Team building game 2013. Now with coaches and a prize that isnt worth your time.

[QUOTE=Kovach]I actually made the team with Worthy as the 1st option in mind, but I forgot how underrated his scoring ability is. Oh well...[/QUOTE]

Worthy was a great player, didn't win an finals MVP for nothing. However, you must admit that he is not a good choice as the player whose shoulders you're putting the scoring load on every night. He's not proven to be that player. I might think differently about it if his supporting cast had more proven scorers, but Dale Ellis and John Stockton are not going to cut it.

Any takes on my team?

[QUOTE]Coach: George Karl (4)
C: Mutombo (3), Noah (4), Bradley (7)
PF: Horace Grant (5), Horry (5)
SF: Pippen (2), Prince (6), Kapono (7)
SG: Curry (4), Cooper (6)
PG: Payton (2), Terry (5)[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Brunch@Five]Worthy was a great player, didn't win an finals MVP for nothing. However, you must admit that he is not a good choice as the player whose shoulders you're putting the scoring load on every night. He's not proven to be that player.[/QUOTE]
He wasn't really given a chance tho. By the time Magic retired his legs have given up. Worthy is a specific case, more I watch his games more I'm stunned by what I see. He was just as explosive as Bernard King and had an equally quick release. And in the post he was Hakeem of the forwards.
Anyways, I do not wish to derail this thread any further, thanks for your opinions :cheers:

kshutts1 > I suppose Mo Williams could be replaced by say Raymond Felton or even Jason Terry and Mike James by a Mo Peterson. Neither of them are the most crucial pieces.

Turkoglu's a risky choice, but I think it works out well with Hakeem. Certainly worked out well with Howard, he was one of the main reasons Orlando reached the Finals in 2009.
He's actually a difficult player to replace, in that he can work as a stretch 4 ala Horry but also play a quasi point guard role, allowing me to put in a scoring backcourt. Not many players in the history of the league fit that description.


Note that if you're worried about Turkoglu's defense on 4s, it's also possible to go with a mismatch lineup with Turkoglu at the 3, Hakeem at the 4 and Eaton at the 5, for instance.

Group 2

2 from 2
Yao ming
durant

1 from 3
Rodman

3 from 4
Tom thibodeau
Igoudala
Brandon Roy

3 from 5
Micheal Redd
Barbosa
Okur

2 from 6
Jose Calderon
Mcgee

2 from 7
Steve novak
Anthony parker

Coach:Tom hibodeau

Depth Chart
Yao Ming/Mcgee
Rodman/Okur
Durant/Iggy/novak
Brandon Roy/Micheal Redd/Anthony parker
Jose Calderon/Barbosa

Mcgee simply for the highlights
Defense for the 2nd unit could be better but meh, whatever
pretty fun thread, got me out of lurking :D

[QUOTE=Kblaze8855]Tell you what...if we looked at this as a keeperl eague...where they got to grow and gel...that team wins 2-3 rings even with this insane competition. Kyrie/KD/peak 29ppg Ewing with a 6'8'' do it all all star George who is like....24? Noah the "Insult the other teams fanbase and shut down pick and rolls" guy....Kirk off the bench throwing a blanket on guards....OJ and JR the best combo of off the bench scorers you could get....Jefferson in Nets form who would be an insane 9th man....with 2 shot blockers in low enough minutes to not worry about foul trouble....so they are all out on EVERY attempt in the lane? And Novak to help space the floor now and then with Durant on the other wing?

Only weakness is Kyrie possibly getting lit up vs some of these backcourts and finding the balance between Ewing and Durant when Ewing is in "Give me the ball" mode and KD defers too much. Let Ewing settle into 22-25 a game mode...KD takes over in the 4th...with Kyrie more likely to not get in his way than Westbrook with Ewing always an option and Kyrie if the play breaks down?

That team could compete with any team ever in a 7 game series.

Not my sure winner so far for a one year thing...but let Kyrie/George peak with a still prime KD and Ewing in like 92-93 form?

[Reference you dont get]Oh my god...DANGER![/You were born in the 90s][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the props.

I like my idea of going with Ewing and KD. I don't think either would get in the way of the other - in fact I think the inside out combo they would provide would be deadly.

The youth with the guards makes the teams potential really have no limits. Kyrie and Paul George are already All Star players, having them as option 3a and 3b is a luxury to say the least. I also think both players have a winning attitude and would put team first, especially realizing the potential this squad would have.

The size of my team alone would be tough for anyone to handle, pair that with the defensive mind of Thibs and it gets really dangerous. There is some great depth off the bench, but I also see that being the only area where egos would get in the way. OJ Mayo - JR Smith pair off the bench could get interesting.

If I were to make one change to the team, I'd likely swap OJ Mayo for Nate McMillian. I feel as the team has plenty of offense, and a guy like McMillian would help the ball move on offense, and be able to provide defense off the bench.

Give me....

Coach: Stan Van Gundy (4)

PG: Stephen Curry (4) / Jason Terry (5)
SG: Michael Cooper (6) / J.R. Smith (5) / Bruce Bowen (6)
SF: Ron Artest / Shane Battier (6) / Steve Novak (7)
PF: Larry Nance (4) / Horace Grant (5) / Earl Clark (7)
C: Wilt (1) / Mark Eaton (5)

Offense:
In essence, this is what SVG had in Orlando, except this time with a center 5000000x better than Dwight, and more versatile scoring threats in Artest and Curry. Curry, IMO the greatest shooter we've ever had in this league, will light it up from the perimeter as Wilt diving hard on PnR's creates open scoring opportunities. Larry Nance and Artest were both 20ppg scorers in their primes, and provide other threats so that a defense cannot successfully double the most dominant player ever to play the game. Horace Grant, an integral title piece on the Bulls 1st three-peat, makes an appearance along with the Jet and JR to run pick and rolls and create havoc off the bench. Novak and Clark are reliable backups that will rain it in from outside and provide some energy and spark off the pine.

