2019 Historical: How Does My Team Look Thread

[nickagneta]

TEAM ROSTERS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

BOSTON
Starters
David Robinson 1993-94
Kevin McHale 1986-87
LeBron James 2012-13
Reggie Miller 1994-95
Chauncey Billups 2005-06

Bench
Dwight Howard 2008-09
Bob McAdoo 1974-75
Rick Barry 1974-75
Allen Iverson 2000-01
Deron Williams 2009-10
Jack Sikma 1981-82
Tim Hardaway 1990-91

PHILADELPHIA
Starters
Jason Kidd 2002-03
Paul Pierce 2001-02
Larry Bird 1985-86
Karl Malone 1996-97
Patrick Ewing 1989-90

Bench
Tiny Archibald 1972-73
Sidney Moncrief 1982-83
Mark Aguirre 1986-87
Jerry Lucas 1968-69
Bob Lanier 1973-74
Andrei Kirilenko 2003-04
Fat Lever 1986-87

CHICAGO
Starters
Tim Duncan 2000-01
Oscar Robertson 1962-63
Scottie Pippen 1992-93
Elgin Baylor 1960-61
Willis Reed 1966-67

Bench
Sam Jones 1964-65
Dan Majerle 1994-95
Mitch Richmond 1994-95
Bob Cousy 1952-53
Rasheed Wallace 2005-06
Shawn Kemp 1994-95
Marcus Camby 2000-01

DETROIT
Starters
John Stockton 1989-90
John Havlicek 1971-72
Kawhi Leonard 2015-16
Elvin Hayes 1974-75
Alonzo Mourning 1998-99

Bench
Derek Harper 1989-90
Michael Copper 1986-87
Jimmy Butler 2017-18
Larry Nance 1988-89
Dikembe Mutombo 1994-95
Pete Maravich 1976-77
Hedo Turkoglu 2007-08

MIAMI
Starters
Shaquille O'Neal 2000-01
Chris Webber 2001-02
Paul George 2013-14
Dwayne Wade 2008-09
Jerry West 1969-70

Bench
Arvydas Sabonis 1999-00
Nate Thurmond 1968-69
Bobby Jones 1982-83
Detlef Shrempf 1994-95
Manu Ginobili 2007-08
Ricky Pierce 1989-90
Marcus Smart 2018-19

ATLANTA
Starters
Wilt Chamberlain 1966-67
Dirk Nowitzki 2010-11
Walt Frazier 1969-70
Paul Westphal 1978-79
Grant Hill 1996-97

Bench
George Gervin 1978-79
Ralph Sampson 1985-86
Robert Parish 1980-81
Marques Johnson 1977-78
Terry Porter 1989-90
Kevin Johnson 1988-89
Tom Chambers 1989-90


WESTERN CONFERENCE

LOS ANGELES
Starters
Steph Curry 2015-2016
Tracy McGrady 2002-2003
Julius Erving 1975-1976
Kevin Garnett 2003-2004)
Dave Cowens 1975-1976

Bench
Steve Nash 2006-2007
Eddie Jones 1999-2000
Gail Goodrich 1971-1972
Shawn Marion 2005-06
Elton Brand 2005-2006
Draymond Green 2015-2016
Artis Gilmore 1974-1975

GOLDEN STATE
Starters
Bill Russell - 1961 - 1962
Giannis - 2018 - 2019
Durant - 2017 - 2018
Bowen - 2002 - 2003
Thomas - 1989 1990

Bench
Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019
Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

PORTLAND
Starters
Magic Johnson 1986-87
Clyde Drexler 1991-92
SF - James Worthy 1987-88
Charles Barkley 1989-90
Moses Malone 1982-1983,

Bench
Tony Parker 2006-07
Dennis Johnson 1978-79
Alvin Robertson 1985-86
Alex English 1982-83
Ben Wallace 2001-02
George Mikan 1949-50
Brad Daugherty 1992-93

UTAH
Starters
Joe Dumars 1989-90
Michael Jordan 1990-91
Chris Mullin 1991-92
Dennis Rodman 1989-90
Bill Walton 1967-77

Bench
Bob Pettit 1957-58
Klay Thompson 2017-18
Derrick Rose 2010-11
Andre Iguodala 2014-15
Cedric Maxwell 1980-81
Wes Unseld 1968-69
Mark Eaton 1984-85

DALLAS
Starters
Chris Paul 2008-2009
Vince Carter 2000-2001
Ron Artest 2007-2008
Anthony Davis 2017-2018
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1970-1971

Bench
Mark Price  1989-1990
Dell Curry 1993-1994
Ray Allen 2007-2008
Drazen Petrovic 1992-1993
Dominique Wilkens 1987-1988
Chris Bosh 2010-2011
Pau Gasol 2009-2010

