2019 Historical: How Does My Team Look Thread

[Roy H.]

My main concern is what can they do to help their team when their usage does decrease. For guys that do not offer much else, it is a big concern. For guys that do other things, it is an opportunity to see them play a different role which is exciting (a more team based role).

How well can a guy play when he the ball less?
How much influence can he still have?

That’s how I see it, too.  I’ve got no problem with a team starting five superstars, so long as those players could contribute in other ways without the ball.

In fact, I think some folks are outsmarting themselves a bit worrying about usage. In general, your best player at each position should start. There are exceptions; it makes sense to start arguably lesser greats in front of guys like Tiny, Harden and Iverson, because they’d work well in a 6th Man role. Starting Ron Artest over Dominique, on the other hand, comes across as gimmicky to me.

It’s also why I’m not a big fan of starting specialists in this format. Guys like Rodman and Dikembe are impact players, but they leave a team playing 4-on-5.  No amount of defense is going to make up for that if there are five great scorers on the other side, particularly if those five also play great defense. If one team has Dennis Rodman as a fifth starter and a second team has James Worthy, it can create mismatches.

(Think of it this way: if Rodman holds his man to 7 or 8 points below his average, but the opponent’s fifth starter outscores Rodman by 15, who comes out ahead?)

[nickagneta]

ANNOUNCEMENT

5 Hours until rosters are due in. If you haven't PMed me your roster with years for players selected, remember you only have 5 more hours.

I am still in need of PMs from the following:

action781
GreenFaith1819
Celtic Fan Forever
Celts Fan 508
greenrunsdeep41
RPGenerate

[GreenFaith1819]

Mine's coming shortly - apologize for delay. Was trying to hold out for a player PMing me about a possible trade but they haven't PM'd me back.

And FTR - John Stockton was a BEAST defensively. I watched him play in his hey day. He is every bit worth those 1st team defensive awards and I doubt he'd have ANY problems playing today.

Crafty, strong, deceptively quick and intelligent player.

[gouki88]

The final Philadelphia 76ers now that the draft has ended.

PG: Jason Kidd / Tiny Archibald
SG: Paul Pierce / Sidney Moncrief / Fat Lever
SF: Larry Bird / Mark Aguirre
PF: Karl Malone / Jerry Lucas / Andrei Kirilenko
C: Patrick Ewing / Bob Lanier

Now let's go through the individual seasons of my guys.

Jason Kidd: 2002-2003
All-NBA Second Team, All-Defensive Second team, NBA assists champion, All-Star. Stats: 18.7PPG, 8.9APG, 6.3RPG, 2.2SPG, 41% FG shooting, 34% 3 point shooting, 84% FT shooting, 80 games played.
People might wonder why I didn't choose a year where Kidd made All-NBA First team (which he did in both years either side of this) or All-Defence first team (something he did the previous two years). Fair questions, but I think that this season gives me the best balance of Kidd's scoring threat, even though he'd be shooting very little, as well as elite guard defence, elite passing and acceptable perimeter shooting. He also valiantly led the Nets on a deep playoff run.

Paul Pierce: 2001-2002
All-NBA Third Team, All-Star. Stats: 26.1PPG, 6.9RPG, 3.2APG, 1.9SPG, 1.0BPG, 44% FG shooting, 40% 3 point shooting, 81% FT shooting, 82 games played.
Pierce's first All-Star year, and his 3rd best year shooting the triple (however his most made per game). This was a real break-out year for The Truth. A deep playoffs run where he got to showcase his elite scoring at every level alongside strong defence is what Philly is excited about him bringing to the table.

Larry Bird: 1985-1986
League MVP, All-NBA First Team, Finals MVP, All-Star. Stats: 25.8PPG, 9.8RPG, 6.8APG, 2.0SPG, 50% FG shooting, 42% 3 point shooting, 90% FT shooting, 82 games played.
It was surprisingly difficult choosing one of Bird's seasons for this team, but I ended up going with this one. Elite scoring on elite efficiency, with amazing rebounding and passing, alongside superb defence. Oh, and a championship where Bird averaged a near triple-double against the Rockets.

