RealGM

Thought this might be interesting and perhaps make us appreciate (even more!) how amazing the early Suns teams were under D'Antoni.

A collection of stars and talent that we all know should have won a title, but for one reason (or a million) or another we just never got over the hump.

Here's my 2004-05 equivalent with today's players:

PG - [Steve Nash] Steph Curry - best shooter, flair, MVP. The general.

SG - [Quentin Richardson] Wilson Chandler - more a SF, but so was Q. Big threes and solid rebounding.

SF - [Joe Johnson] Chandler Parsons - Not a great athlete, but a capable ball-handler and could play multiple positions and bury the 3, like young JJ.

PF - [Shawn Marion] Kawhi Leonard - Perfect glue guy, better ball-handler than Trix but not as good at rebounding obviously. Nearly went with Draymond but Marion was so undersized whereas Green seems a bit bigger than both.

C - [Amare Stoudemire] Blake Griffin - I know he's not a C, but neither was Amare and he was insane in this team/system/role. Nearly went LMA here as better jump-shooter and shot-blocker than Blake, but not known for his defense either. Plus young Amare was all about dunking it.
---
[Leandro Barbosa] Patty Mills - solid ball-handler but not a PG, nor a SG. Good 3pt shooter and capable of more if given minutes and well liked by everyone.

[Steven Hunter] Brandan Wright - BWright has much more upside than Hunter, but both rail-thin shot-blockers who never really rebound well enough.

MAN D'Antoni had a thin rotation, never really thought that much about it until going through bball reference and looking at the stats.

For the following season when Amare went down and we got Raja Bell, Kurt Thomas at the C, and Diaw becoming that freakish 'PG/SF/PF/C' combo. Really hard to find a player who could do what 3D did.

[Boris Diaw] Josh Smith - if only because he's a similar size and the other player I thought of (Gordon Hayward) would never be able to handle the pivot. Smith is big enough to guard some Cs, handle most PFs and can still grab a board and lead a break. Now whether he makes the right decision on said break isn't in the conversation haha. Prime Diaw was superior, no doubt there.

[Kurt Thomas] Anderson Varejao - good post defender, good screener and not a shot-blocker. Great team guy too. KT much tougher and a superior stare-down.

[Raja Bell] Wes Matthews - this was one of the easier ones IMO, though Matthews has a more refined game and Bell a better defender in his prime. Nearly went with Danny Green.

Interested to see what others think in terms of the old SSOL days and who resembles them currently.

And yes, this article got me thinking about it (apologies if it's already been posted, this is Part 1/2):
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /28417913/

Also people should watch the Clutch City Houston Rockets doco, very cool.

I think Batum would fit Mike's style of play. Good defender, and can shoot the three.

^Yeah but what position - JJ's SF role probably ay? I liked Batum as well in that spot but for some dumb reason went Parsons haha

It's not necessarily who would 'fit' the SSOL team, moreso who in today's game reminds you of that SSOL squad, on a position by position breakdown.

Great idea.

PG - [Steve Nash] - Chris Paul - Since most will go with Curry I'll go with CP3. Has the same vision as Nash and the best playmaker in the league today. He should be scoring more per game, but like Nash tries to get his teammates involved more. Clearly not as good a shooter as Nash.

SG - (Quentin Richardson) - Trevor Ariza - Good with the catch and shoot three. Plays decent defense and grabs boards. Can occasionally drive to the paint.

SF - (Joe Johnson) - Jimmy Butler - A jack of all trades player. Doesn't quite have the handles JJ had, but he's a scorer and can do it all.

PF - (Shawn Marion) - Paul Millsap - A tweener but can defend the four, shoot the open three, gets steals and blocks. A lot thicker than Marion was, and not quite the athlete either, but it's hard to find anyone that can replicate the numbers Marion produced (except for Lebron).

C - (Amare Stoudemire) - Blake Griffin - I tried to go with a completely new look than your list Tastic but Griffin is Amare lol.

6th - (Leandro Barbosa) - Nick Young - I'm not a fan of Young's cockiness but he is instant offense off the bench.

(Steven Hunter) - Alexis Ajinca - Ajinca and Hunter both have similar stat lines. Almost the same frame too.

(Jim Jackson) - Marco Beleneli - Good production off the bench, can shoot the three, solid veteran.

Side note: Didn't realize JJ was shooting close to 48% from three that season.

(Boris Diaw) - Danilo Gallinari - At first, I wasn't going to do this because I couldn't find someone who was similar to Diaw, but I think Gall is a good replica (even better). If D'Antoni is gonna coach the Nuggets, I definitely can see Gall handling some PF and Center minutes. Faried will be his Marion, and I guess Lawson is Nash. But that's for another topic of debate

(Kurt Thomas) - Mareese Speights/Taj Gibson - This was a tough one too, I couldn't find anyone who had a reliable mid-range jumper but is known for their tenacious defense, so I'm cheating here and going with Speights offense/body type and Gibson's defense and personality.

