So Roy - What are your reasons why LA is ranked so low in your opinion?
Well, first, they're the Lakers. 
But no, in all seriousness, the West is a blood bath. They're all great teams, and I second-guessed myself ranking a team with Kareem / KG up front last in anything.
What it came down to is I just didn't see the same dominant talent on LA as on some other squads. Kareem and KG certainly dominated their eras, but guys like Worthy, Dumars, Payton, Majerle, and certainly Ben Wallace were all a step below that level, in my mind.
No hard feelings; it's all very, very subjective. Your starting big men are probably my favorite in the game. On balance, though, I like some of the other squads better.
Balance?
I think that there is faulty logic there in trying to assemble a team based off of players who dominated their eras.
A team must have balance and chemistry.
Ben Wallace? He's only a 4-time consecutive Defensive Player of the year and a great rebounder. He fits our Bigs quite well. He does the dirty work and doesn't need the ball to do it.
I bet any other team on here would love to have Ben Wallace. I could also fit him in as a PF in some cases, next to Kareem and KG at the 3.
And yes - we all know that Kevin Garnett played every spot in Minny at times.
"Certainly Ben Wallace?" C'mon Roy surely you jest.
Quote me on this: I look at Ben Wallace as Kendrick Perkins on steroids.
What I mean is that yes he is limited offensively but even then his hands were better than Perk's and he could catch an Alley-oop from GP or Rondo (Love Ya, Perk).
And you just cannot discount the Defense of Ben Wallace.
Elton Brand? Fits yet another role quite well in that he is a polished offensive player on the blocks. His best days were in Clipper land and not many could stop him.
I think Elton's only fault is that..well, he played for the Clips during his best years. Not much recognition, there.
Worthy? NBA Finals MVP. His connection to Kareem will only contribute to team comeraderie. Again - with Worthy I'm not depending on him to carry the team, but I think you are under-rating what he does for my LA team in this draft- in that he is a almost unguardable SF.
Ask Larry. I cringed many days as a DieHard Celtics Fan as Worthy would blow by Larry (and McHale). If you were slow-footed, James Worthy ate your lunch, period.
That 86-87 series was bloody. I hated it.
Gary Payton? Only 9 All NBA 1st Team Defensive Player of the year awards, plus a fine all-around player and scorer. Don't forget 95-96 Defensive player of the Year. I've already discussed with IP his limitations as far as a shooter, but he did have a few spot years with decent 3pt %.
No one's perfect - not even Gary Payton.
It was him and Shawn Kemp that took Michael (and Scotty) to 6 games in the early 90's.
Joe Dumars? Besides being recognized by Michael Jordan as a player that slows him down, his accomplishments feature 4 1st Team All NBA Defensive player of the year awards - and an 88-89 Finals MVP.
Joe Dumars is also a fine scorer AND shooter - he averaged over 38% from Deep over his career.
I didn't pick Dan Majerle to carry the offense, but he certainly spreads the floor and is a glue guy. Barkley loved playing with him. He has been noted with a couple of 2nd Team defensive awards and he helps to spread things out for us. He averaged over 38% shooting from deep for 3 seasons. Thunder Dan can also play the SG spot. He adds size to the SG spot, too.
Look - I'm not going to bag on someone's team here, but I just don't see Denver as beating LA in a series - in this draft format.
If you wish, Roy - you can fault me for not picking the Superstars, but only trying to go after guys who fit better in a team concept.
Topic: 2011 CB Historical Draft - Draft Thread (Read 687895 times)