NBA Power Rankings: Ranking Each and Every Team's All-Time 12-Man Lineup

I've seen all-time starting fives for teams assembled and even all-time 12-man lineups put together before for individual teams, but never all 30 teams in the NBA. 

Well, that all changes here as you can find the best 12-man lineup for each and every team that currently exists in the league. And, I've even taken it one step further and ranked them from worst to best. You can probably guess which franchises will be high up in the rankings though (Celtics and Lakers anyone?) and which will kick them off (the newest franchises of course). 

But first, a few ground rules. 

1. Players are not eligible to join more than one team. This is particularly relevant to players like Shaquille O'Neal, who made an impact on the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. 

2. If a player has played for multiple teams in his career, he is only eligible on the team with which he spent the most seasons. In the event of a tie, games played becomes the tiebreaker. If that is the same for two franchises...well, don't worry about it because it never happened.

3. Players are eligible for positions that they played at some point and are listed at. Larry Bird may have been a small forward, but he dabbled at power forward and remains listed as a forward and not an exclusive small forward for example. 

4. All players are taken during their primes. Yes, obviously even Adam Morrison could beat George Mikan right now, but that's not the way this works.

With that taken care of, read on and enjoy!

30. Charlotte Bobcats

Point Guard: Raymond Felton

Shooting Guard: Matt Carroll

Small Forward: Gerald Wallace 

Power Forward: Emeka Okafor

Center: Primoz Brezek

Bench: DJ Augustin (PG), Melvin Ely (PF/C), Ryan Hollins (C), Brevin Knight (PG), Sean May (PF), Adam Morrison (SF), Bernard Robinson (SF)

Don't spend too much time looking at this team as the rest are all infinitely better. Adam Morrison actually making the squad should say it all. 

29. Toronto Raptors

Point Guard: Jose Calderon 

Shooting Guard: Vince Carter

Small Forward: Morris Peterson 

Power Forward: Chris Bosh

Center: Sharone Wright

Bench: Andrea Bargnani (PF/C), Doug Christie (SG/SF), DeMar DeRozan (SG), Joey Graham (SF/PF), Jason Kapono (SF), Anthony Parker (SG), Alvin Williams (SG)

While much better than the Bobcats, the Raptors are too weak to compete with any of the big boys in this league. 

28. Miami Heat

Point Guard: Dwyane Wade 

Shooting guard: Eddie Jones

Small Forward: Jamal Mashburn

Power Forward: Glen Rice

Center: Alonzo Mourning

Bench: Bimbo Coles (PG), Kevin Edwards (SG), Briant Grant (PF), Udonis Haslem (PF), Voshon Leonard (SG), Grant Long (PF), Rony Seikaly (C)

Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning should be able to carry this team against normal competition, but this is no normal competition. 

27. Memphis Grizzlies

Point Guard: Jason Williams

Shooting Guard: OJ Mayo

Small Forward: Shane Battier

Power Forward: Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Center: Pau Gasol

Bench: Mike Conley (PG), Michael Dickerson (SG/SF), Marc Gasol (PF/C), Rudy Gay (SF), Mike Miller (SF), Bryant Reeves (C), Hakim Warrick (PF)

With White Chocolate running the show, this team would be entertaining. They would also have great team unity with both Gasol brothers on the same roster joined by Shane Battier.  

26. Los Angeles Clippers

Point Guard: Gary Grant

Shooting Guard: Randy Smith

Small Forward: Corey Maggette

Power Forward: Blake Griffin

Center: Bob McAdoo

Bench: Elton Brand (PF), Eric Gordon (SG), Chris Kaman (C), Bob Kauffman (PF/C), Danny Manning (PF/C), Ken Norman (SF/PF), Eric Piatkowski (SG/SF)

Blake Griffin is already good enough to start on this team, which is both an insult to the team as a whole and a compliment to Griffin at the same time. 

25. New Orleans Hornets

Point Guard: Chris Paul

Shooting Guard: Dell Curry

Small Forward: Larry Johnson

Power Forward: David West

Center: Jamaal Magloire

Bench: Mugsy Bogues (PG), PJ Brown (PF/C), Baron Davis (PG), Kenny Gattison (PF/C), JR Reid (PF), Marcus Thornton (SG), David Wesley (PG)

Chris Paul would have to stay on top of his game with a bunch of good point guards waiting behind him. The rest of the starting lineup, though, is rather safe. 

24. Orlando Magic

Point Guard: Jameer Nelson

Shooting Guard: Penny Hardaway

Small Forward: Nick Anderson

Power Forward: Hedo Turkoglu

Center: Dwight Howard

Bench: Darrell Armstrong (PG), Terry Catledge (SF/PF), Pat Garrity (SF/PF), Marcin Gortat (PF/C), JJ Redick (SG/SF), Dennis Scott (SF/PF), Scott Skiles (PG)

While the entire starting lineup is very solid, the bench is quite weak. Redick is a valuable role player for example, but he has no business on a team's all-time 12-man lineup. 

