If You Were Starting a Team: NBA

[Big Sexy]

The concept of this thread is simple. If you were starting to build an NBA franchise today and you could choose any player in the league to start it with, who would it be?

Now before this becomes a LeBron James vs Kevin Durant thread, I'd like to show some love for a couple guys. Derrick Rose has become the best point guard in the league this year and we all know how important the point guard position can be. He is also very young at just 22 years old and has a very bright future ahead of him. He is the catalyst for a very good, young Bulls team and is already an MVP candidate. The other guy is Dwight Howard. The center position is arguably the most important in the NBA and in this day and age a dominant big man is hard to come by. Dwight Howard is really the only current dominant center in the league and he is what keeps the Magic together on both ends of the court. He is also very young at just 25 years of age and while he sometimes struggles offensively he continues to improve every year and he is the cornerstone of the Magic franchise.

Now onto the heart of the debate. Kevin Durant is probably the best scorer in the league. He has the size at 6'9, 230 to score inside and the shooting ability to light it up from the outside. He is also a great rebounder for his position and an improving defender. At just 22 years of age he is the leader of possibly the most promising young franchise in the league. He would be a great guy to start a franchise with and maybe in a year or two he'll do enough for me to pick him, but not now.

My choice is LeBron James. This may be his 8th season in the league but he is still very young at just 26 years old. He is the most talented player in the NBA and one of the most intimidating athletically at 6'8, 240. The man is a walking triple double and could excel at every position except for maybe center. His game is almost flawless and if he ever decides to work on a post game then he will be nearly unguardable. After this regular season ends he will have led his teams to at least 50 wins in 5 of his 8 NBA seasons and a winning record in 7 of 8. He carried a Cleveland team on his back to one NBA finals appearance and did it with very little help. He has yet to win an NBA title but with his current situation it is almost inevitable. He can dominate on both ends of the court and, although it is close, he is who I'd start my franchise with.

 

[ROCKY VS CENA OMG]

Derrick Rose is 22 years old has great potential to be a 25 ppg 10 assist guy. D-Rose can can score and dish it out with the best of them. He is carrying the Bulls along with Boozer and Noah to a top 2 seed. His numbers have increased every year and I am interested to see as he has the chance to be the MVP at 22. PG is an important position as you need a PG too be able too pass and score. Now I'll be able to build a team around Rose with wings that can shoot well and 2 decent bangers down low. Rose can drive and kick it out to the shooters, he can take it in, or he can dish it to the big men. This way there are 3 options everytime Rose touches the ball which is 90 % of the time.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

The center position is arguably the most important in the NBA and in this day and age a dominant big man is hard to come by. Dwight Howard is really the only current dominant center in the league and he is what keeps the Magic together on both ends of the court.

I might be little biased since I'm a Raptors fan but Bargnani is a great center too.

Now to the point. Kevin Durant might be 'The Guy' on my team. He is young and is already a great scorer so all there is is room for improvement. He is already very mature for someone his age and can take a team on his back. He also is not injury prone. Look at his stats this season so far.

Ranks #1 in the NBA in Points Per Game (27.9)
Ranks #13 in the NBA in Free-Throw Percentage (0.880)
Ranks #8 in the NBA in Field Goals Made (606)
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Free Throws (508)
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts (577)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Points Per 48 Minutes (34.2)

If he could continue that it could probably guarantee my team at least 1 finals appearance if he has some good surroundings. Other honorable mentions would be Derrick Rose and LeBron. As for coaches if he weren't retiring this season Phil Jackson.

 

[Big Sexy]

I might be little biased since I'm a Raptors fan but Bargnani is a great center too.

You are definitely biased. Nothing about Bargnani makes him a dominant center other then his size. He is basically a small forward trapped in a centers body. If you are 7'0, 250 pounds and are playing 36 minutes per game then you should be shooting better then 45% from the field and averaging more then 5.4 rebounds per game. He is also a very sub par defender. When I say dominant center I mean someone who can wreak havoc in the paint on both ends of the court. Dwight Howard is shooting over 60% from the field, is a top 2 rebounder in the league, and he is a dominant defender inside. Howard is the only dominant center in the game right now.

