2023 CS Historic Draft - How's My Team?

[smokeablount]

I've been watching a trio of Iguodala era Denver Nuggets games over the last couple of days. You forget how much he used to be to watch. Or at least I do.

The consummate team player.

I lived in South Jersey, right outside of Philly, during the Iggy and Jrue years.  I get the thought behind "the process", but I would have never broken up those two.  They had two guys who were great citizens and teammates who loved to defend and were good scorers, too.  And, they had great chemistry.  And then Brand played with them for a couple of years, although he was past his prime.  Still an awesome defender, though.

But yeah, at first I thought I was reaching for Iggy in the third round just because he was a must for my binkie team.  In hindsight, though, I think the pick was justified there.  I remember in past drafts, there were certain players where I asked "is it possible to build a successful team with this player as a starter?"  Monta Ellis was like that. 

Iguodala is the opposite:  he can start with basically any other four players and make them more successful.

I think with Iguodala, a lot of his peak is kind of forgotten because of how long his post-prime was whilst at the Warriors. Still a great defender at GSW, but not the all-round weapon he was in Philly. Like a mini-Pippen

I like the mini Pippen comp. Never heard it made but it seems dead on.

[smokeablount]

My recap in digestible pieces:

Part 3 - 2023-24 Chicago Bulls Bench!

Players:

PG: DWILL, 08 (#12 MVP, #7 OWS, #12 WS/VORP)
SG: THOMPSON, 78 (#3 MVP, #1 WS/OWS, #2 VORP)
SF: T-MAC, 03 (#4 MVP, #1 VORP/PER/OWS/WSp48)
PF: NANCE, 92 (#10 VORP, #11 WS/BPM)
C: LANIER, 77 (#4 MVP, #2 PER, #5 VORP, #7 OWS)

Bench:
M. Ray Richardson (#17 MVP), John Wall (#7 MVP)
Hersey Hawkins, Tayshaun Prince 
Blake Griffin (#3 MVP)
Brad Daugherty (#10 MVP), Marcus Camby (DPOY)

Bench Players:

PG2 / Combo Guard: Michael Ray Richardson (80-81)

Accolades: All-Star, NBA All-D 1st Team, #17 MVP Voting

Career: 4x All-Star, 2x All-D 1st Team, 3x Steals Champ, Assist Champ

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 16.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 7.9 apg, 2.9 spg, 0.4 bpg, 20% usage

Shooting: 51.1% ts%, 49.3% on 2’s, 22.5% on 3’s, 66% ft%

Advanced: 4.2 VORP (#9), 3.2 BPM (#15), 6.9 Win Shares (Not top 20)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: 89
www.2kratings.com/micheal-ray-richardson-all-time-new-york-knicks

SG2: Hersey Hawkins (96-97)

Accolades: None (super-role player)

Career: 1x All-Star, NBA Finalist

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.1 bpg, 17.5% usage

Shooting: 61.6% ts%, 51.4% on 2’s, 40.3% on 3’s, 87.5% ft%

Advanced: 4.4 VORP (#15), 4.2 BPM (Not top 20), 10.9 Win Shares (#15)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: 87
www.2kratings.com/hersey-hawkins-all-time-philadelphia-76ers

SF2: Tayshaun Prince (06-07)

Accolades: NBA All-D 2nd Team

Career: 4x All-D, NBA Champion

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 14.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.7 bpg, 18.9% usage

Shooting: 53.4% ts%, 48% on 2’s, 38.6% on 3’s, 76.9% ft%

Advanced: 2.9 VORP (Not top 20), 1.8 BPM (NT20), 8 Win Shares (NT20)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: N/A
www.2kratings.com/tayshaun-prince-2003-04-detroit-pistons

PF2: Blake Griffin (13-14)

Accolades: All-NBA 2nd Team, All-Star, #3 MVP Voting

Career: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA (3-2T/2-3T), ROY

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 24.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 29% usage

