I have a coach who knows not only how to play but knows how to get a team of stars to play together and win a title. And if that isn’t enough, I have, wrapped into one player, a GOAT-level flopper AND a GOAT-level beard.

All of my players have skills that fit in today’s game.

I believe that some of the older players are getting no respect. I’m still trying to figure out how players like Alex English, Hal Greer, and Billy Cunningham fell to me.

Moses Malone (81-83)
Kevin McHale (87-89)
Bobby Jones (80-82)
James Harden (13-15)
Isiah Thomas (84-86)

Jack Sikma (82-84)
Billy Cunningham (69-71)
Alex English (85-87)
Hal Greer (67-69)
Calvin Murphy (78-80)

Coach: Billy Cunningham (.698 win%)

It’s 1:00 AM here, so without going into insane detail, here is a snippet of each player.

Moses: 12x NBA all-star, 3x MVP, 1x finals MVP, 1x all-1st defense team, 1x all-2nd team defense, 5x all-NBA 1st team, 5x all-NBA 2nd team, outplayed Kareem and Hakeem head to head in their careers. Led the league in rebounding 6 times. Over 1,200 games in a row without fouling out (NBA record, as Wilt didn’t play as many games as Moses) despite his physical play. GOAT offensive rebounder, GOAT-level rebounder period. Excellent playoff performer, averaged 22.1 points and 14 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Respectable 76% FT shooter. Was a key player in one of the GOAT teams of all-time…some say that 76ers team is the best ever.

Ugh…too tired. I’ll get back and finish this tomorrow. I have to get up for work in four hours.

As promised, here are short bio's of my insanely talented team.

No team has the pure level of talent and accolades that my team has. The RealGM Top 100 project agrees: 8 of my 10 players, 80% of my team, is represented in the Top 100 project. My team is the best balanced out of all. GOAT rebounding, GOAT post play, speedy, athletic combo guards, fast, rebounding SF's (one a combo forward), insane volume and efficient scoring, plenty of defense...and 70% of my team played or coached in the 80's, the toughest era of basketball ever. My players excelled on the court. Plus I have a coach who knows not only how to play but knows how to get a team of stars to play together and win a title. And if that isn’t enough, I have, wrapped into one player, a GOAT-level flopper AND a GOAT-level beard.

All of my players have skills that fit in today’s game.

I believe that some of the older players are getting no respect. I’m still trying to figure out how players like Alex English, Hal Greer, and Billy Cunningham fell to me.

Moses Malone (81-83)
Kevin McHale (87-89)
Bobby Jones (80-82)
James Harden (13-15)
Isiah Thomas (84-86)

Jack Sikma (82-84)
Billy Cunningham (69-71)
Alex English (85-87)
Hal Greer (67-69)
Calvin Murphy (78-80)

Coach: Billy Cunningham (.698 win%)

It’s 1:00 AM here, so without going into insane detail, here is a snippet of each player.

Moses: 12x NBA all-star, 3x MVP, 1x finals MVP, 1x all-1st defense team, 1x all-2nd team defense, 5x all-NBA 1st team, 5x all-NBA 2nd team, outplayed Kareem and Hakeem head to head in their careers. Led the league in rebounding 6 times. Over 1,200 games in a row without fouling out (NBA record, as Wilt didn’t play as many games as Moses) despite his physical play. GOAT offensive rebounder, GOAT-level rebounder period. Excellent playoff performer, averaged 22.1 points and 14 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Respectable 76% FT shooter. Was a key player in one of the GOAT teams of all-time…some say that 76ers team is the best ever. Was a good man-to-man defender, and under Cunningham played his best team defense. Entering the league at a skinny 215 lbs., bulked up to 250 with the 76ers.

Kevin McHale: GOAT-post player, 7x all-star, 3x all-1st team defense, 3x all-2nd team defense. First NBA player to shoot over 60% from the field and 80% from the foul line in the same season. Key component of the best front court in NBA history (the original Big Three). Has jumps, spin moves, dips, and a sweet touch that complimented his defensive ability—a great two-way player. He was another player who played just as well in the playoffs. He was tough: played through a post-season with a broken bone in his foot—effectively. The man called Frankenstein has some of the longest arms ever seen on a court.

Bobby Jones: It’s not a stretch to say he is a top-three defensive player in NBA history. 4x all-star, 8x all-1st team defense, 1x all-2nd team defense in the talent stacked late 70’s-80’s, no less. If ABA counts, he was 1st team defense two years, which means that every year he played, he was 1st team defense except for the one year he only made 2nd team all-defense. You like “glue guys?” You like effective, efficient team players? Look no further than Bobby Jones. Jones didn’t cheat or take unfair advantage of anything—he was too much of a Christian gentleman to do so. What he earned on defense was earned through pure technique and positioning—probably the best technical defender the NBA has ever seen (according to basketball god Sonny Hill as well). Jones didn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective, and his efficient scoring was always an asset. Able to play both the SF and PF positions (he had too when Dr. J was on the floor with him), Jones did whatever it took to help his team win.

Trivia: Bobby Jones and Bob McAdoo competed against each other in high school in the high jump.

James Harden: a modern player that is well-known enough that I don’t need to write about him. Fear the Beard, and Don’t Mock the Flop! Will one day take his place in the RealGM top-100…probably knocking off a player on someone else’s team, hehe. Larry Bird=.376 3pt%, James Harden=.370 3pt%...I’m not complaining too much. His best three years have produced eye-popping numbers.

Isiah Thomas: One of RealGM’s most polarizing players. Here are the quick facts. On my team, he ain’t chucking the ball, which is good because you can’t deny his playmaking abilities (although some will find a way to do so anyway). I myself am not a particular big fan of his game, but the man didn’t become a 12x all-star because he sucked. This whole league is a playoff atmosphere, and that is when he stepped up. A true 20-10 player in his prime.

Jack Sikma: Would you like to have a 7-footer today who can space the floor, has a nice shot to 17 feet, can hit the “3”, get 18+/11+ in his prime, and have the ability to shoot over 90% from the FT line? Well, that’s Jack Sikma. Trivia: AFAIK, he is the only center to shoot over 90% from the FT line two years in a row….hell, one of the few players ever to do that. His .922% one year is still one of the NBA’s best ever. A great workaholic-type to spell Moses or even put in if I want to change up the offense. When people discuss HoF snubs, his name come up a lot. The 7x all-star also made an all-NBA defensive team. His shot was damn near impossible to block, as he pulled it behind and above his head. He led the league in defensive rebounds 2x’s. When Yao Ming came into the league, he was the man hired to teach him the details of playing the game. His 32.8% 3pt% is among the best ever for a center (might be the best, not sure).

Billy Cunningham: The Kangaroo Kid was the 6th man on the GOAT team. Incredible leaper, remarkably consistent, smart, speedy, “instant offense,” one of the best rebounding SF’s around, and can play defense, how did he fall to me?????? The 4x all-star, 3x all-NBA first teamer (would have had more awards if he didn’t jump to the ABA for a few years), averaged close to 23 points and over 12 boards per game in his NBA peak. Averaged over 5 assists at his NBA peak and not an embarrassment at the FT line either. Fast, could jump, slash, attack the basket, score and rebound…would transition well into today’s game, keeping defenders honest. Injuries cut his career short...he would be higher up the ladder if not.

Alex English: Speaking of offense, how about the highest scoring player of the talent stacked 1980’s? An 8x all-star? 3x all-NBA second team? How did this pure scoring machine fall to me???? 28/5 at his peak, not physically strong but possessor of great technique and a tough to block shot, one might call him the offensive Yin to B. Jones’s defensive Yang. His Per 36 minute and Per 100 possession numbers are off the charts. Small ball? Hehe, put English and Cunningham on the floor at the same time with big guard Harden, any PG and Moses in the paint…have fun guarding that lineup.

Hal Greer: I have to believe he lasted as long as he did due to a bias from 60’s players. The shooting guard from the NBA GOAT team, this combo guard was athletic, fast, strong, and despite being the 3rd best guard of his era (behind Oscar and Jerry), was said (by Oscar and Jerry, no less) to have the best mid-range jumper of his day. A 10x all-star, 7x all-NBA second teamer, he averaged over 22ppg and 5.5 boards while shooting 80% from the FT line. Adjusted for his era, that’s quite good, and given his shooting skills and technique, could develop a 3 point shot if he played today.