 

[nwocongo]

Derrick Rose would probably be my pickjust because of his youth, and how much he improved since last year. Last season he was in the Rondo category of leave him open at the 3 point line but this year his jumper has become one of the strong suits of his game. Its funny I would say Rose since in the thread about most important position I went with a big man being more valuable than a point guard, but I think Rose is a very special player, at 22 he is probably the best point guard in the game. A point guard like Rose can make everyone on the team better.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

You are definitely biased. Nothing about Bargnani makes him a dominant center other then his size. He is basically a small forward trapped in a centers body. If you are 7'0, 250 pounds and are playing 36 minutes per game then you should be shooting better then 45% from the field and averaging more then 5.4 rebounds per game. He is also a very sub par defender. When I say dominant center I mean someone who can wreak havoc in the paint on both ends of the court. Dwight Howard is shooting over 60% from the field, is a top 2 rebounder in the league, and he is a dominant defender inside. Howard is the only dominant center in the game right now.

Maybe you are right he should really start looking into improving other parts of his game. I have to be biased he is the face of our franchise. He is a great scorer though. Say, what are your thoughts on Néne?

 

[Alastor]

No question my pick would have to be Dwight Howard. Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, they may all be more talented scorers but picking them would still require me to figure out what pieces fit best with their unique talents. If I was to start a new franchise today, I would want a stable centerpiece to build around. Dwight Howard is as solid as a dominating big as they come these days. He is still young and has still can improve on his offence. I am a firm believer in building from defense and having a dominating big man is the best way to start on defense.

 

[People's Champ]

For me this is an easy answer. Kevin Durant. He is arguably the 2nd best player in the league right now. No disrespect to James, who is an amazing talent himself, but Durant has all the qualities you want in a leader. We all know the numbers Durant has put up, and that is a big reason why I would take him. But he also has the kind of personality you want in your star player. While James was out making a full of himself this summer, Durant quietly signed an extension to stay with the team that drafted him. No pub, no show, not even a press conference. He's a humble guy who just goes out and dominates on the floor with nothing negative to talk about. Definitely the guy I'm starting my team with.

 

[Big Sexy]

Say, what are your thoughts on Néne?

He's good but not great and definitely not in the dominant category. He'll give you around 10-15 points and 6-8 boards every night and play solid defense but no part of his game really stands out. Good starting center but nothing overly spectacular.

 

[Born To Fly]

Give me Kevin Durant. He's still young and he's learning how to use his body in the paint to get his way. If Durant gets a few more years under him, watch out for some even more absurd numbers. Like a previous poster said, Durant is a leader -- and he's only 22. He has at least 10 more years in him and he's a tremendous talent. Durant can also play any number of positions on the floor. I'll take his versatility, leadership, age and talent.

 

[LSN80]

While the argument is easily between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James alone as the best player in the NBA, neither man is the one Id want to start my franchise with. To me, it's important for the man Id start my franchise with to be under 25, which rules out the 26 year old James, and the 32 year old Bryant. If this was simply about who the best all around player in the NBA was, I could make a case for either one and noone else. But Id want a player I could count on getting at least 10 more years out of, which definitely rules out Bryant. James, at 26, is already in his 8th season, so there's certainly no guarantee he'll play 18. Which brings me to my choice, Kevin Durant.