Shooting: 58.3% ts%, 53.7% on 2’s, 27.3% on 3’s, 71.5% ft%

Advanced: 4.7 VORP (#11), 4.5 BPM (#15), 12.2 Win Shares (#6)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: 90
www.2kratings.com/blake-griffin-all-time-los-angeles-clippers

C2: Brad Daugherty (92-93)

Accolades: All-Star, All-NBA prior year (lower in MVP), #10 MVP Voting

Career: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 20.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 4.4 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.8 bpg, 21% usage

Shooting: 63.5% ts%, 57.1% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s, 79.5% ft%

Advanced: 4.7 VORP (#10), 4.9 BPM (#10), 12.7 Win Shares (#6)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: 90
www.2kratings.com/brad-daugherty-all-time-cleveland-cavaliers

PG3: John Wall (16-17)

Accolades: All-NBA 3rd Team, All-Star, 12th All-D Voting, #7 MVP Voting

Career: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA, 1x All-D

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 23.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 10.7 apg, 2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 30.6% usage

Shooting: 54.1% ts%, 48% on 2’s, 32.7% on 3’s, 80% ft%

Advanced: 4.8 VORP (#17), 4.7 BPM (NT20), 8.8 Win Shares (NT20)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: 90
www.2kratings.com/john-wall-all-time-washington-wizards

C3: Marcus Camby (06-07)

Accolades: DPOY, 1st Team All-D, #19 All-NBA Voting

Career: DPOY, 4x All-D (2-1T/2-2T), 4x Blocks Champ

Stats:

Counting/Usage: 11.2 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 3.3 bpg, 15.9% usage

Shooting: 52% ts%, 47.5% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s, 73% ft%

Advanced: 4 VORP (#19), 4.7 BPM (#14), 7.6 Win Shares (NT20)

All-Time NBA2K Rating: 85
www.2kratings.com/marcus-camby-all-time-denver-nuggets

[Who]

I saw an interview with Jrue and Iggy where they were talking about that team being broken up. They were saying in 2012 they pushed Boston to 7 games in the ECSF. Then comparing it to the process and Embiid and how Philly have gotten no further in 10 years since then. All that losing for nothing. Arguing that there squad was just as good as Embiid's teams and that it should never have been broken up. They went just as far in the playoffs and still had room to improve.

[Roy H.]

I saw an interview with Jrue and Iggy where they were talking about that team being broken up. They were saying in 2012 they pushed Boston to 7 games in the ECSF. Then comparing it to the process and Embiid and how Philly have gotten no further in 10 years since then. All that losing for nothing. Arguing that there squad was just as good as Embiid's teams and that it should never have been broken up. They went just as far in the playoffs and still had room to improve.

Good for them.  I like that sense of pride even years after the fact.

Hot take:  if TMac had Iggy's brain, he'd be a multi-time champion and would be regarded as on the same tier as Kobe (at least before his premature death).

[Who]

STARTERS:

PG: Kemba Walker, 2018-2019
Played 82 games; 25.6 ppg; 5.9 assists; 3.9 rebounds; 36 percent from 3. All Star and All NBA for the season

Career accolades: 4x All-Star; Career def. rating of 109.5

SG: Vince Carter, 2000-2001
Played 75 games; 27.6 ppg; 3.9 assists; 5.5 rebounds; 41 percent from 3. All Star

Career: 8x All Star; 2x All NBA; 1998-99 ROY; Career Def. rating of 106.6

SF: Alex English, 1982-83
Played 82 games; 28.4 ppg; 4.8 assists; 7.3 rebounds; 52 percent FG; All Star

Career: HOF; 8x All Star; 82-83 NBA Scoring Champion; Career def. rating of 110

PF: Horace Grant, 1993-94
Played 70 games; 15.1 ppg; 3 assists; 11 rebounds; 1.2 block; All Star; All Defensive 2nd Team

Career: 4x NBA Champ; 4x All NBA Defensive; All Star; Career Def. rating of 104.4

C: Yao Ming, 2008-09
Played 77 games; 19.7 ppg; 9.9 rebounds; All Star

Career: HOF; 8x All Star; 5x All NBA; Career def. rating of 99.1

I like Horace starting over L Aldridge. Gives the lineup more balance. I like the 1994 season for him too. Best combination of athleticism & shooting ability.

