[Seuss]

You are voting as to which team you feel is the best of the bunch.
Leaving comments as to why you picked a team would be appreciated.

If you are not a part of this draft or your team is in this division, you are not allowed to vote, and your vote will/would not count.

Boston Celtics Team:


PG: Mookie Blaylock
SG: Michael Cooper
SF: George Gervin
PF: Dave DeBusschere
CE: Moses Malone

BENCH: Jack Sikma, Arvidas Sabonis, Jojo White, Ron Harper, Allen Houston

New York Knicks Team:

PG: Mark Price
SG: World.B Free
SF: Peja Stojakovic
PF: Elvin Hayes
CE: Bob McAdoo


BENCH: Mark Eaton, Larry Kenon, Walter Davis, Scott Skiles, Ronnie Turiaf

New Jersey Nets Team:

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Chris Webber
CE: Ben Wallace

BENCH: Joe Johnson, Bob Dandridge, Otis Thorpe, Stephen Marbury, Tree Rollins


Philadelphia 76ers Team:

PG: Dave Bing
SG: Bill Sharman
SF: Jerry Sloan
PF: Karl Malone
CE: George Mikan

BENCH: Mark Aquirre, Maurice Stokes, George Yardley, Guy Rodgers, Tom Heinsohn

Toronto Raptors Team:

PG: Chauncy Billups
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Grant Hill
PF: Larry Nance
C: Dikembe Mutumbo

BENCH: Antonio McDyess, Rashard Lewis, Dana Barros, Zelmo Beatty, Brent Barry

[Sharpie]

Right now, I'm leaning towards the Raptors here. Reason #1: Michael Jordan. There's no one there that can make him work on offense AND defense. Reason #2: The construction of that team is solid. It's basically the 90s Bulls on HGH. Reason #3: They are capable of dealing with all the #1's on the other teams. Mutombo, Nance, and Beaty can deal with the combinations of Moses, Sikma, and Sabonis, McAdoo and Hayes, Wallace and Webber, and Mikan and Malone. True, that goes both ways, but no one can deal with Jordan AND Hill.

[jericho]

I give it to the Raptors by a hair.

Mutombo in the starting lineup leaves them playing 4 on 5 at the offensive end, but with Jordan (and Hill alongside him), they can afford to take that risk.

I think Nance will have trouble holding his position at PF in this league, but Jordan and Hill will keep opposing teams mostly too busy to be able to capitalize on the Raptors' lack of a grade A post-up game.

So I agree with Sharpie that Jordan is the key difference-maker in this division.

I like Boston's team overall, but I'm not scared of their point guards and don't buy Gervin as a SF. In fact, there's no clear SF, although DeBusschere and Cooper could realistically each log some minutes there. Moses and Gervin should be a monstrous duo in this division, and Sikma is great coming off the bench. I'd like to see some better overall playmaking to get the scorers the opportunities they need to dominate.

I'd be very interested to hear GMs make cases for their own teams. Hopefully we'll at least do that come playoff time.

[ss03]

Originally Posted by jericho

I give it to the Raptors by a hair.

Mutombo in the starting lineup leaves them playing 4 on 5 at the offensive end, but with Jordan (and Hill alongside him), they can afford to take that risk.

I think Nance will have trouble holding his position at PF in this league, but Jordan and Hill will keep opposing teams mostly too busy to be able to capitalize on the Raptors' lack of a grade A post-up game.

So I agree with Sharpie that Jordan is the key difference-maker in this division.

I like Boston's team overall, but I'm not scared of their point guards and don't buy Gervin as a SF. In fact, there's no clear SF, although DeBusschere and Cooper could realistically each log some minutes there. Moses and Gervin should be a monstrous duo in this division, and Sikma is great coming off the bench. I'd like to see some better overall playmaking to get the scorers the opportunities they need to dominate.

I'd be very interested to hear GMs make cases for their own teams. Hopefully we'll at least do that come playoff time.

I'm not going into too much depth right now, I plan on saving all that typing should I make it to the playoffs.

The idea is that with an offensive 1-3 with great passing abilities, a great post-up game would likely have been wasted, or taken away touches from the better players on this team. Since so many teams have all the "all-time great" 4-5's, I wanted to focus on defense at the PF/C spots, while still having a reasonable amount of offense. At the end of the day, my inside (Pfs Cs) are just strong (Mutumbo) and/or very athletic players (Mcdyess). If nothing else, they're atleast smart (Big Z) with a good all-around game, even if they're not the best post-up players in the league.

Also, Mutumbo doesn't make it 5-4 on offense, because no team is going to leave Mutumbo open. If he gets the ball inside and they give him space, he'll get it in. I don't know if you watched Mutumbo in Denver and Philidelphia, but his entire game was rebounding and shot-blocking, he did have an offensive game.

Another reason teams will always keep a man with is because if they don't, he'd get the offensive rebound, and he's score. They have to math up a player with him, and that player has to work hard to box him out. It wouldn't be 5 on 4, it would be 5-5, and they'd probably be double-teaming Jordan on a lot of posessions anyway, so this team has a good chance of finding an open man.

[Diophantos]

'Fraid I have to take Toronto here as well on first glance (though I'll wait to vote). Don't think anyone in this division can match up with the size and physicality of the backcourt and still end up scoring enough to pull through.

[Hyperion]

And the benefit of being in the Top 10 begins...

[fruitcake]

Cooper is a better SF then Gervin. He is not a huge factor on offense--but will always guard the other team's best 2 or 3 player. About Cooper:

Drafted out of New Mexico by the Lakers in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft (60th overall), "Coop" became an integral part of the "Showtime" Lakers teams of the 1980s with his indomitable will on the defensive end of the court. In his 12-year NBA career, he was named to eight NBA All Defensive Teams, including five First Teams. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987. He, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, was a member of five Lakers championship teams in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. At 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), 174 lb (77 kg), the rail thin Cooper played shooting guard, small forward, and sometimes point guard, although his assignment was invariably the other team's best shooter at the 2 or 3 position. Larry Bird has always said that Cooper was the best defender he played against. For his career Cooper averaged 8.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. A popular player among Lakers fans, home crowds were known to chant, "Coooooooop" whenever he controlled the ball, and the Lakers sometimes ran an alley-oop play for him that was dubbed the "Coop-a-loop."

He will guard Jordan obviously if I were to face the Raptors. (thats why I had him at 2). Gervin is obviously the weak one defensively, but he will make his opponent work extremely hard on defense. I find this quote about the Iceman summarizes it very well.

Longtime NBA coach Dick Motta told the Sacramento Bee that same year, "You don't stop George Gervin. You just hope that his arm gets tired after 40 shots. I believe the guy can score when he wants to. I wonder if he gets bored out there."

I don't think anybody in this division can stop or slow down Moses at all. On my sig, his 24.5-15.3 year wasn't his best...he had a 31-15 year (and won MVP), but he did not win the championship that year.

In fact, if the opposing team does not have a superstar big man...like Toronto, I would probably shift Moses to the PF position and start either Sikma or Sabonis--two of the greatest passing centers of all-time (especially Sabonis). I could see my offense being run by one of those two. Blaylock doesnt scare anybody but he will lock down the opposing team's point guard and serve as the 3 point shooter.

[fruitcake]

may I ask...why New York? They are an extremely soft defensive team. World B. Free, one of the greatest chuckers in NBA history starting at SG? He's not gonna get 25 shots a game with McAdoo there. Peja and Free are gonna get pummeled.

If I could vote...I would say the Nets are clearly the worst team...followed by New York.. The other three are pretty close and I can understand why Toronto may be considered to be better than Boston and Philly.

[Sunsfan81]

Shouldn't we wait until the owners have written comments about their teams before voting?

[BadBaronRudigor]

post your comments . . . I will wait a day before voting

[Knick_Killer31]

I gotta go with Boston on this one. Like common, they have Moses Malone, George Gervin and Dave DeBusschere. What else can you say really? The Raptors bench was weak and the Sixers were a close second. I dont see many teams having a lot of success again George Mikan and Karl Malone. Those two guys themselves could beat any team...but like I said I'm picking the Boston Celtics.

[ss03]

Originally Posted by Knick_Killer31

I gotta go with Boston on this one. Like common, they have Moses Malone, George Gervin and Dave DeBusschere. What else can you say really? The Raptors bench was weak and the Sixers were a close second. I dont see many teams having a lot of success again George Mikan and Karl Malone. Those two guys themselves could beat any team...but like I said I'm picking the Boston Celtics.

How was my bench weak? Are you judging it with the belief that they'll all come off at the bench at the same time and play 30 minutes a game? They provide 3-pt-shooting at the 1-3 positions solid all around play. Have you seen Dana Barros play at his prime? Brent Barry is a good defender, shoots well and can slot into the team well. Rashard Lewis, another great shooter to have off the bench since I have so many playmakers. He has a good heigh for his position, and can rebound alright. Zelmo Beaty has a good all around game, no reason why he can't play 10-15 minutes off the bench and put in a solid performance behind Mutumbo and Nance. Mcdyess is just a high energy player that can score, rebound and play defense.

The Celtics are good, I'll give them that. However, I have a defensive frontcourt that can play samrt basketball, there's no reason why the team can't stand up to Malone, Gervin and Dave on defense, and outplay them on the offensive end.

I mean, it depends on if you're judging it based on being a team, or based on individual talent.

[123fakestreet]

I find it interesting that only Malone and Mikan are talked about for my team. This team is much more than just a two-man team. My starting line-up boasts two more of the 50 greatest players of all time in Bing and Sharman. Between the two of them, Aguirre, and Yardley, there's plenty of firepower coming from my backcourt as well. On defense, Sloan was one of the best defenders on the court, and he was a gritty, tough player who is capable of guarding other teams' best perimeter players.

Although other teams have good benches, my bench is the strongest one. Aguirre and Yardley can light it up, Guy Rodgers is there to be a distributor. Stokes could have been one of the best players of all time, and even though he came down with that tragic injury in his last year, he still got 16.9 PPG, 18.1 RPG and 6.4 APG. Tommy is a hall-of-famer as well, and when a hall-of-famer is only on your bench to be a homer and give your team tommy points, it's gotta be a deep bench.

With Malone and Mikan, they can dominate inside on both ends of the floor. The two of them are, like Sloan, gritty competitors who play tough. On offense it is nearly impossible to stop them together, and they are also great defenders. Neither are shotblockers, but they don't need to block shots to play great defense.

[BadBaronRudigor]

Quick analysis of the division:
Boston, great man defenders except Gervin who is an isolation waiting to happen. Gervin and Malone are excellent scorers, very strong bench. (1)Moses and Gervin are great scorers but neither passed well out of doubles, (2)Moses isn't a great intimidator or help guy defensively, not bad but not great, (3)Mookie was a poor decision maker to use as a point and while Cooper helps, Gervin doesn't and Jojo White isn't a creative point either. Still, good team with high percentage prime scorer, good defenders, strong bench.

Knicks: Scoring, scoring and more scoring! This team can flat out shoot. But, in this league need more . . . where's the defense outside of Hayes (and Eaton off the bench). Too one dimensional.

Nets: Not terrible but nothing there to dominate. Ray Allen is a great threat, Pierce and Webber are average (for this league). Paul isn't up the this level of play yet and Wallace will have trouble with the big centers (Webber isn't helpful). Not enough weapons.

76ers: Nice defensive frontcourt, undersized in the backcourt. The problem with all the old school guys is not that they couldn't play today, it is that their shot percentages are going to kill you. Mikan, Stockes and Rodgers are 38% shooter types; only Karl Malone and Aquirre are efficient scorers and if Aguirre plays you will have three guys trying to set up in the post. I love to see a team with older guys but can't see this working that well.

Raptors: Jordan and Hill are a nice combination, Nance and Billups excellent support, Mutumbo a nasty defender. Good running team. No low post presence, Mutumbo had poor hands and passing too, you want to keep him from touching the ball unless open, but with a coaching system that spreads and isolates, this team will be nasty. Not fond of the bench, Lewis, Barros, and Barry give you threes but not much else and while Beatty and McDyess are solid players, they aren't a real threat. But the 1-4 starters make this a dangerous team and Jordan is the modern GOAT . . . This team should win the division.

[fruitcake]

Originally Posted by BadBaronRudigor

Quick analysis of the division:
Boston, great man defenders except Gervin who is an isolation waiting to happen. Gervin and Malone are excellent scorers, very strong bench. (1)Moses and Gervin are great scorers but neither passed well out of doubles, (2)Moses isn't a great intimidator or help guy defensively, not bad but not great, (3)Mookie was a poor decision maker to use as a point and while Cooper helps, Gervin doesn't and Jojo White isn't a creative point either. Still, good team with high percentage prime scorer, good defenders, strong bench.

Some good points.

However, Blaylock isn't running my team. I know he inst the best pass-first point guard but he doesn't need to be a creative point guard. He's there cause he can shoot the three and he can defend with the best of them. Not all teams are run by their point guards. I dont see him doing much else then walking the ball up, seeing if he can find somebody open or giving it to Gervin/Moses and run a play or whatever. Its not like this is a running team.

Think about modern day teams. Is Tony Parker a creative point guard? I wouldn't say so. Jason Terry? No. Those teams still were able to win...why? cause they had superstars on their team who can score anytime, anywhere and who know how to create. I've got Gervin and Moses--two of the best scorers at their respective positions. They can create offense. Its not just about passing out of double-teams..its about creating space and knowing how to put the ball in the net.

Jo Jo White off the bench isn't a great 'playmaking' guard either...but like I said I don't need that. Jo Jo is a tough, gritty point guard who will lead by example. As for playmaking in general, other than creators like Gervin and Moses--most of the playmaking comes from by bigs. DeBusschere used to play guard with the Pistons and has some excellent passing skills for a big man. Assist numbers--especially for the time period Dave D played in are misleading. Sabonis and Sikma...again are two of the greatest big men passers from all-time. There is no question if Sabonis had come to the NBA earlier, he would be ranked among the top 10 centers of all-time.

Against the Raptors, as I said--I would go big and put Moses at PF, and Sika/Sabonis at C..since Dave D's defense is not really needed that much against them. (although, if the game was actually being played--I would try Dave D on Hill...but Ron Harper seems like the choice here) As much as I don't have an answer for both Jordan and Hill--I dont see them having an answer for my big men either. Especially with Nance at PF.