Sports Illustrated on SA being the perfect team

Just got my new edition of SI and there is a great article in there on trying to take players from any team in the NBA and making up a team that can beat the Spurs

Basically they said that SA was the perfect team. They said they had the perfect mixture of selfless stars, steady role players, youthful exuberance, veteran savvy, and a wisely managed payroll.


They could choose players from any team, but had to stay within the luxury tax threshold 61.7 million. They also wanted to choose players that would fit in with each other and play roles.

Here is their team they put together:

Starters:

Steve Nash 9.6 million
Dwayne Wade 3 million
Yao Ming 5.6 million
Lebron James 4.6 million
Rasheed Wallace 10.3 million

Bench


Nenad Krstic 1 million
Antonio McDyess 5.5
Dwight Howard Howard 4.5
Ron Artest 6.5
Eric Piatkowski 3
Chauncy Billups 5.9
Luke Ridenour 1.6

Coach- Pat Riley.


Yeah, I think they can beat SA in 7 games.

:lol

I didn't realize that Sheed made more money than Stevie Nash. That's effed up, right there.

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Originally Posted by easjer

I didn't realize that Sheed made more money than Stevie Nash. That's effed up, right there.

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He's on the back end of his contract whereas Nash just started his...

Hell of a team, however in 3 years their payroll will be $100MM while the Spurs will still be at the tax threshold.

Yeah, that's one thing I noticed... their team won't be able to resign anyone at a higher level, so it's pretty much a one-time deal once contracts start expiring.

Nice try, though.

Interesting that three Pistons are on there.

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Originally Posted by BigVee

Hell of a team, however in 3 years their payroll will be $100MM while the Spurs will still be at the tax threshold.

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The point is they would be able to knock off the Spurs even if for only 1-2 seasons.

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Originally Posted by sa_butta

The point is they would be able to knock off the Spurs even if for only 1-2 seasons.

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So could a team of space robots. It doesn't mean it's going to happen. :lol

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Originally Posted by sa_butta

The point is they would be able to knock off the Spurs even if for only 1-2 seasons.

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I think the point is, is that SA has done such a great job putting together a championship team while staying under the luxury cap, that it takes some great imagination and the rest of the league's players to draw from, to beat the Spurs in the playoffs.

spurs would take them in 6

Yep, and even with that, the "all star" team would have to have a lot of practice, otherwise they would wind up like our Olympic team. Nash, Wade, LeBron....all need the ball.

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Originally Posted by ShoogarBear

Interesting that three Pistons are on there.

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And that none of them are Ben Wallace, who was more effective against the Spurs than anyone else.

I think I'd take either Shaq or Big Ben over Yao, at this point.

A starting lineup of Shaq, Wade, Lebron, Rasheed, and Nash with McDyess, Billups, Artest coming off the bench...That would be tough for the Spurs. They'd have to be coached by Larry Brown, though, in order for it to all work.

I'll take the Spurs over that team.

putting them together is one thing.

getting them to play AS A TEAM is another story.

I think Spurs still win the series.

They could have done a lot better than throwing Sheed+McDyess 15+ Mil. You could find a better combo.

They didn't pick a single Spur for that team. No respect!

:lol

Did Eric Piatkowski's dad Walt vote on the role players?

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Originally Posted by Supergirl

And that none of them are Ben Wallace, who was more effective against the Spurs than anyone else.

I think I'd take either Shaq or Big Ben over Yao, at this point.

A starting lineup of Shaq, Wade, Lebron, Rasheed, and Nash with McDyess, Billups, Artest coming off the bench...That would be tough for the Spurs. They'd have to be coached by Larry Brown, though, in order for it to all work.

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I bet they would to, however I think putting either of those guys in would throw them over the cap. Both those guys are at the end of lucrative contracts where as Yao is at the end of his rookie contract.

What a brilliant idea for an article? That is pratically an all-star team. Spurs could win a series (but I think that team would win in 6 the one SI picked), but instead of putting all-star caliber players on the bench, they should have been more conventional and put together a team w/ more thinking.

