NBA 30 Year Teams

It was brought to my attention that I would have to continue with the 30-Year teams for other sports. I thought I better get the NBA completed as the season reaches its crescendo. That will give me time to figure out how I am going to do the NFL. Any suggestions on a structure for the NFL teams is welcome. For the NBA, I used the same general roster as I did for College Basketball (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, 6th Man). In most cases I will stick pretty close to these, but if a little positional flexibility made sense, I have made it. For instance, the Los Angeles Lakers did not have a PF of enough consequence to override what I needed to do for them. With that, here are the NBA 30-Year teams (sans the Charlotte Bobcats, whose 2009-2010 roster would probably represent their best team).

Los Angeles Lakers
PG - Magic Johnson, SG - Kobe Bryant, SF - James Worthy, PF - Shaquille O'Neal (because he was shorther than...), C - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 6th Man - Byron Scott

How can you not put both Shaq and Kareem on this team, especially with Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol looming as the best PF?

Boston Celtics
PG - Dennis Johnson, SG - Paul Pierce, SF - Larry Bird, PF - Kevin McHale, C - Robert Parrish, 6th Man - Danny Ainge

Here, Pierce slides from SF to SG, but the rest of the team looks quite familiar to 80's Celtics fans.

Chicago Bulls
G - Reggie Theus, SG - Michael Jordan, SF - Scottie Pippen, PF - Horace Grant, C - Bill Cartwright, 6th Man - Dennis Rodman

With Jordan and Pippen to handle the ball, Theus can take the other guard spot as more of a shooter. Rodman takes the final spot over Orlando Woolridge because frankly, the Bulls were winners with Rodman.

Milwaukee Bucks
G - Sidney Moncrief, G - Ray Allen, SF - Glenn Robinson, PF - Terry Cummings, C - Vin Baker, 6th Man - Ricky Pierce

Moncrief will need to man the point, as Allen deserved the other guard spot over Cassell and Ricky Pierce is one of the best 6th Men of the last 30 years.

San Antonio Spurs
PG - Tony Parker, SG - George Gervin, SF - Sean Elliott, PF - Tim Duncan, C - David Robinson, 6th Man - Manu Ginobli

Pretty easy roster to assemble here - I ran out of room for Rodman, as this time he lost out to Ginobli's rings.

Houston Rockets
PG - Kenny Smith, SG - Sam Cassell, SF - Tracy McGrady, PF - Ralph Sampson, C - Hakeem Olajuwon, 6th Man - Yao Ming

Big men galore in Houston. Yao edges out Moses Malone, who just didn't play as long but was a monster in 1982.

Utah Jazz
PG - John Stockton, SG - Jeff Hornacek, SF - Adrian Dantley, PF - Karl Malone, C - Mark Eaton, 6th Man - Deron Williams

Another no-brainer team as far as I'm concerned. People forget how good Dantley was and Eaton could swat it with the best of them for a white dude.

Philadelphia 76ers
PG - Maurice Cheeks, SG - Allen Iverson, SF - Julius Erving, PF - Charles Barkley, C - Moses Malone, 6th Man - Bobby Jones

The 5 starters were shoe-ins. Jones is akin to Ricky Pierce in that he was the league's best 6th Man for the first part of the 80's.

Phoenix Suns
PG - Kevin Johnson, PG - Steve Nash, SF - Tom Chambers, PF - Charles Barkley, C - Amare Stoudemire, 6th Man - Dan Majerle

Nash is a good enough shooter that 2 PG's is warranted here. Plus Majerle was more comfortable coming off the bench.

Portland TrailBlazers
PG - Terry Porter, SG - Clyde Drexler, SF - Jerome Kersey, PF - Buck Williams, C - Cliff Robinson, 6th Man - Brandon Roy

One or two more years and Roy will force a 3 guard line-up and bump Kersey to the bench, although Uncle Cliffy was a 6th Man for years with this team. Can you name the Center that completed the starting roster? If you said Kevin Duckworth, you are correct.

Detroit Pistons
PG - Isiah Thomas, SG - Joe Dumars, SF - Grant Hill, PF - Ben Wallace, C - Bill Laimbeer, 6th Man - Chauncey Billups

Anyone remember how good grant Hill was in his first 5 years in Detroit? Tough to keep "The Microwave" off as the 6th man, but "Mr. Big Shot" is a superior player.

Cleveland Cavaliers
PG - Mark Price, SG - Ron Harper, SF - LeBron James, PF - Larry Nance, C - Brad Daugherty, 6th Man - Craig Ehlo

Do you think if the late 80's/early 90's Cavs had LeBron they would have beaten the Bulls in one of those 4 playoff series?

