Dream Team Draft - rankings due Sunday night

[Dime Dropper]

With my 5th pick I select...

Bob Pettit - PF

Bob's the guy who revolutionized the PF position to what it was before Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan revolutionized it to what it is today. Pettit was the first player to ever score 20,000 points in a career, he was selected to the All-Star and All-NBA team in every single season he played, got the All-Star MVP in four of those years (the most ever), and even led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship over the heavily favored Celtics with Bill Russell.

He is still third in career rebound averages (below Wilt and Bill) at 16.2 per game and is one of only two players to average more than 20 ppg in every single season he played in. He'll round out my team perfectly. Here's some more nifty stats.

• 1954-55 NBA Rookie of the Year
• 4× NBA All-Star MVP
• 2× NBA MVP
• NBA 25th Anniversary Team
• NBA 35th Anniversary Team
• NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• 10× All-NBA First Team Selection
• 1× All-NBA Second Team Selection
• 11× NBA All-Star
• 2× NBA Scoring Champion
• Jersey (#9) retired by the Atlanta Hawk

Excellent pick, he's a guy that dropped far too low.

 

[LoungeLizard]

LoungeLizard selects:

Carmelo Anthony SF



Anthony will round out my starting five nicely. One of the best SF in the game today. Anthony impressed me during the Olympics as a player who could, in fact, mesh with other stars and play within a Team concept.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Melo is a guy that completely slipped my mind. Wouldn't have fitted in with my team, but good pick nonetheless.

 

[SacKings7]

Yeah Melo was 1 of a few I was considering for my SF, but went with Pierce because of the D and experience. Good pick

 

[Jespher]

kings4lyfe32 and Kingsfaithful are both on the clock. PMs have been sent.

 

[Larry89]

Pippen is trembling in his shoes

 

[Kings Faithful]

Yes...finally...now I will unleash my next pick...

Nate "the Great" Thurmond

Hailed as one of the best defenders of all time, Nate Thurmond's season averages are only surpassed by the dominant Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel.

In the 67/68 season Thurmond averaged 21.3 ppg (not bad for a defensive minded player, eh?) and 22.0 rpg

* Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1985)
* 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team
* 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team
* NBA All-Rookie Team (1964)
* 7× NBA All-Star (1965-1968, 1970, 1973, 1974)
* NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

Nate Thurmond also holds the honor for being the first player to ever achieve a quadruple double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots against the Atlanta Hawks in 1974. He also holds the records for most rebounds in one quarter with 18

 

[AleksandarN]

Yes...finally...now I will unleash my next pick...

Nate "the Great" Thurmond

Hailed as one of the best defenders of all time, Nate Thurmond's season averages are only surpassed by the dominant Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel.

In the 67/68 season Thurmond averaged 21.3 ppg (not bad for a defensive minded player, eh?) and 22.0 rpg

* Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1985)
* 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team
* 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team
* NBA All-Rookie Team (1964)
* 7× NBA All-Star (1965-1968, 1970, 1973, 1974)
* NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

Nate Thurmond also holds the honor for being the first player to ever achieve a quadruple double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots against the Atlanta Hawks in 1974. He also holds the records for most rebounds in one quarter with 18

I starting to hate being second last in this draft

 

[LoungeLizard]

Yes...finally...now I will unleash my next pick...

Nate "the Great" Thurmond

Hailed as one of the best defenders of all time, Nate Thurmond's season averages are only surpassed by the dominant Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russel.

In the 67/68 season Thurmond averaged 21.3 ppg (not bad for a defensive minded player, eh?) and 22.0 rpg

* Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1985)
* 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team
* 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team
* NBA All-Rookie Team (1964)
* 7× NBA All-Star (1965-1968, 1970, 1973, 1974)
* NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

Nate Thurmond also holds the honor for being the first player to ever achieve a quadruple double with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots against the Atlanta Hawks in 1974. He also holds the records for most rebounds in one quarter with 18

I'd been mulling Thurmond for the last few rounds. I wasn't sure he would be appreciated. There is a good quote from Kareem about how if he scored on Thurmond he knew it was something. Nice pick.

 

[vikinginferno]

I think kings4lyfe's internet is messed up again...

 

[AleksandarN]

Dave DeBusschere PF

One of the greatest if not the greatest defensive PF the game have every seen.

DeBusschere was born in Detroit, Michigan, and was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame after a 12-year career (1962–1974) in which he averaged 16.1 points and eleven rebounds while being named to eight NBA All-Star teams. However, he was best known for his physical style of play and tenacious defense, as he was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team six times

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_DeBusschere
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/2734336868_e9ab157e2a.jpg

 

[vikinginferno]

He would have a lot of trouble guarding power forwards nowadays, but what he did for the game was tremendous. Great pick!