Calvin Murphy: I think he’s the shortest player picked for the draft. Quickness and defense was his hallmark. The short combo guard was putting up 20ppg at his peak. Remarkably consistent for most of his career, he once held the NBA FT% record at .958 for a season. Never an all-start, he was just one of those guys who came in and did what he had to do. Trivia: with at least 14 children from 9 different women, he deserves to be mentioned among the GOAT baby-mama makers.

Coach: Billy Cunningham. Who knows what his coaching record would be if he stayed longer? He reached the 200-win, 300-win, and 400-win mark faster than any coach in history. Every year he coached he made the playoffs. He knew how to make a team of stars work together...something he had first-hand experience with from his playing days on the 66-67 GOAT 76ers. Cunningham coached against teams in the talent-stacked 80's, so going up against other star-studded teams is nothing new for him as a player and coach. Trivia: he helped bring the Miami Heat into existence.

This team can score from the perimeter, from inside, from midrange, and from the foul line. This team can go big ball or small ball, and is just a nightmare to defend against--too many weapons to shut down. Scorers like English, Cunningham (excellent rebounder too), and Greer coming off the bench, plus a big like Sikma who can hit from the outside and still gets boards? Yikes, the opposing defense never gets a break.This team can play defense quite well too. Bobby Jones should be on everyone's all-time starting five on D, not to mention the other players who can defend.

Starting five: Moses (C), McHale (PF), B. Jones (SF), The Beard (SG), Zeke (PG). My starting five has the perfect blend of inside (Moses and McHale) with perimeter shooting (Beard). The Moses-McHale duo is the best offensive inside game of any team. McHale may be the GOAT post-up player, Moses GOAT offensive rebounder, so I will score inside. The other teams cannot pack the paint with THE BEARD on the perimeter. Least they forget, Bobby Jones is a very efficient shooter when he shoots, especially from midrange. Billy C. was imploring him to shoot more with the Sixers, a big compliment when you look at that stacked 83 team. Zeke is a great playmaker; given the scoring on this team, he won't have to make many passes or shoot much at all. The starting five has too many weapons to stop--any defense will have to spread itself out thin. That is bad news against my post game.

Should a team decide to small ball me with speed, well, I can do that too. I'm not worried about my guards, as I have speedy Calvin Murphy to relieve Zeke (who is fast anyway), and athletic deadly jump-shooting Hal Greer to take over. Greer, used to playing at a high pace, will run all day. As stated earlier, he was considered by coaches and players to have the best midrange jumper of his era, better than West or Oscar. But the real trump card is being able to bring in Billy Cunningham and Alex English on the floor at the same time. Billy C. will slash, leap, grab rebounds, play D, and score....English, Mr. Silk himself, was the highest scoring player of the stacked 80's. Watch his highlights and view the artistry and moves he had. Finally, Jack Sikma gives me a big with some speed, a 3 point shot, very good midrange shooting, rebounding, and a nice all-around game. Sikma would be a very coveted player in today's game. He is also the best shoot big from the FT line in NBA history.

My front court and back court can switch up to meet any challenge--or cause mismatches on the other end. Jones played a lot of PF for the 76ers; McHale did play center at times effectively, and Moses is really a natural PF. All three can switch and be effective. Hal Greer was moved off the pint earlier in his career because he was too good of a SG, but he played the point very well. Zeke and Murphy can both play SG, but their size makes me not want to do that. Harden would be a killer PG...I'm trying to imagine a Greer-Harden backcourt. Switching Greer with Zeke and using Sikma with either Moses or McHale at PF might be the ultimate spacing on offense of any team.

On defense, Having one of the GOAT defenders in Bobby Jones is a coup--almost every year he played he was 1st team all-NBA defense (one year he was "only" 2nd team). Paired with McHale, an excellent defender in his own right (everyone forgets he was 4x 1st team, 4x 2nd team all-NBA defender), and Moses (actually a good one-on-one guy who played good team D under Cunningham), the front court will hold its own. Rebounding is a given with Moses, McHale, Sikma, Jones, and Cunningham. Moses bulked up to 250+ with the 76ers, and given that he never gives up on a ball, Ben Wallace and his type may be in for a surprise. I don't know of anyone who fought harder under the basket than Moses. Jones and McHale have great length and were always tough to shoot against--one reason they racked up so many all-NBA team defense accolades. And don't worry about Moses getting into foul trouble--as I already pointed out, he holds the NBA record for most games played in a row without fouling out. Murphy, Zeke, and Greer were fast, quick, tenaciuos defenders and will make life hard for the other team's guards. English, Harden, and Sikma were not great man defenders, but play well in a team defense context. Sikma was actually quite a good help defender, and his length is problematic for the opponent.

I sent Penbeast a private with my write up.

trex_8063
David Robinson
Horace Grant
Rick Barry
George Gervin
Chauncey Billups

Kevin Willis
Dave Cowens
Bruce Bowen
Danny Green
Terry Porter

Coach: Bill Sharman

Spoiler:

Starters
PG - Chauncey Billups (‘06-’08)
SG - George Gervin (‘78-’80)
SF - *Rick Barry (‘67-’70)
PF - Horace Grant (‘92-’94)
C - David Robinson (‘94-’96)

Bench
*Bruce Bowen (‘04-’06)
Dave Cowens (‘74-’76)
Terry Porter (‘91-’93)
Danny Green (‘13-present)
Kevin Willis (‘92-’94)
Coach: Bill Sharman

My general philosophy was to create a team that is deep, that is great and balanced on both sides of the ball; a team without significant weakness in any area of the game.

To go thru, I’ll begin by outlining the qualities I see in my 1st unit (hinting at their application), then my “2nd unit”, then a word about my coach, and finally a few comments on minutes/usage of the players at my disposal.

1st Unit
Offensive
My 1st unit has elite-level perimeter scoring and elite-level interior scoring. I have one of the GOAT-level slasher/finishing perimeter scorers, an elite post scorer, 3pt shooting/floor spacing, good ball-control, and pretty good passing from nearly all positions.

My offensive front-man is going to be The Iceman. This was a guy who even prior to changes to hand-check rules was slashing and getting into the lane effectively. Was an amazing finisher, even more amazing at finishing what appeared to be almost “circus-shots” (finger rolls from 5 feet from the basket??), good mid-range shooter, excellent at hitting little “leaners” and “floaters”, too. In the span of his career I’m going with (‘78-’80) he was averaging a big 36.2 pts/100 possessions while shooting an amazing 53.5% FG% . Decent at getting to the line, too, where he shot 83.6%; overall 59.1% ts (+6.6% to league avg) during this span, which is pretty amazing while scoring such volume and shouldering that level of primacy.
And did it generate effective team offense? You bet it did. If you scrutinize those Spur teams: his biggest offensive help were guys like Billy Paultz and James Silas. And yet the Spurs ORtg during the span: 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd (out of 22) respectively.
With modern rules (no hand-checking) being in place for this fantasy league, makes me think he could be even MORE effective/efficient in getting into the paint or to the line. Just an amazing scorer.

When David Robinson (GOAT-level rs performer, and who knows how good he could be in post-season with the focus taken off him) is your SECOND option, how good must your offense be?!? In the years specified this guy averaged 37.0 pts/100 poss @ 58.9% ts (+5.13% to league avg). He gives me a center who can run in transition and finish off oops as good as any center that has ever played. A nice face-up game with the quickness/athleticism to blow by slower centers, and the strength and explosiveness to bully weaker centers on the block. Doesn't let you off the hook at the FT-line either, where he was a career 73.6% shooter. Where his playoff short-comings are concerned, well…..that isn’t much of a concern now, as he no longer has to shoulder the burden of being my primary scorer. And Gervin, you’ll note, doesn’t appear to skip a beat in the playoffs (nor do some of my other starters; more on that later). Pretty decent passing big, and a consummate teammate, too.

Chauncey Billups provides a more than capable floor general, good play-making, very good ball-control (Ast:TO ratio of 2.81 during his prime), and clutch play (1-Time FMVP, nicknamed “Mr. Big Shot” for a reason; and you’ll note he too doesn’t appear to skip a beat in the playoffs). Elite outside shooting, which also helps with the floor spacing; and it’s pretty nice to have a ~60-61% ts scoring as your third (at times perhaps 4th) option scorer.

