Author Topic: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game  (Read 5921 times)

0 Members and 0 Guests are viewing this topic.

The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« on: January 21, 2012, 01:04:47 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
Let's play a game.  I want you to try to build the best roster (starting 5, bench 5) you can without using any top 10 players, and without putting any current starters on your bench.  

For the sake of this game only -- leave argument over this point to other threads -- let's have the list of top 10 players be as follows (no particular order):

Lebron
Wade
Kobe
Durant
Dwight
Melo
Rose
Love
CP3
Griffin


Your goal is to make the team that would have the best shot at winning a title this season.  My idea in proposing this game is to try and demonstrate how difficult it is to create such a team -- a serious contender without a top 10 player.


Here's my best attempt:


Rajon Rondo / Mo Williams
Joe Johnson / James Harden
Andre Iguodala / Corey Brewer
LaMarcus Aldridge / Al Harrington
Marc Gasol / Chris Andersen


Just how good would that team be?  Really good.  Tons of production off the bench, good defense, scoring potential at every starting position, and a great passer with tons of weapons at his disposal.

Here's the thing -- I don't think they'd even necessarily be the title favorite, despite being about as stacked as I could possibly make them without using any superstars.
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2012, 01:14:09 PM »

Offline Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 52630
  • Tommy Points: 2565
Deron Williams, Ben Gordon
James Harden, Nicolas Batum
Luol Deng, Shane Battier
Blake Griffin, Taj Gibson
LaMarcus Aldridge, Omer Asik

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2012, 01:14:42 PM »

Offline Eja117

  • NCE
  • Bill Sharman
  • *******************
  • Posts: 19274
  • Tommy Points: 1254
I'm going nuts

Rondo/Lou WIllaims
Rubio/JJ Redick
Dirk (you left him out. He's mine now)/Tyler Hansbrough
Pau Gasol/Chris Kaman
Josh Smith/Boris Diaw


I win!

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2012, 01:24:35 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12765
  • Tommy Points: 1546
Starters:
R.Rondo
J.Harden
R.Gay
L.Aldridge
T.Chandler

Bench:
J.Terry
A.Igoudala
A.Jefferson

I'll go with just an 8-man rotation, because I think it allows you to maximize their minutes and effectiveness.  All the players I listed can play multiple positions, with the exception of Rondo and Harden.

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2012, 01:24:42 PM »

Offline pearljammer10

  • K.C. Jones
  • *************
  • Posts: 13129
  • Tommy Points: 885
Rondo/D. Williams
Allen/Harden
Gerald Wallace/Deng
Nowitzki/Duncan
P. Gasol/Aldridge

That team wins a championship.

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2012, 01:36:04 PM »

Offline KCattheStripe

  • Danny Ainge
  • **********
  • Posts: 10726
  • Tommy Points: 830
Rondo
Harden
Gay
Dirk
M. Gasol

Bench

Iggy/Deng/P. Gasol


Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2012, 01:55:44 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good

Bench:
J.Terry
A.Igoudala
A.Jefferson




Rondo/D. Williams
Allen/Harden
Gerald Wallace/Deng
Nowitzki/Duncan
P. Gasol/Aldridge

That team wins a championship.


Bench:

Iggy/Deng/P. Gasol



read the rules again ;)
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2012, 01:58:36 PM »

Offline KCattheStripe

  • Danny Ainge
  • **********
  • Posts: 10726
  • Tommy Points: 830
Rondo/Norris Cole
Iggy/Harden
Gay/Pietrus
Dirk/Bass
M. Gasol/Asik


CHAMPIONSHIP!



Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2012, 02:19:33 PM »

Offline KGs Knee

  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12765
  • Tommy Points: 1546
Ok, I thought you meant current Celtics starters.

Here's my redo:

Starters:
R.Rondo
R.Gay
G.Wallace
L.Aldridge
T.Chandler

Bench:
J.Terry
J.Harden
D.Favors
O.Asik

Still primarily an 8-man rotation, with Asik seeing minutes based on matchups or foul trouble.

