Which '93 NBA team would benefit the most from having Prime Bird

[SelakStreet]

Among all the 27 NBA teams that played during the '93 season, the following teams had the corresponding starting lineup from which small forward/power forward duo they started the most. Here are the most used lineups for each team from their respective divisions:

Atlantic Division:
Boston: Reggie Lewis / Alaa Abdelnaby (started alongside Dee Brown, Kevin Gamble and Robert Parish)
Miami: Glen Rice / Grant Long (started alongside Brian Shaw, Steve Smith and Rony Seikaly)
New Jersey: Chris Morris / Derrick Coleman (started alongside Kenny Anderson, Drazen Petrovic and Sam Bowie)
New York: Charles Oakley / Charles D. Smith (started alongside Greg Anthony, John Starks and Patrick Ewing)
Orlando: Nick Anderson / Tom Tolbert (started alongside Scott Skiles, Anthony Bowie and Shaquille O'Neal)
Philadelphia: Clarence Weatherspoon / Tim Perry (started alongside Hersey Hawkins, Jeff Hornacek and Andrew Lang)
Washington: Harvey Grant / Tom Gugliotta (started alongside Michael Adams, LaBradford Smith and Pervis Ellison)

Central Division:
Atlanta: Dominique Wilkins / Kevin Willis (started alongside Mookie Blaylock, Stacey Augmon and Jon Koncak)
Charlotte: Kendall Gill / Larry Johnson (started alongside Muggsy Bogues, David Wingate and Alonzo Mourning)
Chicago: Scottie Pippen / Horace Grant (started alongside B.J. Armstrong, Michael Jordan and Bill Cartwright)
Cleveland: Mike Sanders / Larry Nance, Sr. (started alongside Mark Price, Craig Ehlo and Brad Daugherty)
Detroit: Orlando Woolridge / Dennis Rodman (started alongside Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Bill Laimbeer)
Indiana: Detlef Schrempf / Dale Davis (started alongside Pooh Richardson, Reggie Miller and Rik Smits)
Milwaukee: Todd Day / Frank Brickowski (started alongside Eric Murdock, Blue Edwards and Anthony Avent)

Midwest Division:
Dallas: Brian Howard / Terry Davis (started alongside Derek Harper, Walter Bond and Sean Rooks)
Denver: Reggie Williams / LaPhonso Ellis (started alongside Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Mark Macon and Dikembe Mutombo)
Houston: Otis Thorpe / Robert Horry (started alongside Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell and Hakeem Olajuwon)
Minnesota: Chuck Person / Christian Laettner (started alongside Micheal Williams, Doug West and Felton Spencer)
San Antonio: Sean Elliott / Antoine Carr (started alongside Avery Johnson, Dale Ellis and David Robinson)
Utah: Tyrone Corbin / Karl Malone (started alongside John Stockton, Jeff Malone and Mark Eaton)

Pacific Division:
Golden State: Chris Mullin / Tyrone Hill (started alongside Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell and Victor Alexander)
L.A. Clippers: Ken Norman / Danny Manning (started alongside Mark Jackson, Ron Harper and Stanley Roberts)
L.A. Lakers: James Worthy / Sam Perkins (started alongside Sedale Threatt, Byron Scott and Vlade Divac)
Phoenix: Cedric Ceballos / Charles Barkley (started alongside Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and Mark West)
Portland: Jerome Kersey / Buck Williams (started alongside Terry Porter, Clyde Drexler and Kevin Duckworth)
Sacramento: Lionel Simmons / Wayman Tisdale (started alongside Spud Webb, Mitch Richmond and Duane Causwell)
Seattle: Derrick McKey / Michael Cage (started alongside Gary Payton, Ricky Pierce and Shawn Kemp)

Based on overall performance, the ones who look like they could easily be replaced with Prime 80s Celtics-era Bird are Tom Tolbert (Orlando), Tim Perry (Philadelphia), Mike Sanders (Cleveland), Brian Howard (Dallas) and Michael Cage (Seattle).

Which one of those most replaceable starting forwards would you bench in favor of an upgrade in the form of Prime 80s Celtics-era Bird?

And which starting core would Prime 80s Celtics-era Larry Bird fit better with? Assuming you put him on either the Magic, Sixers, Cavs, Mavs or Sonics.

[Dutchball97]

The Knicks had the #1 defense and only the 22nd best offense. Seeing how they took the Bulls to 6 in the ECF I'd say adding Bird would make them title favorites.

[henshao]

Houston used Robert Horry as a stretch 4, huh?

[tsherkin]

Houston used Robert Horry as a stretch 4, huh?

In 95, they certainly did. He was a combo forward, though, particularly as a younger guy because he was reasonably athletic. They had Thorpe at the 4 in 94 but with Drexler, Horry was more of a 4.

[sp6r=underrated]

The Knicks had the #1 defense and only the 22nd best offense. Seeing how they took the Bulls to 6 in the ECF I'd say adding Bird would make them title favorites.

Yup this is no question NY. Knicks were pretty much hopeless offensively. Adding an offensive savant like Bird into the roster would dramatically improve the team. I'd make them a heavy favorite for a title.

[homecourtloss]

The Knicks had the #1 defense and only the 22nd best offense. Seeing how they took the Bulls to 6 in the ECF I'd say adding Bird would make them title favorites.

This. Knicks were limited offensively yet took the Bulls to 7 in 1992 (even amount of points scored), then went up 2-0 in 1993 and many chances in game 5. Replace X-Man in 1992 and Charles Smith in 1993 with prime Bird and you two title monster type title teams.

Yup this is no question NY. Knicks were pretty much hopeless offensively. Adding an offensive savant like Bird into the roster would dramatically improve the team. I'd make them a heavy favorite for a title.

1992 they had a -.1 rORtg and a -1.9 rORtg in 1993. Even if The defense suffered by adding prime Bird (I don’t think it would especially if they were replacing X-Man in 1992 but perhaps a little replacing Charles Smith in 1993), I can’t imagine a prime Bird offense being any less than +2.0 to +3.0. You’d get a +10 type of monster ram.

[CharityStripe34]

Knicks for the East as their offense was pedestrian at best. I actually think Chuck would've LOVED having a Prime version of Bird in 1993 when Kevin Johnson was crapping out potatoes in the playoffs. Adding another 3pt sniper and offensive genius on the floor who could make the correct play would make that Phoenix team all-time great.

[Clyde Frazier]

Come to NY Larry lol

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Like with the Shaq hypothetical, I take "benefit the most" to be a non-contender who now becomes a legit championship contender with Bird. Were the '93 Knicks a non-contender? They won 60 games with a 5.87 SRS and advanced to the ECF where New York gave Chicago 2 of the Bulls' 4 playoff losses. The '93 Knicks feel like a contender to me

Oddly enough the Utah Jazz "only" won 47 games with a 1.74 SRS that season and were bounced in the 1st round. Probably qualifies as a non-contender. Now replace Tyrone Corbin with a prime Bird next to 29yo Malone and 30yo Stockton and "legit contender" is a bit of an understatement