***** ALL-TIME NBA/ABA DRAFT ***** (Scoobus is Champion!) (3 Viewers)

[Jayrod]

Jayrodsquad of 1970's

So, this team is very near and dear to my heart, so I'd thought I'd put in my write up early.  In case you aren't interested in reading the novel that follows, this team is the best of the decade...and it isn't close.

C - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - I start with the best.  And I mean the best of the decade and the greatest Center of all time.  In the era chock full of Centers, he tops them all.  He won literally HALF of the MVP's in this era and won his NBA record 6th in 1979-80.  Nobody dominated an era like Kareem dominated the 70's.  And to top it off, he threw in an extra full decade in the 80's winning 5 championships with the Lakers and a 2nd Finals MVP in 1985.  His top season was his 2nd MVP season in 1971-72, where he holds the record in WS/48 at .340 and his per game averages were 34.8 pts/16.6 rbs/4.6 asts.  He was on 11 All-Defensive teams and was 35 years old before they started issuing DPOY awards, or else he would have won some of those as he averaged between 3.0-4.1 blocks per game once they started tracking them in his 5th season.  Oh and did I forget to mention that he is the #1 all time scorer in league history?  For some reason, Kareem is actually underrated in many GOAT/pantheon discussions.  He is clearly #3 at worst and many still consider him #2 behind guys that played decades later.  For this era, no one was greater and it isn't even close.

PF - Spencer Haywood - HOFer, ABA ROY & MVP at 20 yrs old, 4x All-NBA & all-star, and changer of cultures.  Without Haywood's willingness to fight the NBA for the right to joint the league before finishing college, we wouldn't have seen Magic in the NBA until 1982. It ended up wasting a season of his prime, but he ended up winning in the Supreme Court.  Without discovering cocaine, Haywood would have been a household name.  But for 5 seasons, Haywood was one of the absolute best PF's this world has ever seen.  He took the ABA by storm in 69-70 by winning MVP and leading the league in pts & rebounding by averaging 30.0/19.5.  He followed that up 2 years later by putting up 26.2/12.7 in the NBA and 29.2/12.9 the year after that.  Haywood was an absolute stud at his peak and at 5 years, it was long enough to count for this contest.  If he got to play next to the GOAT Kareem?  Forgeddaboutit.

SF - John Drew - If I wanted to stick a warm body in this spot, it wouldn't have really hurt much.  But instead, I grabbed a 2x all-star who averaged over 20 ppg over his 11 year career (again someone who was cut short by the nose candy).  He chipped in as many as 10.1 rbs/game in his prime and averaged around 2 steals/game for his first 5 seasons.  He played for the lowly Atlanta Hawks for nearly his whole career and led them to the playoffs in 4 out of 5 seasons at the end of the decade until he was swapped for Dominique Wilkins with the Jazz before being suspended for substance abuse in 1984-85.  His best season ('76-77) will stack up with almost anyone in this decade with per game averages of 24.2 pts, 9.1 rbs & 1.4 stls.

PG - JoJo White - With all of that dominance inside, I need someone who can control the pace, is a leader and knows how to win games.  Enter a 2x Champion, Finals MVP, 7x all-star and HOFer.  When I play with the all-time Celtics in NBA2K21 vs my son, I love it when the bench guys check in, because that means I will DOMINATE with Jo Jo White running by everyone, dropping dimes and hitting wide open mid-range jumpers.  If you need a bucket, he is the guy.  If you need an assist, he is the guy.  Whatever is needed to help the team win, he will do it. Career averages of 17.2 pts/4.0 rbs/4.9 asts/1.3 stls only tell part of the story.  The real tale is told in wins and losses and he was one of the best at getting his team to the finish line.

SG - Don Buse - After all of that post dominance, scoring and rebounding, I need someone who can guard on the perimeter and keep the offense from getting stagnant that is EXACTLY what I have.  While a GREAT passer (led both the ABA & NBA in assists for a season), Buse's calling card is perimeter defense.  He also led both leagues in steals for a season and was named to 6 all-defensive teams, as well as 2 all-star games and won an ABA ring with the Pacers in 1973.  He was one of the few guys who came straight over from the ABA and continued where he left off after the merger.  This team needs a great glue guy to help the greatest center of all time and 3 other prolific scorers to the very top of the decade, and Buse is the man.

In summary, I built this to be a great team.  I sacrificed my 60's team by moving Roger Brown to that era to make room for Buse who was just a better fit with what I had going here, although I had Raja rated about 40 spots higher than Buse.  The focal point of it all is Kareem, with Haywood and Drew doing dirty work and finishing most of their opportunities and JoJo running the show and keeping the defense from collapsing too much.  I have three capable and great passers in White, Buse & Kareem and 3 dominant rebounders as well.  On defense, Buse locks up the best perimeter threat, White & Drew jump passing lanes and Kareem & Haywood send everything brought inside back out.  There is literally not a single weakness on this team, and I've been strongly contemplating putting them in as my Best In Show team.  Thank you for your consideration and may God bless America.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Man ... who gave me the 13?   That's fourth best!

 

[Gally]

Here is my 1970's entry into the discussion.  Just like my 60's entry, I didn't go top end and tried to make a defensively minded cohesive unit that would be tough to play against.  Combined this squad has 3 Championships, 26 All Star Appearances, 9 All NBA/ABA appearances, 1 All Defensive Team appearances, 3 Rookie of the Years, 2 AS game MVP, and 2 HoF'ers.  Without further ado:

PG - Dave Bing (Pick 7.10):  20.3/3.8/6.0 career averages with a PER of 17.6 and WS(WS/48) of 68.8 (.101).  Bing’s NBA debut was inauspicious. Coming off the bench, he missed his first six field-goal attempts and recorded the first scoreless game of his life. Two weeks later he was given a chance to start for the first time-and promptly connected on his first eight shots from the floor. The next night he scored 35 points. Bing was off and running to a 1,601-point season in 1966-67, which made him only the sixth rookie in NBA history to top 1,600 points. He scored 20.0 points per game and was named NBA Rookie of the Year.

The following year he bested such high-scoring superstars as Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain to lead the league in scoring with 2,142 points and a 27.1 average. Bing was the first guard to set the scoring pace in 20 years (since Max Zaslofsky of the 1947-48 Chicago Stags of the Basketball Association of America). The super sophomore even managed to nudge the Lakers’ West from the All-NBA First Team that season.

Bing reached his peak in 1971, when former player and Pistons scout Earl Lloyd summarized his skills to Sport magazine: “Maybe some other player does this better, and another player does that better. [But] nobody does as much as Dave does.”