That Horace & Yao partnership has shades of Horace & Shaq in Orlando. Really cool. They were great together. Horace provided all the defensive leadership Shaq needed alongside him. Similar to what Yao got from Chuck Hayes only with more offense in Horace. Rebounding. Interior toughness.


I am always shocked by how big Yao is. I remember when Houston would put a 2nd big body out there next to him at PF. The court would look so small. So little space to move. Cause not only is Yao huge but the opponent has to play a huge defender against him. Then you have a big PF, the opponent wants a 2nd big defender out there to deal with that guy. Suddenly the court shrinks.

Then there was that 2008 Rockets team that acquired Ron Artest to play alongside Tracy McGrady in a super-sized wing duo. Now you had two legit bigs and two super-sized wings. No space for movement off the ball. Everything was clogged. It was too stagnant. Also too slow.

It always stuck out to me with Yao and the need to get speed around him.


The other thing about L Aldridge versus some other PFs. Aldridge developed a high level low post game and he was a very good shooter but he was a limited ball-handler and shooter off the dribble. He was a set shooter or a shooter off of some movement (PnP action). But he only really drived the ball if there was a wide open lane / a line drive opportunity. He wasn't comfortable with his handle.

So teams could close out hard on him to take away his jump-shot with little concern of Aldridge taking them on and trying to blow by them. Something that smaller PFs like B Griffin or T Cummings or D West or P Millsap were all able to do. I like that weapon in a PF. That was missing in Aldridge.


I like Aldridge separate to Yao because a big part of his advantage at PF is his size & skill in the low post. But when you got Yao out there you want Yao in the low block most of the time. So less opportunities for Aldridge to take advantage of his best skill (low post scoring).

Yao is perhaps the most unguardable scorer one-on-one at center in this league. You want to get him the ball as much as possible in areas where he is most effective. Splitting Aldridge and Yao up does that. Horace will take more of a back seat and allow Yao to be his best self.

I reckon Yao and Lanier are the two best scoring centers in this Historical League. I give Lanier the overall edge offensively due to his superior passing and more varied scoring but in terms of one-on-one shot-creation Yao is king. Best of the best.

7-6 300lbs skilled. Can get his shot up over the top of anyone. That guy is a nightmare. You just gotta live with it. There is only so much you can do to slow him down.


I also love the defensive quickness and range of Horace next to Yao. Yao more statuesque defensively. Not that mobile but huge physical presence protecting the rim. He is best with a quick footed mobile defensive PF next to him. Horace was definitely that.

The Bulls couldn't run some of their defensive traps with Rodman in the 1996-98 run that they ran with Horace from 1988-94 because Rodman was no longer quick enough and mobile enough to do the things that Horace was able to do. Horace was a superb athlete with size (6-10 240lbs) and length. Great defensive partner to Yao.

[RPGenerate]

Are we gonna set a date for when all the submissions must be in? I've been so busy, I keep forgetting to make my own.

[Who]

David Thompson vs Dwyane Wade

I see as a good comp and baseline for understanding David Thompson. Wade is the closest match I think of in terms of size, speed & explosive athleticism. Nobody could stay in front Wade. Too quick, too shifty, too good at changing speeds & directions, too good of a ball-handler. David Thompson would be the same type of problem if he played today.

Shooting

The main advantage for D Thompson over Wade is Thompson's jump-shot. He was a legit shooter. He had a very good midrange game and a good outside jump-shot. Wade was limited to the midrange. He was a dodgy outside shooter but a very good midrange guy. Thompson could hit that outside shot and would be even tougher to stop from scoring because of it.

Non-Scoring

This is where Wade shines. Wade was an elite defender, elite rebounder, elite ball-handler and elite playmaker.

David Thompson was an average or worse defender & rebounder. He was a good ball-handler but an average passer. He could give you some secondary handles and playmaking. He could play some minutes at PG if your team was stuck but it was not ideal. He was more of a Bradley Beal level ball-handler & playmaker.