SAN ANTONIO
Starters
Gary Payton 1995-96
Kobe Bryant 2007-08
Bob Dandridge 1972-73
Dave Debusscherre 1967-68
Hakeem Olajuwon 1993-94

Bench
Penny Hardaway 1994-95
Bernard King 1983-84
Carmelo Anthony 2013-14
Al Horford 2017-18
Karl Anthony Towns 2017-18
Dale Ellis 1988-89
Yao Ming 2002-03

[gouki88]

After 10 rounds, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking like:

Jason Kidd / Tiny Archibald
Paul Pierce / Sidney Moncrief
Larry Bird / Mark Aguirre
Karl Malone / Jerry Lucas
Patrick Ewing / Bob Lanier

My back-court starters in Kidd and Pierce both have size and some elite skills. Kidd is a great passer and rebounder, and could score when he needed to. Pierce was one of the most deadly all-round scorers of the 2000's. Both were good defenders.

My starting forwards are Larry Legend and the Mailman. Not many forward combos I would rather. One of the best shooters ever, who also happens to be one of the best passers and rebounders for his position, alongside one of the most dominant scoring presences in NBA history.

Anchoring the center spot is Pat Ewing. Not as good as some of the other 90's big men, but he's still for me a top 10 center of all time. Good defence, good scoring and good rebounding.

My bench is led by my back-court. Amazing scoring and passing from Tiny, one of the best back-court defenders in Moncrief, a strong scoring wing in Aguirre, one of the best shooting bigs of all time in Lucas, and a really solid all-round big man in Lanier.

Love to hear anyone's thoughts. I'll return the favour to anyone who has something to say on my team, assuming I don't say anything before!

[Who]

C: Wilt Chamberlain, Robert Parish
F: Dirk Nowitzki, Ralph Sampson
F: Grant Hill, Marques Johnson
G: Paul Westphal, George Gervin
G: Walt Frazier, Terry Porter

So my idea for the team was to play through Wilt Chamberlain. I have chosen his 1967 season when he averaged 24ppg 24rpg and 7.5apg. Everything revolves around him on both ends of the court. His job is to be the facilitator on offense. To get the ball in the post (inside the defense) and share the ball with his talented teammates.

In order to play this style, I wanted a PG who could play both on and off the ball. I avoided ball-dominant PGs and prolific playmaking PGs because I wanted the ball to work through Chamberlain in the post rather than from a ball-handling PG. I also wanted a big guard to help on defense and choose Frazier over Kidd for the role due to Frazier's superior scoring prowess.

I liked how the early 70s Knicks and Lakers played. Two teams with combo guard type configurations alongside a skilled shooting SF. I did not get the shooting SF (Pierce was my target) but got a do-it-all type in Hill instead. And went with Paul Westphal as my SG. Westphal was to add more scoring punch next to Dirk and a secondary playmaker on the perimeter next to Frazier.

Dirk and Westphal are the two main scorers in the starting lineup. Wilt is probably 3rd. Frazier 4th and Hill likely 5th. The team will play a Triangle type offense (post orientated offense) based around Wilt's passing and facilitation (like he played in with Philly and later in LAL during his two title winning campaigns). I wanted to go with offensive balance to make best use of Wilt's passing.

I wanted to have 4 shooters around Wilt in the paint. Dirk at PF was a key part of that plan. Frazier and Westphal fill the roles in the backcourt. Hill didn't offer the three point shooting I wanted but he has a good long 2 and a very good midrange game. A lesser shooting threat.

Onto the bench:

George Gervin is my main scorer. He is close to unstoppable. Not sure whether he should start instead of Westphal or come off the bench. Terry Porter is another combo guard in the backcourt with a terrific jump-shot, strong D, good scoring and good playmaking. He played PG and SG during his career which makes him an ideal fit for how I want my guards to play.

Marques Johnson is a rock solid SF. Well rounded player who could shoot, drive, pass, post, defend and rebound. He had some excellent years early in his career and terrific playoff performances.

I went with the twin towers off my bench. I wanted speed. Parish was one of the best running centers in the league as a younger player. He also has a good jump-shot (which I wanted in contrast to Wilt) and great size / length defensively around the basket with good rebounding. Ralph Sampson was the 2nd best player on a team that finished runners up for the title. Highly skilled 7-4 player who liked to play like a guard but had interior skills too. I loved the idea of Sampson alongside Wilt in a super-tall lineup making it difficult for opposing teams to score inside.

Last two picks = I'll probably draft a true PF and take BPA on the perimeter.