SG - Doug Collins (Pick 20.07):  17.9/3.2/3.3 career averages with a PER of 16.1 and WS(WS/48) of 38.0 (.131).  The Philadelphia 76ers actually selected Doug Collins with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 NBA draft. He was an outstanding player for them too. In his second season, Collins averaged 17.9 points per game. In fact, for five straight seasons from 1974-75 through 1978-79, he didn’t average under 17 points per game. Collins also earned four consecutive All-Star selections from 1975-76 through 1978-79. His best season statistically was probably in 1975-76 when he averaged 20.8 points per game and four rebounds. However, he ultimately only played in eight seasons as knee and foot injuries cut his career short.  

SF - Bob Dandridge (Pick 11.10):  18.5/6.8/3.4 career averages with a PER of 16.7 and WS(WS/48) of 80.3 (.131).  "Bob made it very difficult for our opponents to guard us because of his quickness," says Abdul-Jabbar. "He could hit the open midrange jump shot and he was a very good defensive player."    "I really don't think Bobby knew how good a basketball player he was," says Oscar Robertson.  This leads to a great match with Issel and Bing as leading scorers as he excelled as the third option on the Bucks championship teams.  He also is the cornerstone to this teams defensive prowess.  He scored more points in the Finals during the 1970s than any other player. He is also one of 23 Hall of Fame eligible players who have averaged 20-plus points per game in at least three different Finals, and the only one not in the Hall.  Put him in the HoF already!

PF - Sidney Wicks (Pick 14.07):  16.8/8.7/3.2 career averages with a PER of 16.2 and WS(WS/48) of 42.4 (.079). Everybody knew the Cavs were going to take UCLA superstar (3 x NCAA champ) Sidney Wicks with the first pick (which was decided by a coin-flip) so the Blazers made the Cavs an offer they couldn’t refuse: they paid them $250,000 to select Austin Carr instead of Wicks. Cleveland being Cleveland took the deal, the Blazers selected Wicks and then watched him become an All-Star and lead the team in scoring (22 points and 10 boards a game) on his way to a Rookie of the Year award. “He was the prototype of power forwards today,” says former teammate Lionel Hollins. ‘He was big, could run the court, shoot, post up, pass, put the ball on the floor. He could do it all as a player, and he played hard.” He fits with this team even if his pro career never quite matched his potential.

C - Dan Issel (Pick 8.07):  22.6/9.1/2.4 career averages with a PER of 21.4 and WS(WS/48) of 157.8 (.181). A prolific scorer, Issel remains the all-time leading scorer at the University of Kentucky, the second-leading scorer of all time for the NBA's Denver Nuggets, and the second-leading scorer of all time for the American Basketball Association itself. His accuracy at 15 to 20 feet from the basket made his patented head fake and drive especially effective. Issel gave Sports Illustrated his own evaluation of the move: “It’s the worst fake in the history of basketball and it works every time,” he said. “I can’t believe anyone goes for it.”  Upon Issel's retirement from the NBA in 1985, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius Erving were the only professional basketball players to have scored more career points. Issel was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.  

I really like the build of this team.  It has it all just not the true superstar name, although it has a couple great HoF'ers, a guy that should be there, and a guy that would be if he wasn't injured.  Lots of people that can handle that ball and shoot.  Defense to handle the wings and a couple of all hustle all stars.  I think this should be a top 8-ish squad and may sneak into top 5 range if I am lucky.    

 

[Zegras11]

My teams rankings had a pretty wide spread. If I coulda got a mo' better SG than Loughery, this squad coulda been at least middle of the pack. But I punted the position too long -- I went and took 90s Micheal Williams before 60s **** Barnett (who was the last SG I wanted), and then paid for it when Ilov80s nabbed Barnett a few picks later. Would bet money that I could have picked Micheal Williams in the last round. 

I had Barnett barely ahead of Loughery.   Barnett has more WS, but 60 isn't anything to really crow about.  Had a slightly higher PER and Top 500 rank.   Probably scored that 15-13.

 

[BobbyLayne]

@Jayrod

dafuq is John Spencer?

 

[BobbyLayne]

nm John Drew

 

[wikkidpissah]

@Jayrod

dafuq is John Spencer?

major talent whose career was ruined by the creation of a new position - West Wing

 

[Jayrod]

nm John Drew

@Jayrod

dafuq is John Spencer?

I guess I combined Spencer Haywood with John Drew or something.  I dunno.  Fixed the post.

 

[Zegras11]

So I had max score for each position at 15, and team max at 25.   Only one team scored a perfect 100 vs another team.

Here are the game point differentials and how many times they happened in the 105 "games" played.  I ran the entire thing w/o knowledge of who owned which team.

Pt Differential - Number of Occurrences.

1-4

2-5

3-5

4-4

5-7

6-7

7-3

8-6

9-3

10-5

(11-15)-20

(15-20)-15

(21-25)-8

(26-30)-8

(30-35)-4

39-1

 

[BobbyLayne]

I guess I combined Spencer Haywood with John Drew or something.  I dunno.  Fixed the post.

I was like how the heck did someone I never heard of average 13.1 rpg (but he didn't, that's /36.)

Yeah, he was really impressive as a 20 year old rookie. Good enough that they shipped Clyde Lee (rebounding specialist) off the 76ers early in the year. Lee couldn't ball all that much but he was the kind of guy who come off the bench and grab 21 rebounds in 22 minutes. Drew was a decent O-rebounder but much better suited as a SF, which is where he played after his rookie year.

I think he went to rehab about 5 times, three with the Hawks, before the league banned him. Freebasing coke. He doesn't like doing interviews anymore but I think he's clean. Last I heard he was driving a cab in Houston.

 

[trader jake]

It’s the 1970s and players are blowing off steam at the disco while even the coaches are wearing bell-bottoms.  Can you dig it!?!  On the court the pace was fast and the ABA was signing star players to big contracts.  That would end in 1976, but the NBA was forever changed.  Athleticism and scoring were now more of a priority and to succeed teams had to have tough defenders to succeed against the best of the best.  The same thing applies to our 1970s all-time draft and this squad has just what (beating) the Dr (J. and Kareem) ordered.

