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This Is Not a 16 Team All Time NBA Tournament

Friday, October 21, 2022

 I'm nearing the end of round one of the 256 team NFL tournament, I won't be moving to something else.

However - I recently ranked the top 150 players in NBA history, and that makes it easy to create 16 all time rosters.  I'l leave it fluid, so say when the next 16 guys reach the 75 regular season WS threshold to be considered, they become eligible to join these teams.  I'll designate one player from each roster as "at risk"

These rosters were created by snake draft, with some swapping post draft just for competitive balance purposes; there was not an attempt to place specific players with each other, the chips fell where they fell.

Team 1
C Moses Malone           Petersberg High              (75th)
C Robert Parish             Centenary                       (75th)
F Pau Gasol                  Spain
F LeBron James           St Vincent St Mary High  (75th)
F Jerry Lucas                Ohio St                             (75th)
F Peja Stojakovic         Croatia
G Allen Iverson            Georgetown                     (75th)
G Jeff Hornacek           Iowa St
G Dennis Johnson        Pepperdine
G Walter Davis            North Carolina (at risk)

-a pioneer of the HS to pro basketball leap, Moses, playing with LeBron.  LeBron also playing with Jerry Lucas, an Ohio legend from a prior generation.  DJ and the Chief, Celtics teammates, both on the second unit.  

Team 2
C Artis Gilmore           Jacksonville
C DeAndre Jordan       Texas A&M (at risk)
F Horace Grant            Clemson
F Paul Pierce               Kansas              (75th)
F Vern Mikkelsen        Hamline
F Bob Dandridge         Norfolk St
G Russell Westbrook   UCLA               (75th)
G Michael Jordan        North Carolina  (75th)
G Deron Williams       Illinois
G Sam Jones                NC Central     (75th)

Jordan gets to play with his champship teammate Grant - and also with Gilmore, who returned to Chicago for a late career stint.  One could imagine Westbrook getting a lot of second unit run to add firepower to the bench (and maybe get him away from Jordan; a Williams/Jordan backcourt might make more sense).

Team 3
C Wilt Chamberlain      Kansas             (75th)
C Neil Johnston            Ohio St
F Bailey Howell           Miss St
F Scottie Pippen           Central Ark       (75th)
F Bob McAdoo            North Carolina  (75th)
F George Gervin          East Michigan   (75th)
G Damian Lillard        Weber St            (75th)
G Ray Allen                  UConn             (75th)
G Andre Miller             Utah   (at risk)
G Andre Iguodala          Arizona

Johnston was the Warriors All Star center in the 50s - they drafted Wilt and that was the end of Johnston, they're together here.  Wilt has to like the composition of the team - Allen to shoot from outside, Lillard to handle to ball, Pippen the all court player; Gervin and McAdoo with the bench firepower.  

Team 4
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar     UCLA      (75th)
C Bill Laimbeer                  N Dame
F Elton Brand                     Duke
F Shawn Marion                UNLV
F Sam Perkins                    North Carolina
F Bernard King                  Tennessee  (at risk)
G Jason Kidd                      Cal            (75th)
G Dwyane Wade                Marquette  (75th)
G Mike Conley                  Ohio St 
G Eddie Jones                    Temple

Lot of defense here - Marion and Jones and Brand - Kidd/Wade as Kareem's backcourt is strong - Jones and Wade reunite from their Miami days.  King as bench offense. 

Team 5
C Walt Bellamy                Indiana                Hall of Fame
C Marc Gasol                   Spain
F Tim Duncan                   Wake Forest        (75th)/Hall of Fame
F Kawhi Leonard              S Diego St          (75th)
F Amar'e Stoudemire        Cypress Creek High
F James Worthy                North Carolina    (75th)/Hall of Fame
G Kevin Johnson              Cal
G Chauncey Billups          Colorado
G Mark Jackson               St Johns (at risk)
G Dan Majerle                 C Michigan

Teammates really mark Team 5 - Duncan and Kawhi are together and the Suns, KJ and Thunder Dan. 

Team 6
C Dan Issel                       Kentucky    Hall of Fame
C Vlade Divac                  Serbia
F Karl Malone                  La Tech       (75th) Hall of Fame
F John Havlicek               Ohio St       (75th) Hall of Fame
F Anthony Mason            Tenn St
F Dominique Wilkins        Georgia      (75th) Hall of Fame
G Steph Curry                   Davidson   (75th)
G Paul George                   Fresno St 
G Tony Parker                    France
G DeMar DeRozan           USC (at risk)

Malone and Issel on the inside; Steph on the outside, Havlicek as the all court wing; 'Nique providing points off the bench.  

Team 7
C Nikola Jokic                    Serbia
C Alonzo Mourning           Georgetown   Hall of Fame
F Bob Pettit                        LSU              (75th)/Hall of Fame
F Rick Barry                      Miami           (75th)/Hall of Fame
F LaMarcus Aldridge         Texas             
F Grant Hill                        Duke             Hall of Fame
G Chris Paul                       Wake Forest  (75th)
G Tracy McGrady              Mt Zion Academy High  Hall of Fame
G Lenny Wilkens                Providence    (75th) Hall of Fame
G Byron Scott                     Arizona St (at risk)

It's CP3 getting the ball to the frontcourt scorers - Jokic/Pettit/Barry.  

Team 8
C Dwight Howard            SW Atl Christian Academy High
C Dave Cowens                Florida St            (75th) Hall of Fame
F Ben Wallace                  Virg Union           Hall of Fame
F Adrian Dantley              N Dame               Hall of Fame
F Larry Nance                   Clemson
F Andrei Kirilenko            Russia
G Magic Johnson              Mich St              (75th) Hall of Fame
G Clyde Drexler                Houston            (75th) Hall of Fame
G Sam Cassell                   Florida St
G Mitch Richmond           Kansas St (at risk)  Hall of Fame

Magic will look to get the ball into Howard, with Dantley and Drexler the wing scorers - AK47 gives you bench points.  

Team 9
C Hakeem Olajuwon         Houston              (75th) Hall of Fame
C Al Horford                      Florida
F Anthony Davis                Kentucky           (75th)
F Elgin Baylor                    Seattle               (75th) Hall of Fame
F Buck Williams                Maryland
F Dennis Rodman              SE Oklahoma St  (75th) Hall of Fame
G John Stockton                 Gonzaga              (75th) Hall of Fame
G Vince Carter                   North Carolina      
G Calvin Murphy               Niagara  (at risk)   Hall of Fame
G Hal Greer                        Marshall            (75th) Hall of Fame

This team - this team looks like a problem.  Look at that front line - Olajuwon, AD, Baylor.  With Stockton getting them the ball.  Williams and Rodman are a little duplicative, if they wanted to move one of them into the starting lineup and have Davis lead the second unit, that makes sense.  

Team 10
C David Robinson               Navy          (75th) Hall of Fame
C Ed Macauley                    St Louis      Hall of Fame
F Elvin Hayes                      Houston    (75th) Hall of Fame
F Paul Arizin                        Villanova (75th) Hall of Fame
F Kevin Love                       UCLA
F Glen Rice                          Michigan
G Gary Payton                     Oregon     (75th) Hall of Fame
G Reggie Miller                   UCLA       (75th) Hall of Fame
G Bob Cousy                        Holy Cross   (75th) Hall of Fame              
G Lou Hudson                      Minnesota (at risk) Hall of Fame

Smooooth, maybe a little too smooth. Admiral, Big E, Love and Rice and Reggie Miller.  Smoooth.  GP is here to provide the grit.  Cousy and Macauley, old teammates, on the second unit.

Team 11
C Shaquille O'Neal              LSU          (75th)  Hall of Fame
C Rudy Gobert                     France
F Chris Webber                    Michigan   Hall of Fame
F Julius Erving                     UMass      (75th) Hall of Game
F Blake Griffin                     Oklahoma 
F Carmelo Anthony              Syracuse  (75th)
G Walt Frazier                      S Illinois   (75th) Hall of Fame
G Sidney Moncrief               Arkansas   Hall of Fame
G Jason Terry                       Arizona
G Michael Finley                 Wisconsin (at risk)

Like Team 10, lots of guys who primarily exist to get buckets, Dr J, Melo and Blake, CWebb - but there's also Shaq, dominating the middle, and Gobert, an all time great defensive big man - Frazier to run the show, Moncrief, so consistent.  

Team 12
C George Mikan                   DePaul            (75th) Hall of Fame
C Dikembe Mutombo          Georgetown     Hall of Fame
F Kevin McHale                  Minnesota        (75th) Hall of Fame
F Kevin Durant                    Texas               (75th)
F Detlef Schrempf                Washington
F Cedric Maxwell                UNCC
G Maurice Cheeks               W Texas A&M   Hall of Fame
G James Harden                   Arizona St        (75th)
G Stephon Marbury              Geo Tech (at risk)
G Bill Sharman                     USC                 (75th) Hall of Fame

KD and Harden, together again - as are McHale and Cornbread, with Sharman, a Celtic from a prior generation.  

Team 13
C Bob Lanier                        St Bonaventure Hall of Fame
C Jack Sikma                        Illinois Wesleyan  Hall of Fame
F Charles Barkley                Auburn (75th) Hall of Fame
F Giannis Anteotokounmpo Greece  (75th)
F David West                        Xavier (at risk)
F Chris Mullin                      St Johns          Hall of Fame
G Kyle Lowry                       Villanova         Hall of Fame
G Kobe Bryant                      Lower Merion High (75th)
G Tim Hardaway                   UTEP             Hall of Fame
G Steve Smith                        Michigan St

Whoa.  This might be unfair.  Kobe.  Barkley.  Giannis.  Look and Mullin and Hardaway, together in the second unit.  It might take a minute for Giannis and Kobe to work together on the floor - like if Mullin made more sense in the first unit and Giannis takes over the second string - I don't know, there's a lot to work with here.

Team 14
C Bill Russell                       San Francisco                   (75th) Hall of Fame
C Chris Bosh                        Georgia Tech                    Hall of Fame
F Kevin Garnett                    Farragut Academy High   (75th) Hall of Fame
F Chet Walker                       Bradley                            Hall of Fame
F Paul Millsap                      La Tech
F Rashard Lewis                  Alief Elsik High                
G Steve Nash                       Santa Clara                        (75th) Hall of Fame
G Manu Ginobli                   Argentina                           Hall of Fame
G Rod Strickland                  DePaul (at risk)                  
G Hersey Hawkins               Bradley

You want the team that plays the "right way"?  Here's Bill Russell and KG and Nash and Ginobli.  The Bradley Braves are represented here by both Walker and Hawkins.  

Team 15
C Patrick Ewing                   Georgetown       (75th) Hall of Fame
C Willis Reed                       Grambling          (75th) Hall of Fame
F Dirk Nowitzki                   Germany            (75th) Hall of Fame
F Larry Bird                         Indiana St          (75th) Hall of Fame
F Bobby Jones                     North Carolina    Hall of Fame
F Alex English                     South Carolina    Hall of Fame
G Isiah Thomas                   Indiana                 (75th) Hall of Fame
G Jimmy Butler                   Marquette        
G Derek Harper                   Illinois  (at risk)
G Joe Dumars                      McNeese St          Hall of Fame

Here's a fun team - it's Bird and Dirk shooting the lights out - it's Zeke and Dumars on the same club; it's the Knicks centers, Ewing and Reed.  I sort of love the Jones/English second string frontcourt pairing.  

Team 16
C Wes Unseld                      Louisville                     (75th)  Hall of Fame
C Zelmo Beatty                   Prairie View                  Hall of Fame
F Dolph Schayes                 NYU                             (75th) Hall of Fame
F Marques Johnson             UCLA                            
F Rasheed Wallace              North Carolina              
F Cliff Hagan                       Kentucky                      Hall of Fame
G Oscar Robertson              Cincinnati                      (75th) Hall of Fame
G Jerry West                        W Virginia                      (75th) Hall of Fame
G Terry Porter                      Wisc Stevens Pt              
G Earl Monroe                     Winston Salem (at risk)  (75th) Hall of Fame

This team's about that starting backcourt, they go as far as Oscar and West will take them.  

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