NBA All-Time Restriction Draft - VOTING THREAD

[Danger in Texas]

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would have known that an All-Time Restriction Draft has been happening in this thread. Well, now we're finished, so it's up to the public to vote for the best team, and for the coaches to make their case as to why their team is the best.

Here are the teams:

Team nufan

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: LeBron James
PF: Elvin Hayes
C: Patrick Ewing
----------
Earl Monroe
Arvydas Sabonis
Willis Reed
Grant Hill
Neil Johnston
Larry Foust
Bob McAdoo

Coach: Monty Williams
Announcer: Hubie Brown

Orlan-dipo Magic - BoshtrichBurger

PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Rick Barry
SF: Scottie Pippen
PF: David Robinson
C: Shaquille O'Neal
----------
Drazen Petrovic
Ed Macauley
Walt Bellamy
Shawn Kemp
Harry Gallatin
Dennis Johnson
Kevin Durant

Coach: Gregg Popovich
Announcer: Kevin Harlan

Clutch City - Shane Mead

PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Reggie Miller
SF: Dominique Wilkins
PF: Kevin McHale
C: Hakeem Olajuwon
----------
Tony Parker
Robert Parish
Bernard King
Jerry Lucas
Chet Walker
George Yardley
K.C. Jones

Coach:
Announcer: Marv Albert

Carnegie Crustaceans - krisholio14

PG: Isiah Thomas
SG: Pete Maravich
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Bill Walton
----------
Dwayne Wade
Nate Thurmond
Dolph Schayes
Hal Greer
Ben Wallace
Sidney Moncrief
Maurice Stokes

Coach: Chuck Daly
Announcer: Johnny Most

CharDee MacDennis - stewie griffen

PG: Walt Frazier
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Charles Barkley
PF: Dennis Rodman
C: Wilt Chamberlain
----------
George Mikan
Ray Allen
Pau Gasol
David Thompson
Nate Archibald
Dave Bing
Derrick Rose

Coach: Red Auerbach
Announcer: Stacey King

JAM B.C. - Danger in Texas

PG: Bob Cousy
SG: Julius Erving
SF: Elgin Baylor
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
----------
Clyde Drexler
Dikembe Mutombo
Toni Kukoc
Joe Dumars
Dave DeBusschere
Tracy McGrady
Maurice Cheeks

Coach: Phil Jackson
Announcer: Mike Breen

Brandon-Monta Memorial All-Stars - krayfesh

PG: Gary Payton
SG: Jerry West
SF: John Havlicek
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Moses Malone
----------
Manu Ginobili
Wes Unseld
Dave Cowens
Sam Jones
Bill Sharman
Alonzo Mourning
James Worthy

Coach: Larry Brown
Announcer: Steve Kerr

Hasheem The Dream - Crafted

PG: John Stockton
SG: Oscar Robertson
SF: George Gervin
PF: Karl Malone
C: Bill Russell
----------
Bob Pettit
Allen Iverson
Yao Ming
Paul Arizin
Artis Gilmore
Paul Pierce
Kevin Johnson

Coach: Pat Riley
Announcer: Chick Hearn

Vote away!

 

[Crafted]

I'm assuming we can vote for ourselves?

 

[nufan]

Quick write up of my team. I have Lebron James and Michael Jordan. Check mate

 

[Crafted]

Quick write up of my team. I have Lebron James and Michael Jordan. Check mate

Have fun driving into a lane containing Bill Russell Mr. James and Mr. Jordan.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

I'm assuming we can vote for ourselves?

Nope.

 

[Shane Mead]

The angle I took drafting my team was to try and find players who can play well together in a real life situation.

The Post: I have to two best post players to ever play the game, who both have range on their shots making forcing teams to defend Mchale and Dream with one defender. Robert Parish isn't the same type of post player but he has great touch and range, on of the best 7 foot shooters before it became fashionable.
I can't forget Jerry Lucas...a forward who was a tremendous rebounder who played with scorers, so he would sacrifice his game for the greater good of the team fitting in perfectly with this array of big men.

This foursome are offensively efficient and dynamic, while also being a strong defensive group. These 4 are athletic enough to be effective in fast break situations as well as in the half court when the defense is set.

Point Guards: Tony Parker and Jason Kidd are perfect point guards for this team. They are not 3 point specialist but progressively got good enough to make teams second guess doubling off them. They can get hit the 3 but also get past the closing out defender making magic happen in the paint. Both guards excel in the fast break situations creating easy points for teammates. They are also smart enough to know when to push it but also when to slow things down and get the ball into the post when the defense is on the back foot. K.C Jones is my defensive specialist who was part of 8 Championship teams in the NBA...so he knows how to win.

Reggie Miller: Elite 3 point shooter! The rest of my team are to nice and to polite, so I need an elite trash talker to give the team a bit of an edge. With the ball into the post he provides spacing but by running him through screens on the weak-side it makes it even harder to focus in on defending the block. He was an okay defender, but with so much defense behind him there is plenty to cover.

The King of NYC and the Human Highlight Film: Both guys can move, both have tremendous length which will be valuable on the defensive end. King has a quick release on his jumper making him an elite scorer during his day. King could score in the fast break but was most effective...you guessed it...back to the basket in the low block. With King I can go small while still having 2 post threats on the floor. Dominque traded baskets in the playoffs with Larry Bird, so that tells you how good of a scorer Wilkins was. Not only could he score in various ways as well as being deadly on the fast break, but he could rebound averaging close to 7 boards per game.

Walker/Yardley: A NBA Champion, who sacrificed his game to play with Chamberlain and Greer. He can play at the 2 spot or the 3 maintaining the teams flexibility. Walker was at his best in the open court...and rarely missed the playoffs. Yardley had a nack for scoring as well who was known for being an on-court coach...a steadying hand.

DEFENSE: This is where Championships are won and lost. This team is full of rim protectors, forwards and centers who will control the offensive and defensive glass, length on the wings...a defensive coach. Dream is the best shot blocker of ALL TIME with pick pockets like Kidd, Parker and Jones.

Clutch: Hakeem is clutch, Reggie is clutch, Parker is clutch...there are players who are clutch on offensive and guys who can make clutch defensive plays or grab the clutch rebound.

Flexibility: The most important thing when putting together a great team is flexibility. The ability to change the structure of the 5 man unit forcing the opposition defense to be able to adjust on the fly. Here are some example of different line-ups.

1: Kidd, Miller, Wilkins, Mchale, Olajuwon
2: Kidd, Parker, Miller, Wilkins, Olajuwon
3: Jones, Miller, Wilkins, Olajuwon, Parish
4: Parker, King, Wilkins, Lucas, Parish

* If I want to have 2 post threats and go small, King can play the 4 spot.
* When I go big/defensive I have the option to use Kidd instead of Jones.
* The last line-up the more of an outside/in team as Parish and Lucas are not known for scoring, but King, Wilkins and Parker can. Parker would be running more of a pnr offense utilising King in the post at times.

The Coach: John Kundla is a winner, a 4 time NBA Champion, the first coach to win 3 in consecutive years. He coached the great George Mikan and utilized him by posting him up and letting him go to work, kicking it to open teammates when double teamed.

Vern Mikkelsen said, "John was a great X's-and-O's coach, and he was an absolute master at handling the egos, a super psychologist. He was there as a friend, and we had a lot of fun together, but when he had to, he ran a tight ship."

That quote to me sums up why Kundla is the perfect man to coach a team with so many egos.

There really is no reason to vote for any other team for those reason. Everyone has a group of legendary players and great coaches. This team can run, they can slow it down. Score in the low block, from the wing, with high pick n roll or off ball staggered screens with the coach to bring it all together, a guy who can get these egos working as one.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Nice summary Mead. I like the flexibility a lot as well.

 

[Shane Mead]

Interested to see everyones summary. Since I can't vote for myself, there are 3 teams I am considering.

 

[Crafted]

Uh-oh.

Imagine I have 0 votes . Unless you can cancel a vote? Apologies fellas.

 

[Danger in Texas]

Uh-oh.

Imagine I have 0 votes . Unless you can cancel a vote? Apologies fellas.

peternorth is this possible?

 

[Shane Mead]

Monty Brown is going to try and coach Paul, Lebron and Jordan....lol, just noticed

 

[Danger in Texas]

Wow, nufan is way ahead.

 

[silverscope]

Team nufan

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: LeBron James
PF: Elvin Hayes
C: Patrick Ewing
----------
Earl Monroe
Arvydas Sabonis
Willis Reed
Grant Hill
Neil Johnston
Larry Foust
Bob McAdoo

Coach: Monty Williams
Announcer: Hubie Brown

Orlan-dipo Magic - BoshtrichBurger

PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Rick Barry
SF: Scottie Pippen
PF: David Robinson
C: Shaquille O'Neal
----------
Drazen Petrovic
Ed Macauley
Walt Bellamy
Shawn Kemp
Harry Gallatin
Dennis Johnson
Kevin Durant

Coach: Gregg Popovich
Announcer: Kevin Harlan

It was between these two lineups for mine. But looking beyond the "I have Jordan and LeBron I win" theory I boted for Orlan-dipo Magic for a number of reasons:


Starting Lineup
Magic Johnson > Chris Paul (Paul is good but he his not Magic Johnson good and with Jordan and James on the team he wont be geting many shots)

Rick Barry < Michael Jordan (Clearly Jordan will win this matchup)

Scottie Pippen = LeBron James (One of the best defensive SF's ever vs. one of the most gifted athlete and scorer ever. I think if anything it would be slighty a win to LeBron but not by much and not enough for me to lean towards LeBron)

David Robinson > Elvin Hayes (The Admiral has a huge 16cm Advantage and is built like a brick shithouse, will easily outmuscle the smaller Hayes)

Shaquille O'Neal > Patrick Ewing (Ewing was good in his prime but he is no prime Shaq and Shaq will dominate like The Admiral)

Bench
With Drazen, Kemp and Durant coming off the bench Orlan-dipo have a massive depth advantage over team nufan.


Gregg Popovich clearly better than Monty Williams and with Popp's long coaching of some big name big guys will help him manage The Admiral and Shaq and they will beast nufan's front line and make it hard for Jordan and LeBron to get inside forcing them to become jump shooters which is not their strength.
I think if you look closer Orlan-dipo have a better overall team to stop the likes of LeBron and Jordan and would win this matchup in my opinion.
My vote goes to Orlan-dipo.

 

[Crafted]

nufan has the best players but doesn't have the best team. Simply because Monty Williams is the coach.

At least in my opinion anyway

 

[Danger in Texas]

My write-up will be coming tonight.

 

[Drumroe]

Was out of nufan and @Bostrich for me. Nufan win because of Monty Williams, although might have to change my vote soon due to his delay in picking in the other draft at the moment

 

[Shane Mead]

nufan has the best players but doesn't have the best team. Simply because Monty Williams is the coach.

At least in my opinion anyway

nufan's team isn't even in my top 3 choices for my vote (add me and he is outside the top 4 lol).

His offense would be Lebron, Paul and Jordan fighting over the basketball.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Feelin' da love.

 

[Footypie32]

nufan's team isn't even in my top 3 choices for my vote (add me and he is outside the top 4 lol).

His offense would be Lebron, Paul and Jordan fighting over the basketball.

Have you even played basketball?

 

[Shane Mead]

Have you even played basketball?

Played and coached. Great teams are not rated by the quality of the individuals but by how they play together. Jordan, James and Paul are ball dominate players who need the ball to be effective. They don't fit together at all.

 

[Danger in Texas]

Played and coached. Great teams are not rated by the quality of the individuals but by how they play together. Jordan, James and Paul are ball dominate players who need the ball to be effective. They don't fit together at all.

Jordan will be crazy effective for nufan. Not sure about LBJ and Paul (because of what you said), but Jordan will smash the **** outta everyone.

 

[Shane Mead]

Jordan will be crazy effective for nufan. Not sure about LBJ and Paul (because of what you said), but Jordan will smash the **** outta everyone.

