Category: Franchise Tournament

All-Time Milwaukee Bucks Team

All-Time Milwaukee Bucks Team Infographic

Fear the deer! The all-time Milwaukee Bucks team has a unique blend of perimeter firepower and low post dominance. With one championship, they are the 17th seeded team in our tournament, and have a first round matchup with the Seattle Sonics/Oklahoma City Thunder.

The starting backcourt consists of all-around dynamo Sidney Moncrief, and the all-time leader in three pointers made, Ray Allen. Moncrief was one of the great, underappreciated players of the 1980s, and won the first two Defensive Player of the Year awards ever. If they need more ball handling, they can bring in the past-his-prime but still effective Oscar Robertson, or Sam Cassell, who averaged 19.0 PPG and 7.2 APG during his five years with the Bucks. In addition, they have two-time Sixth Man of the Year Ricky Pierce, and three point gunner Michael Redd to spread the floor. Similar to the Sonics, they’ll play a lot of three guard sets, and space the floor very effectively around their big men.

Marques Johnson and Terry Cummings are the starting forwards. Johnson was another special player who rarely gets his due; watch how he dominates a do-or-die playoff game against the 76ers to get a feel for his incredible offensive game. Cummings was very athletic, had a great face-up game, and should be a perfect fit in the starting lineup. Bobby Dandridge is the first forward off the bench, a prototypical three who used his quickness and mid-range game to frustrate opponents. They also have Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, who could score prolifically, even if he didn’t have a great all-around game. Vin Baker is the backup big man, and he’ll have to play both the power forward and center spots. This is another team without great big man depth, so health and foul trouble will both play an important role in their fortunes.

Every single player in this tournament is good, and many are all-time greats. Only a handful are transcendent legends who can single-handedly carry their teams to victory. Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of those legends. In his six seasons with the Bucks, the team averaged 57 wins per season, and went to the only two NBA Finals in franchise history. Jabbar won three MVP awards during his Bucks tenure, and easily ranks as the greatest player in franchise history. His presence makes them a dangerous sleeper in this tournament.

In many ways, this team is similar to their first round opponent, with a deep backcourt featuring Ray Allen alongside one of the great defensive players ever, and an athletic, multi-talented frontcourt that lacks big man depth. Jabbar should expect to play a ton of minutes, which he’s accustomed to, since he averaged over 40 minutes per game every year he was with the team.

Coach: Larry Costello

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .512

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder Team

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder Team

It’s hard not to feel terrible for Seattle sports fans. Their basketball team was in the middle of one of the greatest draft runs in NBA history when they left town. After three straight laughable drafts featuring Robert Swift (2004), Johan Petro (2005), and Mouhamed Sene (2006), the franchise did a complete 180, and drafted Kevin Durant (2007), Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka (2008), then James Harden (2009). The one thing they can hang their hat on is the terrible luck that their former team has had in Oklahoma City, with key injuries seemingly halting every run since their 2012 NBA Finals appearance (thanks Lil B!). Small consolation I’m sure, but at least they haven’t turned into the dynasty that they seemed destined to become. Hopefully the NBA rectifies this situation soon, and awards Seattle a new team, but for now, since the history books mark this as one franchise, I’ll highlight the all-time Oklahoma City Thunder team, featuring (gulp) the great players in Seattle Sonics history.

And what a fun team it is! In the backcourt, there are a plethora of options, and I went with Gary Payton and Ray Allen as the starters. Ironically, these two were traded for one another, as the Sonics saw that GP was near the end of the line, and got five peak Ray Allen years in exchange. The depth of this backcourt is insane, with Lenny Wilkens, Russell Westbrook, Gus Williams, and Downtown Freddy Brown providing ample firepower off the bench. They’ll play plenty of three guard sets and be a nightmare for opponents to guard.

Kevin Durant and Shawn Kemp are the starting forwards, one of the more athletic pairings in the tournament. Spencer Haywood definitely has a case to start, but he’ll get plenty of minutes off the bench, along with three point bomber Dale Ellis, and the multitalented Detlef Schrempf. Jack Sikma is the man in the middle, and he’ll have to play a lot of minutes as the only true center on the team. For stretches of each game, this team will have to embrace small ball and put Durant or Schrempf at the four and Kemp or Haywood at the five, which isn’t ideal defensively, but can devastate opponents on the offensive end.

There were many tough omissions in the process of selecting this team. Dennis Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Bob Rule, Xavier McDaniel, Tom Chambers, and Serge Ibaka all have intriguing cases for inclusion. I decided to select (those who I feel are) the 12 best players in franchise history, regardless of position, but there are many different ways to build this team effectively.

Three-point shooting is an enormous strength, with Allen, Durant, Ellis, Brown, and Schrempf capable of overwhelming opponents from beyond the arc. They might struggle against opponents with strong interior play, with a lack of big-man depth off the bench. The 16th seeded team in our tournament, the Sonics/Thunder franchise has a very intriguing first round match up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Coach – Even though George Karl had a higher winning percentage, I’ll go with Lenny Wilkens, who helped guide them to their only championship.

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .536

All-Time Los Angeles Lakers Team

All-Time Los Angeles Lakers Team

The All-Time Los Angeles Lakers Team is…pretty good. Some might call it elite. Consider that the 12 selected players AVERAGED 8.5 all-star game appearances and 6.9 all-NBA appearances during their tenure with the team. The starting lineup AVERAGED 13.2 all-star game appearances, and 11.4 all-NBA appearances. Three of the greatest players of all time, George Mikan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Wilt Chamberlain, have to come off the bench. Every single player is either in the hall-of-fame, or will be enshrined as soon as they’re eligible (Shaq and Kobe).

It’s hard to even choose a coach for this team. John Kundla, who won five titles in 11 seasons, and had a .583 winning percentage? Pat Riley, who won four titles in nine seasons, and had a .733 winning percentage? Or Phil Jackson, who also had five titles in 11 seasons, coupled with a .676 winning percentage?

The easiest call on this team is at point guard, where 6’9” Magic Johnson provides greatness, leadership, and positional flexibility. His size makes it easier to start two other guards beside him – Jerry West and Kobe Bryant. There’s really not much that I can say about this trio. West and Kobe might fight to the death over who gets the last shot in the game, but talent (usually) trumps all in the NBA, and this is the greatest backcourt in this tournament.

Elgin Baylor is the greatest forward in franchise history, and gets the start in the frontcourt alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem’s consistency over a long period of time gives him the slight edge over Mikan, who has a case as the most dominant player relative to his competition in league history, and O’Neal, who has a case as the most statistically dominant player in franchise history. In his four Finals appearances as a Laker (20 games), Shaq AVERAGED 33.6 points per game, 14.1 rebounds per game, and shot 60.2 percent from the field.

The bench consists of trailblazers from the first era of team greatness (Jim Pollard, Vern Mikkelsen, and Mikan), secondary stars who helped the team continue to flourish in the subsequent decades (Gail Goodrich and James Worthy), and the two most physically imposing superstars in league history (Chamberlain and O’Neal). There’s not even room for the likes of Pau Gasol, Jamaal Wilkes, or Slater Martin due to the greatness of the 12 selected players.

I can’t identify a weakness with this team. We can quibble with the fact that they have no backup point guard, but West can slide over to that position if Magic needs a rest. The starting lineup will have to find a way to share one basketball, but that’s certainly a nice problem to have, and one that Magic Johnson should help to alleviate. Even though this team enters as the two seed in our tournament, they’re the favorites to win it all, and it will be interesting to see who will be able to challenge them.

Coach – If I have to choose, I’ll go with Riley, but you can’t go wrong with Jackson or Kundla.

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .609

All-Time Chicago Bulls Team

All-Time Chicago Bulls Team Infographic

Due to Shaquille O’Neal’s recent Instagram post, I’m starting with a profile of the All-Time Chicago Bulls Team. With six NBA championships, the Bulls are seeded third in our tournament.

Michael Jordan is such a dominant player that it’s somewhat difficult to construct a team around him. I cheated a bit here, and listed Scottie Pippen as the primary ball-handler, since he was so versatile and often filled this role. The other guards that made the cut are a mix of dynamic scorers (Derrick Rose) and lockdown defenders (Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan). With a few more solid seasons, Rose certainly has a chance to start, though his fit with Jordan and Pippen (who would slide to his natural small forward position) would be awkward.

The starting forwards are used to playing with each other from the excellent Bulls teams in the 1970s. Both Chet the Jet Walker and Bob Love were excellent scorers, though Love wasn’t as efficient as his other teammates in the starting lineup. The forwards off the bench provide versatility (Luol Deng and Toni Kukoc) plus rebounding and defense (Horace Grant). One of the bigger conflicts I had was whether to include Reggie Theus on this team, instead of Kukoc. Despite being a two-time all-star on the Bulls, Theus’s advanced stats were far inferior to Kukoc’s, so I went with Toni.

There are two very different centers on this team: Artis Gilmore, a traditional big man with the size to rebound, protect the paint, and score down low, and Joakim Noah, a smaller player who relies more on quickness, energy, and will. Noah’s passing skills will be helpful for a team that will play long stretches without a traditional point guard.

This team should shine on the defensive end of the court. Pippen, Jordan, Van Lier, Sloan, Noah, Grant, Deng, and Love constitute one of the best collective defensive units in this tournament. Offensively, they have a nice mix of scorers, but spacing will be a big issue. The best players in franchise history simply were not great three-point shooters, and I could not justify selecting a three-point specialist (like John Paxson) ahead of a superior all-around player (like Norm Van Lier). This is one of the most interesting teams to project, with many versatile pieces, but clear flaws.

Coach – Phil Jackson

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .522

Thanks Shaq!

On Sunday night, Shaquille O’Neal wrote an Instagram post stating that the all-time Lakers starting five would defeat the all-time Bulls starting five by 50 points. What perfect timing – thanks Shaq!

This blog was created to address these exact questions, and to ensure that old school players get their proper due. Case in point: Shaq’s all-time starting five for the Bulls includes Dennis Rodman, Horace Grant, and Derrick Rose. You can make an argument for Rose, but, as you’ll see in my upcoming Bulls post, none of those individuals made my hypothetical starting five, and Rodman did not even make the team (players must have played four years for a franchise to be eligible for this tournament). The ’70s Bulls were an all-time great defensive team that gets glossed over in history, and they’re well-represented here.

I also think it’s important to construct a full roster, since depth is such an important part of basketball. What would an all-time Lakers team be without Jerry West and George Mikan? Who would start for that team? There are so many great options, and I can’t wait to lay them out for you in this project.

All-Time NBA Franchise Tournament Rules

Here are the All-Time NBA Franchise Tournament Rules:

1. There are 12 players on each all-time franchise team.

2. Players must have played at least four years and 200 games for a franchise to be eligible for inclusion.

3. This tournament considers only the contribution that each player made for the particular franchise in question. For example, Wilt Chamberlain played five seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, and only those years are considered for his involvement with the all-time Lakers franchise team. His four years with the 76ers are the only years considered for his involvement with the all-time 76ers franchise team, and the same for his six seasons with the Warriors.

4. I’m not too dogmatic about positions. Starting lineups have an appropriate mix of big men, wings, and ball-handlers.

5. During the tournament, each franchise competes in a hypothetical best-of-seven series against their opponent. I first construct a detailed description of each team; then, after each team is constructed, the matchups begin, where I use research, analysis, and informed opinion to choose a winner.

6. All statistics are courtesy of the great http://www.basketball-reference.com/. The cumulative statistics for each player are listed. I avoid listing per-game statistics when any years are missing (steals per game and blocks per game were not officially tracked until the 1973-74 season, for example).

7. Franchises are seeded by the total number of championships won (first tiebreaker – NBA, BAA, and ABA all count), and by franchise longetivity (second tiebreaker). An online randomizer was used as a third tiebreaker.

8. Here is a guide to the acronyms used in each team’s chart (each is for the player’s time with the franchise under consideration):
PPG – Points per game
RPG – Rebounds per game
APG – Assists per game
SPG – Steals per game
BPG – Blocks per game
FG% – Field goal percentage
3FG% – Three point field goal percentage
FT% – Free throw percentage
PER – Player Efficiency Rating
WS/48 – Win Shares per 48 minutes
All-Star Games – Number of all-star games made
All-NBA – Number of all-NBA teams made (1st, 2nd, or 3rd team)
All-NBA Defense – Number of all-NBA defensive teams made (1st or 2nd team)
ROY – Rookie of the Year
MVP – Most Valuable Player
DPOY – Defensive Player of the Year
ASG MVP – All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
SMOY – Sixth Man of the Year
MIP – Most Improved Player
Finals MVP – NBA Finals Most Valuable Player

(Still) Love the Game

In 2008, my oldest friend decided to start a blog. He invited me to write about sports, and I couldn’t have been any more excited to do it. In my first post, I stated that “blogging allows me to pursue my dream in a half-assed manner, getting close enough to the action to discuss it in a public forum, but far enough that I don’t have to deal with any of the people involved.” The blog was disorganized, unfocused, and didn’t have any regular readers, but I loved working on it. Unfortunately, work, graduate school, and life caused me to stop, and I figured my sports blogging days were over.

A few months ago, I started to list the all-time greatest players for each franchise on a spreadsheet. This isn’t anything new; a Google search for ‘greatest players for each NBA franchise’ returns 123 million results. However, I’ve always been fascinated with tournaments, real or fake, and couldn’t help but wonder how each franchise would fare in this type of competition. What would the all-time Pistons starting five look like? Wouldn’t the all-time Suns be impossible to defend? How would the players from the different eras of Bulls basketball fit as a team? Would anybody be able to beat the Lakers?

I started poring through basketball-reference.com to build a 12-man team for each franchise. It turns out that choosing players, constructing starting fives, and seeing how the pieces fit together is incredibly fun for me. It’s even more fun to compare franchises to determine who has the greatest 12-man unit. You might think the results are inevitable, since the Celtics and Lakers have a combined 33 championships, but it’s amazing to see how good other franchises, such as the 76ers, Warriors, and Spurs are.

I love history, and I particularly love basketball history. I work as a researcher, so you can be sure that I’ll take the time to construct logical arguments here on this blog. Over the next few months, I’ll be profiling every current franchise (save for the newest expansion teams), and showing how they would fare in this all-time tournament. There are many more ideas that I’ll write about for this blog, but this tournament will be the primary focus for the foreseeable future. I’ll read every comment that you post, so please add to the discussion when you see fit. Thank you, and enjoy.