gm for a day - assemble best team from current nba players
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 5:54 PM PDT
65 comments
it's sunday and i should be studying for finals, but the bulls pistons game is on tv and i'd rather think about basketball.
the other day my friends and i were tying to play gm for an imaginary nba team, where we could pick any player we wanted and assemble the perfect team. here's some rules we set down before we started.
1. you can't just put the best player at each position, like an all-star game. we need players that will work well together.
we decided that we all wanted to build our team around lebron, for obvious reasons. so with that in mind, we set out to field a team to maximize his skills.
here's what we came up with....
POINT GUARD: we don't really need someone who creates/gets a lot of assisst,s since lebron basically initiates his own offense and gets his teamates involved. so we wanted a lock down defedner, a veteran leader who has won in the play offs, and a good shooter.
reason: chauncey billups.
reason: not a true point guard anyway, one of the best players in the league, leader, hits pig shots, consistantly has run championship calibur team.
SHOOTING GUARD: We didn't go with the obvious choice, kobe, because we all agree that kobe could never accept a scottie pippen role to lebron's jordan. you don't need two people on a team than need to dominate the ball in order to be effective. so here we wanted another good defender, a spot up shooter who hits three pointers fairly consistently.
best fit: this is the one i'm not sure about. rip hamilton is a good defender and he shoots 45% from three (55 for 116). we thought of ray allen, but he's a bit old. michael redd could work too. what do you guys think?
SMALL FORWARD: lebron. he's the first option on offense, to both create and to get his teammates involved. he lacks on defense, so we need to hide his defficiencies (at least until he gets better on the defensive side in a few years).
POWER FORWARD: Need a low post scorer who rebounds, is athletic, knocks down a midranger (three point range would be nice too), leadership a plus, doesn't need to slow the offense down to be effective in post, can get teammates involved.
best fit: garnett (over duncan, we felt duncan is so good we'd need to cater some of the offense to him, and we'd rather not take away from lebron. we feel kg could adapt better to lebron's style. duncan sort of commands his own style.)
CENTER: dominant dunker, rebounder. doesn't need the ball a lot. Good defender, strong.
BEST FIT: Dwight Howard. This one was pretty easy. lebron and howard on the same court would be pretty cool. lebron, kg, and howard would be an amazingly athletic group.
This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!
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sorry
You say you won't assemble an allstar team...
And then you assemble a team of
Billups
Redd, Hamilton, or Allen
James
Garnett
Howard
uHHHHHHh r u serious? Thats an all star team buddy
by NinerWarrior on Mar 9, 2008 7:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
he
chris paul point guard
kobe shooting guard
tim duncan power forward
amare stoudemier small forward
yao ming at center
by saintdee on Mar 9, 2008 8:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
uhh
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 8:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
um..
by saintdee on Mar 9, 2008 9:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haha
"Monta is the MAN." -Bob Fitzgerald
by WarriorForLife on Mar 9, 2008 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
LeBron
by peteb24 on Mar 9, 2008 11:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
asdf
If I were guarding LBJ I would give him 6 feet of room and dare him to shoot the ball, because he's barely an average shooter, if that.
by J Rich 4 MVP on Mar 10, 2008 6:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i would
by BD4mvp on Mar 9, 2008 7:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
really?
Biedrins for four points last night! woooooo!
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 9:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
you didn't think of that
don't touch biedrins
-he is sainted
build a team & destroy the roof
by Lat We N Trash on Mar 9, 2008 9:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
ughmmm
by 3Kings650 on Mar 9, 2008 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
you guess right son
build a team & destroy the roof
by Lat We N Trash on Mar 10, 2008 12:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
this is easy
Lebron himself said Kobe was the best player in the league, we can put all that scottie pippen nonsense to rest, Kobe would be the man. We have perimeter defense in the backcourt, we have explosiveness and further passing ability with lebron, we have a do it all powerforward who can shoot, defend rebound and pass, and we have the best garbageman in the nba, dwight howard, to clean everything up.
by bigbenny11 on Mar 9, 2008 7:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
why you're wrong
you're team doesn't have anyone that can consisently hit threes. so i think my team is better. you don't need a point guard like paul to dish out 13 assists per game cuz lebron would be the "point forward" if you will. billups would be a better fit for him because he doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time to be effective. same with ray allen/rip hamilton/michael redd.
wait, what was i thinking?
clearly the answer to this question is baron, monta, jax, pietrus, and biedrins. duh.
