Pick an all-time starting 5

[Lionlifer]

I keep trying to find a way to justify inserting Big Shot Bob into my team, but I'm still not getting any combos that I like when I run him in position. Too much talent at SF and PF to put him in, but all the dude did is WIN.

Pretty sure T Pain wrote a song about him

[Bknight4three]

Basketball has evolved. 3 point shooting and spacing are critical. I don't think rolling out 3 of jordan/kobe/lebron/magic at the 1-3 or all 4 1-4 is ideal because the other team will pack it in and force you to make jump shots (especially since you are matching them up against an all-time team, so there won't be many weaknesses defensively). Kobe/MJ and Magic/Lebron play too similar for me to have both on the floor.

Career 3 pt %: MJ 32.7; Magic 30.3; Kobe 33.4; Lebron 34.2

Ill take:
PG- Lebron
SG- MJ
SF- Durant
PF- KG
C- Duncan

The ultimate alpha dog (MJ) and 4 guys who have shown they can either be part of a team concept (Duncan/KG) or blend in with an alpha dog (Lebron with Wade and Durant with Westy).

[blueadams]

Thinking more about it.. I think I'd go

PG: MJ
SG: Reggie
SF: Bird
PF: LeBron
C: Hakeem

Hakeem could switch much, much, much better on the perimeter than Shaq. Doesn't hurt you at the FT stripe. Adds a pick-and-pop element to the attack, while still being a great low post scorer, and a far superior post defender...solid rebounder, passer as well. And a much better teammate. Wouldn't need to be an alpha dog, wouldn't demand touches.

Jordan is the ultimate modern day point guard, in each and every regard. Alpha dog.

LeBron is the ultimate modern day play-making stretch four, in each and every regard. Also a pass-first guy, naturally.

Reggie and Bird. Two best outside shooters of all-time, I think. Numbers don't reflect that. Playing in the hand-check era hurts their percentages. Having to carry teams (taking a lot of shots, facing double teams, etc.) hurts their percentage relative to other all-timers. Neither great defenders, but both great effort guys, good team-D guys, who would be fine guarding modern-day wings. Both super clutch shooters as well. Intangibles. The works.

[blueadams]

Looking for better defenders...who can shoot...than reggie

[blueadams]

maybe bruce bowen. ****.

[Snakebites]

Why is there this prevailing attitude that all 5 of your starters have to be great defenders in order to have a good team defense?

[blueadams]

Ugh.

C: Shaq
PF: LeBron
SF: Bird
SG: MJ
PG: Magic

So vanilla, and so weak. But I think it's just the best team.

C: Shaq. Shaq v. Hakeem is the big argument for me. Hakeem didn't have Shaq's ego, and he was probably a much better teammate. A much better, and more versatile defender. A vastly superior mid-range game, a pick and pop element, won't hurt you on the FT stripe. Comparable on the glass. Arguably the most gifted interior scorer of all time. But frig man. Shaq. Shaq. There was just a period of absolute dominance for him in there. A couple years with the Lakers there. He was just so, so, so dominant. When he got the ball on the low-block, it was just over. Period. Absolutely required a double team whenever he had the ball. Sometimes even commanded a triple team. I just simply do not remember Hakeem being THAT dominant. Hakeem, really, to me, was always just more of a "super" David Robinson, or Tim Duncan. And that's a hell of a thing to be. But he just didn't dominate the NBA like Shaq. Shaq didn't need to be versatile offensively. His FT gaffe's are usually worth it. He was a terrific all-around athlete, and his defense wasn't a weakness. And he was a good passer out of the post. Which would be so huge on a team like this. Was he a "me" player? Maybe. Penny was a super star at one point too, and they always got along. Kobe, I always thought, was an a-hole. Shaq.. really, just seemed like a big fun kid who most guys would've got along with. On a team like this, he'd go to the low post, he'd get the ball when he established position, he'd score on a single team, he'd find the open man on a double team.

PF: LeBron. He can guard any 4 who ever lived. He's a mismatch for any 4 who's ever lived. That right there alone is enough to make him a no-brainer. That he's naturally a pass-first player only makes him a more obvious choice. As skilled a talent as there's ever been in basketball. As freak an athlete as there's ever been in basketball. An absolutely dominant scorer. A terrific shut-down defender. Great on the boards. Adequate from deep. A tremendous passer. Penetrator. Finisher. Everything. Just everything. No brainer.

SF: Bird. Not a great defender, but an adequate one, and a good team defender. Two time 2nd team All-NBA Defense. Would probably shoot 45% from three in the non-hand-check era. Could just do everything on offense. Pass. Drive. Shoot. Pull-up. Everything. Incredible BBall IQ. Incredible intensity. A team player. A leader. And a winner. No-brainer.

SG: MJ. Everyone knows everything there is to know about MJ. The greatest player of all-time, probably. Best perimeter scorer of all-time. One of the best perimeter defenders of all-time. One of the greatest athletes to ever put on sneakers. Probably the most skilled and talented guard of all-time. Learned to use his teammates well enough as he got older, and as he actually got them. The ultimate competitor and winner. The man with the ball in his hands at the end of the game.

PG: Magic. This, for me, was the toughest pick. Magic's not a great outside shooter. And he's not a great defender. But he's enormous. He's the best passer of all-time. He's one of the best team players of all-time. And he's incredibly talented. In today's NBA, would I be better off with a great pick-and-roll handler at the point, and two hooters/defenders at the wings. Something like MJ at the point, with Bird and Bowen/Reggie(?)/Kobe(?) at the wings. Probably. But idk man. There's just something to be said for having a guy like Magic out there. Trotting enormous, imposing, athletic guys like Shaq, LeBron and Magic out there. I'd throw Magic out there, I believe. Magic-Shaq pick-and-roll. He'd penetrate. He'd find Shaq. He'd find Larry. He'd find MJ. He'd find LeBron. He'd be okay on defense. He'd run the team and keep everyone scoring.
...Bowen. I don't want someone out there who can be guarded by a bad defender.
...Reggie. I don't want a bad defender who can't do anything but shoot from deep out there.
...Kobe. A-hole. Not a great outside shooter. Not a great passer, team-player. Great defender, though. Great scorer.

**Only thing I'm thinking about now. Maybe Hakeem over Shaq. Shaq was sort of a selfish head case who caused problems, wasn't he?