Forum Game Fantasy GM: Build Your All-Time Trail Blazers’ Starting Five Using $15

Point Guard: Rod Strickland ($2)
Shooting Guard: CJ McCollum ($2)
Small Forward: Scottie Pippen ($1)
Power Forward: Rasheed Wallace ($5)
Center: Bill Walton ($5)

I've always thought and said that Wallace would be just about the ideal power forward in this era. Bill Walton would be great in any era, but he'd be a nice fit for this era igniting fast breaks. Strickland was a more than capable point guard and could navigate the pick-and-roll...a must for this era. If only he could shoot the three. Pippen is a perfect defensive fit for this switch-heavy era and he had a decent enough shot to at least force defenders to stay attached out to the three-point line. Once again, we have a small backcourt with no defensive stopper but the front court is so absurdly defensively gifted that it should work out.

 

Why, because they play defense? Make no mistake, they can also score, and score very efficiently. Prime Brandon Roy was a better scorer than Hayward. Porter was a better, more efficient scorer than anyone UTA has had at PG since John Stockton and Walton was a much more complete player than Gobert will ever be.

My Starters:

Brandon Roy = 22.6 ppg
Bill Walton = 18.6 ppg
Terry Porter = 18.2 ppg
Buck Williams = 13.6 ppg
Scottie Pippen = 12.5 ppg
Total = 85.5 ppg

UTA Starters:

Gordon Hayward = 21.9 ppg
George Hill = 16.9 ppg (missed 33 ganes)
Rudy Gobert = 14.0 ppg
Rodney Hood = 12.7 ppg
Derrick Favors = 9.5 ppg (missed 32 games)
Total = 75.0 ppg

10.5 ppg is very significant. Throw in an average NBA bench, and my team is at 116.5 ppg and UTA is at 106 ppg. Offensively, that's basically the difference between 2016-17 GSW (116.5 ppg) and 2016-17 BRK (105.8 PPG).

With Porter, Roy, Walton and Pippen, my team also has much better passing , insuring plenty of easy baskets for everyone.

On the other had if you were referring to the Stockton-Malone UTA teams that won 60+ games and went to the finals in consecutive years, I'll take that.

Still, I like my other two teams better - especially for the modern game.

BNM

 

There would be quite a few "Miracle Minute" moments with this team

 

Lillard ($5)
Roy ($4)
Pippen ($1)
Rasheed ($5)
Nurk ($0)

 

The passing and shooting would really be something to watch.

 

Yeah, I was looking at it as your team would get the majority of their wins via defense and stopping the other team from scoring but you do have a point, 10.5 points is significant so I concede my previous statement.

Unless it could apply to a Derron Williams or Stockton era Jazz Team? Probably not though, right?

 

Porter ($4)
McCollum ($2)
Pippen ($1)
Lucas ($4)
Sabonis ($4)

Great offensively, with 4 Three point shooters and good passing from PG, SF, and C. 4 great defenders in Porter, Pippen, Lucas, and Sabonis. Intimidating frontcourt.

 

Is there an echo in here!?

 

It's objectively the best $15 lineup imho.

 

$5 Dame
$5 Walton
$2 CJ
$2 Kersey
$1 Buck

We stay healthy, we win titles.

 

Weird choice of words to use together !

 

Hey, I provided my answer, within the rules. I just disagreed that BGrant should be listed as a center and that error screwed up my preferred choices.

BNM

 

Hopefully, we get something close to that this year (or next) with:

Dame
Nurk
C.J.
Mo
Swanigan

Nurk could end up being a poor man's Walton with a similar well rounded, 2-way game. If only Mo had Kersey's motor and fearless attitude. Swanigan has the motor and rebounding, and a more well rounded offensive game than Portland Buck, but his defense is the question. Defense was never a question with Buck.

Substitute Vonleh for Swanigan, and you get the defense, but loose the energy and the offensive versatility.

BNM

 

Kersey is on the floor for slashing, defense, hustle, rebounding and the fact that he would run through a wall for his teammates. Pip nor Petrie would/could do that.

 

IMO between the other 4 there's enough BBIQ. And Kersey is doing shit like this:

http://www.nba.com/blazers/video/2013/10/10/TBTJeromemov-2615436/

Mercy mercy...

 

I think it was the "running through a wall for teammates" that he was focusing on. That's at least the sense I got.