Denver Nuggets
PG - Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, SG - Lafayette Lever, SF - Carmelo Anthony, PF - Alex English, C - Dan Issel, 6th Man - Dikembe Mutombo

Rauf was more of a shooter, but did play PG. Lever was a triple-double machine, so he could distribute to 3 25 PPG scorers in Anthony, English and Issel. Mutombo makes the team for laying on the court after beating Seattle.

Golden State Warriors
PG - Tim Hardaway, SG - Mitch Richmond, F - Latrell Sprewell, F - Chris Mullin, C - Joe Barry Carroll, 6th Man - Purvis Short

In typical Warriors fashion the line-up is small but reunites Run TMC.

Dallas Mavericks
PG - Jason Kidd, SG - Rolando Blackman, F - Mark Aguirre, F - Jamal Mashburn, C - Dirk Nowitzki, 6th Man - Steve Nash

Another smaller line-up and the PG decision seemed like a toss-up, but Nash wasn't a true star until he left Dallas.

Miami Heat
PG - Tim Hardaway, SG - Dwyane Wade, SF - Glen Rice, PF - P.J. Brown, C - Alonzo Mourning, 6th Man - Shaquille O'Neal

O'Neal was vital in their only championship and edges Eddie Jones for the final spot.

Atlanta Hawks
PG - Mookie Blaylock, SG - Joe Johnson, SF - Dominique Wilkins, PF - Kevin Willis, C - Dikembe Mutombo, 6th Man - Steve Smith

Another team that Moses Malone did not play quite long enough for but had an impact. Josh Smith could challenge Kevin Willis someday.

Orlando Magic
PG - Anfernee Hardaway, SG - Nick Anderson, SF - Tracy McGrady, PF - Dwight Howard, C - Shaquille O'Neal, 6th Man - Dennis Scott

Pretty easy 1 thru 6. Honorable mention to Darrell Armstrong.

Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder
PG - Gary Payton, SG - Dale Ellis, SF - Kevin Durant, PF - Shawn Kemp, C - Jack Sikma, 6th Man - Rashard Lewis

One of my tougher teams - Lewis beats out Xavier McDaniel, Detlef Schrempf, Derrick McKey and Nate McMillan, any of which would be deserving.

New York Knicks
PG - Mark Jackson, SG - John Starks, SF - Bernard King, PF - Charles Oakley, C - Patrick Ewing, 6th Man - Allen Houston

No real troubles here despite Houston's contract problems late in his career.

Indiana Pacers
PG - Mark Jackson, SG - Reggie Miller, SF - Chuck Person, PF - Jermaine O'Neal, C - Rik Smits, 6th Man - Detlef Schrempf

Danny Granger will knock on Detlef's door very soon.

Sacramento Kings
PG - Mike Bibby, SG - Mitch Richmond, SF - Peja Stojokovic, PF - Chris Webber, C - Vlade Divac, 6th Man - Wayman Tisdale

Pretty much a slam dunk - apologies to Doug Christie, the only starter left off this team from the great teams of the early 2000's.

New Jersey Nets
PG - Jason Kidd, SG - Vince Carter, SF - Richard Jefferson, PF - Buck Williams, C - Derrick Coleman, 6th Man - Drazen Petrovic

Petrovic, along with Sarunus Marcilounis, were the first impact foreign players to hit the NBA.

Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets
PG - Chris Paul, SG - David Wesley, SF - Larry Johnson, PF - David West, C - Alonzo Mourning, 6th Man - Muggsy Bogues

The Hornets have a lot of players who didn't have real long tenures. Wesley edges original Hornet Rex Chapman and Glen Rice.

Washington Bullets/Wizards
PG - Gilbert Arenas, SG - Jeff Malone, SF - Antawn Jamison, PF - Chris Webber, C - Juwan Howard, 6th Man - Caron Butler

Toronto Raptors
PG - Damon Stoudemire, SG - Vince Carter, SF - Jalen Rose, PF - Chris Bosh, C - Antonio Davis, 6th Man - Alvin Williams

Los Angeles Clippers
PG - Gary Grant, SG - Corey Maggette, SF - Danny Manning, PF - Elton Brand, C - Loy Vaught, 6th Man - Ron Harper

Not surprisingly, finding 6 players was actually hard for the Clippers.

Minnesota Timberwolves
PG - Terrell Brandon, SG - Wally Szczerbiak, SF - Tom Gugliotta, PF - Kevin Garnett, C - Al Jefferson, 6th Man - Stephon Marbury

Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies
PG - Mike Bibby, SG - Mike Miller, SF - Rudy Gay, PF - Shareef Abdur-Rahim, C - Pau Gasol, 6th Man - Shane Battier