Pick an all-time starting 5

[blueadams]

***READ*** the rules first. We're playing in today's game. Today's NBA. Today's rules. Today's officiating. Pick five starters. Any player from any era at any time in their career. And the more explanation you provide for your picks, your team's philosophy, the better.

Mine.

#1) PG: Michael Jordan. I want him as my ball-dominant pick-and-roll player. He's the best perimeter player of all-time. The best perimeter scorer of all time. Maybe the best perimeter defender of all time. As athletic as anyone who's ever played the game in any era. As great a competitor as there ever was. In his second championship run with the Bulls, his prime, as his supporting cast improved, he began using his teammates better (or well-enough). He could score from anywhere. He could handle the ball. He could attack the rim. He could get separation. He could pull up from anywhere. He was decent from deep. He was a decent passer. Really, little if any debate when it comes to this pick.

#2) C: Hakeem Olajuwon. Had great size. Was a tremendous athlete. Was strong enough. Maybe the best defensive big man of all time. A solid rebounder. Probably the most talented inside scorer of all time. Had one of the best big man jump shots of all time -- perfect pick and pop, or pick and roll big man. Decent passer. A very humble superstar. Great mental makeup. And a winner. I really don't think Duncan was in his class. I have to mention Wilt, and I considered him. He was just such a freak athlete. He wasn't as big as Shaq, but he was a lot stronger. A great track athlete, probably the most athletic big man of all time. Film seems to show a somewhat raw offensive game, but who knows what he was capable of. Obviously could've been the best rebounding and defending big man of all time when he wanted to be. Probably the best passing big man of all time, once led the league in assists. Easily the best conditioned and most durable big man of all time. We all know about how many points he scored. I guess I went with Hakeem based on two factors. One, his jump shot, and what he brings as a pick-and-pop big man. Very important in today's game. Two, the attitude. Wilt was really just sort of regarded as a loser who really didn't care so much. Maybe selfish and a locker room problem too, whereas Hakeem was just the consummate, humble teammate. Very tough call.

#3) This is where it starts to get really tough. And I don't know exactly where to begin. I guess I'll start with SG: Steph Curry. I want the ball in Michael's hands primarily, so I won't call him the point guard, but obviously he'll be guarding the smallest, or least potent, opposing guard. Man. Steph Curry, IMO, is just hands-down THE best shooter in NBA history. And he can spot up or pull up. All he needs is an inch or half a second, and he's a 44% chance for three. There's never been someone who shot as pure, as quick, as often or as consistently. Just such a lethal weapon to have out there on the court...opening up the court. Forget about him for just a moment and it's three man. And he's actually become a pretty decent play-making point guard as well. His defense is a problem. But I think he's worth it. Reggie Miller, I don't think was as good a shooter, and it's not like he was a great defender either. Pete Maravich might've been the shooter--and he was a great playmaker too--but it's not like he could defend. Jerry West might've been the shooter--and he was ultra-competitive--and was supposed to be a superb defender.. but would he really have been significantly better on D than Steph?

#4) PF: Dirk Nowitzki. For some reason this seems to be the next place to go for me. It's sort of confusing though, as I'm comparing and contrasting players for this position or that position. The main debate here, for me, is between Dirk and LeBron. LeBron...perhaps the Freakiest of Freak athletes in NBA history. His size, his strength, his speed, his ball-handling, his passing. Such a dominant scorer. As good a perimeter defender as there's ever been when he wants to be. And actually an okay post defender when he needed to be. In his prime, he was a one-man team in Cleveland, and he was usually the second-best team in the league. But in his prime, in the spotlight of his career, he got beat by Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat may have not gelled completely by that point. But he probably had the better supporting cast. And Dirk just beat him. He was just unguardable. Sort of underrated as a competitor just because he was Euro. But the NBA Finals performance was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen. Not a great athlete, but big and athletic enough to defend his position and rebound adequately. Easily the best shooting big man of all time. Could just do a little bit of everything offensively. Could score from anywhere. Could attack the basket and get to the line. Could be an iso star or a kickout killer. Fine passer. A million tools. I like Dirk and I'm going with him here. LeBron's mental makeup and history of crumbling in the biggest moments most certainly comes into play.

#5) SF: Larry Bird. LeBron is considered here, though not as strongly. Kevin Durant is too -- as he's a great shooter -- and much more athletic than Bird. But I'm going with Bird here. I really just can't get past comments I've heard about him from guys like Isiah and Magic. Not the best athlete obviously. But always managed to be athletic enough. Probably the best guy to argue Steph Curry's shooting prowess against. Just did everything on offense. Could always score in any way. The ultimate competitor. Killer instinct that guys like LeBron and Durant lack. I guess this last pick really wasn't as tough as the others.

C: Hakeem
PF: Dirk
SF: Bird
SG: Jordan
PG: Curry

Today's game. That's my all-time squad.