Karl Malone: 1996-1997
League MVP, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team, All-Star. Stats: 27.4PPG, 9.9RPG, 4.5APG, 1.4SPG, 55% FG shooting, 76% FT shooting, 82 games played.
This MVP season for Malone was pretty insane. Close to 30PPG on great efficiency, and he was nearing 5APG for the season. Plus, he was an All-Defensive first team member on a team that went really deep in the playoffs.

Patrick Ewing: 1989-1990
All-NBA First Team, All-Star. Stats: 28.6PPG, 10.9RPG, 2.2APG, 4BPG, 1SPG, 55% FG shooting, 78% FT shooting, 82 games played.
Ewing's biggest scoring season, but also his best season for raw shot-blocking. Alongside good defenders in Bird and Malone I think Ewing would be able to be at his best on that end. His offensive role will be completely different to what his role was on that Knicks team, but his ability to rebound, defend and score inside will be crucial.

Nate "Tiny" Archibald: 1972-1973
All-NBA First Team, NBA scoring champion, NBA assists champion, All-Star. Stats: 34PPG, 11.4APG, 2.8RPG, 49% FG shooting, 85% FT shooting, 80 games played.
A pretty insane statistical season for Tiny, leading the league in both scoring and assists. In terms of small guards I can only think of AI who can rival Tiny's ability to generate free throws. Great passing alongside insane scoring is what has Philly most excited about Tiny. Super-sub.

Sidney Moncrief: 1982-1983
All-NBA First Team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive First Team, All-Star. Stats: 22.5PPG, 5.8RPG, 3.9APG, 1.5SPG, 52% FG shooting, 83% FT shooting, 76 games played.
In my mind Moncrief is the perfect back-court companion for Tiny. One of the best defensive guards of all time who can score, rebound and pass in his own right. Allows Tiny to expend as much energy as he wants on offence.

Mark Aguirre: 1986-1987
All-Star. Stats: 25.7PPG, 5.3RPG, 3.2APG, 1.1SPG, 50% FG shooting, 35% 3P shooting, 77% FT shooting, 80 games played.
Perhaps not Aguirre's best individual season, but it's his best 3 point shooting All-Star caliber season. His offensive production is very similar to Pierce's, which should help our flexibility as we can keep throwing weapon after weapon at our oponent.

Jerry Lucas: 1968-1969
All-Star. Stats: 18.3PPG, 18.4RPG, 4.1APG, 55% FG shooting, 76% FT shooting, 74 games played.
By no means Lucas' best season in terms of his scoring or rebounding, but he was still a 20/20 threat every single game. I chose this season because of his really quite amazing efficiency (despite being a jump-shooter) and his really strong passing, as I feel it complements the rest of my team the best.

Bob Lanier: 1973-74
All-Star, All-Star game MVP. Stats: 22.5PPG, 13.3RPG, 4.2APG, 3BPG, 1.4SPG, 50% FG shooting, 80% FT shooting, 81 games played.
Bob Lanier is in my mind quite an underrated back-up center. In this season he and Dave Bing led the Pistons to 52 wins. It's also his first season with recorded defensive statistics, and as you can see they're quite strong. He also posted an insane VORP of 8.1 that season.

Andrei Kirilenko: 2003-04
All-Star, All-Defensive Second Team. Stats: 16.5PPG, 8.1RPG, 3.1APG, 2.8BPG, 1.9SPG, 44% FG shooting, 34% 3P shooting, 79% FT shooting.
In my mind Kirilenko's peak is one of the forgotten about ones. In my mind his peak was comparable to, if not better than a guy like Draymond's, but it was cut short by injury. https://www.pullupjimbo.com/articles/2018/8/11/nba-unsung-andrei-kirilenko

Fat Lever: 1986-87
All-Star, All-NBA Second Team. Stats: 18.9PPG, 8.9RPG, 8APG, 2.5SPG, 47% FG shooting, 24% 3P shooting, 78% FT shooting.
Fat was one of the original triple-double machines, and did so with excellent defence. Efficient scoring, great rebounding and defence and amazing play-making is what this Philly team has strived for, and I believe Fat encompasses that.