This is actually why I preferred Westphal over D Thompson in that era because of Westphal's superior passing ability. I saw that as the difference maker between the two of them. Two tightly matched guards. The two best guards in the league at the time. However, when putting both players in today's NBA, I see D Thompson getting a bigger boost because of his explosive athleticism and all the advantages that are given to quick ball-handlers in today's league so I favour Thompson over Westphal in this exercise. They are my #1 and #2 SGs in this league.

Overall

I think David Thompson is one of the most fearsome scorers in this Historical League. His combination of elite quickness & athleticism, driving ability, finishing ability, shot making off the bounce and outside shooting make him perhaps the most complete scoring package in the entire league.

[Who]

Funny talking point by Iggy & E Turner on their podcast Point Forward. Iggy said that after joining GSW he had to shoot more 3s and he was practicing them so much that he lost his rhythm on his pull up (off the dribble) midrange jump-shot. Evan Turner was laughing at him saying this was real. Evan was training him and Iggy could barely shoot the midrange anymore.

Iggy was saying the three is such a stand still shot. Well for him because he doesn't shoot if off the dribble. And he had spent so much time on it that he had lost sort of like his muscle memory for how to balance himself when going up for that midrange pull-up. And it turned him into a 3 or paint finisher type player.

Really makes you appreicated a guy like Durant who manages to do both at such a high level. The amount of practice he must have to do to maintain both scoring types.

[Who]

I saw an interview with Jrue and Iggy where they were talking about that team being broken up. They were saying in 2012 they pushed Boston to 7 games in the ECSF. Then comparing it to the process and Embiid and how Philly have gotten no further in 10 years since then. All that losing for nothing. Arguing that there squad was just as good as Embiid's teams and that it should never have been broken up. They went just as far in the playoffs and still had room to improve.

Good for them.  I like that sense of pride even years after the fact.

Hot take:  if TMac had Iggy's brain, he'd be a multi-time champion and would be regarded as on the same tier as Kobe (at least before his premature death).

I forgot Vucevic was on that 2012 team and part of that Iggy / A Bynum trade. That was a pretty nice 76ers team.

G: Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams
G: Evan Turner
F: Andre Iguodala
F: Thaddeus Young
C: Nikola Vucevic

That is a strong 6 man core to move forward with. I can see why they are still ticked off that it was broken up. Vucevic would have been a great fit there too with his jump-shot giving spacing to those athletic forwards and wings.

They had Jodie Meeks and Spencer Hawes as well. I forget how long Elton Brand continued to play before retiring.

[Who]

I thought Bob Lanier was a huge steal for Chicago and I love how he fits on that team.

It reminds me some of Lanier's Bucks teams. They had the early teams with Marques Johnson at PF. Then they had the middle years with Marques, Bridgeman and Mickey Johnson as versatile skilled forwards. Then guards like Brian Winters (shooter/scorer, recent All-Star) and an emerging Sidney Moncrief. They had all these forwards and SGs who were versatile & skilled. Lots of movement in the halfcourt all playing off of Lanier's passing off the elbows.

I see this Chicago team working similarly to that. Lanier being the central figure for the offense to function around. Again, Lanier on those Bucks teams took a secondary or tertiary role as a 13-15ppg threat 3-4apg guy. With Marques and Winters / Bridgeman or later Moncrief taking the main scoring roles. They used Lanier as the facilitator to the other scorers. To create body and ball movement. I see Chicago being able to do the same with Lanier the fulcrum and D Thompson & McGrady as the more dynamic attackers playing off pf Lanier's smart team play.

Now that Bucks team never had a PG. This Bulls team has Deron Williams. Terrific all-round guard with good physicality.

Milwaukee played smaller and quicker in those first few Lanier years before pairing him more with Alton Lister towards the end. Get another big long shot-blocker in there to help an aging Lanier. They also had Harvey Catchings to do that in a part-time role in the earlier years. On this Bulls team, they have Larry Nance. Nance unlike those two is a legit two-way force giving Chicago nobody the opponent can cheat off of while also reinforcing their team defense.

