RealGM

Which is the better team:

Team Kareem:

C - Kareem 24.8-10.8-4.5-3.4 blocks
PF- Platoon of Jim Chones (10.8-8.0-1.9) and Bob McAdoo (15.0-5.3-0.8)
SF - Jamaal Wilkins 22.6-5.4-2.9
SG - Michael Cooper 9.0-3.2-5.9
PG - Norm Nixon 17.1-2.9-8.8-1.8 steals

Team Magic:

C - Mychal Thompson 11.6-6.1-0.8-1.0 blocks
PF - Platoon of Maurice Lucas (10.2-7.4 -1.1) and AC Green (11.4-8.7-1.1)
SF - James Worthy 21.1-6.0-3.6
SG - Byron Scott 21.7-4.1-4.1-1.9 steals
PG - Magic 23.9 - 6.3 - 12.2 - 1.7 steals

I'd go Team Magic. It's crazy how much the Lakers had in those days.

Oddly the only person keeping me indecisive is Cooper. But I think Magic, Scott and Worthy could handle it.

Team Magic, because they can run.

However, it matters significantly WHEN you're talking about. Go back early enough in the decade, before Magic could shoot, and Team Kareem could be better.

Give me team Kareem. They are much better in the frontcourt, and Nixon and Cooper form a great backcourt. I can't say that I feel as confident about Thompson/Lucas/Green.

Kareem couldn't win with a similar lineup to Team Kareem in the late-70s when pretty weak Seattle and Washington teams were in the finals, so I doubt he would win with this one. I'll go with Team Magic. This is expecially true because you're giving Maurice Lucas way too little statisical credit. Lucas was a far better player, particularly in his prime, than AC Green was, and during the first three Magic championships Lucas was still a 15/10 player. In his prime he was a 20/10 player and probably the most intimidating PF until Karl Malone got going. Also, Thompson was a far more productive player than you give him credit for, as he was a 16/8/4 assists player up until the last two Lakers runs. If you're giving Kareem 24/10, we're talking pre-1987 careem, but you're giving Thompson and Lucas post-1987 numbers. Makes for a poor comparison.

OP is looking at their best year in the 80s with the Lakers:

Kareem is for 79/80, Lucas was only on the Lakers in 86, 99 was Thompson's best Laker season

However, although Kareem's team has the better talent and balance, people forget how isolated Kareem was before Magic arrived. He had changed his name to a Muslim one, had a group of radical Muslims killed in his house, and generally was ostracized by both teammates and fans despite being easily the greatest player in the NBA (Similar to what happened to Mahmoud Abdur-Rauf when he refused to stand for the anthem only Kareem was too good to run out of the league). It was only Magic's arrival that pulled that great collection of talent into a cohesive team; talent wins but only when harnessed to a team concept.

On the other hand, Magic couldn't carry the post-Kareem Lakers to the championship either. Even with Vlade Divac (instead of Lucas) the 90 team lost in the second round and with Divac starting in 91 lost in the finals; the pre-Magic Kareem led teams were actually weaker than this (they started Wilkes/Dantley/Hudson so they had more scoring but far less defense/size/balance).

I'll go with team Magic, he can do wonders with that supporting cast. With Kareem not on his team, he is going to be missing about 18-20 pts, but I'm pretty sure Worthy and Scott can make up for it, while Magic just pours out his assist.

Where is Rambis?

I'd take the magic Team, but those would be fun games to watch...

I had Rambis there originally, but then I remembered the season Maurice Lucas played for them. It's amazing the amount of talent that passed through that franchise during the decade. I was just going to go with a regular starting 5 but McAdoo wasn't a full-game player anyway and I felt Kareem's team needed a little more rebounding. Could even add a third guard to each team. I wanted to include Mike McGee somehow but I couldn't really come up with a good counterpart. Wes Matthews maybe?

Magic never won without Kareem. Kareem won without Magic....