Which NBA team has the best all-time starting team?

[lotr1trekkie]

The Spurs would start Robinson, Duncan and Gervin. After that I don't know.
Only 5 starters. No subs.

[will_spurs]

Probably the Warriors or Lakers.

Lakers:

West
Bryant
Baylor
Kareem
Wilt

Magic doesn't start on your all-time Lakers list?!?

I'd say either the Lakers or Celtics would have the best starting 5.

[Old School 44]

Lakers...if their actual position didn't matter I'd go with this team.

Kobe
Magic
Shaq
Wilt
Kareem

[Mark in Austin]

Lakers - from a pure talent perspective I'd say

Magic
West
Bryant
Shaq
Kareem

From a chemistry perspective I'd say

Magic
West
Worthy
Baylor
Kareem

But Boston with a line-up of

DJ
Havlicek
Bird
McHale
Russell

would be a freaking nightmare.

[will_spurs]

Eh, I forgot about Magic.

I thought so

No disrespect to Baylor, who was a fantastic player, but Magic is just too good to pass up.

[Seventyniner]

Don't get me wrong though, Elgin Baylor was a beast. High flying scorer, if not for Wilt then Baylor would have been known as the best scorer of the 60s.

But what happens if your 5-man unit is comprised mainly of players whose primary talent is scoring? Sure, they have other talents, but if these 5-man units were actually playing against each other, I could see the Spurs' all-time fivesome with Robinson, Duncan, Bowen, Gervin, and Moore, for example. All-time great defenders (even those who aren't elite scorers) should have a place here.

[Mel_13]

The 1973 NBA Champion Knicks started 5 HOFers and had another as the sixth man:

Reed
DeBusschere
Bradley
Monroe
Frazier

Lucas

[will_spurs]

The 1973 NBA Champion Knicks started 5 HOFers and had another as the sixth man

The only way they could ever find to win the NBA

[TDMVPDPOY]

The 1973 NBA Champion Knicks started 5 HOFers and had another as the sixth man:

Reed
DeBusschere
Bradley
Monroe
Frazier

Lucas

does sprewell make the cut?

[Mel_13]

What you fail to mention is that Havlicek got injured in the middle of that series between New York and Boston. Boston would have won had Hondo not been out of commision.

Meh.

The Knicks won Game 7 in 1970 with Reed hobbling through the first few minutes. Championship teams overcome injuries. The 72-73 Celts were good enough to win 68 games in the regular season, but not good enough to beat a 57-win Knick team in a seven game series without their leader.

Irrelevant to the point of this thread in any event. I'm sure some of the Celtic teams from the 60's had 5 or more HOFers on a single team, but I doubt there are many other examples of that many HOFers on one squad.

[FkLA]

Robinson
Duncan
Gervin
Ginobili
Parker

Not the best but they would give any team a run for their money, just saying.

[Mel_13]

Oh and add Frank Ramsey to that list of hall of famers on one team.

Nicely done, Phila.

While the Celts were winning 10 of 11 les from 1959-1969, every team had at least 4 HOFers and they peaked with 8 HOFers on the 1962-63 team.

Cousy
Hondo
Heinsohn
Jones
Jones
Lovellette
Ramsey
Russell

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...rder_by=season

Using that tool to do a little research, I'm convinced that the 6 HOFers on the 73 Knicks is the largest collection of HOFers on any non-Celtics team in NBA history.

[21_Blessings]

Eh, I forgot about Magic.

I would kick Baylor off that and just move Kobe to the 3 and West to the 2 then.

I don't want Shaq or Wilt in the stating lineup; off the bench for their ass behind the Captain. Both are extreme egomaniacs that can't knock down a free throw when it matters.


West
Kobe
Worthy
Magic
Kareem

I love Baylor and all but he needs the ball. Worthy is a better fit.

[BillMc]

And when did Wilt's ego ever hurt a team like Shaq's?

You're so right. Wilt had a huge ego alright, but he was also (as well do ented) a very nice guy, who didn't play Shaq's games. Wilt could lead the league in ASSISTS if he wanted to, just to prove his help to his teammates.

The All-time Lakers team would be invincible.

Magic
Kobe
Baylor
Wilt (as a duncan-esqu giant PF, in defense mode like he was near the end of his career)
Kareem

West, Shaq, Worthy and Mikan coming off the bench...

[will_spurs]

While the Celts were winning 10 of 11 les from 1959-1969, every team had at least 4 HOFers and they peaked with 8 HOFers on the 1962-63 team.

[...]

Using that tool to do a little research, I'm convinced that the 6 HOFers on the 73 Knicks is the largest collection of HOFers on any non-Celtics team in NBA history.

The Celts also had 8 HoFers during the 1957-58 season, but lost in the Finals.

Diong a quick check as well, and even when not limiting it to teams that have won the NBA that year, there are only a few teams with 5 HoFers. Most of the time is 4 (which might well be the case with the 2002-03 Spurs but it's too early to tell).

[hoopdreams11]

Sixers

cheeks
AI
Dr J
Barkley
Malone

[SpursTillTheEnd]

wussup phila put yo 5 against my 5 homie u dont want it, none of yall want it

Smush Parker
Adam Morrison
Jared Jeffries
Danny Ferry
Brian cardinal

[BadOdor]

Wilt leading in assists were purely a selfish thing - he wanted to prove he could do that after being called out for being a ball hog.

Those assists didn't come from him wanting to share, he was simply out there to prove a point.


Lol mikan 7ft tall.

[m33p0]

Showtime Lakers starting 5 was awesome. only weak link was Scott.

[BadOdor]

No, just just figured he was more dangerous averaging 20 points and 8 assists rather than 35 points and 3 assists. Which was true. Wilt was the only player in NBA history who could do anything on the basketball court he wanted. He loved to play basketball, it just wasn't his first love (that was track and field, similar to Duncan and swimming) but Wilt did some amazing things in his career, including coming back from an injury thought to be career ending before that point.

No wonder he did "amazing" thing = he was a 7 fter playing with 6 ft 9 honkies.

[mexpurs21]

Charlotte Bobcats:

Raymond Felton
Stephen Jackson
Gerald Wallace
Boris Diaw
Emeka Okafor

[BillMc]

Wilt actually did lead the league in assists in '68.

That was my point. We're in agreement!