Create the Dream Team of the past 20 years

[Warner2BruceTD]

There was some confusion over the 08 Kobe and 12 Kobe thing.

The underrating of Drexler Ewing and Robinson though is troubling. I'd personally take Drexler over Deron, Magic, and Love.

Using the same comparison that we saw earlier:

Kobe/Drexler
FGA:20.6/19.4
FG%:46/47
3p%:36/34
FTA:9/5
FT%:84/79
Reb:6.3/6.6
Ast:5.4/6.7
Stl:1.8/1.8
Blk:.5/.9
TO:3.1/3.2
PPG:28.3/25.0
PER:24.2/23.6
WS:13.8/12.8

You'd likely still have to take Kobe but it's close enough that if you have Kobe at #5 it would be tough to leave Drexler off a top 10 of the players available to draft from.

No confusion, ralaw was drafting off of the '92 & '12 squads only.

And once again, im astonded how close prime Drexler was in comparison to prime Kobe. Even '08 Kobe is in a dogfight with Drexler.

This thread has opened my eyes. Drexler might be the most underrated player of all time. Jordan shitting on him is all the more impressive to me now.

[FirstTimer]

No confusion, ralaw was drafting off of the '92 & '12 squads only.

Nevermind. 1992 Drexler>2012 Kobe.

[ralaw]

I can't believe, after that video proved it really isn't even all that close, that you would not only draft '12 Kobe ahead of '92 Drexler, but that you don't even have Drexler on your list, while Kobe is 5th.

You can keep your video....I watched Drexler and was never impressed by him. I never felt he was a franchise cornerston type of guy......Yes, he put up some decent numbers, but meh. Maybe I'm clouding my 12' Kobe with the 08' version, but I'd still take a 12' Kobe over Drexler. Growing up there were a few players I couldn't stand and they were: David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Karl Malone. There could be some youthful bias on my part.

And Ewing & Robinson would eat the 2012 team for lunch. The 2012 team has no answer for either of them on either end. Same for Barkley & Malone. I think you are underrating Pippen, too. Lock down defender, as good of an athlete as anybody sans Lebron on the '12 team.

As FT pointed out I didn't consider Robinson's athleticism, but as I said from a skillset standpoint neither Ewing nor Robinson were the type of guys that could kill you from the low post. If we were talking about Olajuwon and Shaq than fine. Ewing and Robinson were face up/short jumper post players and those types of bigs wouldn't exploit Chandler, Love and Davis. Those types of skillsets actually play into making for a better matchup.

Pippen is my favorite player of all-time.....when I was a kid my name was Pippen....I wore his jersey his shoes, wore my hair like him, I patterned my game after him....I was Pippen. However, the 1992 Pippen would want no parts of LeBron James.....he could probably handle Durant. This is my only point.

On my 92/12 draft I'd probably bump Pippen up and move Love off. Either way we're still talking about the top 10 players being around even, so there isn't much of a difference between the talent level between the teams and this was the overall point.

This whole thing is kinda stupid anyway, because of the different defensive rules in '92 & '12. Today's offensive players don't face the physical defenses the guys in '92 were facing. Jordan & Drexler without a forearm constantly on their back would make a huge difference, too. Either way, I think life on the line '92 wins.

In a 7 game series 92' wins probably in 6 games. However, in a 1 game situation the 12' team could win.....on an individual basis I certainly don't think the guys from 92' are head and shoulders above the 12' guys as most would want to think...I don't see the issue with saying/believing that.

[ralaw]

I missed the post where ralaw gave a "push" to the centers.

Wow. Two hall of fame big men, two of the best defensive centers ever, against Tyson f'n Chandler and...who, exactly? Two guys playing out of position, one of which is like 19 years old?

ralaw, has your account been hacked?

LOL, I just don't think there is this wide gap between the elite players of today versus the players of the 80s -90s.

[FirstTimer]

You can keep your video....I watched Drexler and was never impressed by him. I never felt he was a franchise cornerston type of guy......Yes, he put up some decent numbers, but meh. Maybe I'm clouding my 12' Kobe with the 08' version, but I'd still take a 12' Kobe over Drexler. Growing up there were a few players I couldn't stand and they were: David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Karl Malone.

Why is that?

As FT pointed out I didn't consider Robinson's athleticism, but as I said from a skillset standpoint neither Ewing nor Robinson were the type of guys that could kill you from the low post. If we were talking about Olajuwon and Shaq than fan. Ewing and Robinson were face up/short jumper post players and those types of bigs wouldn't exploit Chandler, Love and Davis. Those types of skillsets actually play into making for a better matchup.

I think you're overrating Love a lot here...and in all fairness really overrating Davis who has yet to play in the NBA. Especially considering that your reasoning for taking the 1992 PF's was

2012 would struggle with Barkley and Malone's strength and athleticism.

I'd think a 19 year old player, Kevin Love, and Tyson Chandler would also face the same issue matching up with Patrick Ewing in the middle of his prime before his legs went went and David Robinson who was a walking 20/10 and lead the NBA in blocks with 4.5 a game. Robinson had arguably his best all around season that year. 2012's centers would get their shit shoved IMO. I also think you're underrating the back to the basket games of Robinson and Ewing but either way 1992 by a mile at center.

[ralaw]

Why is that?

TBH I really don't know, but I really never liked them. I always thought they were good players, but I just didn't like them.

