Best Draft Classes Represented in the NBA

As you've noticed I like these hypothetical situations.  So I took a look at all the drafts going back to 1995 and decided that if I were to do a 6 man tourney of today's NBA players, with 6 players from each draft class representing a team.  You end up getting 15 teams (I made a team of undrafted players).  In trying to determine the best draft class out there, granted some of the younger draft classes have more to prove than some of the older ones and you really can't expect much from the rookie or sophomore class, but hey, it's still fun to speculate.  It'd be like a mini-conference, and it's kinda fun throwing together these rosters.  Let's assume everyone is healthy (I only picked active NBA players, ie, not retired, we assume they play sometime this year), heck, I'll even say what team I think they'd be like this year.

1st.) Draft Class of 1996 (Boston Celtics: All star cast who might suprise you defensively)

PG- Steve Nash

SG- Allen Iverson

SF- Kobe Bryant

PF- Jermaine O'Neal

C- Marcus Camby

6th man- Ray Allen

There's just so much firepower on this squad I don't even know where to begin, first you have right now the best and arguably most refined player in the NBA; Kobe Bryant.  Then you add in one of the premier points in Steve Nash, who also is an elite shooter (50% FG, 40% 3pt, 90% FT), Allen Iverson, one of the best pure scorers ever, and two solid defensive minded big men in Jermaine and Camby, it's neigh unstoppable, add in one of the last premier pure shooters (one who can create nontheless) in Ray Allen as a reserve, and you can't get any more high powered than that.

2nd.) Draft Class of 2003 (LA Lakers: Sick looking roster on paper, might have some holes we didn't think of)

PG- LeBron James

SG- Dwayne Wade

SF- Carmelo Anthony

PF- David West

C- Chris Bosh

6th man- Josh Howard

This is a very explosive offensive squad and one that can play well together (note 2008 Olympics where Wade, James, Anthony, and Bosh were all teammates).  LeBron I think will easily become the best player in the league, and possibly the best player we've ever seen for a while, especially considering he, along with Melo and Bosh won't reach their primes until the 2012 Olympics.  Howard is a solid scorer off the bench and West is an aggresive player who quietly finds his shots and boards.  However, the biggest concern about this squad would be perimeter play, the next would be defense.  Unlike the '96 squad, Bosh and West won't cover up defensive mistakes like O'Neal and Camby would, additionally, as underrated as Wade and LeBron are on defense, I don't know that they have the stopping power that Kobe Bryant does either, that's why they slide to number 2.  These guys will get killed beyond the arc though, however, on the other hand, they likely would be able to run the other team to death.

3rd.) Draft Class of 1999 (Phoenix Suns: the effective running team)

PG- Baron Davis

SG- Manu Ginobili

SF- Ron Artest

PF- Shawn Marion

C- Elton Brand

6th man - Richard Hamilton

If I could get a coach to run with a team like this it would be Don Nelson.  First thing you probably notice is that yes, this is a really small team.  Elton Brand is undersized for a 4 and even Shawn Marion is a little short, but they are all aggressive and will run you to the ground.  This is a team that would run at you full kilter and just simply try to outscore you, I'd actually really like to see all these guys play together sometime, I bet you it'd be a lot of fun.  That being said, they'd also get outmuscled by any team with a semi-legitimate frontcourt.  Though, Marion and Brand are pretty efficient rebounding forwards.

4th.) Draft Class of 2001 (Toronto Raptors: inside-outside, works in theory)

PG- Gilbert Arenas

SG- Joe Johnson

SF- Jason Richardson

PF- Pau Gasol

C- Tyson Chandler

6th man - Tony Parker

The more I look at this, the more I realize this is a fairly potent inside-outside team.  With Joe Johnson and Jason Richardson spotting up at the wings and Gilbert Arenas taking it from the top of the key.  You get Pau Gasol to post in the high post and Tyson Chandler patrolling the middle and reading for the easy spin move/alley-oop or the quick offensive board and putback.  Run a quick high screen and Arenas breaks open for an open three or drives, should he drive then find Chandler for the quick bucket, or should the defense follow find Gasol for the open 15 footer on the roll, if the defense collapses find either Johnson or Richardson open for the three or drive.  Additionally both Richardson and Johnson can create their own shots as well, throw in Parker if you need a little extra push and aggresiveness around the rim or something, but all in all, I like how this team ends up being constructed.  Of course, it's a team that could all too easily fall in love with jumpshots too.