Defense:
Defensively, you have two DPOY's in the starting lineup and a third probable one in Wilt. In addition, coming off the bench, you have the single-season blocked shots record holder in Mark Eaton, the defensive-savvy and game changing Shane Battier and Bruce Bowen to hold leads until the starters come back in. Defensively, outside of Wilt and Eaton, the team can virtually switch everything and with their length and athleticism, wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Wilt and Nance mask Curry's defensive deficiencies and allow him to leak out on the break for transition opportunities.

I'm going with Group 2.

Coach: Tom Thibodeau (4)

Starters:
PG: Gary Payton (2)
SG: James Harden (Now) (3)
SF: Scottie Pippen (2)
PF: Serge Ibaka (6)
C: Marc Gasol (4)

Bench:
SG/SF: Paul George (4)
PG/SG: Jason Terry (Mavs) (5)
C: Mehmet Okur (Prime Jazz) (5)
PF: Horace Grant (5)
SG: Arron Afflalo (6)
PF/C: Larry Sanders (7)
SF/PF: Steve Novak (7)

On offense, any of Gary Payton, James Harden, Scottie Pippen, or Marc Gasol can run the show; with any of Payton/Harden/Pippen running pick and rolls/pick and pops with Ibaka or Gasol, Marc or Scottie running the offense through the high post, or post-ups for Gary, Scottie, or Marc - where they pass it to open cutters, or find the open man out of the double-team.

Off the bench are Jason Terry, Arron Afflalo, and Paul George, all of whom shoot the three well, and are able to create their own shots, Horace Grant, who can hit the mid-range jumper and crashes the offensive glass well, Mehmet Okur, a center with excellent three-point shooting ability, Larry Sanders, a very active PF/C, and Steve Novak, who is only out there to shoot 3's and little else.

Defensively, with Gary Payton and Scottie Pippen manning the perimeter, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol defending the interior, and with Thibs at the helm; this team will be quite hard to score on. Even Harden will improve on defense with Coach Thibodeau's scheme and coaching; but if he's having trouble with his assignment, Paul George and/or Arron Afflalo can come in to lock it down. When Payton's out, Jason Terry has to defend the PGs. On the interior, Ibaka and Gasol are very good defenders - man, help, and pick and roll - , and are supplemented with Horace Grant, Larry Sanders, and Mehmet Okur.

(2) Payton
(2) Paul Pierce
(3) Dennis Rodman
(4) Tom Thibodeau
(4) Paul George
(4) Joakim Noah
(5) Robert Horry
(5) Mark Eaton
(5) J.R. Smith
(6) Tayshaun Prince
(6) Michael Cooper (can't pass this guy up :p)
(7) Kurt Rambis
(7) Manute Bol

PG - Gary Payton/Michael Cooper
SG - Paul George/J.R. Smith
SF - Paul Pierce/Tayshaun Prince
PF - Dennis Rodman/Robert Horry/Kurt Rambis
C - Joakim Noah/Mark Eaton/Manute Bol

[QUOTE=Rizko]I've also think that Hinrich was a good pg to match with a more ball dominate shooting guard (Roy was pretty ball dominate and worked better with Steve Blake as opposed to Andre Miller)[/QUOTE]

This is why I don't get why I've seen people pairing Roy with Miller.

[QUOTE]It

One from each method:

bird 1
ak47 4
Dale ellis 4
Coach thibbs
Chandler 5
mookie blaylock 5
Theo Ratliff 5
richard jefferson 5
cooper 6
James Posey 6
ibaka 6
Eddie house 7
jason kapono 7

Mookie/Cooper/house
Ellis/Posey/rjeff
ak47/rjeff/Posey/kapono
bird/ibaka/ratliff
chandler/ibaka/ratliff

Coach Thibbs

We'll ride Bird at the 4 for tricky low/high post action as our focal point. Ellis our secondary option with catch and shoot play. Thibbs can work out top level defense with that kind of lineup. AK47 covering the top swingman, or even a 4 a lil quick for Bird. 2nd team D is even tougher.
_________

Option 2

Nash 2
Durant 2
Rasheed 3
Camby 4
Eddie Jones 4
George Karl 4


Redd 5
Laphonso Ellis5
Jr Rider 5
Ben Gordon 6
Okur 6

Stromile 7
Alvin Williams7


Nash/Barbosa/Williams
Ejones/Redd/Gordon
Durant/Rider/Ellis
Sheed/Ellis/Stromile
Camby/Okur/Stromile

George karl drive and kick ball. 4 folks with range + good slashers. Also, nash/sheed nash/durant/ pick and rolls.

On D, a lot of long arms and instincts, more than enough to cover for nash.

Oh, and karl uses the NC connection to keep sheed's head in the game. Victory!

This time, Group 1.

Coach: Frank Vogel (6) - Since taking over the Pacers from Jim O'Brien in 2011, his teams have clinched a playoff berth in three straight seasons. His teams are great defensively, and have improved on offense.

[U]Starters:[/U]
PG: Stephen Curry (4) - Great 3pt. shooter. Can create for himself or others. Can play off-ball. Excellent free-throw shooter.

SG: Raja Bell (Suns) (5) - Great catch-and-shoot 3pt. shooter. Great perimeter defender. Very good free-throw shooter.

SF: Paul George (4) - Very good 3pt. shooter. Can create for himself or others. Can play off-ball. Great perimeter defender. Very good free-throw shooter.

PF: Tim Duncan (prime) (1) - Franchise cornerstone. Great post game. Good passer. Good mid-range jumper. Excellent all-around defender for a big. Great rebounder. Okay free-throw shooter.

C: Mehmet Okur (Prime Jazz) (5) - Great 3pt. shooter for a big. Great free-throw shooter. Okay at everything else.

[U]Bench:[/U]
PG: Jason Terry (Mavs) (5) - Great 3pt. shooter. Can create for himself or others. Can play off-ball. Great free-throw shooter.

SG: Michael Redd (5) - Very good scorer. Very good 3pt. shooter. Great free-throw shooter.

SF: Bruce Bowen (6) - Tenacious perimeter defender. Great at corner 3pt. shots.

PF: Serge Ibaka (6) - Great all-around big-man defender. Excellent shot blocker. Very good mid-range shot. Shoots the spot-up 3 on occasion. Good rebounder. Okay free-throw shooter. Athletic.

