Bob Ryan and more recently Bill Simmons have a fun gimmick,
where they imagine a scenario in which elite, athletic aliens come down from
space and challenge earth to a game of basketball for world domination. The way
they do it is to build a team of the great basketball players of all time to
defend our planet.
I am going to steal this gimmick, but use only current
players. This is not a list of who I think are the best players currently
playing, but my way of building the best single team to defend our planet, taking into
account chemistry, team roles, and different lineups.
Starters
Pg- Chris Paul
The definition of a true point guard, in every sense of the
term. Born to lead a team. With a squad
filled with so many elite, “alpha” players, Chris Paul controlling the offense
like a maestro is exactly what this team needs. One of the most respected players in the
league, he has the skill set and reputation to run the offense to perfection,
get everyone shots, and control the tempo of the game, however fast or slow
they need to play. Defensively, he's one of the best at coming up with steals, and
with this starting unit behind him, will be in a position to gamble for balls
knowing who is behind him to cover him.
Sg- Paul George
With so many offensive weapons on the team, Paul George gets
the starting spot at shooting guard for his defensive prowess and athletic
ability. His height and athleticism will
allow the team to come out with a high-pressure defense that requires a lot of
switching and athletes that can guard multiple positions. He will not be
required to take on a heavy burden on offense, and this will allow him to do be
unleashed defensively to do the great Paul George things he is known for.
Sf- Kevin Durant
An absolute basketball force. Offensively he is a man who
was born to score the basketball. This season showed exactly what this man is
capable of doing, posting almost 35-5-5 for the month of February. An unselfish
player who cares more about his teammates than any superstar I can remember,
and one who has an absolute disdain for losing. A perfect recipe for a player
on a team when the fate of the earth depends on its winning. Defensively, he has unreal length and absurd athleticism that fits this starting lineup MO of
causing complete havoc on the defensive end.
Pf- Lebron James
Hands down the greatest player alive. If he wasn’t forced to
take such an offensive burden, he could be defensive player of the year every
year, and also has one of the most complete offensive games the NBA has ever
seen. Unselfish to almost a fault but can take over a game better than anyone
in the league. His size even allows him to slide into the power forward
position.
C- Joakim Noah
In maybe an unpopular opinion, Noah gets the start over
Howard or Gasol. All three bring intensity and skill defensively, but I believe
Noah brings the most assets to the table and fits in best with what the
starting line up in trying to accomplish.
He can be the defensive stud that anchors the absolutely menacing
defensive starting unit. He can not only throw great outlet passes to start the
fast break, but this season he proved more than capable of grabbing a rebound
and running the fast break himself. Noah anchoring the paint allows the rest of the
starters to use their length and athletic ability to absolutely wreak havoc and
gamble for steals or blindside blocks, knowing that Noah is behind them for
back-up.
So that’s the starting five of my planet defending line up.
In my next posting, I’ll talk about my bench and overall game strategy. The stakes are high.
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