RealGM

Here's how you play:

The goal is to put together the best 12-man Pacers roster possible, picking one player from each of the last 12 seasons.

You must pick one player from each of the last 12 seasons. You may not pick more than one player from any season.

You cannot pick the same player more than once (no matter how much you love Danny Granger, you can't pick him in both 2008 and 2010).

You must pick 5 starters and 7 bench players.

To be eligible as a starter, the player must have started at least half the games in the regular season for the year in which he is chosen (41 or more starts).

To be eligible as a bench player, the player must have played in at least 41 regular-season games, with fewer than half of those appearances being starts.

Got it?

Here's my roster:

STARTERS
PG: Mark Jackson 1999-2000 season
SG: Reggie Miller 2000-2001
SF: Danny Granger 2008-2009
PF: Jermaine O'Neal 2003-2004
C: Brad Miller 2002-2003

BENCH
Al Harrington 2001-2002
Jeff Foster 2005-2006
Mike Dunleavy 2009-2010
Tyler Hansbrough 2010-2011
Anthony Johnson 2004-2005
Marquis Daniels 2006-2007
Brandon Rush 2007-2008

Why those starters? Reggie, O'Neal and Jackson to me are clearly the best players we've had at their positions in the last 12 seasons, and I tried to pick them in their best years (with Jackson, the only year he was on the team). Granger's monster scoring season in 08-09 beats out Ron Artest and his monumental chemistry issues. And I think Brad Miller beats out Hibbert, but it's a close call.

Why those bench players?...

Harrington and Foster are really solid bench choices. Foster 06 averaged 9 rebounds per game off the bench. Harrington 02 missed a lot of games but was good in the ones he played in, averaging 13 points per game off the bench.

I had to pick somebody from the 09-10 season, and it wasn't going to be one of my starters...seemed like a choice of either Dunleavy or Dahntay Jones off the bench. I went with Dunleavy.

I would rather have taken Paul George 10-11 for my bench than Hansbrough 10-11, but Hansbrough is a viable candidate, there aren't a lot of other good choices over the years for backup power forward, and there are some years where the only bench candidates who aren't putrid are wing players, so that creates more competition for George to overcome.

Anthony Johnson 05 was one of the better choices available for a backup point guard, plus there weren't many other strong candidates for the roster from that season.

I had to pick somebody from the dreadful 06-07 and 07-08 seasons, and it wasn't going to be any of my starters...Daniels and Rush were about the best guys available among qualified bench players from those seasons. Daniels is not a bad choice. I hate having Rush on my team, but hey, he's the twelfth man and I'm not going to unchain him from the pine anyway.

Love the idea, will have a think and post a team soon.

STARTERS
PG:
SG:
SF:
PF:
C:

BENCH

I agree with mizzou except I would have Murphy from '08 and George from '11 instead of Hansbrough/Rush.