[nickagneta]

I've been feeling pretty sub-par the last few days so I will get to everyone's teams(those participating) later in the weekend. It's chicken soup and nap time for me right now

[Silky]

The San Antonio Spurs

PG: Gary Payton ---Penny Hardaway
SG: Kobe Bryant --- Dale Ellis
SF: Jimmy Butler --- Hedu Turkoglu
PF: Dave Debusscherre --- Karl-Anthony Towns
C: Hakeem Olajuwon --- Yao Ming

i firmly believe that I have the most interesting team of all.
And I also believe that my team can cause a number of debates, which was kind of the point of it all.

First off, no ones team features the defense that mine has. DPOY and greatest defensive PG of all time, 9 time all nba 1st defensive SG, a tough hard nosed defensive SF, a PF who was named all nba defensive 1st team 6 times (the award wasnt a thing when he started playing) who is also considered one of the greatest defensive PFs ever, and the greatest defensive DPOY center of all time.

add to that lineup offensively, my PG is arguable top 5 of all time as a pg, my sg is second all time, my center is top 5 all time, arguable top 3 all time. and all three of them are polished offensive forces. My main trio are multiple time all nba 1st team we have MVPs, finals MVPs, scoring champs, etc. My team will dog you defensively, and expose your weaknesses offensively.

My starting lineup is going to create so many turnovers and fast break opportunities its crazy.


And my bench, my beautiful bench is littered with mismatches for other teams.

There is no bench PG that is going to be able to contain Penny, no one. The only guards that are capapble of slowing penny on the perimeter give up size and he will post them up. mismatch

My shooting guard is 6foot8 and has long arms and a deadly shot that he can get off over anyone, also very adept ball handler and a willing passer. he is also a bruiser that can post up. mismatch

My small forward is 6foot10 and has ball handling skill, is clutch, is a fantastic shooter and playmaker who can post up smaller guards and run circles around larger forwards. mismatch

My PW is a 7foot1 faceup/postup monster who shoots over 40% from 3 and grabs lots of boards. Putting someone small on him he will shoot over them, or post them up. someone bigger on him and he can speed past them. mismatch.

My center is a 7foot6 monster with a soft touch and great hands. he commands respect all the way out to 22 feet from the basket, can set massive screens, and can also make great passes out of the post. He forces teams to play bigmen on him opening the door for the other bench players to take advantage. mismatch

I also have ultimate flexibility as Penny can play 3 positions, Kobe 2 positions, Butler 2 positions, Hedu 2 positions, dave 2 positions, s 2 positions, KAT 2 positions and Hakeem 2 positions.

All this gives me huge matchup flexibility as I can move ny of Ellis, Penny, Hedu or Kat into the starting lineup easily and not miss a beat.

[Celts Fan 508]

This is the lineup I think I’m going with:

Oscar Robertson/Bob Cousy/ Sam Jones
Elgin Baylor/Mitch Richmond/ Sam Jones
Scottie Pippen/Dan Majerle/ Sam Jones
Tim Duncan/ Rasheed Wallace
Willis Reed/Rasheed Wallace

I believe I have the best starting 5 and incredible length in that lineup.  Additionally the ball movement my team will have from starters through the bench is unmatched.  Defensively I love my chances to contain the stars of the other teams.  Bob Cousy and Sam Jones have the bench synergy from their championships together. 

[Csfan1984]

This would be easier to rank if it wasn't going off a best season per each player. Some modern players posted some incredible numbers while some older players were heralded for leadership roles in a season and faced doubles and triples that modern guys don't get.

 I still rank Center as the most important position then PG as all these teams are loaded and need offensive and defensive system anchors.

I'd then rank a dynamic scorer as the third biggest addition.

[greenrunsdeep41]

Golden State Warriors - Pick 10

Starting Center - Bill Russell

Starting Power Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo

Starting Small Forward - Kevin Durant

Starting Shooting Guard - Bruce Bowen

Starting Point Guard - Isiah Thomas

Starting 5 Synopsis -  Strategy - Overview


This is my pre-specific season pick, general overview and decision making philosophy.

I'll start with the most "interesting" inclusion in this group, the pick probably had more than a few of you wondering if I am sleep deprived, drunk, high and/or all of the three. I assure you, I am and was not. My decision to make this pick, which I admittedly . could have made later on, was representative of my consideration of useage, spacing, winning culture, team and individual defense. As many of you know, Bruce Bowen was a member of some San Antonio teams that embodied the team first moto. He is a career .440% shooter from the corners, a spot from which he took a staggering 80% of his threes. I considered this to be my greatest ally as it relates to both Isiah Thomas and Giannis. His ability to effectively defend 3 positions and 1 at an elite level while being an elite team player/team defender, is central to my usage theory. Bill Russell had similar players on his team that were asked to do more offensively. On this team, Russell orders Bowen around the perimeter with the intention of shepherding SG's into my other two perimeter defenders, Giannis and Durant.

