imahobbit: Paul Pierce, Lebron James, Dave DeBusschere, Moses Malone
It’s pretty hard to argue with this squad. Moses will clean the glass and get his points inside, and DD provides defensive toughness. You don’t want DeBusschere shooting a lot because of his lower efficiency, but he won’t get many touches with this crew. The presence of Lebron provides nice flexibility in choosing a point guard, who can basically be a shooter and secondary playmaker. On the other hand, you don’t want someone who will hog the ball, or who is a matador on defense since the frontcourt lacks an intimidating shotblocker.
steelers821: Steve Nash, Julius Erving, Karl Malone, Alonzo Mourning
This team has been growing on me. The strategy of pairing two high-octane, high-usage scorers at the forward spots rarely works, and I do think there’s a chance the Doc and Mailman get in each other’s way, but Nash’s presence leads me to assume this team will be running a lot rather than packed around the paint. Nash is a good choice to space the floor and get everyone the ball in their favorite spots. Mourning will need to be happy settling in as the fourth option on offense. The backcourt really needs a stopper more than anything. What I think I like best about this team so far is that none of these guys are head cases. They will all show up to win and leave their guts on the floor.
all3: Derek Harper, Ray Allen, Charles Barkley, Artis Gilmore
You gotta like the inside-outside balance, with Allen providing room for the big guys to operate. Barkley is mobile enough that he should be able to stay out of Artis’ way. I expect those two to give up a lot of fouls on defense, though. Harper is unspectacular and might have been available a round later, but he’s the kind of glue this team needs – steady playmaking and decent defense. He’s not a marksman but will drop a 3 now and then to keep defenses honest. He also needs to be a coach on the floor to keep Chuck’s head on straight. This is obviously Barkley’s team and he has the talent to make noise in this league but was an impetuous knucklehead at times who is a threat to go ballistic and get himself tossed.
jayharvill: Gary Payton, Tracy McGrady, Ben Wallace, David Robinson
I like this team, with great defense inside and out and plenty of scoring. Wallace is a great choice since he doesn’t need to ball and Payton won’t settle for anything less the #3 option (if that) – I’ll buy the argument that Ben can play PF. Actually, Payton might be the biggest post-up threat on this team, since prime Admiral really like to face the basket. Looks like a possible contender to me, as long as the SG fits in well.