KD's starting 5- TD at Pf

[nbaman99]

Magic-Kobe-mj-timmy-shaq

http://mweb.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25291500/kevin-durant-names-his-all-time-starting-five?

[Spurtacular]

Under Armour probably pressured him to prop up Kobe. He still had to mention Bird, whom he claims to model his game after.

[TheGreatYacht]

Props

[BD24]

Close, but putting Kobe on there makes the list more or less trash. Especially since he has Jordon on there, why would you want Jordan Lite when you have the real thing.

[SquawkinHawkBigCock]

NO LECHOKE IS GDWhat language is this?

[SPURt]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7396/9037072661_bce3f6bf77_o.gif

[FromWayDowntown]

He's a hater, leaving Kawhi off his team.

[Spurtacular]

MJ is not a SF; and in fact whenever he tried to guard great SF's like Bird, he got eaten alive.

[Spur|n|Austin]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7396/9037072661_bce3f6bf77_o.gif

What does he say? Well I'm not mad?

[Ice009]

Under Armour probably pressured him to prop up Kobe. He still had to mention Bird, whom he claims to model his game after.

Why would Under Armour pressure him to prop up Kobe? Both KD and Kobe are with Nike. What has UA got to do with his selections?

[Spurtacular]

Why would Under Armour pressure him to prop up Kobe? Both KD and Kobe are with Nike. What has UA got to do with his selections?

Okay, I read something like this about a year ago:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11384303/kevin-durant-offered-massive-deal-armour-nike-right-match

I guess Nike matched.

Well, either way they are getting paid handsomely to perpetuate their brand. There would have been repercussions for KD had he left Kobe off the list.

[Kool Bob Love]

Props

this. KD ain't stupid. He knows the diffrents between a legend and system player. Calls it like he sees it.

[TheGreatYacht]

this. KD ain't stupid. He knows the diffrents between a legend and system player. Calls it like he sees it.

[Kidd K]

Yeah I think he was definitely pressured to add Kobe. Kobe there instead of LeBron, Bird, or even himself or Scottie Pippen simply makes the team worse.

Kobe's not good enough at non-scoring things to make him worth it. Not a sharpshooter either and often coasts on D, not to mention he isn't an amazing playmaker.

Give me Bird or LeBron over him 10/10 times tbh. Kobe is redundant on that team imo.

[phxspurfan]

Yeah I think he was definitely pressured to add Kobe. Kobe there instead of LeBron, Bird, or even himself or Scottie Pippen simply makes the team worse.

Kobe's not good enough at non-scoring things to make him worth it. Not a sharpshooter either and often coasts on D, not to mention he isn't an amazing playmaker.

Give me Bird or LeBron over him 10/10 times tbh. Kobe is redundant on that team imo.

Bird was so overrated. LeBron all the way. LeBron vs Bird would be like an NBA guy going up against a high school kid.

[DMC]

MJ is not a SF; and in fact whenever he tried to guard great SF's like Bird, he got eaten alive.
Who didn't get eaten alive trying to guard Larry Legend?

[DMC]

Bird was so overrated. LeBron all the way. LeBron vs Bird would be like an NBA guy going up against a high school kid.
You're out of your mind. Pretty sure no NBA player today feels that way, not even Lebron.

[RayTdropout]

that's a surprise because you know he hates giving the Spurs love

[tmtcsc]

Bird was so overrated. LeBron all the way. LeBron vs Bird would be like an NBA guy going up against a high school kid.

http://media.giphy.com/media/12luQDyqvum5l6/giphy.gif

[UNT Eagles 2016]

yeah, you can't really play MJ and Kobe together, unless you're not playing a PG. Must have Bird/Lebron

[Spurtacular]

Who didn't get eaten alive trying to guard Larry Legend?

Agreed. But Bird consistently made Jordan look like a nat.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKoXZ1f00Mc

[Phenomanul]

and more than half of those occurred after Larry's back injury...

[nbaman99]

You're out of your mind. Pretty sure no NBA player today feels that way, not even Lebron.

Dude you don't know NBA history at all.