5th.) Draft Class of 2002 (Houston Rockets: you know what you're getting and it's pretty consistenly good)

PG- John Salmons

SG- Tayshaun Prince

SF- Caron Butler

PF- Amare Stoudemire

C- Yao Ming

6th man- Carlos Boozer

This would be a fairly solid team, both Amare and Yao are pretty versatile in both the low and high posts, so they could definitely give the frontcourts a major matchup problem.  Prince I believe can man the 2 slot well enough and would be a solid defensive stop.  I really couldn't find a good guard so I put in John Salmons who is a decent ball handler.  Caron Butler is a solid finisher and Boozer is just another big body off the bench should they need more inside presence.  That being said, it's a solid team but not a standout team.

6th.) Draft Class of 2004 (Philadelphia 76ers: maybe they're a little better at shooting, but they'll run you like crazy)

PG- Ben Gordon

SG- Kevin Martin

SF- Josh Smith

PF- Al Jefferson

C- Dwight Howard

6th man- Andre Iguodala

It was kind of a toss up for me between Iggy and Luol Deng, but I like Iggy's game a little better, and he's shown to be slightly more consistent.  An Al Jefferson/Dwight Howard frontcourt could be potentially monstrous should they coexist effectively, or disastrous should they only get in each other's way, I can see either one happening.  However, a Ben Gordon/Kevin Martin backcourt would be fast and explosive, especially with Josh Smith running with them.  They could also run small subbing out Jefferson and running Iggy at the 3 and Josh Smith at the 4, being a super fast, super athletic team.  Howard just crashboards and the 4 other players take off waiting for an outlet.  I mean, it's something of a waste of Howard's offensive talents, but I'm sure they'd throw him an alley-oop here and there as he trails in behind the offense.

7th.) Draft Class of 1997 (San Antonio Spurs: solid all around, no frills, down to business)

PG- Chauncey Billups

SG- Anthony Parker

SF- Tracy McGrady

PF- Tim Thomas

C- Tim Duncan

6th man- Stephen Jackson

I can actually see this team doing potentially very well, they actually are a reasonably constructed team, and I can actually see a lineup like this happening in the NBA, like, as an actual team, not an All-Star team.  Obviously the focus of the offense will be around Billups, McGrady, and Duncan with Thomas and Parker playing more role positions and shooting a lot of 3s.  Stephen Jackson would be a solid player off the bench and contribute both in scoring and a little on the defense.  Definitely a solid, solid team.

8th.) Draft Class of 1998 (Golden State Warriors: live by the 3, die by the 3)

PG- Mike Bibby

SG- Vince Carter

SF- Paul Pierce

PF- Antawn Jamison

C- Dirk Nowitzki

6th man- Rashard Lewis

This will be an explosive high scoring team, I can see them averaging like 50 threes per game.  The problem, they'll be abused like no other down on the block.  They don't have a single legitimate low post presence.  However, that may not be a problem, as they have a legitimate 3 pt threat in every position, they can try to trade buckets, and hope to win out that way.

9th.) Draft Class of 2005 (Portland Trailblazers: young and should be good, but could possibly be overhyped)

PG- Chris Paul

SG- Deron Williams

SF- Danny Granger

PF- David Lee

C- Andrew Bynum

6th man- Monta Ellis

10th.) Draft Class of 2006 (Chicago Bulls: The team some ends up being less than the sum of its parts)

PG- Rajon Rondo

SG- Brandon Roy

SF- Rudy Gay

PF- Tyrus Thomas

C- LaMarcus Aldridge

6th man- Randy Foye

11th.) Draft Class of 1995 (Sacramento Kings: they're not bad, they're not good, they'll float in the middle and you kind of would forget about them)

PG- Brent Barry

SG- Jerry Stackhouse

SF- Kevin Garnett

PF- Antonio McDyess

C- Rasheed Wallace

6th man- Joe Smith

12th.) Draft Class of 2007 (Minnesota Timberwolves: a lot of young talent that will do well but get no where with it)

PG- Rodney Stuckey

SG- Kevin Durant

SF- Thaddeus Young

PF- Al Thornton

C- Al Horford

6th man- Nick Young

13th.) Draft Class of 2000 (Milwaukee Bucks: wait, who's on this team?)

PG- Jamal Crawford

SG- Michael Redd

SF- Mike Miller

PF- Kenyon Martin

C- Joel Przybilla

6th man- Hedo Turkoglu

14th.) Best of the Undrafted (Memphis Grizzlies: nothing against these guys, but like the Grizzlies, no one would know why they're all on the same team)

PG- Jose Calderon

SG- Raja Bell

SF- Andres Nocioni

PF- Udonis Haslem

C- Brad Miller

6th man- Ben Wallace

15th.) Draft Class of 2008 (Oklahoma City Thunder: potential and upside, that's it)

PG- Derrick Rose

SG- OJ Mayo

SF- Michael Beasley

PF- Jason Thompson

C- Brook Lopez

6th man- Russell Westbrook