GOAT starting five... with a catch

[Prometheus]

All player versions must be from a single year.

Example:

88 Magic
88 MJ
88 Bird
88 Barkley
88 Olajuwon

Not only is this an example... it's my pick to start this game.

Is there any year in NBA history in which you think you could round up a better starting five?

[StephHamann]

2011 Rose
2011 D.Wade
2011 Lebron
2011 Dirk
2011 Dwight Howard

[Lebronxrings]

2011 Rose
2011 D.Wade
2011 Lebron
2011 Dirk
2011 Dwight Howard
/thread

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Honestly 88 is probably it...

[Milbuck]

2001:

Jason Kidd
Kobe Bryant
Tracy McGrady
Tim Duncan
Shaquille O'Neal

[SouBeachTalents]

OP's is probably best, but here's mine

PG- Oscar '62
SG- West '62
SF- Baylor '62
PF- Russell '62
C- Wilt '62

[lakerspng]

2001:

Jason Kidd
Kobe Bryant
Tracy McGrady
Tim Duncan
Shaquille O'Neal

besides just the obvious scoring ability, defensively this is a terrific team. Kidd and Kobe in the back court that year were two of the best defensive players in the league on the perimeter and Duncan and Shaq in the front court.... would be really hard to score on them and they have enough long range (Kobe, T-Mac) and low post scoring (Shaq, TD) that there's really no way you can double anyone and not get torched and with J Kidd's passing...

I'd put that team against anyone, including OP's.

[MP.Trey]

62 Oscar (The triple double season)
62 Jerry West (31/8/5)
62 Baylor (38/19/5)
62 Russell (19/23/4, MVP)
62 Wilt (50 ppg)

Game over.

[BlkMambaGOAT]

86 Magic
86 MJ
86 Bird
86 M. Malone
86 Hakeem

[dr.hee]

All player versions must be from a single year.

Example:

88 Magic
88 MJ
88 Bird
88 Barkley
88 Olajuwon

Not only is this an example... it's my pick to start this game.

Is there any year in NBA history in which you think you could round up a better starting five?

Don't know. The thing is, that kind of team looks awesome on paper and would be the best choice 2k style going after overall ratings. In real life though, there are points of diminishing returns you'd have to take into account as well. Not saying I can construct a better team, it's hypothetical of course. But personally, I'd go with another approach, just for a change.

I'll take 2003 as an example, trying to build a functioning team. Including bench ideas as well:

03 Kidd/03 Francis
03 T-Mac/03 Francis
03 Marion/03 Peja
03 Duncan/03 Dirk
03 Wallace/03 Duncan

I know I know...looking forward to one sentence statements on why this won't work and get torched by any other team in this thread. And I'd agree that I don't have better players individually. But still, I think this kind of concept is far more interesting than dicussion whether year x version of Wilt is better than year y Kareem. If we go by individual players, we'll have the usual all time draft teams over and over again.

So just throwing out an idea here. With my team, I have very good players fitting various roles and a good coach should be able to create a nice concept working with that roster. Nothing redundant about that team. At some point, fitting skills are more important than individual star power. Look at what a player like Boris Diaw did for the Spurs last season. Would the team have been better with a bigger name instead of him? Not necessarily. The same with the generic all time draft teams. They look awesome on paper, but there's only one ball. And I'm not sold on the idea of ball dominant superstars just automatically being able to function off the ball on a team with 4 other superstars.

[toooo]

2013 CP3
2013 reddick
2013 Dudley
2013 BG32
2013 DJ

[Lebronxrings]

2013 CP3
2013 reddick
2013 Dudley
2013 BG32
2013 DJ
Stacked. They had no excuses and lost.

[Im so nba'd out]

i guess ill be the one to say it...

2013-2014
Chris Bosh
Rashard Lewis
Kevin Durant
Dwyane Wade
Mario Chalmers

[Soundwave]

88 Magic
88 Jordan
88 Bird
88 Malone
88 Hakeem

[HOoopCityJones]

2001:

Jason Kidd
Kobe Bryant
Tracy McGrady
Tim Duncan
Shaquille O'Neal

This Team is the best and everybody knows it.

[buddha]

93

John Stockton
Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen
Karl Malone
David Robinson

[robert_shaww]

93

Stockton
Jordan
Pippen
Barkley (m.v.p)
Olajuwon

[toooo]

Stacked. They had no excuses and lost.

"Dudley" and "stacked" shouldn't ever be used in the same sentence.