Quite hoenstly, given the versatility this roster would have, I think it would beat any current "real" team.  Rather easily most likely.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2012, 02:26:28 PM by KGs Knee »

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2012, 03:14:45 PM »

Offline mgent

  • Tiny Archibald
  • *******
  • Posts: 7567
  • Tommy Points: 1962
Williams
Iguodala
Deng
Wallace
Pau

Ultra long, super strong lineup with the speed and athleticism to score every time on the break, yet an unstoppable halfcourt offense with Deron and Gasol.  Oh yeah, and it's the best defense in the league by an unbelievable margin.  I considered Amare at C for the ultimate uptempo team, but that's kinda unnecessary.

Bench:
Lou Williams
Harden
Batum
Thaddeus Young
Asik

Tons of energy and explosion, plus same defensive intensity.

Reserves:
Terry
Crawford
Odom
Harrington
Haslem
Philly:

Anderson Varejao    Tiago Splitter    Matt Bonner
David West    Kenyon Martin    Brad Miller
Andre Iguodala    Josh Childress    Marquis Daniels
Dwyane Wade    Leandro Barbosa
Kirk Hinrich    Toney Douglas   + the legendary Kevin McHale

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2012, 03:14:57 PM »

Offline byennie

  • Webmaster
  • Jim Loscutoff
  • **
  • Posts: 2615
  • Tommy Points: 3047
Here's what I got. Obviously trying for talent, but I also think these guys are balanced:

Steve Nash / Louis Williams
Ray Allen / James Harden
Andre Iguodala / Corey Brewer
Pau Gasol / Taj Gibson
Tyson Chandler / Omer Asik

Rationale:

I know Nash can't defend, but he's one of the few true distributors left in the game. I'd take Rondo too, but I think on a dream team like this where I can pick other lockdown defenders, Nash is more valuable with his elite shooting.

Nash + Allen would be the best shooting backcourt of All-Time, you would get murdered from the outside against those two together with Gasol posting down low.

Iguodala + Chandler give you two of the league's top unselfish and athletic stoppers.

Gasol is way underrated at this point. Sharing touches with Bynum and Kobe IMO is hiding the fact that he's still a top-15 player in the league.

Nash => Chandler alley-oops. Check.

Williams and Harden both top 6th man scoring off the bench.

Brewer keeps the opposing team's wing always sweating when Iguodala sits.

Gibson and Asik the best backup frontcourt in the league (yikes Chicago).


Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2012, 03:41:57 PM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42585
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
Starters:
Kyle Lowry
James Harden
Gerald Wallace
Dirk
Andrew Bogut

Key reserves:
OJ Mayo
JJ Barea
Nic Batum
Asik
Favors

In the starting lineup you've got a premier scorer (Dirk), along with plenty of offensive firepower in Lowry/Harden, and premier defenders in Wallace/Bogut/Lowry.

Off the bench, you've got scoring and defense.

That's a chip squad and that's Final.

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2012, 03:43:38 PM »

Offline Celtics18

  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11688
  • Tommy Points: 1469
How about this one?

Starters:

Kidd
Stephenson
Marion
Nowitzki
Chandler

Bench:

Barea
Terry
Stojakovic
Mahinmi
Haywood

I think that team could win a title if they got hot at the right time. 
DKC Seventy-Sixers:

PG: G. Hill/D. Schroder
SG: C. Lee/B. Hield/T. Luwawu
SF:  Giannis/J. Lamb/M. Kuzminskas
PF:  E. Ilyasova/J. Jerebko/R. Christmas
C:    N. Vucevic/K. Olynyk/E. Davis/C. Jefferson

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2012, 03:44:19 PM »

Offline Kwhit10

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4257
  • Tommy Points: 923
Rondo/ Lou Williams
Joe Johnson/ James Harden
Gerald Wallace/ Kawhi Leonard
Josh Smith/ Taj GIbson
Greg Monroe/ Robin Lopez

I think this would be a very fun team to watch.

Re: The "No-Top-10 Top Ten" Game
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2012, 03:45:12 PM »

Offline KCattheStripe

  • Danny Ainge
  • **********
  • Posts: 10726
  • Tommy Points: 830