While I feel I made a bit of a mistake and should have selected Gary Payton, I would ask Isiah Thomas to pick up full court and lead the other teams ball handler, if size is applicable, to the side of the court that correlates with their weak hand - yes I know these guys don't have weak hands, but much of this is a statistics game and it is proven, generally, when you force someone on to their unnatural side they perform, even at this elite-elite level, a tad less great. On offense id ask him to be 13 assist a game Isiah. Id run double pick and rolls a la 2008-11 celtics and force teams to switch slower bigs onto his with Durant and Russell. Id pop Durant most frequently and look for the biggest gaps created. I actually think this would create the most chances for Giannis with ball movement finding him coming downhill against an unorganized defense.

Durant is one of my three matchup nightmares. Because Durant is playing the 3 I think he is my biggest mismatch on BOTH ends of the floor. I firmly believe I have the only player in this game who can effectively defend Durant position specific. He can do it all on the offensive end and I would ask him to. He is my MJ on offense, an elite scorer, creator, ball handler, and mismatch nightmare. On defense, I would ask him to press higher up the court and deny as many post opportunities as possible.

Giannis is someone whom I feel is an absolute steal. His largest critiques are that he is unproven in the playoffs and has a small body of work. I think those crits to mitigated with the winners he is surrounded by. His transcendent talent is undeniable and his size/agility combo is, imo, the most extreme example since shaq. I think he is a bigger freak than Lebron, not saying he is better though, simply referencing their genetic makeup. Giannis would, admittedly have a difficult time defending some of the larger/more imposing PFs in history, but of those guys I don't feel any are capable of defending him. Defensively Id ask him to have a similar role to Durant and play relentless perimeter defense, frequently switch, and foul hard. Offensively, Id use Durant/Thomas to create movement and rotation in the opposing defense. Id look to get him the ball frequently with the defense rotating and attack opposite momentum any time he see a chance. That spin move is deadly.

Russell's chief responsibility would be to be the chief. He would quarterback our defense and demand us to play crisp offense. His responsibility would be to take on the other teams biggest threat, from a big stand point. Crash the glass, catch lobs from my 3 other playmakers. Do all the dirty work. Something tells me he would cherish the opportunity.

Okay, that's it for now. Thanks to everyone for being so patient, this week has been a freakin whirlwind. If anyone wants to come out to see a Notre Dame game this fall, let me know!

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Detroit Pistons:

PG: John Stockton / "Pistol" Pete Maravich

SG: John "Hondo" Havlicek / Michael Cooper

SF: Kawhi Leonard / Bernard King

PF: Elvin "The Big E" Hayes / Al Horford

C : Alonzo Mourning / Dikembe "Mount" Mutombo

I have really dabbled back and forth with who to start. In a perfect world, I could have drafted players that can do it all, but such is life. In the end, I decided to start Hondo and Kawhi together on the wings. Their two-way play is just too good to not start with. Hondo's playmaking skill set also adds to the team's ball movement play. I'm just going to have to convince everyone that Kawhi can be a #1 scoring option, and I'm starting to compile some evidence to do just that. And with Alonzo Mourning being on the starting lineup instead of Dikembe Mutombo, scoring wouldn't be much of a issue compare to where the team was after five rounds. I envision him on the pick and roll/pop role with John Stockton, as his good mid-range game will cause issues against opposing bigs. Big E will be our #1 post scoring option.

Bernard King moves to the bench in a "microwave" role. If I will need more scoring, he will come in and shoot the lights out.

It might be blasphemous to say, but I really have NO IDEA what to do with Pistol. I have him as a backup PG for now, as a playmaker instead of a scorer, as King has that role. I would really want a backup PG who can make plays, defend, and not a heavy usage guy, so we'll see if I can find that within the last two rounds. God, what a luxury to have a Hall of Fame talent like Pete Maravich and tell the whole world that you have no idea how to use him. LOL.

Lastly, I am proud to say that this team can defend. 

I don't know how people will look at this team, and where they will rank it, but I'm extremely happy about how I was able to build my squad. I wanted a defensive team that will gel together, and I think I was able to do that.

[Somebody]

Los Angeles Lakers

Starting lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Tracy McGrady
SF: Julius Erving
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Dave Cowens

Second unit
PG: Steve Nash
SG: TBD
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Elton Brand/Draymond Green
C: Artis Gilmore

With some luck in the 11th and 12th rounds to fill out my SG position, I believe that my team has a nice blend of offense and defense that you'd be hard pressed to find on other teams.

