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

[Gally]

This squad would be fun to watch.  I like the fit across the board as it has everything.  The final rankings will hinge primarily on how much credit Donovan Mitchell will get for his 4 yr career.  I believe it shouldn't be discounted much as he has played almost half the decade - all at a peak level.  As a team it has 15 All Star appearances, 11 All NBA teams, 10 All Defensive teams, a Rookie of the Year, and an All Star MVP. Oh and we also have two guys that jumped from High School straight to the NBA.  

Now on to the individuals:

PG - Chris Paul (Pick 3.10):  18.4/4.5/9.4 career averages with a PER of 24.9 and WS of 186.6.  His best single season numbers for each category are 22.8/5.5/11.6 and 2.8 steals/game.  Paul is the quintessential point guard.  He controls the game offensively and defensively (all NBA Defensive team 9 times).  He has lead the league in assists 4 times and in steals 6 times.  He excels at the mid range jumper but is also good from behind the arc (37%).  He was also involved in one of the most odd trade situations in all of sports when the Commish had to step in and veto a trade because he didn't want the Lakers to be too dominant.  He creates scoring opportunities by constantly changing speeds; upon beating his defender one-on-one or shedding him in the pick-and-roll, he will often slow down and box him out, denying him from regaining front side position and forcing the defense to help at all times which makes everyone on his team better.  His ability to penetrate deep into the paint leads to easy shots for his teammates (setting up Mitchell for open shots), and in 2013, he was second in the league in assisted three-pointers.  As a playmaker, he is noted for his consistently high assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging just 2.4 turnovers per game over his career.  A deft midrange shooter, he is especially proficient from the right elbow, leading the league in shooting percentage from that area in 2015.  On defense, he aggravates opponents with active hands and high effort, and has been ranked as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.  Paul is a certain Hall of Famer with really the only knock against him being that he hasn't had championship success - although there are many contributing factors for that.  For this decade he is easily the best conventional point guard and probably only being challenged by Curry for the best at the spot.  

SG - Donoval Mitchell (Pick 13.10):  23.1/4.1/4.3 career averages with a PER of 18.1 and WS of 21.1.  His best single season numbers for each category are 25.4/4.4/5.4 and 1.0 steals/game.  This was a fairly controversial pick at the time I took him as many were downgrading his lack of years of service as a major downgrade.  Well, he is in his 4th year (almost half the decade) and has improved every year.  You can consider his peak fairly consistent with most guys peak (4 years) so it shouldn't be much of a downgrade.  It's not like it's only been one outlier year or two year total career.  “The leading scorer on the NBA’s best team, Mitchell continues to make progress in his development from a volume scorer early in his career into a well-rounded offensive force,” wrote Kevin Pelton. “This season, he has taken a step forward both as a 3-point shooter (making a career-high 40% while attempting a career-high 8.6 triples per game) and as a playmaker (his assist rate is up nearly a third on a per-minute basis).  All of this to say he is not a flash in the pan and having 4 yrs under his belt it should be sufficient to not downgrade his career for this evaluation.  "I know one way of giving the Utah Jazz the ultimate respect of what they've done this year. Why not Donovan Mitchell being mentioned as the leading candidate for MVP? When you look at what he's done, when you look at what the Jazz have done...they have dominated. Mitchell is averaging 25 (points), 5 (assists), and 5 (rebounds), and he is on the best team in the NBA, and he is the best player on that team." - Sam Mitchell

SF - Josh Smith (Pick 25.10):  14.5/7.4/3.1 career averages with a PER of 17.4 and WS of 51.0.  His best single season numbers for each category are 18.8/9.6/4.7 and 2.9 blocks/game.  This choice was perimeter defense based as Smith fits this requirement.  He is the youngest player ever to 500 blocks in the NBA.   Of his total win shares 42.3 are for Defensive win shares and he even led the league in that category with 4.9 in 2011-2012.  He fits perfectly for this squad as he only has to shut down the best perimeter player for the other team and make the occasional wide open shot.  

PF - Al Jefferson (Pick 21.10):  15.7/8.4/1.5 career averages with a PER of 20.6 and WS of 71.0. His best single season numbers for each category are 23.1/11.1/2.2 and 1.9 blocks/game.  Jefferson was traded to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett and went on to start all 82 games, averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds, establishing himself as a premier low-post player and one of the brightest young stars in the sport.  His name was plastered all over the league leaderboards, finishing 20th in the league points per game, fifth in rebounding, second in offensive boards, and third in double-doubles.  More importantly, the Wolves had found their go-to guy.  Jefferson will fill this role for this squad.  He is the low post dominant player Paul can feed and maximize his value.  

C - Andre Drummond (Pick 18.07):  14.6/13.8/1.4 career averages with a PER of 22.0 and WS of 61.2. His best single season numbers for each category are 17.8/16.0/3.0 and 1.9 blocks & 1.9 steals/game.  Drummond can do what he does best for this squad.  Play defense and hit the boards.  We don't need offense from him.  Just do the dirty work.  A great fit to pair with Jefferson as a two headed monster in the blocks.  He can work the pick and roll perfectly with Paul who will put him in great positions to succeed.  It will make defending this team a nightmare for most of the 2010's squads.  

I may have pulled the trigger early on Mitchell but I think this is a formidable squad because of his talents paired with the frontcourt duo of Jefferson & Drummond.  They will help keep the defenses honest giving Mitchell room to score.  Paul will be able to space the floor and make sure everyone is in the best spot.  Defensively it will be tough to get past as there are no weaknesses to exploit.  I believe this is a squad that could push for a top 5 spot but should be no less than top 10.       

 

[Jayrod]

Frosty's Team 2010s:

PG: Rajon Rondo: 4x All-Star, 2x Champ, 4x All-Defense, 1x All-NBA, 1x Steals Leader, 3x Assist Leader. 12.3ppg/4.8rpg/10.7apg/2.0spg

SG: Joe Johnson: 7x All-Star, 1x All-NBA. 21.7ppg/4.4prg/5.5apg/1.1spg

SF: Lebron James: 17x All-Star, 16x All-NBA, 4x Champ, 6x All-Defense, 4x MVP, 4x Finals MVP, 1x Scoring Leader, 1x Assist Leader. 27.4ppg/7.6rpg/7.5apg/1.6spg

PF: Kevin Love: 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, 1x Rebound Leader. 23.5ppg/13.7rpg/3.0apg/0.7spg. 

C - Lamarcus Aldridge: 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA. 21.2ppg/9.0rpg/2.1apg/1.1bpg

First things first: every single player on this squad played the entire 2010s decade. That's right, all 10 years for each guy. No 3 year youngsters here, these guys are established and genuine superstars of the 2010s. 

Every single player has at least 4 All-Star berths and at least 1 All-NBA appearance. Combined: 40 All-Stars, 25 All-NBA, 4 MVPs, and 10 All Defense. Yes, having Lebron inflates those numbers but also makes you remember that I have Lebron James surrounded by four all-NBA talents. A 2010s all-star squad. Wow.

Now that the accolades have been established, let's look at the fit. You're immediately going to look at two weaknesses: Rondo's shooting (or lack thereof) and Love's defense. Fair enough. However, I'd say this team's construction mitigates both of those.

Rondo is surrounded by four outstanding perimeter shooters, with Johnson and Love maybe the best at their positions in the decade. This gives him the room he needs to operate, and as a 3x league assist champ that's all he needs. Imagine a Rondo and Lebron pick and roll with Johnson, Love, and Aldridge spotting up.  Yikes. 

