Building a NBA Franchise right now...Who would you take

[DPG21920]

Or a guy can take Chandler and make him into something when he is not that good. It works both ways.

[IronMexican]

Shaq and Duncan have 8 of the past 10 championships, that's how I know.

[m33p0]

Height is might, brah... Height is might.

[DPG21920]

you get a better point guard. guards are dime a dozen in the league. and i'm betting a good number of them can throw a decent lob.

We are talking great here, just not run of the mill guards.

[DPG21920]

Shaq and Duncan have 8 of the past 10 championships, that's how I know.

Jordan has more les than either, that is how I know.

[m33p0]

We are talking great here, just not run of the mill guards.

i'm siding with centers with mediocre guards. you take great guards with mediocre centers. just to make the argument clearer.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Bernard Pollard? why?

because he injured Tom Brady.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Look at championship teams besides the 1990's Bulls. Since Jordan retired, it's been a Duncan & Shaq battle more or less. A team led by Hakeem won it the 2 years MJ was retired.

Before MJ, it was impossible to win a le w/o a good big man.

Besides the MJ era, basketball has been far and away a big man's game.

[Jmoney]

Look at all the great bigs that were drafted in the Jordan era, almost none of them have rings.

Great bigs in the 80's drafted

Hakeem Rings

The Admiral rings

Ewing Zero

I'm at a loss to think of any other great bigs taken in top 5

Even if you count the early 90's

Shaq rings

Mutumbo Ring



So yeah you might to rework that theory.

If you look at the 80's and early 90's only one other guy besides Jordan got a ring and he did not LEAD his team for that ring.

If you look at the TOP 5 picks in the last 30 years PF/C drafted early that became great have a far greater rate of bringing home the rings than SG/PG's have done. The ONLY exception to this rule in the last 30 years was in fact MJ. However it took him 8 years to get another big skill player in Pippan and a slew of role players before he finally won.

The fact is you can only teach so much but you can't teach BIG. Howard now has a chance working with Ewing to do something Ewing never could do. Lead his team all the way and get himself a ring. CP3 well lets just say he's an amazing player but he's not gonna get his team to the big game.

[Rapper]

Basketball belongs to big men

[layupdrill]

Interesting replies on this one...

[baseline bum]

Of those two, CP3. 9 times out of ten, the big man.

My thoughts exactly.

[DPG21920]

Great bigs in the 80's drafted

Hakeem Rings

The Admiral rings

Ewing Zero

I'm at a loss to think of any other great bigs taken in top 5

Even if you count the early 90's

Shaq rings

Mutumbo Ring



So yeah you might to rework that theory.

If you look at the 80's and early 90's only one other guy besides Jordan got a ring and he did not LEAD his team for that ring.

If you look at the TOP 5 picks in the last 30 years PF/C drafted early that became great have a far greater rate of bringing home the rings than SG/PG's have done. The ONLY exception to this rule in the last 30 years was in fact MJ. However it took him 8 years to get another big skill player in Pippan and a slew of role players before he finally won.

The fact is you can only teach so much but you can't teach BIG. Howard now has a chance working with Ewing to do something Ewing never could do. Lead his team all the way and get himself a ring. CP3 well lets just say he's an amazing player but he's not gonna get his team to the big game.

Barkley, Malone...Convenient that you leave them out.

[Drom John]

I'd start with LeBron.
I'd take Howard over Paul with doubt.
As to Michael Jordan, I'd take Olajuwon a priori. Even several years into their careers, getting Olajuwon as second choice would be sufficient. Olajuwon could be the start for any team. Jordan takes the pieces to fit just right. Jackson was the carpenter.

[lebomb]

Always, always, always, and I mean ALWAYS take a great center over a great point. ALWAYS. Ask any GM in the league that is missing a player at both positions and see which he takes first. Guaranteed to be the center.

[hater]

I hater CP so I would pick the other guy, but I would not be happy with it

[turiaf for president]

paul for sure

[hater]

Always, always, always, and I mean ALWAYS take a great center over a great point. ALWAYS. Ask any GM in the league that is missing a player at both positions and see which he takes first. Guaranteed to be the center.

well this is only because law of averages makes the Big guy more valuable. not because it results in championships

[lebomb]

well this is only because law of averages makes the Big guy more valuable. not because it results in championships

...........like someone said before a GREAT big guy is much harder to draft than a great guard. If a Tim D. or D. Robinson, or Shaq was in this years draft. There is no way in a Derrick Rose or Chris Paul would have gone #1.

[Tully365]

In the modern era, the best classic big men-- Shaq, Duncan, KG-- have 9 les between them. The best Big defender, Bill Russell, had 11 by himself. The best classic point guards of the past 15 years or so-- Nash, Stockton, Kidd-- have none. Having a dominant defender in the paint seems to me to be the single best indicator of team greatness.... Russell's Celts, Willis Reed, Walton, Kareem, Olajuwon, DRob and Duncan... the 90s Bulls are a rare exception, but they had possibly the two best non-Big defenders in the league. I'd go with Howard, who after skipping college is dominant while still learning the game.

[DPG21920]

Lets see how Howard does with out a good pg now. I know how CP3 does w/o Chandler/West

[IronMexican]

Howard isn't a great C. CP3 is a great PG, though. Howard needs some back to the basket skills before I can say he is great. Right now, he is a very good Center lacking a post game, other than throwing up some fugly hooks.

[FreeMason]

If it's between just Howard or Paul, I would definitely take Paul if he had a coach like Pop who would not tolerate that nonstop whining.

Howard is no Tim Duncan, Shaq, Kareem, Dream, etc.

[DPG21920]

Who are the best big men of all time? Who are the best guards of all time? Who would you chose 1st if you are starting a team? Compare the different scenarios.

[IronMexican]

I would choose Kareem #1, and 2, 3, 4 are all very debatable between Shaq, Dream, and Duncan. Guards? MJ #1, Magic #2, and the rest is tough.