I love Nance's athleticism and finishing next to Lanier's passing also. And next to the passing of McGrady, D Thompson and Deron. Nance had a quality jump-shot out to 20 feet that likely would have stretched out to the 3 point line in today's league.

But ... I just love the speed and athleticism 2-4 of Skywalker, McGrady and Nance next to Lanier in the pivot and Deron at the point. Incredible finishers.

Then the Bulls have Blake Griffin as another ultra-athletic finisher at PF to replace Nance. Similar to Nance, Griffin had a lot of SF skills (handles, passing, quickness) in the body of a PF. This gives Chicago incredible versatility offensively. Even if you cheat off them some, they are both so athletic that they can grab the ball on the catch and fly to the basket for a dunk. A lot of PFs in this league cannot dribble. These two can attack the basket.

This is why I think Chicago are the top team in the draft. I love their starting lineup.

I am also fan off their bench. I thought Brad Daugherty was a huge pickup. I thought he should have been a starter in this draft. Another guy who can do a lot of what Lanier does as a highly skilled offensive center who can post, hit jumpers and was a very good passer & facilitator. Then Hersey Hawkins who is a dang fine glue guy at SG. Micheal Ray Richardson at PG was another player who I expected to be a starter. So well-rounded. Dominant defensively. Creative passer. Capable but low efficiency scorer / shooter. And Tayshaun Prince to round it all out. Plus Wall & Camby as deep bench.


The other thing about Lanier that I love is his scoring versatility. Yao might be the most unstoppable one-on-one scorer at center but Lanier's versatility in his scoring is even more impressive to me.

Lanier's scoring is perhaps the most similar to Jokic's scoring today in terms of outside shooting, midrange shooting, ability to put the ball on the floor, floaters / runners, and low post offense. Lanier can score in every situation.

His outside shot was lethal. If you defended him too close he could put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. Like Jokic, he wasn't the quickest or most athletic doing it but he was a confident ball-handler and a big body that was hard to stop once he started moving towards the rim. He had a lovely set of strange looking floaters and runners. Again, perhaps the most similar looking floaters / runners I have seen a top center display regularly outside of Jokic. Then he had the low post game and the hook shot with that great big body of his. Plus, foul shots. Very efficient. One of the league leaders in TS% in his era. One of the best jump-shooting and scoring centers around.

I thought Lanier was a first round pick. I had him top 5. I was going back and forth between him (offensively superior) and Alonzo (defensively superior). Lanier top offense good defense. Zo top defense good offense.


McGrady & Thompson = great duo to build around.
Deron & Lanier = made CHI elite core. Stand out from pack.

Nance, Griffin, Daugherty = elite supporting cast to ensure the core has the help they need to win. Very strong interior play. Three quality bigs to support Lanier, the two wings and Deron.

Then filled out the rest of the bench with quality guys.

[Roy H.]

Fun fact:  Jrue Holiday was picked the year I covered the draft for CB.  He was very adamant that he should have been the first PG drafted.  Not ego, but confidence.

Looking back, he was wrong.  Steph Curry is better.  But, he beat out the rest of his competitors:  Ricky Rubio, Johnny Flynn, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague., Darren Collison.  Harden later switched to PG, but at the time he was a SG.  Same with Tyreke Evans.

Strong guard class.  How on earth did the Twolves take Flynn?

[Moranis]

The problem I had with Lanier is every eligible season, except 2 of the last 3 when he was a shell of himself, he basically missed 20 games every year.  He just wasn't healthy.  Now as a bench player, I suppose that isn't a big deal, but I had a really hard time projecting him as a starter when he couldn't stay on the floor.

[gouki88]

Sorry all, been a bit unwell and haven't put much thought into timelines for wrapping this up. Will have a think about it today

[Roy H.]

The problem I had with Lanier is every eligible season, except 2 of the last 3 when he was a shell of himself, he basically missed 20 games every year.  He just wasn't healthy.  Now as a bench player, I suppose that isn't a big deal, but I had a really hard time projecting him as a starter when he couldn't stay on the floor.

