My Modern Dream Team

Ok, so I didn't grow up with the 1992 Dream Team of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and (how could we forget) Christian Laettner. I do remember the 1996 squad of Stockton, Malone, Jordan, Pippen, Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal, Mitch Richmond, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller, and Gary Payton. I thought, it'd be interesting to make my own 12 man squad of who would be up there on my dream squad, and how they would fit together to compete, who I'd have a specializers and who I'd have taking the shots. This would be fun to see in reality, or perhaps as close as I can get, which would be like NBA 2k8 or something. If I were to make my dream NBA team with the players today, here and now, here's what it'd look like:

Starting 5:

PG - LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
I know, half of you are thinking "WHAT?!" I'm sure everyone was half expecting Chris Paul, the other half expecting Deron Williams, and a small fraction perhaps expecting Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, or Baron Davis. LeBron is a ball handler, that's what you get when you have a point guard like Daniel ("Boobie") Gibson on your team. LeBron is a born passer, which, if you recall, merited him some criticism in the 2007 playoffs. However, despite LeBron's tendency now to finish, I still like it when he moves to pass. He's got the speed, the athleticism, the court vision, the touch, in addition to that, he's 6-8 and 240 lbs, name me a point guard that can guard that. I like size on a court, it creates a lot of mismatches, I think if he had the right pieces, and were able to focus more on distributing and defense, he'd be one of the best point forwards ever, hey, Scottie Pippen got his fair share of scoring done too.

SG - Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Despite his struggles to adjust to the international game, opening his first two games in the Olympics with with a respectable 41% FG percentage but shooting only 6% from beyond the arc. He managed to pick it up a little later in the games including an impressive 25 point showing on 10-16 shooting and 4-7 from three point range against Australia, which he promptly followed by shooting 5-14 from the field and 2-9 from beyond the arc against Argentina. However, despite all these struggles, I still think he's the best player in the league, at least on the offensive end. He's a potent creator for his shots, and while he draws comparisons I don't think his game is like Michael Jordan's really. MJ liked the 12-15 ft turn around fader from the post, whereas Kobe I think prefers the quick jab to a pull up jumper from about 18 ft out. Both are amazing, both can pass, both can finish, but I think their strengths are different. That being said, I'm making a roster of today's players, and Kobe would be my goto guy if I can't get my offense to work. Additionally, as much as you might think his defense is overhyped, the Lakers did win 2001, and got things done, especially after putting him on Allen Iverson since Tyronne Lue kept getting burned. Kobe may not have contained Iverson, but he did a heck of a job slowing him down.

SF - Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic)
Another "What?!" from all the readers out there, I know, even with LeBron James as the starting point guard I'm sure you expected maybe Paul Pierce or Caron Butler or maybe even Tracy McGrady, I bet you probably thought a defensive specialist like Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince might even get a better crack at the rotation. As you might have noticed, I'm a big Rashard Lewis fan. Every rotation I think needs a three point specialist, and as you might have noticed Rashard Lewis is something of a 3 pt specialist. I believe that his current stint with the Orlando Magic has been somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu, but I believe he's a better and more refined player than Hedo, they're just so similar he's relegated to shooting 3s more because he's better at it. If you actually look closely, Lewis also has a penchant for coming up with steals, he's big, and he's hard to guard, creating a lot of matchup problems. Additionally, I don't think you get a much better 3pt specialist than Lewis. We're talking about a guy who was making franchise 3 pt records, with Ray Allen as a teammate. Not just shot percentage, but number of attempts and number of makes.

PF - Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)
So if we take out all the international USA basketball politics, and made all eligible players that were available, available to play on the team, I'd take KG. He's the most high energy, versatile, forwards I've seen play the game. His only problem is that he doesn't really have a go to move (his 12 foot fader, kind of a combo Michael Jordan/Karl Malone move, doesn't work enough for me to call it go-to), but I want him for his defense. Hard nosed man, his ability to roam on the weakside, his rebounding ability, etc... If he can get buckets, good for him. He's fast enough that I would love to see him and LeBron racing up in transition. Sick. His ability to roam out further than 7 feet from the basket make him readily able to guard larger forwards that like the midrange game and his size allows him to take the post well. All in all, one of the more solid defenders I've seen, sure I don't want him to guard a 2 guard, but I still like his game. His versatility, while a weakness, is also a strength in that it gives the team that much more leeway and that many more options on offense. I think his passing is also underrated, I like a team that can pass.

C - Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Tim Duncan's not a center! He guards all the centers when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He takes all the tips at Spurs games. Tim Duncan's not a center! All the centers guard him when they play the Spurs. Tim Duncan's not a center! He's got better post moves than most centers in the league. Tim Duncan's not a center! Ok, ok, we get the picture. Personally I think the only reason Tim Duncan is not a center is because he can't win an All-Star ballot against Yao Ming and he was drafted when David Robinson was still playing. That being said, I think he's probably the best big man in the league (some would argue of all time). Sure he's getting older, but he can still score, still rebound, still block, still post, still shoot a decent midrange jumper, still defend, still do everything except shoot a decent free throw percentage. Seriously though, what legitimate US big man (so not Yao and not Pau Gasol) can? Maybe Chris Kaman (73% career), but seriously, would you pick him for your dream team? Don't tell me Troy Murphy is legit. Seriously though, Tim Duncan is one of the last true big men, and he's a little more finesse then I like for a guy that will guard some bangers like Marc Gasol, but he does a good job of it, he's strong, he's big, and he knows the game. He can score, he can pass, he can play defense. Ok, maybe I put him here because he's also my favorite player, but objectively, if I were to remake a dream team, I'd still put him here anyway. He's so easy to work around, that's part of what makes the Spurs go. I love Mr. Fundamental, even if he is like a robot sometimes.

Bench:
Guards:
Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
The more the unofficial battle between Deron Williams and Chris Paul continues, the more I like Deron Williams. Granted, I think Paul is amazing as a slasher, he can get into the lane like there's no tomorrow, and he has amazing court vision, I think Williams isn't too shabby at driving and dishing as well. That being said, you can't teach size, and Williams can shoot. I like that a little more. Again, I like them both. I like them both a lot.

Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Ok, ok, now CP3 gets some love. What's there to say? This guy is simply amazing. He's got the Steve Nash speed and passing ability, plus he has that Tony Parker floater. It's so hard to stay in front of him, and it's so hard to keep him from cutting into the lane. Maybe he doesn't shoot as well as Nash, but hey, he gets steals like crazy too (2.6 per game last season). If we wanted, we can go small and run that Chris Paul, Deron Williams backcourt that Coach K seemed to love so much in the Olympics.

Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets):
I changed this because I realized that I had 13 players active, meaning that I couldn't count. The more I think about it, the more I like versatile guys. Granted it'd be rather strange to see T-Mac and Kobe coexist on the floor, but T-Mac can play the SF slot as well if the team were to move small ball. He's known to be a tough defender, not the best, but good enough, and I like his jump shot. Sure he finishes at the rim a lot, but I think T-Mac can produce a lot of problems for the defense, and creates another starting point for the offense.

Forwards:
Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
I like players that can defend multiple positions, and The Matrix fits the bill perfectly. Fantasy players love this guy because he fills so many categories (positive categories). He can rebound, he can score, he can finish, he can shoot the 3 (albeit an ugly shot). I mean, he probably wants more shots than is good for him, but I applaud his defensive tenacity and his can contribute consistently and regularly on the offensive end as well. He's the perfect power forward if you do decide to go with a small ball rotation. Sure no one talks about him ever since he went to be on the Heat, partially because the Heat sucked so much last year, but hey, he can still contribute.

Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
A lot of people (including Shaq) call him the best big man in the league. Might be true. He's got a solid game, and he's improved a lot. He's a little soft on defense, but some would say it's because he was playing out of position for so long. He's a tremendous offensive threat though and he's hard to stop inside. He also from all reports has a nice jumpshot as well. I don't know I'd call him the best, but he's one of the best. In a league that's running low on quality big men, he's a diamond in the rough.

Centers:
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Right now, he's an oversized Shawn Kemp. A little spin move and he dunks on you. He has a little running hook here and there, but it's kind of ugly. That being said, he's something of an unstoppable monster under and around the rim. He's the best rebounder in the league right now and is only 22. As he continues to develop his game (courtesy of assistant coach Patrick Ewing) I think he'll be an amazing player. He's still a little rough around the edges, but hey, he's probably the second best true center (in my opinion after Yao) there is.

Reserve:

Greg Oden (Portland Trailblazers)
Potentially the last glimmer of hope for the centers of old. He's rock solid under the basket, and despite his surgery, I think he'll be huge in the league in his premier this season. I would love to see a Portland v Orlando game and see Oden go head to head against Dwight Howard. Oden, having worked out a lot during the last season is supposed to be bigger than Howard now. That being said, he'll be amazing down low. I see a lot of Shaq comparisons, that is the Shaq of old (MVP Shaq), not the 36 year old Shaq that can't keep up with Steve Nash and the rest of the Suns.