Offense:
The starting lineup will have McGrady being the primary ball handler, even though it may sound baffling to some. His passing was superb, posting assist percentages as high as 30% on 35.2% usage in the 2002-2003 season, and has drawn praise from Jeff Van Gundy as one of the best passing forwards to ever play the game. His combination of scoring and passing will be a handful for any team to defend, and he will be running a bevy of pick and roll/pop plays with two versatile big men in Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, who could roll inside to strain interior defenses with speed and physicality, or pop outside to shoot a midrange shot or even a three (I'm assuming we're using the "what if all-time greats were born and raised in the modern game?", so great midrange shooters for their position in KG and Cowens will be assumed to make threes at a decent clip). These plays will likely collapse the defense, and the greatest shooter of all time in terms of sheer volume combined with efficiency in Steph Curry will be hauling up as many decent looks he gets (and likely making them with his incredible shot making!). The Doctor will be waiting for opportunities on the wing to cut/drive for acrobatic finishes only a select few can do, and will get plays run for him in the mid/low post if he gets a mismatch for an easy score. The team will also utilise the high post game of Garnett and Cowens, with both big men able to exploit their defenders with speed and skill. They also were known for their court vision-both can facilitate high quality looks for their teammates with their passing ability when the offense in run through them inside. What I really like about this lineup is that we have a lot of options to choose depending on the matchup, and the players in the starting 5 have games that are flexible enough to retain considerable offensive value no matter how we run the offense.

Defense:
The starting lineup is also quite strong defensively. Although Steph Curry is perceived to be a weak defender, he's not that bad-he consistently puts in the effort to stay in front of his man, has sound defensive positioning and good court awareness, which culminated in him leading the league in steals aside from winning the scoring title in the 2015-2016 season by disrupting passing lanes and occasionally getting the steal in man to man defense. He's by no means a lockdown defender, but he is certainly adequate to stay in front of opposing PGs and provide a positive impact with his intangibles. McGrady is also a decent defender-he used his size and length to contest shots, and he had the athleticism to stay in front of his man. I might have rose coloured glasses on but I believe that he can crank it up when he has a better supporting cast to make life on offense easier for him ala Houston (he posted 4.5 DWS and 1.6 DBPM as an SG for the Rockets in the 06-07 season, both pretty good marks). The Doctor was above average-not great, but he was certainly a positive on that end with his otherwordly athleticism that allowed him to recover from defensive lapses and provide some stunning help defense. The heart of the defense will be the tandem of Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, as both are strong interior defenders who can also step out and cover perimeter players if needed on switches. Garnett's video game skillet will be the lynchpin of our defense-he can switch to all 5 positions in a possession seamlessly and still play lockdown defense, whether is it being a second rim protector to help out Dave Cowens inside, patrolling the court alongside the Doctor as a help defense duo, or even as a safety valve when Curry or McGrady are thrown into the blender in isolation/the pick and roll. Overall I think this team is can hold their own defensively, and can be disruptive when needed.

Bench
The second unit will mainly have their offense run through Steve Nash, who is one of the best floor generals on offense. There is synergy in the lineup-Nash and Marion had some fantastic runs together in Phoenix, and I believe that the two former teammates can form a strong partnership that can cover each other's weaknesses (defense for Nash, and offense for Marion). The frontcourt will consist of Elton Brand and Artis Gilmore, with the former being a two way force who could impose his will on either end of the court, and the latter being one of the finest rim protectors in NBA history. The defense of the frontcourt trio will cover Nash's defensive issues adequately imo, as opposing bench mobs would find it immensely difficult to go through the Matrix one on one and score on Brand and the A-Train once they get to the rim. Can't really go in depth about the second unit due to me lacking a backup shooting guard though.

[Moranis]

The Blazers plan on running everyone to death.  We intentionally drafted players from high scoring teams and several real life teammates.  We also focused heavily on the same era to add a big level of familiarity and cohesion. 

PG - Magic, Parker
SG - Dexler, DJ
SF - Worthy, English
PF - Barkley, Wallace
C - Moses, Mikan

We are led by Magic, the 4th best player in NBA history per ESPN.  He is a 3-time MVP and 5-time champion. We are leaning towards 87 when Magic was MVP, Finals MVP, led the league in apg, and upped his scoring to 24 a game.  He is also an elite rebounder, making him the perfect man to build around.

We surround Magic with real life teammates ranked 15 and 18 all time.  Like Magic, Moses is a 3-time MVP and his 1st season in Philly led what many consider the greatest team ever to play (83 and the year selected). That year Moses led the league in rebounding by nearly 3 a game.

