Wow...talk about a tough division. That’s what I get for picking my favorite team.
Anyways, I'll start rambling here about my team; how it functions, how I feel the players fit together, etc. This was fun to write, but I’ll be surprised if anyone actually reads the whole thing through…
Offensively, my main assets are the prodigious talents of my two starting wings, Bird and McGrady. Not only are they both great scorers, both have excellent court vision and are willing passers. In addition, they're both comfortable playing anywhere on the floor offensively: in the post, on the wing, at the top of the key, cutting, whatever.
Thus, I'll be trying to maximize these virtues on offense by running most things through Bird and McGrady in a wide variety of different situations. Bird in the post with McGrady on the same wing is one configuration as that allows Bird to (a) score in the post, (b) find McGrady for jumpers if doubled, or (c) play a give and go game with McGrady on the wing. Combine this with Porter stretching the floor at the top of the key, and you have a triangle-like set-up which has a lot of scoring options.
McGrady in the post is another option, leaving Bird free to roam the other wing looking for (a) skip passes from McGrady and (b) offensive rebounding opportunities, one way that Bird made a killing on the offensive end.
The presence of Yao as a legitimate post-scoring option introduces an extra layer of variety into this attack: either McGrady feeding Yao in the post makes him impossible to be doubled, and Yao (an excellent passer from the pivot) has a cutting Bird or Rodman as options. As an excellent mid-range shooter, Yao can also free up space for one of his wings to operate in the post.
As for Rodman, no he’s not a scoring threat, but you’d better put a body on him, or he’ll just play volleyball all day on the offensive glass.
We’ll try and slow down the game on offense, let Porter get us into our sets, and rely on efficient scoring and offensive rebounding to keep running teams at bay.
So the offensive strengths of this unit are a wide variety of post-up options and cutters, combined with great passers at 4 positions, allowing it to create and take advantage of many matchup problems. For example, against Washington, McGrady is clearly too much for any of their guards in the post, while there’s no good matchup for Bird on St. Louis.
Defensively, the greatest strength of this team is the way they control the glass, a necessity for a slower group that wants to compete with the running teams in this league. Yao is a capable rebounder, Bird is one of the greatest rebounders at his position of all time, and Rodman, I think it can be argued, is the greatest rebounder of all time at any position. The backcourt too, is excellent in that respect, both being bigger and more physical then most of their counterparts.
The big centers (and this division has a few in Wilt and Timmy) will be guarded by Yao, who at least has the strength to keep from getting abused. Doubles, if necessary, will come from many directions, but mainly from Rodman, who has the speed/athleticism to double and then recover to his man.
High-scoring wings go up against the length and athleticism of McGrady, plus the savvy team defense of Bird (3 All-D 2nd teams!), with the physical, bruising Natt off the bench. Porter’s role defensively is to provide a physical presence against mostly smaller point guards (think Ron Harper on the Bulls). And of course, Rodman will somehow manage to guard his man and be everywhere all at once, as back-to-back DPOY’s will attest to.
Finally, the Heat bench is capable of bringing some varied looks to this team. Westphal is an All-NBA 1st teamer, a very dangerous scorer and playmaker and the kind of 6th man that carries teams for stretches offensively. The forwards (Lucas and Natt) provide great muscle, physicality, interior defense, and inside scoring. Lucas provides another defensive option on scoring 4’s and 5’s, and the kind of post scoring that Rodman lacks. Natt can guard scoring 3’s, as well as many 2’s and 4’s in this league if necessary, and offensively would play very well off my passers in Bird, McGrady, and Westphal. Smith is another big body and a big time shot-blocker who can alter a game for stretches. Francis provides an excellent complement for Porter off the bench: he has the speed to stick with speedier points, while retaining the size and physicality to deal with bigger ones. As an absolutely great finisher, he will also benefit from Bird and McGrady’s passing, and adds some speed to my team off the bench. With that speed this bench can look to pick up the pace at times when their opponents might be wearing down; e.g. playing Francis/McGrady/Natt/Bird/Smith late in a quarter could allow them to pick up easy baskets off Francis pushing the pace from Smith’s blocks or his own steals.
In short this team has two main calling cards. First, a versatile, post-up heavy, matchup oriented offensive attack, supplemented by offensive rebounding. Second and most importantly a tough, physical, don’t back down attitude that starts with Bird at the top and goes all the way through the bench. With Larry at the helm and guys like Rodman, Lucas, etc., this team will be the most intense on the floor every night, win or lose.