PG - Stormin' Norman Van Lier

SG - Iceman Gervin

SF - Sweet Lou Hudson

PF - The Secretary of Defense Bobby Jones

C - Sam Lacey Mr. 100/100

Like any championship team, let’s start on defense.  Of the 80 players selected (I only had 71 of those labeled as 70s players - ??) the most career All-Defensive team nods went to Kareem with 11.  The next two players on my 1970s list for All-Defensive honors were Bobby Jones, also with 11 and Norm Van Lier with 8 – both players are on this squad.  In addition to those 8 All-NBA defensive nods, 3 All-Star games, and an All-NBA selection PG “Stormin’ Norman” Van Lier also led the NBA in assists and finished in the top 10/game for nine consecutive seasons (70-78).  The top guard is now in check and so is the top forward with Bobby Jones, “The Secretary of Defense”.  This Hall of Famer won 11 All-NBA defensive nods and took home a Championship. He finished his career as the all-time FG% leader in ABA history and top 20 in the history of basketball.  Now let’s add a defensive center to the mix in the mold of Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson or Ben Wallace.  I mention those names specifically because C Sam Lacey and those three well-known superstars are four of the five players in NBA history to ever register 100 blocks and 100 steals in six consecutive seasons.  It likely would have been nine consecutive seasons for Lacy, but the NBA didn't track steals or blocks his first three years.  I found Lacy’s all-around game amazing – he finished in the top 20 in assists 6 times from the center position and put up a triple-double in seven consecutive seasons.  That type of versatility is amazing considering he was also the NBA leader in Defensive Box +/- for four consecutive years.  So these All-time defensive stalwarts also brought it on offense.  This is the best defense in the 70’s bracket and possibly the very best of any decade team.

Now let's look at the offense.  This squad also happens to have one of the most dominant offensive forces in the history of basketball with “Iceman” George Gervin at SG.  This Hall of Famer and 12x All-Star was also a 4x scoring champion and earned a starting spot on the All-time ABA team.  To illustrate how much of a walking bucket Iceman was, he won his first NBA scoring title in the final game of the season.  He needed 59 points to take home the title and he had 53…at halftime.  He was at 63 before sitting out part of the 3rd quarter and all of the 4th with the title in hand.  At the SF spot this team rounds out the 1-2 offensive punch with “Sweet Lou” Hudson.  He was recruited by Dean Smith to North Carolina, but elected to go to Minnesota as part of the first black recruiting class at the school.  He started the decade on the All-NBA team and proceeded to rattle off six consecutive All-Star appearances for the Hawks.  Hudson finished his 13 year career over 20 points/game and was an extremely efficient player due to consistently being amongst the league leaders in FG% from the wing and getting to the line a lot.  In the first year the NBA kept official stats for steals he averaged 2.5.  Hudson was an even better performer in the NBA playoffs as those statistical averages increased in the postseason.  A must have, when possible, in a draft like this.

So don’t be a Tricky **** and vote for some Richard Nixon like starting five, vote for this group of 1970s ballplayers.  You can then join them for fondue before we go protest the Vietnam War.  Peace, love, and granola. ~ Trader Jake

 

[Ilov80s]

Ilov70s 

I hope you like run and gun, fast paced spread the floor basketball. We are bringing 2021 to  1971. 

PG Archie Clark: “Shake and Bake” 2x AS and 1x All NBA was one of the best ball handlers of his era and earned his nickname by his popularizing of the crossover and Eurostep. His ability to get to the basket made him an especially effective scorer being in the top 20 in FG% and Effective FG% for 6 of 8 consecutive years while also being top 20 in assists for 5 of those 8 years. Also a very good pull up shooter making him all the more effective. The perfect guy to lead the offense, drive to the basket and create offense for himself and others. 

SG Randy Smith: 2x All Star, 1x All Star MVP and 1x All NBA. Set the NBA record for most consecutive games played at 906 so we know this guy was tough and will always be in the lineup. He was a Dr. J style fast break above the rim player known for his great speed. I love Smith running the wing with Clark leading the break. One crossover and dish to Clark for the layup. Easy stuff. Top 100 all time in field goals, assists and steals. 

SF Scott Wedman: 2x All Star, 1x All Defense, 1x All Rookie, 2x NBA Champ, was a role player for the 80s Celtics titles teams but during the 70s he was a team leader fitness fanatic famed for pioneering iron man weight lifting workouts and a clean vegetarian diet. Known as a coaches dream, willing to do whatever was needed, strong defender and one of the better shooting 6’7” forwards of the 70s. He could get hot as we know from his NBA Finals 26 points in 23 minutes on 11 for 11 shooting. 

PF Larry Kenon: 5x All Star, 1x ABA Champ, All Rookie, Mr. K had a short peak but he was a force in the ABA and NBA at his peak, athletic 6’9” who competed in the ABA dunk contest and holds the NBA record for most steals in a game with 11. I feel really good about K running with Clark and Smith on fast breaks. Kenon is a long lanky guy who can finish hard in the paint. From 73-80 he was top 20 in PPG every year, 4 seasons in the top for offensive and defensive win shares as well. 

C Bob McAdoo: The jewel of the team, HOF, 5x All Star, 1x MVP, 2x All NBA, 3x Scoring Champion, ROY, 2x NBA Champion. He was basically Kevin Durant in body type and playing style. He had rare shooting touch and range for a big man in his era and he could board with the best. He’s still the last player to average over 30 and 15 for a season. 3 straight years averaging over 30 a game. Wasn’t bad defensively with 5 seasons in the top 20 for blocks, 68th all time for blocked shots, 36th all time in defensive rating.  His stretch from 73-75 is as good as any 3 years for anyone in the 70s. 1st, 1st and 4th in offensive win shares. 14th, 16th, 9th in defensive win shares. 2nd, 1st, 2nd for total win shares. 1st, 2nd, 3rd for PER. 

Gameplan: Generate turnover on defense and fast break as much as possible. When we get into halfcourt, McAdoo and Wedman can use their shooting range to create space in the middle for Clark to drive, Smith to slash and Kenon to crash with my shooters ready for the kickout. I have got the athletes to live life in the fast lane. Hopefully the fast playing style and forcing the bigger centers to defend further out will wear my opponents out. 

Peak 3 year per game averages: pts/boards/dimes/steals/blocks

Bob McAdoo: 32/14/3/1/2

Larry Kenon: 22/10/4/2

Scott Wedman: 19/5/2/1/1

Randy Smith: 22/5/6/2

Archie Clark: 22/4/7/?/?

 

[EYLive]

Summary of my amazing 16 point 1970's team:
Lots of scoring from efficient shooting. Excellent size and rebounding at every position, and defense in the form of blocks and steals. You just lost to a guy that shoots free-throws underhanded like @Yo Mama.

Phil Chenier, PG
20pts, 4 Rbs, 3.5 ast.
NBA champion (1978)
3× NBA All-Star (1974, 1975, 1977)
All-NBA Second Team (1975)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1972)
First-team All-Pac-8 (1971)
No. 45 retired by Washington Wizards

Billy Knight, SG
Peak season with Indiana: 28 Pts, 10 Rbs, 3.7 ast, 1.3 stl, 49%FG 40%3pt
NBA all-star 1977
ABA all-star 1976
All ABA First Team 1976
ABA All Rookie First Team 1975


Rick Barry, SF
Hall of Fame
Averages with San Francisco/Golden State Warriors: 24 Pts, 7.25 Rbs, 5 Ast, 89% FT
His career .880 free throw percentage ranks No. 1 in ABA history, and at the time of his retirement in 1980, his .900 percentage was the best of any NBA player.