Sir Charles joined Moses a couple of seasons later and they had a tremendous chemistry together.  As we want a fast break team, we will select 90, an earlier Barkley season, in order to maximize his athleticism.  That year he finished 2nd in MVP voting to Magic (more 1st place votes), but led the league in 2 point % and essentially averaged 25/12/4 along with 2 steals.

Rounding out the starting 5 we have 36th ranked Clyde Drexler and 43rd ranked James Worthy.  Clyde showed great versatility throughout his career.  Easily serving as the #1 player on 2 finals team and also gladly stepping into the 2nd man role on his way to winning a title in Houston.  For this exercise we will select 92 when Clyde finished 2nd in MVP voting leading the Blazers to their 2nd Finals (with him), earning a slot on the Dream Team and generally just being awesome.

James Worthy joins his Showtime Lakers teammate on the squad and in the starting lineup.  The Blazers wanted to add someone on the wing who could defend, run, and didn't need the spotlight.  There are few better than Worthy in filling that description.  People also forget that James was the 1st pick in the draft and won a Finals MVP.  His talent was immense and real. The Blazers will use 89.

For the bench, the Blazers wanted to keep to the theme of great rebounders and fast breakers but also wanted to grab some defensive toughness.  We accomplished this goal and then some.  With our first bench selection we grabbed the 33rd greatest player of all time.  A man that essentially played 6 seasons and won 5 titles as the best player in the world.  Mikan was a monster on offense, defense, and rebounding.  He led the league in defensive win shares 5 times.  He has the 3rd highest win share season in nba history and has the 2nd, 7th, and 10th best offensive win share seasons in history.  He played long ago, making him harder to judge, but Mikan was an absolute monster and we are happy to have him anchoring our bench.  We have selected his 2nd year, 1950 for this exercise.

Joining him in the paint is the only man not in the top 84 all time on the roster, of course he is a 4-time DPOY and when adjusting for pace one of the greatest rebounders the league has ever seen.  Big Ben Wallace provides everything you would want on your bench.  We will take his 1st DPOY season, 02, when he led the league in both rebounds and blocks.

In the backcourt, the Blazers add uber versatile Finals MVP, Dennis Johnson, ranked 84, and Finals MVP, Tony Parker, ranked 58.  We like the hard nosed nature of both players, each of which won multiple titles with varying degrees of responsibility.  We will select DJ's Finals MVP winning season of 79, when he was just entering his prime.  For Tony, we will also select his Finals MVP season of 07 when his shooting was superb and he was still in his athletic prime.

Rounding out our bench and our top 10 is Alex English, the 62nd best player of all time.  Alex was the offensive anchor of the most explosive scoring team in league history (even surpassing the output of Wilt's Warriors).  Over the span of his prime 5 seasons English basically averaged 28/5.5/4.5 with uber efficient scoring.  We needed some top tier scoring pop for our bench and thus were happy Alex fell to us. We will select his best season of 83.

As indicated, we believe we will run teams into the ground and have crafted the team most capable of winning shootouts.  While the starting 5 may not be the best defensive team, we believe we make up for it by having the best offensive team, the best rebounding team, and the team with most unique positional challenges for every other team to guard.  When we need a stop we can go with the defensive unit of Mikan, Wallace, Worthy, Johnson, and Parker (or a yet undrafted player).  All teams in this our great, but we believe we are the greatest collection of talent coupled with the best chemistry and thought of actual team building.  We purposefully chose real life teammates and players that thrived playing with other great players.  We focused heavily on selecting players with extensive time in the 80's.  We have 3 Dream Team members.  We are Portland and we are the best.

[Somebody]

After 10 rounds, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking like:

Jason Kidd / Tiny Archibald
Paul Pierce / Sidney Moncrief
Larry Bird / Mark Aguirre
Karl Malone / Jerry Lucas
Patrick Ewing / Bob Lanier

My back-court starters in Kidd and Pierce both have size and some elite skills. Kidd is a great passer and rebounder, and could score when he needed to. Pierce was one of the most deadly all-round scorers of the 2000's. Both were good defenders.

My starting forwards are Larry Legend and the Mailman. Not many forward combos I would rather. One of the best shooters ever, who also happens to be one of the best passers and rebounders for his position, alongside one of the most dominant scoring presences in NBA history.

Anchoring the center spot is Pat Ewing. Not as good as some of the other 90's big men, but he's still for me a top 10 center of all time. Good defence, good scoring and good rebounding.

My bench is led by my back-court. Amazing scoring and passing from Tiny, one of the best back-court defenders in Moncrief, a strong scoring wing in Aguirre, one of the best shooting bigs of all time in Lucas, and a really solid all-round big man in Lanier.

Love to hear anyone's thoughts. I'll return the favour to anyone who has something to say on my team, assuming I don't say anything before!

