With a months work of drafting an 8 man roster. Clutchfans will now decide the winners of each match-ups. (match-ups were decided at random). There will be 5 days of open voting and the winner will advance into the finals. Please read the comments because each team may or may not make a case to why they should move to the 2nd round. TheThing Pg-Chris Paul Sg-Kobe Bryant Sf-Rick Barry Pf-Kevin Garnett C-Wilt Chamberlain Bench Sg- Vince Carter PG-Derrick Rose PF- Dave Cowens RowdyRicky Pg-John Stockton Sg-Clyde Drexler Sf-Adrian Dantley Pf-Dennis Rodman C-David Robinson Bench PG- Deron Williams PF- Amare Stodemire C- Jerry Lucas RKREBORN Pg-Jerry West Sg-Alex English Sf-Scottie Pippen Pf-Wes Unseld C-Moses Malone Bench Pg- Calvin Murphy Pg- Earl Monroe Pf- Darryl Dawkins
TheThing has probably the most pure talent out of any team out there. Garnett and CP3 were smart choices since both of them while superstars don't mind playing solid roles on their team and just getting the win. Kobe and Wilt will be left to shoot happily. The shooters around Wilt will make him tough to stop. The bench is interesting. A lot of explosive atheletes. RKRebron's team seems a little small compared to the others. Good perimeter scoring and interior presence. Don't really like the bench though. If a big man gets in foul trouble, the team is really screwed. RowdyRicky has great interior defense. But I don't like their offense that much. Two of the best pick and roll points but no forward to really match them with in the starting lineup. If you put Amar'e in then the defense suffers a lot. Overall, this seems like a super efficient team though. You're gonna get hard nosed games day in and day out. I think the Thing's talent probably wins out but I would hear an argument against it
If Jerry West was running the point in today's game, he'd lead the league in turnovers. The guy almost never dribbled with his left hand, even when going left. Replace Jerry West with Fat Lever and that team would be a lot better.
My team is definitely centered around Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain. They are possibly the top 2 scorers to play the game outside of MJ. The talent on my team is probably the best out of anyone. I think a good coach could make this work. Defense is a huge strength for my team. Everyone on my team made a defensive first team selection except Rose, Carter, and Barry. All of those are decent defenders, especially Barry. RKReborn has too many issues with the point guard position. Dawkins was not the best big prospect off the bench. He will have some problems with the big-man rotation. There is no true 4 on that roster. RowdyRicky has a more balanced team, but the star power is not there. I like Robinson, Drexler, and Dantley as scorers, but none of those guys are even top 5 at their position. Rodman is a really good defender and rebounder, but he brings no scoring. Stockton is a nice player but he can't carry a team. I think this would be a solid defensive team, but not elite. Player-by-player analysis of my team-- Starters ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chris Paul--Paul will make sure everyone gets their touches. He is super quick and can harass anyone on defense, picking up lots of steals. He can get into the lane and will always be a threat to score or make the right pass. He also has a great assist/turnover ratio. He won't turn it over very much. Kobe Bryant--Kobe will be the primary wing scorer on this team. No one can stop him 1-on-1. I would guess that Pippen or Drexler will be guarding him, but in his prime it didn't matter who was guarding him. He will find a way to win. If Wilt kicks it out to him on the perimeter, he can nail the 3 point shot. Rick Barry--If Kobe Bryant or Wilt are double teamed, Barry will be the first guy they should pass it to. Although the 3-point line wasn't there when he played, he would have adjusted very well to become deadly from behind the arc. He averaged 35 points a game one season. He is a really good shooter and scorer. Kevin Garnett--KG is the ultimate glue guy on this team. He can stretch the floor with his outside shot as well as score inside. He also will be in charge of the defense. He is a good rebounder and leader that will help keep all of this talent on my team in check and keep everyone focused on winning. Wilt Chamberlain--Possibly the most talented player ever. He is well known for his 50 point, 25 rebound a game season. But he was also a great defender and passer. One season he averaged 8.6 assists per game. On defense, blocks weren't recorded in his time, but he was estimated to get 6-8 blocks per game. He was second only to Bill Russell on defense. Bench ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bench is made up of explosive athletes that will be able to up the tempo and give me a change of pace. Derrick Rose--Too much has been said of what Rose can't do instead of what he can do. He is instant offense off the bench. He is one of the best scorers from the point guard position there is. He won the MVP for a reason. He is quick and has great drives to the basket. Super athletic. Vince Carter--He is half-man, half-amazing. Vince could dunk on anybody. He also has a good outside shot. Coming off the bench, I wanted somebody who could run the break with Rose and flat-out dunk on people. Dave Cowens--Cowens is a very good defender and can sub in for KG. He is all about hustle, defense, and rebounding. He won the MVP one year because of that. He has a good outside shot and a nice post game.
Nuff said. I believe you all are not giving my team enough props. Sure I have a lot of classic legend players....too far back for some of the people on this board, but do not belittle their efforts. The other two teams in discussion have a lot of 90's and 2000's players, which are fresh in the mind of younger people on the board, but team chemistry is whats important. Almost my guys are known to share the ball, and praise team work. Chamberlain, Garnett, and Kobe together? Lol good luck with the ego clash. My team would present a nightmare for opponents. If I move English to the 3, West and Murphy in the backcourt, honestly who can match up? Sure, they are smaller than most teams, but as I recall, Moses and Dawkins held their own in the day.
