The glove, MJ and Artest? This team is going to get into anyone's head just by talking trash. Then you have Morning and Ewing to clean out the trash. Rondo was a weird pick thou. Did anyone pick Sammy in the other squads? What a mess with the Hakeem pick. No one complement Hakeem at all. Its all some great names that light up the scoring board. And not even the best shot blocker in history is able to cover not only Nash but Geer as well?
Well, 5 of my 8 players are MVPs and 5 are scoring leaders and 2 were Finals MVP and one won a bunch of awards in foreign leagues and one has an incredible shooting percentage. Having someone step up is not going to be a problem. That said, on the last possession, Oscar will have the ball and he'll make the right basketball play in a way that will not be considered by anyone to be forfeiting the moment, ala LBJ.
Yes, the Glove will be talking trash to Oscar, yet the Big O will quietly post 32/12/11 and push Payton all over the floor. MJ is going to talk trash as Moncrief runs him at both ends and then makes way for Oscar to muscle him. Artest is going to talk trash to three forwards who can all shoot over him at will. Mourning and Ewing are going to have to contend with a 7'3" mountain and a 7'2" guy who is stronger than both of them. It's hard to clean up the trash when you're boxed out and shooting jumpers. It's hard to talk trash when your opponents are better than you and know it. (Sid is obviously not better than MJ, but he is a 2-time DPOY and is not intimidated by Air at all.)
It sounds like you have no idea how these simulations are being run. With your lineup, there's no way Oscar puts up those numbers.
Well, if everyone on my team had their best season, we'd average 213 per game, so obviously, that is probably not going to happen. That said, if you don't think Oscar in his prime could put those numbers up on anyone, it shows me you have no idea how good he was.
Payton is one of the best defensive point guards in NBA history. If you're saying that Moncrief will make Jordan work, then you have to acknowledge that Payton will hold Robertson. Artest is a former DPOY in a much more athletic era. Sabonis was a horrible selection. As I understand it, players are measured by their NBA accomplishments. I saw that youtube clip of Gilmore. He looked slow and mechanical. There's absolutely no way he'd be able to guard Ewing or Mourning. If they got the ball 16 feet away from the basket, they'd simply shoot the jumper or go right around Gilmore.
You really think Oscar could put up those numbers against the defensive lines of Payton/Jordan/Rondo/Ewing/Mourning? In fact, do you even think he could put up those numbers in this era against normal NBA teams? If it were even remotely plausible, he'd be the undisputed GOAT.
Those two are not equal. Moncrief will make Jordan work. Take it from Jordan: "When you play against Moncrief, you're in for a night of all-around basketball. He'll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it." Oscar is taller and much stronger than Payton and he has a jump shot form that Ray Allen studied to improve his shot. Nobody will hold Robertson. Like MJ, the best you can do is make him work but since he's such a good passer and can punish lighter guards down low, it's tough to do. First, the premier athletes (of which we're talking about here) would do well in any era. It is lazy thinking to dismiss past players this way. When did this more athletic era start? With Blake Griffin? With Tim Duncan? With MJ? With Magic? With Kareem? With Wilt? With Russell? Don't confuse changes in how the game is played and managed with athleticism. Second, Artest is a great defensive player no doubt. But if he's guarding my forwards, he's going against three MVPs and three scoring leaders who are all taller than him, can all shoot over him, can all outrebound him, and can play outside or inside or run. And he can only guard one at a time. Sabonis was a great selection based on the other centers in this league. He is a top center talent in his prime and a great passing big man. We'll run a high post, screen the guards off of Sabonis and when he gets the ball up top, he can pass to the forwards manning the posts, the cutters, or the spot up shooter or just shoot. It has the added benefit of drawing Dream, Wilt, Jabbar, Russell, etc, away from the basket as they have to guard Sabonis' shot. If prime, he'll challenge everyone on D, if just NBA years, he'll be tough to move in the post and force folks to the outside. He played a bunch of years and became more limited the farther along in years he got. In his prime, he could jump and block shots like crazy. Plus, he was stronger and taller than Ewing or Mourning and neither one is as accomplished as Gilmore, who won an MVP and an ABA Championship. And really, I'm happy with opposing centers playing away from the basket and throwing up jump shots over Sabonis and Gilmore. That gives my forwards an even greater advantage. Incidentally, I picked up Gilmore in the last round of the draft... great value.