You may be wondering why I had an * by Rick Barry and Bruce Bowen. It’s because while I may be starting Rick Barry, I actually don’t intend to play him much with the 1st unit. I am more intending to use him as the offensive engine of my 2nd unit.
We all know Barry likes a lot of shots, and that he has more than his share of ego. However, he’s also an intelligent guy with a pretty high bball IQ. I think even he would recognize that he’s a superstar among superstars on this team, and that he simply cannot warrant/demand the kind of primacy that he was otherwise used to.
My intent was to probably start him (to soothe his ego with the distinction of being a “starter” on this team full of superstars), but then likely bench him early in the first quarter in favor of Bruce Bowen. An additional perimeter scorer (Barry) is a touch redundant with the line-up I’ve already described. Really what I need is an additional guy to space the floor (Bowen: 39.9% 3pt shooter on avg 2.9 3PA/g in years specified; really elite in the corners), and do little else offensively; the rest of Bowen’s value would come on the other end (more on that below). And then Barry is free to get lots of shots while on the court with the 2nd unit, as that is my primary intention for him. So anyway, that was the purpose of the * by each of their names.

And lastly, at PF, I intend to start Horace Grant. His role on offense will be to occasionally catch an interior pass from a penetrating guard and finish at the rim (he’s proved to have great hands and nice finishing ability), hit the occasional open 11-18 footer (another thing he’s pretty well proven at), do some facilitating from the high post (not unaccustomed to that either; avg as high as 3.4 apg in the years specified, with a cumulative Ast:TO ratio of 2.06---which is almost unheard of for a PF). And otherwise, I want to crash the offensive glass (another thing he’s proven capable of: OREB% of 14.0% in years specified).
All in all, this seems like a marvelous offensive line-up, imo.

Defense
I’ve one ELITE level perimeter defender who can stymie most perimeter scorers to some degree---Bruce Bowen.
I’ve got another very good perimeter defender in Chauncey Billups.
In Horace Grant I’ve got a guy who is mobile and smart enough to defend very well against the pick-n-roll, is a very good low-post defender (against PF or C), and a decent help defender, too.
And then to pick up any slack, protect the rim, defend pnr and anything else that needs doing I’ve got a short-list all-time great defensive center to anchor it all in DRob.

This defense frankly looks every bit as amazing as the offense. On to the 2nd unit…..


2nd Unit
Rick Barry is intended to be the primary scorer with this group, with the rest more or less working off of him and the attention he’ll draw. Aside from shooting, Barry was a more than competent passing SF, too; was a totally decent defensive player from what I’ve seen, too.

I should have great floor spacing with this group: Danny Green is an absolutely lights out 3pt shooter (42.1% from downtown on 5.2 3PA/g over the last three years). And what’s more, he’s a scrappy defender (with nice DRAPM in recent years). He tends to bring his A-game in the playoffs, too.
Terry Porter, despite playing in an era before the 3pt line was in such high usage was shooting 40.8% from trey on 4.0 3PA/g in the years specified. He also gives solid leadership, play-making, and ball control.

Dave Cowens should more or less be able to fill every function (on both offense and defense) at the PF that I wanted in Horace Grant: can hit open mid-range shots, can pass/facilitate from the high post, quick enough to defend the pick-n-roll or if caught on a switch, and tough/strong enough to defend the low post. Maybe not quite as good a finisher as Grant, but has a little more in the way of post-up game should that be required (only reason I’m not starting him ahead of Grant, is that this aspect of his game will get lost among this stacked team); and he’s probably a MORE elite rebounder than Grant.

And Kevin Willis will provide some reasonable offense, again the lateral quickness to defend the pick-n-roll, and the strength to defend the post. And while he’s not much of a rim protector at all, he’s an absolute beast on the boards (he’s rebounding just a small step below peak Dwight Howard, with a Reb/100 poss rate of 18.5 during the years specified).


Coaching
At coach I’ve got a very cerebral, tough-minded warrior in Bill Sharman. A guy who understood well both sides of the game, and appeared capable of dealing with big egos (coached both Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain in his career, and took both of them to the NBA finals, winning it all with Wilt. He also coached one ABA champion).

Come on!…..this team is remarkable in all aspects of the game.


Minutes/Usage
I’m generally only going 9 guys deep in my roster…..

David Robinson is clearly my most dominant all-around player, and also plays the position for which I lose the most in going to his replacement (Willis, although I’ll likely use either Cowens or Grant at the C position once in awhile). So he’s going to be getting the largest minutes.

Second in minutes will likely be Gervin, as he’s my most reliable high volume/high efficiency scorer (at any position). As long as he’s on the court (with just about any other compliment of the players I have on the roster), that will put pressure on any defense. Can’t see playing him any less than about 30 mpg.

Billups will likely be third, with Porter pretty consistently being his sub. Barry will likely only be about 4th in minutes (again: mostly as the leader of my second unit, though he may spell Gervin at SG here and there; only rarely intend to have both he and Gervin on the floor at the same time).

Bowen, although just a role player, will likely be getting ~24 mpg. Barry and Gervin on the court at the same time creates a bit of redundancy, so I’ll usually have Bowen at SF when Gervin is on the court. Bowen (in combo with either Billups or Porter) ensures floor spacing on offense, and is my most elite perimeter defender who can be assigned to the best SG/SF on the other end.

Both Cowens and Grant will likely see at least a little time at the C position, otherwise each spelling the other at PF. Both will likely be >24 mpg.

Green will also get relevant playing time, mostly alongside Barry with the 2nd unit.

Kevin Willis is mostly just a bit of filler, really only getting minimal minutes to help get Robinson a the minimum reasonable amount of rest, and/or filling in when there’s foul trouble issues, etc.

Overall, the minutes per game will look something like this:
David Robinson 34-36 mpg
George Gervin 30-32 mpg
Chauncey Billups 27-30 mpg
Rick Barry 24-27 mpg
Horace Grant 24-27 mpg
Dave Cowens 24-27 mpg
Bruce Bowen 24 mpg
Terry Porter 18-21 mpg
Danny Green 18 mpg
Kevin Willis ~6 mpg

Quotatious
Ben Wallace
Kevin Garnett
Predrag Stojakovic
Clyde Drexler
Kevin Johnson

Brad Daugherty
Clifford Robinson
Tayshaun Prince
Hersey Hawkins
Michael Cooper

Coach: Rick Adelman

Spoiler:

Here's why my team would be great:

The main thing is that Ben Wallace and Kevin Garnett give me GOAT level interior defense and rebounding. Wallace's average DBPM for the 3-year stretch I selected is +6.8 - he led the league in DBPM and DWS every year between '02 and '04, and his defensive splits in NPI RAPM were +2.2, +2.6 and +3.6 - he peaked at +4.6 on defense in prior informed RAPM, in 2004. His average TRB% between '02 and '04 was 21.1% - second in '02, first in '03 and third in '04. He's a two time DPOY, in '02 and '03, and finished second in '04 (also won two more, in '05 and '06). He was also one of the best shotblockers in the NBA, with 6.3% BLK.
Garnett's average DBPM between '03 and '05 was +4.4 (ranked 7th, 4th and 6th, respectively), ranked 4th in DWS in '03, and second in both '04 and '05. His average TRB% was 19.7% - ranked 4th, 2nd and 4th, respectively. Garnett obviously won the MVP in '04 (almost unanimously - he got 120 of 123 possible first place votes), and finished as a fairly close runner-up behind Duncan in '03. Garnett also had 2+ defensive splits in RAPM. KG was a fairly decent shotblocker (3.1% BLK), but it's not the most important aspect of his defense - the most important thing about Garnett's defense is his ability to disrupt pick & rolls and command his team's defense, be a vocal leader. Both Garnett and Wallace were outstanding pick & roll defenders, and Big Ben was also an elite rim protector, despite being a bit undersized for a center (but he had very long arms). Remember how great Ben and Rasheed were, defensively? Ben and Kevin would be even better.

Wallace and Garnett are both top 10 (arguably even top 5) defensive players of all-time. Think about it - we've never seen anything like it in the NBA, maybe except for Duncan/Robinson (but unlike the Spurs duo, my guys would be at their absolute peaks).

Depending on matchups, I can also start Brad Daugherty alongside KG. He's not a very good defender, but he's a certainly an excellent, polished low post scorer (21.1 ppg on 61.4% TS) , and a great passer (Garnett may be an even better passer). I plan on splitting the minutes fairly evenly between Wallace and Daugherty, because one guy brings exactly what the other lacks - Wallace is a great defender, but very poor offensive player, Daugherty is the opposite (but Brad's defense is better than Ben's offense). However, I'd rather start Ben, to set the tone defensively right from the beginning, along with KG, and then Daugherty comes in to provide an extra scoring punch. Daugherty was also a good rebounder - 10.5 rpg, 16.0% TRB.

