No team (even Boston) compares to the All-Time Lakers...and I would stretch it out to a 15-man roster which is what NBA rosters can now be:
F LeBron James (2018-present)*
F Elgin Baylor (1958-72)*
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-89)*
G Kobe Bryant (1996-2016)*
G Earvin "Magic" Johnson (1979-91, 95-96)*
F James Worthy (1982-94)*
F Anthony Davis (2019-present)*
C Shaquille O'Neal (1996-2004)*
G Jerry West (1960-74)*
G Gail Goodrich (1965-76)
C Wilt Chamberlain (1968-73)*
C George Mikan (1948-54, 55-56)*
F Pau Gasol (2007-14)
F Jamaal Wilkes (1977-86)
I know that is only 14, because I am a little torn on who I would put #15....but first let's talk about these players. See the "asterisk" by some of their names? If they have one that means they made the 75th anniversary team and all but 3 of them did (Goodrich, Gasol and Wilkes). I think also it is a safe bet that all 14 of them get inducted into the HOF, as the only 3 that aren't are active players (James and Davis) and Gasol, who gets inducted later this month.
As for #15, I could take the easy route and choose a Mikan teammate in Vern Milkensen, making it a 15-man unit of all Hall of Famers when it is all said and done, but to get at least one guard on my third unit- I choose Michael Cooper over Byron Scott, mainly because he is one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history. No, he isn't a HOF nor did he score that much in his 11-year (1978-90) career (all with Lakers), but he did win DPOY in 1986-87, eight times was All-Defensive and was paramount in our 5 championships that decade....
Many of the greatest players of that ERA (Jordan, Bird included) showered him with comments about how good he was defensively....
Joined: 17 Jun 2003 Posts: 6287 Location: Central Coast
Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2023 9:09 am Post subject:
If you are building an opposing team to the lakers, they should all be from the same team - so if MJ is on your team, all his teammates need to be Bulls too. IMO. _________________ LAKERS 2019-2020: NBA World Champions!
If you are building an opposing team to the lakers, they should all be from the same team - so if MJ is on your team, all his teammates need to be Bulls too. IMO.
Joined: 13 Apr 2001 Posts: 5470 Location: A room with a view!
Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2023 10:48 am Post subject:
bkt4208 wrote:
No team (even Boston) compares to the All-Time Lakers...and I would stretch it out to a 15-man roster which is what NBA rosters can now be:
F LeBron James (2018-present)*
F Elgin Baylor (1958-72)*
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-89)*
G Kobe Bryant (1996-2016)*
G Earvin "Magic" Johnson (1979-91, 95-96)*
F James Worthy (1982-94)*
F Anthony Davis (2019-present)*
C Shaquille O'Neal (1996-2004)*
G Jerry West (1960-74)*
G Gail Goodrich (1965-76)
C Wilt Chamberlain (1968-73)*
C George Mikan (1948-54, 55-56)*
F Pau Gasol (2007-14)
F Jamaal Wilkes (1977-86)
I know that is only 14, because I am a little torn on who I would put #15....but first let's talk about these players. See the "asterisk" by some of their names? If they have one that means they made the 75th anniversary team and all but 3 of them did (Goodrich, Gasol and Wilkes). I think also it is a safe bet that all 14 of them get inducted into the HOF, as the only 3 that aren't are active players (James and Davis) and Gasol, who gets inducted later this month.
As for #15, I could take the easy route and choose a Mikan teammate in Vern Milkensen, making it a 15-man unit of all Hall of Famers when it is all said and done, but to get at least one guard on my third unit- I choose Michael Cooper over Byron Scott, mainly because he is one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history. No, he isn't a HOF nor did he score that much in his 11-year (1978-90) career (all with Lakers), but he did win DPOY in 1986-87, eight times was All-Defensive and was paramount in our 5 championships that decade....
Many of the greatest players of that ERA (Jordan, Bird included) showered him with comments about how good he was defensively....
G Michael Cooper (1978-90)
Honorable Mentions:
F Vern Milkensen
G Byron Scott
G Derek Fisher
15th man could go to Vlade for tipping that ball out to Horry for three and for being traded for Kobe Bean Bryant!
Honorable mention to Kwame Brown or Smush Parker because someone has to carry the luggage and get the water and towels! _________________ Let them HATE so long as they FEAR!
Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Posts: 664 Location: Jesus Loves You
Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:21 am Post subject:
Denny_Russo wrote:
Lakers bron should not be on any top list.
Any top player that won a Chip + Finals MVP on the Lakers is deserving to be on the list. Even though we are getting the older version of Bron, as a Laker, he surpassed Kareem's record. That in itself is really awesome.
_________________ The Gospel in a nutshell: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
I can't care less about athletic abilities or "players in the 50s can't jump or take a jump shot", that type of BS. If you are against this reasoning, it means you deny Mark Spitz as one of the greatest swimmers in the history of the sport. His time in 1972 won't even get him to the semi-finals in the Tokyo Olympics. His WR time in 100m freestyle would be ranked #49 in the 2021 heat.
The best Lakers team, in terms of achievement and legacy, regardless of athletic abilities and how the game is played in that era:
All of them are HOFers except LeBron and AD, who are locks to get in.
Too bad there weren't any FMVPs during the Minneapolis Lakers dynasty, while the MVP award didn't start until Mikan's last year, or Mikan would have won 5 FMVPs and multiple MVPs.
Some questions you may ask:
1) Why Mikkelsen as the #1 PF in Lakers history?
Mikkelsen's credential was the strongest among all PF in Lakers history, which, in turn, would be the weakest position in Lakers history. Again, I don't care if the 50s players were stiffs as compared to today's athletes.
Mikkelsen had 4 rings, 4 All-NBA and 6 all-star berths.
Pau had 2 rings, 2 All-NBA and 3 all-star berths.
AD had 1 ring, 1 All-NBA and 2 all-star berths. Of course, AD has a chance to become the #1 PF in Lakers history.
2) Why LeBron on the 3rd team?
Because LeBron's tenure at the Lakers isn't as great as his tenure at Cleveland/Miami. And since he runs the offense nowadays, I need Lebron as the PG.
The only obvious HOFers missing are Wilkes and Wilt.
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