[DMC]

Dude you don't know NBA history at all.

sure

[testies]

finally a good starting 5 all time..

lebron is garbage and has been outshone by cp3, kobe and anthony in all olympic teams.

imagine him dribbling the ball for 20 seconds and ignoring kobe, mj and shaq on that team.

the superstar with less "fear factor" i ever had going against.. even westbrook scared me more

[Kawhitstorm]

Breaking News: Russell Westbrook demands a trade after being left out of KD's staring 5.

[Spurtacular]

Magic-Kobe-mj-timmy-shaq

http://mweb.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25291500/kevin-durant-names-his-all-time-starting-five?

Kidd-Pierce-Lebron-Malone-Olajuwon

Stockton-Maravich-Bird-McHale-Walton

I'd take either line-up against them.

[dabom]

You'd lose 10 out of 10 times. No joke.

[Spurtacular]

You'd lose 10 out of 10 times. No joke.

Great passing and shooting > Hero ball

[spurraider21]

:lmao maravich "great passing"

he made flashy passes that made highlight reels but is considered by his peers a ballhog and chucker

[Kawhitstorm]

and more than half of those occurred after Larry's back injury...

You might want to go back & check on how bad Larry was on defense after his back injury. He couldn't even guard Jordan for a single possession.

[Kawhitstorm]

:lmao maravich "great passing"

he made flashy passes that made highlight reels but is considered by his peers a ballhog and chucker

Maravich was a hybrid of Manu/Curry dude destroyed the NCAA.

[Silver&Black]

:lmao "destroyed the NCAA"


A lot of guys have destroyed the NCAA. Doesn't mean they deserve to be on the all-time starting 5....

[spurraider21]

maravich was more turnover prone than manu and as big a chucker as kobe, while not being a good defender

:cry but but, i saw his youtube highlight videos and he was steve nash ahead of his time :cry

[BD24]

Kidd-Pierce-Lebron-Malone-Olajuwon

Stockton-Maravich-Bird-McHale-Walton

I'd take either line-up against them.
Both of those teams would get their shit pushed in.

[Silver&Black]

Both of those teams would get their shit pushed in.

The second team would get beat by 30+...

MJ would destroy that backcourt. And Shaq vs. Walton....:lol

[BD24]

The second team would get beat by 30+...

MJ would destroy that backcourt. And Shaq vs. Walton....:lol
Yea seems like his goal with second team was to make an all white boy team for some reason.

[Kawhitstorm]

Kidd-Pierce-Lebron-Malone-Olajuwon

Stockton-Maravich-Bird-McHale-Walton

I'd take either line-up against them.

Stockton used to get sonned by pre-injury Kevin Johnson, PRIME Payton & end-of-career Zeke (not to mention getting styled on by Kenny Smith in the postseason). Kidd would be dared to make open shots all day & we all know he wouldn't be able to dominate the ball playing w/ superstars thus he would be a liability on offense. Maravich was a mediocre defender & would get lit up by Magic/Kobe/Jordan. Bill Walton also stood no chance of containing Shaq as he used to get abused by Kareem even during his MVP run in "77.

Besides, Pierce is a 2nd tier superstar who was dwelling in mediocrity during his prime while Iverson was carrying a bunch of bums to the Finals. If it wasn't for KG/Ray Pierce's would have never come up in this discussion.

[Kawhitstorm]

maravich was more turnover prone than manu and as big a chucker as kobe, while not being a good defender

:cry but but, i saw his youtube highlight videos and he was steve nash ahead of his time :cry

You might want to check on Curry's turnover rates & defense along w/ his propensity to chuck. Curry is basically the modern day Maravich in a sense that he was unstoppable in college & changed the pro game from the guard position. Nash is a bastard version of Maravich & could never dominate the game scoring wise. Nash is Stockton w/o the defense.

[Spurtacular]

Stockton used to get sonned by pre-injury Kevin Johnson, PRIME Payton & end-of-career Zeke (not to mention getting styled on by Kenny Smith in the postseason).

Stockton is the all-time steals leader. Are you really trying to sell a myth that he was a bad defender? BTW, he was nicknamed The Glove before Payton stole the nickname.

[Kawhitstorm]

Stockton is the all-time steals leader. Are you really trying to sell a myth that he was a bad defender? BTW, he was nicknamed The Glove before Payton stole the nickname.

