If you could start a team with ONE player in his prime, who would it be?

Lin might have had the shortest prime of anyone ever... It was like three weeks lol

 

I would also make the argument that Jordan (who I think of as the GOAT, although I grew up watching him) is much more difficult to build a team around than a guy like Kareem, Hakeem, Magic, Lebron, Bird, or Shaq. Magic, Lebron and Bird can pretty much do a little bit of everything and can play a multitude of positions- there's a lot to work with there. And it's easy to surround a dominant big man with good perimeter defenders and 3 point shooters. But for a player like Jordan, you need certain types of players- both personality and playstyle wise. It makes it harder to build a team.

 

I'd go with Popeye Jones.

 

Dream.

F Jordan. if the refs werent in his back pocket, who knows if he really could have won all those championships.

 

Michael Jordan.

 

I would pick Magic. To me, he was better than Jordan. Magic made everyone around him better.

 

1. He's not a center. Given the eras...the position is much easier to build around.

2. In an all time draft of players,

3. MJ landed on a terrible team that also became one of the most well-ran teams.

4. It's not necessarily the best player, but who helps your team win the fastest.

1A. Wilt Chamberlain
1B. Hakeem Olajuwon
1C. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
4. Michael Jordan
5A. LeBron James
5B. Magic Johnson
5C. Shaquille O'Neal
9A. Larry Bird
9B. Kobe Bryant
8. Kobe

 

Shaq and T-Mac

 

Shaq, In his prime he just couldn't be stopped.

 

Jordan

 

Manut Bol when he became a 3 point specialist

 

To anyone who says Jordan, when Jordan was asked this same question, he said Dream. To anyone that says James is the GOAT, he took lessons from Dream. Magic is the only other reasonable response in my opinion, but if we were betting, my money goes to prime Hakeem every time. Dude was unstoppable, not Shaq-sized unstoppable, just the skilled kind. Oh, and Dream's team swept young Shaq's team out of the Finals. I'd pay major money to see them fight it out in both of their primes, and I'd still put everything on Olajuwon.

 

The dream

 

Gilbert Arenas

 

Donatas Motiejunas

 

Corrected. :grin:

 

Shaq. Most dominant force I've ever seen in the NBA.

 

I am crying at that Jeremy Lin in his prime comment. Crying.

 

HAKEEM THE DREAM. Too everyone else hakeem killed Shaquille every time they played.

 

T-mac