Take any starting line up and put all those players in their peak/prime. best team?

[Dr Seuss]

Looking at any starting line up in NBA history and putting each of those players in their peak or prime (your choice); what team do you think would be best?

IE: 2004 lakers? one of the 80's lakers teams? or even the failed Laker experiment of an older nash and injured dwight?

Does lebrons year with Shaq have a fighting chance if the MDE was the MDE during that time?

BOS in 2010. Rondo, Pierce, KG, Sheed, Allen?

[SouBeachTalents]

2004 Lakers
1969 Lakers
1999 Rockets
2011 Celtics

[Fire Colangelo]

2011 Celtics

Rondo
Allen
Pierce
Garnett
Shaq

2014 Nets

Deron Williams
Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Brook Lopez

2015 Spurs

Tony Parker
Manu Ginobili (I know he comes off the bench but just for this topic)
Kawhi Leonard
LMA
Duncan

Just a few recent ones.

[bdreason]

I don't know about "best", but there are some pretty interesting options.


How about the 2001 Blazers?

Pippen
Sabonis
Kemp
Schrempf
Strickland
Anthony
R. Wallace
D. Stoudemire
Steve Smith
Dale Davis
Stacey Augmon


All in their primes? That's some crazy talent.

Depth chart;

PG: Rod Strickland / Damon Stoudemire
SG: Steve Smith / Stacey Augmon
SF: Scottie Pippen / Detlef Schrempf
PF: Shawn Kemp / Rasheed Wallace
C: Arvydas Sabonis / Dale Davis

[Dr Seuss]

I don't know about "best", but there are some pretty interesting options.


How about the 2001 Blazers?

Pippen
Sabonis
Kemp
Schrempf
Strickland
Anthony
R. Wallace
D. Stoudemire
Steve Smith
Dale Davis
Stacey Augmon


All in their primes? That's some crazy talent.

yeah best may have been too specific, but thats a great team :applause:

[Dr Seuss]

2011 Celtics

Rondo
Allen
Pierce
Garnett
Shaq


good night league

[fpliii]

Not best, but never mentioned.

2000 Phoenix Suns:

Jason Kidd
Penny Hardaway
Shawn Marion
Tom Gugliotta (1997 All-Star; 20.6/8.7/4.1/1.6/1.1)
Luc Longley

[Fire Colangelo]

good night league

With prime Jermaine O'Neal coming off the bench too iirc :pimp:

[Levity]

Not best, but never mentioned.

2000 Phoenix Suns:

Jason Kidd
Penny Hardaway
Shawn Marion
Tom Gugliotta (1997 All-Star; 20.6/8.7/4.1/1.6/1.1)
Luc Longley

:applause:

07/08 suns should get a nomination too

nash
hill (though, bell was their starting 2. a prime version of grant would start at any perimeter spot)
marion (he was their 4 at this point, but eh)
diaw
stat.

[Akrazotile]

2011 Celtics

Rondo
Allen
Pierce
Garnett
Shaq

2014 Nets

Deron Williams
Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Brook Lopez

2015 Spurs

Tony Parker
Manu Ginobili (I know he comes off the bench but just for this topic)
Kawhi Leonard
LMA
Duncan

Just a few recent ones.



It's this

[aj1987]

'14 Heat as well. Not saying that they'd be the best, but a really good team.

PG - Wade/Chalmers
SG - Allen/Wade
SF - LeBron/Battier
PF - Bosh/Lewis
C - Andersen/Bosh

[LAZERUSS]

If you count Baylor's nine games in the 71-72 season...

A peak West, Baylor, Wilt, Goodrich, and Hairston would be pretty hard to beat.

[Fire Colangelo]

'14 Heat as well. Not saying that they'd be the best, but a really good team.

PG - Wade/Chalmers
SG - Allen/Wade
SF - LeBron/Battier
PF - Bosh/Lewis
C - Andersen/Bosh

06 Heat would've been good too

Payton/Williams
Wade/Anderson
Walker/Posey
Mourning/UD
Shaq/whoever

Spacing is kind of ****ed, but theres tons of talent.

[bdreason]

'97 Rockets would be scary with a prime Drexler, Barkley, and Hakeem trio.