If you thinking I'm making it up then just go look it up. Zeke got pissed off after Stockton got picked over him for the Dream Team & went at him until his achilles imploded. Kevin Johnson beat Stockton/Malone in 91 . I never said Stockton was a defensive liability, just that he got outplayed by other all-star point guards. Stockton was simply the most consistent all-star point guard not necessarily the guy who was outright the top point guard at a certain season. There are a handful of point guards whose peak is better than John Stockton's peak.

[Buddy Mignon]

No way I'd take Jim over Malone.

[Sean Cagney]

Of course you wouldn't but most people would in reality...

[YGWHI]

lebron is garbage and has been outshone by cp3, kobe and anthony in all olympic teams
NBA's all-time starting five. Who cares about olympic teams?

[YGWHI]

Lakers FO this off-season "We like our chances. We got a second meeting with Aldridge, something that the Spurs and Suns have not gotten..."

Lakers FO next off-season "Kevin Durant has three Lakers in his all-time starting five, that's clearly a sign we have a lot of chances of signing him."

:D

[tholdren]

:lmao "destroyed the NCAA"


A lot of guys have destroyed the NCAA. Doesn't mean they deserve to be on the all-time starting 5....

Probably the best NCAA player of all time - 43ppg 7rpg and 4 apg. Set tons of scoring records, shot mid 40%, chucker, maybe, would be interesting to see what he would have done with a 3pt line.

[tholdren]

You might want to check on Curry's turnover rates & defense along w/ his propensity to chuck. Curry is basically the modern day Maravich in a sense that he was unstoppable in college & changed the pro game from the guard position. Nash is a bastard version of Maravich & could never dominate the game scoring wise. Nash is Stockton w/o the defense.

? Steve Nash is highly regarded as the best shooting PG.

[BD24]

No way I'd take Jim over Malone.
Thats 5 talking.

[spurraider21]

No way I'd take Jim over Malone.
vanessa took malone too

[Russo21]

Not a bad list but unfortunately has 2 very high volume players at the 2 and 3 with average outside shooting who make each other redundant.

Lots of options at C, Shaq is the single most dominant force we'll ever see but with one massive flaw that could be exposed at any time and fuck the flow of the game up (FT obviously)

Left out Mr Triple Double, Oscar Robertson who has just about the greatest stats we'll ever see but obviously never watched him play.

Kareem
Duncan
Bird
Jordan
Magic

A small lack of 3 point shooting there but I can't work my way around that.

[$pursDynasty]

My 5: Magic, Jordan, LBJ, TD, Kareem. Not a Lebron fan, but I can't logically put any other 3 in over him, the rest I don't even feel required to justify.

[Phenomanul]

You might want to go back & check on how bad Larry was on defense after his back injury. He couldn't even guard Jordan for a single possession.

That's how badly Larry's back injury degenerated his body. Bird played on that injury for at least 8 years (initially hurt his back shoveling his driveway in 1985) [and broke it again during a scrimmage in 1989].

In other words, you don't know what you're talking about, given that again more than half of those highlights were AFTER Bird hurt his back (most of those highlights were from 86, 87, 88, 89, and 90). Defensively, I'm pretty sure that was Bird blocking and stealing from Jordan on several plays.

As a 36 year old with a broken back, Bird still averaged 20/10/7 in his last season, including torching one of the most athletic teams in the league for 49/14/12... Do you know how many players would kill to get those averages in a season? Yet Bird did it when he could barely jog on the court and would be locked in a body suit after games. He couldn't even sit on the bench anymore, and would have to lie down during games to suppress the pain. Had he not been hampered halfway through his career, there is no doubt in my mind he would have led the Celtics to more championships.

IMO Bird is arguably the best small forward to ever play the game of basketball.

[Kawhitstorm]

That's how badly Larry's back injury degenerated his body. Bird played on that injury for at least 8 years (initially hurt his back shoveling his driveway in 1985) [and broke it again during a scrimmage in 1989].

In other words, you don't know what you're talking about, given that again more than half of those highlights were AFTER Bird hurt his back (most of those highlights were from 86, 87, 88, 89, and 90). Defensively, I'm pretty sure that was Bird blocking and stealing from Jordan on several plays.

As a 36 year old with a broken back, Bird still averaged 20/10/7 in his last season, including torching one of the most athletic teams in the league for 49/14/12... Do you know how many players would kill to get those averages in a season? Yet Bird did it when he could barely jog on the court and would be locked in a body suit after games. He couldn't even sit on the bench anymore, and would have to lie down during games to suppress the pain. Had he not been hampered halfway through his career, there is no doubt in my mind he would have led the Celtics to more championships.

IMO Bird is arguably the best small forward to ever play the game of basketball.

LeBron's prime has outlasted Larry's prime & Bird never won a single title without MULTIPLE HOFers on his squad thus the Miami "Heatles" thing (esp. considering Wade was hobbled & Bosh isn't a legit HOFer) is irrelevant. The numbers LeBron put up in the Finals for an ENTIRE series against two elite defenders (Iggy/Draymond) while carrying a bunch of bums is more impressive than Bird's single game outburst of 49/14/12 while playing w/ MULTIPLE HOFers. Let's not forget that Larry never defended a title despite playing on a loaded team & Larry came up small against Magic in college when he wasn't surrounded by MULTIPLE HOFers.

Larry is the second best SF & probably the best offensive machine in his prime. LeBron is a freak of nature (ala Wilt/Shaq/Jordan) that no amount acquired skill can match it.

[Kawhitstorm]

? Steve Nash is highly regarded as the best shooting PG.

Being the best shooter doesn't equate to being the best scorer. He is the best PnR point guard of his era b/c he can kill you w/ a shot or pass but he wasn't a 1-on-1 scorer. He struggled against Bowen b/c of his size & he did fare well in Dallas when he had to play half-court b/c he couldn't get separation w/o the PnR. Maravich & Curry can get separation at will & murder single coverages. Nash meanwhile mostly exploited mismatches against bigs & never got to the line much. Mark Price was actually a better scorer than Nash while being just as good a shooter.

[lefty]

Bird = GOAT

[Kawhitstorm]

Bird = GOAT

We all saw Bird was the GOAT after Magic bitch slapped him in the NCAA Finals when they both couldn't hide behind HOF teammates.

[SquawkinHawkBigCock]

LeBron's prime has outlasted Larry's prime & Bird never won a single title without MULTIPLE HOFers on his squad thus the Miami "Heatles" thing (esp. considering Wade was hobbled & Bosh isn't a legit HOFer) is irrelevant. The numbers LeBron put up in the Finals for an ENTIRE series against two elite defenders (Iggy/Draymond) while carrying a bunch of bums is more impressive than Bird's single game outburst of 49/14/12 while playing w/ MULTIPLE HOFers. Let's not forget that Larry never defended a title despite playing on a loaded team & Larry came up small against Magic in college when he wasn't surrounded by MULTIPLE HOFers.

Larry is the second best SF & probably the best offensive machine in his prime. LeBron is a freak of nature (ala Wilt/Shaq/Jordan) that no amount acquired skill can match it.

None of those guys would be HOFers without Larry :lmao

[SPURt]

What about a small ball line up where you put Duncan at the 5 and have Magic/MJ/Bird/Lebron? That may be my all time starting 5, especially with today's game.

[Kawhitstorm]

None of those guys would be HOFers without Larry :lmao

You are right, Nique wouldn't be a HOFer if it wasn't for his duels with Larry which for the most part were a draw but yet Nique isn't even a 1st ballot HOFer b/c he didn't have McHale/Parish. We all saw Larry in the NCAA Finals when he didn't have McHale/Parish by his side.

[lefty]

You are right, Nique wouldn't be a HOFer if it wasn't for his duels with Larry which for the most part were a draw but yet Nique isn't even a 1st ballot HOFer b/c he didn't have McHale/Parish. We all saw Larry in the NCAA Finals when he didn't have McHale/Parish by his side.

We are talking NBA in this thread

Not NCAA with the zone D .... Bird had horrible teammates in college, AIDS State zoned him out with 4 guys everytime he had the ball

:lol what was he supposed to do?

[Spurtacular]

:lmao maravich "great passing"

he made flashy passes that made highlight reels but is considered by his peers a ballhog and chucker

A prime (pre knee injury) Pistol could've averaged 40 in the modern era. And he shot so much cos he was on terrible teams. He would've passed more than enough on a team of greats.