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 8:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nah
by Sleepy Freud on Mar 10, 2008 11:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
BD4mvp
5 kevin love's im sure iggy would have more than just a man crush he'd be a groupie to his team
by DoomBizzle on Mar 9, 2008 9:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Melbourne
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
impressive that your on here targeting little boys
by goldenstatewarriors on Mar 12, 2008 7:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
LOL
build a team & destroy the roof
by Lat We N Trash on Mar 9, 2008 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You
Pray for the guy
by B Randon on Mar 10, 2008 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
dream team
lebron james, s.g.
chris bosh, s.f.
dwight howard, p.f.
marcus camby, c.
how bout the kings knocking off the lakers tonight? the warriors could technically finish anywhere between 3-8 in the playoff seeding... anything can happen, really.
ps... the team i have described out would dominate.
by cwhitake on Mar 9, 2008 9:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
no doubt
monta ellis, s.g.
stephen jackson, s.f.
al harrington, p.f.
andris biedrins, c.
dot
build a team & destroy the roof
by Lat We N Trash on Mar 9, 2008 9:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
wow
and yer melbourne has a lot of tourists so sure you can have your opinion.
dont get angry cause you have a case of "KEVIN LOVE"
:)
by DoomBizzle on Mar 9, 2008 9:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
uhh
by BD4mvp on Mar 9, 2008 9:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
hey good one!
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Correct Diagnosis
This guy is mentally ill
by goldenstatewarriors on Mar 12, 2008 7:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
plus
by DoomBizzle on Mar 9, 2008 9:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ahhh
does anyone know where i can get a vaccination.
i dont want to get it.
by DoomBizzle on Mar 9, 2008 10:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Watch a UCLA game
Iggy, please give us another gem of snarkyness in response. :)
by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 10, 2008 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And please stay off the grammar
by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 10, 2008 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
hi
SG: Kobe
SF: Lebron
PF: KG
C: Dwight Howard
back up
pg: baron
sg: a healthy dwayne wade
sf: melo
pf: tim duncan
c: amare
by djchuckdeez on Mar 9, 2008 10:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
lebron
Last year, James raised eyebrows when he was quoted in ESPN The Magazine as saying he didn't have the same killer instinct as Bryant. Since then, though, he's been killing Bryant on the court and killing him with kindness off it.
"He's the most talented player in the game," James said in August.
"He's the No. 1 scorer in our league," James said in November.
"Kobe is dominant, he plays on the highest level all the time," he said in December.
"Kobe's still No. 1 to me," James said this weekend when asked whether he thought he could take over the mantle as the NBA's best.
"He's still the best player in the world," James said Sunday.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080128
Kobe bryant does not need to be the main ball handler to be happy, I'm not sure where you got that notion from. Remember how he demanded a trade because the franchise declined to get jason kidd? Jason kidd would have been the "main ball handler" in that role. Also my dream team would still have 3 guys who can knock down the 3, and it would come easier for them as every one of them commands a double team. be it lobbing it down to garnett or howard in the post, or driving and kicking out,my 3 perimeter players would all get way more open looks from the 3, which would make a difference to their percentages. The 3 would coexist simply by choosing when to pick their spots.
Also it's hard to compare which of our teams would be better, because we have identical frontcourts. A backcourt of chris paul and kobe though would just outclass chauncey and rip hamilton.