[The Penguin]

PG - Magic Johnson
SG - Scottie Pippen
SF - Lebron
PF - Anthony Davis
C - Kevin Garnett


I'm probably a dummy for not taking MJ, but we'll be all about ball movement and I don't want the ball sticking at any one spot. We can switch every single guy defensively and are ridiculously long at every single spot. There's no Shaq in today's NBA that worries me about a team dumping the ball into the post with. Spacing should be fine and ball movement should be fantastic with two of the best pure passers in NBA history in 6'8" frames. Davis is a wildcard as he's soo young, but I love his rim protection and "guard in a 7 foot body" game. If I'm playing you, Pippen will be my MJ stopper as no one knows MJ better and like I said, we can switch all over. Magic's height advantage and the athleticism of my forwards would be very difficult for Curry-Dirk-Bird to handle on the defensive end.

[ImHeisenberg]

I always find these type of lists a complete bore. Of course everyone is just going to pick from the same pool of all-timers.

[The Penguin]

I always find these type of lists a complete bore. Of course everyone is just going to pick from the same pool of all-timers.

I agree with this, that's why it's usually more interesting when you have a group of guys at positions and assign each guy a value and operate within a salary cap structure:

For example

SG-

MJ - 5 points / Kobe - 4 points / Wade - 3 points / Reggie Miller - 2 points / Harden - 1 point


And RealGM is full of these topics. I'm sure there's plenty in the Pistons board history by itself.

[blueadams]

PG - Magic Johnson
SG - Scottie Pippen
SF - Lebron
PF - Anthony Davis
C - Kevin Garnett

Interesting matchups. Think Hakeem would get the best of KG. Think Dirk would probably get the best of Davis. LeBron would be tough for Bird to guard, and vice-versa. Think MJ would beat Pippen on offense, and guard Magic well on defense. Curry on Pippen would cause me problems..

[blueadams]

Man. Maybe it wouldn't be advisable to have someone who can't guard anyone (Curry) on a team like this..

[sc8581]

PG-LeBron
SG-Jordan
SF-Pippen
PF-Duncan
C-Hakeem

[blueadams]

Re-thinking my squad...more defensively...I think I'd roll out

C: W. Chamberlain
PF: H. Olajuwon
SF: L. James
SG: K. Bryant
PG: M. Jordan

Jordan's still a no-brainer. He, Kobe and LeBron are probably the best 1-2-3 defenders you could ever hope to have. Wish LeBron and Kobe were better outside shooters. But neither are terrible in that regard.

With Wilt. No matter who your big man is. Mine is stronger and faster. When he wants to be, the best defender and rebounder of all-time. And we all know how he scores.

Hakeem at the 4 is a tough pick. As good an interior defender as there's ever been. Athletic enough to guard stretchier 4's. Will most likely win his rebound battle. Never played the 4, but give me one reason Tim Duncan is better suited. Wish he was an outside shooter like Dirk. But a great mid-range shooter at least. And obviously much better defensively.

[Snakebites]

Hmm.

Steve Nash
Michael Jordan
Kevin Durant
Kevin Garnett
Hakeem Olajuwon

Surround Michael Jordan and the best shooting point guard of all time with guys who can run the floor and don't need the ball in their hands all of the time to have a superstar level impact on the game.

Done.

If we're talking todays' NBA any team that can't hit the 3 ball well isn't going to be the right choice. Big men that can at least hit mid range jumpers with consistency are also a must.

[joedumars1]

1.Bron
2. Jordan
3. Pippen
4. Durant
5. Anthony Davis

or

1. Magic
2. Jordan
3. Durant
4. Pippen
5. Bron

[blueadams]

PG-LeBron
SG-Jordan
SF-Pippen
PF-Duncan
C-Hakeem

I'd have LeBron on LeBron, Jordan on Jordan obviously. Kobe on Pippen -- Kobe the better scorer, Pippen the better defender, probably more or less a push.

Hakeem on Duncan. I think Hakeem shuts Duncan down. And I think he takes Duncan to school like he did David Robinson on offense.

Wilt on Hakeem. Think Wilt can handle him on defense. Hakeem would do a good job defensively on Wilt as well. But I'd win the rebounding battle here.

[blueadams]

Steve Nash
Michael Jordan
Kevin Durant
Kevin Garnett
Hakeem Olajuwon

-I'd have Jordan on Jordan of course.

-Kobe'd shut down Nash. Nash trying to guard Kobe would be a laugh.

-LeBron would defend Durant well, and abuse him offensively -- as he does in real life.

-Think Hakeem takes KG on both sides of the ball.

-As I said above re: Wilt vs. Hakeem. Good matchup. But I'm better on the boards.

