Greatest Starting 5 That Never Made All-NBA

[jojo4341]

Create and all-time starting 5 consisting of players that have never made any All-NBA team (1st, 2nd, 3rd). You can include current players with the exception of:

Wemby
Banchero
Zion (if he can stay healthy)
(anyone else projected to make it)

2 guards
2 forwards
1 center

Try to go for fit but if not, that's okay as long as the positions match. For reference, check here, but you'll have to do a Control+F exercise to make sure:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/all_league.html

My team:
PG - Terry Porter - combo guard that can shoot and run the point, decent size at 6'3.
SG - Dan Majerle - good shooter, great defense, good size, "sneaky athletic."
SF - Kiki Vandeweghe - Need a good volum scorer despite bad defense. Had to take out Ingram (decent chance at making all-NBA).
PF - Andrei Kirilenko - defend all 5 positions, overall versatility.
C - Jack Sikma - ahead of his time providing solid interior defense while being a stretch 5 later in his career.

Edit: feel free to add a bench since there's so many players.

bench:
PG - Jrue Holiday
SG - Rip Hamilton
SF - Cedric Ceballos
PF - Horace Grant
C - Bill Laimbeer

Honorable mentions that I really considered:
OG Anunoby (slim chance he makes it?)
Cedric Ceballos
Vlade Divac
Bill Laimbeer
Clint Capela
Nick Van Exel
Darius Garland (see OG)
Horace Grant
Allan Houston

[The Explorer]

Luol Deng
Glen Robinson

[Owly]

Gilmore, Lanier, Sikma, Nene, B. Miller, (A Sabonis?)
Kirilenko, Nance, B. Jones, Grant, Natt, Millsap
C. Walker, Kukoc
R.Pierce, Rivers
T. Porter, Cheeks, Blaylock, Brandon , D. Armstrong

First glance, no very modern players. In part because I don't want present guys who might, in part because I can find the older guys easier. Tended to avoid much older guys (I think peak Sears was good but our knowledge is limited, depends what we're doing here, J Drew is interesting but limited knowledge and weak intangibles, bad playoffs, similar for Bellamy). Order is very loose, first glance. Peak inclined.

Sabonis might be the most rate productive at his NBA peak. The question mark is his body. but if I have the luxury of a roster of great players that doesn't matter. He's not the defender most of the rivals are either though.

Listed a lot of 4s ... I will say though a bunch played time at the 3 IRL Kirilenko, Nance, (I think) Jones, Natt ... SF is less deep so I'd happily shift a bunch of these guys across (probably ahead of the actual candidates). Wings seem hardest spots to fill.

That said ... glad to have a chance to put Walker first as his passing seemed to go under the radar, as his career arguably did. RIP.

[jojo4341]

Gilmore, Lanier, Sikma, Nene, B. Miller, (A Sabonis?)
Kirilenko, Nance, B. Jones, Grant, Natt, Millsap
C. Walker, Kukoc
R.Pierce, Rivers
T. Porter, Cheeks, Blaylock, Brandon , D. Armstrong

I was surprised Gilmore never made it since he was before my time. Back in 77 to the early 80s, his competition was Prime Kareem, Walton and Moses with only 2 spots. Yeah...but he did have an argument of Robert Parish in 81.

Yea, good point on current players. Even young players who you might not expect to make a big leap (Brunson), it can still happen. If I had to stick with retired players, I'd replace:

Cedric Ceballos for Brandon Ingram

[durantbird]

Artis Gilmore / Bob Lanier
Rasheed Wallace / Andrei Kirilenko
Gerald Wallace / Rashard Lewis
Khris Middleton / Richard Hamilton
Terry Porter / Jrue Holiday

[penbeast0]

Gilmore, Lanier, Sikma, Nene, B. Miller, (A Sabonis?)
Kirilenko, Nance, B. Jones, Grant, Natt, Millsap
C. Walker, Kukoc
R.Pierce, Rivers
T. Porter, Cheeks, Blaylock, Brandon , D. Armstrong

First glance, no very modern players. In part because I don't want present guys who might, in part because I can find the older guys easier. Tended to avoid much older guys (I think peak Sears was good but our knowledge is limited, depends what we're doing here, J Drew is interesting but limited knowledge and weak intangibles, bad playoffs, similar for Bellamy). Order is very loose, first glance. Peak inclined.

Sabonis might be the most rate productive at his NBA peak. The question mark is his body. but if I have the luxury of a roster of great players that doesn't matter. He's not the defender most of the rivals are either though.

Listed a lot of 4s ... I will say though a bunch played time at the 3 IRL Kirilenko, Nance, (I think) Jones, Natt ... SF is less deep so I'd happily shift a bunch of these guys across (probably ahead of the actual candidates). Wings seem hardest spots to fill.

That said ... glad to have a chance to put Walker first as his passing seemed to go under the radar, as his career arguably did. RIP.

Rivers is another point guard though he and probably Terry Porters can shift up most easily, Kukoc and Natt can shift down if needed.

Gilmore and Bobby Jones were both All-ABA and since that counts in official NBA records, it should probably count here . . . plus bigs are deep.