[Russo21]

What about a small ball line up where you put Duncan at the 5 and have Magic/MJ/Bird/Lebron? That may be my all time starting 5, especially with today's game. Sounds pretty damn good with how the game has evolved. I was thinking of that exact line-up to but went with the traditional 2 bigs in the starting 5 instead. Love this starting 5 to, nasty.

[Kawhitstorm]

Payton
Jorn
Bird (surround by 4 first ballot HOFer so he should be Dynomite!)
Tim
Hakeem

Run a PnR w/ Jorn-Hakeem & have Bird spotting up on the strong side. Have Tim cutting/crashing the boards & Payton spotting up on the weakside.

Oh, good luck getting a bucket on this squad.

[Brazil]

Magic
MJ
Lebron.. tbh
Tim
KAJ

[Kawhitstorm]

Magic
MJ
Lebron.. tbh
Tim
KAJ

Playing zone against that team & daring them to make jumpers.

[Phenomanul]

LeBron's prime has outlasted Larry's prime & Bird never won a single title without MULTIPLE HOFers on his squad thus the Miami "Heatles" thing (esp. considering Wade was hobbled & Bosh isn't a legit HOFer) is irrelevant. The numbers LeBron put up in the Finals for an ENTIRE series against two elite defenders (Iggy/Draymond) while carrying a bunch of bums is more impressive than Bird's single game outburst of 49/14/12 while playing w/ MULTIPLE HOFers. Let's not forget that Larry never defended a title despite playing on a loaded team & Larry came up small against Magic in college when he wasn't surrounded by MULTIPLE HOFers.

Larry is the second best SF & probably the best offensive machine in his prime. LeBron is a freak of nature (ala Wilt/Shaq/Jordan) that no amount acquired skill can match it.

1) I said Larry was "ARGUABLY" the best SF... I wasn't trying to diminish LeBron's talents. In fact, I never mentioned LeBron.

2) You tried to belittle Larry's game, and then specifically honed in on suggesting a) that he wasn't a great shooter (:lmao) and b) that he couldn't defend.

a) ummm apparently you don't realize that Larry was one of the clutchest shooters ever. He can shoot. His 3pt shooting display at some of the earlier 3pt competitions can attest to that (waaaaaay before the 3pt shot was a staple of NBA offenses).

b) Larry was a smart and pesky defender despite his "athletic" limitations. He always knew where to be on the floor. The context of my previous post was to highlight your mischaracterization of Larry AFTER you suggested that Larry couldn't defend after his back injury. I simply pointed out that the bulk of the highlights from that video clip where he is shown holding his own against Michael Jordan ARE from after his back injury. In other words, your comment was highly misleading.

[Kawhitstorm]

1) I brought up Lebron b/c you brought up the "best SF" argument which is the same position LeBron plays.

2) Where did I state "Larry wasn't a great shooter"? I specifically stated he was the best offensive machine from the SF position.

3) Being a clutch shooter is only a single attribute, if you look at their ENTIRE body of work then LeBron is at least Larry's equal & will eventually no doubt surpass him before it's all said & done.

4) It doesn't matter how pesky he was, Larry wasn't a shut down 1-on-1 defender (he used to get murdered by Worthy/Nique) but he was a great help defender b/c he had an unmatch Bball IQ.

FYI: I picked Larry (not LeBron) as the starting SF on my starting 5.

[myhc]

PG: Magic
SG: Jordan
SF: Bird
PF: Tim
C: Hakeem

[SnakeBoy]

What does he say? Well I'm not mad?

I think it's "Well he's not fat"

[SAGirl]

Very lively and enjoyable discussion. I would never put Lebron over Larry. Lebron does seem weak minded and can fold at times when you most need him. That would never be Larry. He was an assassin. If games are close you better have a Ray Allen on a Lebron team. That was never a problem for Larry. In fact, per Magic's own words, when he playe "Larry was the only guy he ever feared." He also was so smart and had such hand/eye coordination that he didn't need to rely on freakish athleticism to dominate. He was clearly a BB assassin. Lebron has been great in his own right, but for a dream team, I am taking Larry. Lebron folded against the Mavericks in 2011 and could not conquer his demons until 2012 in a stacked team. His mental weakness almost cost him the title in 2013 and was saved by Allen. There is a chance he may not ever win a title again after his physical advantage diminishes. He's gotten tougher with experience, but the knock on him is that a guy as skilled and physically dominant as he is should have done better.