As for Love's defense, the uniqueness of Lebron's skill set helps me out there as well. I can hide Love on weakest front court player offensively since Lebron can easily guard a 4 and Aldridge, although not a defensive stud, is just fine. And speaking of Aldridge, yes I would have loved to have a more defensive minded center as the rim protector, but I thought more shooting was more important and don't forget he's a 7x All-Star and 5x All-NBA player. You don't get those awards if you can't play on both sides of the ball. 

Yo Mama's All-2010s Team

Of all my decade teams, this one makes the most sense on the court together and is the most well-balanced.

On offense, I have an MVP point guard in Rose who attacks the rim with incredible athleticism and is impossible to guard in the pick and roll.  On the wings, I have two great shooters (including one of the greatest pure shooters of all time) who don’t need the ball in their hands for more than a second to be effective.  They’ll be running off screens like crazy and only need a fraction of space to get their shots off.  Down low, I have two incredibly well-rounded bigs who can both handle the ball, distribute effectively to help run the offense, and spread the floor with their shooting to create space for Rose in the paint.  They can form a deadly pick and roll, pick and pop combo with Rose or even run a nasty high low game with Gasol at the high post and Davis dominating down low.

Defensively, my team will be hard to beat.  It starts with my bigs down low.  Both Davis and Gasol are incredibly diverse defenders who can protect the rim and hold their own on the perimeter on switches.  Gasol is a DPOY player who can neutralize any center of the decade and Davis has the unicorn athleticism to guard any position on the floor.  I also have two great wing defenders in Thompson and Ariza who can guard any player 1-4 and allow Rose to draw the easiest assignment on D on the perimeter.  All five of my squad have the athleticism and defensive ability to swarm the ball, switch with impunity, and cause havoc on the defensive side.

PG - Derrick Rose

Peak (8 Years) - 20p, 4r, 6a, 1stl, 1 three

Pre-injury (3 Years) - 23p, 4r, 7a, 1stl, 1 three

Recognition - MVP, 1 all nba, 3 all star

SG - Klay Thompson

Peak (5+ Years) - 22p, 4r, 2a, 1stl, 1blk, 3 threes, 47/42/86 shooting

Recognition - 3 champ, 2 all nba, 5 all star, 1 all d

SF - Trevor Ariza

Peak (10 Years) - 12p, 5r, 3a, 2stl, 2 threes

Recognition - 1 champ

PF - Anthony Davis

Peak (8+ Years) - 25p, 11r, 2a, 1stl, 2blk, 1 three

Recognition - 1 champ, 4 all nba, 8 all star, 4 all d

C - Marc Gasol

Peak (9 Years) - 16p, 8r, 4a, 1stl, 2blk, 1 three

Recognition - DPOY, 1 champ, 2 all nba, 3 all star, 1 all d

Combined, my team at their peak averaged 98p, 32r, 18a, 6stl, 5blk, and 8 threes a game.  They had 1 MVP, 1 DPOY, 6 championships, 9 all nba, 19 al stars, and 6 all defense.

Davis has the 4th most blocks in the decade and Gasol has the 7th most.  Thompson has the 3rd most threes in the decade and Ariza has the 11th most.  Ariza has the 5th most steals in the decade.  Thompson has the 15th most points in the decade and Davis has the 25th most.  Gasol has the 12th most rebounds in the decade and Davis has the 22nd most.

Instinctive's 2010s team:

• 24 all-star selections
  
• League MVP
  
• 17 all-NBA selections
  
• 11 all-defensive selections
  
• 3 defensive player of the year awards
  
• 3 finals MVPs
  
• A boatload of season titles: steals, all-star MVPs, actual championships, etc.
  

Here's the thing: FOUR of these guys have flirted with or surpassed 50/40/90 seasons, and the last guy is defensive monster Noah holding down the rim. This is my most proud team construction of the entire draft (and honestly, maybe the best constructed from a role perspective. It lacks the star power of a number of the top teams, but everyone plays a position they actually played, any minor hole (Dirk's defense, Noah's shooting) is covered, the floor is perfectly spaced in the spacing era, nobody will be fighting for the ball, and 4 guys want to get in your face and destroy you on defense in any important game. We have pace, we have half court offense, we have transition defense, we have half court defense, we have EASILY the best defensive backcourt, Noah can hang with anyone and defend the rim. We need to score at the end of the game? Not only do we have the Dirk PnR with any one of our ballhandlers, we also have Kawhi iso ability. Or a classic Dirk iso. Or a whirring offense around great passer Noah, who was the center of the Bulls when Rose went down. 

PG - Jrue Holiday: Defender who absolutely dominates Damian Lillard when they face off (hello playoffs), handles the ball without turnovers (2.5:1 AST:TO ratio), gets his team involved, but shoots great off ball as well. 6'3" PG who also defends SGs. 

SG - Khris Middleton: Another awesome team player who can light up the scoreboard but takes pride in locking down opposing wings. Dude is a 6'7" SG who can also slide to SF. 

SF - Kawhi Leonard: I mean, what else needs to be said? Who else is in the discussion after LeBron (clearly the bets) for 2nd best player of the decade? They're the only two players to be the full on alpha leaders for two different franchise's championships. Multi-time DPOY, amazing shooter, and one of the best iso scorers in the NBA. Multi-time Finals MVP who will lock down the best wing or guard on the other team - whether it's Steph, Dame, LeBron, KD...seriously has gone toe to toe and owned all of them.

PF - Dirk Nowitzki: The greatest Maverick of all time. Revolutionary PF. Best shooting big man of all time. One of the 5 greatest playoff runs ever, carrying a supporting cast of over the hill veterans and flawed players to a title over the era's first superteam, he's yet another guy who dominated LeBron when it mattered. I could go on for days about Dirk, and I may have to in another post. 

C - Joakim Noah: the perfect and ultimate glue guy, another DPOY winner who first made screen assists sexy (back off Gobert!). He doesn't need the ball, he cleans the glass and defends the rim and passes it around. He's yet ANOTHER guy on my team who's been in the MVP conversation (top 5 vote getter is my definition) in his career. In a decade with resurgent centers after a lackluster 2000s, I have the only guy who can defend them all - from the bruisery Embiid and Jokic to the svelte Giannis, Noah can make them all work.

Jesus. What a stacked team. Like holy cow. I really don't know how the hell any team expects to defend against this, and I'm pretty sure it can defend against them all. There are so many good squads we've assembled here though (looking particularly at @Kev4029 and @Frostillicus, thought not to the exclusion of others), that this will be a tough fight. I think these guys are perhaps the best fitting of any squad in the draft. Nobody gets in anyone's way. Nobody has a weakness that isn't covered by ALL FOUR other guys. 

I think this is going to end up my best in show squad, but will wait to see how judging plays out. If I regret anything, it's not pulling the trigger on Lowry at the expense of the 80s when I had the chance.

This squad would be fun to watch.  I like the fit across the board as it has everything.  The final rankings will hinge primarily on how much credit Donovan Mitchell will get for his 4 yr career.  I believe it shouldn't be discounted much as he has played almost half the decade - all at a peak level.  As a team it has 15 All Star appearances, 11 All NBA teams, 10 All Defensive teams, a Rookie of the Year, and an All Star MVP. Oh and we also have two guys that jumped from High School straight to the NBA.  

Now on to the individuals:

PG - Chris Paul (Pick 3.10):  18.4/4.5/9.4 career averages with a PER of 24.9 and WS of 186.6.  His best single season numbers for each category are 22.8/5.5/11.6 and 2.8 steals/game.  Paul is the quintessential point guard.  He controls the game offensively and defensively (all NBA Defensive team 9 times).  He has lead the league in assists 4 times and in steals 6 times.  He excels at the mid range jumper but is also good from behind the arc (37%).  He was also involved in one of the most odd trade situations in all of sports when the Commish had to step in and veto a trade because he didn't want the Lakers to be too dominant.  He creates scoring opportunities by constantly changing speeds; upon beating his defender one-on-one or shedding him in the pick-and-roll, he will often slow down and box him out, denying him from regaining front side position and forcing the defense to help at all times which makes everyone on his team better.  His ability to penetrate deep into the paint leads to easy shots for his teammates (setting up Mitchell for open shots), and in 2013, he was second in the league in assisted three-pointers.  As a playmaker, he is noted for his consistently high assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging just 2.4 turnovers per game over his career.  A deft midrange shooter, he is especially proficient from the right elbow, leading the league in shooting percentage from that area in 2015.  On defense, he aggravates opponents with active hands and high effort, and has been ranked as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.  Paul is a certain Hall of Famer with really the only knock against him being that he hasn't had championship success - although there are many contributing factors for that.  For this decade he is easily the best conventional point guard and probably only being challenged by Curry for the best at the spot.  

SG - Donoval Mitchell (Pick 13.10):  23.1/4.1/4.3 career averages with a PER of 18.1 and WS of 21.1.  His best single season numbers for each category are 25.4/4.4/5.4 and 1.0 steals/game.  This was a fairly controversial pick at the time I took him as many were downgrading his lack of years of service as a major downgrade.  Well, he is in his 4th year (almost half the decade) and has improved every year.  You can consider his peak fairly consistent with most guys peak (4 years) so it shouldn't be much of a downgrade.  It's not like it's only been one outlier year or two year total career.  “The leading scorer on the NBA’s best team, Mitchell continues to make progress in his development from a volume scorer early in his career into a well-rounded offensive force,” wrote Kevin Pelton. “This season, he has taken a step forward both as a 3-point shooter (making a career-high 40% while attempting a career-high 8.6 triples per game) and as a playmaker (his assist rate is up nearly a third on a per-minute basis).  All of this to say he is not a flash in the pan and having 4 yrs under his belt it should be sufficient to not downgrade his career for this evaluation.  "I know one way of giving the Utah Jazz the ultimate respect of what they've done this year. Why not Donovan Mitchell being mentioned as the leading candidate for MVP? When you look at what he's done, when you look at what the Jazz have done...they have dominated. Mitchell is averaging 25 (points), 5 (assists), and 5 (rebounds), and he is on the best team in the NBA, and he is the best player on that team." - Sam Mitchell

SF - Josh Smith (Pick 25.10):  14.5/7.4/3.1 career averages with a PER of 17.4 and WS of 51.0.  His best single season numbers for each category are 18.8/9.6/4.7 and 2.9 blocks/game.  This choice was perimeter defense based as Smith fits this requirement.  He is the youngest player ever to 500 blocks in the NBA.   Of his total win shares 42.3 are for Defensive win shares and he even led the league in that category with 4.9 in 2011-2012.  He fits perfectly for this squad as he only has to shut down the best perimeter player for the other team and make the occasional wide open shot.  

PF - Al Jefferson (Pick 21.10):  15.7/8.4/1.5 career averages with a PER of 20.6 and WS of 71.0. His best single season numbers for each category are 23.1/11.1/2.2 and 1.9 blocks/game.  Jefferson was traded to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett and went on to start all 82 games, averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds, establishing himself as a premier low-post player and one of the brightest young stars in the sport.  His name was plastered all over the league leaderboards, finishing 20th in the league points per game, fifth in rebounding, second in offensive boards, and third in double-doubles.  More importantly, the Wolves had found their go-to guy.  Jefferson will fill this role for this squad.  He is the low post dominant player Paul can feed and maximize his value.  

C - Andre Drummond (Pick 18.07):  14.6/13.8/1.4 career averages with a PER of 22.0 and WS of 61.2. His best single season numbers for each category are 17.8/16.0/3.0 and 1.9 blocks & 1.9 steals/game.  Drummond can do what he does best for this squad.  Play defense and hit the boards.  We don't need offense from him.  Just do the dirty work.  A great fit to pair with Jefferson as a two headed monster in the blocks.  He can work the pick and roll perfectly with Paul who will put him in great positions to succeed.  It will make defending this team a nightmare for most of the 2010's squads.  

I may have pulled the trigger early on Mitchell but I think this is a formidable squad because of his talents paired with the frontcourt duo of Jefferson & Drummond.  They will help keep the defenses honest giving Mitchell room to score.  Paul will be able to space the floor and make sure everyone is in the best spot.  Defensively it will be tough to get past as there are no weaknesses to exploit.  I believe this is a squad that could push for a top 5 spot but should be no less than top 10.       

 

[Instinctive]

I have a feeling someone (likely more than one) is going to be upset at the end of this decade's judging. I hope it isn't me. 

 

[Jayrod]

I have a feeling someone (likely more than one) is going to be upset at the end of this decade's judging. I hope it isn't me. 

I was already pretty upset with the last era.

 

[Gally]

I have a feeling someone (likely more than one) is going to be upset at the end of this decade's judging. I hope it isn't me. 

It is really a hard exercise to put these teams in an order.  I keep leapfrogging teams around.  There is so much potential that is hard to quantify.  I know we are grading based on actual play but actual play is quite good on a lot of these guys even if the longevity isn't there.   Teams are all so personal it's really tough to place them.  I have my team quite a bit higher than I expected to.  I plan to just drop it 3 or 4 spots just because to avoid some homerism but it's difficult since I like the fit and guys a lot and I think they mesh really well.  I am sure almost every drafter thinks the same. 

Ugh.  It's really tough.  

 

[Kev4029]

Kev's 2010's - Maybe not my best team, but they would be my favorite to watch. 

PG - Mike Conley - One of the ultimate jack of all trades, master of none players of the 10s. He’s only made a single All-Defense team (and All-Star game now!), but he’s consistently been one of the better defenders and offensive initiators at the PG position for the last decade. Offensively, he is comfortably running the PnR with a slow ground bound center and is an excellent shooter both off the catch and in pull up situations. 

Peak 3 Seasons - 17.3 PPG - 5.9 APG - 1.3 SPG - .571 TS% - 4.7 3PA (39.1%) - 20.5 PER - .169 WS/48

SG - JJ Redick - Redick is a legit knock down shooter and his combination of volume (1935 career 3s) and accuracy (41.5%) can only be matched by Steph Curry, and Kyle Korver. While he has a reputation for being a 3 point specialist like Korver, Redick has some legit playmaking skills (the 12-13 Magic basically used him as their backup PG), and had enough defensive chops to avoid being a complete liability - he can make it through screens and compete against both quicker and bigger opponents. 

Peak 3 Seasons - 15.9 PPG - .618 TS% - 7.2 3PA (44.6%!!!) - 16.1 PER - .131 WS/48

SF - Danilo Gallinari - Gallo offers some much needed iso offense if the Jokic two man game isn’t working, in addition to his ability to play off ball and make a high percentage of catch and shoot 3s. He has consistently been one of the most efficient players in the NBA both in PnR and iso situations. Defensively, he’s never had the quick twitch athleticism to be great, but he’s long and moved his feet well - in his pre-knee injury days, I swear he was an above average defender. The year he tore his knee up, the Nuggets were 11th in Drtg and 5th in Ortg with a lineup of Lawson/Iggy/Gallo/Faried/Koufus - he was a big part of the defense (Faried and Lawson were awful, Koufus was fine) and the driver of the offense.

Peak 3 Seasons - 16.7 PPG - 4.7 RPG - .592 TS% - 4.9 3PA (37.0%) -17.8 PER - .152 WS/48

PF - Draymond Green - 3x AS, 2x All-NBA, 5x All-Defense, 16-17 DPOY. The best player of this decade to pair with Jokic to minimize Jokic’s defensive flaws. Peak Draymond was the best non-center defender of the decade (more destructive than Giannis) - people forget that GSW won as much with D as O in their 3 title runs and he was the catalyst. At his best offensively, he was their defacto PG that initiated much of their league leading offense and hit enough shots to keep the defense honest. Both his help defense and man-to-man defense will be key to maximizing this team's success.

Peak 3 Seasons - 12.0 PPG - 8.5 RPG - 6.0 APG - 1.7 SPG - 1.2 BPG - .552 TS% - 3.9 3PA (34.4%) - 17.5 PER - .172 WS/48

C - Nikola Jokic - 3x AS, 2x All-NBA (soon to be 3), and MASSIVE favorite for 2021 MVP (he'll be the first center to win the award in this millennia). There was some criticism of Jokic not having the career length necessary - he’s played 431 games, none of the bigs selected ahead of him have played 600 games (Giannis - 573, Cousins - 591, Davis - 551, Embiid - 242) and he almost never gets hurt because he runs slow and doesn’t jump. In those 431 games, Jokic has established himself as the best center in the NBA and the best offensive center since turn-of-the-millennia-Shaq. Plus, if you haven’t watched him in the playoffs the last two years, he’s a gamer - increasing his scoring, rebounding, efficiency, and objectively his defense once the games matter (his playoff career #s - 24.7/11.2/6.9 on .606 TS%, 26.9 PER, .212 WS/48, 9.3 BPM in 33 games - these are Jordan/Magic/Lebron type playoff #s).

Peak 3 Seasons - 21.6 PPG - 10.4 RPG - 7.5 APG - 1.3 SPG - .611 TS% - 27.2 PER (#4 over the last 3 years) - .239 WS/48 (#5) - 9.2 BMP (#3) - 18.7 VORP (#2)

The team will revolve around Jokic offensively.  Everybody scales well (can play well in bigger or smaller roles), they can all handle the ball but don’t need the ball to be effective (even Green is a 36% career 3 point shooter from the corners), and 4 of 5 are elite shooters for their position. I envision a slow and methodical offense with a carousel of players running the dribble handoff and pick and roll game with Jokic, with a smattering of inverted pick and roll with Conley. We know this works with Gallinari (the Nuggets had the #1 Ortg in 16-17 once Jokic became the starting C around Christmas), it worked with a offensively handicaped PF (Millsap/Faried/Plumlee), and it REALLY works with Jokic and a bunch of ace offensive players (the new look Nuggets front court is +66 in 131 minutes with a 133.5 Ortg).

At their 3-year peaks (per 48 minutes), the team combined put up 35 3PA/game at 38.6%, 31 FTA @ 83.3%, 34 APG (obviously this doesn’t scale realistically - but safe to say this will be an elite team of ball movers), just the right about of usage (112.5% combined - high enough that people can stay in their roles, not so high that players are looking for a significantly different role than they are accustomed), with a combined TS% of .586. The offense is going to be safely elite and built for the modern NBA. While there are a few teams with more offensive talent, those teams will have offensive fit or personality issues (Dame Lillard the strictly catch and shoot PG? Aldridge as the 5th option - he’ll be jacking up bad shots on the rare occasion he touches the ball. Kawhi taking a backseat to anybody?). Everybody here fits a role and would be happy in that role. Jokic keeps everybody’s ego stroked with easy looks.

Defensively, we are lacking rim protection (Green will make up for Jokic a bit) and an ability to guard multiple elite scoring wings (luckily there aren’t many teams that this will be a problem) but we don’t have a total zero on that end. Green is going to take the tougher forward assignment, Conley will typically take the tougher guard assignment (Harden being the exception - we’ll see how Green does there). Jokic’s advanced stats (and play at the end of games/playoffs) have always been better than the eye test, so I’m going to assume the numbers are right and he's good on that end. Defensive rebounding is also on point (80.0% DREB% - that would be 0.1% behind the 2021 Bulls for best in the NBA...we don't bother with offensive rebounds). Ultimately, there isn’t enough defense to stop the best teams, but there should be enough to stay competitive and give my offense enough opportunity to shine. And oh will it shine.

 

[Gally]

I have you as first but the next 10-12 are tough to sort out.  So much ambiguity based on too many factors. 

 

[Yo Mama]

I have you as first but the next 10-12 are tough to sort out.  So much ambiguity based on too many factors. 

I think there’s a clear top four and a pretty clear bottom, with a lot of stuff I the middle hard to differentiate that all have a couple really good players with some glaring weaknesses. Should be interesting to see how it shakes out. 

 

[Instinctive]

I have you as first but the next 10-12 are tough to sort out.  So much ambiguity based on too many factors. 

 There's only one guy who can shoot in decade shooting matters most!

 

[Jayrod]

2000s Final Rankings

9 pts - Mister CIA  - Steve Francis, Manu Ginobili, Jamal Mashburn, Robert Horry, Jermaine O'Neal

So I just input the actual rankings vs. my rankings and just discovered this outlier.  This team is the biggest mover as compared to my rankings in the contest so far.  I had him at 5 points.  The highest ranked player was Manu as the #5 SG and the rest of this team was 9th or lower at their position.  You have 3 guys who were good and 2 guys who were below average, at their best.  Nobody great, no franchise cornerstones, not go-to guys on good teams....nothing but a group of 5 bodies when compared to an all-decade team.  There isn't a single All-D team on this squad.

What are you people actually looking at when you rank these teams?  Are people just basing it off of some name recognition and their memory?  "Franchise, Manu, Mash, Big Shot Bob and the other O'Neal...I think I remember those guys being good.....11 POINTS!!!111"

I'm at a loss here.  In no world is this a top half team in the decade.

 

[Instinctive]

So I just input the actual rankings vs. my rankings and just discovered this outlier.  This team is the biggest mover as compared to my rankings in the contest so far.  I had him at 5 points.  The highest ranked player was Manu as the #5 SG and the rest of this team was 9th or lower at their position.  You have 3 guys who were good and 2 guys who were below average, at their best.  Nobody great, no franchise cornerstones, not go-to guys on good teams....nothing but a group of 5 bodies when compared to an all-decade team.  There isn't a single All-D team on this squad.

What are you people actually looking at when you rank these teams?  Are people just basing it off of some name recognition and their memory?  "Franchise, Manu, Mash, Big Shot Bob and the other O'Neal...I think I remember those guys being good.....11 POINTS!!!111"

I'm at a loss here.  In no world is this a top half team in the decade.

Agreed. I had it at 6.

 

[Kev4029]

Jayrodsquad of the 2010's

This is the best team I assembled and one of the best in the contest.  In an era when some guys drafted have only played 2-3 years, my team has all been in the league for at least 6 full seasons.

My team has a combined 6 rings, 2 MVP's, 1 DPOY, 18 all-NBA selections, 9 All-Defensive selections, 2 Finals MVP's and 30 All-star selections.  Among the 5 are: 3 offensive juggernauts, 2 perfect fit role players, 4 great defenders, 4 great rebounders, 5 good passers, 5 great teammates, a guy with unlimited range and an absolute freak of nature.  Without further ado, I present to you the top squad in the 2010's:

• PG - Damian "Dame Time" Lillard - Ball handler, floor spacing shooter, secondary P&R threat, facilitator of the offense and team leader.  ROY, 5x All-NBA, 6x All-star.  He can shoot from anywhere and is as clutch as they come, hitting one of the most electric game winners I've ever seen.  He is a loyal to a fault, a great competitor and a leader.  He is also a great passer, averaging 6.6 apg for his career.
  
• SG - Dwyane "Flash" Wade - Primary offensive threat, primary perimeter defender, fast break runner.  3x Champ, 1x Finals MVP, 8x All-NBA, 3x All-Def, 13x All-star.  Despite all of that, he still seems underrated.  He is, at worst, the 4th greatest SG in history and could do it all very well.  He will draw the opponents top defender and open up the floor for everyone with his slashing and cutting and running P&R with the greatest rim-runner in history.  He can defend, he can pass and he can finish the break as well as anyone.
  
• SF - Andre "Iggy" Iguodala - Secondary perimeter defender, off-ball screener and mover, perimeter rebounder and fast break finisher. 3x Champ, 1x Finals MVP, 2x All-Def & 1x All-star.  Not bad for the worst player on my team.  Iggy is a true glue guy, a great athlete and a smart player.  He can hit corner threes, drive and pass and be a lock down defender on the perimeter while providing great help on the boards.
  
• PF - Giannis "the Greek Freak" Anteaternintendo - P&R Screener, lockdown defender, rebounder, finisher off the break. 2x MVP, 1x DPOY, 4x All-NBA, 3x All-Def, 5x All-star.  And he's only 26.  The only thing missing is a ring, and that will likely be remedied at some point in the near future.  He can score on anyone and everyone, but is best off the ball, cutting, rim running off the P&R, crashing the boards and focusing on being a tenacious defender.  Aggressive and competitive, he would thrive on a team where he doesn't have to go 1 on 4 every possession.  But if he needs to, he can go to work by taking his guy off the dribble and creating buckets in the paint.
  
• C - Al "Godfather" Horford - Post defender, defensive rebounder, screen setter and high post facilitator.  1x All-NBA, 1x All-Def, 5x All-star.  Known for being an Embiid stopper and the ultimate glue guy, Horford can and will do everything you need to win basketball games.  His high post passing and pick and pop ability will pull opposing centers away from the paint, letting Wade/Giannis/Dame go to work.  He is a great fit alongside Giannis in the frontcourt, which will dominate in this era.
  

I envision this team playing tenacious defense on the wings and post, getting out and running a lot off of steals and rebounds, running lots of P&R action with Wade/Dame handling and Giannis/Al screening while Iggy runs the baseline and spots up in the corners.  The offense will have a lot of movement, off ball screening and basket cuts.  Teams will have to build a wall in the paint, leaving players wide open, and all 5 are capable of knocking down 3's....especially Dame, who will find himself more wide open than he has ever had with this team.

ETA:  Best 5 season stretch for each player: https://stathead.com/tiny/XjUMr

Some stats from your link...

138.5% USG. That's an impressively large number and I'm guessing it might be the highest of the entire draft for any decade. This would be a could case study IRL on managing high usage players. Out of curiosity, the 10-11 Heat starting lineup (Bibby/Wade/Lebron/Bosh/Ilgauskas) went from a combined USG of 132.2 in 09-10 to 116.9 in 10-11 (staggering lineups helps keep star usage up). I think trimming 38.5% from the combine usage would be a nightmare on the personality side. Plus, the combined AST% is all the way at 131.2% (generally I would guess combining high AST % guys would be good and this number is bonkers high, but I'm skeptical here) - these aren't just a bunch of play finishers, they are ball dominant guys that are used to being the center of the offense. Even Horford at a combined USG+AST is at 38.1% - basically he is used to being part of 38% of all plays finished offensively in a game. 

23.5 3PA per 48 combined @ 34.3%. The volume is similar to a mid-decade average team at a % similar to an average team the year they moved the three point line back in late 90s. People would pack the #### out of the paint.

Combined WS/48 = .969. That's a pretty preposterous number. I think that means this team is going 80-2 or something, right?

45.4 FTA/100 combined. The team average per game for this decade (recognizing that there are more than 100 possessions a game) is around 23. These dudes are getting to the foul line.

88.6 DREB%, 24.2 OREB%, 56.9 REB%. Average-ish O rebounding team, fantastic D rebounding team.

This is the best All-Star game team of the decade - the talent is off the charts, they will be pretty great defensively, everybody can handle the rock, but Giannis is turning into a poor man's version of Amare setting screens and running to the rim, Iggy is Bruce Bowen (Iggy has shot 35.2% on corner 3s for his career - not very good), Dame Lillard is now JJ Reddick running of screens, and Horford is staying out of the way and popping of mid-rangers (46.7% for his career). A team with some long defenders (Yo Mama? - Gasol/Davis/Ariza/Klay) could just play zone and dare this team to beat them with jump shots, and I bet it would work.

 

[Yo Mama]

So I just input the actual rankings vs. my rankings and just discovered this outlier.  This team is the biggest mover as compared to my rankings in the contest so far.  I had him at 5 points.  The highest ranked player was Manu as the #5 SG and the rest of this team was 9th or lower at their position.  You have 3 guys who were good and 2 guys who were below average, at their best.  Nobody great, no franchise cornerstones, not go-to guys on good teams....nothing but a group of 5 bodies when compared to an all-decade team.  There isn't a single All-D team on this squad.

What are you people actually looking at when you rank these teams?  Are people just basing it off of some name recognition and their memory?  "Franchise, Manu, Mash, Big Shot Bob and the other O'Neal...I think I remember those guys being good.....11 POINTS!!!111"

I'm at a loss here.  In no world is this a top half team in the decade.

I think some of it is how a team fits together in some people’s rankings. I try to look at how a team would work on the court together as part of my rankings. I think I gave CIA a 7 or 8 in my rankings because I thought this was a pretty balanced team with complimentary parts. 

 

[Kev4029]

So I just input the actual rankings vs. my rankings and just discovered this outlier.  This team is the biggest mover as compared to my rankings in the contest so far.  I had him at 5 points.  The highest ranked player was Manu as the #5 SG and the rest of this team was 9th or lower at their position.  You have 3 guys who were good and 2 guys who were below average, at their best.  Nobody great, no franchise cornerstones, not go-to guys on good teams....nothing but a group of 5 bodies when compared to an all-decade team.  There isn't a single All-D team on this squad.

What are you people actually looking at when you rank these teams?  Are people just basing it off of some name recognition and their memory?  "Franchise, Manu, Mash, Big Shot Bob and the other O'Neal...I think I remember those guys being good.....11 POINTS!!!111"

I'm at a loss here.  In no world is this a top half team in the decade.

I had them at 5 as well. I think O'Neal is possibly the most over rated player of the decade. Francis was fun but his peak was short lived (I had him right in the middle of the PG rankings), Mashburn and Horry were very close to the back at their positions, and while I love Ginobili (also ranked him #5 SG, but he was closer to Arenas/Roy than Allen/Iverson, IMO), he probably was never better than the 3rd best player on his team and his stats look a lot worse when you consider he played half of ever game against the other team's bench. I did think his team made some conceptual sense though.

 

[Jayrod]

This is the best All-Star game team of the decade - the talent is off the charts, they will be pretty great defensively, everybody can handle the rock, but Giannis is turning into a poor man's version of Amare setting screens and running to the rim, Iggy is Bruce Bowen (Iggy has shot 35.2% on corner 3s for his career - not very good), Dame Lillard is now JJ Reddick running of screens, and Horford is staying out of the way and popping of mid-rangers (46.7% for his career). A team with some long defenders (Yo Mama? - Gasol/Davis/Ariza/Klay) could just play zone and dare this team to beat them with jump shots, and I bet it would work.

 

Giannis is bigger, faster, stronger, with better handles, more athleticism, a substantially better rebounder and an immensely better defender....but yeah, "poor man's Amare".

Iggy is a much better offensive threat than Bowen and spent time as the top dog on the 76ers for several years putting up 17+ ppg for 4 straight seasons.  Lillard is a PG, not a SG and has put up over 50 pts in a game 12 times...Reddick's best game was 40.

And as you pointed out, good luck keeping us off the FT line and you better get back, because this team will turn you over and take long rebounds to get out in transition with 3 elite finishers off the break.  I'm really not worried about the 1/2 court at all with a great high P&R group getting downhill runs for dunks and wide open looks all day.

Good luck keeping Wade and Giannis out of the paint and Lillard's P&R game opens up the whole floor.

I think trimming 38.5% from the combine usage would be a nightmare on the personality side.

And as for personalities, you have 3 guys who are loyal to the franchise that drafted them and committed to winning and 2 guys who by all accounts are phenomenal teammates and willing to accept whatever role the coach gives them.  Iggy and Horford are fine doing nothing but shooting when left wide open and Wade took a backseat to LeBron to win rings and Giannis and Lillard are two of the most competitive guys in the league today who really seem to care about winning and not stats (Giannis is clearly taking a step back statistically this season to try and develop a team that can win in the playoffs).  Personality wise, this team is as good as it gets.

 

[Ilov80s]

No judging this round for me. As you can tell by my team, I don't know much about this past decade of NBA

 

[Instinctive]

And as for personalities, you have 3 guys who are loyal to the franchise that drafted them and committed to winning and 2 guys who by all accounts are phenomenal teammates and willing to accept whatever role the coach gives them.  Iggy and Horford are fine doing nothing but shooting when left wide open and Wade took a backseat to LeBron to win rings and Giannis and Lillard are two of the most competitive guys in the league today who really seem to care about winning and not stats (Giannis is clearly taking a step back statistically this season to try and develop a team that can win in the playoffs).  Personality wise, this team is as good as it gets.

No team can be as good as it gets for personality with DWade. That guy just sucks. Ick. 

Also, I'm fine with Iggy shooting too, That's probably the plan most teams have "How many shots can we make Iguodala take?"

 

[Kev4029]

 

Giannis is bigger, faster, stronger, with better handles, more athleticism, a substantially better rebounder and an immensely better defender....but yeah, "poor man's Amare".

Iggy is a much better offensive threat than Bowen and spent time as the top dog on the 76ers for several years putting up 17+ ppg for 4 straight seasons.  Lillard is a PG, not a SG and has put up over 50 pts in a game 12 times...Reddick's best game was 40.

And as you pointed out, good luck keeping us off the FT line and you better get back, because this team will turn you over and take long rebounds to get out in transition with 3 elite finishers off the break.  I'm really not worried about the 1/2 court at all with a great high P&R group getting downhill runs for dunks and wide open looks all day.

Good luck keeping Wade and Giannis out of the paint and Lillard's P&R game opens up the whole floor.

And as for personalities, you have 3 guys who are loyal to the franchise that drafted them and committed to winning and 2 guys who by all accounts are phenomenal teammates and willing to accept whatever role the coach gives them.  Iggy and Horford are fine doing nothing but shooting when left wide open and Wade took a backseat to LeBron to win rings and Giannis and Lillard are two of the most competitive guys in the league today who really seem to care about winning and not stats (Giannis is clearly taking a step back statistically this season to try and develop a team that can win in the playoffs).  Personality wise, this team is as good as it gets.

I wasn't making some grand statement on if these guys were good, just that they are going to get shoved in a box that is wasting their talents.

Giannis - You said you were going to have Giannis screen for Wade/Lillard. This isn't something that he is very adept at, nor something he does often. This season, he is the roller on a pick and roll 1.5 times a game, with 0.96 PPP (19th percentile), last year it was 1.8 possessions a game with 1.17 PPP (66th percentile)... small sample sizes, but point being that he isn't catching lobs over the defense like Gobert (or Amare circa 2005). You would be trying to teach him a whole new skill. 

Iggy - I don't see how he's going to be involved in the offense in any significant sense. You said he was going to run the baseline and spot up in the corners. I gave you a stat with his corner 3pt% (really not good) - he would be great at attacking closeouts, but parking him in the corner is not going to provide great dividends. I'll dare him to shoot 10 corner threes a game. I also always viewed him as a bit prickly as a personality. 

Lillard - I agree, Lillard is great. I got the impression from this back and forth as well as the back and forth previously, that he is going to be the secondary/tertiary ball handler. He'd be great in a Klay Thompson/JJ Redick offensive role, but if he isn't the primary dude, you're wasting his talents a bit.

Horford - Same as Iggy, if you want him to shoot open jumpers, I'll take it. He's fine in that role, but given the other options, I'll concede those. 

 

[Instinctive]

Rankings sent. I did a full writeup for all of these, since I actually worked for a team during this era (in basketball ops), and coached collegiately (although none of my guys got drafted by us, rightfully). I think I have a pretty solid understanding of how the game worked as a result, especially in the middle 5 years of the decade when I was in it. 

Hopefully it'll spark some lively discussion. 

 

[modogg]

My 2010s team won't hold a lot of secrets, key will be feeding the Embiid. Guy is mentioned as a top 3 C of all time already, and he has only played organized basketball for 11 years!!!!!!  Let that sink in, the guy's ceiling is through the roof. I typed most of this up a few days ago, but if you saw the 6ers vs. Celtics last night you have an idea of how absolutely dominating this guy can be:

2010s

My decision to go Lou Williams over De’Aron Fox will likely knock me down a few pegs. Probably the biggest change i would make in the draft Just thought capturing whole 10s was more valuable than a few superb years in the league would carry more weight, so will be interesting to discuss that whole idea in the next 2 rounds

Changing my explanation for this one. Basically the plan with this team is to feed Embiid. Guy is an MVP player, who isn’t hire in the overall 2000s because he had a bad foot injury and lost his first 2 years after being drafted. He is currently 26 (close to 27) and is the MVP if not for a knee sprain. Jokic is pretty awesome too for this decade, but biggest difference is you get both offense and defense in Embiid. Jokic could win offensive player of the year, but Embiid is dominant on both ends of the court. I kind of wish i gave him a better supporting cast, but he has pieces that will let him dominate. At this point in his career, he has only been limited by 1 player, and at this point now in Embiid’s career he could nadle Gasol better. 

Monta Ellis may be 2nd most important payer here. Guy is a 3 point machine, averaged 20+ ppg in his GSW years, and basically him and David Lee are what kept that franchise alive. Lee could hit 3s well, so he would be the player the Sixers hoped they got when they picked up Horford. A big guy who can shoot 3s and add some physicality fits great with Embiid. 

Looking across all the other 2010 rosters, i think this one is top ⅓ in the paint, both offensively and defensively. 

Was weird building this team as compared to other decades, because i really did factor in how the pieces would fit. Key for this team is my big guy

3.16:  Joel "The Process" Embiid  C, 10's  - prediction if we do this draft in 5-10 years from now, Joel goes in the 1st round.

honestly if you look into this guy and his stats, he rivals the top 3 Centers of all time. often compared to Hakeem, Hakeem has already said he could be better than him. Dr. J has said similar:

random stuff i copied and pasted earlier today:

Embiid has just four NBA seasons (2 missed because of injury) but has an unmatched potential. A three-time All-Star already, Embiid has averaged 24.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Embiid is also a significant force on the defensive end, making 2 All-Defensive teams in his brief career.

The way he is scoring so efficiently has put him at the top of some elite lists when it comes to centers. He is averaging 11.6 free throws per game and he is knocking them down 85.6% of the time.

Wilt Chamberlain, Walt Bellamy, and Moses Malone are the only centers to average 30+ points and 10+ free throws in a season. If Embiid can keep this type of production up, he will be just the fourth center to accomplish the feat and he would be the only one to shoot over 80% from the line.

Centers with 30+ points and 10+ free-throw attempts per game in a season:

– Wilt Chamberlain (7x)

– Walt Bellamy

– Moses Malone

– Joel Embiid this season

Embiid is the only one shooting 80%+ from the line. pic.twitter.com/p7c9lQkM65

Joel Embiid's 3rd game with 40+ points and 19+ rebounds. Since 1980, the only other players to do that 3+ times are

Charles Barkley

DeMarcus Cousins

Anthony Davis

Kevin Love

Moses Malone

Hakeem Olajuwon

Shaquille O'Neal

SportsCenter] Joel Embiid is on pace to join 2015-16 Stephen Curry as the only players to average 30 points on 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers in a season. Steph was the unanimous MVP that season (h/t @ESPNStatsInfo)

20 free throws, Embiid is averaging a robust 11.8 free-throw attempts per game. The only centers to average more free throws per game in a season are the great Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. O’Neal averaged 13.1 free throws in the 2000-01 season, and Chamberlain averaged more than 11.8 free throws eight times in his career.

The difference with Embiid, however, is he is shooting those free throws at a high clip. He is shooting them at 84.9% which is much better than both O’Neal and Chamberlain.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/sixers/joel-embiid-mid-range-sixers-bulls-nba-mvp-race#:~:text=Embiid has made 53 percent,career-high was 41 percent.&text=“I think that's what makes,105 win over the Bulls.

Luol Deng - SF - probably the 2nd most important guy on this team. His All-defense standing is certainly going to add wonderfully to the team to let Lee and Embiid dominate the paint. 

This article hits how Deng was really a top player in the NBA, just couldn’t keep up with his injuries. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/644547-deng-he-good-5-reasons-luol-deng-is-the-most-underrated-forward-in-the-league

SG   "Sweet" Lou Williams

In today’s NBA, with the “power empowerment movement” you just can’t have too many alpha dogs in there. This is why Hughes fits perfectly. Never a superstar, but almost always a perfect 2nd scoring option throughout the entire decade (main reason for drafting HUghes was to off-set any of the judges who would not value guys who only played a few years)

Hughes hit the ground running, earning trust from the organization. He also played a part in one of the funnier Iverson anecdotes from that era, when the Sixers hero gifted him a Bentley with almost no gas in the tank.

His two-season stint in Philly was followed by similarly short runs with the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards. The defining run of his career was from 2005 to 2008 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The team’s universe, reasonably, orbited around LeBron James. Hughes was regularly the second in line for overall stats, providing James with crucial support during his first year there.

Before a hand injury shut Hughes down in an untimely fashion, his 2005 stat line put the Cavs over. He averaged 16.2 points, and played 37.6 minutes per game.

Hughes never quite returned to that level, but was still a crucial piece for each team that picked him up thereafter. He put in time with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats (the Hornets), and Orlando Magic. 

https://hoopshype.com/2020/03/31/nba-rumors-larry-hughes-lebron-james-michael-jordan-allen-iverson-wizards-cavaliers-bulls-washington-retired-basketball-academy-jayson-tatum/

David Lee PF  - Played his best years between like 07-13. 20 points/10 rebounds  night. Had a 3 point shot to let him not play only in the paint, and can space the floor. Made All-NBA even with all the bigger names out there playing, all star game or 2. Kind of impressive 

Monta Ellis  SG    - his role on this team is ball handler, and 3 point shooter. Doesn’t need to drive to the basket, can dump it to Luol Deng or Embiid and let them set up a shot. Just bomb 3s and watch the rest play out. Has faced plenty of adversity, so will be a good fit and deal with a lot better supporting cast than he ever had. Would be interetng to see some of these guys on a quality team and how they would have done. 

 

[Instinctive]

You have Larry Hughes in your write up. 

 

[higgins]

You have Larry Hughes in your write up. 

I thought he was on my 00's team.  

 

[modogg]

You have Larry Hughes in your write up. 

 guess i really don't value Sweet Lou as much as i should

 

[scoobus]

Mo, David Lee was 1/29 (3.4%) from 3 in his entire career.

 

[Yo Mama]

I thought he was on my 00's team.  

Of all the guys to fight over

 

[modogg]

Mo, David Lee was 1/29 (3.4%) from 3 in his entire career.

yeah, was a big swing and miss. was All-NBA though, so lets not forget that, and was a top guy for 4-5 years. if people are taking a guy who has only played 1-2 years in this decade and weighing heavy on them, i would suggest Lee holds more value. 

Similar to the anti-Oden calls

 

[Mister CIA]

2000s Final Rankings

9 pts - Mister CIA  - Steve Francis, Manu Ginobili, Jamal Mashburn, Robert Horry, Jermaine O'Neal

So I just input the actual rankings vs. my rankings and just discovered this outlier.  This team is the biggest mover as compared to my rankings in the contest so far.  I had him at 5 points.  The highest ranked player was Manu as the #5 SG and the rest of this team was 9th or lower at their position.  You have 3 guys who were good and 2 guys who were below average, at their best.  Nobody great, no franchise cornerstones, not go-to guys on good teams....nothing but a group of 5 bodies when compared to an all-decade team.  There isn't a single All-D team on this squad.

What are you people actually looking at when you rank these teams?  Are people just basing it off of some name recognition and their memory?  "Franchise, Manu, Mash, Big Shot Bob and the other O'Neal...I think I remember those guys being good.....11 POINTS!!!111"

I'm at a loss here.  In no world is this a top half team in the decade.

I'm picking out an emoji just for you.  Don't go anywhere.

 

[Yo Mama]

Ok, looking ahead to the post-season rounds starting next week. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Option A

- regular ranking process Monday for best in show (writeups over weekend)

- head to head best in show tournament voting (seeded based on rankings) - first round Tue, quarters Wed , Semis Thu, Championship Fri

- same process following week for Pantheon teams

Option B

- best in show and pantheon rankings next week (Tue/Thu)

- Head to head tournaments after that

 

[Gally]

I like option A.  Build up the suspense

 

[Instinctive]

I like option A.  Build up the suspense

+1

 

[Instinctive]

Is the tournament result averaged with the rankings for the final round's scoring?

