Roster:Shane Battier (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09):
In addition to being one of the league's premier perimeter defenders and an excellent three-point shooter, Battier is an extremely intelligent player and great teammate. He will be an important player off the bench and could receive significant minutes against teams with star offensive wings.
Doug Christie (2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03):
Like Battier, Christie is a very good defender and shooter. Additionally, he can occasionally run the point and set up the offense.
Joe Dumars (1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93):
Defensively, Dumars is one of the best guards of all time, and he is also a lethal offensive weapon. He can fill whatever role necessary for the team, from playing off the ball and stretching the defense with his outside shot to facilitating the offense. He is also very clutch and figures to take (and make) many big shots.
Walt Frazier (1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72):
Quite arguably the best defensive guard in the history of the game, Frazier is the complete package. He has the ability to anchor a defense from the PG spot, penetrate the defense, distribute the ball, and is an excellent leader. Frazier performs great under pressure, such as when he led the Knicks to victory in the 1970 Finals with 36 points, 19 assists, and 7 rebounds in Game 7 (on 12-17 from the field and 12-12 from the line).
Gus Johnson (1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71):
Johnson is a great inside scorer who also excels in the open court. Combining incredible strength and athleticism, he also dominates as a physical defender and rebounder.
K.C. Jones (1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66):
Jones stats may not "wow" the average fan, but he is a tenacious defender who played a key role on 8 championship squads. He is also very good at running an offense and does not require many shots.
Steve Kerr (1994-95, 1995-96, 1996-97):
Kerr is possibly the greatest three-point shooter ever, a skill that will come in handy at times. He won't see much playing time, but if we are in need of a last second three, you can expect to see him out there. He is the all-time leader in three-point field goal percentage and has experience in pressure-packed situations.
Bernard King (1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85):
King is one of the most explosive scorers the game has ever seen. When he's on, there is virtually nothing a defender can do to stop him. He has a lethal post game and is money from mid-range. King led the league in playoffs PPG in 1983-84 and regular season PPG in 1984-85.
Bob Pettit (1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59):
Plain and simple, Pettit is one of the best PFs ever. He can score from the low post, the outside, or anywhere in between. Pettit is also great at driving to the basket for his size. Additionally, he is a terrific rebounder and a good defender. Bill Russell's Celtics won the championship every year from 1957-1966, except for one: 1958, when the Hawks, led by Pettit, defeated Boston behind 50 points from Pettit in the championship-clinching Game 6.
Bill Russell (1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63):
Quite frankly, Russell is the greatest winner in the history of the sport. Yes, basketball is a team sport, and Russell was helped greatly by his teammates, but there's something to be said for winning 11 NBA Championships and 2 NCAA Championships in 15 years. Russell always seems to come up with a crucial play when his team needs it most, and his impact goes far beyond the box score, although his stats are very impressive. He is also the greatest defender and one of (if not the) greatest rebounders and shot-blockers in history. Moreover, Russell can fuel a top-notch offense. He is a spectacular passer, and his outlet passing is known to key easy fast break buckets, while his high-post passing is great in a half-court setting. Plus, while his scoring is not as legendary as some of his other attributes, Russell is still a very good scorer. His unselfish leadership will surely be important, as well.
Arvydas Sabonis (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98):
7'3" tall with a great skill set, Sabonis is a dangerous weapon. He is a good three-point shooter, has effective post moves, is a very good defender, rebounder, and shot-blocker, and an elite passer. Sabonis will ensure that, even during the few minutes that Russell sits, we will be well-equipped at the center position.
Detlef Schrempf (1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93):
A two-time Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, Schrempf has experience coming off the bench. He can effectively play both forward positions and is a good shooter and defender. Schrempf also has the ability to help run the offense, as evidenced by his 19.1 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 6.0 APG season in 1992-93.
Depth Chart (approximate minutes per game in parentheses):PG: Walt Frazier (39) / K.C. Jones (8) / Joe Dumars (1) / Doug Christie (0) / Steve Kerr (0)
SG: Joe Dumars (38) / Doug Christie (9) / Shane Battier (1) / Steve Kerr (0)
SF: Bernard King (31) / Detlef Schrempf (15) / Shane Battier (2) / Doug Christie (0)
PF: Bob Pettit (40) / Gus Johnson (7) / Detlef Schrempf (1)
C: Bill Russell (42) / Arvydas Sabonis (5) / Bob Pettit (1) / Gus Johnson (0)
The depth chart and playing time are subject to change depending on the match-up, but this is just to give a general idea.