My backup power forward is Clifford Robinson - stretch 4, good athlete, good defender. Almost 37% from beyond the arc, on over 5 attempts per game (I've selected '95-'97 versions of him, and the 3-point line was shortened all three seasons, but he was still a pretty respectable 3-point shooter even with the normal 3-point line, after '97). Capable of averaging 20+ ppg, on about league average efficiency (as he did twice during that 3-year stretch). Really bad rebounder, but I won't use him that much - KG will play about 35-37 minutes, so Cliff only plays about 11-13 minutes, and I'll make sure that Ben Wallace is on the floor with Cliff, all the time, to help mask his weakness as a rebounder.

Now, my backcourt - extremely explosive, awesome transition/open court players like Drexler and KJ - both excellent scorers and playmakers, both pretty unselfish. We're talking about consistent All-NBA 2nd team level performers, in the era when they had to compete with guards like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and John Stockton, among others. Drexler even made the All-NBA 1st team, at his peak in 1992.
KJ is gonna be the primary ballhandler and offensive threat in half-court offense. KJ/KG pick and roll (by the way - both guys have the same first and middle name - Kevin Maurice, which is funny) is gonna be one of the most important parts of my offensive system.
Drexler worked very well as an off-ball player, and he'll have a chance to do so on my team, plus he'll be the secondary ballhandler.

Hersey Hawkins is a great shooter (40% on 3.3 attempts in the early 90s), capable of creating his own shot, and playing decent defense. He also moves the ball well. Seems like a good backup for Clyde.

Michael Cooper brings exactly what Kevin Johnson lacks - size, versatile defense and 3-point shooting (especially in the playoffs, where he shot 45% on 3.1 attempts per game, in the mid/late 80s ). He was actually coming off the bench for a stacked team, for almost his entire career, so I'm sure he would accept this role.

My small forwards also complement each other pretty well. Peja Stojakovic is one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history, he shot over 41% on almost 6 attempts per game, during the 3-year stretch I've selected. Tayshaun Prince was a very good defender (Peja certainly wasn't), with great length, but also good enough quickness to guard explosive wing players (he did a very good job guarding Kobe in the 2004 finals). Also a decent 3-pt shooter - 36.2% on 2.2 attempts per game.
Stojakovic is also comfortable playing off-ball, so I can have KJ and Drexler as my primary ballhandlers/playmakers, and even allow KG to play some point forward, at times (like he did so often in Minnesota, in the early/mid 2000s).

Finally, my team will be coached by Rick Adelman. I have three players who Adelman actually coached (Drexler and Robinson in Portland, Stojakovic in Sacramento), and I also have bigmen who are tailor-made for Adelman's Princeton offense - KG will play Chris Webber's role (he's just as good offensively, also a terrific passer/playmaker for a PF, but way better defensively), and Brad Daugherty playing Divac's/Brad Miller's role.


To be perfectly honest, I don't see any team that would be clearly superior than mine. I really like trex's, Owly's and RSCD's teams, but I think my guys could beat anybody here.

Any early power rankings, guys?

HeartBreakKidd
Arvydas Sabonis
Bob Pettit
Julius Erving
Tracy McGrady
Mike Conley

George Mikan
Charles Oakley
Paul Arizin
Byron Scott
Damian Lillard

Coach: Red Holzman

Isn't the draft over, why can't we just start?

RevisIsland
Artis Gilmore
Pau Gasol
Kevin Durant
Kawhi Leonard
Gary Payton

Wes Unseld
Blake Griffin
Paul George
Raja Bell
Kyrie Irving

Coach: Mike Budenholzer

Spoiler:

I don't plan to write an exhaustive post for seeding purposes. Here's a general outline:

G - Gary Payton (96-98) / Kyrie Irving (13-15)
G - Kawhi Leonard (13-15) / Raja Bell (06-08)
F - Kevin Durant (12-14) / Paul George (12-14)
F - Blake Griffin (13-15) / Pau Gasol (09-11)
C - Artis Gilmore (72-74) / Wes Unseld (76-78)

Coach Mike Budenholzer

Coach Budenholzer is a disciple of Greg Popovich and it shows in his coaching of the Atlanta Hawks. He has led a team with little star power that is 26th in the NBA in payroll to the number 1 seed in just his second year as Head Coach. The Hawks are an "extra pass", "dirty-work" team. They win through communication. Does anyone doubt that Bud would win championships if he was blessed with the same roster Scott Brooks has disappointed with?

I did not draft role-players. I absolutely believe that talent wins out in the end. I built this roster to capitalize on incredible length and athleticism without sacrificing skill and actual basketball ability. A 2/3 rotation of Durant/George/Leonard means that I either have 2 7-foot wings playing together at all times or one of them is paired with the most terrifying defensive wing since Scottie Pippen. Gary Payton is a 6'4 DPOY at point guard who guarded Michael Jordan in the Finals and held him to some of his worst playoff performances of his career. Artis Gilmore is a 7'2 monster in the middle who immediately transformed the Colonel's defense into the best in the ABA from his rookie year onward and is generally regarded as (aside from Wilt), the strongest man to play the game of basketball. He set ABA records for blocks and rebounds and won MVP as a rookie over prime Julius Erving. Raja Bell is an All-NBA defensive player off the bench. Wes Unseld is one of the greatest rebounders ever. Pau Gasol was a very good defender with the Lakers in his prime. My defense IS elite. I was, however, able to select very good defensive players who don't give up anything on offense. I have no players like Rodman or Ben Wallace. There is no one on my roster that is one-dimensional, but there are players on both sides of the ball that are game-changers.

My offense clearly runs through Kevin Durant. It's arguable that his 2014 MVP season is the greatest scoring season ever. He's unstoppable. There is no defender that can mitigate what he brings offensively. I can line him up as a 2-guard and laugh as a he shoots over the top of any 6'7 SG that is tasked with "defending" him. Between Irving, Bell, George, Leonard and Durant, I have 5 players that are capable of shooting the ball at a very high level and 2 of them will be on the court at all times. Add to that the fact that Gasol and Griffin are both very good midrange shooters, my spacing will be excellent. At all times, I will have 3-4 players capable of creating their own shot, unnasisted, on the floor. There is no one you can ignore on my offense. The center in my offense is primarily tasked with setting hard picks and rolling to the basket. They are there for dirty work. Offensive rebounds and putbacks. It's good that I have two of the strongest, hardest-working 5's in basketball history. Listen to any of their peers speak about Gilmore or Unseld and you will first hear about their strength and how they physically beat you up during the course of the game. Gasol, Griffin and Unseld are all phenomenal passers. The ball will not stop when passed to a post player. However, if left one on one, Griffin and Gasol will take their man to the basket. Kyrie Irving is on this team to be a shot in the arm off the bench. He will come in and play limited minutes, typically with Durant sitting, and be asked to simply score the basketball. My favorite aspect of my team is their ability in transition. Watch a couple of videos of Payton and Kemp in transition, then imagine that with a superior player in Blake Griffin. Now imagine that with a famous Wes Unseld outlet pass. Now add the length and speed of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. Now add the scoring prowess of Kevin Durant. No one is stopping an Unseld -> Payton -> Durant/Griffin/Leronard/George break.

TLDR version:

Game-changing defenders = Payton/George/Leronard/Bell/Gilmore
Unstoppable scorers = Durant/Griffin/Irving
Bone-jarring picks = Unseld/Gilmore
Elite rebounding = Gilmore/Unseld/Gasol/Leonard/Payton/George
Great passers = Payton/Irving/Gasol/Griffin/Unseld
MVPs = Durant/Unseld/Gilmore/Leonard (FMVP)

Run, run, run, pass, pass, pass. Score. Defend.

giordunk
Nate Thurmond
Chris Webber
Carmelo Anthony
Dwyane Wade
John Stockton

Joakim Noah
Gerald Wallace
Shane Battier
Klay Thompson
Allen Iverson

Coach: Chuck Daly
???
Jaivl
Dikembe Mutombo
Dirk Nowitzki
Luol Deng
Manu Ginobili
Mookie Blaylock

Bill Laimbeer
Nene
Danny Granger
Tony Allen
Russell Westbrook

Coach: Rick Carlisle

Spoiler:

I have Mookie. I don't need hype. No fancy names, just well-defined roles.

PG: 95-97 Mookie Blaylock
PG: 13-15 Russell Westbrook
SG: 05-08 Manu Ginóbili (Injured in 06 -well, always injured-)
SG: 11-13 Tony Allen

SF: 10-12 Luol Deng
SF: 08-10 Danny Granger
PF: 05-07 Dirk Nowitzki
PF: 09-11 Nene Hilario
C: 97-99 Dikembe Mutombo
C: 88-90 Bill Laimbeer

poopdamoop
Alonzo Mourning
Al Horford
Elgin Baylor
Sidney Moncrief
Jerry West

Yao Ming
Buck Williams
Chris Mullin
Dan Majerle
Deron Williams

Coach: Tom Thibodeau

Spoiler:

Rotation:

Jerry West/Deron Williams
Sidney Moncrief/Dan Majerle
Chris Mullin/Elgin Baylor
Buck Williams/Al Horford
Alonzo Mourning/Yao Ming

Coach: Tom Thibodeau

I think this team can be the best defensive team in the league. I've got DPOY's in both the frontcourt and backcourt, as well as all-D team members in West and Williams, plus one of the best defensive coaches of all time running the show. Given what he was able to do with the Celtics and Bulls, Thibs should turn this team into a powerhouse D with Zo and Squid holding down the fort. Many of my backups, including Yao, Horford, and Majerle, are also elite defenders, so the whole team will shutting down opponents for 48 minutes.

Offensively, the team has one of the elite guards of all time in Jerry West to lead the way. If you've never seen West play, his closest comparison is Dwyane Wade, statistically, except West was also an elite shooter. His shooting and playmaking abilities mean that he can excel at either PG or SG, and his backup, Deron Williams, was one of the best PG's in the league in his prime. My backup PG is very comparable to some of the starting PG's in this game.

At SG, Sidney Moncrief was one of the best defenders in the world, but he was also a great mid-range shooter with multiple 20 ppg seasons on over 50% shooting. He's the perfect compliment to West on that end. Majerle won't play much, but if I need a 3/D guy, he's one of the best there is.

Chris Mullin was an All-NBA 1st forward in the 90's, beating out guys like Barkley and Malone, and his all-around game was fantastic. 25+ per game on great percentages from 3, and will help space the floor along with West for the starting line-up. Off the bench, I have (IMO) the best 6th man in this game in Elgin Baylor, who was an elite all-around scorer and rebounder. He's taken some criticism for his efficiency, but the average efficiency in the 60's was generally low due to the style of gameplay, and off the bench his role will be much more restrained, while still allowing him the spacing and ability to showcase the talent that allowed him to average 38/17 for a season.

Buck Williams isn't a well-known guy, but he was a great player in the 80's and 90's. Much like Horace Grant, Buck was a great mid-range shooter and a stud defensively, and even though he shifted to that role later in his career, he was still an all-NBA 2nd team player in the beginning of his career when required to shoot more. Al Horford is very similar, in that he's a well-rounded PF with no real weaknesses, and can fill any role, be it floor-spacer or primary defender.

Mourning is one of the best C's of all time, and even though his kidney problems cut his prime short, he was an elite defensive anchor, winning back-to-back DPOY's. He was also a very strong scorer, but given how talented this team is, Mourning can focus his energy on D and take advantage of strong matchups on offense. Off the bench, Yao Ming is another elite C who was hampered by injuries, but was an all-time great shooting big-man and defensive player, and will get plenty of time to feast on opposing backup C's.

Overall, I focused more on my bench than most other people did, and I believe that should give me the edge here. Much of my team consists of older players, which may put me at a disadvantage, but given the way guys like West and Baylor played, their games would easily translate to the modern era. My main backups (D-Will, Baylor, and Yao) could easily be starters for many teams in this league, and when you combine that with the stifling D of my starting lineup, I hope you can see why my team deserves to win.

[Owly]

thizznation
Patrick Ewing
Bob McAdoo
Andrei Kirilenko
Ray Allen
Tim Hardaway

Marcus Camby
Otis Thorpe
Lamar Odom
Dale Ellis
Baron Davis

Coach: Larry Brown

Spoiler:

Great write ups so far.



There have been some great teams already discussed here but where my team outshines the rest is versatility and the ability to go big or small depending on the opposing team and always being able to exploit chosen mismatches. I have lots of long athletic players that can shoot the ball very well and defend multiple positions.

My default line up is going to be very well rounded with Tim Hardaway playing a classic PG Role, Ray Allen being your prototype SG, Andre Kirilenko with a role of fortifying the perimeter defense and spacing with corner 3's, McAdoo is going to be scoring lots of buckets and be utilized to stretch the 4 when needed, Ewing is going to be a low post offensive option and will also be used to draw out opposing centers depending on the situation, he will also be my rim protector.

So with this line up will have great overall defense, fantastic floor spacing, dribble penetration, 2 different pick and roll/pop options, 2 different low post options, multiple iso options, basically all 5 players on the court can score in multiple ways. I have lots of different options(understatement) allowing me to pick the weakest link of the opposing team to attack. This starting line up has an average TS% of .590


My bench has some great replacements for seamless changes. When Ewing needs to sit there will be no freebies in the paint with Marcus Camby replacing him. When Ray needs to hit the bench Dale Ellis will be able to fit his role like a glove. For PF I can start to explore many options, I can play Otis Thorpe if I'm getting torched by opposing bigs in the block, I can slide AK-47 to the 4 for great defense and floor stretching, I can put Lamar Odom in for help in play creation, or I could go very big with Ewing at PF and Camby at C. This is just a taste of my team's flexibility.

A small ball line up of Baron Davis, Ray Allen, Dale Ellis, Andre Kirilenko, and Bob McAdoo would put up some terrifying offensive numbers.

Basically my team can stomp on the gas or pump the breaks depending on the situation of the game. I think this is what separates my team from the rest.



(Will finalize player years and give full individual player write ups soon.)

Dr Spaceman
Amar'e Stoudemire
Dennis Rodman
Andre Iguodala
Jeff Hornacek
Steve Nash

Tyson Chandler
LaMarcus Aldridge
James Worthy
Doug Christie
Goran Dragic

Coach: George Karl

Spoiler:

Hype train pulling into the station...

There has never been anything like the heights my team will be able to reach offensively. Obviously the star of the show is Steve Nash, arguably the most gifted playmaker in the history of the league, and the guy who led a scorching offensive dynasty the likes of which the league had never seen. Nash is dynamic, brings the best offensive talents out of anyone he plays with, fosters a communal team environment (most underrated aspect of his greatness), and leads the charge on my blistering attack. Give him his partner in crime to finish off pick and roll, and you're already on your way to building an offensive powerhouse. I could watch hours and hours of those two guys running PNR over and over again and never get bored. Nash is fun.

Besides Nash, I have 3 other elite playmakers on my squad, namely Iguodala, Hornacek, and Dragic. Seriously, when Goran Dragic is arguably the 4th best playmaker on your team, that's a borderline miracle. It means that no matter what lineup I put out, I will have at least 1 elite playmaker on the floor at all times, and most of the time even two or 3. Picture the ball zipping around the floor end to end, with wide open 3s and dunks before the defense even knows what hit them. The Spurs and Hawks combined couldn't dream of doing what my team is about to offensively.

Rodman is the lynchpin, the glue guy, whatever. He's the guy who holds everything together behind the scenes while everyone runs wild. The greatest rebounder by far since the 60s, and one of the most versatile and effective defenders in NBA history. He can guard anyone from 1-5 (literally, he's guarded Magic in the Finals and Shaq in a playoff series), and he can start the break with his outlet passes. He's the enforcer on my team, and brings intensity and hustle, setting an example for everyone on the defensive end.

Another key tenet of my team is versatility. My identity is obviously SSOL, but I knew it couldn't be an all-the-time thing. I went out and targeted guys who are long, tenacious defenders, and could play multiple positions. I can throw out lineups like Nash/Christie/Iggy/Rodman/Chandler... good luck scoring on that. With Rodman/Iggy/Christie on the wings, my team will be impossible to move the ball against and frustrate the hell out of opposing ball-handlers.

My team also has a plethora of shooters, with Nash/Horny/Dragic/Aldridge all being elite shooters and Iggy, Christie and Worthy being very respectable in their own right. Bombs away!

And finally, I've probably assembled the most potent fast break you will ever see. With Nash leading the charge and weapons like Worthy, Dragic, Iguodala... Jesus wept.

Yeah, I'm feeling my team.

