Triple Threat: Ranking the NBA's 30 Threesomes

The flame went out early on the Heat last year with Shaq and Wade being hampered by injuries all year long. O'Neal's now out the door and busy telling Kobe to eat his ass while Marion and Beasley are in - two forward hybrids who are going to drop more jaws than teenage males strolling through South Beach. Beasley and Marion are both interchangeable between the 3 and 4 spots, which makes this group even more intriguing. Expect 25 nightly for Wade and nearly 20 for both Mike & Shawn.

13. Detroit Pistons (Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince)
They're this far down because this list is organized into groups of 3, not 4. They aren't complete without Rasheed Wallace, but he is the weak link for this upcoming season, so he's ousted from the inner circle. Sheed's in his mid-30s and not getting any younger, however he is getting more controversial it seems. Prince will benefit from a full summer with Team USA, and the Chauncey/Rip experience has been the heart of this Detroit "mini-dynasty" since it came into being.

12. Philadelphia 76ers (Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand)
Elton Brand still has to prove to the world that he can be that same franchise big man he once was - the kind of big man that gets paid to play basketball for a living, not sit on the bench wearing suits that are more expensive than anything you own. Andre Miller is aging (but hey, try telling that to Steve Nash and Jason Kidd) and Andre Iguodala is ready to emerge as a bona fide all-star, hopefully something doesn't have to give and this team can work in perfect harmony. As a Raptors fan, it's only fair I tell you that I wrote this brief paragraph while winking profusely.

11. Toronto Raptors (Jose Calderon, Chris Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal)
Nothing will give me more pleasure than to see Jose Calderon blossom into an all-star calibre talent right in front of my eyes while at the same time seeing T.J. Ford's career waste away in Indiana (whose team looks god awful as things currently stand... I'm kidding if you're reading this as a Pacers fan). Take away last year for Jermaine O'Neal, which was marred by a knee injury and a lack of passion for the game (self-admittedly), and you get 20 points and 10 rebounds (don't believe me? Pull out the 2006/07 stat sheet). If Toronto finds a way to get 40 points and 20 rebounds out of O'Neal and Bosh every night, they will be laughing.

10. Orlando Magic (Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard)
Before I blurb on this Magic trio, let me get this out of the way: The only reason I put them ahead of the Raptors was because they finished with a better record this past season. Got it? Let's move on. Two three point specialists who can take it to the hole when needed paired with a dominant big man who jams everything within 5 feet of the rim. Need I explain further?

9. Washington Wizards (Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison)
Based on talent alone this is one of the best trios in the league. Based on chemistry alone this is one of the trios that fluctuates the most. Sometimes Arenas feels content jacking the rock up 30 times a night, whereas on other nights all 3 can be extremely efficient and each throw in 20 on 50% shooting. Caron starts the festivities, Gilbert ends them, and Jamison is there to watch the whole time.

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