The All-Time Starting 5!

[ddb]

So I was bored at work as always and I started thinking....If you could put together a starting line-up consisting of the best players in the history of the game, who would you include? This is the starting 5 I put together.
Side-note: I put together a lineup of 5 guys who I think would mesh nicely with one another. I didn't want to put the top 5 scorers in history together. I wanted a lineup that would be unstoppable on both ends..

PG- Magic Johnson- #1 playmaker in the history of the game. The guy had eyes behind his head.
SG- Michael Jordan- The best player ever. Period.
SF- Larry Bird- # 2 scoring option on this team. Would knock down 3's all day on this squad.
PF- Tim Duncan- The best PF of all-time. A modern day Russell. Fundamentally sound. Winner
C- Bill Russell- Could have went with Wilt, but I wanted the guy with the RINGS! Anchors the middle.

What do you guys think? Who would be on your team?

[TMU]

PG: Walt Frazier
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Bill Russell
C: Hakeem Olajuwon or Kareem Aldul-Jabbar

In my opinion, Frazier fits better than Magic because Frazier was a superior off-ball player - which means more touches for his teammates - and was more well-rounded with his defense, passing, and scoring. I also like Russell at PF (with his quickness and agility, he could easily play this position) because it gives me the option to put another GOAT candidate in the lineup.

[BRUNiNHO91]

NO way in HELL Tim Duncan's overrater ass makes my team...nope...nope..NOPE!I'd put Kevin Garnett in there before him...

[chakdaddy]

PG Magic Johnson
SG Oscar Robertson
SF Larry Bird
twin towers: Russell / Chamberlain

or, go small with Bird at PF, Jordan at SF. Tough choice.

It's hard to justify putting a pure PF on there - if anyone with PF size was good enough to enter this conversation, they got moved to center.

Meanwhile, the OPPOSITE happened to Duncan, making him really hard to judge - realistically, I bet he goes somewhere behind Olajuwon in the 2nd tier of greatest centers.

[TheOGJabroni]

PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Bill Russell
C: Wilt Chamberlain
6: Oscar Robertson

rotation:

Magic 40 / Oscar 8
MJ 16 / Oscar 32
Larry 24 / MJ 24
Bill 32 / Larry 16
Wilt 40 / Bill 8

haha game over.

[SuigintouEV]

I don't think (any of) these are the 5 best players ever or the best at thier positions(i'm honestly starting to think lebron is better than bird, though i wouldn't make the argument just yet, you need rings to back THAT up), but my dream team would be

G) Chris Paul from 2009
G) Vince Carter from 2001
F) Larry Bird from 1986
F) Kevin Garnett from 2004
C) Bill Walton from 1977

maybe some of the teams already mentioned would have more talent than this team, but this team would be an absolute spectacle to watch and IMO would have amazing chemistry.

[Fencer reregistered]

You have to have Magic, Jordan, Bird, and Russell

But two of those four weren't great on-the-ball defenders. So the other guy should be another eraser inside.

Also, two of those four weren't great individual scorers. So the other guy should be a great scorer.

Also, the fifth guy should be able to run and finish.

Kareem seems like the best fit, slightly ahead of Hakeem.

[captain green]

POINT GUARD

Full Name: Earvin Johnson Jr.
Born: 8/14/59 in Lansing, Mich.
Height: 6-9; Weight: 255 lbs.
High School: Everett (Lansing, Mich.)
College: Michigan State
Drafted: L.A. Lakers, 1979 (first overall)
Transactions: Retired, 11/7/91; Activated, 1/29/96; Retired, 5/14/96 Nickname: Magic
Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2002); NBA champion (1980, '82, '85, '87, '88); NBA Finals MVP (1980, '82, '87); NBA MVP (1987, '89, '90); Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1983-91); All-NBA Second Team (1982); 12-time All-Star; All-Star MVP (1990, '92); J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1992); Olympic gold medalist (1992); One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

SHOOTING GUARD

Full Name: Michael Jeffrey Jordan
Born: 2/17/63 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
High School: Laney (Wilmington, N.C.)
College: North Carolina
Drafted by: Chicago Bulls, 1984 (third overall)
Transactions: Retired, 10/6/93; Activated from retirement, 3/18/95; Retired, 1/13/99; Signed
with Washington Wizards, 9/25/01.
Height: 6-6; Weight: 216 lbs.
Nickname: Air Jordan
Honors: Six-time NBA champion (1991-93, 1996-98); NBA MVP (1988, '91, '92, '96, '98); 10-time All-NBA First Team (1987-93, 1996-98); All-NBA Second Team (1985); Defensive Player of the Year (1988); Nine-time All-Defensive First Team (1988-93, 1996-98); Rookie of the Year (1985); 14-time All-Star; All-Star MVP (1988, '96, '98); One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996); Two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, '92).

