Which player would you choose to build around

[lilroddyb]

All of these players have been injured a lot, some more than others.

So the question is If every player on this list had healthy 15 year career in the nba and everyone would join the nba right after college, which one would you choose to draft to your team and who do you think would have been the best?

[kdawg32086]

If this is prime Sabonis without any injuries in his career, then he's my pick.

[giberish]

I'd lean Walton but Sabonis is also a good option.

[jdzimme3]

Good question. A number of appealing options that make it a tough choice. I am going with Walton though. By 24 he was a mvp, nba champion, and first team defender.

[penbeast0]

Agree, Walton in his era is clear #1, then it would be Sabonis, Kawhi, or maybe Paul.

I would add Connie Hawkins to this list if it's not disqualifying that his issues weren't all physical. He was not allowed into the NBA because of his mother's association with a known gambler and the NBA's healthy paranoia about possible fixing scandals at the time (Jordan would probably have been banned as well). So, he went to the newly formed ABL and won MVP at 19 over the likes of George Yardley, DIck Barnett, and Bill Bridges. Then, when the ABA started he came in and won an immediate MVP again despite not having played league ball for 8 years (he did tour with the Globetrotters for a bit). Serious knee injury, had to change his game from being a post player to a jump shooter and lost a lot of lift, but came back to the NBA and was 1st team NBA in his one healthy NBA season before tearing the knee apart again. Most talented forward the league saw at least up to the time of Julius Erving, he'd be in the Sabonis/Kawhi/Paul level above the rest for me.

[Statlanta]

Healthy Bill Walton in the transition to the 70's to the 80's would rewrite the GOAT rankings.

[One_and_Done]

I clicked on CP3 by mistake, but if they're all healthy it's Kawhi and it's not that close. T-Mac is his only real competition.