[MiamiBulls]

C: Vlade Divac
F: Andrei Kirilenko
F: Rasheed Wallace
G: Mookie Blaylock
G: Jrue Holiday

[jojo4341]

I didn't even know who Calvin Natt was even though he was technically still in the league when I first started paying attention. Also, I completely forgot about Kiki Vandeweghe. My modified team:

PG - Terry Porter
SG - Dan Majerle
SF - Kiki Vandeweghe
PF - Andrei Kirilenko
C - Jack Sikma

I realize 4/5 of my players are white, but that's purely coincidence.

[jalengreen]

I notice that it's really easy to get incredible defense on a team like this. Names I thought of were Jrue, Sheed, Thurmond, AK. Offense a little tougher, particularly to get elite volume scoring.

[Owly]

Gilmore, Lanier, Sikma, Nene, B. Miller, (A Sabonis?)
Kirilenko, Nance, B. Jones, Grant, Natt, Millsap
C. Walker, Kukoc
R.Pierce, Rivers
T. Porter, Cheeks, Blaylock, Brandon , D. Armstrong

First glance, no very modern players. In part because I don't want present guys who might, in part because I can find the older guys easier. Tended to avoid much older guys (I think peak Sears was good but our knowledge is limited, depends what we're doing here, J Drew is interesting but limited knowledge and weak intangibles, bad playoffs, similar for Bellamy). Order is very loose, first glance. Peak inclined.

Sabonis might be the most rate productive at his NBA peak. The question mark is his body. but if I have the luxury of a roster of great players that doesn't matter. He's not the defender most of the rivals are either though.

Listed a lot of 4s ... I will say though a bunch played time at the 3 IRL Kirilenko, Nance, (I think) Jones, Natt ... SF is less deep so I'd happily shift a bunch of these guys across (probably ahead of the actual candidates). Wings seem hardest spots to fill.

That said ... glad to have a chance to put Walker first as his passing seemed to go under the radar, as his career arguably did. RIP.

Rivers is another point guard though he and probably Terry Porters can shift up most easily, Kukoc and Natt can shift down if needed.

Gilmore and Bobby Jones were both All-ABA and since that counts in official NBA records, it should probably count here . . . plus bigs are deep.

Rivers to me would be a "guard" first ... but yes if I had to put him in a box I'd say pg. But iirc (and from some brief checking) there was some feeling that he didn't come into the NBA as a point (not one in college), didn't initially play there, wasn't quite a natural, pure point/playmaker and could play across the guard positions. I think some of that is exaggerated (Barry and Cohn saying he "never" played there in his first two years) but, just as I'd ideally slide Nance, Kirilenko, Jones over to 3 (and they probably actually spent more time there than ) 2 is maybe even thinner than the 3 (especially productive, 2 way guys) and yeah it was him or Porter so I slid Rivers up a position but I think he played there enough to be normal. And unlike with the 4/3 or 4->3 guys where the modern NBA turned the 4 into "big wing" which made me feel more awkward putting combo forwards at the 3, having a fairly big guard who can do some point stuff at the 2 feels pretty normal.

Yes, I was aware I was "cheating" or playing at the edge of the rules on Gilmore and Jones. The thread says All-NBA not all league, so I'd call them fair game, as presently read, for NBA versions of them. But, yeah, bigs are deep enough it doesn't matter that much.


Kiki was on the longlist but my impression is that he gave too much back on the other end despite the great scoring.

[AEnigma]

By where they place on my all-time list…

C: Bob Lanier
PF: Rasheed Wallace
SF: Chet Walker
SG: Andre Iguodala
PG: Jrue Holiday
(6: Lenny Wilkens)

My alternative and more modern-minded lineup would be…
C: Artis Gilmore*
PF: Paul Millsap
SF: Khris Middleton
SG: Rip Hamilton
PG: Terry Porter

*Believe he would have made all-NBA in 1975 at least, but whatever.

Incidentally, I noticed the Grizzlies are historically loaded with good team-building options for this exercise.

[jojo4341]

Yes, I was aware I was "cheating" or playing at the edge of the rules on Gilmore and Jones. The thread says All-NBA not all league, so I'd call them fair game, as presently read, for NBA versions of them. But, yeah, bigs are deep enough it doesn't matter that much.

Yea, I thought about the ABA versions of the award but as you said, I was envisioning the NBA versions of these players. In which case, Gilmore didn't make it. But it's just for fun...you can put any disclaimers (non-ABA, retired, etc) you want.

[AEnigma]

I notice that it's really easy to get incredible defense on a team like this. Names I thought of were Jrue, Sheed, Thurmond, AK. Offense a little tougher, particularly to get elite volume scoring.

Yes, few volume-scorers go unrewarded or unrecognised. I struggled to find qualified players with a 24 ppg season.

Monta Ellis was one of the funnier exceptions (following in the footsteps of Purvis Short).

[jojo4341]

Incidentally, I noticed the Grizzlies are historically loaded with good team-building options for this exercise.

You're right and most retired too:

Rudy Gay
Tayshawn Prince
Shane Battier
Mike Conley (not retired, but he's clearly not getting one)
Tony Allen
Mike Miller
Mike Bibby
Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Pleasantly surprised Z-Bo made it once.

[Cavsfansince84]

1 Mookie Blaylock or Mo Cheeks
2 Ron Harper(before injuries)
3 X Man
4 Larry Nance
5 Sabonis