Only player in history to lead the NCAA, ABA and NBA in scoring
Led the NCAA in scoring in 1964–65 (973 points, 37.4 ppg)
Led the NBA in scoring in 1966–67 (2,775 points, 35.6 ppg)
Led the ABA in scoring in 1968–69 (1,190 points; 34.0 ppg)
NBA champion (1975)
NBA Finals MVP (1975)
ABA champion (1969)
8× NBA All-Star (1966, 1967, 1973–1978)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (1967)
5x All-NBA First Team (1966, 1967, 1974–1976)
All-NBA Second Team (1973)
4× ABA All-Star (1969–1972)
4× All-ABA First Team (1969–1972)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1966)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1966)
NBA scoring champion (1967)
NBA steals leader (1975)
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
No. 24 retired by Golden State Warriors
Consensus first-team All-American (1965)
NCAA season scoring leader (1965)
No. 24 retired by Miami Hurricanes

Wes Unseld, PF
Hall of Fame
1968-69 MVP and Rookie of the Year averaging 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds. In his seconds year: 16pts, 16.7rbs
1970's Average: 11 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 51%FG
NBA champion (1978)
NBA Finals MVP (1978)
NBA Most Valuable Player (1969)
5× NBA All-Star (1969, 1971–1973, 1975)
All-NBA First Team (1969)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1969)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1969)
NBA rebounding leader (1975)
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1975)
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
No. 41 retired by Washington Wizards
2× Consensus first-team All-American (1967, 1968)
3× First-team All-MVC (1966–1968)
No. 31 retired by Louisville Cardinals
First-team Parade All-American (1964)


Bob Lanier, Center
Hall of Fame
1970's Average: 23PPG, 11.65RPG, 3.3Assists, 1 steal, 1.87 blocks, 51 FG%
8× NBA All-Star (1972–1975, 1977–1979, 1982)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (1974)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1971)
J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1978)
No. 16 retired by Detroit Pistons
No. 16 retired by Milwaukee Bucks
Consensus first-team All-American (1970)
Consensus second-team All-American (1968)
Second-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1969)
No. 31 retired by St. Bonaventure Bonnies

 

[Ilov80s]

I am definitely going to judge the 70s. Some really good teams here, this will be tough. I have a fun team but can't complete with Barry, Lanier and Unseld. That's a nice front court.  

 

[Jayrod]

I am definitely going to judge the 70s. Some really good teams here, this will be tough. I have a fun team but can't complete with Barry, Lanier and Unseld. That's a nice front court.  

I mean, it's alright I guess.

Now Jabar, Haywood and Drew...that's a frontcourt.

 

[Yo Mama]

Yo Mama’s 1970s Team

PG - Nate "Tiny" Archibald

Peak (6 Years) - 27p, 3r, 9a, 2stl

Recognition - HOF, 5 all nba, 6 all star

SG - Gail Goodrich

Peak (7 Years) - 23p, 4r, 6a, 2stl

Recognition - HOF, 1 champ, 1 all nba, 5 all star

SF - Campy Russell

Peak (4 Years) - 20p, 6r, 4a, 1stl

Recognition - 1 all star

PF - Paul Silas

Peak (9 Years) - 12p, 12r, 3 ast, 1stl

Recognition - 3 champ, 2 all star, 5 all d

C - Moses Malone

Peak (12 Years) - 26p, 14r, 2a, 1stl, 2blk

Recognition - HOF, 1 champ (FMVP), 3 MVP, 8 all nba, 12 all star, 2 all d

This is one of my top decade teams and should be one of the tops for the 70s rankings.

It all starts in the middle with hall of famer Moses Malone.  Three time MVP, Finals MVP (Fo’ Fo’ Fo’), 8 all nba, 12 all stars, 2 all defense.  If anyone is going to compete with Kareem this decade at center, it’s Moses.  Criminally underrated in all time NBA player conversations, Malone dominated the paint like few others.  The Chairman of the Boards.

Also manning the block on this team is Paul Silas, who was a defensive and rebounding beast.  Good luck trying to get any easy baskets, let alone any rebounds, in the paint against this duo.

Joining these monsters in the middle is a hall of fame backcourt who can both shoot the lights out, create havoc on d with their ballhawking, and create plenty of easy buckets with their awesome passing ability.  Archibald is your favorite point guard’s favorite point guard.  An attacking point guard with speed for days.  He remains the only player in nba history to lead the league in both scoring and assists in the same year.  He also retains the highest scoring ppg in a season (34.0) for a point guard.  Dude was tough as nails too, getting 3 all star spots after he lost a season due to an achilles injury (with 1977 doctors!).  Goodrich was the leading scorer on one of the greatest teams of all time (the 71-72 Lakers), so he’ll have no problem finding his in this all-time squad – and all those scoring numbers were before 3 pointers!

Filling out the squad is Campy Russel, the greatest small forward in Cleveland Cavalier history (at least top 2).  I needed more size on the wing since by backcourt is on the shorter side, and Campy was a do-everything guy who could score, rebound and defend well.  Perfect late addition to this stellar squad.

3 hall of famers, lots of scoring, insane amounts of rebounds, incredible playmaking, and bruising interior defense flanked by speedy ball hawks.  Good luck other 70s teams!

 

[Frostillicus]

Frosty's 70s team:

PG - Jimmy Jones: 20.2ppg/5.1rpg/5.0apg. 6x All-Star, 3x All-ABA.

SG - Warren Jabali: 18.7ppg/8.1rpg/4.5apg. 4x All-Star, 1x All-ABA.

SF- Pete Maravich: 26.5ppg/4.8rpg/5.9apg. HOF. 5x All-Star. 4x All-NBA.

PF - Red Robbins: 15.1pg/13.5rpg. 4x All-Star. 2x All-ABA. Great burgers. Unlimited Fries.

C  - Mel Daniels: 21.4ppg/16.9rpg. HOF. 2x MVP. 7x All-Star. 5x All-ABA.

Really only two things I want to mention about this team.

First, look at those PPG and RPG numbers. This team is going to run and they are going to score. When starting with Maravich, you might as well roll with it, and I think I did that well here. I gave him a beast of a center to play some defense behind him and the PF is a monster too, but the perimeter guys are just going to run around and score. 