Iffy on starting Ewing alongside Bird and Karl. Ewing was very iso heavy but had relatively poor vision, and imo it just doesn't fit well alongside Malone and Bird. To me the case for starting Lanier is that he scales better alongside Bird and Malone: he was a decent passer and wouldn't be a black hole once he gets the ball, and had a deadly midrange shot to provide a bit of off ball value. His offense was also very "resilient": he upped his offensive output and efficiency in the 1974 playoffs (his best season imo) and almost carried them to a WCF appearance (they lost in 7 to Chicago in the semifinals). You can also shore up the frontcourt defense of the second unit by benching Ewing.

I'm not sure if Pierce was at his best as an SG as well. I thought he wasn't as good defensively in that position, and didn't develop his YMCA game at the elbow yet back then. But overall I think it's a very competitive team just because of the Bird-Malone tandem, although both had their playoff troubles when it came to maintaining their offensive output (less so for Bird due to his amazing 85-88 stretch).

[Somebody]

C: Wilt Chamberlain, Robert Parish
F: Dirk Nowitzki, Ralph Sampson
F: Grant Hill, Marques Johnson
G: Paul Westphal, George Gervin
G: Walt Frazier, Terry Porter

So my idea for the team was to play through Wilt Chamberlain. I have chosen his 1967 season when he averaged 24ppg 24rpg and 7.5apg. Everything revolves around him on both ends of the court. His job is to be the facilitator on offense. To get the ball in the post (inside the defense) and share the ball with his talented teammates.

In order to play this style, I wanted a PG who could play both on and off the ball. I avoided ball-dominant PGs and prolific playmaking PGs because I wanted the ball to work through Chamberlain in the post rather than from a ball-handling PG. I also wanted a big guard to help on defense and choose Frazier over Kidd for the role due to Frazier's superior scoring prowess.

I liked how the early 70s Knicks and Lakers played. Two teams with combo guard type configurations alongside a skilled shooting SF. I did not get the shooting SF (Pierce was my target) but got a do-it-all type in Hill instead. And went with Paul Westphal as my SG. Westphal was to add more scoring punch next to Dirk and a secondary playmaker on the perimeter next to Frazier.

Dirk and Westphal are the two main scorers in the starting lineup. Wilt is probably 3rd. Frazier 4th and Hill likely 5th. The team will play a Triangle type offense (post orientated offense) based around Wilt's passing and facilitation (like he played in with Philly and later in LAL during his two title winning campaigns). I wanted to go with offensive balance to make best use of Wilt's passing.

I wanted to have 4 shooters around Wilt in the paint. Dirk at PF was a key part of that plan. Frazier and Westphal fill the roles in the backcourt. Hill didn't offer the three point shooting I wanted but he has a good long 2 and a very good midrange game. A lesser shooting threat.

Onto the bench:

George Gervin is my main scorer. He is close to unstoppable. Not sure whether he should start instead of Westphal or come off the bench. Terry Porter is another combo guard in the backcourt with a terrific jump-shot, strong D, good scoring and good playmaking. He played PG and SG during his career which makes him an ideal fit for how I want my guards to play.

Marques Johnson is a rock solid SF. Well rounded player who could shoot, drive, pass, post, defend and rebound. He had some excellent years early in his career and terrific playoff performances.

I went with the twin towers off my bench. I wanted speed. Parish was one of the best running centers in the league as a younger player. He also has a good jump-shot (which I wanted in contrast to Wilt) and great size / length defensively around the basket with good rebounding. Ralph Sampson was the 2nd best player on a team that finished runners up for the title. Highly skilled 7-4 player who liked to play like a guard but had interior skills too. I loved the idea of Sampson alongside Wilt in a super-tall lineup making it difficult for opposing teams to score inside.

Last two picks = I'll probably draft a true PF and take BPA on the perimeter.

Really nothing much to say about your team, you toggled with it the best you could. I might consider starting Sampson though-you really need to run the offense through Wilt if you're going with his 1967 season, and Dirk's offensive profile (strong and resilient scoring but weak passing and vision) hurts that. I really like your team-it has a great balance of offense and defense.
Btw I'd strongly consider starting Terry Porter over Walt Frazier. Walt was incredible-he was great defensively and had a strong individual offense, but I think the 3 and D game of Porter (plus his passing) would provide better spacing for Wilt while not losing much on offense and defense (Porter was also a strong defender and could create looks for his teammates). A starting lineup of Porter-Westphal-Hill-Sampson-Wilt would be a great 1 in 4 out offense that maximises the offensive value of your centerpiece as well as a very stingy defense.

