Blueprint for an NBA Championship Team

http://www.82games.com/dennis.htm
Highlights

[SIZE=-1]1. 92% of Champions had a First Team All-NBA Player.

2. 81% of NBA Champions had a recent All-Defensive 1st Team Selection

3. 92% of NBA Champions had a Player Ranked in the Top 8 in Efficiency the Preceding Season.


BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
[SIZE=-1]STEP 1: Acquire a Championship Superstar [/SIZE]Approach #1: Acquire a Top 5 caliber player
Only two NBA Champions failed to include a player named to the All-NBA first team during their careers. These players are easy to identify as all but 4 NBA championship teams included players named All-NBA 1st Team in the prior four seasons.
Approach #2: If you fail to acquire a Top 5 caliber player, then you need a Top 5 caliber defender.
Only two NBA Champions failed to include a player named to the All-Defensive first team during their careers, and each of these teams included Top 5 Players. Approach #3: Clear salary cap space for next year.
No NBA team has won a championship without a Top 5 player or Top 5 defender.

[SIZE=-1]STEP 2: Add a championship sidekick (or two) [/SIZE]Every NBA championship roster included a Top 10 caliber player or Top 10 defender as a sidekick. Most championship sidekicks can be identified by looking at players named All-NBA 1st or 2nd Team or All-Defensive 1st or 2nd Team in one of the prior 4 seasons. All told, 86% of all championship rosters included at least one sidekick with a previous All-NBA or All-Defensive selection, and over half of the championship rosters (57%) included 2 or more sidekicks with a previous All-NBA or All-Defensive selection.
[SIZE=-1]STEP 3: Make sure one of your players (superstar or sidekick) can defend [/SIZE]No team has won an NBA title without a Top 10 caliber defender.



WHO ARE TODAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP SUPERSTARS? Every NBA champion has had at least one player named 1st or 2nd Team All-NBA or 1st Team All-Defensive in one of the preceding four seasons, and/or a player who finished in the Top 8 in “efficiency” the prior season. The 23 current players that meet this championship criteria are listed in the tables below. The 11 Top Tier Players give a team the best chance to win an NBA title. The 12 Second Tier Players give a Team and outside chance of winning an NBA title.

List Includes, First Tier: RON ARTEST!!, KB, TD, KG, AI, JK, Nash, Dirk, Shaq, Ben.

2nd Tier: Ray, Bowen, Sam Cassell, Hughes, LBJ, Marion, Jermaine, Payton, Peja, Amare, Wade and Webber.

Sidekicks: Billups, Camby, AK, Deke, Prince, Raliff, Cliff Robinson.

Of the players who didn’t make these lists, the two players most likely to join the Top Tier after the 2005-06 season are Elton Brand and Paul Pierce. Brand is currently 2nd in the league in efficiency and will likely earn his first All-NBA selection. Paul Pierce has been named All-NBA 3rd Team, is currently 9th in Efficiency, and is having his best season. The Second Tier players may soon include Chris Bosh (10th in efficiency), Yao Ming (12th in Efficiency and All-NBA 3rd team selection) and Gilbert Arenas (3rd Team All-NBA last year).


Half of the current NBA teams have a championship superstar player who can carry them to a title. The remaining 15 teams are facing seemingly insurmountable odds, as no NBA team has won a title without a championship superstar player. Don’t hold your breath for the backcourt of Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis to bring a title back to New York as neither of these players made the cut. Other players missing the cut include Paul Pierce, Kenyon Martin, Pau Gasol, Mike Bibby and Carmelo Anthony. Among the current playoff contenders, the pretenders include: Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggetts and the Washington Wizards. One star player, however, is seldom enough to win an NBA title. Teams with only one championship superstar player have an outside chance (14%) of winning an NBA title. The 7 teams that won an NBA title with only one previously recognized star player are listed below. Each of these teams had young players who achieved superstar status in a subsequent season, and all but one (1993-94 Houston Rockets) had two future defensive stars on the roster.


The 7 NBA teams who best resemble championship rosters of the past are discussed in further detail below.

7. Indiana Pacers: Jermaine O’Neal & Peja Stojakovic have each been named All-NBA 2nd Team one time. With the departure of Ron Artest, the Pacers lack a top tier superstar and a top defender. Potential future stars include Jeff Foster and Anthony Johnson who both received votes last season for the All-Defensive teams, but neither is looking like a Top 10 caliber defender.

6. Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson is a former MVP and was named All-NBA 1st Team last year. In addition, in the past four years Allen Iverson and Chris Webber were each named All-NBA 2nd Team two times. The 76ers come up short on defense where only 19% of prior NBA champions have won without a previous All-Defensive selection. Allen Iverson and potential future star Andre Iguodala both received All-Defensive votes last year.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Lebron James was one of the league leaders in efficiency last season and was named All-NBA second team. His running mates include Larry Hughes, an All-Defensive 1st team selection last year and Eric Snow an All-Defensive 2nd team selection three years ago. Zydrunas Ilgauskas received votes last year for the All-NBA teams. The Cavaliers lack a player named All-NBA 1st Team—only 8% of NBA champions have won without an All-NBA 1st Team player on the roster—but it appear only a matter of time for Lebron James.

4. Detroit Pistons: In the past four years, Ben Wallace is a three-time DPOY, two-time All-NBA 2nd team selection and 4 time All-Defensive 1st team selection. Chauncy Billups and Tayshaun Prince have also been named 2nd Team All-Defensive. Like the Cavaliers, the Pistons lack an All-NBA 1st team selection. The other starters include Richard Hamilton who received All-NBA votes last year and Rasheed Wallace, who received All-Defensive votes last year.

3. Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire give the Suns 3 star players. Nash has an MVP and an All-NBA 1st team selection. Stoudemire has an All-NBA second team selection and, along with Marion, was one of the league’s leaders last season in efficiency. The Suns come up short on defense where only 19% of prior NBA champions have won without an All-Defensive selection. Marion, Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas all received votes last season for the All-Defensive teams, with Marion appearing most likely to step it up and gain future All-Defensive honors.

2. Miami Heat: Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Wade, Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning give the Heat 4 star players. In the past four years, Shaq is a 4 time All-NBA 1st team selection, and has been named to the All-Defensive 2nd team. Gary Payton and Dwayne Wade each have an All-NBA 2nd team selection. Payton also was named All-Defensive 1st team and Wade a one time All-Defensive 2nd team. The Heat’s weakness is age. Shaq is a former MVP and Payton and Mourning have each won the DPOY award, though none within the past four years. Further, neither Payton nor Mourning has received any post-season recognition in the past 3 years.
1. San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan and Bruce Bowen provide a championship core that no other team can match. In the past four years Duncan is a two-time MVP, 4 time All-NBA 1st team, 3 time All-Defensive 1st team and has been named All-Defensive 2nd Team one time. Bowen has been named two times each to the All-Defensive 1st and 2nd teams. Potential future stars include Manu



Currently there are 6 teams with only one star player. Two other teams, the Houston Rockets (McGrady & Mutombo) and New Jersey Nets (Kidd & Cliff Robinson) have aging sidekicks, and will also be considered in this category. These long-shots to win the NBA title are listed in the following table, along with potential future stars on their rosters. To maintain a level of objectivity, the future stars were identified as players receiving votes last season for the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams, and players currently in the Top 25 in efficiency.
Teams include: Kings, Dallas, Houston, Minne, NJ, Lakers, Sonics, Clippers.
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Boy that was a long read for stuff that most of us consider common knowledge.
 
Just pointing out through the acquiring of Artest, we are moving in the right direction for a title run. Well, I knew it was long, but your right pretty obvious stuff.
 
would yao not be considered t-macs sidekick. and Jason kidd has vince and rj. I would consider robinson and mutumbo bench role players.
 
Entity said:
would yao not be considered t-macs sidekick. and Jason kidd has vince and rj. I would consider robinson and mutumbo bench role players.

He was ignoring that stuff in classic 82games fashion, and just going by acheivements/awards no matter how old/what the guy's status was now.

In any case the statistical backing for "get a superstar, play defense". Very old tale when it comes to NBA championships.
 
Basically, the whole article can be summarized into one sentence, "most NBA championship teams have at least one superstar (top five) NBA player."

It wasn't a coincidence that the Kings came close to winning a championship when Cwebb was playing near superstar level. Where can we get that superstar level player now? Maybe we should try to pattern after the Detroit Pistons.
 
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yanon said:
Basically, the whole article can be summarized into one sentence, "most NBA championship teams have at least one superstar (top five) NBA player."

It wasn't a coincidence that the Kings came close to winning a championship when Cwebb was playing near superstar level. Where can we get that superstar level player now? Maybe we should try to pattern after the Detroit Pistons.

Artest? Super star defender is the other route.
 
I think Artest is near superstar level. He may or may not ever get to that next level. Therefore, the Kings should go after another big man star player like the Pistons acquired Rasheed Wallace.
 
bigbadred00 said:
Artest? Super star defender is the other route.

Artest is a major piece to be sure, but that's a longshot route, and right now he doesn't have that wingman. One more piece needed I think. A major piece to be sure. But a second stud, whether it be a great defender to turn us into the Pistons, or hopping into the KG sweepstakes this summer to give us one of the best 1-2s in the league, or whatever. Just find a second player who is consistently great.
 
Hughes, Payton, and Webber are second tier players? Give a break. Hughes is at best a 3rd tier star player. Payton was 1st tier but his glory days are long gone. Webber might be a marginal second tier player with his surgically reconstructed knee. Going by the logic presented in that article, AI (1st tier) and Webber (2nd tier) should give the Sixers a better record than their current 8th seed standing. This fact alone is a major blow to the article's credibility.

I think having a right mix of players is also very important to a championship team.
 
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I believe it was Bricklayer who pointed out before that while 82games.com is an EXCELLENT source of statistical data, their articles are mainly not that insightful.
 
yanon said:
I think Artest is near superstar level. He may or may not ever get to that next level. Therefore, the Kings should go after another big man star player like the Pistons acquired Rasheed Wallace.

Was Sheed really considered that great when he was traded? He was more of a disgruntled vet at the time. He has proved himself again to be a great weapon but I think there was a reason the Blazers were so quick to drop him. Pistons won the title because they got him but I don't think they won it because of him (Chauncey and Ben I think were the major cogs in that title).
 
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