Cut and pasted for everyone:
90s
Defensively i don’t know if we come in as top team without having a dominant big man in the paint, but my perimeter D with 3 ALl-NBA defensive guys in Stockton, MJ and Majerle could have like 14 steals a game. Think this team likely lands in top 5-7, thinking of Rebounds, DC and Grandmama both hold up well there, probably a little above average (if we are thinking of LJ before his big back injury)
Offensively: whew boy, this team would be something. I mean, i see other teams in this draft with things like 5 James Hardens, which is something, but how they would integrate is not always considered i think with judging. These guys would mix and match wonderfully. Majerle hanging around the 3 line would draw some people out, and he could hit tons of uncontested 3s. Stockton running pick and roll with pre-back injury LJ would be majestic (not as awesome as my pantheon team, but close). An Stockton did tons more as we know, had impressive basketball IQ and could see the entire halfcourt like a chess player. The assists he could compile on this team are off the charts. And i am sure MJ could get DC to play better as a pro basketball player and give him the motivation he needed to get closer to his potential. MJ would not be able to be doubled or tripled on every play, and man if we are considering these guy with current NBA rules MJ would have close to 50 ppg if he wanted to. Wouldn’t need to, but that guy could get points any time he wanted to. So i don’t think there is a chance that a team here could outscore this squad
PG John Stockton
looking through all of these guys, i just couldn't get over Stockton's numbers. I think he may have even possibly been better then Magic.
2nd overall in assists per game - and this is with really only having Karl Malone as a main guy to pass to. Pretty amazing considering his supporting cast
7th overall in steals/game: i know Stockton had fast hands and was not a slouch on defense, but was surprised he averaged 2.2. steals/game over his career for 7th overall in NBA history. Never would have guessed he was that high
lot of stats that can be up up for this guy:
Per Game: 13.1 points, 10.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 steals
Per 75 Possessions: 15.7 points, 12.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 steals
Relative True Shooting Percentage: +7.6
Net Rating Swing: N/A
Box Plus/Minus: +3.5
i bet he would have scored more if he didn't facilitate so much, and think he can be argued to be a top 25 player of all time.
SG Michael Jordan - nothing else to write about this guy. The GOAT, and earned it more than others considered for this possible title. Put MJ in the NBA today with the rule changes and he may average 50 ppg a season
From JayRod: the NCAA was just experimenting with the 3-pt line and some conferences tried it out over a season or two. They didn't go full time with it until the 1986-87 season. Apparently, Jordan played some games his sophomore year ('82-83) with the 3-pt line in place. According to basketball reference, he went 34 for 76 from three to shoot 44.7% for his NCAA career. His NCAA career FG% was a stellar 54.0% as well. I know his college career is a bit over-hyped due to his NBA success, but he was still a pretty dang good college player.
adding:
It’s hard to compare players from different eras. The best way to do so is by evaluating how dominant a player was during his time. Michael Jordan was named to 10 All-NBA first teams, essentially meaning he was among the best five players in basketball for 10 seasons. He also added nine All-Defensive first-team selections over the course of his career.
Jordan was the NBA’s most valuable player five times, and many believe he should have won even more. Most notably, it is widely believed that Karl Malone unjustly won the 1998 MVP over Jordan because writers believed Jordan had won enough. Jordan was also named the NBA’s defensive player of the year in 1988.
By any calculation, Jordan is the greatest scorer the league has ever seen. He won a record 10 scoring titles, and boasted a career average of 30.1 points per game, the most in NBA history.
Jordan was also among the greatest winners in NBA history. During the early portions of his career, Jordan had to go up against all-time great teams such as the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics and the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons. When Jordan was finally able to reach his first NBA championship in ’91, he didn’t look back. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA titles, and was named finals MVP all six times.
The thing that separated Jordan from many of the all time greats was his compulsive need to win. Jordan was and is still known for his intense competitiveness which on many occasions has gotten him in to trouble. However, on the basketball court this was a trait Jordan used to his advantage.
