There are, at last count, 233,377 possible combinations of NBA starting fives that contain the necessary attributes for championship success. Passing or scoring point guard? Defensive or shooting small forward? I prefer a passing PG (Magic), scoring SG (Jordan), defensive SF (Artest), scoring PF (Duncan), and a defensive/rebounding C (Okafor), while you may prefer a scoring PG (Rose), defensive SG (Dumars), defensive/shooting SF (Bruce Bowen), defensive/rebounding PF (Rodman), and a scoring C (Shaq).
Eight of those ten players have rings, ak chewa lee.
While NBA teams spend months, years even, to find the correct ingredients, the recipe is the same: scorers, defenders, rebounders, passers, and role players.
The following list contains the top players at their position right now:
(Justin Case: Some players may be officially listed at other positions, but any baller worth his salt can play more than one position…LeBron played four positions in one game recently!)
The point guard position requires leadership and selflessness. Of course, many great point guards can score the ball as well. The correct mix of passing, scoring, and on-the-floor coaching is essential to be an elite PG in the NBA.
1. Deron Williams
2. Derrick Rose
3. Chris Paul
4. Steve Nash
5. Tony Parker
6. Chauncey Billups
7. Russell Westbrook
The shooting guard position has been forever defined as “Michael Jordan”. You want to know what skills the prototypical SG should possess? Take a look at the career of his Airness.
1. Dwyane Wade
2. Manu Ginobili
3. Monta Ellis
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Joe Johnson
6. Ray Allen
7. Tyreke Evans
While my ultimate starting five would consist of a lockdown perimeter player in the mold of a Ron Artest, NBA small forwards are the most versatile players in the league. Any of the following players can bring the ball up the court or throw down an alley-hoop on Mark Eaton.
1. LeBron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Carmelo Anthony
4. Paul Pierce
5. Danny Granger
6. Rudy Gay
7. Jeff Green
Big men can be divided into two categories: scorers and defenders, or power forwards and centers. The best PF can be counted on to get an easy bucket or get to the free-throw line when the offense has become stagnant.
1. Dirk Nowitzki
2. Blake Griffin
3. Carlos Boozer
4. David West
5. Pau Gasol
6. Chris Bosh
7. Kevin Love
If the power forwards are the scorers, then the centers are the defenders. My favorite PF/C combo would have to be Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The best centers should protect the basket and grab the loose rebounds; however, scoring should not be underestimated (see #3).
1. Dwight Howard
2. Amare Stoudemire
3. Andrea Bargnani
4. Al Jefferson
5. Emeka Okafor
6. Andrew Bynum
7. Andrew Bogut
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