[Levity]

if we could pretend to give Lowry the starting job over brooks/alston (think one of those two started)

09 rockets

lowry
battier
mcgrady
artest (scola started at 4, but fck it)
yao

certainly not the best, but still a team you wouldnt want to match up with in the playoffs

[Akrazotile]

The '11 Mavs in their primes with Mike Dantoni as coach.


Kidd
Terry
Peja
Marion
Dirk

:lebronamazed:



edit: that wasnt their starting lineup in 11 so slight fail on my part. still a cool team.

[aj1987]

06 Heat would've been good too

Payton/Williams
Wade/Anderson
Walker/Posey
Mourning/UD
Shaq/whoever

Spacing is kind of ****ed, but theres tons of talent.
I was gonna say the '06 Heat first, but that team, as you said, has shit spacing.

[LAZERUSS]

The 83-84 Lakers...

Wilkes, Worthy, McAdoo, Magic, Cooper, Scott, Swen Nater, and Kareem.

[ClipperRevival]

The 83-84 Lakers...

Wilkes, Worthy, McAdoo, Magic, Cooper, Scott, Swen Nater, and Kareem.

That's unreal. You have the expected Magic, KAJ and Worthy but add in PRIME McAdoo and Wilkes along with Coop and Scott? :applause:

[LAZERUSS]

That's unreal. You have the expected Magic, KAJ and Worthy but add in PRIME McAdoo and Wilkes along with Coop and Scott? :applause:

And the 6-11 Nater led the NBA in rpg in the '80 season (and in only 36 mpg) with 15.0 rpg...in a league that averaged 45 rpg per team.

[ralph_i_el]

2012-13 Lakers:

Kobe
Dwight
Nash
Artest
Antwan Jamison

6th man:

Pau

Jamison would be sick as a stretch 4 around Nash and Dwight

[Gotterdammerung]

'97 Rockets would be scary with a prime Drexler, Barkley, and Hakeem trio.

Came in here to post this. :cheers:

Then again, the best version of Clyde Drexler plus Barkley plus Hakeem would make for a better, more cohesive team than just their prime selves.

Clyde Drexler was better before he developed knee problems after 1992. Even though that season, the 1991-92 season is widely considered his best year, having come second in the MVP vote, a younger more athletic Clyde Drexler would fit the hypothetical Houston Rockets team, one that would run the floor more often, crash the boards, etc., etc. Say, Drexler of 1989.

Charles Barkley was probably at his best in 1990, when he was totally dominant from the field and didn't take too many dumb three pointers off the bounce. A younger Barkley, probably not as mature as he was in 1992, would make the Rockets even more powerful on the offensive boards and play hot potatoe with Clyde on the fast break. He wouldn't have to worry much about the defensive boards or defense, because Hakeem would still control the interior.

Hakeem in 1995 was slightly past his physical prime, not as dominant on the boards, but he reached his peak on offense that year. The Rockets could go to him in the halfcourt and watch him totally decimate his defender(s). Once he was doubled, they could toss it back to Maloney outside or to Barkley and Clyde off the bounce. :hammerhead:

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

That Rockets team vs the Celtics team.

KG:
Great jumpshooter, scrappy rebounder, beautiful offensive player, solid blocker, very very decent passer
vs
Barkley
Much stronger than KG, not quite as versatile offensively, superior rebounder

and

Shaq:
Of all players of all time, He is the one you want closest to the the rim on D and in the paint on O. Period.
vs
Dream

How would the frontcourt stats end up looking like?

[hateraid]

C'mon now!
My 84-Sixers!

Cheeks
Toney
Doc
Barkley
Moses
Jones

[ShawkFactory]

C'mon now!
My 84-Sixers!

Cheeks
Toney
Doc
Barkley
Moses
Jones
Best answer so far. A bunch of stars are nice but even the dream team needed the perfect humbleness.

72 Lakers is mine

[kennethgriffin]

pretty obvious its


PG - Gary Payton = 24/6/9
SG - Kobe Bryant = 35/5/5
SF - Rick Fox = 15/5/4
PF - Karl Malone = 31/11/3
C - Shaquille O'neal = 30/14/4



/thread

[Wade's Rings]

There was a thread done on this last month but to answer the OP: '85 Sixers, '97 Rockets, '99 Rockets, '11 Celtics, '13 Lakers, '04 Lakers, '06 Heat, '13 Spurs, and the '13 Heat.

