If you were starting an NBA team from scratch, who would you pick to be the cornerstone? You can choose anyone, ignoring pesky things like salaries and contracts but taking into consideration age and long-term potential.
It’s a tough question, but Bethlehem Shoals, Tom Ziller and I have come up with our top 10 picks at FanHouse. (We put up 6-10 yesterday, and 1-5 will be posted throughout today.)
I was originally going to throw that link on the side in the Alley-Oop section, but I’m putting it here because I’m guessing this could turn into a pretty lively discussion. So who would it be?
I know this won’t be a popular comment but i would go with lebron. I know of only one other team in the NBA which was built on one player and he was jordan. He did it all. scored, made plays pulled his weight on D and got tons of respect from the refs to do whatever he wanted.
Lebron scores, make plays and rebounds well. i’m not sure of his defensive capabilities but i’m sure he can work on them if needed. The way he dimanteled the pistons defense in the last minutes of (i forget which number game it was)of that playoff game when everybody knew he was either going all the way or passing it to gibson for a 3-pt shot and he kept coming at them and scoring was amazing.
All he really needs is a scotie pippen to pull his weight consistently and not those bunch of losers who can one day be great and the next give nothing (i mean Z can get cold for weeks and hughes got his minutes cut on account of a rookie taking his place) and he’s going all the way.
Better detroit going all the way than the cavs but better the cavs than the spurs with their ugly ass game
I really think this just comes down to who is the #2 pick because there’s no question, Lebron is #1. Kobe could give him competition, but the fact that Lebron is like 5+ years younger makes a difference.
In my opinion…
1. Lebron
2. Kobe
3. Wade
4. Carmelo
5. Stoudemire
6. Arenas
7. Howard
8. Parker
9. Nash
10. Duncan
11. Dirk
12. Garnett
Personally I think I’m a lot more youth-inclined than most people (3 people in the top 10 over 25). As valuable as Duncan and Nash are, they’re not going to be playing at this level 3 years from now, while the other guys on this list will be in their primes.
Dwight Howard or Greg Oden. I think if you want to build a franchise you need guys that will block shots and rebound since they are rare in the league. You can always find scorers, so I’d probably pick one of them.
Matt, I disagree. While players who score are common in the league, dynamic scorers like Lebron/Wade/Carmelo are much more rare.
A skilled big man is definitely important, but I don’t think Amare/Howard/Oden have proven to be anywhere near as dominant as Shaq when he was younger. If you want a rebounder or shot blocker, there are plenty of guys young and old that you wouldn’t have to drop your first pick on, like Jason Maxiell and Ben Wallace. Are they as dominant and dynamic as guys like Dwight Howard? Of course not. But I’d rather build around a guy that can score and leave rebounding to specialists, than build around a big guy and hope to pick up a scorer in the next round of the draft…In a hypothetical 30-team NBA fantasy draft, what quality scorers would be availible in the 2nd? Probably guys like Rip IMO, and he’s nowhere near the kind of scorer that you could find in the top 10.
If I had to build my team TODAY, I’d go with LeBron or Dwight Howard because of youth. Otherwise I’d go with Tim Duncan or Kobe.
I second Matt G’s vote. Dwight Howard, definitely. You need a dominant big, followed by a strong PG. I’d take Howard and Chris Paul or maybe Deron Williams then take my chances in the drafts.
Starting from scratch? Oden, Wade, Durant. Love their attitudes. I think Lebron, Kobe, and Amare wouldn’t be good teamates on a young, bad team. Howard, Bosh, and Yao would be my next choices. Dirk, Nash, Duncan and KG are past the point of starting a team with. Unfortunately, no piston would come close.
Yeah, that’s the tough part - I agree with Craig, can’t think of a current Piston I’d build around.
Kobe Bryant. No second place. Skills, defense, ultra competitor, intelligence … and he plays a position that allows him to impact the game everywhere on the court. He’s young enough to help me for the next three or four years, which is all one can realistically count on in the NBA. And unlike Jerry Buss, yours truly will surround him with Bad Boy types to keep his ego in check.
I would like to add Bosh to my previous post as well. He can score better than Dwight or Oden and I just love how dedicated he is. He’s also a great team player.