That's a good point, and one of the near impossible tasks with 144 players drafted.  I have no idea who was healthy, who missed a chunk of the season, etc.  I suspect I'd rank some teams downward if they were relying on guys who missed 15+ games, but I have no idea who those guys were.

[action781]

I was born in 1984 so I've seen only extremely few players from before that time.  So unfortunately, I can't rate a lot of those players very well. 

Chicago (smokeablount):
PG: Deron Williams (07-08) / Micheal Ray Richardson (80-81) / John Wall (16-17)
SG: David Thompson (77-78) / Hersey Hawkins (96-97)
SF: Tracy McGrady (02-03) / Tayshaun Prince (04-05)
PF: Larry Nance Sr (91-92) / Blake Griffin (13-14)
C: Bob Lanier (76-77) / Brad Daugherty (92-93) / Marcus Camby (06-07)

Too many old guys I haven't seen to really assess, unfortunately.

Utah (wdleehi):
PG: Tony Parker / Sam Cassell
SG: Joe Johnson / Dale Ellis
SF: Grant Hill / Latrell Sprewell / Sean Elliott
PF: Chris Bosh / Larry Johnson / Robert Horry
C: Artis Gilmore / Kevin Willis

Lot of players I like on this team, especially Artis Gilmore who I've never actually seen play but I just assume he plays exactly like Stretch in NBA Street.  I feel like JJ is going to be relegated to more of a spot up shooter on this team (in order to get TP/Hill/Bosh solid usage), in which case I probably would have went with a more 3/D type player instead over JJ.  Really like the depth and the fits, strong team.

Memphis (celticinorlando):
PG: Kemba Walker (18-19) / Jamal Crawford (07-08)
SG: Vince Carter (00-01) / Michael Cooper (86-87) / Gail Goodrich (77-78)
SF: Alex English (82-83) / Antawn Jamison (00-01) / Josh Smith (11-12)
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge (14-15) / Horace Grant (93-94)
C: Yao Ming (08-09) / Bill Laimbeer (85-86)

I'm not a big Kemba fan.  I'm a huge Yao fan.  Not a big fan of how him and LMA fit together, like how Who wrote.  A little too much offense on this team, not enough defense.  What are Aldridge and Kemba's usage rates going to look like?  I imagine the lowest 2 of the starters.  In which case, a defensive player would probably help this team there more than bad defense scorers at low usage rates.

Denver (Who):
PG: Kevin Johnson (89-90) / Gus Williams (78-79)
SG: Eddie Jones (98-99) / Rolando Blackman (84-85) / Fred Brown (76-77)
SF: Bernard King (83-84) / Bob Dandridge (77-78)
PF: Vin Baker (97-98) / Danny Manning (91-92) / Cliff Robinson (97-98)
C: Alonzo Mourning (99-00) / Jack Sikma (81-82)

Good team here from those that I know.  Nice mix of offense and defense, to be solid on both ends of the floor.  One of the most complementary offensive centers to be had in this league.

Toronto (theswitch):
PG: Penny Hardaway (95-96) / Fat Lever (87-88) / Terrell Brandon (95-96)
SG: Paul Westphal (78-79) / Paul Pressey (85-86)
SF: Marques Johnson (78-79) / Danny Granger (08-09)
PF: Jermaine O'Neal (03-04) / Bobby Jones (76-77) / Kiki VandeWeghe (82-83)
C: Marc Gasol (12-13) / Serge Ibaka (13-14)

I really like Marc Gasol, but I don't think he'll be as effective offensively in this league that has so many elite defensive centers.  I don't know much about your 2 wings, so can't really say much.  I think Serge is too small to be a backup center in this league.  He would struggle mightily matching up against the backup Cs like Sabonis, Sampson, Laimbeer, Bynum, and Cousins.