I think you're overrating Love a lot here...and in all fairness really overrating Davis who has yet to play in the NBA. Especially considering that your reasoning for taking the 1992 PF's was

Athony Davis has a gift to block shots. He has an innate ability to understand positioning and timing and he's mastered the ability to block shots without even making contact wth the offensive player. If he never develops into a KG clone he'll at the very least be Marcus Camby/Tyson Chandler clone, so I see his defensive skills translating to the NBA rather easily. You are probably right above Love, but I just like the kid. I think his abilty to rebound and spread the floor would help the 12' team.

The only players that I see on the 92' team that the 12' team couldn't handle are Jordan and Barkley and these 2 would make the difference.

[Warner2BruceTD]

LOL, I just don't think there is this wide gap between the elite players of today versus the players of the 80s -90s.

The problem is the '12 team doesn't have any elite players at C. Tyson Chandler wouldn't sniff the '92 roster. Olajuwon didn't crack the '92 roster. Shaq or Mourning could have easily been picked over Laettner.

That's two lock hall of fame players and a bordeline guy who will just barely miss who didn't even make the '92 team. All would start on the '12 team, and Chandler would be watching from his couch.

[ralaw]

The problem is the '12 team doesn't have any elite players at C. Tyson Chandler wouldn't sniff the '92 roster. Olajuwon didn't crack the '92 roster. Shaq or Mourning could have easily been picked over Laettner.

That's two lock hall of fame players and a bordeline guy who will just barely miss who didn't even make the '92 team. All would start on the '12 team, and Chandler would be watching from his couch.

True, but if I recall the 92' team didn't even use Ewing and Robinson like that. That team was about the perimeter play and Barkley.

[Warner2BruceTD]

You can keep your video....I watched Drexler and was never impressed by him. I never felt he was a franchise cornerston type of guy......Yes, he put up some decent numbers, but meh. Maybe I'm clouding my 12' Kobe with the 08' version, but I'd still take a 12' Kobe over Drexler. Growing up there were a few players I couldn't stand and they were: David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Karl Malone. There could be some youthful bias on my part.

We are about the same age, I think you might be 2 or 3 years younger than me, but the point is we both saw prime Drexler, and I actually agree with you. I was never impressed with him either. But those numbers really opened my eyes. A real efficient player who could do it all. Much better on paper than I remembered him being.

[FirstTimer]

Athony Davis has a gift to block shots. He has an innate ability to understand positioning and timing and he's mastered the ability to block shots without even making contact wth the offensive player. If he never develops into a KG clone he'll at the very least be Marcus Camby/Tyson Chandler clone, so I see his defensive skills translating to the NBA rather easily. You are probably right above Love, but I just like the kid. I think his abilty to rebound and spread the floor would help the 12' team.

The only players that I see on the 92' team that the 12' team couldn't handle are Jordan and Barkley and these 2 would make the difference.

While I see what you are saying about Davis, and I generally agree on his projection, it's really tough for me to mark him down as a major factor against two HOF centers in their prime when Davis has yet to play against an NBA player in a preseason game. IMO the 2012 team couldn't handle Jordan, Barkley, Malone, Ewing, or Robinson in a "general" sense. Sure in one game anything could happen...butI always view these thing through the spectrum of a series. I'd take the 92 game in 5 or 6 games.

[FirstTimer]

We are about the same age, I think you might be 2 or 3 years younger than me, but the point is we both saw prime Drexler, and I actually agree with you. I was never impressed with him either. But those numbers really opened my eyes. A real efficient player who could do it all. Much better on paper than I remembered him being.

You're both(much) older than me I believe and I always had the same impression of Drexler. Something about his game when he wasn't dunking always looked awkward to me. Mainly the way he dribbled. Always gave me that "old dude at the Y" feel. But you look back at his stat lines and they are incredibly impressive.

[Warner2BruceTD]

You're both(much) older than me I believe and I always had the same impression of Drexler. Something about his game when he wasn't dunking always looked awkward to me. Mainly the way he dribbled. Always gave me that "old dude at the Y" feel. But you look back at his stat lines and they are incredibly impressive.

Drexler always looked 40, even when he was 25. That's part of the problem. I was always shocked at his athletic dunks. He doesn't strike you as a great athlete, but clearly he was.

[FirstTimer]

The problem is the '12 team doesn't have any elite players at C. Tyson Chandler wouldn't sniff the '92 roster. Olajuwon didn't crack the '92 roster. Shaq or Mourning could have easily been picked over Laettner.

That's two lock hall of fame players and a bordeline guy who will just barely miss who didn't even make the '92 team. All would start on the '12 team, and Chandler would be watching from his couch.

He couldn't just FYI. He wasn't a US citizen yet.

[ralaw]

On 2K12 I have all of the 92' thru 2012 teams created and I created a little tournament.....it's pretty fun, but my stick skills suck. The 12' team lost to the 1994 Fiba team by 23 points.....I couldn't handle 1994 Shaq and Kevin Johnson, so they are out of it.

[ralaw]

You're both(much) older than me I believe and I always had the same impression of Drexler. Something about his game when he wasn't dunking always looked awkward to me. Mainly the way he dribbled. Always gave me that "old dude at the Y" feel. But you look back at his stat lines and they are incredibly impressive.

much? How old are you? I've always thought you were around 4-5 years younger than me (32).