re: Make Your Own All Time Best NBA Roster

PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: LeBron James
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Hakeem Olajuwon

2nd Team:

PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Shaquille O'Neal



Why these picks? The starting 5 is very well rounded. Every player is good on defense. Kidd can defend, pass, and shoot the 3. Jordan and James can do it all, and James is unselfish, so he can play with Jordan. Hakeem over Shaq because he is better on defense, and Shaq's dominant presence isn't needed when Jordan and James are on the floor.

Why the 2nd team? Magic Johnson is very versatile on offense when you need more scoring from the PG position. I put Ray Allen over Bryant because there already enough go-to scorers on the team. Ray Allen is needed for his fantastic 3-point shooting and intelligent defense. Paul Pierce is well rounded and better than Bird straight-up. Bird may have been better for his time period, but I'd rather Pierce if building the best basketball team ever. Garnett's well-rounded and is a great defender. He is unselfish so scoring doesn't have to go through him. And Shaq can completely take over a game down low.

This team isn't just a collection of the best individual players at their position. It is a team of fantastic players who would work well together. And they can all play defense... a trait people often overlook in these kinds of threads.

There are a few dominant scorers who demand the ball, but most others are very well rounded who can score when needed, but can work well with the main scorers because they don't need to demand the ball.