They got players that are still in their rookie contracts. So that team will fall apart in a year or 2.

It will be good to read the article. It sounds very complimentary and not something you see every year in any sport regarding the perceived top team.

It's good to see Jim posting "real" things and not bogus entries without links. :smokin (from the closet of old bones)

What's pretty amazing is that if you want to create a team to compete with the Spurs which has the same total salary, and with no impact players (first eight off the bench) on rookie contracts the same as the Spurs, you have to pick and choose some of the best salary to production players in the league.

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Originally Posted by Solid D

It will be good to read the article. It sounds very complimentary and not something you see every year in any sport regarding the perceived top team.

It's good to see Jim posting "real" things and not bogus entries without links. :smokin (from the closet of old bones)

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It is on sale on news stands near you, you cheap bastard.

:)

They also rate teams in each conference from top to bottom.

Guess who is number 1 in west?

:)

And as I have said since this Summer, they have Indy number 1 in East over Miami.

They ranked Minnesota 11th, which was surprising to me. And it doesn't look like they've jumped on the Warriors bandwagon either.

1. Spurs
2. Nuggets
3. Suns
4. Rockets
5. Mavs
6. Kings
7. Sonics
8. Grizzlies
9. Jazz
10. Lakers
11. Wolves
12. Warriors
13. Clippers
14. Blazers
15. Hornets

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Originally Posted by Spurminator

They didn't pick a single Spur for that team. No respect!

:lol

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Actually the writer respects the Spurs so much that he excluded all Spurs players for the purposes of the exercise. He said the Spurs were as close to a perfect team as their is so he didn't want to use any Spurs for this article.

http://anotherraskijoint.com/droc/spurs.jpg

It's the perfect team
Like the perfect storm
So get to runnin'
'Cause you been forewarned.

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Originally Posted by Notorious H.O.P.

Actually the writer respects the Spurs so much that he excluded all Spurs players for the purposes of the exercise. He said the Spurs were as close to a perfect team as their is so he didn't want to use any Spurs for this article.

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I know, I was kidding. ;)

(Actually when I first opened to the article all I saw was "A Perfect Team" and pictures of a bunch of non-Spurs, so my initial reaction was exactly that, but once I read a little further I understood the premise.)

Don't they know better??

They cant be the perfect team.

Ownership is too cheap to put out a "perfect" team.

Yeah T Park. Those Spurs won't play for what you pay your illegals, so ownership must not be cheap.

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Originally Posted by Jimcs50

Starters:

Steve Nash 9.6 million
Dwayne Wade 3 million
Yao Ming 5.6 million
Lebron James 4.6 million
Rasheed Wallace 10.3 million

Bench


Nenad Krstic 1 million
Antonio McDyess 5.5
Dwight Howard Howard 4.5
Ron Artest 6.5
Eric Piatkowski 3
Chauncy Billups 5.9
Luke Ridenour 1.6

Coach- Pat Riley.


Yeah, I think they can beat SA in 7 games.

:lol

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That team is wrong, because it´s impossible to have Yao, Wade and Lebron in the same team, because they have Rookie Scale salaries

Next Year Yao have the max just signed, and Wade and Lebron too in the next years, there are 3 players who are going to sign for the max, so you need 100 millions for to have taht team, not 61,7

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you pay your illegals,

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I have illegals??

When did this happen?

When you said it did. Then again, you said you weren't a Spurs fan when times got a little tough.

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When you said it did.

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Interesting. I never said I have illegals working for me.


But of course, you have always loved to be a dick and read into things that you want.

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Then again, you said you weren't a Spurs fan when times got a little tough.

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Hmmm, and you rip Ghost for beating a dead horse??

Hypocrisy perhaps??? nahhhh.

You certainly claimed that you hired illegals a few months back. I guess they're just undocumented...

Hey, I'm not the one supporting a team that I gave up on in a championship round a couple months back.

Get off the wagon.

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Originally Posted by SWC Bonfire

So could a team of space robots. It doesn't mean it's going to happen. :lol

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:lol

http://members.aol.com/Spacer1701/spacejam.gif