C: Andrew Bynum (2010-2012 healthy) (4) - Great post game. Great all-around defender for a big. Great rebounder. Okay free-throw shooter. Injury-prone.

SF/PF: Steve Novak (7) - Great 3pt. shooter. Great free-throw shooter.

PF/C: Larry Sanders (7) - Great all-around big-man defender. Excellent shot blocker. Great rebounder. Poor free-throw shooter.

Offense will be PG pick and roll/pop with the bigs and post-ups for Duncan and Bynum. Duncan can run some things from the pinch post. Curry, George, Terry, and Redd can create their own shot if needed.

[QUOTE=ThaRegul8r]This is why I don't get why I've seen people pairing Roy with Miller.

This is what happened in actuality. So I don't get why anyone would deliberately put them together knowing this.

:confusedshrug:[/QUOTE]

I assume it's a combination of 3 things:

1. A lot of people like having pure points who can run an offense effectively, which has always been Andre Millers strong suit, and without looking at the list I'd imagine that Miller would be one of the best "value picks" for that type of player.

2. People like to pick the most talented players available (and most people associate talent with what you can do with the ball) and just assume chemistry will work.

3. A lot of people might have forgotten that Miller and Roy had issues playing together (I almost did and was going to pick Miller until I thought about it).

Speaking of that, that was actually one of the issues I had with picking Roy. He's always liked having the ball in his hands, but I built this team to run more thru Hakeem and to be more of a ball movement offense, which Roy might have issues with, but I offset that by getting as many players who could effect the game without the ball with there shooting/defense/rebounding/toughness so that Roy would do most of the perimeter play making (iso/pn'r) and Hakeem would do the post/interior play making.

I've always respected your opinion and would appreciate a quick analysis from you on my team. Same with you Kblaze. I don't expect to win, i just picked a team that I thought would work well together.

I like the Duncan/curry team above. Managed a team with 5-6 all stars with a tier 1.

Bored, just going to go again:

Group 2: Chris Paul & Paul Pierce
Group 3: Elton Brand
Group 4: Andrei Kirilenko, Stephen Curry, Marcus Camby
Group 5: Mike Dunleavy, Andre Miller, Theo Ratliff
Group 6: Cuttino Mobley, Taj Gibson
Group 7: Steve Novak, Craig Smith


Mike Dunleavy led:
Starters: Chris Paul (SG) - Stephen Curry (PG) - Paul Pierce (SG) - Elton Brand (CE) - Marcus Camby

Bench:
6th Man: Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF/CE)
7th: Andre Miller (PG/SG)
8th: Cuttino Mobley (SG/PG/SF)
9th: Taj Gibson (PF/CE)
10th: Theo Ratliff (CE)
11th: Craig Smith (PF/SF)
12th: Steve Novak (SF/PF)

Versatility and chemistry are the keys here. Starters have Inside/Outside offense along with one of the best points of all time and the Truth. Camby is the garbage guy on offense who gets all of the weakside blocks.

Bench is full of guys who have come off the bench and would cause no chemistry issues as well. Good D with AK, Cat, Theo & Dre. Long range threats in Sure Shot Steve and Cat. Inside scoring with Craig Rhino Smith. Just balanced as well

[QUOTE=qrich]Bored, just going to go again:

Group 2: Chris Paul & Paul Pierce
Group 3: Elton Brand
Group 4: Andrei Kirilenko, Stephen Curry, Marcus Camby
Group 5: Mike Dunleavy, Andre Miller, Theo Ratliff
Group 6: Cuttino Mobley, Taj Gibson
Group 7: Steve Novak, Craig Smith


Mike Dunleavy led:
Starters: Chris Paul (SG) - Stephen Curry (PG) - Paul Pierce (SG) - Elton Brand (CE) - Marcus Camby

Bench:
6th Man: Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF/CE)
7th: Andre Miller (PG/SG)
8th: Cuttino Mobley (SG/PG/SF)
9th: Taj Gibson (PF/CE)
10th: Theo Ratliff (CE)
11th: Craig Smith (PF/SF)
12th: Steve Novak (SF/PF)

Versatility and chemistry are the keys here. Starters have Inside/Outside offense along with one of the best points of all time and the Truth. Camby is the garbage guy on offense who gets all of the weakside blocks.

Bench is full of guys who have come off the bench and would cause no chemistry issues as well. Good D with AK, Cat, Theo & Dre. Long range threats in Sure Shot Steve and Cat. Inside scoring with Craig Rhino Smith. Just balanced as well[/QUOTE]

great team, except that center is denoted by C, not CE

[QUOTE=chips93]great team, except that center is denoted by C, not CE[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I know. Just an OCD of mine with the other positions having two letters to note them by and center only one :oldlol:

[QUOTE=qrich]Yeah, I know. Just an OCD of mine with the other positions having two letters to note them by and center only one :oldlol:[/QUOTE]

Then, just think that if you write CE you will have only one position noted by a letter which is not an initial of the word. That's ugly, no?

Did one with the other option..

Group 1: Shaq
Group 4: Noah, Peja, Coach Thibs
Group 5: Andre Miller, Nick Anderson, JR Smith, Okur
Group 6: Kirk Hinrich, Shane Battier, Ibaka
Group 7: Steve Novak, Ramon Sessions

Coach Thibs

PG: Andre Miller/Kirk Hinrich/Sessions

Andre would start, but Kirk would play just as much - and the team would definitely go with a hot handed Kirk over Miller on any given night. Both provide a calmness on the court, and neither cares about their stats - would force feed Shaq.

SG: Nick Anderson/JR Smith/Kirk Hinrich

Nick Anderson provides as a solid starting 2 guard. JR Smith as a deadly scoring weapon off the bench - just another guy to help spread the floor for the big guy. Kirk Hinrich provides combo guard ability to play the 2 if needed.

SF: Peja Stojakovic/Shane Battier/Novak

Peja is a nice fit alongside Shaq, and is probably the one who gains the most from having Shaq inside. Great player to have spread the floor. Shane Battier provides the defense mentality off the bench, but can still help spread the floor. Novak is just a value pick, and another shooter to help spread the floor if needed.

PF: Noah/Ibaka/Okur/Battier/Novak

Noah is a must have after I picked Coach Thibs. Great size for the PF and is a great perimeter defender. Would gobble rebounds, could start a break by himself, and is a GREAT passer. Ibaka provides more size/length/defense off the bench. Okur is another big who can stretch the floor. Battier and Novak just provide more depth/versatility at the 4.

C: Shaq/Okur

I don't really need to justify Shaq lol, but the dominate inside presence that the team is built around. Nobody would get in his way inside, he'd have the paint to himself on offense - and would have guys all over the place to make the defense pay for bringing doubles. Okur provides great depth as well.

Doing one with tier 1:


Coach: Charles Barkley (7)
C: Tyson Chandler (5), Joakim Noah (4), Brad Miller (6)
PF: Anthony Mason (4), Boris Diaw (6)
SF: Ron Artest (4), Hedo Turkoglu (5)
SG: Michael Jordan (1), Michael Redd (5), Anthony Parker (7)
PG: Mookie Blaylock (5), Avery Johnson (6)


Defense:
This team has incredibly toughness and defense in its starting 5. All 5 made an All-D team in their prime. Everyone from SG and up are tremendous rebounders.
Mookie will hound the opposing teams PG full-court, knowing he has MJ and Artest to play the passing lanes, Mason to deliver hard fouls if necessary and Chandler down low. Swingmen will not see the light with MJ and Artest shutting them down. There also is Joakim Noah off the bench.
Offense:
Michael Jordan, the best scorer of the modern era. Chandler, Mason and Artest to feed off him. Off the bench there is Redd, a 25+ scorers in his prime and Hedo, a point forward that can also hit the outside shot. If you wanna play a more fluent, passing-motion offense, this team can bring in Diaw and/or Miller.
While this team is not strong at the PG position, both Mookie and especially AJ are great playmakers and will fit fine next to MJ. Clearly this is a half-court set-offense team.
Coaching:
This team does not have a coach; Barkley is little more than a mascot, albeit respected by his peers. However, Avery Johnson and Michael Jordan will both act as player-coaches during games. Especially the starting 5 is savvy and has high BBall IQ to absorb the lack of a coach.

Even supposed that talent does not favor my team, it certainly has the toughness, BBall IQ and leadership to go toe-to-toe with any team. Also, it has Michael Jordan.

[QUOTE=Brunch@Five]Doing one with tier 1:


Coach: Charles Barkley (7)
C: Tyson Chandler (5), Joakim Noah (4), Brad Miller (6)
PF: Anthony Mason (4), Boris Diaw (6)
SF: Ron Artest (4), Hedo Turkoglu (5)
SG: Michael Jordan (1), Michael Redd (5), Anthony Parker (7)
PG: Mookie Blaylock (5), Avery Johnson (6)


Defense:
This team has incredibly toughness and defense in its starting 5. All 5 made an All-D team in their prime. Everyone from SG and up are tremendous rebounders.
Mookie will hound the opposing teams PG full-court, knowing he has MJ and Artest to play the passing lanes, Mason to deliver hard fouls if necessary and Chandler down low. Swingmen will not see the light with MJ and Artest shutting them down. There also is Joakim Noah off the bench.
Offense:
Michael Jordan, the best scorer of the modern era. Chandler, Mason and Artest to feed off him. Off the bench there is Jefferson and Redd, a 25+ scorers in his prime and Hedo, a point forward that can also hit the outside shot. If you wanna play a more fluent, passing-motion offense, this team can bring in Diaw and/or Miller.
While this team is not strong at the PG position, both Mookie and especially AJ are great playmakers and will fit fine next to MJ. Clearly this is a half-court set-offense team.
Coaching:
This team does not have a coach; Barkley is little more than a mascot, albeit respected by his peers. However, Avery Johnson and Michael Jordan will both act as player-coaches during games. Especially the starting 5 is savvy and has high BBall IQ to absorb the lack of a coach.

Even supposed that talent does not favor my team, it certainly has the toughness, BBall IQ and leadership to go toe-to-toe with any team. Also, it has Michael Jordan.[/QUOTE]

Sick team (if coaches didnt matter alot). I'd actually let Avery coach the team and have Chuck be my backup PF :lol

[QUOTE=wally_world]Sick team (if coaches didnt matter alot). I'd actually let Avery coach the team and have Chuck be my backup PF :lol[/QUOTE]

thanks. Avery would certainly be the better coach. Good thing I don't even rely on him to play at all. Mason, Hedo and MJ can easily take over ball-handling duties whenever Mookie if off the floor. Especially with a team playing the triangle or a motion offense. In any case you can just give MJ the ball :oldlol:

Kblaze, can you take a look at my earlier team? it's on page six and it's a team based off option one

despite little feedback, decided to do another one :oldlol:

Coach: Greg Popovich

C: Vlade Divac (4), Tyson Chandler (5)
PF: Rasheed Wallace (3), Robert Horry (5), Larry Sanders (7)
SF: Detlef Schrempf (4), Shane Battier (6)
SG: Drazen Petrovic (4), Dell Curry (6), Anthony Parker (7)
PG: Jason Kidd (2), Mookie Blaylock (5)

This team's x-factor obviously is Rasheed Wallace. But if there is one coach that can get prime Sheed under control, it's Greg Popovich together with a great leader like Jason Kidd. Vlade, Det and Drazen provide that calm European competitiveness that prevents that team from being infected by Sheeds antics.
This team has tremendous BBall IQ to go along with Pops coaching. Although primarily a running team with Kidd at the helm, this team can run Pops compley sets in a half-court offense to perfection.

Going to go and try option 1 now with no feedback on either of my first two sides:

Group 1: Shaq
Group 4: Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko, David West
Group 5: Mike Dunleavy, Maurice Williams, Andre Miller, Jamal Crawford
Group 6: Taj Gibson, Tim Thomas, Marcin Gortat
Group 7: Leon Powe, Mo Peterson

Mike Dunleavy:
PG: Maurice Williams | Andre Miller
SG: Brandon Roy | Jamal Crawford | Mo Peterson
SF: Andrei Kirilenko | Tim Thomas
PF: David West | Taj Gibson | Leon Powe
CE: Shaquille O'Neal | Marcins Gortat


Most dominant ever with three guys to spread the floor in the starting unit and two other good defenders.