Also, you might notice outside of Maravich the rest of the team are ABA guys. This is intentional. I feel like Maravich's style of play would have fit well in the ABA, so I surrounded him with ABA guys. We will destroy any but the best of teams in the 70s. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

wikkid 70s:

PG - Calvin Murphy

SG - Charlie Scott

SF - Cazzie Russell

PF - Bad News Barnes

C - Dave Cowens

Kinda screwed this one up. I was going to out-Heinsohn Heinsohn, though it would have meant nothing to y'all, who don't know the seventies and think of Tommy, if it all, as a homer broadcaster. But he figured out 70s basketball like i figured out 70s life - do the opposite of everyone else and got the most 70s championships of anyone for his trouble, then quit it all. In an era of black-is-beautiful giants - Jabbar, Wilt, Lanier, Reed - in the middle, he & Auerbach drafted a 6'8 white guy who drove a cab to wind down after games to combat them and, with four guys on the All-Defensive teams, claimed the first post-Russell Celtic championship. After missing out the next year, he compensated for the aging Havlicek's declining scoring by trading Golden Boy Paul Westphal for a pure chukkah named Charlie Scott and sold him on taking 10 points a game off his average to be a complimentary player and won another title.

Those were the elements i most wanted to keep from the Heinsohn Miracles, once Havlicek was taken before i got my 2nd pick (tho JoJo & Silas might have been nice, too). So i got a true wing to replace Hondo in Wolverine great Cazzie Russell, was gonna get the best defensive point guard of the decade in Norm Van Lier to replace the only Celtic who didnt makethe '74 All-Defense teams (JoJo) and then do my own counter-intuitive move and grab the one guy none of you knew, Marvin Barnes - who played the most brilliant & authoritative power forward i saw played between Pettit and Mailman/Duncan - as my secret weapon. But Trader Jake grabbed Stormin' Norman @ #249 when i planned to grab him at #255 and my plans - as happened to soooo many 70s plans - were dashed. i replaced him with an overlay -  the guard who is still the most efficient shooter under 6 ft tall in NBA history, Calvin Murphy - but it just wasnt the same, like replacing adrenochrome with a pharma-grade speedball. I aint even gonna go into how i picked a squad that would have played PERFECT Trey Ball from my favorite decade..........forget it Jake, it's Chinatown.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

wikkid 70s:

PG - Calvin Murphy

SG - Charlie Scott

SF - Cazzie Russell

PF - Bad News Barnes

C - Dave Cowens

Kinda screwed this one up. I was going to out-Heinsohn Heinsohn, though it would have meant nothing to y'all, who don't know the seventies and think of Tommy, if it all, as a homer broadcaster. But he figured out 70s basketball like i figured out 70s life - do the opposite of everyone else and got the most 70s championships of anyone for his trouble, then quit it all. In an era of black-is-beautiful giants - Jabbar, Wilt, Lanier, Reed - in the middle, he & Auerbach drafted a 6'8 white guy who drove a cab to wind down after games to combat them and, with four guys on the All-Defensive teams, claimed the first post-Russell Celtic championship. After missing out the next year, he compensated for the aging Havlicek's declining scoring by trading Golden Boy Paul Westphal for a pure chukkah named Charlie Scott and sold him on taking 10 points a game off his average to be a complimentary player and won another title.

Those were the elements i most wanted to keep from the Heinsohn Miracles, once Havlicek was taken before i got my 2nd pick (tho JoJo & Silas might have been nice, too). So i got a true wing to replace Hondo in Wolverine great Cazzie Russell, was gonna get the best defensive point guard of the decade in Norm Van Lier to replace the only Celtic who didnt makethe '74 All-Defense teams (JoJo) and then do my own counter-intuitive move and grab the one guy none of you knew, Marvin Barnes - who played the most brilliant & authoritative power forward i saw played between Pettit and Mailman/Duncan - as my secret weapon. But Trader Jake grabbed Stormin' Norman @ #249 when i planned to grab him at #255 and my plans - as happened to soooo many 70s plans - were dashed. i replaced him with an overlay -  the guard who is still the most efficient shooter under 6 ft tall in NBA history, Calvin Murphy - but it just wasnt the same, like replacing adrenochrome with a pharma-grade speedball. I aint even gonna go into how i picked a squad that would have played PERFECT Trey Ball from my favorite decade..........forget it Jake, it's Chinatown.

You may not win this decade in the judging, but I'd take my chances against the others with it on the court. 

You get peak Scott & Barnes (who reminds me more of Chris Webber than Malone), two of the forgotten greats of the era. A lot of the reason they aren't remembered very well was self-inflicted but, at their best, they were both unstoppable. Scott was able to change his game, but he was almost wrecked by then. Barnes wasn't changing for anyone. 

Murphy, Russell, & Cowens give you everything you want every game.

 

[wikkidpissah]

You may not win this decade in the judging, but I'd take my chances against the others with it on the court. 

You get peak Scott & Barnes (who reminds me more of Chris Webber than Malone), two of the forgotten greats of the era. A lot of the reason they aren't remembered very well was self-inflicted but, at their best, they were both unstoppable. Scott was able to change his game, but he was almost wrecked by then. Barnes wasn't changing for anyone. 

Murphy, Russell, & Cowens give you everything you want every game.

totes agree on the CWebb comp - just wanted to point out for the kids how long the game went between great 4s who werent converted 5s. Bad News' game was very similar, if more pitiless. But he was bad news. Somehow, Kareem & Wilt get a pass from the young'uns for the decades of phoning it in cuz it was too easy that their contemporaries carped about non-stop, but non-behemoths dont, esp if they played outside the white lines. npfffffffft...guh.....oh yeah...Chinatown.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

totes agree on the CWebb comp - just wanted to point out for the kids how long the game went between great 4s who werent converted 5s. Bad News' game was very similar, if more pitiless. But he was bad news. Somehow, Kareem & Wilt get a pass from the young'uns for the decades of phoning it in cuz it was too easy that their contemporaries carped about non-stop, but non-behemoths dont, esp if they played outside the white lines. npfffffffft...guh.....oh yeah...Chinatown.

I think Elvin Hayes has the same problem. He played C for a while because he was the tallest guy, but he was a natural PF. 

 

[Instinctive]

Instinctive's 1970s team: The best ABA-only squad

The title says it all. This is the best ABA-only squad, and Frosty stealing Mel Daniels out from under me is really the only major missing piece. These guys are the best of the best, all making the ABA all-time team, and none of them ever giving up the dream to go run in the NBA before the merger. Obviously there were better ABA guys who only had a cup of coffee (your Dr. J's and such), but these are 5 of the 7 or so best players who played all the ABA ball they could. The ABA was a critical part of the basketball we have today, with the three point line, a more fun style of flashy play, and the eventual push for a merger. It was the force that allowed players to leave college early. It created the slam dunk contest. It taught us the value of TV rights and how rival leagues could screw with that. It forced the NBA to expand south of the Mason-Dixon line...I could go on but I'll avoid boring y'all.

