fixed. but honestly it was my favorite team... but like jamers said if you had a nash or even rondo, fantastic... i guess i can see what some people say about chemistry, but i dont read to much into that...i was also blinded from my fantasies of watching dr.j and clyde slashin to the rim, high flying and what not...
I feel like Horry would have won. Wes Unseld was basically the best team player there is and one an MVP on intangibles which is insane. With Drexler, Dr. J and Hakeem does it really matter if your PG can get his own shot? Each of them are quite capable of getting their own offense. And defensively Horry33's team is much better than RedNation.
Thanks for your vote btw. I think I'm done with these drafts. I've spend too much time in these drafts only to get screwed.
The most fun I had was doing this write up on my team. I had posted parts of it but now its complete. I learned some new things while writing this. I was wondering if anybody read any of it before voting and had thoughts on my writing. Frontcourt- Who better to start off your team than Hakeem Olajuwon. Michael Jordan was once asked to put together an all time lineup and he picked Hakeem for his center. Jordan said, “And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. It's not just his scoring, not just his rebounding or not just his blocked shots. People don't realize he was in the top seven in steals. He always made great decisions on the court. For all facets of the game, I have to give it to him.”Based on the rest of the team and Hakeem, I wanted to put a tough guy next to dream that wouldn’t need a lot of shots so I went with the hard-nosed Wes Unseld. For the younger voters think of an old school Kevin Love. In fact Kevin Wesley Love is named after Wes Unseld. Unseld was very strong, an exceptional rebounder and is famous for perfecting the outlet pass off his many rebounds that started fast breaks. And this is the style my team will play looking to turn defense into offense. And if you are going to run who better to be on one wing and gracefully finish fast breaks than Julius Erving aka Dr. J. He was a 11 time All-Star between the NBA and ABA. He was Jordan before there was a Jordan. Backcourt- I know your still thinking about Dr. J and how awesome he was on those fast breaks. But if anybody was going to compare himself with Doc when it comes to running out and finishing effortlessly it would be Clyde Drexler. Clyde “The Glyde” Drexler. Never has there been a more fitting nickname for that perfectly captured how he floated through the air. All throughout his prime he was the 2nd best shooting guard only to Michael Jordan. Drexler took two not-so talented Blazers teams to the NBA finals before winning it all with Houston his 3rd time around. To go along with the smooth Clyde Drexler who better the super smooth and stylish Walt “Clyde” Frazier. What I wanted from my point guard was a leader, somebody who could run the offense, and play great defense. I got all those things in Frazier. He was the floor general for the Knicks only 2 championships in franchise history. For younger judges, imagine an old school Gary Payton as a good comparison. Frazier was on the All-Defensive First Team seven times during his career. Bench - I will start with Earl Monroe aka “Earl the Pearl” aka “Jesus” aka “Black Jesus.” For those that don’t remember, the character “Jesus Shuttlesworth” played by Ray Allen in the Movie “He Got Game” was named after Earl Monroe. He was a showman that could score, dribble, pass and make plays for others. He is perfect off my bench because he can play either guard spot and provide instant offense or make plays for others. My second bench spot went to Chris Mullin. The former Dream Teamer was the perfect shooter to space the floor when Hakeem is down low or play makers like Frazier, Monroe, Drexler, and Dr. J are driving to the basket. While on the Dream Team, Chris Mullin played behind Bird, Jordan, Pippen, and Drexler so I don’t think he will have any problem coming off the bench behind Dr. J and Drexler. The last member of my team and bench is big man Dolph Shayes. The hall of famer and NBA top 50 member was a great scorer and rebounder who could shoot from the outside with either hand. He learned to shoot with either hand after breaking his right arm and playing a whole season with a cast on. That’s the kind of tough guy that will benefit my team. He was one of the best rebounders ever and he even led the league in free throw percentage 3 different years. Lastly, Shayes one coach of year once too. The perfect player/coach for the 8th man on my team. Offense- How can I not start with Hakeem. He can shoot, pass, and had unstoppable moves down on the box with either his back to the basket or facing the basket. David Robinson is still spinning from one of Hakeem’s old “dream shakes.” Another great thing about Hakeem is that when the ball is not going down to him it is not like he is going to be standing within 2 feet of the basket clogging the lane. He had great range for a center and could creating driving lanes for Erving, Drexler, and Monroe. When you thing of Dr. J all you think about is his dunks but did you know he shot above 50% for his career. That’s great efficiency. And Drexler for all of his scoring prowess still managed to average 5.6 assists per game for his career. Frazier in the half court set is the facilitator that can run the offense, execute the pick and roll with Unseld or drive and kick it to the deadly Chris Mullin for 3. Over the last 12 years of Mullin’s career