(Raja Bell) - Danny Green - Perfect fit, no question. Above average pesky perimeter defense, solid three, and rebounds at a good rate too. Doesn't quite have the lion's heart that Bell does though. Second choice, after that last sentence would be Delladova, lol.

This team probably wont win a championship, but they definetely will be very fun to watxh play, grow and develop!

Nash: Mike Conley Went a different tact and went with Conley, who in my opinion is a Top 5 PG in the League. Very underrated, and would thrive in an up-tempo system. Elite decision making, almost never makes mistakes, and has solid defence and like Nash, a very efficient scorer. Crafty in the lane too.

Q-Rich: Khris Middleton Solid 3+D player who can also grab some boards, and knows his role well. Doesnt need the ball in his hands to be effective.

Joe Johnson: Harrison Barnes Hard to find a good comparison that already hasnt been taken, but I went with Barnes. Solid at everything, no weaknesses. Not as good a shooter as JJ though.

Marion: Michael Kidd Gilchrist fantastic defensive instincts, elite athleticism, great rebounder, ridiculous motor strong finisher, and butt-ugly jumper. What more could you want from a Marion clone? Not the playmaker Marion was however.

Amare: Blake Griffin sorry, boring pick here.... But lets be real, BG is Amare reincarnated.

Barbosa: Dennis Scroeder Relentless at attacking the rim, lightning quick, but probably doesnt have the scoring or shooting prowess Barbs had. Good spark off the bench though.

Steven Hunter: Robin Lopez big body. Come in get easy buckets, maybe block a shot or two and grab some boards

Jim Jackson: Martell Webster another 3/D bench player who knows his role.

Boris Diaw: Chandler Parsons this was a tough one.Wing/Pf with Point Forward capabilities. Parsons was a better shooter than Diaw, and Diaw was a better playmaker. However diaw was really a unique player, hard to find another like him.

Kurt Thomas: Carl Landry. Both big men, although Kurt was taller. Landry plays with heart and hustle, not as good on the D-Boards as KT, but a better O-Rebounder. Solid pick and pop player with decent mid range game.

Raja Bell: Arron Afflalo (2013 Orlando) Wes and Danny were better choices, but 2013 Afflalo was a fantastic replica of Raja Bell's game. Played with alot of heart( strong defender, and also hit threes at a good clip.

The Warriors team.

/thread

I think the core is Nash-Marion-Amare. Get these guys right, and I think you can fill in with lots of different role players around them. Two things I’d add though:

• Better defender in Amare’s slot
• I’d want two Marions — always have at least one on the court, and they can share brutal defensive duties. One starts at the 4, and the other either starts at the 3 or comes off the bench (but plays starter minutes). You could also reasonably go super-small with these two at the 4-5. (See: Warriors with Draymond + Iggy.)

So…

Nash => Curry

Amare => Anthony Davis

Marion (x2) => ???

There are several guys who I think might work in the Marion role, but it's a brutal, undignified job. 1) Guard either the best player on the other team, or a PF that's bigger than you. Every night. 2) You're third option (at best) on offense, but you gotta be able to run the floor, shoot the three, out-quick bigger PFs, post up smaller guards after switches, and facilitate out of the pick-&-roll when Nash/Curry is doubled. Nobody is great at everything on that list. So you get guys who are good at a few of those things, and passable at the others. And it’s crucial to get guys willing to be the dirt-workers.

Some possibilities:

• Kawhi
• Draymond Green
• Paul Millsap
• Iguodala
• Luol Deng
• Ariza
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
• Wilson Chandler
• Josh Smith
• P.J. Tucker
• Jared Dudley

Maybe spend on one, and then try and find a cheap version for the 2nd (Draft pick — Kawhi 2.0? Past his prime — Danny Granger or The Real Marion? Poor man’s version — Tucker/Dudley?).

_______________________

So the Dubs really have it going with Curry and both Green and Iggy, arguably two of the best guys on my Marion list. And then swap Amare for a C who plays defense in Bogut. (But they can also play David Lee at the 5 — a more direct Amare swap who’s killed it the last couple games as the small-ball 5.) Also…

• Close to perfect SSOL SG in Klay
• Brilliant choice for Barbosa 2.0
• Fillin’ out the additional perimeter slots very nicely with Barnes & Livingston

Ah, good times. VERY GOOD times. Lets see...


2004-05 :

PG - [Steve Nash] Chris Paul – Nobody is really similar to Nash right now, but Imma go with Paul cuz he’s the best playmaker, a pass first PG, has that first step, and the ability the draw charges. Curry/Lillard/Kyrie are more comparable in terms of shooting, but those guys all have too much of a scorers’ mentality and can’t run an offense like Nash used to.