[QUOTE=qrich]
Mike Dunleavy led:
Starters: Chris Paul (SG) - Stephen Curry (PG) - Paul Pierce (SG) - Elton Brand (CE) - Marcus Camby

Bench:
6th Man: Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF/CE)
7th: Andre Miller (PG/SG)
8th: Cuttino Mobley (SG/PG/SF)
9th: Taj Gibson (PF/CE)
10th: Theo Ratliff (CE)
11th: Craig Smith (PF/SF)
12th: Steve Novak (SF/PF)

Versatility and chemistry are the keys here. Starters have Inside/Outside offense along with one of the best points of all time and the Truth. Camby is the garbage guy on offense who gets all of the weakside blocks.

Bench is full of guys who have come off the bench and would cause no chemistry issues as well. Good D with AK, Cat, Theo & Dre. Long range threats in Sure Shot Steve and Cat. Inside scoring with Craig Rhino Smith. Just balanced as well[/QUOTE]

I like that team a lot, on offense that is. They will be hard to stop there. Defensively it's above average at best IMO. Neither Camby nor Brand are defensive anchors players like Pierce and Paul need to really be effective on D as well. The bench offers little versatility except for AK47, no one else to really take off the load from the starters. No one you'd really want to play heavy minutes instead of your starters in a given scenario.

This looks more like a regular season team to me, though I might be nitpicking.

[QUOTE=qrich]
Mike Dunleavy:
PG: Maurice Williams | Andre Miller
SG: Brandon Roy | Jamal Crawford | Mo Peterson
SF: Andrei Kirilenko | Tim Thomas
PF: David West | Taj Gibson | Leon Powe
CE: Shaquille O'Neal | Marcins Gortat


Most dominant ever with three guys to spread the floor in the starting unit and two other good defenders.[/QUOTE]

That team has a nice set-up. David West is the kind of a PF you want next to Shaq. Roy could play the Kobe 00-01 role to perfection. Kirilenko never is a wrong choice. However, it just feels to me that everyone but Shaq is just a notch too bad to really put this team over the top, compared to other teams that have been put together. This team could also use a consistent outside shooter, rather than Tim Thomas, would I think adds nothing to this team, especially when you put him at SF.

Sorry to be negative in both my feedbacks :cheers:

Kobe & the "Kobe-stoppers"

Coach: Del Harris (5)

PG: Andre Iguodala (4) / Tony Allen (6) / Smush Parker (7)
SG: Kobe (03-10) (1) / Raja Bell (Suns) (5) / Doug Christie (5)
SF: Tayshaun Prince (6) / Ruben Patterson (6)
PF: Lamar Odom (4) / Horace Grant (5)
C: Andrew Bynum (2010-2012 healthy) (4) / Kwame Brown (7)

In Rotation: Iggy, Kobe, Tayshaun, Lamar, Bynum, Smush, Tony Allen, Raja, Horace Grant, and Kwame.

Del Harris, who held back young Kobe as the first coach of the Shaq-Kobe Era Los Angeles Lakers, is back to stop Kobe once again.

Kobe is surrounded by "Kobe-stoppers", past and present, including self-proclaimed Kobe-stopper himself, Ruben Patterson. Former teammates of Kobe during the "Smush-Kwame" Lakers Era, Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom, and Andrew "Ship his ass out" Bynum are also back to stop Kobe.

This should be a great team defensively, as every perimeter player - sans Kobe - on the team is a Kobe-stopper. Odom is an active defender and Horace, Bynum, and Kwame are great interior defenders.

Can Kobe overcome the odds against more talented, better coached teams?

I got two Teams:

Coach: Adelman
C: Shaq
PF: Horace Grant
SF: Detlef
SG: Roy
PG: Andre Miller
Bench: Battier, Ratliff, Ibaka, Horry, Mobley, Rambis, Legler.

Coach: Bird
C: Ewing
PF: LMA
SF: Grant Hill
SG: Eddie Jones
PG: Steph
Bench: Ratliff, Dennis Scott, Horry, Hinrich, Battier, Rambis, Sessions.

The first team is basically Shaq & defensive bigs. Some shooters, one explosive scorer in Roy and a point foward type in Schrempf.

The second is built around Grant Hill's playmaking and Ewing and LMA who both can take it to the post but also shoot the midrange. It was very important to have PGs, who can play off the ball, but can also create plays for others, when Hill rests. Jones receives the perimeter D duties.

awesome thread...got me out of lurking to post my team since I put some thought into it :) hoping to hear your thoughts on this kblaze

Coach: Thibs

C: Ewing / Nene
PF: Rodman / Millsap / Sanders
SF: Durant / Prince
SG: Rip Hamilton / JR Smith / Novak
PG: Curry / Afflalo

No real "theme"...just a good mix of offense and defense that can come together and play good ball.

Scoring:
Prime Ewing was a beast, he can give you 30 points any given night. The same goes for Durant obviously. Millsap is very skilled and can get you points inside. Nene and Curry can get you points too if needed. JR is a scoring punch off the bench, Rip and Prince can hold their own offensively too. There are basically no offensive liabilities on this team, since I think offense is more important than defense (though only slightly). Lots of different ways of scoring, would be hard to stop this team from getting 120 a night.

Rebounding:
Rodman. Enough said. Ewing is good on the boards as well. Durant is tall and long and can get boards too if he tries (refer to the beginning of this season). Millsap and Nene get you 10 boards a night easily if they need too. Everyone else is adept too for their positions. Very solid rebounding team.

Defense:
Rodman... one of the greatest defensive players ever - he'll shut down pretty much any front court player. Ewing can play tough defense too. Durant is long and tall, and a pretty decent defender if he tries (probably underrated on this board. Rip Hamilton and Prince are proven excellent defensive players (see 2004 pistons). Afflalo and Sanders are nice too, they can play scrappy D. The team could be excellent defensively, especially with Rodman anchoring and with Thibs coaching.

