Starting a Franchise: Pop/Nash/Dirk or Riley/Payton/Garnett

[Purch]

Core 1:

Gregg Popovich
Steve Nash
Dirk Nowitzki

Core 2:

Pat Riley
Gary Payton
Kevin Garnett

[Kblaze8855]

Don Nelson had that core plus more...and he was considered pretty brilliant.

I assume Pop gets more out of them but it would depend on a lot of factors.

A GP/KG team coached by Riley wouldnt need much else to be a champion level defense. They would be a good defensive team on day one.

Id give them the edge because of that...even if Pop(given years) might build a culture that makes for better longterm winning.

[SCdac]

Prime Glove and KG with a great coach in Pat Riley sounds beast. Pop for his entire career has worked with probably the greatest defensive power forward to ever play the game so it would be really interesting/amusing to see him transition to building a defense around Dirk and Nash, and an offense for that matter. In other words, Duncan has been integral to perpetuating Pop's reputation as a 'defensive coach', and defense is essentially what's made the Spurs the Spurs over the years (see: last night's game winning block from Timmy). Not saying Pop couldn't / wouldn't adapt to a Dirk/Nash core but he kinda came up under a defensive coach in Larry Brown and saw that it was generally winning brand of basketball. Does prime Shaq, Duncan, and Kobe still exist in this scenario? lol

[Purch]

I don't think Don did a bad job with Dirk.. However I think a coach like Rick Carisle was much more effective at running a lethal offense by using Dirk as a threat in the high post.. I can imagine the Spurs Swing motion offense being ran .. With Steve Nash receiving the multiple screens that Tony gets on a giving possesion.. As well as Dirk creating out of the high post and low post with all the space in the world.

A swing motion would give Nash so many opportunities to score. Just Imagine the plays Parker runs, but with Nash's elite shooting, IQ, and passing ability

[Purch]

You're talking about Potentially one of the best offenses in history

[miles berg]

A good coach never had Dirk & Nash together. Would be interesting to see them play for Pop or Carlisle.

[Purch]

Also remember that this is just to start a franxhise.. As a Gm you'd then be adding role players to fit that core

[Kblaze8855]

A good coach never had Dirk & Nash together. Would be interesting to see them play for Pop or Carlisle.

In not a fan but Don Nelson did too much to not even give him "good" status.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Don Nelson's biggest flaw was also the reason why Dirk succeeded in the first place. But by that same token, Nelson also loved the underdog role so much that he always wanted an "out" for every situation.

As for the choice, I'd rather have Riley/KG/Payton. And I love Dirk.

Replace Nash with Jason Kidd and I'd take Pop/Kidd/Dirk over Riley/KG/Payton every time.

[L.Kizzle]

Payton got to the Finals with Shawn Kemp. KG is Kemp(X2)

Nash and Dirk in the early 2000s = Conference Finals.

[upside24]

Riley, Glove and KG.:eek:

[Silence]

Dirk and Nash would have had a really strong chance to win it all in 2003 if Dirk hadn't suffered that knee injury in game 3 of the western conference finals (which subsequently removed him from the rest of the playoffs).

[Akrazotile]

Altho I'd prefer rooting for Core 1, the answer from a competitive standpoint is Core 2

[raiderfan19]

Glove/dirk and Nash/ticket would make more sense as the player portion of the comparison.

[Wade's Rings]

I'd take Riley/Payton/Garnett.

[Harison]

Riley/Payton/Garnett has everything you need to win championship. Top1 defense, great offense, and a great coach.

Pop/Nash/Dirk, I'm not sure they could win without defensive presence, they would need an anchor. Even if they get one, they still would need to beat the other trio in series, which is a tall order.

[tpols]

Dirk and Nash kinda hurts because youve got 2/5 players in your starting lineup that cant really play defense at a high level.. even with pop its tough. We saw dirk and nash together anyways.. they werent really some all time dominating duo at all. Gary payton and KG would be like defensive kobe/shaq who couyld both score 20+ ppg.. and both are very tough and durable so this is pretty much a no brainer.

[Genaro]

Payton and KG can give you elite offense and both of them can play well on the off too (maybe not as good as the other 2 but still very good)
Riley was a great coach too. So I take them

[Nets fan 93]

Riley Payton Garnett. Both were great hard nosed defenders, there would be a lot of offense generated off of their defense and KG was no slouch on offense in his prime and same with the glove both putting up ppg in the mid twenties

[Pointguard]

Pop would keep fouling Payton and Garnett. The game would take three days. KG and Payton would talk so much trash their stomachs would hurt. Pop would tackle the intravenous people. Close game despite no one seeing it develop that way.

[Pointguard]

The funny thing is if Dirk and Nash have a solid pick settter, it would help a whole lot.

[Smook A.]

Give me Riley/Payton/Garnett. You get a great coach in Pat Riley, and two amazing players who played ferocious defense. Pop is obviously one of the GOAT coaches, and the combination of Nash and Dirk would be an offensive force but great defense combined with good offense is always better than great offense and average/bad defense. Always.

[midatlantic09]

Riley/Payton/KG

[jstern]

When I read the question I picked Pop, Nash, and Dirk, but after a few seconds it just hit me, definitely Riley, Payton And Garnett.

[StephHamann]

Team A obviously has a much higher IQ.

IQ wins you games over raw athleticism, team A also has the GOAT IQ coach, so team A all the way.

[AkronAngel]

Give me Riley with the 2 way players over Pop with the offensive players.

[Killbot]

Godfather/Glove/Ticket

[MEB2kDeez]

Riley, Payton and Garnett

[DMAVS41]

You'd really have to get into the 3rd guy to really know.

I'd go with Payton/KG if we know nothing else. Nash and Dirk isn't that great of a fit. Really don't compliment each other all that well even on offense. Nash is better suited with a guy like Amare on offense actually and obviously the defense really suffers with Nash being a historically awful defender.

Would make more sense to pair up Nash/KG and Payton/Dirk like someone said earlier.

It would take something like Nash/Avery Bradley/Ariza/Dirk/Tyson....

You'd need 3 good to great defenders to surround Nash/Dirk to beat a Payton/KG team with equally good players.

[Purch]

I was thinking Payton/Dirk vs Nash/Garnett made more sense.. But posting on Realgm you realize that Garnett and Nash are advanced stats gods so it would have been unfair to post them on that board lol

[HylianNightmare]

Riley Payton and KG for me

[iamgine]

Lets add Phil/Stockton/Duncan and Sloan/Magic/K.Malone

[Harison]

Lets add Phil/Stockton/Duncan and Sloan/Magic/K.Malone
Phil/Stockton/Duncan

[GimmeThat]

Derozen instead of Finley.

Leonard with the FMVP. I cant believe it!!!