Your NBA Starting 5

[Purogamer]

Enough of the discussions and comparisons, let's just put down our Starting 5 and have at it. See where we stand.

Must have 5 Starters, 2 guards, 2 forwards and 1 Center. Must have been in the league last season (this is not all-time, this is current players). Also name 3 guys that would be on your bench, one from each position.

This is the team you'd assemble to win a championship, not be together for 10 years. Also a brief explanation as to why you took who you took would be nice...

I'll start...

G - Gilbert Arenas
G - Ray Allen
F - LeBron James
F - Dirk Nowitzki
C - Marcus Camby (oh god, I didn't...)

Bench: Vince Carter, Steve Nash, Jamaal Magloire

Can't believe I took camby but his stats don't lie. I'd take Ben Wallace but I'd like more points out of my center than what he provides anymore. Gilbert and Ray can score from anywhere, especially out in 3 point land. Lebron and Dirk can also shoot from about anywhere, and they can play a faster paced game which I prefer.

 

[Jimbo]

Shouldn't you choose a team from both conferences ?
Without, you would have no one to play against once your team is picked ....

 

[charper1]

I think he means best all-around team, assuming the foreign players would play in this USA type all-star team. I left off foreign players, but Dirk would be my #2 small forward if I had included them and I would drop Richard Jefferson.

Tim Duncan has dual citizenship and says he will continue to play for the USA; but how do you leave out Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett? Even if you list only one player for each spot, Duncan is WORLDS better than Camby at center and Garnett would be the better power forward; barely beating out Elton Brand. Hell, all 3 would be better than Camby at those two spots.

Do you watch the NBA as a whole or just 1 or 2 teams? Do you know only players that are in the playoffs this year? You need to look at players that are still in the NBA and over the last 3 - 5 years... BUT, only a hater would post a list like that (ignoring players out of spite) Jamaal Magloire? Are you kidding?


Players that play multi roles are listed in best role for my team.

1G - Steve Nash, Chauncy Billups, Gilbert Arenas
2G - Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen
3F - LeBron James, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson
4F - Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand
5C - Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Marcus Camby

 

[Purogamer]

I would take Dirk over Duncan any day of the week...

Chauncey is good, Wade is ok and Garnett has never lead his team anywhere. I want a team that is up-tempo and can score. Tim Duncan doesn't fit in there anywhere. I would consider Ginobili or Tony Parker, but not duncan.

 

[charper1]

You dog out Garnett even though he has the proven stats because he hasn't won (was injured most of this year, but played with a crap team) yet you pick Dirk over Duncan, when both have proven stats YET Dirk hasn't won ANYTHING yet either; as in the 3 rings, 2 NBA MVP awards and the 3 NBA Playoff MVP awards Duncan has. You can't have it both ways; from your example of team fit, Garnett would be just as good of a fit because he is much better suited to the run and gun and gives much more D as well. Remember I said I would take Dirk also, but assumed you wanted an all USA team to compeat vs the world's teams. I would also consider adding Tony Parker and dropping Nash in that case.

 

[salsadancer7]

PG ---- Jason Kid, Chaunsy Billups, Tony Parker
SG ---- Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen, Allen Iverson
C ---- Shaq, Ben Wallace, Alonzo Mourning
PF ---- Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, Adonis Haslem
SF ---- Lebron James, Paul Gasol, Dirk Nowitski

The starters are the 1st named. I picked a team that are not ball hogs when on a winning team and willing to sacrifice for the common goal, win the championship. Also, alot of the guys I picked are very interchangable. I didn't add Kobe because the is the poster child for selfish.

 

[BlackHitachi]

PG - Tony Parker
SG - Dwayne Wade
C - Shaq
PF - Kevin Garnett
SF - Lebron James

 

[GeorgeLV]

1 Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups

Currently, the two best point guards in the NBA, but the wheels on both of them are ready to fall off at any moment.

2 Dwane Wade, Kobe

The two best individual players in the NBA. D-Wade gets the start for remembering that he has teammates.

3 LeBron, Elton Brand

King James probably won't meet the impossible expectations of being the next trancendent NBA figure, a-la Jordan, but has evolved into a protypical franchise guy. Elton Brand is just a notch below.

4 Dirk Diggler, Tim Duncan

Dirk gets better every year. A 7-footer that can shoot from anywhere, he has become the first game altering presence in the league since Shaq. Tim Duncan is a model of excellence and does all the little things.

5 Amare, Shaq

Amare is coming off an injury and playing out of position, but he is the most dangerous presence in the paint in the NBA. And, unlike Ben Wallace, he is the total package. Shaq is well past his prime, but, because of the lack quality centers in the NBA, he's still a force of nature to reckoned with.

PS. I can't belive that anyone still thinks of KG as a top 10 player for non-fantasy purposes.

 

[charper1]

If you put KG on the same team of most of the mentioned forwards and even centers (Amare), and put them on his team. he would kill them in overall production. One forgets he also had a very bad injury and sucked it up and played without crying like a b1tch and he has one of the sorriest rosters around him, bar none.

At least George's list makes sense.

 

[Purogamer]

Makes sense? His first two guards he follows with "The wheels could fall off at any time", which isn't exactly encouraging.

I like KG as a person, but if I want a team to win a championship, he's not my first choice. I'll take Dirk because I like his "I want to win" attitude, the fact that he can be the go-to guy if he has to, or pass it to someone else if he's hot. He works on a team that I put together.

I don't know why you assume the team had to be ALL-USA, as I never mentioned any such thing and the NBA is hardly "american".

Tim Duncan drives me nuts, regardless of how many trophies he has. San Antonio has a coat of teflon on them in terms of criticism, they're the new Utah. And I can't take amare because he only played 3 games last year, I need someone proven and just couldn't take shaq. He's still the best but the gap has been closed. I even considered Eddy Curry but thought otherwise...

This isn't meant to turn into a huge war, just to see where we all are. As you can see we all have common players but also very different players on our ideal team. Doesn't mean we have to be at each other's throats about it.

 

[brainiac]

I based my selections on ability alone, not on personality flaws like Kobe's selfishness. I also favor the complete player, not just scoring machines.

PG - Chauncey Billups (Complete player, great leader.)
SG - Kobe Bryant (Has the all-around game, offense and defense, that others don't.)
C - Tim Duncan (Not a true center, but I'd play him here on my team. Has the complete game, and I'll take him over a seriously declining Shaquille O'Neal.)
SF - Andrei Kirilenko (The guy is a monster on defense and scores enough to fit will on this team.)
PF - Lebron James (Complete offensive game, and the defense has greatly improved.)

 

[GeorgeLV]

Makes sense? His first two guards he follows with "The wheels could fall off at any time", which isn't exactly encouraging.

This is the team you'd assemble to win a championship, not be together for 10 years.

Nuff said.

 

[Purogamer]

^ True, true.

I'd hate to see a team with two ball-hogs like Lebron & Kobe. Love both of them as players but together it just wouldn't work IMO...

 

[joedekock]

PG-Chris Paul
SG-Rip Hamilton
SF-Tayshaun Prince
PF-Lebron James
C-Dirk Nowitzki

Bench: Allen Iverson, Jermain O'Niel, Dwayne Wayde

Chris Paul is the best complete point guard in the league. Rip Hamilton needs no explanation, Tayshaun Prince is probably the most consistant scorer in the league, (meaning he does not have hot or cold nights, but still averages 14 ppg), and he is a great defender, with Lebron on the same team as Tayshaun, there would be no one who could stop him with scoring or passing the ball, and Nowitzki is a machine when it comes to scoring anywhere on the court.