Starters:
Bench:





Awards and Accomplishments (during 3 selected seasons):Shane Battier: 2x Second Team All-Defensive
Doug Christie: 1x First Team All-Defensive, 2x Second Team All-Defensive
Joe Dumars: 1x Second Team All-NBA, 1x Third Team All-NBA, 2x First Team All-Defensive, 1x Second Team All-Defensive, 3x All-Star
Walt Frazier: 1x NBA Champion, 2x First Team All-NBA, 1x Second Team All-NBA, 3x First Team All-Defensive, 3x All-Star
Gus Johnson: 2x Second Team All-NBA, 2x First Team All-Defensive, 3x All-Star
K.C. Jones: 3x NBA Champion
Steve Kerr: 2x NBA Champion
Bernard King: 2x First Team All-NBA, 1x Scoring Champion, 2x All-Star
Bob Pettit: 1x NBA Champion, 1x NBA MVP, 3x First Team All-NBA, 1x Scoring Champion, 3x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP
Bill Russell: 3x Time NBA Champion, 3x NBA MVP, 1x First Team All-NBA, 2x Second Team All-NBA, 3x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP
Arvydas Sabonis: 1x First Team All-Rookie
Detlef Schrempf: 2x Sixth Man of the Year, 1x All-Star
Regular Season Statistics (during 3 selected seasons):Shane Battier:9.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 1.7 3PMPG, 43.1 FG%, 39.5 3P%, 77.6 FT%
Doug Christie:11.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.4 BPG, 2.2 SPG, 1.1 3PMPG, 44.0 FG%, 37.2 3P%, 86.1 FT%
Joe Dumars:21.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.1 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 3PMPG, 46.5 FG%, 37.7 3P%, 87.4 FT%
Walt Frazier:21.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 6.9 APG, 50.8 FG%, 77.8 FT%
Gus Johnson:17.8 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 45.4 FG%, 72.7 FT%
K.C. Jones:8.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.7 APG, 39.2 FG%, 63.0 FT%
Steve Kerr:8.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.0 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 1.3 3PMPG, 52.2 FG%, 49.8 3P%, 84.1 FT%
Bernard King:26.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.2 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 0.0 3PMPG, 54.5 FG%, 5.0 3P%, 76.1 FT%
Bob Pettit:26.2 PPG, 16.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 42.2 FG%, 76.0 FT%
Bill Russell:17.5 PPG, 23.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 43.8 FG%, 56.6 FT%
Arvydas Sabonis:14.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 3PMPG, 51.2 FG%, 33.6 3P%, 77.9 FT%
Detlef Schrempf:17.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.4 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 3PMPG, 50.9 FG%, 28.2 3P%, 81.5 FT%
Offense:Many of our points will come easily in the fast-break due to Russell's precise outlet passing and directional blocked shots and the fact that most of our players are both skilled and athletic. In half-court sets, we will use many traditional strategies, such as pick-and-rolls and pick-and pops, but we will also have many other plays. Frazier will typically bring the ball up the court, where, often, he will either drive to create an easy bucket for himself or a teammate, or pass to one of the three frontcourt starters (King, Pettit, Russell). Russell will play the high-post, where he will rack up assists passing to cutting teammate or an open shooter, such as Dumars. King will use his trademark post moves, and Pettit will be asked to create both from the low post and using his face-up game. In crunch time, much of our fate will be left up to the expert decision-making of Frazier. Many of our bench players will also play major roles on the offensive end, as described in the beginning of this post.
Defense:Defensively, we will primarily play man-to man. We will use our outstanding starting backcourt of Frazier-Dumars (who can both guard PGs and SGs) to harass the opposing guards into turnovers or bad shots. King and Pettit will do a good job containing their assignments, while Russell will do it all, playing superb man-to-man and help defense. If anyone happens to make it to the rim, Russell will be waiting the to block the shot into the hands of someone else on our team to ignite a fast-break. Russell will also help teammates with a quick double team whenever needed. He is highly noted for doing this and still making it back in time to prevent the open man from scoring. We also have great rebounders in the starting lineup and off the bench to ensure that, nearly every possession, our opponent gets, at most, one shot attempt. Furthermore, even when our starters rest, the defense will still be relentless, with all-defensive players Battier, Christie, and Johnson and noteworthy defender Jones coming off the bench. The opponent will find themselves struggling to score all game.
Summary:Overall, my team is well-balanced in all aspects of the game. Some extremely important things that must be considered when constructing an all-time team are defense, unselfishness, and leadership. I feel that my team excels in each of these areas. The fact that many of my players can greatly impact a game without taking many shots is very critical, in my opinion.