Offensive philosophy:
The offensive philosophy of my team is quite simple - exploit the mismatch. With the level of offensive firepower on this team I'm confident that against anyone there will be one. Bird will by default be the number one guy, as I'm of the opinion that in his peak he was perhaps the most all-round offensive player in NBA history. Finished at the rim, could shoot amazingly from all 3 levels, drew fouls, got offensive rebounds, and was in my opinion the best passing forward of all time. That's my offensive leader.
His second-in-command is the Mailman. Another league MVP. The Mailman was a routine 28/10 threat, and by this stage in his career he'd honed himself into a great passing big-man. We're all aware what Bird did with McHale - imagine Bird with arguably the greatest scoring Power Forward of all time. Not to mention, I am of the belief that in today's game Malone would have certainly extended his range.
Then there's The Truth. Chose one of his earlier years where he was a more dynamic scoring threat and less of a leader, as there's no pressure on him to lead with guys like Bird, Malone, Kidd and Moncrief around. His 40% shooting from 3 and ability to generate free throws will be very hard for oppositions to deal with.
Kidd will be in his element on offence - setting up easy looks for my big-men with his penetration, working off the ball to get open looks, getting fouled. He's one of the best passers the game has ever seen.
Ewing will have a significantly reduced offensive role, but it will still be very important. His size and athleticism inside will be amazing for dump-offs from both Kidd and Bird - guys who perfected the art of drawing numerous players to lay-up attempts only to pass it to the open big man. He'll also be able to grab offensive rebounds at his hearts content.
Leading the bench on offence is Tiny. I think it's quite a luxury to have a guy who led the league in PPG and APG in the same season as a sixth man. His role is to come in, score, score some more, and set up his teammates. And it's a role he's thrived in.
Lucas and Lanier is my inside-out duo backing up Malone and Ewing. Lucas was the original jump-shooting big, and I have no difficulty believing that he would thrive in today's league, whereas Lanier was a strong inside scorer with a good FT touch. Both good passers.
Aguirre was a Pierce-like offensive threat in his prime, which is another luxury off the bench, and while Moncrief is known for his defence, his offensive game was nothing to be sneezed at whatsoever.
Kirilenko and Lever are also both good offensive players - a 3/4 who can shoot when necessary, but is a good passer and generates lots of inside looks, and a triple-double threat who can pass and penetrate.

Defensive philosophy:
My defensive philosophy will be somewhat different. I believe I've built a team of guys who are, for the absolute most part, can work together as a team to make life difficult for any opponent.
I have three amazing guard defenders in Moncrief (one of the best ever), Kidd and Lever. I have no trouble putting faith in them to make life difficult for the opposition.
Pierce was also quite a strong defender in his youth, nearly averaging 2 steals and a block in the season I've selected. He'll be taking a lot of the big-guard assignments, and with the defensive leaders he has covering him he'll be fine.
Bird, despite being unathletic, had an amazing defensive mind and could read the opposition offence. You don't get to average that many steals for that long without being switched on.
Malone was an All-Defensive First Team member, something which I feel gets forgotten about in the process. Not only was he the most prolific scoring PF of all-time, but he grew into a league-best defensive big man.
Ewing was also no slouch. He's glossed over because of the ridiculous league he came into - a league that at times featured Moses Malone, Hakeem, Shaq and David Robinson. However, he still averaged a really strong 4BPG.
Lucas alongside Lanier will be interesting, as they're one of the best rebounding back-ups in the league. I think that rebounding is often overlooked when considering what constitutes good defensive big-man play, and I have that in spades.
Aguirre was not a superb defender, neither was Tiny. But with the personnel around them they'll be able to survive. That's also a part of the reason why I drafted AK47 and Fat - they're two amazing defensive players who can swap in in the instance of Tiny or Aguirre getting overwhelmed.

I'm not sure whether I should give AK47 the back-up minutes at SF, but either way I'm very happy with how my team has finished up. Anyone got any thoughts/advice for me?

[action781]

Who, thank you very much for your takes on Rodman and Unseld.  I really appreciate it and learned a little about Wes Unseld thanks to your help too.  TP.

I also completely agree with your take on what a player does to help their team when their usage decreases.  Also agree with Roy's "That’s how I see it, too.  I’ve got no problem with a team starting five superstars, so long as those players could contribute in other ways without the ball."  Both are very much in line with my philosophy on team construction.

I don't think impact specialists (aka all-time great nba defenders) who played well on championship teams are really going to derail a team's offense into 4-on-5 in this game.  A few of them are players who can finish the ball well (Rodman 58% for example, or Bruce Bowen draining corner 3s) and are being surrounded in this game by great passers who can get them the ball where they can finish.  It might limit their offense compared to what an offense with 5 offensive studs can do, yes, but I don't think it will be any kind of drain.  At least not in the case of if there are 4 other studs on the floor.  I do think a Utah lineup of Dumars, Jordan, Iguodala, Rodman, and Unseld would run into problems, which is the kind of lineup I'd avoid.

[Somebody]

Are people not really concerned with the diminished value most players will get as their usage decreases?

My main concern is what can they do to help their team when their usage does decrease. For guys that do not offer much else, it is a big concern. For guys that do other things, it is an opportunity to see them play a different role which is exciting (a more team based role).

How well can a guy play when he the ball less?
How much influence can he still have?

It is one of the reasons why I rated KG so highly prior to the drafted and strongly considered taking him at #5. He can have a huge impact on a game while scoring only 12-15ppg because of his dominant defense, high level rebounding and high post offense (shooting, passing) which enables team offense and makes the game easier for his teammates. Which is a strong contribution in addition to his own individual scoring threat.

On your team, Bill Walton is an obvious candidate at that. Michael Jordan is also a strong candidate. Even when scoring less, MJ is still a fantastic defensive player (both man D and team D) and extra possession creator (rebounds, steals, blocks) as well as understanding how to play off the ball and use off ball movement to create easier opportunities for himself (raising efficiency). Add that to excellent playmaking ability (key with Joe D at PG) and elite shot creation and scoring ability - fantastic.

Shooting ability also creates good value for stretching the floor and making it easier for teammates to exploit defenses. Guys like Chris Mullin and Klay Thompson on your team are some of the standout shooters in the league at their respective positions. Dirk on my team - I thought Dirk did more to help his guards (offensively) than any other big in history because of both the space he created and the fear opposing teams had of giving him room to get an open shot off.

The opposite is also true. Guys who cannot shoot with range hurt teammates value. On your team - Rodman. On my team - Wilt. Wilt's lane clogging also reduces space for others to operate in the low post. I passed up on a number of players because of that (Kevin McHale = who I love). It was too easy for the paint to become too congested.

Anyway, those are my thoughts about usage. My concern is "what else can players do when their usage drops?". And how well players can handle sharing the ball more.

I'm very concerned about that. It was why I picked KG and Curry in the second round-they have incredibly scalable offenses.

[greenrunsdeep41]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

[Somebody]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

If you had a guy like Terry Porter as your SG I would've loved your team. I really don't think teams can get away with starting 2 players who can't create their own shot at a high level in this game.

[gouki88]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

My main concern with this team is spacing. Isiah, Giannis and Russell are all weak floor-spacers. Could make it hard, especially with Bowen's offence only coming from corner 3's.

[Somebody]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

My main concern with this team is spacing. Isiah, Giannis and Russell are all weak floor-spacers. Could make it hard, especially with Bowen's offence only coming from corner 3's.

Isiah in this exercise should be an above average three point shooter according to the stats. We're not using the time machine no? But yeah Bowen and Russell really limits the offense.

[gouki88]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

My main concern with this team is spacing. Isiah, Giannis and Russell are all weak floor-spacers. Could make it hard, especially with Bowen's offence only coming from corner 3's.

Isiah in this exercise should be an above average three point shooter according to the stats. We're not using the time machine no? But yeah Bowen and Russell really limits the offense.

Why? He was a 31% shooter from 3 on less than two attempts a game in that season.

I guess if you look at his playoff run that season then there's an argument to be made that he could be a threat from deep, but I don't know how I'd feel about him as the #2 shot creator on the perimeter. I dunno.

[tazzmaniac]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

My main concern with this team is spacing. Isiah, Giannis and Russell are all weak floor-spacers. Could make it hard, especially with Bowen's offence only coming from corner 3's.

Isiah in this exercise should be an above average three point shooter according to the stats. We're not using the time machine no? But yeah Bowen and Russell really limits the offense.

What stats are you looking at?  Isiah took enough 3pt shots (career 29% on 1.4 attempts) to project him as below average or at best an average 3pt shooter.  He was an average free throw shooter.       

[tazzmaniac]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

You started off really well and then I think you went off the tracks with the Heinson pick in the 6th and into the ravine with the Bowen pick in the 7th.  Don't see any case for Bowen being in this league.   Klay Thompson or George Gervin, who were selected after Heinson in the 6th, would look awfully good in your starting lineup.  The David Thompson and Embiid picks in the 9th and 10th were excellent. 

As someone else suggested, I'd put Thompson in the starting lineup.  Bowen as a starter hurts your team.  He shouldn't be getting that many minutes. 

[Somebody]

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

Harden - 2018-2019
Thompson - 1977 - 1978
Cunningham - 1969-1970
Heinsohn - 1961 - 1962
Embiid - 2018 2019

Schayes - 1957 - 1958
Monroe - 1967 - 1968

18 rings in my starting 5

My main concern with this team is spacing. Isiah, Giannis and Russell are all weak floor-spacers. Could make it hard, especially with Bowen's offence only coming from corner 3's.

Isiah in this exercise should be an above average three point shooter according to the stats. We're not using the time machine no? But yeah Bowen and Russell really limits the offense.

What stats are you looking at?  Isiah took enough 3pt shots (career 29% on 1.4 attempts) to project him as below average or at best an average 3pt shooter.  He was an average free throw shooter.       

Greenrunsdeep posted his playoff stats and I'll likely weigh that more heavily than his RS stats. He did improve against some of the toughest defenses of all time, so he gets credit for that in my book.

[Silky]

The final Philadelphia 76ers now that the draft has ended.

PG: Jason Kidd / Tiny Archibald
SG: Paul Pierce / Sidney Moncrief / Fat Lever
SF: Larry Bird / Mark Aguirre
PF: Karl Malone / Jerry Lucas / Andrei Kirilenko
C: Patrick Ewing / Bob Lanier

Now let's go through the individual seasons of my guys.

Jason Kidd: 2002-2003
All-NBA Second Team, All-Defensive Second team, NBA assists champion, All-Star. Stats: 18.7PPG, 8.9APG, 6.3RPG, 2.2SPG, 41% FG shooting, 34% 3 point shooting, 84% FT shooting, 80 games played.
People might wonder why I didn't choose a year where Kidd made All-NBA First team (which he did in both years either side of this) or All-Defence first team (something he did the previous two years). Fair questions, but I think that this season gives me the best balance of Kidd's scoring threat, even though he'd be shooting very little, as well as elite guard defence, elite passing and acceptable perimeter shooting. He also valiantly led the Nets on a deep playoff run.

Paul Pierce: 2001-2002
All-NBA Third Team, All-Star. Stats: 26.1PPG, 6.9RPG, 3.2APG, 1.9SPG, 1.0BPG, 44% FG shooting, 40% 3 point shooting, 81% FT shooting, 82 games played.
Pierce's first All-Star year, and his 3rd best year shooting the triple (however his most made per game). This was a real break-out year for The Truth. A deep playoffs run where he got to showcase his elite scoring at every level alongside strong defence is what Philly is excited about him bringing to the table.

Larry Bird: 1985-1986
League MVP, All-NBA First Team, Finals MVP, All-Star. Stats: 25.8PPG, 9.8RPG, 6.8APG, 2.0SPG, 50% FG shooting, 42% 3 point shooting, 90% FT shooting, 82 games played.
It was surprisingly difficult choosing one of Bird's seasons for this team, but I ended up going with this one. Elite scoring on elite efficiency, with amazing rebounding and passing, alongside superb defence. Oh, and a championship where Bird averaged a near triple-double against the Rockets.