1. Duncan - One of the best offensive big men and the best defender in the game also fills a tough position to fill.
2. Wade - I actually think he is the most effective player in the game. He can do everything LeBron can do, and has his head in the game a little more.
3. James - Can’t imagine anyone putting him lower than this. He and Wade are almost interchangable.
4. Nowitzki - The guy is impossible to defend, and brutally efficient offensively. I also think he is an easy player to build around. He can succeed with a Steve Nash, a Dwight Howard, or whomever. His versatility is huge.
5. Kobe - Tough to guage Kobe. He needed Shaq to win championships, but hasn’t had the chance to be the “man” on a decent team. I’lll put him in the middle of the pack.
6. Oden - I’ll make a prediction here that Durant wins ROY, but that Oden has a stronger season. His youth and his position make him worth the risk here. There simply isn’t anyone else who can hold a candle to the top five above, and Oden is the only one who could join their company.
7. Chris Paul - I think this will be the year that this guy steps forward as the best point guard in the league. This guy is carrying a mediocre squad into contention at a very young age.
8. Garnett - In the East, he’ll be a beast. There still isn’t anyone who can match his skill set, and he is easy to build around.
9. Yao - He is curiously underrated, but he could easily anchor a championship team with the right parts. Again, position plays a factor here.
10. Durant - It seems ridiculous to exclude this guy, especially after his knockout performance in the Team USA tryouts (after which he was, ironically, knocked out).
Notable omissions
Nash/Stoudemire/Marion - If Phoenix ran at a more normal pace, their numbers would look less impressive. Nash is the most plausible argument, but he is 33.
Howard - I need proof that he can conquer his offensive limitations.
Anthony - Can’t call a guy a cornerstone when he needs to be paired with another cornerstone.
Iverson - See Anthony.
Arenas - I actually think he would benefit his team by being more selective with his shots. Not sure there is a big difference between his game and Ray Allen’s.
“ignoring pesky things like salaries and contracts”
how about ignoring attitudes and the way certain players carry themselves?
Because i know for one, i would NOT pick Kobe Bryant and i dont care how talented he is. Knowing his past history of belittling teammates and his organization, i know i would skip him.
But ive always thought, a Great TEAM needs a Point Guard and a Dominate Big Man.
Even though most of you would pick a overwhelming scorer…like Lebron, Kobe, Wade..ect. Why? I know the effects they have on the game (i dont need to have it explained to me) but wouldnt any of you pick a guy who can distribute the ball with little to no Turn overs…I would say that is something that is over looked in todays game and is something you CANT find in every PG or any player now and days.
Here’s my roster with 4 players to win now, 4 to win tomorrow, and 4 for the future.
Now
1. Kobe - best offensive and defensive player in the world
2. Duncan - one of 5 best players ever
3. Nash - no better competitor on this list
4. Tayshaun - perfect SF against all but 270 pound freaks named…
Tomorrow
1. …LeBron James - can win now but still growing as a leader
2. D-Wade - won with geriatrics in Miami, great energy, too many TOs
3. Carmelo - a winner, best offensive potential in this group
4. Chris Bosh - top young PF, makes Toronto perennial contender
Future
1. Dwight Howard - more dominating physically than young Shaq
2. Kevin Durant - can somebody Garnett’s size play like Kobe?
3. Deron Williams - better FG% and size than Chris Paul
4. Andre Iguodala - like Sidney Moncrief mith more vowels
Apologies to Agent Zero who could read my list and then outplay all of the above just to prove me wrong.
Dwight Howard because he’s gonna be the most dominate front court player in the game for the next 10-15 years.
I gotta tell ya, the comparison of Dwight Howard to a young Shaq is now reaching myth status. Howard is a better rebounder, but the young Shaq was vastly more overpowering. Vastly. Even if you believe as I do that the hoop he tore down on national TV was rigged by the NBA.
LanierFan - I’ll acknowledge that Shaq was much more polished offensively, had better footwork, and was generally a better player than Dwight Howard but Howard is much quicker, a much greater leaper, and almost as big as Shaq. I think Shaq seems more dominating because he was better offensively and was violently backing people down in the post and then dunking over them. Howard is getting his points almost entirely on put backs and little 10 ft. jumpers. Maybe ‘dominating’ was the wrong word because the young Shaq was awesome.
