Scary Paper Rosters

Today I'm going to look at what teams are theoretically the best teams in the league, at least just by view of their roster and analysis of the potential they could play up to. Granted, these teams may look good but I don't know that they'll necessarily win the championships:

East

Boston Celtics

Starting 5:

PG - Rajon Rondo
SG - Ray Allen
SF - Paul Pierce
PF - Kevin Garnett
C - Kendrick Perkins

Off the bench:
James Posey, Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Glen Davis, Tony Allen, Eddie House, Leon Powe

What works:
When I first saw the trade that sent Garnett to Boston I thought it was just a conglomeration of superstars in order to make a good team. However, the more I look at it, the more I realize that actually this is one of the most potent offensive trios you can ever put together in the NBA. With these three you effectively spread the floor and create easy buckets all the time. Unlike the Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony struggle, you have three All-Star players that bring skill-sets that compliment each other. Firstly, all the players are unselfish, they're willing to pass the ball, the one player that passes the least would probably be Ray Allen, and that's because when you pass to him you probably want him to shoot it anyway. If we look at the breakdown, we have Kevin Garnett, monster on the inside; in the low post and in cleaning the glass. Paul Pierce is a slasher and finisher, able to get to the rim and the free throw line often. Ray Allen is one of if not THE premier 3pt shooter in the league (yes, yes there's always Jason Kapono, but seriously, this isn't a 3pt contest). Furthermore, we see that each of these players is multi-dimensional, Kevin Garnett has a solid and reliable mid-range jumper, Paul Pierce can also launch the 3 and has a highly underrated rebounding ability, and we always forget that this is the same Miluakee Bucks Ray Allen too, he can produce off the dribble. Finally you add Rajon Rondo, who's just insanely fast (maybe a next-gen Tony Parker?) and Kendrick Perkins (he gets the Fabricio Oberto role onthe Celtics, yay for Spurs analogies) who has played solid.

From their bench they have solid role players in Tony Allen, Eddie House, and James Posey, and Glen Davis is shaping up quite nicely into a solid big man. To help deepen their bench further they added Sam Cassell, who gives them a true point behind Rajon Rondo and veteran PJ Brown. Cassell is key, because behind Rondo, he can shoot and pass, giving PGs something completely different to look at once they switch off. Additionally, it adds some extra scoring, and veteran leadership in the second squad.

What to look out for:
The major issue then would be injury, Garnett has been fairly resilient, but Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Sam Cassell, and Tony Allen were all out for extended periods last season, and Ray Allen is out now with injuries. If any key player (one of the Big 3) goes down with some sort of injury that would put him out for a decent amount of time (a week or two) it could be a lot of pressure for the team to step up, but the wonder of this Big 3 is that two of them can usually pull it off as well (the Celtics are 7-2 without KG and are about to sweep the Texas Triangle without Ray Allen).

West:

LA Lakers

Starting 5:
PG - Derek Fisher
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Lamar Odom
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Andrew Bynum

Off the bench:
Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujajic, Vladamir Radmonovic, Chris Mihm

I think if the team were completely healthy Chris Mihm would play before DJ Mbenga, but that's a side note. I honestly think that on the West, while I don't think they will win, have currently the scariest roster and will have the scariest roster on paper for years to come. How come? It's because you have arguably the best player in the NBA, and the Twin Towers reborn. How does this work? Bynum is more of a power player, so if he develops fully he will be something big down low. Gasol is good off the weak side post, and has a solid 15 foot jumper, allowing him to work well opposite Bynum. The only weakness in this starting lineup is Odom, who cannot thrive inside as much anymore, and will need to take more jumpers (his weakness) if the ball does come to him, which hopefully won't be overly often. You have Kobe, who's Kobe, I don't think I need to say anymore, and Fisher who is a solid three point threat. Add in the bench who has really proven themselves despite their youth, they have one of the best looking clubs on the roster sheets.

What to watch out for:
They're young, aside from Kobe, Fisher, Odom, and Gasol, no major player on the Lakers has made a playoff run. So the question is, can the Lakers players (primarily their bench) hold up under the pressure that's involved in a 7-game playoff series? I think 3 years from now if this roster stays the same, they will be the scariest team (unless some freak trade gets Lebron on Atlanta for Marvin Williams or something).