In only his third NBA season, Durant completed no small feat in winning the NBA scoring title. He almost single-handedly lead the Thunder to an upset over the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. He once again is leading the league in scoring, and is a guy that teams can't just hack because he's an excellent free throw shooter. Better than LeBron James, DeWayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, and Derrick Rose. He also shoots a higher three-point % a game then each, while attempting more per game. At 6'9 and only22, I don't think it's a stretch that as he fills out, he'll become more of an inside presence as well. He could easily be someone who scores 40 a game when he hits his prime in 2-3 years, and is easily one of the more humble, good guys of the sport as well. In the era of inflated egos and stat padding, Durant plays the game the right way, and thats to win and to attempt to make those around him better. He's not all the way there yet, which to me is a scary thought. If he adds 15 pounds, which he likely will with age, he could be a tremendous rebounder and interior defender, which he does well already. With all due respect to Lebron, whose a close second, Durant would be my pick.

 

[Big Sexy]

A lot of people in here are picking Kevin Durant. I love him as much as the next guy and he would easily be my number two choice but I can't see many legitimate reasons why to take him over LeBron. Here's a few reasons why LeBron is the better pick:

1. Durant has virtually nothing on LeBron. Other then the fact that he's 4 years younger, Durant is inferior or equal to LeBron in every singe way. They are probably equal in terms of scoring and rebounding ability but that's about it. LeBron takes him in everything else.

2. LeBron can dominate both ends of the floor. If I'm starting a franchise I want a guy who can dominate on both offense and defense. LeBron has become one of the better defenders in the league and Durant just isn't there. KD has definitely improved on the defensive end since entering the league but there is no guarantee he will ever become a great defender.

3. The biggest knock on LeBron is that he can't win the big one, but last time I checked Durant has never even been out of the first round. Yes it's early in his career and it could easily happen this year but again there are no guarantees that he will be leading the Thunder to multiple titles. LeBron at the very least has won a lot of playoff series and even made a trip to the NBA finals. Not only that but he has done it with almost no help from his teammates. He has carried shit teams for years until this season. Up until this season LeBron never had a supporting cast as good as the one Durant has now. Russell Westbrook is an elite player that Durant has alongside him.

Durant has the potential to improve in the areas he is behind LeBron and perhaps pass him in those areas but I can't start a franchise on that potential he may end up being better then LeBron when I have the real thing in LeBron.

 

[TheKingHustla]

The most obvious answer if you want to win now and in the future is LeBron James.

He is young enough to give you plenty of more MVPs and a ton of championships.

You already know what he can do with a horrible team. The Cavs were horrible and he led them to being one of the best teams in the league every year. KD's team is extremely better than the Cavs, so the real question with him is what would he do with an expansion team that has crap players?

LeBron would bring major money to the team. In order to build a powerhouse team, you need a star, but more importantly, you need fans who bring in money. There is no bigger draw in the NBA right now than LeBron.

LeBron is going to keep your team logo on the front page of papers, websites and ESPN. He'll give your team a much needed boost and the marketability of James would be a huge boost for the wellbeing of your team.

Every team LeBron has been associated with became front page news. Cavs before LBJ23= bottom of the bottom, Cavs with LBJ23= front page news, Cavs after LBJ23= owner of the longest losing streak in history. Heat before LBJ6= after thought, Heat with LBJ6= instant buzz as nba championship contender, Heat after LBJ6=?

LeBron would help your team most, both on the court and off the court.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

Kevin Durant? Really? LeBron is the most obvious of obvious answers in this thread. Anyone who thinks otherwise is either extremely biased, or just doesn't know the first thing about basketball.

Kevin Durant: Great scorer, decent passer, good handles for his size, ok rebounder, a sketchy on ball defender but good in space because of his length and reaction time. I've always thought he should've gotten bigger in college so he could play PF, and also so he could drive the lane with more effectiveness.

LeBron James: Great scorer, great passer, great defender both on ball and in space, decent rebounder, and a great leader. Sometimes has a tendency too pass the ball a bit too much, and sometimes when he's frustrated he tends to drive the lane and throw up wild shots expecting to get fouled. When his perimeter shot is falling he's basically unstoppable.

You could put LeBron James on any team in the NBA and they're instant title contenders, the same cannot be said for Kevin Durant. If you want to start an NBA team, pick the most complete player in the game, the guy who nearly averages a fuckin' triple double, LeBron James.