I probably should have said more athletic than the young Shaq.
Man, you guys are really high on Oden. I’ll wait until he plays a few pro games before I’m sold.
(and to see if his creaky tonsils, back, wrists, and knees hold up)
You are all fools…
Obviously the only correct answer here is Dale Davis. You just can’t win championships without locker room chemistry and that dude is hilarious.
*grins*
No offence and this was clearly a successful post because it already has 16 responses…but… NBA teams aren’t really “built” like this anyways. Due to the rediculous contract language of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement the act of “building” an NBA team almost always consists of blending “what you can afford” with “what the last guy left you with before he got fired” and hoping for the best. A considerably more interesting debate (at least in my mind) would be “How would you save the Sacramento Kings” complete with what trades you’d make, who you’d buy out and how you’d get rid of Ron Ron (or perhaps why you’d get rid of everyone else and keep him)……THAT would be interesting and relevant to actually “building” NBA teams. Plus when you ask me to throw out Salary and Contracts the entire excersise seems kinda pointless. The whole REASON one wouldn’t build around Kobe is BECAUSE he eats up like 45% of the team’s cap every year. Without considering how much a player costs and what percentage of both the cap and shots he’ll take up there are simply no legitimate answers OTHER than Lebron and Kobe. Otoh, taking those things into account allows me to say “I’d take Tayshaun Prince, because for about 8 million dollars a season he negates the other team’s 15 million dollar a year player thus allowing me to retain more cap space to find cheaper scoring.”
Seriously, not trying to tell anyone what to talk about but the entire debate makes very little sense to me.
We should probably consider coaches. My coach: PG4L.
Kobe.
Wait, if we pick Kobe do we have to wait 5 more full rounds before we get to select a second player?
joejoejoe,
I like the way you broke things up. Personally, I don’t even consider people 28+ years old people to “build” around, but I like your approach. Also, you’re the only who mentioned Deron Williams whom I believe deserves to be in the top 5.
I think you’re going to wait a long time to win a championship if you’re starting with a Deron Williams, Chris Paul, or Steve Nash. Last I can remember, Isiah was the last HOF pg to win a ring ( I don’t count GP, since he was a back up player on that squad). So, Kidd, Nash, Stockton, Price, Hardaway, etc., all failed to bring home the ring. I know chaucy was finals mvp, but that was a collection of talent. Not many would’ve called that Chauncy’s squad (most would say it was ben’s). So I have a hard time with the arguement about starting a team with a pg. Look back, Duncan, Shaq, Wade, Kobe, Jordan, Dream. Isiah and Magic are the only two teams that were “led” by the pg. And you have to admit they had a lot of help on those teams. Championship teams tart at the pivot or the wing.
There is only one choice, Adam Morrison
Craig,
For several years, however, dominating point guards won championships. Since then, Jordan, Duncan and Shaq have won most of them, so it’s tough to say whether the PG position can get it done because those are such solid players. Further, there aren’t as many true point guards as there are two guards and PF-Centers.
I’d happily build around Chris Paul.
Un-semi-related:
Chauncey Billups did an interview today with Jim Rome concerning Team USA and how the Pistons went out against Cleveland.
It still bothers Chauncey about how that went down.
Kobe is apparently the top dog on Team USA, according to Chauncey.
If I was building the Fort Wayne Mad Ants I’d build them around the point guard for Canada in the FIBA tournament, Jermaine Anderson. He’s 24, was a good player for Fordham, currently plays in Poland, and has a better assist-to-TO ratio (4.4-1) than Deron Williams. Sign him up Joe D. and keep him in Ft. Wayne just in case.
Note: Jason Kidd has a sick 11-1 assist-TO ratio in Vegas. Enjoy Andrew Bynum Laker fans!
That Chauncey interview was a lot of the same-ol’, same-ol’. Just Chauncey being a class-act, as usual.
I’d go with Tim Duncan, if this was 5 years ago. But it’s not, so I’ll take Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, or LeBron (hit THAT siren).
Oh, and the future Detroit #6, of course.
For the people who’ve actually seen the guy play, is Chris Paul the real deal or not? I know his numbers are great and all, but the Hornets are never prime-time material, so I never see him in action as much as I’ve seen Deron Williams play.