[Somebody]

This is the lineup I think I’m going with:

Oscar Robertson/Bob Cousy/ Sam Jones
Elgin Baylor/Mitch Richmond/ Sam Jones
Scottie Pippen/Dan Majerle/ Sam Jones
Tim Duncan/ Rasheed Wallace
Willis Reed/Rasheed Wallace

I believe I have the best starting 5 and incredible length in that lineup.  Additionally the ball movement my team will have from starters through the bench is unmatched.  Defensively I love my chances to contain the stars of the other teams.  Bob Cousy and Sam Jones have the bench synergy from their championships together.

I'd play Timmy as the backup C, he's a better fit there than Sheed. Would also start Richmond at SG and switch the positions of Baylor and Majerle, the fit is a bit awkward rn with your configuration (Majerle had an All-Star season at SG while Baylor was a pure small forward who had a very interior centric game). I'm not too sure about how your starting lineup fits, you have 3 guys who really need the ball in Oscar, Duncan and Reed to retain their offensive value, although I guess you can play Reed as a floor spacing C, which sort of works.

[gouki88]

C: Wilt Chamberlain, Robert Parish
F: Dirk Nowitzki, Ralph Sampson
F: Grant Hill, Marques Johnson
G: Paul Westphal, George Gervin
G: Walt Frazier, Terry Porter

So my idea for the team was to play through Wilt Chamberlain. I have chosen his 1967 season when he averaged 24ppg 24rpg and 7.5apg. Everything revolves around him on both ends of the court. His job is to be the facilitator on offense. To get the ball in the post (inside the defense) and share the ball with his talented teammates.

In order to play this style, I wanted a PG who could play both on and off the ball. I avoided ball-dominant PGs and prolific playmaking PGs because I wanted the ball to work through Chamberlain in the post rather than from a ball-handling PG. I also wanted a big guard to help on defense and choose Frazier over Kidd for the role due to Frazier's superior scoring prowess.

I liked how the early 70s Knicks and Lakers played. Two teams with combo guard type configurations alongside a skilled shooting SF. I did not get the shooting SF (Pierce was my target) but got a do-it-all type in Hill instead. And went with Paul Westphal as my SG. Westphal was to add more scoring punch next to Dirk and a secondary playmaker on the perimeter next to Frazier.

Dirk and Westphal are the two main scorers in the starting lineup. Wilt is probably 3rd. Frazier 4th and Hill likely 5th. The team will play a Triangle type offense (post orientated offense) based around Wilt's passing and facilitation (like he played in with Philly and later in LAL during his two title winning campaigns). I wanted to go with offensive balance to make best use of Wilt's passing.

I wanted to have 4 shooters around Wilt in the paint. Dirk at PF was a key part of that plan. Frazier and Westphal fill the roles in the backcourt. Hill didn't offer the three point shooting I wanted but he has a good long 2 and a very good midrange game. A lesser shooting threat.

Onto the bench:

George Gervin is my main scorer. He is close to unstoppable. Not sure whether he should start instead of Westphal or come off the bench. Terry Porter is another combo guard in the backcourt with a terrific jump-shot, strong D, good scoring and good playmaking. He played PG and SG during his career which makes him an ideal fit for how I want my guards to play.

Marques Johnson is a rock solid SF. Well rounded player who could shoot, drive, pass, post, defend and rebound. He had some excellent years early in his career and terrific playoff performances.

I went with the twin towers off my bench. I wanted speed. Parish was one of the best running centers in the league as a younger player. He also has a good jump-shot (which I wanted in contrast to Wilt) and great size / length defensively around the basket with good rebounding. Ralph Sampson was the 2nd best player on a team that finished runners up for the title. Highly skilled 7-4 player who liked to play like a guard but had interior skills too. I loved the idea of Sampson alongside Wilt in a super-tall lineup making it difficult for opposing teams to score inside.

Last two picks = I'll probably draft a true PF and take BPA on the perimeter.

I am actually quite a big fan of this team. I'm a huge fan of Wilt and Grant Hill though. His passing has become somewhat forgotten about I think. Westphal was also one of the leagues best guards for a significant time.

I really like the bench big duo you've got. Parish was my target for a back-up big if he slid, but sadly he didn't. His ability to take different roles and maintain very similar production is a real credit to him in my book. Sampson is obviously forgotten about because of Hakeem and injuries, but his first 3 seasons were legit.

I feel like your team might be being overlooked because it isn't very modern or flashy, but I think a Wilt-Dirk duo would be nigh on impossible to stop for most teams. Like, Dirk probably had the most impressive individual Finals run post-2000, dethroning the Big 3 in Miami. 4 of your 5 starters were also champions, which is something I rate highly.

I rate Wilt as a comparable talent with quite literally anyone, so I think you've got a really strong team here.