NBA Dream Duos: Dwight Howard & Dirk Nowitzki and Deadly Hypothetical Pairings
Everyone loves a good duo. There's Abbot and Costello (Who's On First was my introduction to the comedy routine), K-Ci and JoJo (All My Life was the first song I slowdanced to), Timon and Pumbaa (my two-time portrayal of the mirthful meerkat is summer camp legend). The list goes on and on.
Since the inception of the NBA, the league has also seen dynamic duos thrive. Michael and Scottie. Stockton and Malone. Shaq and Kobe. The Twin Towers. There are certain guys that go together as well as peanut butter and jelly.
LeBron and Dwyane Wade are trying to ascend to the pantheon of killer couples, but the verdict is still out. Sorry Chris Bosh, you're becoming a side note.
Successful pairs might be lethal on the pick and roll, provide perfect inside-outside balance, or complement each other defensively. If a team has a deadly duo, you can be sure that they are bound to win a lot of games.
Here I present you with ten dream duos, pairings that have never played together but would make fantastic teammates. We would be incredibly fortunate to watch these guys unite.
Dwight Howard and Dirk Nowitzki
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Dirk is the prototype of the player the Orlando Magic desired when they acquired Rashard Lewis. He is the premier sweet-shooting power forward in the league, with the ability to make shots from all over the court.
Nowitzki would space the floor superbly to allow Dwight the requisite room to maneuver on the block. They could also develop an awesome high-low game, as Dirk is a competent passer who loves to work from the high post. Furthermore, Dirk is a vastly underrated rebounder, which would make their team dominant on the boards.
We could call them Superman and Ubermensch. Or Dwirk. Maybe we should just let the nickname occur more organically.
Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett
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Kobe and Kevin are probably the two fiercest competitors in the game today. They have singular drive, incomparable focus and inimitable work ethic, and they demand utter excellence from themselves and their teammates.
Picture how hard they would push each other, how they would accept nothing less than the best from their teammates, and how they would intimidate opponents. Their team would be toughness personified. Bryant could run the offense while Garnett directed the defense.
Though I couldn't guarantee that they would get along, this duo would be truly nightmarish.
Joakim Noah and Kevin Love
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You wanna talk about cleaning the glass? Well these two could go all night.
Noah and Love are rebounding machines, plain and simple. This duo would likely snatch up every miss, always limiting opponents to one shot attempt while constantly creating second chance opportunities for themselves. They currently sit atop the rebounding leaderboard; Love averages a whopping 14.3 and Noah at 12.9 isn't far behind.
Grabbing a board against this pairing would be like winning the lottery or catching a cheetah with your bare hands.
Chris Paul and Amare Stoudemire
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Two words. Pick and Roll.
We've already seen Amare put up huge numbers and throw down huge dunks running the pick and roll with Steve Nash. We've also already seen CP3 turn David West, who's really no more than a solid player, into an all-star.
Paul may now have surpassed Nash as the best screen-roll practitioner in the NBA, so Amare would surely get good looks at the basket. And you know what Amare does with good looks.
Steve Nash and Ray Allen
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Nash and Allen would comprise the best shooting backcourt in the history of basketball. They are both lights out from downtown and the charity stripe. Opponents could not double the post or foul at the end of games, and they would obviously need to hustle back on defense.
Furthermore, Nash is still one of the best passers in the league, which means Ray-Ray would receive beautiful open looks. With their deep range ability, they would never be out of a game.
Rudy Gay and Josh Smith
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Can you imagine a scarier pair of wings flying at you on the fast break?
Remember Slamball, that short-lived gimmicky basketball league with trampolines on the floor? Well that would be every game with these bad dudes.
They might be the two most athletic guys at their respective forward positions, with incredible hops, speed, power and length. In the open court, they might as well be wearing jetpacks and body armor. Just try not to get posterized.
Rajon Rondo and Gerald Wallace
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The photo says it all. Rondo and Wallace are currently the NBA's best perimeter defenders and hustle guys. They both made the All-Defensive First Team last year, and they make life excruciating for their opponents every night.
They have brilliantly quick feet, Inspector Gadget-like long arms, leonine instincts and all sorts of toughness. Together, they would make it phenomenally difficult for teams to initiate offense, plunder the passing lanes, collect boatloads of steals, secure every loose ball and frustrate the greatest scorers in the league.
The Perimeter Pirates.
Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony
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Sorry Kobe, Monta, Dwyane and LeBron, but Carmelo and Kevin are the two finest scorers in the world. They have complete offensive games, with the ability to stroke it from deep, get to the rim and earn trips to the foul line. They are matchup nightmares, with Durant's length and Anthony's strength. They can both move without the ball or create their own shots, and I love what they do in the pinch post.
The criticism about pairing King James and D-Wade, at least from a basketball perspective, centered on the fact that neither of them has a consistent jump shot. Teams that defend the rim well, like the Boston Celtics, would be able to stop them, a point which has already been proved.
Against a team boasting Melo and Durant, you couldn't focus your defense in any direction. They'll take whatever you give them and make you pay. I don't know if they could coexist, but I know they can score.
Deron Williams and Pau Gasol
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Williams and Gasol have the best all-around skill sets at their respective positions, which would make defending the pair almost impossible. They can both score in a variety of ways, they are both sick passers, and they both understand how to move within an offensive set.
They could pick and roll, give and go, and high post rub. They are so versatile that they would expose the weakness in any defense, and they both make their teammates much better.
Tim Duncan and Kendrick Perkins
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Duncan and Perkins are the best one on one post defenders in the league. They lock up their men without double teams, forcing difficult shots from disadvantageous spots on the floor. Look at the marvelous job Kendrick did last year against Dwight Howard in the playoffs.
Furthermore, they both play great help-side defense, rotating to the ball, clogging lanes and contesting shots, and they are beastly defensive rebounders.
A squad with Duncan at the 4 and Perkins at the 5 would be unparalleled defensively.
Bonus #1: Joe Johnson and Brandon Roy
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I can't believe it's not butter.
Johnson and Roy are the smoothest players in the league. They always have complete command on the court, and they can be either facilitators or scorers.
Together they would form a big backcourt that would cause enormous matchup problems.
Bonus #2: Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson
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Starbury and the Answer. Two supremely talented shoot-first point guards with me-first attitudes. They are currently trying to rehab their careers and images overseas, Marbury in China and Iverson in Turkey.
Imagine if they both became well-adjusted team players, returned to the NBA together to form a potent backcourt, and then lead a team to a championship. I know it's not going to happen, but just imagine.