23. New Jersey Nets

Point Guard: Jason Kidd

Shooting Guard: Drazen Petrovic

Small Forward: Richard Jefferson

Power Forward: Buck Williams

Center: Brook Lopez

Bench: Otis Birdsong (PG/SG), Albert King (SG/SF), Kerry Kittles (SG), Bill Melchionni (PG), Brian Taylor (PG), Keith Van Horn (PF), John Williamson (PG)

With Jason Kidd and Drazen Petrovic in their primes, this backcourt would be capable of absolutely lighting up the scoreboards. The frontcourt is a little bit weak though. 

22. Minnesota Timberwolves

Point Guard: Micheal Williams

Shooting Guard: Tony Campbell

Small Forward: Wally Szczerbiak

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett

Center: Christian Laettner

Bench: Troy Hudson (PG), Al Jefferson (PF), Kevin Love (PF), Sam Mitchell (SF), Anthony Peeler (SG), Isaiah Rider (SG), David West (SG/SF)

Kevin Garnett is good enough to carry this team even though his supporting cast is not quite as good as the past few teams. 

21. Indiana Pacers

Point Guard: Mark Jackson

Shooting Guard: Reggie Miller

Small Forward: Danny Granger

Power Forward: Jermaine O'Neal

Center: George McGinnis

Bench: Ron Artest (SF), Roger Brown (SG/SF), Mel Daniels (C), Dale Davis (PF), Clark Kellogg (SF/PF), Billy Knight (SG/SF), Chuck Person (SF/PF), Rik Smits (C)

The last of what I would call the lower-tier teams, the Indiana Pacers are solid across the board but by no means great. 

20. Denver Nuggets

Point Guard: Fat Lever

Shooting Guard: David Thompson

Small Forward: Alex English

Power Forward: Antonio McDyess

Center: Dan Issel

Bench: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (PG), Carmelo Anthony (SF), Byron Beck (PF/C), Marcus Camby (PF/C), TR Dunn (SG), Nene Hilario (PF/C), Ralph Simpson (SG/SF)

This team of underrated players (Fat Lever, Alex English, Antonio McDyess, Dan Issel and Nene Hilario all qualify there) is good enough to force Melo to the bench. 

19. Dallas Mavericks

Point Guard: Derek Harper

Shooting Guard: Mark Aguirre

Small Forward: Michael Finley

Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

Center: James Donaldson

Bench: Rolando Blackman (SG), Erik Dampier (C), Brad Davis (PG), Josh Howard (SG/SF), Sam Perkins (PF/C), Jason Terry (SG), Jay Vincent (SF/PF)

It's hard to doubt Dirk Nowitzki after he willed the Dallas Mavericks to a championship. What could he do with an even better team surrounding him? 

18. Phoenix Suns

Point Guard: Steve Nash

Shooting Guard: Walter Davis

Small Forward: Dick Van Arsdale 

Power Forward: Shawn Marion

Center: Amar'e Stoudemire

Bench: Alvan Adams (PF/C), Rex Chapman (SG), Connie Hawkins (PF/C), Kevin Johnson (PG), Dan Majerle (SG/SF), Charlie Scott (SG/SF), Paul Westphal (SG)

With Thunder Dan and KJ coming off the bench, this team ushers in a new tier of teams—the ones that can actually compete with almost anyone in this hypothetical league.

17. Cleveland Cavaliers

Point Guard: Mark Price

Shooting Guard: Austin Carr

Small Forward: LeBron James

Power Forward: John Williams

Center: Brad Daugherty

Bench: Terrell Brandon (PG), Jim Chones (PF/C), World B. Free (PG), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C), Campy Russell (PF), Bingo Smith (SG/SF), Anderson Varejao (PF/C)

This team wins the prize for best collection of names. Who else has a LeBron, World B. Free, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Campy Russell and Bingo Smith?

16. Milwaukee Bucks

Point Guard: Sam Cassell

Shooting Guard: Ray Allen

Small Forward: Marques Johnson

Power Forward: Terry Cummings

Center: Andrew Bogut

Bench: Lucius Allen (PG), Bob Dandridge (SG/SF), Sidney Moncrief (SG), Paul Pressey (SG/SF), Michael Redd (SG), Glenn Robinson (SF), Brian Winters (SG/SF)

Ray Allen is as deadly as they come from the three-point line and he'd get a lot of open looks playing with this group. 

