Post#538 » by JeepCSC » Thu Apr 2, 2015 2:34 pm
Well I'll do my part now while waiting for decision makers. We should at least have you post your team, though some have them in their signature already. I guess coaching strategy will come in with the write ups. So I'll do simply a hype post about my squad.
Talent is what talent does, but my team also likes to win. All but one have started in a ABA/NBA Finals game (over 160 Finals game starts between them all actually), and the one who hasn't will win MVP this year. They can all play multiple positions and multiple roles. They all excel at doing the little things that makes a team better. They are quite simply the most talented glue-team ever assembled.
I would add simply that this is a scorer's league, and no team has a better collection of scorers than mine. Every player can score, score a lot and efficiently. There will be no 4-on-5 lineups where I'm at the disadvantage. All are willing passers, some elite at it, there is no ball-stopper to be found. You can't load up on any one of my players and watch my offense stall or crumble. Anyone can score at anytime from anywhere on the court. That kind of seamless basketball offense will always trump even a great defense. A ball travels faster than a player, and we will put that maxim to good use.
Saying that, I didn't ignore defense. Rasheed can defend either big spot extremely well, Pippen is perhaps the GOAT perimeter defender, the rest of my starters are good man defenders, and my bench provides flexibility with some outstanding defenders. I will not win games with my defense alone, but I won't lose them because of it either.
One thought to remember, this isn't about the best careers. If it was, I'd bust out. Knees, drugs, gambling, my team took it on the chin and careers were ruined as a result. But this is about peaks, and peaks are very good for my team. I have several who are in the HOF on the strength of their peaks alone. I'd argue there is probably no team better than mine once you factor in peaks. Most seem to have gone the route of finding role players to fill in. I went with superstar talents who were willing to take diminished roles to fill in the holes, and I think the difference will be apparent when the benches play.
At any rate, peak Rasheed could battle peak Duncan and peak KG to draws, peak Pippen is a better #2 than anyone else's #2 because he is the definition of second banana, peak Thompson has a strong case against most any shooting guard peaks outside 3 or 4 (two of whom are unavailable), peak Curry might be in the conversation for top 5 point guard peaks in my lifetime, peak Hawkins was arguably top 5 most talented scorers of the '60s. We never got to see peak Sampson because of injuries and him playing out-of-position after 1984, but he had the tools to be one of the best players ever and even in his shortened career we saw enough that he remains one of the most skilled centers to ever play.
PG: 2013-2015 Stephen Curry- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 2 x All-Star;
Will at all times be the best shooter on the floor; the fact that he is about as smart a point guard there has been ain't too bad either. A commitment to the Triangle will allow Curry's strengths to be maximized and his limitations to be, well, limited. He will be the leader of my team.
SG: 1976-1978 David Thompson- 2 x first-team All-NBA, 1 x second-team All-ABA, 4 x All-Star, HOF;
Walton was a 2-time POY in college and yet he did not win either POY or a title as a senior (ending a 7-year title run) because of this guy; he brought his talents to the ABA and went toe-to-toe with peak Dr. J (albeit in a loss). He continued his success in the transition to the NBA, providing an efficient electrifying shooting guard model within the framework of a fully functional offense that would capture the imaginations of a generation. The closest my team has to a go-to scorer, he will however not be shooting for the league scoring title here, and will be used simply as a piece of the offensive puzzle.
SF: 1994-1996 Scottie Pippen- 3 x first-team All-NBA, 2 x second-team All-NBA, 2 x third-team All-NBA, 8 x All-D first team, 2 x All-D second team, 7 x All-Star, HOF;
His help defense and ability to run an elite offense make him priceless, he is the Swiss-army knife of superstars. He is the personification of hard-working glue men that my team represents. He can and will do whatever it takes to help the team win.
PF: 2001-2003 Rasheed Wallace- 4 x All-Star;
The prototypical power forward in today's game, he can score from anywhere, and he can defend anyone. While I picked his Portland years as his peak, I realize he was not utilized then as well as he was with the Pistons. We will fix that here. He will not be my primary weapon on offense, and he will flourish without the added responsibility. Any untimely run-in with a virtual ref will merely cause me to go to Hawkins/Debusschere a bit more as I see fit, something that sounds a-ok to me.
C: 1981-1983 Robert Parish- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 1 x third-team All-NBA, 9 x All-Star, HOF;
The solidly efficient back line to my front court, he can rebound, score and battle. The most overlooked third of the greatest front court in history, he will the yang to Wallace's yin. His range to 12-15 feet will keep the best big defenders off-balance just enough for Thompson/Curry and company to have a field day penetrating.
Bench:
2011-2013 Tony Parker- 3 x second-team All-NBA, 1 x third-team All-NBA, 6 x All-Star, Finals MVP;
Can run an elite offense, is elite at attacking the basket and hitting from mid-range. He is ideal to give Curry some rest and keep my offense humming along.
1980-1982 Dennis Johnson- 1 x first-team All-NBA, 1 x second-team All-NBA, 6 x All-D first-team, 3 x All-D second-team, 5 x All-Star, Finals MVP, HOF;
A do-it-all combo guard who brings a physical defensive presence. Magic's kryptonite (at least for one Finals), he was also trusted to take a clutch shot on a team with Bird and McHale. He could change his style to fit which ever contender he was on. The type of player every team should have at least one of (or three or four of).
1969-1971 Dave DeBusschere- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 6 x All-D first-team, 8 x All-Star, HOF;
My frontcourt counterpoint to Johnson, he could battle well with Wilt or Baylor. He was well-suited for today's game, a forward with range and a willingness to pass.
1969-1971 Connie Hawkins- 1 x first-team All-NBA, 2 x first-team All-ABA, ABA MVP, ABA playoff MVP, 5 x All-Star, HOF;
A forward ahead of his time, even if we saw only glimpses of what his peak could have been. He could attack the basket with relish, and no one was stopping him. Might be the best player on my team peak-wise, and that is only counting ABA whereas perhaps his true peak was lost with the Globetrotters.
1984-1986 Ralph Sampson- 1 x second-team All-NBA, 4 x All-Star, HOF;
A center so talented he thought he was a guard. But we will stick to what he is best at here, a defensive center presence which provides nightmarish mismatches offensively.
Coach: Tex Winter- Wrote the blueprint which built dynasties. They say it wasn't the triangle, it was merely the talent. I say let's try both.