The '09 Suns are underrated Nash/Hill/Amare/Shaq

[kennethgriffin]

C'mon now!
My 84-Sixers!

Cheeks
Toney
Doc
Barkley
Moses
Jones

Payton >>>>>>>>>>>>> Cheeks
kobe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Toney
Fox <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Doc
Malone = Barkley
Shaq >>>>>>>> Moses

[kshutts1]

As a team, the Blazers get crazy underrated.

As just a starting 5? It's gotta be the Lakers.

But another team to mention just because it's fun... 05/06 Nuggets

Andre Miller (didn't start, but I said it's fun)
AI
Melo
KMart (also didn't start)
Camby

Two elite chuckers surrounded by defensive players and a steady PG vet? Solid. If only there was spacing...

[kennethgriffin]

if its entire rosters


the 2000 portland trailblazers are the greatest team ever


all prime



1 Rasheed Wallace
2 Scottie Pippen
3 Steve Smith
4 Damon Stoudamire
5 Arvydas Sabonis
6 Detlef Schrempf
7 Greg Anthony
8 Brian Grant
9 Bonzi Wells
10 Jermaine O'Neal
11 Stacey Augmon

[kshutts1]

'01 Sonics...
Payton
Brent Barry
Lewis
Baker
Ewing

'02 Magic
Armstrong
TMac
Hill
Horace Grant
Ewing

[fpliii]

The same teams are brought up every time a thread like this is made. Show your basketball knowledge and post some teams never to be mentioned.

[Alamо]

Not starting lineup but 2013 Spurs


Parker
Ginobili
McGrady
Diaw
Duncan

[rmt]

The same teams are brought up every time a thread like this is made. Show your basketball knowledge and post some teams never to be mentioned.

Well, other than the before mentioned Lakers and Celtics teams, I'll plug the 03 Spurs. With prime Drob, Duncan, and Bowen, the defense would be awesome. Throw in prime Parker, Manu, SJax. Not beating the LAL/BOS teams, but not bad.

[Wade's Rings]

The same teams are brought up every time a thread like this is made. Show your basketball knowledge and post some teams never to be mentioned.

I posted the '09 Suns, I doubt anyone has mentioned them In previous threads.

[aj1987]

pretty obvious its


PG - Gary Payton = 24/6/9
SG - Kobe Bryant = 35/5/5
SF - Rick Fox = 15/5/4
PF - Karl Malone = 31/11/3
C - Shaquille O'neal = 30/14/4



/thread


How do you not know ANYTHING about basketball. The spacing on that team is absolute shit.

[Marchesk]

Payton >>>>>>>>>>>>> Cheeks

Payton is better, but not tons better than prime Cheeks. Cheeks would compete.


kobe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Toney

You're underrating Toney a bit here. He had a short prime, but he was a very good offensive threat. Kobe's better of course, but again, not tons better.


Fox <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Doc

Here's the one real mismatch.


Malone = Barkley

Fair enough.


Shaq >>>>>>>> Moses

Prime Moses Malone was a 3 time MVP. Shaq is better, but not by much. Moses was a superior rebounder.

The 76ers can bring prime Bobby Jones off the bench, and the advantage swings to them.

[hateraid]

Payton >>>>>>>>>>>>> Cheeks
kobe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Toney
Fox <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Doc
Malone = Barkley
Shaq >>>>>>>> Moses

Are you out of your mind???

The gap between Fox/Erving is a much bigger difference than from Kobe/Toney. Andrew Toney in his prime is a top 10 calibre SG.
Fox isn't a top 50 SF while Julius is arguably the 3rd best ever.
Cheeks and Payton are much closer, and Shaq vs. Moses could have Shaq as a slight advantage. Moses could hit free throws which makes him less of a liability.


This would be far more accurate

Payton >> Cheeks
Kobe >> Toney
Fox <<<<<<<<< Julius
Malone = Barkley
Shaq > Moses

[hateraid]

Payton is better, but not tons better than prime Cheeks. Cheeks would compete.



You're underrating Toney a bit here. He had a short prime, but he was a very good offensive threat. Kobe's better of course, but again, not tons better.



Here's the one real mismatch.



Fair enough.



Prime Moses Malone was a 3 time MVP. Shaq is better, but not by much. Moses was a superior rebounder.

The 76ers can bring prime Bobby Jones off the bench, and the advantage swings to them.

Sums it up right there :cheers: