All-Time NBA Draft Review - iLLosophy - st0rmb11's Blog

st0rmb11's Blog

All-Time NBA Draft Review - iLLosophy

Posted on December 26, 2011 at 05:20 PM.

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illosophy
c - david robinson, alonzo mourning, george mikan
pf - dirk nowitzki, robert horry, toni kukoc
sf - ron artest, bailey howell
sg - sam jones
pg - magic johnson, bob cousy, steve kerr

Offense - I like the idea of Magic & Cousy playing together. Throw in shooters like Dirk, Horry, Kukoc, & Sam Jones..looks like a good offense. Robinson had a very solid low post game. Mourning could score well enough. Artest was a 17-20 points per game guy throughout his prime. Bailey Howell was a very good scorer, though I can't speak on his game as I've never seen him play. What impresses me most about his scoring (in regards to his era) is his field goal %. As I told you, I would start Robinson, Dirk, Magic, Artest, Cousy and run the offense through Cousy first, then have Magic post up to give you entirely new options. One thing I do worry about is, I think you have too many guys who need the ball in their hands. I could see Magic & Cousy running some pick & roll's with Robinson, but they both need the ball to be effective. Dirk needs the ball to operate. Sam Jones, Steve Kerr, & Robert Horry are really your only offensive players who can use screens or just find the open spot on the court. Still, you have limitless possibilities with that starting line up, and if you brought in Sam Jones for Artest & Mourning for Robinson, you don't lose much. 9/10

Defense - It's a good thing you have Robinson & Mourning protecting the basketball because Cousy, Kerr, & Magic aren't keeping anyone out of the paint. Guys like Rose, Wade, Paul, LeBron, Jordan, Bryant..they're getting inside at will on those guys. That being said, Sam Jones & Ron Artest were great defenders. Horry was a great help defender, though his on ball defense wasn't that great. Nowitzki's defense is a joke. Again, never saw Bailey Howell play, but I know most people back then didn't play much defense - they just let the other team shoot, got the rebound, and ran. Still, I'm enamored by your best defensive line up - Robinson, Mourning, Horry, Artest, & Jones. That, in my opinion, almost rivals 55's defense. The problem? you take any of those guys out...you don't have much defense outside of those 5 8/10

Chemistry - I can't think of an ego on this team. Artest is certainly crazy, but he doesn't have a big ego. Magic had a bit of an ego, but I think he got along with teammates fairly well. I may be the only one who feels this way, but I don't think Artest would be an issue on this team. So many guys who have a good head on their shoulders (Robinson, Mourning, Horry, Dirk, Jones, Cousy, Magic). Plus, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Artest has ever been a team killer, has he? 10/10

Durability - Magic, Cousy, Artest, Horry, & Mourning never played a full season. We know of Mourning & Magic's health issues, though they came late in their careers. Robinson rarely missed games prior to his horrible injury in 1997, but after that he missed a ton of games. Bailey Howell rarely missed games. Sam Jones, curiously, missed a handful of games every year. Kukoc missed a lot of games after his first 2 seasons. Dirk has never missed many games. Steve Kerr missed a curious number of games, but I don't know how many of those were just games that he didn't get into. George Mikan was always hurt, but I attribute that to the style of play during his day. Still, too many guys missing several games. 8/10

Depth - The position you really have great depth at is center. Mourning could more than adequately replace Robinson. (definitely on defense). One thing you gain by starting Magic at SF is, once you take Cousy out, you can slide Magic to point, Artest to SF, & put Sam Jones in. You lose a lot of scoring when you take Dirk out for Horry or Kukoc. You lose a whole lot when you have to put Kerr in at point. You don't have a back up shooting guard, unless you slide Artest down or Kerr up. Bailey Howell is a solid replacement for Artest, but you lose a lot of defense. As I mentioned in the defense "breakdown", you really don't have any defensive subs for your best defensive line up. Also, I cringe at the thought of a line up of Mikan, Horry, Howell, Jones, & Kerr...you have one defender and one scorer...7/10

Total - 42/50

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