 

[GeraldWallace#3]

George Mikan

The best player in his time. So dominatnt the he caused the league to change a couple rules. Surprised he fell this far to me. But I will be glad to take him right now and play him at the 4 along with Yao. That is a scary front court

Best season

14.1 RPG/ 3.1 AST/28.4 PPG

Seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships
1953 All-Star Game MVP
Member of the first four NBA All-Star Teams
Member of the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams
Greatest Player of the First Half-Century (1950)
25th NBA Anniversary Team (1970)
35th NBA Anniversary Team (1980)
NBA 50 Greatest Players (1996

 

[Kings Faithful]

George Mikan

The best player in his time. So dominatnt the he caused the league to change a couple rules. Surprised he fell this far to me. But I will be glad to take him right now and play him at the 4 along with Yao. That is a scary front court

Best season

14.1 RPG/ 3.1 AST/28.4 PPG

Seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships
1953 All-Star Game MVP
Member of the first four NBA All-Star Teams
Member of the first six All-BAA and All-NBA Teams
Greatest Player of the First Half-Century (1950)
25th NBA Anniversary Team (1970)
35th NBA Anniversary Team (1980)
NBA 50 Greatest Players (1996

Woah...I didn't even know who this guy was. I love his glasses...haha

 

[GeraldWallace#3]

Ron Artest

Maybe a nuthead but you gotta love the guy's heart tenasity and love for the game. He is the guy you can count on to gaurd your best player and shut them down, he is the guy you can count on to intimidate the next team. He is the guy who can count on to play any position on the floor. And plus with Phil Jackson his attitude is sure to straighten up.

Best Year:

3.1 AST/ 2.1 SPG/ 0.9 BPG/ 24.6 PPG

2004 Defensive Player of the Year

2004 All Star

 

[GeraldWallace#3]

Message sent

 

[Jespher]

Big Game James was already taken and is off the board (Venom's 2nd pick). Please repick. PM sent...

 

[VF21]

It looks as though he's logged off, Jespher, so you might want to send him a PM to let him know his pick was ineligible.

 

[kings4lyfe32]

someone take my spot? or forfit my picks or something my computer is screwed up, I'm typing this from my phone and I won't be able to keep up with this guys.
Sorry for any inconvience

 

[Larry89]

I'll take Karl Malone

 

[Jespher]

I'll take Karl Malone

Me too

 

[Bricklayer]

Tell you what -- if nobody else wants to take over his spot under such shaky circumstances, let it roll through all the way to the end of the draft and I'd be willing to bet I could instant draft a competitive roster for him out of undrafted players.

 

[VF21]

I'll take his spot but ONLY so the draft will continue and not be off-balance. (And because I don't think there's any equitable solution to how Karl Malone and Isiah Thomas might be reintegrated back into the draft.)

I'll have the missing picks ready as soon as humanly possible. In the interest of some kind of fairness, though, I'm asking that no one make any more picks until I can get them caught up. It's going to take a bit of doing to figure out who's good enough to join the team who hasn't already been picked.

If that's equitable to all concerned, I'll make the missing picks shortly...

 

[VF21]

With "my" third pick, I'm going overseas and grabbing SG Drazen Petrovic.

Full Name: Drazen Petrovic
Born: 10/22/64 Sibenik, Croatia
Died: 6/7/93
College: University of Zagreb(Yugoslavia)
Drafted by: Portland Trail Blazers, 1986 (third round)
Height: 6-5
Weight: 200 lbs.
Honors: Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2002); All-NBA Third Team (1993)
Transactions: Traded to New Jersey Nets 1/23/91

Drazen Petrovic helped start the influx of European players into the NBA. A native of Croatia, he led his national team to gold medals at the European and World Championships and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics. He was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in 1986. He remained in Europe for several years, however, and was a dominant force with Real Madrid in
Spain.

He eventually came to the U.S. in 1989 and played for Portland in only limited minutes behind Clyde Drexler. In 1990-91, Portland still kept him on the bench before finally trading him to the New Jersey Nets. The Nets also didn't utilize him much, but he did see enough court time to improve his product from 7.6 ppg to 12.6 ppg. He was playing an average of only 20.5 minutes and had, therefore, one of the best points-per-minute ratios in the league.

He finally got a chance to start for the Nets in 1991 and his production soared to 20.6 ppg. He was recognized as one of the league's best outside shooters, espeically from behind the arc. He hit 123 of 277 three-point attempts, ranking second in the NBA with a .444 percentage. He also led the Nets in field goal shooting (.508) and free-throw shooting (.808).

His skills continued to improve the next season, when he led the Nets in scoring (2.3 ppg), had a team-high .518 field goal percentage and also led the Nets with his .449 three-point percentage. He was selected to the All-NBA third team.

He was well-loved for his energy and enthusiasm, and his determination to improve every aspect of his game.

During the summer of 1993, Petrovic returned to Europe to compete with the Croatian National Team in the Euro Cup. He played in a qualifying match, scoring 30 points, and then decided to take a day off to visit his girl-friend in Germany. He was en route to Munich on June 7 when the car in which he was riding slammed into a tractor-trailer rig and he was killed instantly.

His death was mourned throughout the basketball community both in the U.S. and in Europe. His number (#3) was retired by the Nets and he was posthumously elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. A trophy named in his honor is awarded to the MVP of the McDonalds Championship, which is the series between the NBA champion and the European champion.

In 290 games in the NBA, Petrovic scored 4,461 points, had 669 boards, 701 assists, 265 steals and 27 blocks. His career FG% is .506, with .437 from 3-pt. land and .841 from the stripe.

At the time of his death, Petrovic was only 28 years old.

 

[VF21]

With my 4th pick, I'm grabbing C Dave Cowens.

Dave Cowens

Dave Cowens earned a berth in the Basketball Hall of Fame because of his tenacity and work ethic as a mainstay of the Boston Celtics in the 1970s, leading the team to NBA Championships in 1974 and 1976. Playing in the era of Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain, and "Pistol Pete" Maravich, Cowens didn't possess the flash and glitz of those high-profile superstars. Instead, it was Cowens' consistency, work ethic, unselfishness, versatility and energy that established him as one of the most solid and respected centers in recent NBA history.

G ---FG% --3PFG% --FT% --Rebs --RPG --Asts --APG --Stls --Blks --Pts --PPG
766 .460 ----.071--- .783 -10,444 -13.6 --2910 --3.8 ---599 --488 13,516-17.6

Full Name: David William Cowens
Born: 10/25/48 in Newport, Ky.
High School: Newport (Ky.) Central Catholic
College: Florida State
Drafted by: Boston Celtics, 1970 (fourth overall)
Height: 6-9; Weight: 230 lbs.

Transactions: Traded to Milwaukee Bucks, 9/9/82

Honors: Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1990); NBA champion (1974, '76); NBA MVP (1973); All-NBA Second Team (1973, '75, '76); All-Defensive First Team (1976); All-Defensive Second Team (1975, '80); NBA co-Rookie of the Year (1971); Seven-time All-Star; All-Star MVP ('73); One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

http://www.nba.com/history/players/cowens_summary.html

 

[VF21]

And with my #5 pick, I'm grabbing someone obviously not named Reggie Miller...

 

[Bricklayer]

And with my #5 pick, I'm grabbing Reggie Miller to take up the slack at the SF position.

Reggie, however, has already been taken. By...somebody. Forgot who.

 

[VF21]

With my 5th pick - second effort - I'm going with Adrian Dantley.

Full Name: Adrian Delano Dantley
Born: 2/28/56 in Washington D.C.
High School: DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)
College: Notre Dame
Transactions: Traded to Indiana, 9/1/77; Traded to L.A. Lakers, 12/13/77; Traded to Utah, 9/13/79; Traded to Detroit, 8/21/86; Traded to Dallas, 2/15/89, Signed with Milwaukee, 4/2/91 Nickname: A.D.
Height: 6-5; Weight: 210 lbs.
Drafted by: Buffalo Braves (1976)
Honors: All-NBA Second Team (1981, '84); NBA Rookie of the Year (1977); NBA Comeback Player of the Year (1984); NBA All-Star (1980, '81, '82, '84, '85, '86); Olympic gold medalist (1976).

Anyone wanting to get a line on Adrian Dantley the basketball star need only look at his career statistics: 23,177 points, ninth on the NBA career scoring list at time of retirement; a .540 field-goal percentage, one of the highest ever recorded by an NBA noncenter; and 30-plus points per game for four straight seasons. He was a smart, fundamentally sound player who relied on both strength and finesse.

For all that was known of Dantley the deadeye shooter and high-intensity competitor, Dantley the man confused and often confounded coaches, players, and fans during a stellar, if highly unusual, NBA career. His motives were often misunderstood and his intentions misread.

On the court, the athletic Dantley was as smooth an outside shooter as could be, a force on the inside with an explosive first step, and a master of psychology. Sometimes he intentionally allowed his first shot of the game to be blocked, and then, for the rest of the night, he used his patented head fake to burn his defender. Dantley also lured opponents into unsuccessful steal attempts by dribbling the ball very high. Off the court, Dantley chose his words carefully. He spoke with conviction and honesty, sometimes at the expense of diplomacy.

Dantley's many basketball accomplishments include a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two NBA scoring titles. He played for seven different teams during his 15-year playing career, with his longest stint spent in a Utah Jazz uniform. Regrettably, his teams never won an NBA Championship.

Career statistics:

G ---FG% --3PFG% --FT% --Rebs --RPG --Asts --APG --Stls --Blks ---Pts ----PPG
955 -.540 ---.171 ---.818 --5,455 --5.7 --2,830 --3.0 --944 --150 --23,177--24.3

http://www.nba.com/history/players/dantley_bio.html

 

[Jespher]

So Geraldwallace#3 and AleksandarN are on the clock. PMs sent.

Welcome to the draft VF21, now stay away from my players

 

[Bricklayer]

Here ya go #4: