Okay, the all-time starters are out of the way. Now comes the hard part. There have been so many great players in the history of the NBA. Narrowing them down to twelve isn’t really easy. Though, that’s what they pay me for, right? After Magic, Michael, Larry, Timmy, and Mr. Russell are out of the way, who follows? I have a two pronged test. First, the player must somehow fit within a team structure with the other players. Second, said player must have been one of the all-time greats. Here’s what I came up with for a bench.
Oscar Robertson, Point Guard
It came down to Oscar, Jason Kidd or Bob Cousy. I decided to go with the guy who actually averaged a triple double for an entire season. If that’s not enough of a reason, I don’t know what is. Oscar would be what LeBron James was for Team USA, the engine. Oscar could run an offense, score and rebound with the best of them. That’s not too bad for a guy coming off the bench. Though, a lot of people would be sitting behind Magic Johnson.
Jerry West, Shooting Guard
This was a toss up between Jerry and Kobe Bryant. I went with Jerry West because, at this date and time, I feel he’s probably the more accomplished player. Kobe has a career scoring average of 25 ppg, while Jerry has his at 27 ppg. Not too much difference, but I decided to go with the guy who revolutionized the position. One could argue that Jerry West was the first true great shooting guard. Besides, on this bench, the center would be the main option. It doesn’t hurt to have a guy who won a ring with that center.
Elgin Baylor, Small Forward
Elgin Baylor is one underrated player. He may have never won a ring, but Bill Russell did that to a lot of players. Elgin was just one of the great scorers of all-time. If one was to make a list of the top five greatest scorers in NBA history(coming soon) Elgin Baylor would certainly be on it. He may not have the name recognition of a Wilt Chamberlain or a Jerry West, but he’s one of the great players from that era. Dr. J. may be the second most famous small forward(Larry), but I think Elgin Baylor was better.
Kevin Garnett, Power Forward
Welcome to controversy town, right? I’m not just picking Kevin Garnett because he has a ring and Charles and Karl don’t. I just feel he would be the best compliment to this team. Nothing on Barkley or Malone, but KG just brings an intensity that they don’t. That passion and fire would be something a team of greats would need. Plus, as we’ve seen in Boston, Garnett’s fire mostly translates to the defensive end of the floor. With this kind of talent, a commitment to defense would make this team unstoppable.
Wilt Chamberlain, Center
What crazy person would ever have Wilt Chamberlain coming off the bench? Well, that would be me! The debate of Wilt vs. Russell always is a toss up. I tend to lean towards Russell because of he seemed to be the better defensive player and was the greatest champion in NBA history. Though can you imagine how dominant a team would be with both Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell? You could even put them on the floor together sometimes and let them run the double center set the way San Antonio used to do with David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Others:
Kobe Bryant, Shooting Guard
Kobe may have a long way to go before he reaches the Mount Rushmore level he’s looking for, but no one can deny his talent. In my opinion, no one has ever been more talented than Kobe Bryant. The guy’s offensive game barely has any weaknesses. If the team needed some scoring off the bench, Kobe would be one hell of an option. In a few years I’d probably put him in Jerry West’s spot, but I’m writing this now. Kobe still has a long way to go, but I think he’ll get there.
Karl Malone, Power Forward
It never hurts to have another big man. I almost went with Kareem, but I figure Karl opens up more options. You could play him at the four to have a change of pace from Duncan and KG, or even put him at the five if you wanted to play small. Karl Malone may never fully be seen as one of the transcendent players of all time, but if Elgin Baylor has Bill Russell, Karl can thank Michael Jordan for that. Oh well, he still ends up on my all-time team.
I’ll see you guys next week with my sad list of omissions from the all-time team.
Until then go visit www.sportsviews.com
interesting ideas