SMALL FORWARD

Full Name: Larry Joe Bird
Born: 12/7/56 in West Baden, Ind.
High School: Springs Valley (French Lick, Ind.)
College: Indiana (did not play); Indiana State
Drafted by: Boston Celtics, 1978 (sixth overall)
Nickname: Larry Legend
Height: 6-9; Weight: 220 lbs.
Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1998); NBA champion (1981, '84, '86); NBA Finals MVP (1984, '86); NBA MVP (1984, '85, '86); Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1980-88); All-NBA Second Team (1990); All-Defensive Second Team (1982, '83, '84); NBA Rookie of the Year (1980); One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996); Olympic gold medalist (1992).

POWER FORWARD

Full Name: William Felton Russell
Born: 2/12/34 in Monroe, La.
High School: McClymonds (Oakland, Calif.)
College: San Francisco
Drafted: St. Louis Hawks, 1956 (third overall)
Transactions: Draft rights traded to Boston Celtics, 4/29/56
Height: 6-10; Weight: 220 lbs.
Honors: Elected to Naismith Basketball Basketball Hall of Fame (1975); NBA champion (1957, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69); NBA MVP (1958, '61, '62, '63, '65);
All-NBA First Team (1959, '63, '65); All-NBA Second Team (1958, '60, '61, '62, '64, '66, '67, '68); NBA All-Defensive Team (1969); 12-time NBA All-Star (1958-69); All-Star Game MVP (1963); One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996); Olympic gold medalist (1956).

CENTER

Full Name: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Formerly known as: Lew Alcindor
Born: 8/16/47 in New York
High School: Power Memorial (N.Y.)
College: UCLA
Drafted by: Milwaukee Bucks, 1969 (first overall)
Transactions: Traded to L.A. Lakers, 6/16/75
Height: 7-2; Weight: 267 lbs. Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1995); NBA champion (1971, '80, '82, '85, '87, '88); NBA MVP (1971, '72, '74, '76, '77, '80); All-NBA First Team (1971, '72, '73, '74, '76, '77, '80, '81, '84, '86); All-NBA Second Team (1970, '78, '79, '83, '85); All-Defensive First Team (1974, '75, '79, '80, '81); All-Defensive Second Team (1970, '71, '76, '77, '78, '84); Rookie of the Year (1970); 19-time All-Star; One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).


ENOUGH SAID

[SmoothLikeButta]

Over the past 60 years, athletes have become more physically capable of playing the game at heightened levels; old school players wouldn't stand a chance at their prime against today's best.

Magic Johnson, MJ, Lebron, KG, Shaq

Just my opinion.

[MyInsatiableOne]

Mine:

PG Magic
SG Jordan
SF Bird
PF McHale
C Russell

Bench

PG Robertson
SG West
SF Barkley
PF Duncan
C Abdul Jabbar

[vct33]

Starters (and I wouldn't even listen to a debate for anybody else)

Magic Johnson
Michael Jordan
LeBron James
Larry Bird
Hakeem Olajuwon

Bench (this is a lot tougher)

Isiah Thomas
Kobe Bryant
Dominique Wilkins
Kevin McHale
Shaquille O'Neal

[vct33]

Over the past 60 years, athletes have become more physically capable of playing the game at heightened levels; old school players wouldn't stand a chance at their prime against today's best.

Damn straight. I'm glad someone agrees with me. I get lit up on these boards when I say things like that.

[ddb]

What about:

PG: God Shamgod
SG: D. Wagner
SF: Todd Day
PF: Kwame Brown
C: Greg Oden

Pretty solid lineup

[MyInsatiableOne]

Uhhh, where is tgei on these lists? Why is he missing?

[bostonfan34]

Russel
Malone
Bird
Jordan
Johnson

[Brenice]

1)Magic
2)Jordan
3)LeBron
4)Duncan
5)Chamberlain

Who Bird gonna check?

[vct33]

What about:

PG: God Shamgod
SG: D. Wagner
SF: Todd Day
PF: Kwame Brown
C: Greg Oden

Pretty solid lineup

An All-Stiff team would be fun to make. I'd say the guys would have to have a minimum number of NBA starts to qualify. Or at least a minimum number of games played.

[ddb]

Well the All Stiff team would have to include Dirk Digler, John Holmes, myself, Peter North , and of course....Patrick Ewing.

[greenbeans]

pg-Magic
sg-Jordan
sf-Bird
c/pf-Russell
Those are the nobrainers, for the other big I'd go
pf/c-Rodman

[vct33]

pg-Magic
sg-Jordan
sf-Bird
c/pf-Russell
Those are the nobrainers, for the other big I'd go
pf/c-Rodman

I agree. You'd have to have no brain to pick Russell but the first three were nice picks.