Lebron is by far the best scorer on your team, so why put more pressure on him to be a passer by playing him next to chauncey billups, whose more of a scorer than a good passer?
by bigbenny11 on Mar 9, 2008 11:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
i like your points
i guess my main problem with your argument is that you assume that kobe and lebron could actually coexist on a real nba team together, and you base this on quotes from lebron. just because he says things doesn't mean he means them. that's hearsay. it's not evidence. kobe is a prima donna. he rode shaq out of town. he needs to be the man, the highest scorer on the team. he needs to take between 20 and 30 shots a night to be successful. and so does lebron. i don't think teams with two players like that work (see the nuggets), so i excaserbate the problem by onl picking one: lebron.
the player on your team with the highest career 3pt percentage is kobe with 33.8% he's a streaky shooter, so is lebron, so is paul.
we have the same front court, so we're in agreement there. i just felt that, given that front court we both like, and given the fact that i want to build the team around lebron to maximize his potential (since his potential is to be the greatest player of all time, and because he could play point forward), all you need to round out the team is two guards that shoot high percentages, drive, and play hard defense. you don't really need kobe, because you have a ton of scoring from lebron and howard and kg.
that's how the bulls won in the past. they just created the best team possible around jordan.
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 11:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
thanks for the respect
I don't think Chauncey Billups would do this for lebron, so my point is that billups would not maximize the potential lebron has, A) because he's not a good fast break player, but more of a half court set one. B) because he's not a guy who demands a double team. and C) because he's just not that top rate of a passer!
The only area where you are correct is that billups would trump chris paul on defense, but on a team with kobe, garnett and dwight howard, they could play enough team defense to cover up any one player's minor deficiencies. Look at what a player's defensive presence like garnett can bring to a team like the celtics, where two of their best players in allen and pierce, not known for being good defensive players ever in their careers are part of a terrific team defense that I think is currently the best in the league right now. The biggest issue I see where my team is made or broken comes down to Kobe coexisting with Lebron. I sincerely believe that Lebron would easily differ to kobe, when it comes to taking last second shots remember, lebron has often deferred to his own subpar teammates! But still, I agree with you partially in that we can't deny that both players wish to be the best in the league, so with that I can't deny that the possibility of friction would exist.
by bigbenny11 on Mar 10, 2008 12:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
sorry
by bigbenny11 on Mar 10, 2008 12:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
alright, we're getting close
my counter argument is that lebron really is most effective when he handles the ball. he's not a great spot up shooter, he doesn't shoot midrangers that well, and he has no moves in the post. most of his offensive moves come from when he initiates his own offense, i.e. goes around a screen and shoots/dishes/drives and dunks/dishes. i think paul would only get lebron more dunks. wich would be tight.
it's not like the difference between billups and paul would be that big. both teams would be unreal. but if we're trying to maximize lebron, for the sake of the nba or history or something, i think we could accept him as the perfect point forward, and build the team accordingly, with great players that don't need the ball in thie hands consistantly. that's why the lakers have fisher and farmar. that's why the bulls had harper.
now, if you decided you wanted to build a team around paul, that's a different story. but for the sake of this thread i don't know why you would do that when both lebron and kobe are better options.
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 10, 2008 12:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
1-5... I'll take:
Paul Milsap
Craig Smith
Danny Fortson
Ike Diogu
by BingBluNT on Mar 9, 2008 11:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
This is easier than you make it.
sg: Ray Allen
sf: LeBron
pf: Duncan
c: Camby
Kobe and LeBron simply can't coexist as the No.1 option on a loaded team. You need guys that are effective without the ball and that can score on the inside and outside and defend the paint.
With Camby and Duncan on the inside, there should never be an uncontested layup. Camby doesn't need the ball, Allen needs the ball only when open, and can you imagine CP3 dishing to Lebron on the fast break? Ridiculous. This team can run or play in the half court. I fully believe that you don't need anything offensively from Camby (except boards) because the rest of these guys rarely have an off game.