Karl Malone: 1996-1997
League MVP, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team, All-Star. Stats: 27.4PPG, 9.9RPG, 4.5APG, 1.4SPG, 55% FG shooting, 76% FT shooting, 82 games played.
This MVP season for Malone was pretty insane. Close to 30PPG on great efficiency, and he was nearing 5APG for the season. Plus, he was an All-Defensive first team member on a team that went really deep in the playoffs.

Patrick Ewing: 1989-1990
All-NBA First Team, All-Star. Stats: 28.6PPG, 10.9RPG, 2.2APG, 4BPG, 1SPG, 55% FG shooting, 78% FT shooting, 82 games played.
Ewing's biggest scoring season, but also his best season for raw shot-blocking. Alongside good defenders in Bird and Malone I think Ewing would be able to be at his best on that end. His offensive role will be completely different to what his role was on that Knicks team, but his ability to rebound, defend and score inside will be crucial.

Nate "Tiny" Archibald: 1972-1973
All-NBA First Team, NBA scoring champion, NBA assists champion, All-Star. Stats: 34PPG, 11.4APG, 2.8RPG, 49% FG shooting, 85% FT shooting, 80 games played.
A pretty insane statistical season for Tiny, leading the league in both scoring and assists. In terms of small guards I can only think of AI who can rival Tiny's ability to generate free throws. Great passing alongside insane scoring is what has Philly most excited about Tiny. Super-sub.

Sidney Moncrief: 1982-1983
All-NBA First Team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive First Team, All-Star. Stats: 22.5PPG, 5.8RPG, 3.9APG, 1.5SPG, 52% FG shooting, 83% FT shooting, 76 games played.
In my mind Moncrief is the perfect back-court companion for Tiny. One of the best defensive guards of all time who can score, rebound and pass in his own right. Allows Tiny to expend as much energy as he wants on offence.

Mark Aguirre: 1986-1987
All-Star. Stats: 25.7PPG, 5.3RPG, 3.2APG, 1.1SPG, 50% FG shooting, 35% 3P shooting, 77% FT shooting, 80 games played.
Perhaps not Aguirre's best individual season, but it's his best 3 point shooting All-Star caliber season. His offensive production is very similar to Pierce's, which should help our flexibility as we can keep throwing weapon after weapon at our oponent.

Jerry Lucas: 1968-1969
All-Star. Stats: 18.3PPG, 18.4RPG, 4.1APG, 55% FG shooting, 76% FT shooting, 74 games played.
By no means Lucas' best season in terms of his scoring or rebounding, but he was still a 20/20 threat every single game. I chose this season because of his really quite amazing efficiency (despite being a jump-shooter) and his really strong passing, as I feel it complements the rest of my team the best.

Bob Lanier: 1973-74
All-Star, All-Star game MVP. Stats: 22.5PPG, 13.3RPG, 4.2APG, 3BPG, 1.4SPG, 50% FG shooting, 80% FT shooting, 81 games played.
Bob Lanier is in my mind quite an underrated back-up center. In this season he and Dave Bing led the Pistons to 52 wins. It's also his first season with recorded defensive statistics, and as you can see they're quite strong. He also posted an insane VORP of 8.1 that season.

Andrei Kirilenko: 2003-04
All-Star, All-Defensive Second Team. Stats: 16.5PPG, 8.1RPG, 3.1APG, 2.8BPG, 1.9SPG, 44% FG shooting, 34% 3P shooting, 79% FT shooting.
In my mind Kirilenko's peak is one of the forgotten about ones. In my mind his peak was comparable to, if not better than a guy like Draymond's, but it was cut short by injury. https://www.pullupjimbo.com/articles/2018/8/11/nba-unsung-andrei-kirilenko

Fat Lever: 1986-87
All-Star, All-NBA Second Team. Stats: 18.9PPG, 8.9RPG, 8APG, 2.5SPG, 47% FG shooting, 24% 3P shooting, 78% FT shooting.
Fat was one of the original triple-double machines, and did so with excellent defence. Efficient scoring, great rebounding and defence and amazing play-making is what this Philly team has strived for, and I believe Fat encompasses that.

