Build your team

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
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C: Lebron
PF: Bird
SF Durant
SG: Jordan
PG: Gervin

I'm playing modern style and just crushing people.
 

Euclis20

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Aug 3, 2004
8,017
Imaginationland
These point assignments seem pretty random. Who the hell is taking Iverson at 4 points or Kobe at 5 points and ignoring Russell at 2 points or Durant at 1(!) point?

C: Russell
PF: Garnett
SF: Durant
SG: Jordan
PG: Lebron

This team isn't great at outside shooting, but is huge, unbelievable on D, and enough unselfishness to make it work.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
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Oct 31, 2013
72,448
Stockton PG 1
Russell PF 2
Bird SF 3
Shaq C 4
Jordan SG 5

How the hell is Zeke 4?
And where's Oscar?

Bird and Wilt at 3 is the tough one but I need a shooter
 

Was (Not Wasdin)

family crest has godzilla
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Jul 26, 2007
3,721
The Short Bus
These point assignments seem pretty random. Who the hell is taking Iverson at 4 points or Kobe at 5 points and ignoring Russell at 2 points or Durant at 1(!) point?

C: Russell
PF: Garnett
SF: Durant
SG: Jordan
PG: Lebron

This team isn't great at outside shooting, but is huge, unbelievable on D, and enough unselfishness to make it work.
That's my team right there. I'd love to get Bird on there, but the "value" with KD, KG and Russell totaling 5 points is too much to pass up.
 

moondog80

heart is two sizes two small
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Sep 20, 2005
8,096
Allen Iverson gets the award for guy who gets picked the least.

Jordan
LeBron
Bird
Durant
West

(You can pick two 5s if you still make it add up to 15, right?)
 
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Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
22,673
Allen Iverson gets the award for guy who gets picked the least.

Jordan
LeBron
Bird
Durant
West

(You can pick two 5s if you still make it add up to 15, right?)
Probably Vince Carter, who is somehow $3 while Durant is $1.

The money is all over the place. A team of $2 and $1 players of Russell, KG, Durant, West and Stockton would be able to hang with anybody due to their unselfish play, suffocating defense and solid outside shooting.

Russell and Durant imo are the clear best values and need to be on the team. I'd go:

Magic
MJ
Durant
Dirk
Russell

Dirk gets the nod over KG because I feel like I would need his outside shooting more than KG's defense with Russell already protecting the rim.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
22,673
Also for fun;

Westbrook
Iverson
Kobe
Gervin
Olajuwon

We are going to score 150 ppg, but everyone is going to hate everyone and Hakeem has to guard all five guys at once.
 

nighthob

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Jul 15, 2005
12,678
Wish they'd included the Pistol at the 1 or 2 point level and left Carmelo off. And how does Oscar not rate on this list given some of the other options...

C Hakeem
F Garnett
F Durant
G Magic
G West
 

Sam Ray Not

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Jul 19, 2005
8,848
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Lolz at Russell 2 points / Kobe 5 points. (And if Iverson and Isiah are worth 4, Steph is worth like 16).

Magic
MJ
KD
KG
Russell

(KD + KG forward tandem for 3 points total is obscene value).
 

Average Game James

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Apr 28, 2016
4,346
These tiers make pretty much no sense. KD and West in the 1 point tier makes it easy to get in the top 2 players of all time. Sorry, Duncan. I don’t care what you say, you were a center.

G - West
G - Jordan
F - Durant
F - LeBron
C - Duncan
 

RetractableRoof

tolerates intolerance
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Quincy, MA
I assume one player per point level - that makes it tougher.

Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Kevin Durant
Toughest for me is Garnett vs Russell. Russell is all everything, but Garnett has an edge that all championship teams need.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Jul 19, 2005
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Alt 5:

Isiah
Iverson
Kobe
Melo

Oh wait, I used up all 15 points. That’s okay, that team won’t need a fifth player to crush all the lineups you guys are making.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
41,948
If using one from each level:

C: Shaq
PF: Russell
SF: Bird
SG: Jordan
PG: Stockton

Good luck against that team of unselfish, defensive stoppers and rebounding machines, who can also shoot from deep and score underneath at will.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
22,673
I love KG and I think he would be a much better player in 2020 than 2004, but he is overrated. His team did frequently fail around him, but he didn't blow me away in Minnesota with his playoff performances. In Minnesota he averaged 22-13-5 with 2 blocks and 2 steals, which are good numbers don't get me wrong, but he was also playing 43 minutes per game and shot 45 percent from the field, a really poor number for a 7 footer. For a guy who has earned a reputation for being a tremendous competitor and a guy who knows how to win, his ass got sent home A LOT in the first round when he was in his prime. The Duncan conversation isn't even a debate, and I believe that Dirk was better. Dirk could give you 40 if you needed him too in the playoffs and KG couldn't, even though he is a much better defender, I just think it is more valuable to have a guy that can get you those extra buckets in crunch time.
 

coremiller

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Jul 14, 2005
5,846
These tiers make pretty much no sense. KD and West in the 1 point tier makes it easy to get in the top 2 players of all time. Sorry, Duncan. I don’t care what you say, you were a center.