OKC (Celtic Fan Forever):
PG: Chauncey Billups / Baron Davis
SG: Michael Redd / Dan Majerle / Allan Houston
SF: Peja Stojakovic / Gerald Wallace
PF: Shawn Kemp / Antonio McDyess / Toni Kukoc
C: Dwight Howard / Tyson Chandler

My favorite team so far by far.  Love the fits.  Dwight was so good in 2009 and this is an upgrade at every single position around him with a terrific bench.  He doesn't need to be a major volume scorer, just a threat and a defense/rebounding force.  Chauncey is so underrated man.  And in this league, he's proven that he can exist and be a leader with multiple other high usage players, get them all to succeed and vibe well, and be successful as a team.  In 2006 he had 8.6 assists, only 2.1 turnovers, 43.3% from 3, and 2nd team all-defense.  Perfect player for this team.

LA Clippers (RPGenerate):
PG: Dennis Johnson / Jo Jo White / Stephon Marbury
SG: Sidney Moncrief / World B. Free
SF: Chris Mullin / Ron Artest
PF: Detlef Schrempf / Buck Williams / Tom Chambers
C: Ben Wallace / Andrew Bynum

Good team.  Feels like it's lacking top-end talent a bit, compared to the other teams, but I feel like I can visualize this team playing together and I like what I see.

Orlando Magic (gouki88):
PG: Terry Porter (90-91) / Steve Francis (00-01)
SG: Joe Dumars (92-93) / Jeff Hornacek (91-92) / Jerry Stackhouse (00-01)
SF: Brandon Roy (08-09) / Walter Davis (78-79)
PF: Terry Cummings (84-85) / Paul Millsap (15-16)
C: Chris Webber (00-01) / Ralph Sampson (83-84) / Andrew Bogut (09-10)

Love the 1-3, but Webber as a center?  In this league?  I'd start Sampson at the 5.  Overall, one of the best (if not the best) passing teams in this league so far.

Brooklyn (Moranis):
PG: Maurice Cheeks / Don Buse
SG: Drazen Petrovic / Rip Hamilton
SF: Adrian Dantley / Bruce Bowen / Jim Jackson
PF: Amare Stoudemire / George McGinnis / Dan Roundfield
C: Pau Gasol / Dan Issel

Bummer that I just don't know Mo and Drazen's games, because I potentially love the 4/5 pairing here, but how it works depends a lot on the guard play.  Amare + Pau would be a great big pairing for a modern day horns offense.

Cleveland (Roy H.):
PG:  Mookie Blaylock / Isaiah Thomas
SG: Manu Ginobili / Reggie Lewis / J.J. Redick
SF: Andre Iguodala / Jamal Mashburn
PF: Elton Brand / Andrei Kirilenko
C:  Dikembe Mutombo / DeMarcus Cousins / Mehmet Okur

Solid team here, I like all the fits.  Another great passing team.  Good depth that is very versatile.  A bit lacking in the high-end talent compared to other teams.  Is there any player on this team with even 1 all-nba first team selection?

Sacramento (Donoghus):
PG: Mark Price / Rajon Rondo
SG: Mitch Richmond / Andrew Toney / Doug Christie
SF: Shawn Marion / Michael Finley
PF: Maurice Lucas / Zach Randolph / David West
C: Vlade Divac / Theo Ratliff

This league's version of the splash brothers with the shooting at the 1 and 2.  Pretty cool fits at the 3-5.  I like it.

Washington (Kernewek):
PG: Tim Hardaway Sr. / Gilbert Arenas / Jason Williams
SG: Alvin Robertson / Tony Allen
SF: Glen Rice / Mark Aguirre
PF: Rasheed Wallace / Carlos Boozer / Derrick Coleman
C: Joakim Noah / Arvydas Sabonis

I've been waiting to see Sabonis' name wondering where he's been.  It's a shame he's a backup in this league, but I really like prime Noah as a starter in this league too.  I think you could go either way there, both lineups are strong.  I like that Sheed, like Billups, is a proven guy who can turn down his usage when put alongside other all-stars and still be very productive on both ends and succeed.  One of my favorite teams.  Not sure "First Team" Tony Allen belongs in this league though, I'd rather have James Posey.