15. Portland Trail Blazers

Point Guard: Terry Porter

Shooting Guard: Geoff Petrie

Small Forward: Clyde Drexler

Power Forward: Maurice Lucas

Center: Bill Walton

Bench: Lionel Hollins (PG/SG), Jerome Kersey (SF/PF), Jim Paxson (SG/SF), Cliff Robinson (PF/C), Brandon Roy (SG), Mychal Thompson (PF/C), Rasheed Wallace (PF/C)

With Clyde the Glide leading the way, this collection of great—but not too great—players could make some serious noise despite the fact that we're only halfway through the rankings. 

14. Washington Wizards

Point Guard: Gilbert Arenas

Shooting Guard: Jeff Malone

Small Forward: Gus Johnson 

Power Forward: Elvin Hayes

Center: Wes Unseld 

Bench: Caron Butler (SF), Juwan Howard (PF), Bernard King (SF), Antawn Jamison (SF/PF), Jeff Ruland (PF/C), Rod Strickland (PG), John Wall (PG)

A solid group across the board, we all know that Gilbert Arenas can shoot. At least the rest of the team only has that ability on the court. 

13. Oklahoma City Thunder

Point Guard: Gary Payton

Shooting Guard: Dale Ellis 

Small Forward: Kevin Durant

Power Forward: Jack Sikma

Center: Detlef Schrempf

Bench: Fred Brown (PG/SG), Tom Chambers (PF/C), Spencer Haywood (PF/C), Shawn Kemp (PF/C), Rashard Lewis (PF), Russell Westbrook (PG)

Gary Payton is a stud on both ends of the court and Kevin Durant is one of the most talented scorers we've seen in a long time. This team is very very dangerous on both sides of the floor. 

12. Utah Jazz

Point Guard: John Stockton

Shooting Guard: Pete Maravich

Small Forward: Adrian Dantley

Power Forward: Karl Malone

Center: Mehmet Okur

Bench: Thurl Bailey (PF/C), Mark Eaton (C), Rickey Green (PG), Darrell Griffith (SG), Jeff Hornacek (SG), Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF), Deron Williams (PG)

Karl Malone and John Stockton were great together without a bunch of stellar players around them. The result when you add in Maravich, Dantley and the rest could be scary. 

11. Sacramento Kings

Point Guard: Tiny Archibald

Shooting Guard: Oscar Robertson

Small Forward: Peja Stojakovic

Power Forward: Chris Webber

Center: Jerry Lucas

Bench: Bob Davies (SG/SF), Wayne Embry (PF/C), Tyreke Evans (PG), Sam Lacey (C), Mitch Richmond (SG), Jack Twyman (SG/SF), Bobby Wanzer (PG)

Don't forget how good Peja Stojakovic was in his prime. This guy wouldn't be too out of place hanging out with the other greats on this team. 

10. San Antonio Spurs

Point Guard: Tony Parker

Shooting Guard: George Gervin

Small Forward: Manu Ginobili

Power Forward: Tim Duncan

Center: David Robinson

Bench: Bruce Bowen (SF/PF), Sean Elliott (SF/PF), Avery Johnson (PG), Larry Kenon (PF), Mike Mitchell (SF), James Silas (PG), Alvin Robertson (PG/SG)

With the exception of the Iceman, most of this team already played together and was quite successful. Adding in Gervin just makes them all the better. 

9. Atlanta Hawks

Point Guard: Lenny Wilkens

Shooting Guard: Lou Hudson

Small Forward: Dominique Wilkins

Power Forward: Bob Petit

Center: Dikembe Mutombo

Bench: Walt Bellamy (C), John Drew (SG/SF), Cliff Hagan (SG/SF), Joe Johnson (SG/SF), Josh Smith (SF/PF), Steve Smith (SG), Kevin Willis (PF/C)

The defensive ability of this team would be something to marvel at thanks to the overall athleticism. The backcourt here is particularly strong with Walt Bellamy and Josh Smith coming off the bench. 

8. Philadelphia 76ers

Point Guard: Allen Iverson

Shooting Guard: Hal Greer

Small Forward: Julius Erving

Power Forward: Charles Barkley

Center: Billy Cunningham

Bench: Bobby Jones (PF), Maurice Cheeks (PG), Samuel Dalembert (C), Andre Iguodala (SG/SF), Neil Johnston (C), Red Kerr (PF/C), Chet Walker (SF/PF)

The 76ers bring it up yet another notch with The Answer running the show. If the bench were a bit better (I can't believe I just said that about a bench that includes Maurice Cheeks and Chet Walker!), then this team could be really competitive. 

