Create the Dream Team of the past 20 years

[calgaryballer]

Come on, he averaged 15 assists per game one season and 8 times went over 12 per game. His best season he averaged 17-15-3 steals. Paul and Deron are fantastic, but I really think you're selling John short. Stockton was a better outside shooter than Paul as well, though Paul has averaged about 1 more three point attempt per game over his career

 

[NAHSTE]

This is gonna be tough, but here goes ...

C: Christian Laettner
PF: Kevin Love, Bl Grif
SF: Larry Bird
G: Chris Mullin
G: John Stockton, Ja Ki


Bench is a little thin with only half a Blake Griffin and Jason Kidd, but we'd do ok.

 

[Realist]

This is gonna be tough, but here goes ...

C: Christian Laettner
PF: Kevin Love, Bl Grif
SF: Larry Bird
G: Chris Mullin
G: John Stockton, Ja Ki


Bench is a little thin with only half a Blake Griffin and Jason Kidd, but we'd do ok.

Blake Griffin and Jason Kidd belong to US. We aren't sharing :smug:

 

[JimLeavy59]

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

this dude showed up with some stats to back up his claim, I gotta give him that

 

[A Tasty Burgerr]

Was it really necessary to talk about for half an hour that 29 year old Clyde put up better numbers than 33 year old Kobe? Clyde was a better rebounder, playmaker, and shot a higher percentage when he was 4 years younger /saves 29 minutes 45 seconds.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Was it really necessary to talk about for half an hour that 29 year old Clyde put up better numbers than 33 year old Kobe? Clyde was a better rebounder, playmaker, and shot a higher percentage when he was 4 years younger /saves 29 minutes 45 seconds.

It was long winded, but it was eye opening for me. I was a hardcore NBA fan in those days, and even I chuckled when MikeChase27 said he'd take 92 Clyde over Kobe. But he was right.

Clyde was much better than i remembered, and Kobe is nuts if he honestly thinks the current team could touch the'92 team.

 

[Senser81]

Is there a reason you didn't compare the 1992 Drexler to the 2008 Bryant?

Drexler was a great player, but Bryant has been the very best player in the NBA for a long time. LeBron has taken over that claim, but Bryant was #1 for a long time. Drexler was never even the best at his position, much less the best player in the entire league.

 

[JimLeavy59]

Is there a reason you didn't compare the 1992 Drexler to the 2008 Bryant?

Drexler was a great player, but Bryant has been the very best player in the NBA for a long time. LeBron has taken over that claim, but Bryant was #1 for a long time. Drexler was never even the best at his position, much less the best player in the entire league.

Kobe said this years team would beat the 1992 Dream Team not the 2008 which granted I think the 2008 team matches up better with the 1992 team.

 

[Senser81]

Kobe said this years team would beat the 1992 Dream Team not the 2008 which granted I think the 2008 team matches up better with the 1992 team.

But the post you quoted and responded to listed Kobe Bryant (2008).

EDIT: Don't want to "dis" your strong intial VSN postings, but I do think it makes a difference in the argument. The 2008 Kobe was much better than the 2012 Kobe, IMO

 

[JimLeavy59]

But the post you quoted and responded to listed Kobe Bryant (2008).

EDIT: Don't want to "dis" your strong intial VSN postings, but I do think it makes a difference in the argument. The 2008 Kobe was much better than the 2012 Kobe, IMO

Sorry for missing that.

 

[ralaw]

IDK, as Kobe said one game I could see 2012 being able to beat the 1992 team. Due to a host of issues people make it out to seem as if the 1992 team was untouchable, but for one game I think the 2012 to could it done and this is what Kobe was talking about.

PG: Magic/Stockton vs Paul/Williams/Westbrook - advantage? push. defensively Magic would be a problem, but none of these guys would be guarding Magic anyways (James). Conversely who is going to guard Paul/Williams or Westbrook on the 1992 team? Can't take Jordan/Pippen off of LeKobDurantula Monster
SG: Jordan/Drexler vs Kobe/Iggy/Harden - advantage 1992 prime Jordan = done, sorry Kobe this isn't 2008.
SF: Pippen/Mullin/Bird vs James/Durant - advantage 2012 - Prime James would be too much and you add in Durant and it's done. Bird was aging and Pppen wasn't yet in his prime.
PF: Barkley/Malone/Laettner vs. Anthony/Love/Davis - advantage 1992. 2012 would struggle with Barkley and Malone's strength and athleticism.
C: Ewing/Robinson vs. Chandler/Love/Davis - advantage? push. This is the area where everyone just gives it to the 1992 team, but lets not forget that both Ewing and Robinson were jumpshooting bigs, neither really was the type that would get you in the low post and eat you alive in the paint. This plays into the strength and more importantly avoids the weaknesses of Chandler/Love/Davis' lack of size.

 

[Senser81]

IDK, as Kobe said one game I could see 2012 being able to beat the 1992 team. Due to a host of issues people make it out to seem as if the 1992 team was untouchable, but for one game I think the 2012 to could it done and this is what Kobe was talking about.

PG: Magic/Stockton vs Paul/Williams/Westbrook - advantage? push. defensively Magic would be a problem, but none of these guys would be guarding Magic anyways (James). Conversely who is going to guard Paul/Williams or Westbrook on the 1992 team? Can't take Jordan/Pippen off of LeKobDurantula Monster
SG: Jordan/Drexler vs Kobe/Iggy/Harden - advantage 1992 prime Jordan = done, sorry Kobe this isn't 2008.
SF: Pippen/Mullin/Bird vs James/Durant - advantage 2012 - Prime James would be too much and you add in Durant and it's done. Bird was aging and Pppen wasn't yet in his prime.
PF: Barkley/Malone/Laettner vs. Anthony/Love/Davis - advantage 1992. 2012 would struggle with Barkley and Malone's strength and athleticism.
C: Ewing/Robinson vs. Chandler/Love/Davis - advantage? push. This is the area where everyone just gives it to the 1992 team, but lets not forget that both Ewing and Robinson were jumpshooting bigs, neither really was the type that would get you in the low post and eat you alive in the paint. This plays into the strength and more importantly avoids the weaknesses of Chandler/Love/Davis' lack of size.

The teams are so different from one another, that its hard to look at it from a positional breakdown. It would defintely be a good game. I think when all the comparisons are made and cancel each other out, the 1992 team still has Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, and the 2012 team doesn't really have an answer for those two.

 

[FirstTimer]

IDK, as Kobe said one game I could see 2012 being able to beat the 1992 team. Due to a host of issues people make it out to seem as if the 1992 team was untouchable, but for one game I think the 2012 to could it done and this is what Kobe was talking about.

PG: Magic/Stockton vs Paul/Williams/Westbrook - advantage? push. defensively Magic would be a problem, but none of these guys would be guarding Magic anyways (James). Conversely who is going to guard Paul/Williams or Westbrook on the 1992 team? Can't take Jordan/Pippen off of LeKobDurantula Monster
SG: Jordan/Drexler vs Kobe/Iggy/Harden - advantage 1992 prime Jordan = done, sorry Kobe this isn't 2008.
SF: Pippen/Mullin/Bird vs James/Durant - advantage 2012 - Prime James would be too much and you add in Durant and it's done. Bird was aging and Pppen wasn't yet in his prime.
PF: Barkley/Malone/Laettner vs. Anthony/Love/Davis - advantage 1992. 2012 would struggle with Barkley and Malone's strength and athleticism.
C: Ewing/Robinson vs. Chandler/Love/Davis - advantage? push. This is the area where everyone just gives it to the 1992 team, but lets not forget that both Ewing and Robinson were jumpshooting bigs, neither really was the type that would get you in the low post and eat you alive in the paint. This plays into the strength and more importantly avoids the weaknesses of Chandler/Love/Davis' lack of size.

I'll disagree/take issue with two things here.

1. What span of years would you consider Pippen's prime? Pippen was coming off a ridiculously good 1991-1992 campaign. 21-8-7 50%+ from the field

2. I think we tend to forget what a freak Robinson was an an athlete as well. He'd give this team fits. Plus him and Ewing had a good enough back to the basket game to push the 2012 teams poop. I see generally what you are saying but I think calling the center match up a "push" is giving the 2012 team too much credit, or taking WAY too much away from a pair of HOF centers. Maybe the advantage isn't as cavernous as some would believe or want to believe but no way it comes out as a "push"

 

[ralaw]

The teams are so different from one another, that its hard to look at it from a positional breakdown. It would defintely be a good game. I think when all the comparisons are made and cancel each other out, the 1992 team still has Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, and the 2012 team doesn't really have an answer for those two.

In a 7 game series I actually agree that the 1992 team would win, but for one game I could see the 2012 team being able to keep it close and hang with them. I'm just amazed that people actually think the 1992 team would wipe the floor of the 2012 team. I don't see that happening. If I we were making a draft of the players from the 1992 and 2012 teams it would be something like this.

1. Jordan
2. James
3. Barkley
4. Durant
5. Kobe
6. Paul
7. Williams
8. Magic
9. Ewing
10. Love

 

[ralaw]

I'll disagree/take issue with two things here.

1. What span of years would you consider Pippen's prime? Pippen was coming off a ridiculously good 1991-1992 campaign. 21-8-7 50%+ from the field

I see Pippen's prime as being from 1993-1998. IMO this is when he became an elite player across the board and played with conistency.

2. I think we tend to forget what a freak Robinson was an an athlete as well. He'd give this team fits. Plus him and Ewing had a good enough back to the basket game to push the 2012 teams poop. I see generally what you are saying but I think calling the center match up a "push" is giving the 2012 team too much credit, or taking WAY too much away from a pair of HOF centers. Maybe the advantage isn't as cavernous as some would believe or want to believe but no way it comes out as a "push"

You might be right, but I wasn't much of a Robinson fan. I'd be willing to give a slight advantage to the 1992 team.

 

[Senser81]

You might be right, but I wasn't much of a Robinson fan. I'd be willing to give a slight advantage to the 1992 team.

I remember one year in the mid-90's when Robinson needed to score a ton of points in the the last game of the year to win the scoring title. Robinson ended up winning the title by scoring 71 points. Thought it was funny, because, to me, Robinson could have been better than Ewing (perhaps he already was) and Olajuwon...when he tried he could score 70+ points on any night.

 

[Villain]

I'd just like to thank Kobe for something more interesting to talk about than Jeremy Lin.

 

[ralaw]

I remember one year in the mid-90's when Robinson needed to score a ton of points in the the last game of the year to win the scoring title. Robinson ended up winning the title by scoring 71 points. Thought it was funny, because, to me, Robinson could have been better than Ewing (perhaps he already was) and Olajuwon...when he tried he could score 70+ points on any night.

lol, I remember that.........Shaq was pissed. Meh, I still was never much of a fan of The Admiral.

 

[JimLeavy59]

That turnaround jumper was nasty.