He was among the all-time great trash talkers and had a knack for getting into his opponents' heads. When the media compared him to Portland Trailblazers guard Clyde Drexler prior to the ’92 NBA Finals, Jordan took notice and used the finals as an opportunity to prove Drexler wasn’t in his class. When Jordan’s Bulls met Karl Malone’s Jazz in the ’97 finals, the same year in which Malone controversially won the season’s MVP award, Jordan dominated Malone and once again proved his greatness. Every little thing anyone did or said Jordan used to fuel his competitive fire.
Finally, Jordan has hit more clutch shots, and has had more big game performances than any player in NBA history.
Let us count the ways: There was the 63-point game against the ’86 Celtics at the Boston Garden; the game winner over Craig Ehlo in the ’89 playoffs; the “shrug game” in which Jordan hit six first-half three pointers and scored 35 first half points in the ’92 NBA finals; Game 5 of the ’97 NBA finals where Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-deciding three pointer with 25 seconds left, despite battling the flu; Game 6 of the ’98 finals when Jordan stripped the ball from Karl Malone and proceeded to hit a foul-line jump shot to clinch the finals.
Russell may have won more championships, Chamberlain may have averaged 50 points per game in a single season and Kareem may be the all-time scoring leader, but if you take into consideration the entire package, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time.
SF Dan Majerle
His numbers weren't as eye-popping as i had hoped for, but he was the man in NBA Jam. What i like best is his fit on my 90s team, an interesting group:
we know Majerle had a nice 3, but i didn't realize he made 2 All-defense teams too. Pretty convincing that this team will be nasty on the defensive end
got a feisty defense with a lot of steals, can hit the 3 nicely, and can do a bit of transition offense and defense. Might stumble against some of the big guys, but can slow them down ano none of them could hit FTs like Embiid so can hack and shaq if needed
3x all star, 2x all defense
PF Larry Johnson
Grandmama
ALL-NBA, All-Rookie team, ROY, and 2x all star
Was held back because of injuries
Johnson came into the NBA with an impact as his rookie season was arguably his best along with his second season. He averaged 19 points per game, 1 steal per game, and 11 rebounds per game. These stats would stay similar to these numbers throughout the first five years of his career. It was clear from that season on he would be the face and leader of the Charlotte Hornets as this draft pick seemed really successful at the time. The Hornets would finish with the worst record in the entire league but the city of Charlotte knew there was more to come as with pick number 2 of the 1992 NBA draft they would take Alonzo Mourning who was known to create a dynamic duo with Larry Johnson.
Had a horrendous back injury around ‘93 which pretty much crushed his career. Went downhill after it and had to retire early because couldn’t get over it. Did develop a mid range game and tried to change his style to accommodate and built a bit there, just couldn’t keep it going because of his back
C. Derrick “DC” Coleman:
Could have been one of the best PF/C guys of all time because of his versatility
https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/10/23/derrick-coleman-the-controversial-forward-talks-about-the-raps-against-him-and-his-rap-on-the-nets
going with a small ball 5.
Another ROY and made all-rookie team
Was all NBA 2x, 1x all star (that was a funny one, how a guy makes all NBA, but not the all star game)
He was a good rebounder, had the advantage of being left-handed and he could shoot from beyond the three-point line. Standing in at six foot and ten inches, weighing two hundred and thirty pounds, he had a well-rounded skill set which many men his size didn’t possess at the time. He could score from the perimeter, he could finish at the rim, handle the ball and had great court vision
unfortunately, Colemans personal problems soon became a recipe for disaster. Attitude problems on and off the court, a long list of recurring injuries and an on-going alcohol abuse problem played a huge role in preventing Coleman’s
According to the NBA Crime Library, Derrick Coleman is the all-time leader in “Career arrests” with seven.
never reached his full potential, it’s clear that Derrick Coleman was, in fact, a solid player with a solid skillset at his disposal. A good modern-day comparison is perhaps, DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins and Coleman both share some similarities