 

[Jayrod]

I'm picking out an emoji just for you.  Don't go anywhere.

I mean, no offense...but your team sucks donkey balls.

 

[Gally]

Is the tournament result averaged with the rankings for the final round's scoring?

I don't think it should be since it can be totally random..

It's just a cherry on top of a fun experience.

 

[Mister CIA]

I mean, no offense...but your team sucks donkey balls.

Lucky you.

 

[Ilov80s]

Is the tournament result averaged with the rankings for the final round's scoring?

Should be two separate things IMO. Like winning the league and winning the cup. 

 

[Jayrod]

Lucky you.

I hope you aren't taking this personally.  I'm just messing around.  I mean people are in here acting like D-Wade and Giannis would struggle to score.  There is nothing serious about this.

 

[Mister CIA]

Lucky you.

I hope you aren't taking this personally.  I'm just messing around.  I mean people are in here acting like D-Wade and Giannis would struggle to score.  There is nothing serious about this.

Absolutely not taking any of this seriously.  I was economizing my words and implying that your team is donkey balls. 

Only in it for the fun, and last place!

 

[Yo Mama]

Is the tournament result averaged with the rankings for the final round's scoring?

As others have said, tournament is just for fun to put more of a head to head spin on things. Wont factor in to our scoring.

I like how ilov80s framed it. We’ll call them the Best in Show Cup and the Pantheon Cup. 

Now I’ll have to figure out how to do a poll. 

 

[Gally]

Mitchell and Paul looking good tonight.....bump up your team Gally scores accordingly

 

[scoobus]

10s

PG Kyle Lowry
6x all-star and fantastic cog in an excellent defense, Lowry is pure scrap and Philly grit.  Can knock it down from deep and go on scoring runs all by himself, with Lowry at the point you're always in the game on both ends.

SG Danny Green
3 and D HOFer, all-defensive performer and multiple NBA champion.  A career over 40% shooter from beyond the arc, he had the record for 3s made in a finals until I think Steph broke it, so you know he can do it on the biggest stage.

SF Carmelo Anthony
10x all-star, 6x all-NBA, top 10 all-time in scoring (soon), future HOFer who was in one HOFer's opinion the hardest player he's ever guarded.  Please don't think about current Melo (who's still alive and kicking!) when going through these theoretical matchups, think about prime Melo, FIBA Melo, one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. The man who joined a perennial lottery team and took them to the playoffs every year he was there. He maybe could have offered a little more defensively, although I'd argue when trying his hardest he was okay on ball, but prime Melo on the offensive end was special. He was also at his prime a very good rebounder at the SF position.

PF Paul Millsap
4x all-star and all-defensive team performer, Millsap averaged around 17/8/3 in his prime with Atlanta, providing rebounding, defense, and extending his shot out to the 3 point line. Pairs well with Melo, where he can take the more difficult forward assignment, and Melo has the girth to cover most any PF.

C Rudy Gobert
It should be noted that all 4 previous players have played at a high level for the entire decade, don't forget to take that into account.  And the 5th one, who only started in 2013, is a 2x all-star, 3x all-NBA, 4x all-defensive (all first team), 2x DPOY. The Stifle Tower himself, who can single-handedly turn a team into great defensive unit, although on this team he won't have to. The perfect player to have guarding and discouraging shots around the rim on defense, and finishing easy dunks on offense.

How do you build a team around Melo?  By making it a defensive powerhouse.  Lowry and Danny Green man the guard spots to form a nasty 2 man rotation. Anthony takes the easier forward option with Millsap.  And if anyone happens to get into the lane, they'll be welcomed by the 7'9" wingspan of the French Rejection.  Offensively we've got a good blend of guys who provide spacing, don't need the ball in their hands to be deadly and efficient, and then Melo as our focal point. This entire team has done it for a decade. It may lack the superstar power of some other teams, but I think this is a very well put together team that makes a lot of sense, especially when considering the best build to make around Melo. Everyone has a role, everyone knows their role, everyone thrives in their roll.

Kev stats
OREB % 32.4
DREB % 89.4
Usage rate 105.3 (Beautiful!)

 

[Zegras11]

I'm going to pass on ranking this round cuz I don't want jayrod yelling at me.  

 

[Jayrod]

I'm going to pass on ranking this round cuz I don't want jayrod yelling at me.  

Well, if you aren't putting me at #1...then, yeah.

 

[Jayrod]

In looking at these 2010 teams, one thing I'm finding is there is very little separation at the center position.  I had Howard and Pau Gasol both placed at the top of this era in my draft list, so with them both placed in the 2000's there is a very tightly packed group of about 8-10 guys that all have something pulling their value down.  Embiid or Jokic are the best players, but their limited careers knock them back down.  The rest are either specialists or one dimensional type players....I can't seem to separate them very far at all in total value to their teams.  Team fit is becoming a bigger deal here than many of the earlier eras where the centers were a more prominent part of the rankings.  I guess that is actually an accurate reflection of the modern state of the NBA.

 

[modogg]

C Rudy Gobert
It should be noted that all 4 previous players have played at a high level for the entire decade, don't forget to take that into account.  And the 5th one, who only started in 2013, is a 2x all-star, 3x all-NBA, 4x all-defensive (all first team), 2x DPOY. The Stifle Tower himself, who can single-handedly turn a team into great defensive unit, although on this team he won't have to. The perfect player to have guarding and discouraging shots around the rim on defense, and finishing easy dunks on offense.

I would like to point out that Ben Simmons put an easy 42 points on him earlier this year, and Embiid has dominated him throughout his career. 44 points on Gobert i believe last game. 

Name is great, but dude can't handle the top talent. 

 

[Jayrod]

I would like to point out that Ben Simmons put an easy 42 points on him earlier this year, and Embiid has dominated him throughout his career. 44 points on Gobert i believe last game. 

Name is great, but dude can't handle the top talent. 

It was 40/19 (vs. 12/9) and was the most lopsided matchup in their careers.  The time before that (2019), Gobert got the best of Embiid (27/12 vs 16/11).  They've played 6 times and Embiid is up 4-2 in team wins.  He has won the matchup, but should we take into account any games that Gobert played against the Sixers and Embiid wasn't available, like in February when Simmons had 42, but Utah won the game?

 

[scoobus]

Ranking the mid to bottom teams for this decade seems ridiculously difficult.

 

[scoobus]

I would like to point out that Ben Simmons put an easy 42 points on him earlier this year, and Embiid has dominated him throughout his career. 44 points on Gobert i believe last game. 

Name is great, but dude can't handle the top talent. 

Lol.

No one can handle the 6ers.

 

[msudaisy26]

Lol.

No one can handle the 6ers.

Mildly following the thread. Love Modoggs write up. 4 pages long 3 and half pages on just Embiid. 

 

[modogg]

Mildly following the thread. Love Modoggs write up. 4 pages long 3 and half pages on just Embiid. 

lol, yeah my 2010 team is really dependent on Embiid. Parts around him will help, and i think Deng should get more credit then he likely will, but Embiid is close to the most dominant center of 2010's (if we ignore injuries, mostly fluke one's like Fultz shouldering Embiid in the face to crack his face).

i think Embiid alone should put the team in the top 2/3 of the ranking. after that it is a little bit of a guess

 

[Doug B]

Are the 2010s rankings mostly in, or is it worth it to re-post some writeups? My overall squad is:

PG- Steph Curry

SG - Zach LeVine

SF - Paul George

PF - Domantas Sabonis

C - Nikola Vucevic