his average 3point percentage was 40%. But my team’s greatest strength when it comes to scoring is probably is in the fast break with Frazier or Monroe pushing the ball and Erving and Drexler on each wing. Unstoppable. Defense- For my defense how about I start with a point guard that can put pressure on the ball and get the opposing offense out of rhythm. Frazier was also one of the first players to make stealing the ball an art form. He would make sudden steals and surprise the offense. When asked about his defensive success, he answered that he did not believe in contact defense. Instead, he defended in such a manner that it appeared he was not playing defense. When he did so, the offensive player was often tricked into letting his guard down whereby Frazier would steal the ball with his quick hands. Now onto to Dr. J. I had no idea how good a defender he was. Not to say that steals are everything but when the Doctor retired he had more steals for his career than anybody else. Drexler was very much the same in his ability to steal the ball(7th all time), defend bigger guards, and chase down smaller guards in defensive transition for the come from behind block like LeBron routinely does now. Wes Unseld as a defender I don’t know much about at all but if you ever was taught that you never stop playing defense until your team has secured the defensive rebound than Unseld’s freakish rebounding ability is a great asset. Finally, the backend of my defense has Hakeem back there to play goalie. Dream ended with 3,830 blocks. To put that in perspective, if Kevin Garnett took all the shots that he has blocked throughout his 17 year career and DOUBLED it Garnett would still be shy of Hakeem’s mark by 14. But the most impressive defensive stat of Hakeems was that he is currently 8th on the all time NBA steals list even though he is a center. Yea I would say the 2x defensive player of the year can anchor my team defense. Chemistry- The chemistry between Hakeem and Drexler is undeniable. They played on formidable teams during the Phi Slamma Jamma days at UofH and again on the way to the second Houston Rockets championship. Hakeem even choose Drexler to present Hakeem at his Hall of Fame enshrinement. And guess who Drexler had previously chosen to present him at his own Hall of Fame enshrinement? None other than Dr. J. That’s a lot of respect and love being shown between the best three players on my team. Need more chemistry? How about the fact that Wes Unseld and Earl Monroe were a perfect combination of inside and outside when they played together for the Baltimore Bullets. And what about when Monroe went on to New York and teamed with Walt Frazier to form what was known as the “Rolls Royce Backcourt” which lead the Knicks to the 1973 NBA championship. And during that run to the championship there was a young ball player growing up in New York that was studying the games of Knicks stars Frazier and Monroe and that player was a young Chris Mullin. Between Unseld, Monroe, Frazier, Mullin, Dr. J, Drexler, and Hakeem my players have a lot of experience winning with one another or looking up to one another in admiration. Oh and I didn’t forget about Dolph Shayes. Shayes, one of 7 nba top 50 players on my team, is the elder statesman on the team and like his teammates Erving and Mullin is a tough New York born baller. Again the links between my players off the court and the successful playing experiences on the court make my teams' chemistry the strongest of all the teams.
fantastic post... i didnt read it before i voted but thats because i didnt want other judges and other peoples opinion sway my own... that being said i did vote for you... im of a younger generation but your team was wonderfully put together IMO...you "judged" your own team very very nicely and put alot of insight and knowledge, along with time and effort, into your analysis... would rep if i could...
In an earlier "current players" draft, I lost because I had Lebron James. Now, if I had Lebron in a current players draft, no way I would lose. I don't think that is a problem.
In my previous all time draft I had Jerry West, Vince Carter, Scottie Pippen, Elvin Hayes, and Wilt Chamberlin and lost in the 1st round.
PG- Derrick Rose SG- Jerry West SF- Scottie Pippen PF- Elvin Hayes C- Wilt Chamberlain PG/SG- Dennis Johnson SG/SF- Vince Carter PF/C- Dave Cowens Who, besides West, spreads the floor in this line-up?
Horry, I think ultimately your problem is drafting 50s guys that look like GOATs if you only look at stat sheets and their accomplishments. The reality is that guys like Schayes or Unseld are not made for a modern, high tempo and athleticsm league and would likely get destroyed by modern bigs. Therefore I see you having problems with the front court. Looking at your above mentioned last match-up where you had pretty modern guys you pretty much forgot about implementing spot up shooters or guys that can stretch the floor, West alone is not the answer. When you have athletic guys like Rose, Pippen and only one shooteing threat in West, is there a need for Carter on the bench...wouldn't a shooter like Mullin or Reggie be a better complementary piece for that team?
Whatever dude. You gotta judge players in their era. According to your logic Kyle Lowry is better than Bob Cousy because Lowry is stronger and faster.
You realize we play hypothetical playoff games here? You don't juge guys in their era, or do you think Schayes would school someone like Dwight? This is no "Who had the better stats and was better in his era" draft.
