June 2, 201412 yr PG Magic $5 SG Jordan $5 SF Scottie $1 PF Duncan $3 C Hakeem $1 We can score. We can pass. We have a couple of the best defenders ever. We can rebound. We would win a lot. I was just about to post this same exact lineup.
June 2, 201412 yr OK Change it up.....pick the Worst lineup out of that bunch using all $15 1-Frazier $1 2-Wade $1 3-Erving $3 4-Malone $5 5-Abdul-Jabbar $5
June 2, 201412 yr If you are purposefully trying to pick a "worst" team from a pool of great, talented players, it's probably a good idea to find guys with skills and attributes that you don't see blending. Worst: $2 - Stockton $2 - Drexler $1 - Pippen $4 - Barkley $1 - Olajuwon Stockton doesn't really have a pick and roll partner (at least in terms of this list and how he'd be with a guy Duncan). Drexler seems like a guy who you could argue was a PG anyway, and needs the ball to be effective, so they are cannibalizing one another's effectiveness. Pippen keeps us in the theme of suspect offense. Barkley isn't a big guy, nor is he crazy athletic. I'm kind of shocked he was $4 and Duncan $3. Anyway, Barkley doesn't add anything to Stockton's pick and roll game, isn't athletic enough to be put with the rest of the group and consider them an "athletic" team, and might clog up the middle for Hakeem. Given what I already had, Hakeem seems like the choice. Wilt and Shaq are dominant and are the two best bigs ever. Bill Russell speaks for himself. That left Kareem and Hakeem. I think Kareem's ability to get up and down the floor, and could get out and run with Stockton, Drexler, and Pippen, and that's the difference in my choosing Hakeem over him. I think Hakeem and Stockton would be a nice pair that you would build the team's offense around, but you've got a combo guard, wing, and undersized forward with them who can't really shoot.
June 2, 201412 yr Another way to take the "worst" approach might be a team that would really struggle defensively: PG - Frazier SG - West SF - Bird PF - Nowitzki C - Olajuwon Frazier made some all-defensive teams and it's unfortunate to him that they didn't track steals throughout his era. Either way, he's probably the worst defender on the list in terms of numbers. What's more, he's more of a scoring minded point guard that had some of the lowest assist numbers for our selections, and you'll be putting him on a team of shooters. West would be able to score a ton, but would give up a lot of size on defense. Bird see above. People act like Bird was some great defender. He wasn't. That's part of the romanticism with Larry. He was a guy who played hard, played dirty, and was tough. He's not someone you see locking many of the other guys on the list up, especially the other 3's. Nowitzki is too slow to defend smaller players, too skinny to bang with physical ones. Olajuwon has the lowest defensive statistics on the list when you look at rebounding, blocked shots, etc., so he's my pick. He's especially bad at rebounding, and you could definitely say that this lineup would be greatly improved with someone who'd clean the defensive glass and get the ball back for that offense.
June 3, 201412 yr Author If you are purposefully trying to pick a "worst" team from a pool of great, talented players, it's probably a good idea to find guys with skills and attributes that you don't see blending. Worst: $2 - Stockton $2 - Drexler $1 - Pippen $4 - Barkley $1 - Olajuwon Stockton doesn't really have a pick and roll partner (at least in terms of this list and how he'd be with a guy Duncan). Drexler seems like a guy who you could argue was a PG anyway, and needs the ball to be effective, so they are cannibalizing one another's effectiveness. Pippen keeps us in the theme of suspect offense. Barkley isn't a big guy, nor is he crazy athletic. I'm kind of shocked he was $4 and Duncan $3. Anyway, Barkley doesn't add anything to Stockton's pick and roll game, isn't athletic enough to be put with the rest of the group and consider them an "athletic" team, and might clog up the middle for Hakeem. Given what I already had, Hakeem seems like the choice. Wilt and Shaq are dominant and are the two best bigs ever. Bill Russell speaks for himself. That left Kareem and Hakeem. I think Kareem's ability to get up and down the floor, and could get out and run with Stockton, Drexler, and Pippen, and that's the difference in my choosing Hakeem over him. I think Hakeem and Stockton would be a nice pair that you would build the team's offense around, but you've got a combo guard, wing, and undersized forward with them who can't really shoot. 2 things... 1) you didn't use all $15 2) you think Hakeem is the worst of that group :no:
June 3, 201412 yr I'm amazed at the love an allegedly "bad teammate" someone like Oscar Robertson is getting. I'll take: Bill Russell $4 Tim Duncan $3 Kevin Durant $2 Dwyane Wade $1 Magic Johnson $5 Perfect balance of people, IMO. Two selfish guys with three team-first guys to balance things out. While we may not be the best on-ball defensive squad, I have faith in my group understanding how to funnel things into Russell. Outside shooting may be a problem, though. My other option to counter this would be: Russell $4 Bird $4 Duncan $3 Drexler $2 Stockton $2 This team would be terrible defensively as a whole, but Bird's shooting would make up for it. Are you calling Durant selfish? In what world?