[blueadams]

1.Bron
2. Jordan
3. Pippen
4. Durant
5. Anthony Davis

-Jordan on Jordan.
-LeBron on LeBron.
-Kobe on Pippen -- as I said above. Kobe the better scorer, Pippen the better defender--probably more or less a push.

-Hakeem on Durant is interesting. Both guys would probably eat the other up on offense. But I'd get better help-side defense and rebounding out of the matchup.

-Wilt on Davis. Wilt would dominate this matchup, both sides of the ball.

[blueadams]

1. Magic
2. Jordan
3. Durant
4. Pippen
5. Bron

This is weird.

-I guess I'd run Jordan on Jordan.
-LeBron on Magic. Both great scorers. LeBron the much better defender. I'd give myself the edge there.
-Kobe on Durant is a pretty cool, close matchup. I think I'd get the better of it. But I'll call it a push.

Hakeem would abuse Pippen in the paint. Wilt would abuse LeBron in the paint. Your guys, LeBron in particular, could hurt mine from the perimeter. But we'd dominate the boards so badly.

[blueadams]

Just some general comments..

1) Defense does (or would) still matter in today's game. Just putting 3-pt shooters out there who can't guard is a mistake. Nash, Steph, etc.

2) Why does everyone have Scottie Pippen out there. Come on. He wasn't that good..

[Pharaoh]

If you're picking all time then Pip doesn't make it.

PG would be Stockton due to better D on all actual PGs as opposed to Magic or Zeke. Unless you wanna go Jerry West or Bob Cousy and they played a style that isn't comparable to today's game.

SG is obviously Jordan.

SF is Bird or Lebron. No one can compete with the total domination. What Bird lacked as an individual defender he more than made up for as a team defender and offensively

PF...how are people picking Hakeem? Duncan hands down without a shadow of a doubt

C - now Hakeem gets a look but you can't pick him and ignore Shaq.

Wilt and Russell are great BUT ain't no way they can handle Shaq in his prime. Ask Jordan!

Shaq, Duncan, Bird, Jordan, Stockton

Now someone will argue that their PG beats Stockton but that's rubbish - dude ran the PnR better than every other PG in the game, played intense D, hit clutch shots...ain't no one better at his position and he perfectly compliments the other players in this starting 5.

Someone will then claim Bird is a weakness...cause of his D. That completely overlooks the "team defense" this squad has and the offensive versatility he brings. You could use Lebeon here but his outside J isn't butter like Bird's and with Shaq/Timmy down low that extra spacing makes a huge difference

And if someone wants to dispute Shaq or Timmy...really? Ain't gonna find a better duo of bigs that not only compliment each other but actually enhance each other's strengths!

[blueadams]

If you're picking all time then Pip doesn't make it.

PG would be Stockton due to better D on all actual PGs as opposed to Magic or Zeke. Unless you wanna go Jerry West or Bob Cousy and they played a style that isn't comparable to today's game.

SG is obviously Jordan.

SF is Bird or Lebron. No one can compete with the total domination. What Bird lacked as an individual defender he more than made up for as a team defender and offensively

PF...how are people picking Hakeem? Duncan hands down without a shadow of a doubt

C - now Hakeem gets a look but you can't pick him and ignore Shaq.

Wilt and Russell are great BUT ain't no way they can handle Shaq in his prime. Ask Jordan!

Shaq, Duncan, Bird, Jordan, Stockton

Now someone will argue that their PG beats Stockton but that's rubbish - dude ran the PnR better than every other PG in the game, played intense D, hit clutch shots...ain't no one better at his position and he perfectly compliments the other players in this starting 5.

Someone will then claim Bird is a weakness...cause of his D. That completely overlooks the "team defense" this squad has and the offensive versatility he brings. You could use Lebeon here but his outside J isn't butter like Bird's and with Shaq/Timmy down low that extra spacing makes a huge difference

And if someone wants to dispute Shaq or Timmy...really? Ain't gonna find a better duo of bigs that not only compliment each other but actually enhance each other's strengths!

1) I love this response -- and the forthcoming debate.

2) Agree on Pippen. Always thought he was pretty overrated. Plus migraine-gate.

3) Stockton. I realize that West and Cousy were well-regarded defenders in their eras. But just watching youtubes and what not, I don't think either would be in today's game (imagine Bob Cousy trying to guard Magic Johnson. or Chris Paul being the greatest defensive guard of all-time in the sixties). The way the game is played now, though. Michael would be a pick and roll point guard. SG's are basically just deep-shooting wings. So.. if you wanted to go with a super stud defensive backcourt like me, with Michael and Kobe, you could. And I think you get better offense and defense from that group than you would with MJ and Stockton.

4) My old man's the biggest Bird slappy there is. Even he admits that he wouldn't stand a chance against LeBron. That guy is just a once in a generation freak. Too big, too strong, too fast, too athletic, too talented. Past his prime already. But damn was he great.

5) Name one thing Duncan can do better than Hakeem.