Shooting/Spacing:
We all know what Durant can do. Novak is great. Rip Hamilton and Prince can shoot. JR isn't bad (though admittedly inconsistent. Curry and Afllalo are solid shooters as well. Spacing and shooting should be great overall.

Chemistry:
Durant is efficient and doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time, can easily share the scoring load with Ewing and defer when necessary. Rodman doesn't need touches, and Rip and Hamilton are unselfish players that can play off the ball. None of the guys off the bench have big egos either. Thibs could get this team to play great team ball.


Pretty sure I win :D

[U]Initial Draft planning (and justification of picks, some team level stuff omitted and put in later[/U]
First order of business, if I'm creating an all-star (or semi-all-star) team, I don't want high usage, below average efficiency, high turnover pg.
I want passing, defence, shooting accuracy and range then scoring as a bonus. Frazier, Paul, Stockton, Nash, Payton and Kidd fulfil most of those. Kidd wasn't a great shooter at his apex, Nash was a below average defender and Payton wasn't as controlled or efficient on O as most of the other, peak on O and D at different times and generally seems like a slightly worse version of Frazier.

Of what's left Stockton's the best passer, Frazier the best defender, Paul is the best creator (for himself and others) and has the best advanced stats.
It's tough and probably not popular because it's taking modern over legends but I'm picking Chris Paul.

Next up a big time scorer (again low mistakes / high efficiency required). McGrady, Durant, Gervin and McAdoo all fit the bill. Gervin far too shoddy a defender. McAdoo was tempting but raw numbers are inflated by playing 43mpg, and he can't defend his position if he's a C. For Durant v McGrady the comparison were over more than one year then it's definitely Durant. As I'm interpreting peak as getting the very best version it's a real competition. McGrady proved he could take a higher load than Durant has ever had too, and had significantly fewer miscues, Durant shot significantly better. Durant has an edge on the boards, McGrady in assists. Defense wise both have okay numbers, McGrady might have more upside if he's not being asked to carry such a huge offensive load and can guard 2 positions (sf, sg) wheras Durant can really only defend the 3.

Again very tough, again not popular because McGrady washed out, didn't hold peak level etc, but very marginally I lean McGrady (this is a toss up though).

From pack 3 it was Love, Lanier or Thompson. Stats make Love v Lanier close, but Love has been a poor defender whilst Lanier was apparently able to switch out on forwards and guards as well as clog the middle. If Lanier we need 2 forwards, so a choice of 2 from Mason, Kirilenko, Bobby Jones and Larry Nance. If Thompson McGrady moves to forward center becomes an issue demanding Bynum plus one big forward.
I'll take Lanier, and at their peaks, Nance and Kirilenko (higher peaks plus Mason has some character issues).
[U]
Probable Starting 5 and team based logic/analysis[/U]
Lanier
Nance
Kirilenko
McGrady
Paul

(Stats below refer to peak year)
4 of 5 shoot 49%+ (and McGrady gets to the line enough to make up, and also this isn't the '03 Magic so with a usage slide he might be around that mark, Kirilenko should should rocket up his fg% and take his ts% even higher if we can minimise the 3 ball from his game), 5 ball hawks (all better than a steal a game), 4 versatile, multi-position defenders. Three shot blockers (plus maybe McGrady if he's got his Toronto legs back with a lesser load). Three elite shot creators, plus two above average ones who did very well off the ball with worse pgs than Chris Paul (Nance 22.5 on .551 from the field with Jay Humphries, Kirilenko 17.3ppg .493 but also .599 ts% with Carlos Arroyo, Keith McLeod, Howard Eisley and Raul Lopez combining to man the point). No black holes (all above 3apg) and mostly low mistake players (Lanier at 3.5 turnovers a game is a slight concern). No late game liabilities (all above 77%+ from the free throw line). The team can run with some elite athletes, or as noted there are shot creators in the halfcourt game. There's flexibility and spacing in the offense because everyone can shoot out to 15+ feet (as noted in the free throw point).

The offense runs firstly through Paul, though McGrady and Lanier will get their shots, with the exterior guys running some pick and roll and pick and pop with Lanier (with the other guard probably in the corner and Nance and AK47 looking at cutting for a dump off or second chance points where possible/appopriate). McGrady especially may get some run with the second unit as a major ball handler and the primary shot creator.

[U]The bullet point logic behind the team[/U]
Can't key in on one player, multiple shot creators, no offensive dead weight.
All high % shooters (McGrady possible exception but he should be on this team with lower usage).
Mostly low mistake players (only Lanier high in turnovers).
Everyone plays both ends (McGrady the only relative concern at this point, Lanier at his apex was a good defender, and my hope is McGrady can bring his Toronto D with a lower offensive load, if not there are wings on the bench to come in as stoppers and McGrady can light up other teams 2nd unit).

[U]6th Man[/U]
Jeff Hornacek. A deadeye shooter, high IQ, high character guy. Capable of playing the point. Smart, above average defender (good team D). Has an array of shots as well as the deadly 3 ball. Can create his own shot, but also very dangerous off the ball.

[U]Bench[/U]
Muresan 7
Grant 5
Battier 6
Elie 6
Blaylock 5

Off the bench it was difficult to pass up top notch scorers like Pierce and Redd (both of whom played the microwave role well in Milwaukee). But I wanted a bench unit, especially on the perimeter, who can change the game through defense (especially for if McGrady were slacking). Blaylock is one of the premier defensive point guards of all time, Battier the fabled "no stats all-star" and king of +/- and Elie the forgotten man who just quietly provided elite shooting and defense for three championship teams. Horace Grant at his apex was integral in directing the Doberman defense of Jordan and Pippen and he could do the same here if the team decides to platoon. Finally big Gheorge provides a big deterrent to would be rim attackers. Platooning here is possible as peak Blaylock and Muresan could create their own shots (and Blaylock was a 3 shooter at his best). But the decision to go with defensive aces who are (mostly) efficient but not as high usage (passed on the likes of Cedric Maxwell or Millsap opting for Grant, and Blaylock instead of Redd or Ricky Pierce) is a consequence of seeing 3 strong shot creators in the first unit so probably one of these will be playing with any semi-platooned, mostly reserve lineup. Blaylock is a touch less controlled than I like my PGs but he’ll probably play with a Hornacek and/or McGrady who can share playmaking responsibilities. As with the first unit I didn’t want any one way players though as noted above defense was a priority so there’s a little less shot creation here but all are accurate from the field, there’s floor spacing, most are willing passer (Big Gheorge could be a black hole, but then he typically got good looks). Also I’ve looked to guys who are willing to take a backseat in terms of the limelight and should be willing to come off the bench (Grant might get a 50:50 split with Nance at PF or close to, so only Blaylock is of any concern there).

