Which core would you choose?

[Roy H.]

And yes, we all know that Tony Parker should have been a part of that Pierce / Antoine / Johnson core.

[slamtheking]

current core.  Tatum could have a career as good as PPs.  Jaylen should have one as good as JJ or better.  Smart and Antoine -- give the edge to Smart.  both take bad shots but Smart has a much bigger impact on defense.

[Moranis]

While Johnson is a lot better than Smart, Tatum and Brown are respectively better than Pierce and Walker and that matters more.

[Kiorrik]

Current. Antoine was a wash, compared to JB, who contributes as much on offense as on defence.

[jambr380]

Probably the former. Tatum and Pierce are pretty comparable. Jaylen probably has a higher ceiling than Antoine, but Antoine made his 3rd All-Star team in year 7 (Jaylen is in year 6). But the reason I choose the former is Smart vs Johnson. I love Smart, but that's not even a contest.

Also, for all of the people who think Antoine sucked, I think he really would have excelled as a Point Forward with two undisputed All-Stars alongside him.

[Kiorrik]

Probably the former. Tatum and Pierce are pretty comparable. Jaylen probably has a higher ceiling than Antoine, but Antoine made his 3rd All-Star team in year 7 (Jaylen is in year 6). But the reason I choose the former is Smart vs Johnson. I love Smart, but that's not even a contest.

Also, for all of the people who think Antoine sucked, I think he really would have excelled as a Point Forward with two undisputed All-Stars alongside him.

Only reason I disagree on 'Toine is his .325 3pt%.

[td450]

Probably the former. Tatum and Pierce are pretty comparable. Jaylen probably has a higher ceiling than Antoine, but Antoine made his 3rd All-Star team in year 7 (Jaylen is in year 6). But the reason I choose the former is Smart vs Johnson. I love Smart, but that's not even a contest.

Also, for all of the people who think Antoine sucked, I think he really would have excelled as a Point Forward with two undisputed All-Stars alongside him.

Antoine didn't keep improving. He didn't fall apart, but he was only a plus starter from there.

I do find the idea of Smart as some third piece to be forced. He's a marginal starter. Joe Johnson was better than Antoine.

[Roy H.]

I keep hearing how Tatum is better than Pierce.  I’m not sure that’s a given.  Tatum has better stats, but I worry he’s missing something.  I’m not sure what it is.  Grit?  Toughness? 

[Kiorrik]

I keep hearing how Tatum is better than Pierce.  I’m not sure that’s a given.  Tatum has better stats, but I worry he’s missing something.  I’m not sure what it is.  Grit?  Toughness?

Definitely toughness.

Keyword stabbed.

[slamtheking]

Probably the former. Tatum and Pierce are pretty comparable. Jaylen probably has a higher ceiling than Antoine, but Antoine made his 3rd All-Star team in year 7 (Jaylen is in year 6). But the reason I choose the former is Smart vs Johnson. I love Smart, but that's not even a contest.

Also, for all of the people who think Antoine sucked, I think he really would have excelled as a Point Forward with two undisputed All-Stars alongside him.

Antoine didn't keep improving. He didn't fall apart, but he was only a plus starter from there.

I do find the idea of Smart as some third piece to be forced. He's a marginal starter. Joe Johnson was better than Antoine.

agree - that's why I compared Jaylen to JJ as opposed to Antoine in my comments above.  making an all-star team in the mid-to-late 90's-early 00's is not as much of an accomplishment as making one in the 80's or late 00's-through today.
the talent level in those years wasn't terribly deep in the league.  put another way, as much as I loved Antoine on the C's, there's no way he sniffs an all-star game with the current talent in the league even at his peak.

[todd_days_41]

The vintage core -- it has Pierce in it, and the alternative doesn't.

[Kiorrik]

Probably the former. Tatum and Pierce are pretty comparable. Jaylen probably has a higher ceiling than Antoine, but Antoine made his 3rd All-Star team in year 7 (Jaylen is in year 6). But the reason I choose the former is Smart vs Johnson. I love Smart, but that's not even a contest.

Also, for all of the people who think Antoine sucked, I think he really would have excelled as a Point Forward with two undisputed All-Stars alongside him.

Antoine didn't keep improving. He didn't fall apart, but he was only a plus starter from there.

I do find the idea of Smart as some third piece to be forced. He's a marginal starter. Joe Johnson was better than Antoine.

agree - that's why I compared Jaylen to JJ as opposed to Antoine in my comments above.  making an all-star team in the mid-to-late 90's-early 00's is not as much of an accomplishment as making one in the 80's or late 00's-through today.
the talent level in those years wasn't terribly deep in the league.  put another way, as much as I loved Antoine on the C's, there's no way he sniffs an all-star game with the current talent in the league even at his peak.

I didn't *really* wanna touch on the difference between the years, but I kinda did with the 3pt% comment, which is very much a result of the current state of the league in a way.

Honestly, this current core ... I just think it's close to the JJ/AW/PP core and only surpasses it because of the change in the NBA in general.

If those guys had the same time to focus on making threes, it'd been way closer.

[Roy H.]

I keep hearing how Tatum is better than Pierce.  I’m not sure that’s a given.  Tatum has better stats, but I worry he’s missing something.  I’m not sure what it is.  Grit?  Toughness?

Definitely toughness.

Keyword stabbed.

Yep.  Lost some teeth during a game, too.

[Kiorrik]

I keep hearing how Tatum is better than Pierce.  I’m not sure that’s a given.  Tatum has better stats, but I worry he’s missing something.  I’m not sure what it is.  Grit?  Toughness?

Definitely toughness.

Keyword stabbed.

Yep.  Lost some teeth during a game, too.

+ a tonne of other stories.

But in general, just wanting to win more. Wanting to prove himself, as opposed to wanting to be annointed.

[droopdog7]

Probably the former. Tatum and Pierce are pretty comparable. Jaylen probably has a higher ceiling than Antoine, but Antoine made his 3rd All-Star team in year 7 (Jaylen is in year 6). But the reason I choose the former is Smart vs Johnson. I love Smart, but that's not even a contest.

Also, for all of the people who think Antoine sucked, I think he really would have excelled as a Point Forward with two undisputed All-Stars alongside him.

What happens if you flip the comparisons? Tatum-PP, Johnson-Brown, Antoine-Smart.

Seems to get closer