Lastly, you're not going to have any character issues with these guys and they are all extremely competitive, something you can't say about D-Howard at this point. Camby is probably the least, but that's because he doesn't touch the ball in the last 2 minutes.
by peteb24 on Mar 9, 2008 11:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
PeteB24
Two changes:
- I'd sub out Allen for his younger version, Rip Hamilton. Rip is probably the best pure shooter in the game who also hustles on D, and he rarely needs the ball in his hands.
- I would consider subbing KG for either Duncan or Camby.
And my coach would be...
Gregg Popovich??
Jerry Sloan??
JVG?
Nellie?
My head is spinning.
by UncleCliffy on Mar 9, 2008 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah but
and camby just isn't good enough for the team. howard does the same but better. he doesn't need to ball a lot to be effective.
you need players on the team that don't need the ball a lot to be effective, because if i'm the coach, every offensive play goes through lebron somehow.
maybe i won't go with garnett because his post moves aren't his biggest strenght, and that's the same for lebron. so maybe duncan.
billups hamilton james duncan howard.
backourt defense. shooting from all areas of the court. low post scoring. low post passing. rebounding. i like my team.
by Iggy_Zohn on Mar 9, 2008 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
lol bingblunt
by bigbenny11 on Mar 9, 2008 11:16 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ok...
Format: PG/SF/SF/PF/PF
PG: Jordan Farmar
I want 2 things from PG: catch-and-shoot 3's and defense (esp. steals). Farmar gives me both; weak on the assists but he won't be handling.
SF: Lebron James
Lebron is the point-forward and first option on offense, and the 4th quarter man.
SF: Gerald Wallace
Wallace is a decent shooter and defender (blocks and steals) and he can finish off Lebron's passes.
PF: Brandon Bass
Bass can hit the midrange J and free throws, hustle player.
PF: Rasheed Wallace
Sheed is good on blocks, man defense on Duncans and Yaos, and threeeeeeeeeeeees. Also doesn't ballhog but knows when the team needs him to shoot crazy post up j's (like Baron)
Bench:
a veteran presence (like Eric Snow)
a 2-guard who's a pure shooter and decent defender to switch the style up
some backup big
and a cheerleader (MUTOMBO)
Strengths:
Good halfcourt offense, Lebron surrounded by all his jumpshooting homies and Wallace slashing. I guess this would be a jumpshot-heavy team, but in the good way, not the Bulls way. Also lots of 3s, because the Warriors do it and it works out okay. Passing doesn't completely suck.
Good defense, lots of steals and blocks to get out in TRANSITION, and nobody can beat Lebron and Wallace on the break.
Ultimate closer in Lebron.
Weaknesses:
Veteran presence? Sheed might be a bad role model. Also I think this team might be too stacked but just imagine Farmar is 32 and has bad knees.
by antihero on Mar 9, 2008 11:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Let Nellie coach
JRich
Kobe
LeBron
D12
by BingBluNT on Mar 9, 2008 11:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Just putting this one out there.
2.Kobe Bryant
3.Shawn Marion
4.Chris Bosh
5.Marcus Camby
Bench
Rajon Rondo
Monta Ellis
Gerald Wallace
Ron Artest
Ben Wallace
by DoomBizzle on Mar 10, 2008 12:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
again
really well
Chris Paul/Rondo
Monta Ellis
Kobe Bryant
Shawn Marion/Ron Artest/Gerald Wallace
Chris Bosh/Marcus Camby
and id probably want a 3 point specialist Maybe Kapono or an experienced vet. Brent Barry?
by DoomBizzle on Mar 10, 2008 12:09 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
umm
i kno you said it was imaginary but seriously, what is the point of this if its 100% impossible
by ElevationSensation on Mar 10, 2008 12:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
my squad would be
G Monta
thats best backcourt / chemistry points in paint in the league :P
C Okur
Since we going against iggy's howard, dwight cant guard 3pt line at all
Pf K<3 ooops wrong 1 ..