SG - [Quentin Richardson] Terrence Ross – 3 point bomber who specializes in catch-n-shoot and rarely turns the ball over.

SF - [Joe Johnson] Gordon Hayward - Swingman who can score, handle, shoot, and likes to play on the ball. Not a great athlete, relies on skill.

PF - [Shawn Marion] Draymond Green – Great defender and rebounder who moves without the ball very well, plays both forward positions, and has an insane workrate.

C - [Amare Stoudemire] Blake Griffin – Only comparable player to Amare right now.

[Jim Jackson] Danny Green – Efficient Sniper from long distance.

[Leandro Barbosa] Jerryd Bayless – Combo-guard, scoring spark off the bench with nice quicks.


2005-2006 additions :

[Boris Diaw] Paul Millsap – Tuff. Nobody aside from Diaw himself, Garnett (too old), and Lebron James (too good) has that combo of post play, handles, and playmaking from the bigman spot anymore. Closest guy is prolly Millsap for his abilty to guard inside and out, spread the floor, move the ball, and team-first mentality.

[Kurt Thomas] Nene – post defense, toughness, pick n pop, and rebounding.

[Raja Bell] Demarre Caroll – Raja was Mr 3 and D, so is Demarre (although not as good a defender as Raja). Also both late-bloomers.

[James Jones] PJ Tucker – Big swingman with solid 3 and D.

[Tim Thomas] Robert Covington – Stretch 4 not afraid of any shot

I'll do 2006-2007...

PG - [Steve Nash] - Jose Calderon - Calderon has all the tools Nash had and is 33 (Nash's age at the time). Shoots well from 3 (41%) compared to Nash's (45%). He is a great playmaker, rarely misses a free throw, and can't play defense. Sounds a lot like Nash to me.

SG - [Raja Bell] - J.J. Redick - Redick is a very underrated defender, and so was Bell to a certain extent. I've seen Redick play some really good D on the likes of guys like Harden. He is also lights out from 3 just like Bell, and they are similar in size and age.

SF - [Boris Diaw] - Nic Batum - Hard to find a Diaw comparison these days. I went with Batum here because he is similar in size/age comparison. Nic has more range than Diaw, but Diaw was a bit bigger, so I think that kind of evens things out.

PF - [Shawn Marion] - Kawhi Leonard - Can't get any better comparison than this. Both great defenders/rebounders. Can score from anywhere, and great on fast breaks. Similar stats, size, and age.

C - [Amare Stoudemire] - Brook Lopez - This was another hard one, I like the Griffen comparison except that he can't shoot. Brook has decent range, is a great scorer, but struggles with rebounding like Amare did. Brook is a little bigger, Amare was more athletic so this is not your perfect comparison. But they do put up similar stats, and their ages are comparable as well. Brook is always injured also, so that kind of fits in too.

Kind of funny, all of those guys above could probably be had for the right price outside of Kawhi. Too bad he is untouchable.

OK, I will start with obvious picks

Curry
Hayward (if we are thinking a replication of JJ at one wing position)
Wes Matthews (if we are thinking Q at 3, but an improved version)
Draymond Green (a little different than Marion, but always right there for putbacks and defending and hitting occasional 3 and adding just the right things)
Griffin (Amare...can dunk, hit midrange, in prime)

Will think more on an alternative less obvious team.

Zero Tolerance wrote:
C - [Amare Stoudemire] - Brook Lopez - This was another hard one, I like the Griffen comparison except that he can't shoot.

Kind of funny, all of those guys above could probably be had for the right price outside of Kawhi. Too bad he is untouchable.

Blake Griffin can't shoot?

NTB wrote:

Zero Tolerance wrote:
C - [Amare Stoudemire] - Brook Lopez - This was another hard one, I like the Griffen comparison except that he can't shoot.

Kind of funny, all of those guys above could probably be had for the right price outside of Kawhi. Too bad he is untouchable.

Blake Griffin can't shoot?

You know, you're right. I just haven't really been paying attention to his game lately. Guess he finally got the mid range jumper to start going. So yeah, forget Brook. Griffin is a great comparison.

Let's try it.

PG - [Nash] Curry (His shooting is invaluable)
SG - [Bell] Danny Green (good shooter, excellent defender, very athletic)
SF - [Diaw] Tyreke Evans (not as great of a shooter, but can do it all, and relief the PG)
PF - [Marion] Draymond [very similar]
C - [Amare] Drummond (not as potent offensively, but also an athletic freak and better defensively)

6th man [Barbosa] - Isiah Thomas / Lou Williams
3 & D guys - Demarre Carroll & Joe Crawder
Backup big - Sullinger