6) People overlook Wilt and Russell. They basically overlook just how great Wilt truly was. And as a result, Russell's amazing feat of defending him is overlooked. I'll focus on Wilt here. 7-1, 275lbs. An incredible, incredible athlete. Ran the 100m dash in under 11 seconds. Bench pressed over 500lbs. Won two Big12 conference championships in the high jump. Watch old film of him. Most people will tell you he was strong enough to just throw Shaq around like a rag doll. He ran up and down the court like a guard. Jumped higher than you've ever seen anyone jump. Played every minute of every game virtually. Led the friggin league in assists one season.

7) My team. PG: Jordan, SG: Kobe, SF: LeBron, PF: Hakeem, C: Wilt. I think that's about the best possible defensive squad that one could put together. I do wish it had some better outside shooters, though. But there seems to be a trade-off with athleticism/defense.

[MrBigShot]

I think it would be more interesting if we ruled out the top 20-25 guys to ever play the game, but otherwise my would consist of:

LeBron/MJ/Larry Bird/Duncan/Hakeem

[Pharaoh]

If you're picking all time then Pip doesn't make it.

PG would be Stockton due to better D on all actual PGs as opposed to Magic or Zeke. Unless you wanna go Jerry West or Bob Cousy and they played a style that isn't comparable to today's game.

SG is obviously Jordan.

SF is Bird or Lebron. No one can compete with the total domination. What Bird lacked as an individual defender he more than made up for as a team defender and offensively

PF...how are people picking Hakeem? Duncan hands down without a shadow of a doubt

C - now Hakeem gets a look but you can't pick him and ignore Shaq.

Wilt and Russell are great BUT ain't no way they can handle Shaq in his prime. Ask Jordan!

Shaq, Duncan, Bird, Jordan, Stockton

Now someone will argue that their PG beats Stockton but that's rubbish - dude ran the PnR better than every other PG in the game, played intense D, hit clutch shots...ain't no one better at his position and he perfectly compliments the other players in this starting 5.

Someone will then claim Bird is a weakness...cause of his D. That completely overlooks the "team defense" this squad has and the offensive versatility he brings. You could use Lebeon here but his outside J isn't butter like Bird's and with Shaq/Timmy down low that extra spacing makes a huge difference

And if someone wants to dispute Shaq or Timmy...really? Ain't gonna find a better duo of bigs that not only compliment each other but actually enhance each other's strengths!

1) I love this response -- and the forthcoming debate.

2) Agree on Pippen. Always thought he was pretty overrated. Plus migraine-gate.

3) Stockton. I realize that West and Cousy were well-regarded defenders in their eras. But just watching youtubes and what not, I don't think either would be in today's game (imagine Bob Cousy trying to guard Magic Johnson. or Chris Paul being the greatest defensive guard of all-time in the sixties). The way the game is played now, though. Michael would be a pick and roll point guard. SG's are basically just deep-shooting wings. So.. if you wanted to go with a super stud defensive backcourt like me, with Michael and Kobe, you could. And I think you get better offense and defense from that group than you would with MJ and Stockton.

4) My old man's the biggest Bird slappy there is. Even he admits that he wouldn't stand a chance against LeBron. That guy is just a once in a generation freak. Too big, too strong, too fast, too athletic, too talented. Past his prime already. But damn was he great.

5) Name one thing Duncan can do better than Hakeem.

6) People overlook Wilt and Russell. They basically overlook just how great Wilt truly was. And as a result, Russell's amazing feat of defending him is overlooked. I'll focus on Wilt here. 7-1, 275lbs. An incredible, incredible athlete. Ran the 100m dash in under 11 seconds. Bench pressed over 500lbs. Won two Big12 conference championships in the high jump. Watch old film of him. Most people will tell you he was strong enough to just throw Shaq around like a rag doll. He ran up and down the court like a guard. Jumped higher than you've ever seen anyone jump. Played every minute of every game virtually. Led the friggin league in assists one season.

7) My team. PG: Jordan, SG: Kobe, SF: LeBron, PF: Hakeem, C: Wilt. I think that's about the best possible defensive squad that one could put together. I do wish it had some better outside shooters, though. But there seems to be a trade-off with athleticism/defense.

Your picking guys out of position to support whatever ideals you have.

You're also saying West & Cousy can't get picked because the game is different now - then you pimp Wilt & Russell. Double standards there

At the end of the day it's one opinion vs another and while it's interesting to see who picks who it's pretty pointless to go round and round about it.

I believe my starting 5 is amazing, each player compliments the others with a clear #1, #2 & #3 option.

The only dude on your team who would take a backseat willingly is Hakeem, but he's disqualified cayse he's not a PF

[joedumars1]

Here's one with no one out of position

1. Magic
2. MJ
3. Bron
4. A. Davis
5. Big Ben