G - West
G - Jordan
F - Durant
F - LeBron
C - Duncan
Either this or Russell instead of Duncan is the correct answer.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
30,500
Not limited to one player per tier: Jordan, James, Russell, Garnett, and Durant.

Limited to one player per tier: Jordan, Hakeem, Bird, Russell, and West.
 

tmracht

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Aug 19, 2009
3,070
In the age of positionless basketball:
F: KD (1)
F: Lebron (5)
F: Bird (3)
G: Jordan (5)
G: West (1)
 

coremiller

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Jul 14, 2005
5,846
I love KG and I think he would be a much better player in 2020 than 2004, but he is overrated. His team did frequently fail around him, but he didn't blow me away in Minnesota with his playoff performances. In Minnesota he averaged 22-13-5 with 2 blocks and 2 steals, which are good numbers don't get me wrong, but he was also playing 43 minutes per game and shot 45 percent from the field, a really poor number for a 7 footer. For a guy who has earned a reputation for being a tremendous competitor and a guy who knows how to win, his ass got sent home A LOT in the first round when he was in his prime. The Duncan conversation isn't even a debate, and I believe that Dirk was better. Dirk could give you 40 if you needed him too in the playoffs and KG couldn't, even though he is a much better defender, I just think it is more valuable to have a guy that can get you those extra buckets in crunch time.
KG has a career TS% of.546 on 24.7% usage, Dirk is .577 on 26.5% usage. KG actually has a better shooting percentage on 2-point shots, but Dirk shot more 3s (at a good %) and got to the line more. Dirk was a better offensive player but probably not by enough to offset KG"s huge edge on defense, where Dirk was generally a liability and KG was an all-time great.

It is true that the gap on offense gets bigger in the playoffs, where KG drops to .525 TS% on 25.4% usage, while Dirk maintains his .577 TS% on 27.1 usage.
 

RetractableRoof

tolerates intolerance
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Yes, Russell’s lack of an edge certainly cost his teams a couple of championships.
I don't see your list... seems if you are going to be snarky you should at least provide one of your own.

Maybe, just maybe, I don't know if Russell played with an edge having never watched him live (only via memorex). Perhaps the edge was provided by another player or two during his all everything years with the Celtics?
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
22,673
KG has a career TS% of.546 on 24.7% usage, Dirk is .577 on 26.5% usage. KG actually has a better shooting percentage on 2-point shots, but Dirk shot more 3s (at a good %) and got to the line more. Dirk was a better offensive player but probably not by enough to offset KG"s huge edge on defense, where Dirk was generally a liability and KG was an all-time great.

It is true that the gap on offense gets bigger in the playoffs, where KG drops to .525 TS% on 25.4% usage, while Dirk maintains his .577 TS% on 27.1 usage.
KG's lack of 30 point games in the playoffs is pretty striking, especially when he was playing so many minutes. He wasn't scoring at a tremendous rate, and he also wasn't doing it very efficiently. To win in the playoffs, you really need a guy that can score 30 ppg consistently, and also be able to reach down and get you 40. KG just wasn't that guy, even though he did a lot of other things well. I think it is evidenced by how many times KG flamed out in the playoffs, and how successful Dirk was. The 2006 Finals team was Dirk, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse. If Dirk pulled that off, it would have been one of the weakest supporting casts to ever win a title. He dragged that team to 60 wins and then beat a 49 win Grizzlies team, a sick 63 win San Antonio team that were the defending champs, and a 54 win Phoenix team before sputtering out to Bennett Salvatore.

I think it is close, but being that level of offensive player is just more important to team success in the modern NBA than being a great defensive player.
 

ilol@u

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Mar 2, 2009
4,231
Foxboro
These point assignments seem pretty random. Who the hell is taking Iverson at 4 points or Kobe at 5 points and ignoring Russell at 2 points or Durant at 1(!) point?