PF Boozer - always best effort, very tough.
and here it comes ....
SF Pietrus - can anyone say "shutdown d on lebron" in french :D
by farid on Mar 10, 2008 5:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Defense is the name of the game
PG Chauncy
SG Kobe
SF Marion
PF KG
C Duncan
All of these guys play solid defense and they're also above average offensively. They'd have the advantage at every position. You could put together a great offensive team, but only 1 guy gets to take the shot each time. You couldn't get a mismatch with any of these guys, and KG and Duncan can both shoot out to 15 feet to keep their defenders honest.
by Dubs fan in Boston on Mar 10, 2008 10:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
This one looks good:
SG Monta
SF Lebron
PF Boozer
C D-Train Howard
PG - BARON: really the best all-around point guard in today's game -- quick, can score with the best of them, can take over with the best of them, can pass, can DEFEND, etc. etc. (CP3 and Deron are close, but neither is as good a defender or scorer)
SG - MONTA: becoming unstoppable; D isn't great, but Baron would guard the SG (as he does now anyway); would do what he does now
SF - LEBRON: unstoppable; basically, he would fit with Baron so well it's really ridiculous; when Baron isn't passing, Lebron would be, when Baron isn't scoring, Lebron would be, and vice-versa, you get the idea; they would fit each other perfectly.
PF - BOOZER: brute strength, really solid rebounder, can score -- perfect fit on this team
C - D-TRAIN: just rebound and block and defend and catch the ally-oop, that's all we need on this team.
Pray for the guy
by B Randon on Mar 10, 2008 12:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
hmm
by dandydaniel on Mar 10, 2008 4:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
To counter your team
Cap'n Jack
Artest, after he gets the chip put in his head that makes him coachable. (Or Gerald Wallace after he gets a chip that makes him play consistent D!)
Boozer
Duncan
Monta, Brent Barry, Bowen, Josh Smith and Camby off the bench
Consider your team (except KG) shut down!
by buhdydub on Mar 10, 2008 5:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Kobe
Baron
Kobe
Marion/Artest (to guard Lebron)
Duncan
Yao
would defeat the team that I think approximates the average of the listed "best" teams
CP3
Ray Allen/Rip Hamilton (whoever the crazy GM picked instead of Kobe)
Lebron
Garnett
Dwight Howard
I then think that if you swtiched Lebron's teammates under this scenario with Kobe's, that Kobe would win again.
by Bucky on Mar 10, 2008 9:39 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
My Fave 5
Baron
Kobe
Lebron
Garnett
Howard
I don't think there's any combination of remaining NBA players that could compete with that superteam. In addition to the lights-out offense, their chemistry, defense, and rebounding would also be off the charts.
(i recognize that the intial post was arguing against the "superteam" concept, but it seemed like people gravitated toward it, so I thought I'd put my 2 cents in.
by Bucky on Mar 10, 2008 9:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
my team...
sg - how can you not put kobe here? if you're trying to build the best team, i'd say it doesn't really matter who's playing the pippen role...with him and lebron, it'd be more of jordan and jordan...both can put up 30 points
sf - lebron obviously...but iggy i think you're overvaluing lebron playing the point forward spot, where he looks to dish...if you actually watch, lebron has developed into a score first, pass second player (which is good). he's not out there looking to be the main assist man..which is why you still need a pass first point guard...also then by putting the ball handling pressure off lebron, he's free to just roam and stay aggressive as evidenced by his play in the olympics...
pf - kg...always focused on team first...he wouldn't mind just anchoring the defense and getting rebounds...him and kobe will provide the intensity
center - dwight howard...don't really need to explain here.
lastly with this squad you'll get enough 3's from deron, kobe, and lebron...you don't need a drop dead 3 point shooter
so that's my squad
pg - deron williams
sg - kobe
sf - lebron
pf - kg
center - dwight
by workz22 on Mar 11, 2008 4:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ps
by workz22 on Mar 11, 2008 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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