All of the other teams have really strong wing defenders. For example you have Erving and Dumars who can at least slow down Jordan and Lebron in single coverage. You also have 3 really strong defensive bigs with Kareem, Garnett and Mount Mutombo protecting the paint.

Krayfish has the Glove who would give Paul trouble and gave Jordan trouble at times as a defender.

Stewie has Rodman who could guards both Lebron and Jordan in his prime.

Nufans bigs are not the strongest when you look at other combinations and he has by far the worst coach out of every single team.

The team is not top 3 compared to the other teams.

 

[Danger in Texas]

JAM B.C.​

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! That was the noise that was heard as JAM GM Danger in Texas entered the building to an outstanding ovation. As the other seven inferior GM's looked on in despair, DiT felt the vibe. He was one of only 3 other GM's, together with BoshtrichBurger and krayfesh that had been selected to GM this time around.

Unfortunately, JAM had missed out on the opportunity to draft Michael Jordan, a known jammer, as they had drawn pick 6 in the draft lottery, which meant they also owned pick 11, 22 and 27. DiT stated that this was an ok, not a brilliant position to be in, but he hoped a few players would slip to his pick.

With the first five picks, Jordan, Magic, Olajuwon, Bird and Wilt were drafted. This made it an easy choice for JAM...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.



I wanted to create a team of great guys to play around, and Cap is just that. He's a true team player, giving up great stats earlier in his career to win championships with the Lakers. A great all-round player who could dominate on the offensive and defensive end, Kareem would dominate with his crazy finesse for his height. And of course, he is the owner of the most unstoppable shot of all time.

As pick 11 came around, three options were considered. Kobe, LeBron and Dr J. Only one really had an explosive game that would fit JAM B.C.'s gameplay...

So Julius Erving became a JAMmer.



One of the greats of the best era of ball ever, The Doctor revolutionized the game. He popularized the dunk for guards/small forwards, and brought an electric style of play to the game. He won chips when playing in a system with guys like Moses Malone and Mo Cheeks, with whom he chose to be the 2nd superstar on the team. Yet another case of playing within a system and it paying off.

Next up, another lightning scorer was felt required by JAM. Again, a few options were available, but in the end, a true underrated superstar was picked.

Elgin Baylor.



An absolutely amazing specimen of a player, Baylor was, more than anything, a lightning shooter. His signature running bank shot was almost unstoppable. He could shoot over ballers way taller than him and still have 35 points a game. He was also a great rebounder, once averaging 20 in a season - unheard of in modern times. He was a solid ball-handler, too. Finally, he had great physical strength.

Yet again, a number of options were considered at this pick. A point guard to run the show was considered, however JAM decided to go with the 'best available' approach and select a great big...

Kevin Garnett.



A great player and guy to have on a team by all means, Garnett was another case of being the franchise player on a team before being traded to play in a system and win a chip. Garnett is really someone who can either get into your skin if you are a cancer to the team, either with attitude or gameplay. Luckily, there are no JAMmers who would get under KG's skin, and never will be. With great shooting range, great defense and solid passing skills for a bigman, he will be great to have around.

Unfortunately, the two points JAM was considering for their next pick were selected before their next pick. This meant there was only one solid point guard left, and a good one too.

The Houdini of the Hardwood, Bob Cousy.



The prototype of the modern point guard, Cousy was an absolute magician with the ball. He could dribble, pass and was a master of the fast break. He played to win, and win he did, with six rings to his name. He was the star player of his era, during a time of players such as Bill Sharman, George Yardley and George Mikan. Also a great bloke to have around. If he doesn't play defense, KG can get into him and tell him to!

And that was the starting five. Danger in Texas, extremely happy with his team so far, was shown shrugging like this:

For the bench, a number of gems were selected, all with a wide range of talents:

Clyde Drexler - Clyde the Glide was a brilliant pickup as a sixth man. Drafted for some explosiveness and athleticism off the bench, Clyde could score, defend, pass and rebound well, and was tall for a shooting guard/small forward, which is always an advantage.

Dikembe Mutombo - Another very nice pickup, Dikembe was defense personified. Although his offensive skills weren't that great, Mutombo at his best would put up 5 or 6 blocks a game in a time where offense was the norm.