With the last pick there was a temptation to go with another defensive force like Bol or Bradley. But I want players who can play both ends of the court, and neither is the rebounder you'd hope for. Sparkplugs like Stromile Swift (and worse versions of him Ty Thomas and Keon Clark) were a vague possibility but I wanted higher character (and b-ball IQ) from a probable end of the bench guy. Kurt Rambis was very tempting, providing hustle, defense, rebounding, high percentage shooting, low mistakes and a great team guy. But I think I've got the PF position covered. I couldn't pass up on a peak Muresan who at his best was per 36 minutes an 18-12 with 3 blocks on 58% from the field guy. Okay you couldn't play him that because of conditioning/health or fouls. But he brings a matchup problem, a 2nd unit shot creator, a two end player and an intimidator. Not bad for a 7th rounder and his fellow bigs (likely Nance or Grant, but also Lanier or Kirilenko) are mobile enough to help cover for and compliment him.
[U]
12th Man[/U]
Just realised I’ve still got a bench spot left. As chief towel waver plus energy, IQ, rebounds guy I select Kurt Rambis. With Nance and Grant on board Rambis probably only sees garbage time, but he lived with low minutes in LA.

[U]Coach[/U]
Del Harris

The coaching choice here is Del Harris. I'm happy to get a coach of his quality this late. A basketball lifer, a defensive guru (who wrote a book on defense) an NBA and Sporting News coach of the year. A strong combination of Xs and Os and fieriness, He leaned towards a slower pace game (which suits us for any hypothetical playoffs we may be in) he could adapt his style depending on the roster (his 61 win '98 Lakers had the highest pace in the league). He was also noted for being superb at preparing his team for opponents.

Feedback is welcomed.

[U]Worst Team [/U]
Start with Barkley a devastating scorer and rebounder. But also at worst he could be an inconsistent (lazy) defender, a ball dominator, with a dubious commitment to conditioning and a potentially unstable locker room force. So I want to create a group that brings out the worst in him by taking his shots, shooting badly, defending poorly and behaving like jerks.

[U]Initial Team Plan[/U]
Frye, Milicic or Closs
Barkley, Walker,
Elliott, Beasley
Rose, Rider
Crawford, Raymond Felton

Coach: Leno/Bayless/Barkley

Part of me wants to have Barkley player coach, to double down on his frustration, his lack of tact etc. But I don't know if that's in the rules. Then again I also want Leno or Bayless. Leno is possibly more demotivating in terms of picking someone outside of basketball and has less knowledge. But then theoretically he might get his assistants to do the coaching (so I'm ruling Jay out), whilst Bayless is arrogant enough to believe he can coach a team and his lack own lack of tact and shall we say "simple" view of the game. The risk with choosing Bayless is he may (surely must) just be playing a role and so won't coach as the persona "Skip Bayless", the risk of choosing Barkley is he's motivated by coaching himself and is all the more invested. I'm tempted to have them co-coach as has occasionally happened in soccer and Jerry Buss nearly let happen with West and Riley. But that feels like cheating too, putting in two level seven guys.

Elliott is a relatively strong character guy, but fits with the reasonably with the one dimensional scorer motif and I'm hoping the atmosphere can affect him and his confidence to get him into his Detroit form (after which he was described as

(2)Patrick Ewing, John Stockton

(3)Jerry Sloan

(4)Dale Ellis, Buck Williams, Brandon Roy

(5)Horace Grant, Michael Redd, Doug Christie

(6)Michael Cooper, Brad Miller

(7)Ramon Sessions, Ike Austin

Coach: Jerry Sloan

C: Ewing, Miller, Austin
PF: Williams, Grant
SF: Ellis, Cooper
SG: Roy, Redd, Christie
PG: Stockton, Sessions

Ewing/Williams manning the paint, an alltime great shooter in Dale Ellis with elite playmaking from John and the scoring prowess of a prime Brandon Roy.
It also has a well balanced bench that has elite defenders, a great shooter and unselfish passers.

I would probably use Doug Christie as a point guard ala Ron Harper on the Bulls to backup Stockton and if it doesnt work I still have a very capable backup in Ramon Sessions.

Was really thinking of getting Isiah Thomas instead of John but was persuaded otherwise by the fact that I already have Jerry Sloan as coach.

from group A
coach : Frank Vogel
blaylock/jason williams
jordan/laphonso ellis/bell
p.george/earl clark
noah/ibaka
m.gasol/mcgee

if jordan could win it with luc longley then he would go bananas with this team :D

from group b
coach : thibodeau
rondo/blaylock/sessions
pippen/jr smith/tony allen
durant/jefferson
noah/ibaka
m.gasol/asnders
the you will never score on us team
blaylock tony allen pippen noah and gasol along with thibs = every game we set record for fewest game ever :D
noah and gasol both are very good passers and post up
pippen will guard anyone who is a threat instead of durant
rondo is teh little general
durant will be like 25~30 ppeg
jr smith will be microwave off the bench
and ibaka with sanders will bring energy from the bench and solid defence

[QUOTE=AndOn3]Kblaze, can you take a look at my earlier team? it's on page six and it's a team based off option one[/QUOTE]


[QUOTE]Coach: Stan Van Gundy (4)

PG: Stephen Curry (4) / Jason Terry (5)
SG: Michael Cooper (6) / J.R. Smith (5) / Bruce Bowen (6)
SF: Ron Artest / Shane Battier (6) / Steve Novak (7)
PF: Larry Nance (4) / Horace Grant (5) / Earl Clark (7)
C: Wilt (1) / Mark Eaton (5)[/QUOTE]

Im getting the feeling you are building a super up version of Dwights Magic.