June 3, 201412 yr Are you calling Durant selfish? In what world? Probably overstated it — fair cop. I wouldn't call him a pass-first guy, though.
June 3, 201412 yr 2 things... 1) you didn't use all $15 2) you think Hakeem is the worst of that group :no: I think Hakeem being the "worst" center on a list with Chamberlain, Shaq, Russell, and Kareem is like saying someone is the "ugliest" Miss America. In terms of how his skills would adapt blend, I'd probably think he's going to be your choice just by virtue of not being as athletic as the other four. I really can't justify ranking Olajuwon over any other name on the list, especially when you look at their body of work as a whole. Through this thread, I really think people have forgotten how dominant Wilt was. IMO, he is the best center on the list with Shaq coming in second because of how physically imposing their presence was.
June 3, 201412 yr PG - Oscar $4 SG - Wade $1 (Best value on the board) SF - LeBron $5 PF - Dirk $2 C - Wilt $3 Come on now, look at the offense and size in that lineup and tell me how they lose.
June 3, 201412 yr Author I think Hakeem being the "worst" center on a list with Chamberlain, Shaq, Russell, and Kareem is like saying someone is the "ugliest" Miss America. In terms of how his skills would adapt blend, I'd probably think he's going to be your choice just by virtue of not being as athletic as the other four. I really can't justify ranking Olajuwon over any other name on the list, especially when you look at their body of work as a whole. Through this thread, I really think people have forgotten how dominant Wilt was. IMO, he is the best center on the list with Shaq coming in second because of how physically imposing their presence was. You may be too young to have seen The Dream vs Shaq in the NBA Finals...FWIW he is maybe the MOST athletic of this group with only maybe Wilt being more athletic. But your right you can't go wrong with any of them.
June 3, 201412 yr Author PG - Oscar $4 SG - Wade $1 (Best value on the board) SF - LeBron $5 PF - Dirk $2 C - Wilt $3 Come on now, look at the offense and size in that lineup and tell me how they lose. That's a nice line-up...Wilt for $3 is by far the best bargain you got though
June 3, 201412 yr That's a nice line-up...Wilt for $3 is by far the best bargain you got though I won't argue against you on that.
June 3, 201412 yr You may be too young to have seen The Dream vs Shaq in the NBA Finals...FWIW he is maybe the MOST athletic of this group with only maybe Wilt being more athletic. But your right you can't go wrong with any of them. That's not really a fair matchup. Shaq was in his 3rd NBA season. Those Rocket teams were likely the worst championship teams of the past 20 years. If the 94 or 95 Rockets met the 2000 Lakers, Shaq would have dominated Olajuwon into retirement IMO. And Wilt was easily the best athlete of the Centers listed (or ever). He was the LeBron of his day athletically, but overall was probably more athletic than even James is.
June 3, 201412 yr You may be too young to have seen The Dream vs Shaq in the NBA Finals...FWIW he is maybe the MOST athletic of this group with only maybe Wilt being more athletic. But your right you can't go wrong with any of them. Good point. I was pretty young when those were the Finals (I think I was in maybe 3rd-4th grade), and most of what I saw from Hakeem was at the end of his career. I know was always supposed to be very fundamentally sound with great footwork and timing, but I never really saw him as an "above the rim" or freakishly strong kind of guy.
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