Toni Kukoc - Needing an international, Kukoc was as good as they come. Played for the Bulls during their golden era, Kukoc could play all 5 positions on the court. He was a solid shooter, passer and rebounder for the Bulls, and was a key part of the Bulls side after the core of MJ, Pippen and Rodman was broken, averaging 20ppg.

Joe Dumars - MJ once said that Dumars was the greatest defender he ever faced. That says a lot. Dumars could shut down anyone in no time, and was alright on the offensive end, too. If he hadn't played with guys such as Thomas and Aguirre, his stats would have been much better. He was a winner, too.

Dave DeBusschere - One of GM DiT's favourite players from the 1960's, DeBusschere was a solid scorer and great rebounder, but more than anything he could defend with the best of them. If All-Defensive teams had been introduced earlier in his career, he would have had 10 All-Defensive Team honours by the end of his career, maybe more. He was, too, a winner.

Tracy McGrady - If not for injuries, T-Mac would have been better than Kobe. Now, that might be a little too much of an overstatement, but if you look at his 2003-04 season, he averaged 32/6/6. That's crazy good numbers for a player in this day and age. He was a solid defender, too. Will be gun off the bench.

Maurice Cheeks - Great defensive point guard who just won. He was a good ball handler, plus he was a solid passer and scorer, too. One of the best stealers of the ball the game has ever seen, pairing Mo with Dr J is also a plus. KAJ can act as a better version of Moses.

Coach: Phil Jackson - The greatest coach ever. Has 11 rings to his name from Chicago and Los Angeles, and has a 70% win percentage. But an underrated aspect of his coaching is his ability to manage egos. If KG becomes too big for his own boots, Jackson can get into him.

Announcer: Mike Breen - Very underrated caller for ESPN. He makes Van Gundy seem like he doesn't belong. Will be a great caller when one of our guys hits a game-winning shot.

Team Strengths​

​

Offense: Obviously Jackson's Triangle Offense will be used, which worked very effectively in the Jordan era and Kobe/Shaq era. Skill-wise, Cousy is a great ball-handler and passer, KG has great range, KAJ has the skyhook, Dr J is the most electric player to ever play the game, Baylor's jumpshot is unmatched and Drexler, Kukoc and T-Mac are all great offensive players, while Mo Cheeks is a great floor general.​

​

The Boards: I certainly have my rebounding covered. DeBusschere, Baylor and Kareem all averaged over 15rpg one or more times in their career, while KG and Mutombo were also great on the glass.​

​

Defense: This is where championships are won and lost, and JAM certainly has a heap of it. Dumars gave MJ a lot of trouble, Erving was a very solid perimeter defender who caused trouble for opposing teams, KG is a one-time DPOY, Mutombo is a 4-time DPOY, while KAJ, T-Mac, Cheeks and Clyde the Glide were all good defenders in their prime.​

​

Chemistry: Each and every one of these players are guys you love to have around. If anyone causes trouble, coach Jackson can snap them out of it.​

​

Put simply, this is the team you should get around. A great mixture of players together with the greatest coach ever would be difficult for any team to beat. There are absolutely no weaknesses, as opposed to other teams. It's okay to be a little scared. ​

​

 

[Danger in Texas]

All of the other teams have really strong wing defenders. For example you have Erving and Dumars who can at least slow down Jordan and Lebron in single coverage. You also have 3 really strong defensive bigs with Kareem, Garnett and Mount Mutombo protecting the paint.

Don't forget I have Cheeks and DeBusschere

 

[krayfesh]

PG: Gary Payton
SG: Jerry West
SF: John Havlicek
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Moses Malone
6th: Manu Ginobli
7th: Wes Unseld
8th: Dave Cowens
9th: Sam Jones
10th: Alonzo Mourning
11th: James Worthy
12th: Bill Sharman

Coach: Larry Brown

I can't claim any superior talent advantage, everybody has good teams. I think the main advantage I have is that my team is full of winners and good team players, coached by someone known to get the best out his charges.

I'd give my team a great shot against any other.