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City)
I see a lot of potential in this kid. Of course, I also see a lot of potential for PJ Carlesimo to ruin this kid by pulling a Mike Brown and LeBron and shoving the ball down his throat every other possession. He's another one of those guys that I can see being able to defend multiple positions. I think the last season with Durant playing at the shooting guard position was a good experience, and he can really turn into one of those lanky small forwards that causes a lot of defensive problems. That being said, he's got an amazing sense of offensive awareness, and while right now he's taking tons of bad shots, I think that as he matures, he can learn to create and distribute more, again given the caveat that PJ Carlesimo doesn't ruin him fist. Hopefully Sam Presti eventually puts the right pieces around him, but I see him potentially being an All-Star version of Tayshaun Prince, tenacious on defense and even more deadly of a scorer.

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach:
Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors)
Nellie-ball has always been fun to watch. One of the big things is simply this, I think Nelson just trusts his players to do what they're supposed to do. He's more of a results guy than a process guy, he'll leave it to his players to make the right plays, whatever they may be. With a team of All-Stars, a little free-reign might be the right thing to do. Of course, he can always turn it to his assistant coaches to help out with the job if necessary. However, I believe that given a little freedom, the players in the lineup will thrive if you put the right pieces together. A hands off coach might be a good idea in this case.

Assistant Coaches:
Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers)
Through all the confusing playlists and highly technical playsets, Phil Jackson is first and foremost a motivator. A lot of people say that he doesn't really deserve his rings and isn't that great of a coach because he always arrives at a pre-constructed team of great players, however, I believe that there's something that makes people want to play for him, and something that makes players that do play for him want to win that much more. One other thing that I think that also works out is his emphasis on team passing. If you can get this team to start passing well, they'd be unstoppable.

Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
The Spurs by popular consensus are the most boring team in the league to watch. Why? They play defense. It's all about defense, defense, defense. Not of that stupid ball-hawking that happened in the Olympics, none of that defensive breakdown that allows uncontensted layups, big men out of position for easy lay-ins or dunks, none of that failure to rotate to the outside shooter. Spurs have probably one of the most efficient defenses in the league, and for good reason, Popovich is hard-nosed about it. You want good defense to change into fast transition buckets, go for it. Just because Popovich runs the Spurs slow doesn't mean they can't crash-board well. How many times have you seen Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili finish on the break? You don't have to get steals to play good defense, Popovich knows that. Pressure them, make them take bad shots, and trust your rebounders, I mean, on this team it's Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, and Greg Oden, I think you're pretty well covered there.

There you have it, if I could draft any players into a team to make one, these are the ones that I would take. I'm sure you have your own different opinions and lineups and rosters and all that good stuff. Feel free to share or leave feedback. Here's my take, what's yours?

I realized I had 13 players, oops.

Top 5

So I had a list of players I felt got more credit than they actually contributed to, and simply, that means that there are players here that don't get enough credit for their actual contributions. Maybe I just like players more than others, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I feel like there are a lot of players that contribute a lot and ought to get noticed. Sure, some of them are based on their paychecks, but from my perspective, I could really care less about the salary, I just think they deserve a little credit here.

Five underrated players:

1.) Rashard Lewis (SF/PF, Orlando Magic)
I know he made bank with that ridiculous free agent signing with Orlando last year, and with the emergence of Hedo Turkoglu you have to wonder if he's really necessary. However, if you've even seen him play, you'll know that this guy is crazy. He lights it up from beyond the arc, he can slash, and he can finish. I believe that he's a more refined version of Turkoglu, why give Hedo the ball then? Because from beyond the arc I'd rather have Rashard Lewis shooting it. Make note that he was breaking all sorts of franchise 3pt records on the Sonics, and that was with Ray Allen on the team.

2.) Jason Richardson (SG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I think because he's on the Bobcats no one ever talks about him. He's a great shooter, great scorer, he carries the team that has no business really being the NBA, well maybe a little more business than the Memphis Grizzlies. This is an expansion team that never took off, and I think that if you look at J-Rich's numbers and his production you can say that he's playing spectacularly despite the problems with his team (perhaps you can blame the injuries of Sean May and Adam Morrison?). This man definitely deserves more credit.

3.) Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats)
The first comparison I heard of this guy was that he's the next Scottie Pippen. He's not a prolific shooter, but he's up there when it comes to defense, the biggest knock on him being how prone to injury he is, the second being that he's on the Bobcats. However, his offense is quickly catching up to his defense, and his defense is crazy. This guy comes up with steals like Josh Smith comes up with blocks.

4.) Nick Collison (PF, Oklahoma City)
So, he doesn't get fancy numbers, and a lot of it comes from playing out of position because of the incompetency and frail bodies of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mohammed Sene. He's a bruiser, he gets boards, he works hard, if David Lee gets love, so should Nick Collison.

5.) Chris Wilcox (PF, Oklahoma City)
He's kind of the anchor of the young team in Oklahoma. As much as the franchise is about Kevin Durant, you need that Udonis Haslem hard worker type like Wilcox. His rebounding may not be as great as Collison's, but he can get to the rim.