C: Russell
PF: Garnett
SF: Durant
SG: Jordan
PG: Lebron

This team isn't great at outside shooting, but is huge, unbelievable on D, and enough unselfishness to make it work.
This is the correct answer. Great on defense, great on offense (besides outside 3 point shooting). Team goes 82-0.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Apr 17, 2003
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C: Shaq (when motivated, as good as anyone). Could drop in Hakeem instead and gain defense and consistency.
PF: Garnett
SF: Bird
SG: Jordan (these last three are why Shaq will be motivated every game)
PG: West

This is a team with intensity and passing first and foremost. Shooting at four spots, passing at all five spots. There are better defenses, but two studs and a great help defender, plus the only real weakness is Shaq if you have a stretch 5 (all of whom he will obliterate at the other end). Some of you picking modern centerless teams are going to be absoultely destroyed by a team with a vintage Shaq. I cannot imagine what he would do with this kind of passing and being guarded by KD or Lebron or Dirk...

The team before it is perhaps the most interesting matchup: Russell/Garnett/Durant/Jordan/Lebron is tough, but I worry about the outside shooting. Plus, the Shaq/Russell matchup would be epic.
 
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Imbricus

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Jan 26, 2017
4,810
C: Russell
PF: Garnett
SF: Durant
SG: Jordan
PG: Lebron
Euclis20 nailed it. Lock the thread. Jordan and Lebron are generational players, and the other guys are so mispriced that you'd be a fool not to snap them up.
 

HowBoutDemSox

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Aug 12, 2009
10,103
New game: what’s the worst team you can assemble, spending at least 15 points and at least loosely adhering to tradition positions? I like Iverson and Thomas as guards, Carter and Melo as forwards/wings, and (fudging a little) Barkley as an undersized center. Lots of ball hogging, only one guy with a ring, some indifferent defenders, undersized backcourt.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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I think the more interesting game would be to revalue the players so that KD is $4-5 and Iverson is $1.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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5 points: Jordan, James, Russell, Magic, Bird
4 points: KG, KD, Hakeem, Duncan, Wilt
3 points: Kareem, Shaq, Kobe, Barkley, West
2 points: Thomas, Dr J, Wade, Stockton, Dirk
1 point: Anthony, Iverson, Westbrook, Carter, Gervin

It's a lot harder than I thought it would be, actually. I'm sure people will disagree with a lot of it too.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Jul 19, 2005
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yep, that's the one
I had the same group, only with Magic over LeBron. What little I give up in overall value, I gain in watchability, likability, pace of play, and FT shooting. Plus the FT shooting suggests Magic would have been the much better 3 pt shooter had he played in the 3 pt era; and if that team needs anything, it’s perimeter shooting.

LeBron beats Magic in interior/post scoring and D, but I’ve got those pretty well covered 2-5.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I had the same group, only with Magic over LeBron. What little I give up in overall value, I gain in watchability, likability, pace of play, and FT shooting. Plus the FT shooting suggests Magic would have been the much better 3 pt shooter had he played in the 3 pt era; and if that team needs anything, it’s perimeter shooting.

LeBron beats Magic in interior/post scoring and D, but I’ve got those pretty well covered 2-5.
Magic loses a lot of his value on a team that has Jordan, though. And you do need that shooting.
 

amarshal2

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Oct 25, 2005
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I feel confident KG could’ve been a 35-40% 3pt shooter. He hit the long two as well as KD. Don’t know why he didn’t try.
 

Five Cent Head

64th note
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Jul 17, 2007
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It's cute that 4 of the top 5 played for the Lakers, and 5 of the top 10. You don't get to the first Celtic (I'm not counting Shaq) until Bird at 3 pts. Although 3pts for Bird has a nice ring to it...
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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I feel confident KG could’ve been a 35-40% 3pt shooter. He hit the long two as well as KD. Don’t know why he didn’t try.
It is crazy that he took so many long twos and never shot threes. That is why he would be a better player today; especially since he would be a Center and probably a better rebounder with less big bodies to bang with. He would be like a more intense Anthony Davis.
 

scottyno

late Bloomer
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Dec 7, 2008
11,305
I took the team the consensus seems to agree is the best and swapped out Jordan for Bird for shooting and passing purposes. Obviously Jordan was the better player, but when i already have KD and Lebron I think I'd rather have Bird, probably nuts though.

Only potential problem is my team might be a little slow since it doesn' have any traditional guards, but i get 5 long guys, probably 4 of which could guard almost anyone on the court. Would probably take Curry over KG if he weren't inexplicably left off the list.
 

garlan5

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May 13, 2009
2,684
Virginia
Bird-3
Durant-1
Jordan-5
O'Neal- 4
B.Russell- 2

No point guard but Jordan can bring it up.
 
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