Five Players To Start an NBA Team

Watching Derrick Rose dominate the Boston Celtics in his first career playoff game got me to thinking: Is Rose the best player on either team in this series?

There’s really no one on the Bulls to compare. Yet when you look at the Celtics and Paul Pierce with Ray Allen, perennial All-Stars, you have to question whether I’m completely out of my mind.

But am I?

Was either player anywhere near as good as Rose as a rookie? He’s also the team leader and that’s a lot to put on the shoulders of a 20-year-old kid just two years removed from high school at this point of the season.

I’m not mentioning Kevin Garnett, since he’s not supposed to be playing in this series—but I think I might still go there with this argument even if he were.

When their careers are over, which player is going to be looked at as the best player?

It’s a little early for the vote, but I live in Chicago. If we’re going to hold an election, I think it’s going to be a slam-dunk for Rose.

Of course, our saying here in town is, "vote early and vote often." Also, being dead does not preclude you from voting, at least not in the city of big shoulders and bigger pinkie rings.

The thought of how good Rose is compared to the Celtic greats got me to thinking how good Rose is compared to his peers in the league.

If you were an NBA general manager and were going to start a team today, who would be your first pick?

For the sake of argument, let’s rule out anyone currently over 30. If you saw the movie “Wild in the Streets” many years ago, you would know that’s the magic age for the older generation.

That rules out Kobe. I know he would have been in your fave five.

But who would your top five picks be right now?

Let me tell you a couple of guys who are not going to make the list.

Dwayne Wade is a great player. He had an incredible comeback this year, averaging 30.2 points per game and leading the Miami Heat into the playoffs. He’s already led his team to a championship.

I have to be crazy, but I’m really sly as a fox. Because even though he’s only 27, he’s an old 27.

He’s had a lot of wear and tear on his body. I want the players I’m picking to be around a long time and I don’t know how long he’s going to be able to sustain his level of play.

I love Brandon Roy and would have been thrilled had the Bulls selected him a few years back. He’s really good. If I were doing a top ten list, he would be in it. But he doesn’t quite make top five.

There are other great players like Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki and a few others that I’m probably forgetting, but they’re not on the list either.

Another player that might be there if this were the top ten is Deron Williams of Utah. A terrific leader and a good shooter, but he's not top-five material.

Now that I’ve teased you enough, let’s get to the list.

No. 5—Dwight Howard

He’s a beast. There really isn’t anybody in the league that can match up with him physically, athletically.

He dominates the paint, hordes the boards, and swats away that stuff you’re putting up there if you’re anywhere near his area code. He’s only 23 and is going to get better.

But he doesn’t have a great game if you can keep him away from the basket. He also needs someone to get him the ball on the offensive end of the court.

His biggest weakness is...well, just grab him once he gets the ball and put him on the stripe. It looks like one of those rigged baskets at a carnival the way he can’t get the ball in the cylinder.

No. 4—Chris Paul

Though he's barely six—feet—tall, he elevates his team to much greater heights. The Hornets were the second seed last year in the West! You have to be kidding.

They’ve dropped a bit this year, but what can you say about a guy who averages 19.4 points, almost 10 assists, and close to five rebounds a game?

He’s how tall? 

I know I want him on my team. He might be a bit higher if he were a bit higher.

No. 3—Kevin Durant

Is this a basketball player or a praying mantis? He’s only 6’9” but, with a wingspan of a seven-footer, he could play anywhere on the court.

He shoots three-pointers, goes to the hole, brings the ball up the court, and can dish off to an open teammate. His game improved tremendously when the Thunder replaced P.J. Carlesimo with Scott Brooks, who opened up the offense to take advantage of his other-worldly skills.

He can do everything but a pull-up.

He’s a 30-point a night player waiting to happen and he’s only 20 years old. His career average is already 22.7 points a game.

Can you believe that Portland took Greg Oden over him? I’m sure they can’t believe it, but they like picking bust centers over superstars.

That’s why Chicago won six championships with Michael Jordan while they selected Sam Bowie ahead of him.

No. 2—Derrick Rose

Is this too high? I don’t think so.

This kid is a winner. He’s won everywhere he’s played, from two state championships in high school, runner-up in his only year in college, and now leading a rag-tag bunch of misfits into the playoffs with the Bulls.

He might even lead them to a series win over the Celtics, especially if he attacks the basket the way he did in the first game.

He’s a better outside shooter than advertised and has a lightning quick first step that makes you stay back—dare he break your legs on a crossover like he did to Andre Miller of the Sixers earlier this year.

He’s quiet, but he’s a leader. He deferred at times to his older teammates this year, but this rook is not a rookie anymore. He now tells the vets where they need to be on the court.

He takes over the game when he sees that nobody else is doing anything and can do it almost anytime he wants. As his confidence grows, that’s going to become a daily thing.

He still needs to work on his defense and his shot also could get better. But you know that he’s going to work on those things. What are now perceived weaknesses will someday be strengths.

He’s also going to start getting the calls from the refs that he didn’t get this year. Once that happens, everybody will be breaking out into song.

“There’s no stopping me now.”

No. 1—LeBron James

Was there ever any doubt?

He’s built like an NFL tight end with corner back speed. Without a hand-check rule in the NBA, how can anybody stop him?

Even with it, they’d probably break their hand trying. From shooting threes or attacking the rim to threading a pass to a teammate, there is nothing this superman can not do on the court.

He’s going to lead his team to a championship, maybe even this year. With an inferior team in only his fourth season in the league, he brought the Cavs to the Finals only to come up short.

That’s the only way he ever came up short. He was already a man when he came out of high school. He looks like he could pose for the cover of Men's Health Magazine, if he hasn’t already.

The only thing that could hold him back is if he really is as old as he looks. I’d guess  he's late 30s or maybe early 40s, kind of like Greg Oden. I don’t know which one looks older, but I do know which one is the far superior player.

That’s my list and as always in this type of story, people are going to disagree.

I encourage your participation. Let me know: Am I right or wrong?

Give me your fave five, and let’s start the debate.