PG. Mack Calvin: 5x AS, 4x all ABA, 16/3/5, one of the best shooters in the league at just under 90% FT. In his prime, he was a 20/7 guy in the mold of the later Deron Williams. .134 WS/48, and .18 or so in his prime.

SG. Donnie Freeman: 5x AS, 4x all ABA, champion, 19/4/4, averaged 25ppg and was always at the top of the league in scoring in his prime. During those all star years he also averaged 5-6 assists a game. Similarly to Mack, .132 WS/48 and closer to .18 in his prime.

SF. Ron Boone: 4x AS, 2x all ABA, champion, Nicknamed "Instant offense", Boone was the guy who led to Dantley and later Lou Williams and other high scoring 6th man types. 17/4/4, with, no surprise, around 25ppg in his prime. Boone holds the record for most consecutive games played in professional basketball history at 1,041 and claims never to have missed a game from fourth grade onwards. Boone also sort of breaks my rule about ABA only in that he played after the merger for another few seasons.

PF. Bob Netolicky: 4x AS, all ABA, 2x champion, 16/9/1, Netolicky was a critical component of some Indiana titles with Roger Brown prior to the arrival of Mel Daniels. He's also the first (only?) player I could find who negotiated a large part of his signing bonus, getting the team to add a Corvette so he wouldn't play for the NBA's San Diego Rockets, which had selected him in the 1st round. 

C. Billy Paultz: 3x AS, Champion, ABA Blocks king (ok, after Artis), nicknamed The Whopper, 17/8/2/2 blocks, and he continued to play in the NBA in the 80s after the merger, teaming up with Moses Malone to make the finals.

Certainly not the best team, but certainly not the worst. I expect to finish somewhere between 10th and 8th on most ballets.

 

[otb_lifer]

Instinctive's 1970s team:

C. Billy Paultz: 3x AS, Champion, ABA Blocks king (ok, after Artis), nicknamed The Whopper, 17/8/2/2 blocks, and he continued to play in the NBA in the 80s after the merger, teaming up with Moses Malone to make the finals.

Certainly not the best team, but certainly not the worst. I expect to finish somewhere between 13th and 8th on most ballets.

would love to see the Whopper playing in a Tutu 

 

[scoobus]

Certainly not the best team, but certainly not the worst. I expect to finish somewhere between 10th and 8th on most ballets.

Lol didn’t you take these guys with your last 5 picks of the draft? I don’t know anything about any of the players from this era so certainly not criticizing, just struck me as funny.

 

[Yo Mama]

Lol didn’t you take these guys with your last 5 picks of the draft? I don’t know anything about any of the players from this era so certainly not criticizing, just struck me as funny.

Yeah that’s a very optimistic outlook

 

[Jayrod]

Lol didn’t you take these guys with your last 5 picks of the draft? I don’t know anything about any of the players from this era so certainly not criticizing, just struck me as funny.

I just finished my rankings.  I'll just say he didn't finish dead last but his expectations are a bit optimistic.  I put a team with an MVP at #11 and he has no one close to that.  This decade was loaded with talent.

 

[scoobus]

Team Please No Sucker Punches

PG Freddie “Fritz” Lewis- 3x all-star, 3x champion, all star game mvp, playoffs mvp, ABA all-time team. Guy just knows how to win.

SG Jeff “Pork Chop” Mullins- 3x all-star, NBA champion. You can basically mark him down for 20/5/5 a night, I’ll take that from my 2 guard all day.

SF Jack “Warren” Marin- 2x all-star, all rookie team, 1st in FT% during the ‘72 season, 0.4% HOF Probability. Glue guy.

PF Rudy Tomjanovich- No nickname necessary. 5x (and who knows how many it would’ve been) all-star, HOF. The crowned jewel of the team. Basically a player-coach out there, a true leader of men.

C Bob “Golden” Rule- All-star and all-rookie team performer, was a stud straight out the gate. 3 straight years averaging a double-double, including a whopping 29.8/11.5 in the ‘71 season, before I assume something bad happened to him. Rules.

 

[Ilov80s]

I just finished my rankings.  I'll just say he didn't finish dead last but his expectations are a bit optimistic.  I put a team with an MVP at #11 and he has no one close to that.  This decade was loaded with talent.

Hmmm...

 

[BobbyLayne]

Is there a spreadsheet on Google docs with all the picks? Didn't see anything on page 1, sorry if I missed it.

 

[Zegras11]

Is there a spreadsheet on Google docs with all the picks? Didn't see anything on page 1, sorry if I missed it.

link in OP

 

[Doug B]

Doug B's 1970s squad

PG Kevin Porter: 4X NBA Assist Leader, 15th all-time in assists-per-game

Probably would've made it five assist titles but a knee injury held him to 19 games in the 1975-76 season. Peak season was 1978-79 when he scored 15.4 ppg and dished a then-league-record 13.4 apg -- and threw in two steals a night to boot.

SG Austin Carr: 1X All-Star, 1972 NBA All-Rookie, "Mr. Cavalier"

"He would have been a Hall of Famer" - Terry Pluto

"There are guards, then there’s Austin Carr" - Red Auerbach

On the day of the [1971 NBA] draft, Fitch predicted Carr “would be a superstar.”

Carr was a 6-foot-4 guard who could create his own shot by driving to the rim. Or by stopping between 10-to-15 feet then swishing a jumper off a dribble. Modern NBA analytics would hate his shot selection, but he was the master of the mid-range jumper.

He also could make shot from what is now 3-point range. He could score near the rim with either hand. He rarely took a bad shot. He was a respectable passer.

Thirty-eight years later, Fitch insists he was right about Carr. “If only he hadn’t gotten hurt," said Fitch [in 2019].

...

Carr missed the first 39 games of his rookie season, but still averaged 21.2 points, shooting 42 percent from the field.

When that year was over, he had bone graft surgery on [his right] foot. “Typical Cavalier luck," said Tait, recounting what Fitch told him after Carr’s rookie year injuries.

Carr averaged 21 points over his first three Cavs seasons. He made the 1974 All-Star team. He was a good player, but lacked the explosive first step and athleticism he’d displayed in college. He became an over-achiever, finding ways to score with his basketball acumen. By his third season, Carr was having knee problems. He had knee surgery in his fourth year.

“It was the same right leg as the foot injuries,” said Carr. “I ended up having four knee surgeries before I retired.”