Obviously the game has changed. But yes, I do think prime Oscar could put up those numbers in any one game or even a series. It would be tough to reach double digits in rebounds simply because of the other great rebounders on this team, but scoring and assists should routinely be there because Oscar can score and everyone else on this team is going to make shots.
Very well. Put Payton (6'4) on Moncrief (6'3) and Jordan (6'6) on Robertson (6'5). I don't think anyone doubts Jordan can hold Robertson. The NBA has become more athletic over the years. Don't bother arguing against that. It's a fact. And look at your bench. You have absolutely NO swingman relief. Which means that Robertson/Moncrief will play heavy minutes. And I'm sure that a fresh Artest can guard a tired Hawking/Moncrief. Sabonis was a horrible selection. You'll have NBA Sabonis. That's by far the worst center in this draft. The problem is that Ewing and Mourning are good jump shooters. And what if they run screens to make Sabonis/Gilmore guard Dirk? Would you be happy with Dirk throwing up jumpers? And even if they don't switch, how do you plan on stopping Dirk?
I chose the old school team, mostly because I felt like they would play the best team basketball. Would be a really interesting match up between that one and Jordan's team. I felt like the team with Dream didn't really surround him with the best complementary players. Nash and Dream would be fun to watch, but I don't know that that's the best duo in this situation.
If it is a fact, there must be some basis other than opinion supporting that fact. What's your evidence? And again, when exactly did this new era of athleticism start? Like I said earlier, you are confusing changes in how the game is played and managed and supported with athleticism. Look at the first photo of Oscar I posted. He's wearing canvas hightops, not computer designed Air Jordans. If you're dismissing what my guys did in such an unathletic era, why weren't there more unathletic guys regularly putting up triple doubles or scoring 30 a game or pulling 15 rebounds? Your whole argument rests on the "fact" that some players are more athletic than others because of the era they played in and just because you think it so does not make it so.
There's no specific "start" date. It's a gradual change. It's common knowledge that the league as a whole is more athletic now than it was 20 years ago. And you're trying to argue that it was more athletic 40 years ago? One player does not constitute a league. Read my post again. I pointed out some major flaws in your lineup.
i tried the whatif sports simulator and i did 20 games. (10 against each person) and it ended up with 16-4(rimrocker) 9-11(Roxsquad) 5-15(Me). here is the like but i doubt you will see it. http://www.whatifsports.com/DreamTeams/default.asp
That's probably what a smart coach would do in crunch time. Still, you just can't dismiss Oscar because he's being guarded by Jordan. Robertson is too good a scorer to be held by anyone, plus he can pass and bang as he is stronger than MJ. Think of Oscar like a bigger stronger more skilled Dumars (same body type). I've got Tiny to come in at point so I can rotate Oscar and Sid to keep them fresh, plus I have one of the bigger more athletic small forwards ever in Hawkins. By the way, who is going to give Jordan a breather on that team? Nobody. Only if he is in his mid-30's with no knees and since we're not doing stat comparisons, I'll take prime Sabonis. He's currently the tallest player in the Hall of Fame. Drexler said that if had been allowed in the NBA during his prime, the Blazers would have won, "four, five or six titles. Guaranteed. He was that good. He could pass, shoot three pointers, had a great post game, and dominated the paint." Adelman is slightly less optimistic: "He would have had a huge impact. He was just a vastly talented player, and before his injuries, could really move. He could do everything.... I had a feeling, in Portland, if he would have came over when I had the team I had, we might have had two or three championships." Bill Walton: "The greatest passing center of all time." Mike Dunleavy: "There's no question that before he came over, he was one of the top three centers in the world, right there with (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar and (Bill) Walton. He could run like a deer, shoot, pass. He would have been incredible." Dirk will get points against anybody. On the other end though, he has to guard McAdoo, who will also get points against anybody. Mourning doesn't scare me. He has to shoot over guys that are 4-5 inches taller. I could even put McAdoo (he of the 7'3" wingspan) on him if he wants to play outside. Ewing would psoe some problems, but not anything insurmountable. My guys are going to own the glass against both and we're going to outscore both of the frontlines in this bracket. McAdoo will bother him at times and equal or surpass his offensive output. Plus, I like McAdoo and Hawkins drawing fouls on the opposition.
Common knowledge means jack. It was once common knowledge that the sun revolved around the Earth. Again, you are confusing changes in the game with athleticism. If you're dismissing my guys because of this common knowledge of lack of athleticism, then there must be a timeframe where that is not the case. Where is it? Exactly. But we're talking the best of the best here. You pointed out your bias towards recent players is all.
