Recently, there have been a flurry of social media posts about building a team for $15. The best one I’ve seen so far was by Lucas Hunter, who clearly put a lot of time and effort into his game. However, I’ve always wanted to see a good version with a mix of players from NBA history, so what better way to start blogging again than to replicate something that everyone else on the internet is doing? Build your all-time NBA team with the players listed below!
A few thoughts:
- Jordan and James play premium positions in the modern game, and their all-around brilliance justifies their premium cost.
- Predicted number of people who will choose Bob Pettit for $5 – zero. However, I think he had the 2nd best career of any power forward, and even if the game has clearly changed since he played, I’m pricing him in the highest power forward tier.
- This is not a scientific exercise, just a purely fun activity with one person’s approximation of player value represented. A rough estimate of the tiers: The one dollar tier consists of borderline all-stars who were impactful throughout their careers, the two dollar tier consists of perennial all stars who I feel are on the low end of the Hall-of-Fame spectrum (potentially deserving, but requiring a lot of deliberation), the three dollar tier are mid-tier Hall of Famers, the four dollar tier are high end Hall-of-Famers who are approximately top 5 ever at their position, and $5 represents the best of the best at their positions.
Clearly, every great player is not represented – there are hundreds who could be included, but I settled on this mix when assessing the relative values of the players. Have fun – place your teams in the comments section, and we can vote on the best ones.
PG – Sam Casell
SG – T-Mac
SF – Rick Barry
PF – Elvin Hayes
C – Wilt Chamberlain
This was not easy, but a lot of fun! I tried my best to focus on efficiency and all-around play, though this team will lack in certain categories (3-point shooting/spacing and perimeter defense). I think the wings and Elvin are solid buys. I thought about swapping Cassell and Wilt for Tiny Archibald and David Robinson for more balance, a more dominant point, and to avoid Wilt’s free throw issues, but his dominance was impossible to ignore, and I felt I had to have a top-tier player. I also considered Kareem, who I think is on par with him and lacked a discernible weakness, though I prefer Wilt’s dominance and ability to shut down the middle. Let’s see how they stack up.
pg-Gary Payton for defense
Sg- Ray Allen 3pt and denfense
Sf- Julius Erving athleticism and defense
pf-Dennis Rodman defense and rebounds on both sides
c-patrick ewing all around good at a big man
This is awesome – thanks for sharing! That’s an incredibly explosive team, with big-time scoring threats at each position. These guys could pass too – they should have an unstoppable offense. My biggest questions – the fit of Elvin Hayes (who I previously wrote about here: http://www.bballhistory.com/all-time-washington-wizards-team/), and the interesting personality mix that is this team’s frontcourt. Ultimately, talent tends to win out, but this team could definitely use a strong coach.
The $3 Each Team:
PG – Gary Payton
SG – Ray Allen
SF – Paul Pierce
PF – Kevin McHale
C – Patrick Ewing
I think each player could contribute on offense and defense in any era.
The 2 Best and the Rest Team:
PG – Sam Cassell
SG – Michael Jordan
SF – LeBron James
PF – Horace Grant
C – Marcus Camby
Again, all contribute on offense and defense across eras, with sublime play from Jordan and James.
I love these – thanks for your responses. The 2 Best and the Rest Team is incredible; I might replace Cassell for Harper and have a defensive juggernaut at every position with Jordan and James leading the offense. For me though, I enjoy the all-$3 team more, since it’s fun to think of an equal opportunity offense with five people all contributing relatively equally. My favorite variation of that team: Walt Frazier, Sidney Moncrief, Rick Barry, Kevin McHale, and Patrick Ewing, though I’d be satisfied with subbing in Paul Pierce or either of the two other shooting guards.
My Team
Pg- Chris Paul $4
Sg- T-Mac $3
Sf- KD $5
Pf- Horace Grant $1
C- Dikembe Mutumbo $2
I feel like this team would do the best in out modern era and hold its own defensively against any team it would play
Great team. That’s an enormous frontcourt for the modern game, but Grant and KD are mobile enough to defend the perimeter when needed.
PG Oscar $4
SG Klay $2
SF Rodman $2
PF Dirk $4
C Ewing $3
I will add- if I could fudge the positions a little for the modern game, I think TMac on the perimeter and a frontcourt of Rodman and Dirk would be a more versatile and explosive lineup.
PG: Gary Payton
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Lebron James
PF: Dennis Rodman
C: Dikembe Mutombo
PG: Nash, $3
SG: Dumars $2
SF: Wilkins $3
PF: Duncan $4
C: Mutombo $2
PG: Magic Johnson, $5
SG: Ray Allen, $3
SF: Dominique Wilkins, $3
PF: Dennis Rodman, $2
C: Dikembe Mutombo, $2
So many fun responses to this post. Interesting to see Dominique getting love on the two most recent teams; I’d ideally like to see more shooting and defense from that position. Three of the four most recent teams went with Rodman, who’s great, but I’d be leery of pairing him with Mutombo when going against other all-time teams (due to the lack of scoring, but that defense would be ridiculous). Dumars and Klay are so valuable as two-way players who can fit on to any team for a bargain price.
Pg. magic Johnson
Sg. Micheal Jordan
Sf. LeBron James
Pf. Tim Duncan
C. Kareem Abdul jabber
Chris Paul
TMac
Barry
Rodman
Ewing
Everyone there except Rodman can shoot, and I have a well-rounded team capable of playing whatever style
Gary Payton $3, Tracy McGrady $3, Klay Thompson$2, Dennis Rodman,$2 Kareem Abdul Jabbar.$5.
Pg- Steve Nash $3
Sg- Klay Thompson $2
Sf- LeBron James $6
Pf- Dennis Rodman $2
C- Dikembe Mutombo $2
Nash is a playmaker, he can run the offence and be the offence when need be. Klay is the shooter/defender who can light up any team at any time. LeBron is….. well LeBron. Rodman/Mutombo control the paint, defend, and get rebounds.
Sam Cassell
Michael Jordan
Cedric Maxwell
Rodman
Kareem
I think that
1.Michael jordan
2.lebron James
3.kareem
4.Larry bird
5.Tim Duncan
6. Kawhi Leonard