You Have $15

[BigErieCavsFan]

big o
Jordan
Dr. J
Garnett
Hakeem

 

[ajz20]

Some people are not thinking about both sides of the ball. If we are playing real games and not an all star exhobition, I don't know how you could ever leave prime Jordan out in any world. He was unreal on both ends. I am going to not worry about labels and just put the best team on both ends for 15.

Lebron 5
Jordan 5
Russell 1
Dr J. 3
prime time James Worthy 1

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

PG - Nash ($1)
SG - Jordan ($5)
SF - James ($5)
PF - KG ($1)
C - Olajuwon ($2)

TOTAL - $14

It starts with LBJ and MJ. People talk about MJ and Scottie? Well this is MJ and Scottie on roids. They can easily cover for Nash's defensive deficiencies allowing for him to run, maybe, the greatest offense of all time. Imagine the PnR's Nash would run with KG... Jordan, James and Olajuwon provide just enough shooting to keep the floor spread. But Nash is also one of the best spot up shooters of all time, giving Olajuwon, James, Jordan and KG, whoever you want, the ability to post up in space. James, Jordan, KG and Hakeem can all slide over to different positions. This team would be a MONSTER defensively, even with Nash on the floor. Add to it that you have, essentially, three point guards on the floor in Nash, James and KG, plus two guys that made smart passes... what a team.

Before reading anyone else's responses, I kept coming up with the exact same 2-5. The defensive potential of that group is absolutely frightening. Really struggled with PG because the one weakness of that group is hitting the 3, so I really wanted Curry. Also thought that I'd rather have a PG who was less of an assist machine than Nash. The only way to do that was to swap out, and both LBJ and Jordan on just too good on both ends to lose either. Can't trade out KG at $1, so that leaves swapping out Russell for the Dream. In other words, I was torn between you and @gourimoko Ended up going with Nash/Olajuwon over Curry/Russell, but it was tough. Might see it differently if I'd been able to watch Russell play more.

Garnett and the Olajuwon/Russell are the most undervalued guys on that board.

But screw it! What fun is it if we have the same teams? So to go in a different direction, I thought about a Magic Johnson-centered team, because he gives you the most potential for mismatches right off the bat. You need outside shooting to offset his relative lack of it, so here's my starting 5....

Magic
MJ
Durant
Garnett
Olajuwon

This is pretty close to positionless basketball, and Magic and Olajuwon together are just going to be able to screw massively with defenses because they can essentially flip offensive roles once a play gets initiated, and Magic will post up the Steph Curry's and Steve Nash's of the world all day. Every guy can step away from the basket, and the rest of that team kills you if you double Magic.

You're losing out defensively swapping Durant for LBJ, but at only $2, that's a shitload of offense coming from Durant, and Magic's length will help a lot defensively as well. And honestly, any team with Garnett at the 4 and the Dream at the 5 is going to be a bitch defensively no matter what.

The other thing I like about this lineup is that I worry about the MJ/LBJ pairing. Incredibly similar players at the 2-3, and you might have a problem there.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Jordan, Johnson, Garnett, Olajuwon, and Pippen. Only costs 14 dollars. Anyways, this is not the first team I made... I made two others that have already been taken. So, in the interests of a different team, I came up with this one. Defense, passing, execution. Also, have good size. You only have so many basketballs, so Pippen is just fine as the 5th player.

Just saw this, and I like that team a lot. I switched out Durant for Pippen to more outside shooting to make up for Magic's lack of it, but that obviously gives up a bit defensively. Pippen is a good value. If I was going to incorporate Pippen, I'd go with this, and add a player not listed. And screw it, he'll cost $5:

Curry $3
MJ $5
Pippen $1
Garnett $1
Shaq $3.

You get the MJ/Pippen pairing, which we all know absolutely works, and you put Curry in as a roided up Kerr/B.J. Armstron/outside shooting guru. Will all that passing, you'd see Shaq getting an awful lot of dunks off entry passes. Tempted to slip a health 1977 era Bill Walton in there at center.

 

[BooyaCS]

Magic ($5)
Michael($5)
Pippen ($1)
Garnet ($1)
Hakeem ($2)

 

[czvo]

I know a lot of people are going with Bill as their center while loading up at other positions. My concern is that Bill was 6-10, 215. He probably saw 2-3, maybe 4 players that could match up with him physically. How's he going to handle going up against guys that big night in and night out? Hell, he's smaller than KD.

I just think any team that puts a legit, modern center against him will go to work.

 

[Surge]

Magic- 5
Jordan- 5
Shaq- 3
Barkley- 2
Me- 0

Profit.

 

[Steve_424]

PG-Paul
SG-Jordan
SF-James
PF-Garnett
C-Shaq

 

[Huber.]

I don't think any of these teams can beat the March 6th, 2016 Lakers.

 

[Jordan]

Make your starting lineup. You have to choose one player from each position but you don't have to play them at that position. Theoretically, you can take LeBron James and play him at point guard if you want, although you'd still have to find a spot in the lineup for your actual drafted point guard.

Also, if you want to specify a different year for a player, then go for it. I just listed what I personally thought was each player's best season.

Point Guard
'87 Magic Johnson - $5
'63 Oscar Robertson - $4
'16 Stephen Curry - $3
'89 John Stockton - $2
'07 Steve Nash / '09 Chris Paul - $1

Shooting Guard
'93 Michael Jordan - $5
'06 Kobe Bryant - $4
'09 Dwyane Wade - $3
'70 Jerry West - $2
'06 Allen Iverson / '88 Clyde Drexler - $1

Small Forward
'13 LeBron James - $5
'87 Larry Bird - $4
'81 Julius Erving - $3
'14 Kevin Durant - $2
'62 Elgin Baylor / '94 Scottie Pippen - $1

Power Forward
'03 Tim Duncan - $5
'90 Karl Malone - $4
'07 Dirk Nowitzki - $3
'88 Charles Barkley - $2
'04 Kevin Garnett / '62 Bob Pettit - $1

Center
'72 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - $5
'62 Wilt Chamberlain - $4
'00 Shaquille O'Neal - $3
'94 Hakeem Olajuwon - $2
'60 Bill Russell / '82 Moses Malone - $1

PG: Steve Nash = $1
SG: Michael Jordan = $5
SF: LeBron James = $5
PF: Kevin Garnett = $1
C: Shaq = $3
Total spent = $15

In my mind Garnett and Nash are huge margin deals. They are system players who both could do multiple things. Neither of them need to be ball dominant players, either, to be effective. With that said, in Bron, MJ, and Shaq you do have three ball dominant players. However, I think between LeBron's and Nash's passing ability, MJ's ability to score anywhere on the court, and Shaq's ability to be unstoppable in the paint, the team could run an absolutely deadly motion offense.

 

[Pioneer10]

Paul Lebron Jordan Garnett and Hakeem. I have change and no one is going to be able to score on this squad

 

[LennoxLewis]

'94 Hakeem Olajuwan $2
'03 Tim Duncan $5
'13 Lebron James $5
'06 Allen Iverson $1
'07 Steve Nash $1

Just went with who I liked as players and went from there. Started with Duncan, since he is easily my most favorite non Cav player, then paired him with one of the most talented centers on both sides of the ball in Hakeem, and LBJ who in 2013 was a freaking monster. Paired those 3 up with two of best guards of the 2000s in AI and Nash, Nash allowing the other 4 guys to run during the break, while being a great shooter. AI gives me another guy who can create for himself and others.