Offensive philosophy:
The offensive philosophy of my team is quite simple - exploit the mismatch. With the level of offensive firepower on this team I'm confident that against anyone there will be one. Bird will by default be the number one guy, as I'm of the opinion that in his peak he was perhaps the most all-round offensive player in NBA history. Finished at the rim, could shoot amazingly from all 3 levels, drew fouls, got offensive rebounds, and was in my opinion the best passing forward of all time. That's my offensive leader.
His second-in-command is the Mailman. Another league MVP. The Mailman was a routine 28/10 threat, and by this stage in his career he'd honed himself into a great passing big-man. We're all aware what Bird did with McHale - imagine Bird with arguably the greatest scoring Power Forward of all time. Not to mention, I am of the belief that in today's game Malone would have certainly extended his range.
Then there's The Truth. Chose one of his earlier years where he was a more dynamic scoring threat and less of a leader, as there's no pressure on him to lead with guys like Bird, Malone, Kidd and Moncrief around. His 40% shooting from 3 and ability to generate free throws will be very hard for oppositions to deal with.
Kidd will be in his element on offence - setting up easy looks for my big-men with his penetration, working off the ball to get open looks, getting fouled. He's one of the best passers the game has ever seen.
Ewing will have a significantly reduced offensive role, but it will still be very important. His size and athleticism inside will be amazing for dump-offs from both Kidd and Bird - guys who perfected the art of drawing numerous players to lay-up attempts only to pass it to the open big man. He'll also be able to grab offensive rebounds at his hearts content.
Leading the bench on offence is Tiny. I think it's quite a luxury to have a guy who led the league in PPG and APG in the same season as a sixth man. His role is to come in, score, score some more, and set up his teammates. And it's a role he's thrived in.
Lucas and Lanier is my inside-out duo backing up Malone and Ewing. Lucas was the original jump-shooting big, and I have no difficulty believing that he would thrive in today's league, whereas Lanier was a strong inside scorer with a good FT touch. Both good passers.
Aguirre was a Pierce-like offensive threat in his prime, which is another luxury off the bench, and while Moncrief is known for his defence, his offensive game was nothing to be sneezed at whatsoever.
Kirilenko and Lever are also both good offensive players - a 3/4 who can shoot when necessary, but is a good passer and generates lots of inside looks, and a triple-double threat who can pass and penetrate.

Defensive philosophy:
My defensive philosophy will be somewhat different. I believe I've built a team of guys who are, for the absolute most part, can work together as a team to make life difficult for any opponent.
I have three amazing guard defenders in Moncrief (one of the best ever), Kidd and Lever. I have no trouble putting faith in them to make life difficult for the opposition.
Pierce was also quite a strong defender in his youth, nearly averaging 2 steals and a block in the season I've selected. He'll be taking a lot of the big-guard assignments, and with the defensive leaders he has covering him he'll be fine.
Bird, despite being unathletic, had an amazing defensive mind and could read the opposition offence. You don't get to average that many steals for that long without being switched on.
Malone was an All-Defensive First Team member, something which I feel gets forgotten about in the process. Not only was he the most prolific scoring PF of all-time, but he grew into a league-best defensive big man.
Ewing was also no slouch. He's glossed over because of the ridiculous league he came into - a league that at times featured Moses Malone, Hakeem, Shaq and David Robinson. However, he still averaged a really strong 4BPG.
Lucas alongside Lanier will be interesting, as they're one of the best rebounding back-ups in the league. I think that rebounding is often overlooked when considering what constitutes good defensive big-man play, and I have that in spades.
Aguirre was not a superb defender, neither was Tiny. But with the personnel around them they'll be able to survive. That's also a part of the reason why I drafted AK47 and Fat - they're two amazing defensive players who can swap in in the instance of Tiny or Aguirre getting overwhelmed.

I'm not sure whether I should give AK47 the back-up minutes at SF, but either way I'm very happy with how my team has finished up. Anyone got any thoughts/advice for me?

I would avsolutely put ak47 in the bench at backup sf.

3 blocks a game. Almost 2 steals. Could rebound and score when left open.

One of the best glue type guys all time imo.

Severely underrated even though he ranks as some of the best analytical seasons during his prime.

I really wanted him