Wilt is Dwight on roids...will settle for low shots long as he gets the ball similar to swight....Curry>Jameer Nelson by a lot. Plus terry off the bench? cooper/Bruce/JR all shoot. Artest/Nance/Wilt are a great defensive frontcourt.

Plus shooters who can play the 4....eaton to mop up minutes when Wilt only wants 44.

I happen to know Wilt hated but came to accept the 3....but I dont know if he accepts his team shooting 800. But if he did...he plays Dwight role twice as well.

For all the talk about Wilt not showing this or that...he sure as hell showed more skill than Dwight usually does. Added to that hes a legit 7'1'' and Dwight is what? notch under 6'10''? Wilt is also much heavier...and a great passer which Dwight has yet to become?

I could see them playing spoiler to one of these super talented teams...then getting knocked out when a team has 2 quick guards and Cooper can only guard one o them.

Curry cant keep his ankles in one piece as it is. Id love to see him one on one vs Tim Hardaway with 2 minutes left up 1.

Cool idea, I'll just make a team as a fun thought experiment.

Group 2: Penny (94-98) and Grant Hill (95-00)
Group 3: Sheed (prime)
Group 4: George Karl, Vlade (prime), Drazen
Group 5: Tyson Chandler (Hornets to now), Cedric Maxwell, Horace Grant
Group 6: Muggsy, Michael Cooper
Group 7: Alvin Williams, Larry Sanders

PG - Penny/Muggsy/Alvin Williams
SG - Drazen/Cooper
SF - Grant Hill/Cedric Maxwell/Anthony Parker
PF - Sheed/Horace Grant/Larry Sanders
C - Vlade/Tyson Chandler

Coach - George Karl

[QUOTE=Kblaze8855]Im getting the feeling you are building a super up version of Dwights Magic.

[B]Wilt is Dwight on roids[/B]...will settle for low shots long as he gets the ball similar to swight....Curry>Jameer Nelson by a lot. Plus terry off the bench? cooper/Bruce/JR all shoot. Artest/Nance/Wilt are a great defensive frontcourt.

Plus shooters who can play the 4....eaton to mop up minutes when Wilt only wants 44.

I happen to know Wilt hated but came to accept the 3....but I dont know if he accepts his team shooting 800. But if he did...he plays Dwight role twice as well.

For all the talk about Wilt not showing this or that...he sure as hell showed more skill than Dwight usually does. Added to that hes a legit 7'1'' and Dwight is what? notch under 6'10''? Wilt is also much heavier...and a great passer which Dwight has yet to become?

I could see them playing spoiler to one of these super talented teams...then getting knocked out when a team has 2 quick guards and Cooper can only guard one o them.

Curry cant keep his ankles in one piece as it is. Id love to see him one on one vs Tim Hardaway with 2 minutes left up 1.[/QUOTE]
:coleman: Dwight isn't on roids?

Lets see, if i got this right... Going with Group #1...

(1)Magic Johnson
(4)George Karl as coach
(4)Drazen Petrovic
(4)Rik Smits
(5)Horace Grant
(5)Allan Houston
(5)Cedric Maxwell
(5)Andre Miller
(6)Mark Eaton
(6)Serge Ibaka
(6)Bruce Bowen
(7)Anthony Parker
(7)Larry Sanders


PG: Magic Johnson / Andre Miller
SG: Drazen Petrovic / Allan Houston / Anthony Parker
SF: Cedric Maxwell / Bruce Bowen
PF: Horace Grant / Serge Ibaka / Larry Sanders
C: Rik Smits / Mark Eaton

Wanted to first go with Option 2, because of my bias for Reggie Miller.... but then i saw a shocking alternative... Drazen Petrovic, him at Tier 4 compared to Reggie at Tier 2..... a player who was at his peak/prime actually even better than Reggie was in every possible way (to bad he died so quick, once he finally tasted the minutes/starting spot he was ready to show the American fans what i mean, as for me i witnessed it all, almost all of the 40 to 112 points he would have every night on mostly jumpshots)..... and Reggie was my favorite NBA player of all time, trust me on this one, infact Reggie has confirmed this a couple of times..... You saved me here Kblaze... :)

This team is stacked & balanced with defense and offense..... and most importantly the offense/players i feel gel in every way, very complementary between each and every player.... I feel confident here. :cheers:

Ok...Dwight on HGH.

Another attempt just for fun, starting with group 2 this time:

Coach: JVG
Maurice Cheeks/Aaron McKie/Mike James
Drazen Petrovic/Michael Redd
Scottie Pippen/Tayshaun Prince
Chris Bosh/Mehmet Okur
Patrick Ewing/Tyson Chandler/Shawn Bradley

The team has 7 All-Stars, an All-NBA teamer who wasn't an All-Star that season, and a 6th Man of the Year. The very end of rotation players are a 20 ppg, 44% 3pt shooting scorer, a do-it-all forward who was an essential starter in a championship team and a 7-6 freak of nature who can wreak havoc with his shot blocking.

It is very strong defensively, particularly protecting the rim but also on the perimeter. It has height, quickness and athleticism. It has 3 point shooting, post scoring, and ballhandlers who can get to the rim.

Option 1:

Coach: Thibs (4)

PG: Blaylock (5)
SG: Jordan (1)
SF: Deng (4)
PF: Millsap (5)
C: Noah (4)

2nd Unit:
PG: Hinrich (6)
SG: Redd (5)
SF: Bowen (6)
PF: Ibaka (6)
C: Okur (5)

Waterboys:
Session 7
Earl Clark 7

Mookie on the Hawks was a pretty decent 3p shooter to help spread the floor. The offense would be through Jordan with Deng being the 2nd option, Millsap would get a few looks a game and Noah would be the hustle. If the team needed more interior defense Millsap would sub out for Ibaka, need more offense and Redd and Okur could check in.