7. Chicago Bulls

Point Guard: Derrick Rose

Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan

Small Forward: Scottie Pippen

Power Forward: Horace Grant

Center: Artis Gilmore

Bench: Tom Boerwinkle (C), Ben Gordon (PG/SG), Toni Kukoc (PF), Bob Love (SF/PF), Jerry Sloan (SG/SF), Reggie Theus (SG), Norm Van Lier (PG)

While the bench isn't that great to be quite frank, I do not question Michael Jordan's ability to carry a team. This is especially true when Artis Gilmore, Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen and Derrick Rose are playing alongside him. 

6. Houston Rockets

Point Guard: Calvin Murphy

Shooting Guard: Steve Francis

Small Forward: Tracy McGrady

Power Forward: Moses Malone

Center: Hakeem Olajuwon

Bench:  Vernon Maxwell (SG), Yao Ming (C), Cuttino Mobley (SG), Mike Newlin (SG/SF), Ralph Sampson (PF/C), Otis Thorpe (PF/C), Rudy Tomjanovich (SF)

The Dream Shake worked well enough without Moses Malone playing alongside Hakeem Olajuwon. And if either of them get tired, Yao Ming can just get up off the bench and replace them. 

5. New York Knicks

Point Guard: Earl Monroe

Shooting Guard: Walt Frazier

Small Forward: Bill Bradley

Power Forward: Willis Reed

Center: Patrick Ewing

Bench: Dick Barnett (SG/SF), Harry Gallatin (PF/C), Richie Guerin (SG), Allan Houston (SG), Dick McGuire (PG), Willie Naulls (PF/C), Charles Oakley (PF/C),

If I had to pick one of these teams to root for, this one would be pretty high up on the list. Earl the Pearl, Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing would be a pleasure to watch and Harry Gallatin is one of the most underrated players in the history of this league. 

4. Detroit Pistons

Point Guard: Isiah Thomas

Shooting Guard: Joe Dumars

Small Forward: Grant Hill

Power Forward: Dennis Rodman

Center: Bob Lanier

Bench: Chauncey Billups (PG), Dave Bing (SG), Dave DeBusschere (SG/SF), Richard Hamilton (SG/SF), Bill Laimbeer (C), Ben Wallace (PF/C), George Yardley (SG/SF)

Rip Hamilton is the worst player on this team, which is truly amazing. This Detroit bench could form a killer starting lineup for many other teams in these rankings. 

3. Golden State Warriors

Point Guard: Tim Hardaway

Shooting Guard: Paul Arizin

Small Forward: Rick Barry

Power Forward: Nate Thurmond

Center: Wilt Chamberlain

Bench: Joe Fulks (PF/C), Tom Gola (SG/SF), Chris Mullin (SG/SF), Jeff Mullins (SG/SF), Jason Richardson (SG/SF), Guy Rodgers (PG), Latrell Sprewell (SG/SF)

Nate Thurmond and Wilt Chamberlain were once traded for each other, but here they get to play on the same team. Oh, and Rick Barry, Tim Hardaway and Paul Arizin also get to start. How does it get better than this again?

2. Boston Celtics

Point Guard: Bob Cousy

Shooting Guard: John Havlicek 

Small Forward: Paul Pierce

Power Forward: Larry Bird

Center: Bill Russell

Bench: Dave Cowens (PF/C), Tommy Heinsohn (PF/C), Dennis Johnson (SG/SF), Sam Jones (SG), Kevin McHale (PF/C), Robert Parish (C), Jo Jo White (PG/SG)

Is it any surprise that this team in in the top two? Paul Pierce does belong in the starting lineup of this All-World laden lineup and the rest of the squad isn't too shabby. But in the end, the bench pales in comparison to the final team in the rankings. 

1. Los Angeles Lakers

Point Guard: Magic Johnson

Shooting Guard: Jerry West

Small Forward: Kobe Bryant

Power Forward: James Worthy

Center: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Bench: Elgin Baylor (SF), Michael Cooper (SG/SF), Derek Fisher (PG), Gail Goodrich (PG), Robert Horry (PF), George Mikan (C), Shaquille O'Neal (C)

Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are all arguably among the top five players of all time. Jerry West may be a top 10, but he's definitely in the top 20. James Worthy kind of stinks in comparison as he's only a top 50 player. 

Then on the bench we have Shaquille O'Neal (arguably top 10 but stuck behind Kareem), Elgin Baylor (top 20 but stuck behind Kobe), George Mikan (top 50 but stuck behind Kareem), Gail Goodrich (top 100 but stuck behind Magic). Also on the squad are Michael Cooper and Derek Fisher, great players but not all-time greats. 

As for the final roster spot, Robert Horry claims it thanks to his penchant for making big shots. There are better players in Lakers history but he deserves to be on this team for that reason alone. 

This lineup isn't even fair. 

Adam Fromal is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter: @Fromal09.