Steve Nash (2005-2007)
Jeff Hornacek (1990-1992)
Andre Iguodala (2010-2012)
Dennis Rodman (1990-1992)
Amar'e Stoudemire (2005-2008, injured in 2007)

Bench:
Goran Dragic (2013-2015)
Doug Christie (2001-2003)
James Worthy (1987-1989)
LaMarcus Aldridge (2013-2015)
Tyson Chandler (2011-2013)

Oh and since Q is providing stats, I can't let my team have less hype than someone else.

Steve Nash: 17.7/11.2 on .513/.444/.903, +6.11 ORAPM in 2005, +6.04 in 2006, +10.22 in 2007.
Jeff Hornacek: 18.3/5.6 AST on .521/.425/.881 (Yes, both my starting guards are essentially 50/40/90 guys)
Andre Iguodala: 16.8/5.7/6.0 and +3.34/+4.94 in DRAPM.
Dennis Rodman: DPOY in 90 and 91. TRB% of 19.0, 21.3 (led league), and 26.2 (led league by a mile)
Amar'e Stoudemire: 23.9/9.2 on .632 TS% (finished 5th in scoring and 1st in TS% in 2008)

Goran Dragic: 17.1/5.9 on .484/.360/.757 with a peak season of 20.3/5.9 on .505/.408/.760
Doug Christie: 2.2 stl and .372 from 3. +4.93 and +6.60 in DRAPM. 1 1st team All-D and 2 2nd team All-D.
James Worthy: 19.9/5.6 on .577 TS%, stepped up his scoring to 22.9 in the playoffs "Big Game James".
LaMarcus Aldridge: 22.6/10.1 on .522 TS%.
Tyson Chandler: 10.6/9.9 on .692 TS% (led league all 3 years) +3.61, +3.60 in DRAPM.

My starting 1-3 average 22.5 assists between them. My 2 starting guards are both 50/40/90. I have a defensive terror at every position except PG. I have the GOAT rebounder and the GOAT playmaker. I have the GOAT pick and roll big and two of the best transition players coming off my bench. LOADED.

lilroddyb
Marc Gasol
Anthony Davis
Shawn Marion
Mitch Richmond
Penny Hardaway

Vlade Divac
Elton Brand
Robert Horry
Brandon Roy
Sam Cassell

Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich

Spoiler:

Sorry guys for late response

Team

Marc Gasol / Vlade Divac
Anthony Davis / Elton Brand
Shawn Marion / Robert Horry
Mitch Richmond / Brandon Roy
Anfernee Hardaway / Sam Casell

Offense:
Penny, Mitch and Anthony will be the main scorers and they can create for themselves. Brandon Roy and Elton Brand will be the sixth/ seventh man off the bench and Horry and Cassell spacing the floor with their clutch shoots. Marc and Vlade will be in the same role: spacing the floor and passing the ball.

the offense will be balanced. With Anfernee at pointguard he has lots of options: slashing and 3pt shooting in Mitch Richmond ( who michael jordan has said was one of the most difficult to defend), shawn Marion spaces the floor a bit and good with his floaters, putbacks and lops. Anthony Davis is an excellent scorer and scores very efficiently, through putpacks, midrange shot and he can create for himself. Then Marc Gasol spreads the floor and is a great passer

Modern basketball is all about spacing. If you lack spacing it can be easy to defend so I tried to have at least decent shooters at every position

Spacing 3pt %: penny is about 36 - 40 %, mitch richmond is around 40 % Shawn Marion is decent, in 2005 he was actually shooting a little bit over 40% in the playoffs, So all of them are good/decent 3pt shooters. Sam Cassell and Robert Horry are good 3pt shooters coming of the bench.

Everyone else on this team are good midrange shooters.


Defense:
The team has an excellent length and few players who can guard different positions so this team should be good at playing zone defense.

Marc Gasol is a rimprotector and was a defensive player of the year.

Then I have Versatile defenders who can guard few positions
Anthony Davis is great shotblocker and quick enough to guard several postitions for short stretches.
Shawn Marion is really strong and long, can guard several positions. From pointguards to power forwards
Anfernee Hardaway is big for a pointguard he is maybe not the best defender but so he should be able to guard from pointguards to sf

Mitch Richmond is a decent defender.

the bench also has some solid defenders like Vlade Divac who has excellent rapm stats and Elton Brand

Penny and Anthony are both low on turnovers so it should help be reducing the fastbreak points from my opponents

I might edit this later.

Warspite
Bill Walton
Kevin Love
John Havlicek
Joe Dumars
Walt Frazier

Mel Daniels
Detlef Schrempf
Bernard King
Louie Dampier
Maurice Cheeks

Coach: Tom Izzo

Spoiler:

starting lineup
PG Frasier
SG Dumars
SF King
PF Love
C Walton

Bench
Cheeks, Hondo, Schrempf, Mel Daniels, Louie Dampier

Coach Tom Izzo

Offense:
King is #1 option in the low post with Love and Dumars on the outside and Walton in the high post/elbow. Other plays will be using Dumars and Hondo much like Rip Hamilton having them come off screens for curls and having Frasier play pick and pop/roll with Walton/Schrempf/Love/Daniels.

Defense:
Frasier/Dumars is the best defensive backcourt if not the best overall. Cheeks and Hondo will back them up so there isn't much drop off. Walton/Daniels are the rim protectors while Love provides rebounding.

Hanging our hat on defense, guard play and clutchness. I can put a lineup on the court in which every player is a FMVP. Frazier/Dumars/Hondo/Daniels/Walton. No my team is not 3pt dependent and with Frasier, Dumars, Walton and Hondo I get great passing to find more quality looks. I think my fast break will also be very effective with Walton/Love outlet passing to start the break or find early offense.

owly
Bob Lanier
Karl Malone
Grant Hill
Vince Carter
Chris Paul

Shawn Kemp
Larry Nance
Marques Johnson
Eddie Jones
Terrell Brandon

Coach: Larry Bird

Spoiler:

Big picture vision/priorities for the team in no particular order (some overlap, I’ll tend to highlight the first 3 or 4 because the rest are boxscore obvious and/or already covered)

- Spacing: Can the frontline hit from 15-20 feet out? Can the guards hit the three? Then we can pull your defensive anchors out of the post, play mismatches (because no one “needs” to be in the post) and punish double teams.

- Passing: Of course we can only punish double teams if our players can pass well (see also avoiding turnovers-errors). I’ve sought to find players that are capable and willing passers. This also helps keep everyone happy.

- Defense: I didn’t necessarily target full on defensive anchors, but looked for each man to be able to guard his man at least adequately, and for the most part well, and there’s enough flexibility-versatility that we’re fine on switches, then that mitigates a bit of the need for “anchor” help defenders, though I’ve hardly abandoned shot blocking and charge taking helps here too.

- Low mistakes: I don’t want players who turn the ball over a lot, miss a lot, or amass cheap fouls. The benefits are obvious but extra possessions also means extra shots, which can’t be bad for morale.

- The skills requisite to play off the ball: Now this isn’t necessarily, are they are renowned off the ball player, because for the Jazz it made a lot of sense to have the ball in Karl Malone’s hands quite often. But do they have a good BBIQ, are they athletic/agile, do they set good screens.

- Two way: Sort of implicit in the above, but 1 way players will tend to compromise spacing and leave you playing 4 on 5 or offer an attack point to consistently scramble your defense. As such I sought players at least average on both ends.

There’s only one player with whom I think really misses the mark on my principles (obviously sometimes guys are only going to be average-ish). Kemp picks up cheap fouls and turns the ball over a lot without a great deal of passing. At that point looking at bigs I knew I’d have to accept below average in one of these areas (Brad Miller for instance would be in defense, ditto Daugherty had I went for him earlier, there are some undrafted bigs that didn’t meet all the criteria and would have been too small to play alongside Nance), still Kemp fits with spacing, offers and agile and versatile defender, can play off the ball (including elite offensive rebounding, court running and of course the alley oops) and play both ends. At the point in the draft he was taken, Kemp hit enough (most) of my requisites and represented excellent talent.

Okay to the team

Bob Lanier
74-76
His shooting - Lanier will stretch the floor and pull rival pivots out of the post. He’s a 79% FT shooter over the span selected, and it’s not difficult to find allusion to him a premier big man shooter, it’s in every bio but for instance (from the time) ...

[of Jim Chones] in fact he has a shooting range that comes close to Bob McAdoo’s and Bob Lanier’s

Bob Lanier is probably the best outside shooting center in the NBA

His defense – For the spell in question Lanier was a defensive anchor, leading the league in defensive rating in ’74.
Reviews on D

Lanier is the big difference. He played only when in the mood before last season [i.e. before 73-74 campaign]. He concentrated more on stopping other teams from penetrating and fourth in blocked shots with 247.

[individual bio]
Called "Moses" by his teammates ... For leading them out of the wilderness ...... trimmer last season ...... Defense was his biggest improvement

Depending on who's in there, the Pistons can make you work. When one of the "whos" is either Trapp or Howard Porter, the opponents can relax a bit. But Rowe, Ford, Mengelt, Kevin Porter, Money and Lanier will get down and play some defense. Lanier, in fact often surprises people by jumping out to pick up guards or forwards. He also clogs the middle nicely.
[individual bio]
Has become a very intimidating defensive player who, like Dave Cowens, is not afraid to switch out on unsuspecting forwards and guards.

As I recall, in ’73 he lost some weight, worked out with Russell and came back a defensive force.

His passing – A 17.5 assist percentage for the span selected indicates a good/willing passer in a big. Suffice it to say Lanier can play the high or low post and create for others.

My massive pro-Lanier arguments from the top 100 thread below, not all absolutely pertinent (comparisons to Elvin Hayes, weird PER and WS/48 metrics but per minute and with a high bar called Wins Above Good).

viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1359006&p=41877452#p41877639
TL;DR His numbers aren’t too far off those of a prime Jabbar during this span (and without McAdoo’s bad non-boxscore D), his team clearly missed him in ’76, ’77 and ’78 when he was out, he was an agile and effective defender. Oh and there’s a lot of focus on D here, but Lanier could pummel players down in the post on offense too.

Karl Malone
96-98
Passing – 22 assist percentage, superb for a big man, and with low turnovers for a player with such a large shot creation (both for self and others, and with a consistent double team burden).
Floor spacing – Malone jacked up his fg% in 97 and 98 despite going to his midrange fadeaway more often.
Defense – Not a shotblocker but a well regarded post defender agile enough to cover pick and rolls well and defend out on perimeter where necessary (see below and accolades).
As a treat here’s Karl Malone’s profile from after the ’96 campaign (the worst of the three selected)

Season Summary
The amazing Malone keeps on trucking, maintaining his remarkable pace – a level of consistent productivity that is unmatched by any active NBA player ... Some significant numbers: Scored 25 or more points for the ninth consecutive year (25.7, 4th in the league)... Averaged 9.9 rebounds; he’s never accumulated less than 8.9 – in his rookie year... Handed out a career-best 4.2 assists... Shot 51.9%, the ninth time he’s been over the 50% mark in an 11-year career... And by season’s end, this 33-year old had his consecutive game streak extend to 385 – registering double figures in every one of those games.
His Game
Long considered strictly a power player— and he’s firmly established as one of the league’s premier post-up threats – in recent years, Malone has taken his game outside, even to the three-point line (an impressive 40% last year)... Gets lots of jumpers off the pick-and-pop, which he executes as well as any forward in the league... And from the top of the key, he loves to drive, invariably to his right... Still, his game is more inside-out than vice-versa... Double-teamed and even triple teamed every night (an on virtually every possession), he nevertheless manages to slice through the traps, absorb the contact, and make the shot, often getting fouled in the process... Alternatively, he’ll beat the 2-team with his expert passes to spotted-up jump shooters or diving cutters; he’s a much underrated passer (registered his first triple double last year 27 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists vs. the Clippers)... Defensively, he often doesn’t get his due... Has perfected the strip on-the-way-up (averaged 1.7 steals) and is also an excellent post defender, willing to bang and capable of moving his feet... He also does a nice job of defending the pick-and-roll, diligently hedging and even willing to chase the little guys when they try to turn the corner... About the only criticism you can make of Malone’s game is an obvious one: in the post-season, he couldn’t make a foul shot, disconnecting on a hard-to-explain 57.4%, compared to 72.3% in the regular season (suggestion: try the underhand method. Co-author Baryy, the second greatest foul-shooter in NBA history and a master of the technique, always available for lessons).
His Attitude
By his sheer will to win, the emotional leader of the Jazz... Takes a beating every night (and gives one too), produces big numbers more regularly than anybody, but in 11 years has missed four, count ‘em, four games... In a word: phenomenal.
Needs to Work On
Foul shooting
Where he’s Headed
The Hall of Fame in the long term and for the near term, same old same old: another 25-(points-and-10(rebounds) year.
In a Nutshell
If there’s any justice in the world, he and his long-time running mate, John Stockton, will get at least one crack at the NBA title before they retire... Nobody is more deserving.

TL;DR I didn't just get a great scorer, I got a top notch passer, a good pick and pop shooter, a gritty post defender and mobile pick and roll coverer.

Grant Hill
97-99
Passing – Obvious. Point forward. Lower-middle class man’s LeBron.
Defense – Elite. Made his living primarily off his D after injuries ravaged his body. Here’s a review on his D after the ’96 campaign. He got even better the next year.

But beyond his offense, what makes Hill special, a quality that also distinguishes two players he’s often compared to – Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen – is that he plays both ends: He’s a great defender... His defensive resume includes his versatility (can cover 1s, 2s, 3s and even 4s), ability to play the passing lanes (1.3 steals), size (he’s hard to shoot over), and his willingness to front the post (lots of deflections)

Spacing/Shooting: A relative weakness, though his explosive first step means both that he often doesn’t need it and guarantees him decent airspace.

Vince Carter
Spacing/Shooting- A 40% 3 point shooter during the span selected with a fair proportion of those shots off the bounce with aggressive defensive coverage.
Passing - 3.9apg, 19.9 assist percentage and just 8.9 turnover percentage (albeit that is helped by a high usage, but the point is low mistakes, high creation)
Defense – Strong and (of course) a superb leaper, and solid footwork though lacking elite lateral mobility, my impression of Vince’s D for the span selected is roughly average, perhaps slightly above. The main point here is his capacity for upside when he isn’t being asked to carry quite such a heavy load (He “came into the league playing solid defense, a definite rarity” [Lindy’s 99-00 preview) and has been solid at the end of his career, see for instance: http://grantland.com/features/the-case- ... ing-right/ so I figure he can be better at his peak when he can combine energy/focus, athleticism and a little experience).

Chris Paul
08-? (is ‘10 so injured as to require use of ‘11? Sufficiently injured to allow it? I’ll use 08-10 numbers now just because it’s easiest, 11 would be preferable because his D is back at elite levels, though it makes his bkb-ref numbers harder to calculate and very slightly hurts those numbers because it’s weighing a full season at not quite 08-09 levels rather than 45 games)

Passing: Assist percentage 51.6, turnover percentage 12.9. Assist/Turnover ratio 4.165441176. Don’t know where to get multi-year pure point stuff. Needless to say, off the charts.
Defense: The games pre-eminent defensive point guard (see for instance recent articles about how great his D is).
Shooting/spacing: 37.7% from three with significant numbers of those off the bounce, with high defensive attention and limited time.

Coach Bird I covered when I selected him.

Okay these are getting shorter because I’ve already spent too much time on this. Will maybe enhance and add detail for my second 5 when desired / when I get a chance. Or wait until matchups are done for further details. I’ll give years and maybe quick notes now.

Kemp 94-96: Big, versatile, athletic defender. Superb rebounder. A better floor spacer than you may think.

Nance 91-93: Chose this version over earlier similarly productive models for spacing (had a deadly 18 footer at this point), lower mistakes and supreme shot blocking.

Marques Johnson 79-81: Some point forward tendencies (though not fully in that role until final of the three year span), superb offensive rebounder at the SF, low mistake player. Like Malone chips in across the boxscore.

Eddie Jones 99-01: Agile, long, athletic wing defender will generate steals and block and contest shots. Will be even better when allowed primarily to focus on that (may see significant time with “first unit”). Fares well in Across the Court’s RAPM for ’99 and ’00. Another low mistake player. Good shooter (and as shown later in career, better when not a primary focus of defensive attentions, lockout year also hurt everyone’s percentages)

Terrell Brandon 96-98: Similar to Paul, minimizes turnovers, an accurate shooter despite defences focused on him. Very quick though a little undersized. Slow pace deflates his raw numbers. Hollinger made strong claims on his offensive impact in ’02 though I’d have to compare with other WoWY numbers and understand them better, in any case he carried a crummy offensive cast in slow down system to a fourth seed.

But fitting with the three year peak nature of this contest I'm going with Larry Bird

Why (given there were title winners on the board)?

- Bird's reputation ensures he commands the respect of the team (shouldn't be an issue, but when minutes get are tight with an all-time team it might help)

- Performance exceeded the talent (whether against '97 -factoring in Smits' injury - or '96) with the same core as coach already selected, Bird produced not insubstantial improvement in SRS.

- Playoff performance - Beyond the above Bird coached the '98 Pacers as close as anyone to defeating a full strength Bulls team (Riley's '92 Knicks also took it to 7 games and fwiw also posted a -3.8 per game differential; '93 Suns do a better job in differential, but this includes benefiting from a 8 point margin in triple OT win, so closer than the diff suggests and only 2-4 in the series); then too he took the 2000 Pacers to the finals and competed with the 3-peat Lakers (superior points diff, but a 2-4 loss). Overall a .615 win percentage in the playoffs is very favourable.

- Player's Coach - With elite players on an all time-y squad you don't need a ranter and raver or someone calling every play.

- Trusted (smart) people - Knew what he did best, and knew when to delegate. One instance would be bringing in Carlisle as his offensive assistant coach.

- Not antithetical to the modern game - Bird (like most ex-pros) might not be metrically inclined but his Pacers (and, okay, they had Reggie), shot and made a fair amount of three's and, at least as importantly, defended the three point line well.

RSCD3_
Dwight Howard
Chris Bosh
Paul Pierce
Reggie Miller
Mark Price

Brad Miller
Serge Ibaka
Gordon Hayward
Kyle Korver
Gilbert Arenas

Coach: Stan Van Gundy
???

parsnips33
Willis Reed
Charles Barkley
Ron Artest
Glen Rice
Jason Kidd

Theo Ratliff
Jermaine O'Neal
Dominique Wilkins
Latrell Sprewell
Mike Bibby

Coach: Jerry Sloan
???
JeepCSC
Robert Parish
Rasheed Wallace
Scottie Pippen
David Thompson
Steph Curry

Ralph Sampson
Dave DeBusschere
Connie Hawkins
Dennis Johnson
Tony Parker

Coach: Tex Winter

Spoiler:

Well I'll do my part now while waiting for decision makers. We should at least have you post your team, though some have them in their signature already. I guess coaching strategy will come in with the write ups. So I'll do simply a hype post about my squad.

Talent is what talent does, but my team also likes to win. All but one have started in a ABA/NBA Finals game (over 160 Finals game starts between them all actually), and the one who hasn't will win MVP this year. They can all play multiple positions and multiple roles. They all excel at doing the little things that makes a team better. They are quite simply the most talented glue-team ever assembled.

I would add simply that this is a scorer's league, and no team has a better collection of scorers than mine. Every player can score, score a lot and efficiently. There will be no 4-on-5 lineups where I'm at the disadvantage. All are willing passers, some elite at it, there is no ball-stopper to be found. You can't load up on any one of my players and watch my offense stall or crumble. Anyone can score at anytime from anywhere on the court. That kind of seamless basketball offense will always trump even a great defense. A ball travels faster than a player, and we will put that maxim to good use.

Saying that, I didn't ignore defense. Rasheed can defend either big spot extremely well, Pippen is perhaps the GOAT perimeter defender, the rest of my starters are good man defenders, and my bench provides flexibility with some outstanding defenders. I will not win games with my defense alone, but I won't lose them because of it either.

One thought to remember, this isn't about the best careers. If it was, I'd bust out. Knees, drugs, gambling, my team took it on the chin and careers were ruined as a result. But this is about peaks, and peaks are very good for my team. I have several who are in the HOF on the strength of their peaks alone. I'd argue there is probably no team better than mine once you factor in peaks. Most seem to have gone the route of finding role players to fill in. I went with superstar talents who were willing to take diminished roles to fill in the holes, and I think the difference will be apparent when the benches play.

At any rate, peak Rasheed could battle peak Duncan and peak KG to draws, peak Pippen is a better #2 than anyone else's #2 because he is the definition of second banana, peak Thompson has a strong case against most any shooting guard peaks outside 3 or 4 (two of whom are unavailable), peak Curry might be in the conversation for top 5 point guard peaks in my lifetime, peak Hawkins was arguably top 5 most talented scorers of the '60s. We never got to see peak Sampson because of injuries and him playing out-of-position after 1984, but he had the tools to be one of the best players ever and even in his shortened career we saw enough that he remains one of the most skilled centers to ever play.


PG: 2013-2015 Stephen Curry- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 2 x All-Star;

Will at all times be the best shooter on the floor; the fact that he is about as smart a point guard there has been ain't too bad either. A commitment to the Triangle will allow Curry's strengths to be maximized and his limitations to be, well, limited. He will be the leader of my team.

SG: 1976-1978 David Thompson- 2 x first-team All-NBA, 1 x second-team All-ABA, 4 x All-Star, HOF;

Walton was a 2-time POY in college and yet he did not win either POY or a title as a senior (ending a 7-year title run) because of this guy; he brought his talents to the ABA and went toe-to-toe with peak Dr. J (albeit in a loss). He continued his success in the transition to the NBA, providing an efficient electrifying shooting guard model within the framework of a fully functional offense that would capture the imaginations of a generation. The closest my team has to a go-to scorer, he will however not be shooting for the league scoring title here, and will be used simply as a piece of the offensive puzzle.

SF: 1994-1996 Scottie Pippen- 3 x first-team All-NBA, 2 x second-team All-NBA, 2 x third-team All-NBA, 8 x All-D first team, 2 x All-D second team, 7 x All-Star, HOF;

His help defense and ability to run an elite offense make him priceless, he is the Swiss-army knife of superstars. He is the personification of hard-working glue men that my team represents. He can and will do whatever it takes to help the team win.

PF: 2001-2003 Rasheed Wallace- 4 x All-Star;

The prototypical power forward in today's game, he can score from anywhere, and he can defend anyone. While I picked his Portland years as his peak, I realize he was not utilized then as well as he was with the Pistons. We will fix that here. He will not be my primary weapon on offense, and he will flourish without the added responsibility. Any untimely run-in with a virtual ref will merely cause me to go to Hawkins/Debusschere a bit more as I see fit, something that sounds a-ok to me.

C: 1981-1983 Robert Parish- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 1 x third-team All-NBA, 9 x All-Star, HOF;

The solidly efficient back line to my front court, he can rebound, score and battle. The most overlooked third of the greatest front court in history, he will the yang to Wallace's yin. His range to 12-15 feet will keep the best big defenders off-balance just enough for Thompson/Curry and company to have a field day penetrating.

Bench:
2011-2013 Tony Parker- 3 x second-team All-NBA, 1 x third-team All-NBA, 6 x All-Star, Finals MVP;

Can run an elite offense, is elite at attacking the basket and hitting from mid-range. He is ideal to give Curry some rest and keep my offense humming along.

1980-1982 Dennis Johnson- 1 x first-team All-NBA, 1 x second-team All-NBA, 6 x All-D first-team, 3 x All-D second-team, 5 x All-Star, Finals MVP, HOF;

A do-it-all combo guard who brings a physical defensive presence. Magic's kryptonite (at least for one Finals), he was also trusted to take a clutch shot on a team with Bird and McHale. He could change his style to fit which ever contender he was on. The type of player every team should have at least one of (or three or four of).

1969-1971 Dave DeBusschere- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 6 x All-D first-team, 8 x All-Star, HOF;

My frontcourt counterpoint to Johnson, he could battle well with Wilt or Baylor. He was well-suited for today's game, a forward with range and a willingness to pass.

1969-1971 Connie Hawkins- 1 x first-team All-NBA, 2 x first-team All-ABA, ABA MVP, ABA playoff MVP, 5 x All-Star, HOF;

A forward ahead of his time, even if we saw only glimpses of what his peak could have been. He could attack the basket with relish, and no one was stopping him. Might be the best player on my team peak-wise, and that is only counting ABA whereas perhaps his true peak was lost with the Globetrotters.

1984-1986 Ralph Sampson- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 4 x All-Star, HOF;

A center so talented he thought he was a guard. But we will stick to what he is best at here, a defensive center presence which provides nightmarish mismatches offensively.

Coach: Tex Winter- Wrote the blueprint which built dynasties. They say it wasn't the triangle, it was merely the talent. I say let's try both.

Do we want penbeast to judge from this (since some people have written up on here but seem not to have pm-ed him)? If so someone quote him and ask nicely.

[RevisIsland]

I pm'd mine to him as well.