SF Billy Cunningham: HOF, 5X NBA All-Star, 5X All-NBA/ABA, 1973 ABA MVP, 1X NBA Champ, 1966 NBA All-Rookie

Every team needs some 'dirty work' guys ... and one that can create his own shot and facilitate plays for others is all the better. Stat lines certainly aren't the end-all for these players, but I like Cunningham's two-season run as he jumped leagues:

     1971-72 with the Sixers: 23.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 5.9 apg
     1972-73 with the ABA's Carolina Cougars: 24.1 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 6.3 apg

Also: steals weren't tracked during Cunningham's first seven years as a pro. The first year he had his steals tracked -- the 1972-73 ABA season above -- he led the ABA in steals (2.6 spg). 

PF George McGinnis: HOF, 6X All-Star, 5X All-NBA/ABA, 1975 ABA MVP, 2X ABA Champ, 36th ABA/NBA all-time in rebounds-per-game, 25th NBA all-time in steals-per-game

McGinnis was a three-time ABA All-Star with the Pacers and was that league's last scoring champion in 1975. After the ABA folded and the Pacers joined the NBA, McGinnis's rights reverted from Indiana to the 76ers, the NBA team that drafted him out of college. McGinnis proved his ABA dominance was no fluke, being named to three NBA All-Star games (last one with Denver) and to the All-NBA team twice.

McGinnis was a steady 25-13 guy in the ABA and a 21-11 guy later with the Sixers. He was also unusually quick and disruptive in the passing lanes for his position, averaging over 2 steals per game in both the ABA and with the 76ers in the NBA.

C Elmore Smith: 1972 NBA All-Rookie, 2X NBA Blocks leader, 5th NBA all-time in blocks-per-game 

Overpowering physical gifts as a young player with the Buffalo Braves. A solid 250 pounds and a legit 7 feet, Smith put up 17 ppg -15 rpg and 18-12 his first two years in Buffalo. The Lakers then traded for Smith to replace the retiring Wilt Chamberlain. Smith's offense was less in need in Los Angeles so he concentrated on the boards and defense. Blocks weren't official NBA stats during his first two seasons in Buffalo, but blocks were counted starting the year he went to L.A. Smith put up a cool 4.9 blocks per over 81 games and set a still-standing NBA record of 17 blocks in one contest (vs Portland, 10/28/1973).

The Lakers later moved Smith in the Kareem-Abdul Jabbar deal with Milwaukee. Smith had remained a double-double guy throughout his two seasons in L.A. and played at that level one more year in Milwaukee (15ppg -11rpg - 3 bpg in 1975-76). Knee problems relegated Smith to a part-time role over his last three NBA seasons, and led to his early retirement at age 30. Nevertheless, Smith ended his career averaging a double-double (13.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg) plus 2.9 blocks per contest.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Doug B's 1970s squad

PG Kevin Porter: 4X NBA Assist Leader, 15th all-time in assists-per-game

Probably would've made it five assist titles but a knee injury held him to 19 games in the 1975-76 season. Peak season was 1978-79 when he scored 15.4 ppg and dished a then-league-record 13.4 apg -- and threw in two steals a night to boot.

SG Austin Carr: 1X All-Star, 1972 NBA All-Rookie, "Mr. Cavalier"

"He would have been a Hall of Famer" - Terry Pluto

"There are guards, then there’s Austin Carr" - Red Auerbach

On the day of the [1971 NBA] draft, Fitch predicted Carr “would be a superstar.”

SF Billy Cunningham: HOF, 5X NBA All-Star, 5X All-NBA/ABA, 1973 ABA MVP, 1X NBA Champ, 1966 NBA All-Rookie

Every team needs some 'dirty work' guys ... and one that can create his own shot and facilitate plays for others is all the better. Stat lines certainly aren't the end-all for these players, but I like Cunningham's two-season run as he jumped leagues:

     1971-72 with the Sixers: 23.3 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 5.9 apg
     1972-73 with the ABA's Carolina Cougars: 24.1 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 6.3 apg

Also: steals weren't tracked during Cunningham's first seven years as a pro. The first year he had his steals tracked -- the 1972-73 ABA season above -- he led the ABA in steals (2.6 spg). 

PF George McGinnis: HOF, 6X All-Star, 5X All-NBA/ABA, 1975 ABA MVP, 2X ABA Champ, 36th ABA/NBA all-time in rebounds-per-game, 25th NBA all-time in steals-per-game

McGinnis was a three-time ABA All-Star with the Pacers and was that league's last scoring champion in 1975. After the ABA folded and the Pacers joined the NBA, McGinnis's rights reverted from Indiana to the 76ers, the NBA team that drafted him out of college. McGinnis proved his ABA dominance was no fluke, being named to three NBA All-Star games (last one with Denver) and to the All-NBA team twice.

McGinnis was a steady 25-13 guy in the ABA and a 21-11 guy later with the Sixers. He was also unusually quick and disruptive in the passing lanes for his position, averaging over 2 steals per game in both the ABA and with the 76ers in the NBA.

C Elmore Smith: 1972 NBA All-Rookie, 2X NBA Blocks leader, 5th NBA all-time in blocks-per-game 

Overpowering physical gifts as a young player with the Buffalo Braves. A solid 250 pounds and a legit 7 feet, Smith put up 17 ppg -15 rpg and 18-12 his first two years in Buffalo. The Lakers then traded for Smith to replace the retiring Wilt Chamberlain. Smith's offense was less in need in Los Angeles so he concentrated on the boards and defense. Blocks weren't official NBA stats during his first two seasons in Buffalo, but blocks were counted starting the year he went to L.A. Smith put up a cool 4.9 blocks per over 81 games and set a still-standing NBA record of 17 blocks in one contest (vs Portland, 10/28/1973).

The Lakers later moved Smith in the Kareem-Abdul Jabbar deal with Milwaukee. Smith had remained a double-double guy throughout his two seasons in L.A. and played at that level one more year in Milwaukee (15ppg -11rpg - 3 bpg in 1975-76). Knee problems relegated Smith to a part-time role over his last three NBA seasons, and led to his early retirement at age 30. Nevertheless, Smith ended his career averaging a double-double (13.4 ppg and 10.6 rpg) plus 2.9 blocks per contest.

four chukkars dancing a Maypole. i like it -

 

[Instinctive]

Lol didn’t you take these guys with your last 5 picks of the draft? I don’t know anything about any of the players from this era so certainly not criticizing, just struck me as funny.

Isn't the point of the writeup to sell your squad?

 

[EYLive]

I just sent in my rankings. There was a top tier of 4-ish teams then a big ole middle tier of 8-ish teams that was hard to separate from each other. I suspect the judging will have a lot of fluctuation in the middle 8.

 

[wikkidpissah]

I just sent in my rankings. There was a top tier of 4-ish teams then a big ole middle tier of 8-ish teams that was hard to separate from each other. I suspect the judging will have a lot of fluctuation in the middle 8.

i dunno if i can rank these guys sober and i dont get loaded much anymore. NObody nailed it. jake & gally came closest, balancewise. lotta guys out of position - PGs playing SG mostly. higgsy woulda dominated if he hadnt pushed Gus over. and i dont care if Wes Unseld is three ft tall and four feet wide - he's a center, not a 4. it was tried. i'll give it another shot when my back chases me out of bed in the wee hours, but i might just skip the 70s. that was tried a lot too.

 

[Jayrod]

Hmmm...

Counting the ABA, I count 13 MVP's in this era...7 of them at center.

 

[Jayrod]

i dunno if i can rank these guys sober and i dont get loaded much anymore. NObody nailed it. jake & gally came closest, balancewise. lotta guys out of position - PGs playing SG mostly. higgsy woulda dominated if he hadnt pushed Gus over. and i dont care if Wes Unseld is three ft tall and four feet wide - he's a center, not a 4. it was tried. i'll give it another shot when my back chases me out of bed in the wee hours, but i might just skip the 70s. that was tried a lot too.

That's because there wasn't but a couple of decent SG's in the era.  Most of the talent in this era was at PG, SF & C.  Good PF's and SG's were in short supply.

ETA:  Now that I'm looking back at it, the biggest sniper job I suffered was Randy Smith in the 16th round.  I was set to take him (had even started my write up) when @Ilov80s stole him from me.

ETA2:  It also didn't help the matter, wikkid, when you placed one of the best SGs from the 70's into the 60's.

 

[scoobus]

That's because there wasn't but a couple of decent SG's in the era.  Most of the talent in this era was at PG, SF & C.  Good PF's and SG's were in short supply.

My link

 

[Ilov80s]

Counting the ABA, I count 13 MVP's in this era...7 of them at center.

That’s one thing I need to figure out- how do I value ABA vs NBA. I need to research but my initial feeling is ABA isn’t worth nearly as much. 

 

[Ilov80s]

i dunno if i can rank these guys sober and i dont get loaded much anymore. NObody nailed it. jake & gally came closest, balancewise. lotta guys out of position - PGs playing SG mostly. higgsy woulda dominated if he hadnt pushed Gus over. and i dont care if Wes Unseld is three ft tall and four feet wide - he's a center, not a 4. it was tried. i'll give it another shot when my back chases me out of bed in the wee hours, but i might just skip the 70s. that was tried a lot too.

What don’t you like about my team? I tried to be thoughtful about putting players in their proper positions and trying to gel a team that would work together given my limited first hand knowledge.

 

[Ilov80s]

I think my team has two flaws. One was kind of the other side of the coin with what I was building and the other is I wish had better players.

 

[wikkidpissah]

What don’t you like about my team? I tried to be thoughtful about putting players in their proper positions and trying to gel a team that would work together given my limited first hand knowledge.

soft like a pillow, my brother. thoughtfully constructed, yes, but not dynamically so. you'd have to have bunches of elbow guys on the bench to brawl them 70s, baby, or Randy Smith would be doing all the squaring off, and he kinda a wiry thang. good team, but i'd look fwd to playing em, know'm'sayin?

 

[Ilov80s]

soft like a pillow, my brother. thoughtfully constructed, yes, but not dynamically so. you'd have to have bunches of elbow guys on the bench to brawl them 70s, baby, or Randy Smith would be doing all the squaring off, and he kinda a wiry thang. good team, but i'd look fwd to playing em, know'm'sayin?

Yeah that’s what I meant by flip side of the coin. Built more for modern league than 70s, lack of beef for sure. Maybe leaned too hard into a fun up and down squad. Wedman will have to put all that weightlifting to use. 

 

[trader jake]

i dunno if i can rank these guys sober and i dont get loaded much anymore. NObody nailed it. jake & gally came closest, balancewise. 

Thanks for noticing Wikkid.  I took team construction VERY seriously in this draft (too seriously?).  Playing players at their coreect position/decade, mixing offense and defense, matching skill sets that were comparable in the same line-up, playing to the style of the decade, avoiding drug/problematic characters, etc.

For example: On the 70s squad Iceman is a historic bucket getter, so the team needed multiple defenders, a low usage player, and good passing to maximize the main difference maker.

* Defense - Two of the top three defenders of the decade (w/Kareem).  8x All-Defense to handle guards (PG Van Lier), 11x All-Defense (PF Jones) to handle forwards, and to bang at C (Lacey) led NBA in defensive +/- 4 consecutive seasons and is one of only 5 players to post 600 steals and blocks in six consecutive seasons.

* Ball movement - PG (Van Lier) led in assists, was top 10 every year 70-78, C (Lacey) was top 20 assists 6 times, triple/doubles in 7 consecutive seasons.

* Efficiency - Second best offensive player at SG (Hudson) avg over 20/game for his career as a great shooter, extremely efficient because he got to the line a lot.  PF (Jones) is the all-time leader in ABA FG% (20th all-time - on low usage which this team needed).

It's so tough to separate some of these really good teams, I just wanted to do everything I could as a GM to find the best mix that would have maximized their talents had they been a real team taking the floor.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Yeah that’s what I meant by flip side of the coin. Built more for modern league than 70s, lack of beef for sure. Maybe leaned too hard into a fun up and down squad. Wedman will have to put all that weightlifting to use. 

yeah, i watched Randy try to get Mac to focus on Ws over buckets for years in Buffalo (i'm an AFL guy). he was such a sweet talent, if Mac coulda took what he learned in LA back north.....

 

[Ilov80s]

yeah, i watched Randy try to get Mac to focus on Ws over buckets for years in Buffalo (i'm an AFL guy). he was such a sweet talent, if Mac coulda took what he learned in LA back north.....

That’s my team, buckets over wins for sure.

 

[Zegras11]

This "SLAM 500" list is pretty weak.  Gail Goodrich not on it?  LOL.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

yeah, i watched Randy try to get Mac to focus on Ws over buckets for years in Buffalo (i'm an AFL guy). he was such a sweet talent, if Mac coulda took what he learned in LA back north.....

If they were serious about W's in Buffalo then maybe they should have started with Ernie (No)D.

 

[Jayrod]

This "SLAM 500" list is pretty weak.  Gail Goodrich not on it?  LOL.

I glanced at it for about 30 seconds and was like WTF?!?  Oscar over Magic?  Kareem behind Wilt, Russell & Shaq?  Isiah Thomas at #19 overall?  As much as I love Hondo, he isn't the 17th greatest player of all time.

 

[Ilov80s]

Even if my team isn’t a top contender (knew it wouldn’t be), I’m glad it turned out to be the team I wanted.