The All Hall of Fame Team
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:57 pm
Since creating the Hall of Fame for the 2001 season, the PBSL has inducted 34 members into its hallowed halls. Seeing as there have been thousands of players in PBSL history, the Hall of Fame is an impressive display of prowess and exclusivity.
But what if we wanted to make it more exclusive? I decided after drafting up our latest Hall of Fame inductees to try and create a 12-man, All Star type roster using players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. My goal is to create the greatest team PBSL would have ever seen. To create this team I will be drafting a starting lineup and a 7 person bench, using realistic positions for the starting lineup and filling up the bench with the remaining best players, sometimes accounting for position and sometimes not. I will attempt to explain each choice below. I anticipate there being disagreements, and I'd love to hear from them in the comments!
Before I reveal my team, this is the list of Hall of Fame players.
PG - Anfernee Hardaway - Class of 2013
Hardaway was one of the first players who showed how important height is in this game. Spending most of his time at point guard, Penny's 6'7 frame gave him a ton of mismatches against smaller players -- as if his overpowered abilities didn't create enough mismatches. Penny is the perfect point guard for a team like this because he was a phenomenal scorer, but impacted the game in so many other ways that he doesn't need to be the star. He could defend, pass, and rebound, as his 20/6/5 career averages may suggest.
SG - Tracy McGrady - Class of 2017
Is there a better backcourt mate for Penny than a guy who almost did everything he did, and possibly better? McGrady could play the point, but in this roster he'd gladly slide to the 2. McGrady is perhaps the only player I can remember who had at least a B in every attribute. He can fit the same role as Penny, a do-it-all who can combine with Penny to make a backcourt that no one could stop or score on.
SF - Ron Artest - Class of 2022
If you can't tell, this team will be hell to score on. Artest was always known as a defensive anchor, as well as being able to score, so he fits in very well with this lineup. He may be a bit of an odd-ball, but with so many great locker room leaders you can get away with one headcase. Artest would likely be an X factor in games due to his three point shooting.
PF - Shawn Kemp - Class of 2013
No doubt, right? Kemp is largely considered the greatest player in PBSL History, or at least he was until Anthony Davis came along. Kemp had 7 MVPs and dominated the 90s, and he'd dominate for this team as well. Despite all of the great scorers on the team, Kemp would easily be the primary scorer, and he'd likely end up being the Finals MVP if this team was a championship team (which it would be, duh). This team will end up losing out on some deserving big men because Kemp dominated what is most likely the strongest position in league history.
C - Tim Duncan - Class of 2016
This was the hardest decision for me - Duncan or Robinson? Robinson tore through the league, but Duncan's career seems to have more gravitas. He also fits better on this team, I think. If we want this lineup to force feed Kemp, Duncan can defend, rebound, and clean up the mess. I also think the frontcourt of Kemp and Duncan is about as scary as you can get on either side of the court. Simply put, this starting 5 could blow out any all star team ever.
Bench
PG/SG/SF/PF - Magic Johnson - Class of 2001
I feel kind of weird about having Magic on the team because he wasn't around for very long. But he fits very well on this team, not only for his versatility, but because the two guards can be spelled without needing to worry about a height dropoff. Plus that championship experience is always valuable from the first champion in the league.
SF - Rashard Lewis - Class of 2017
I wasn't even thinking about including Lewis until I looked at the small forwards who are in the HOF. Of all of them, there is only one who won two MVPs and led the league in scoring 4 years. Lewis got somewhat overlooked because he didn't make much of a postseason impact, but I'm sure the team has a need for a career 43% three point shooter who can also play power forward in a pinch.
PF - Chris Bosh - Class of 2024
Chris Bosh is one of the players who gets overshadowed by how good Kemp was, but he is absolutely one of the best players of all time. He can come in and spell Kemp without much dropoff, and he has that killer instinct required to be a deadly bench scorer. He can also play the center position, although not as effectively as you'd want him to.
SF/PF/C - Kevin Garnett - Class of 2017
Yes, this team is big heavy. The league has been too. Garnett at his peak was quick enough to play shooting guard, so he will most likely find minutes there. And imagine being your typical 6'4 shooting guard and looking up to see Garnett guarding you - a nearly 7 foot dynamo with athleticism out the ass who can do pretty much everything except handle the ball.
C - Alonzo Mourning - Class of 2010
Kemp may have been the best player of the 90s, but Mourning challenged him every step of the way. It's easy to forget Mourning because the Celtics have not been dominant in so long, but Mourning could play next to any big on this team and put up huge numbers.
PG - Deron Williams - Class of 2022
In a team of giants, Deron makes the team based on his defining of the point guard position. No one played it in such a way as Williams, who posted a double double with points and assists eleven years in a row. He'd probably play next to McGrady best in the backcourt, but you won't see too much of a dropoff no matter who he replaces.
C- David Robinson - Class of 2006
Again, this team has so many big men, but I can't see a way to leave David Robinson off the list. Scoring leader, blocks leader, 2x DPOY...he was such a great player that I had to go all bigs. It would actually be amazing to trot out a bench lineup of Magic/Garnett/Lewis/Mourning/Robinson and see if anyone would ever score on them.
So that's my lineup. Like I said, it's very heavy on big men, but I think that's a reflection of our league. I know I left off some worthy players, but that's what the comment section is for! Let me know your team!
But what if we wanted to make it more exclusive? I decided after drafting up our latest Hall of Fame inductees to try and create a 12-man, All Star type roster using players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. My goal is to create the greatest team PBSL would have ever seen. To create this team I will be drafting a starting lineup and a 7 person bench, using realistic positions for the starting lineup and filling up the bench with the remaining best players, sometimes accounting for position and sometimes not. I will attempt to explain each choice below. I anticipate there being disagreements, and I'd love to hear from them in the comments!
Before I reveal my team, this is the list of Hall of Fame players.
PG - Anfernee Hardaway - Class of 2013
Hardaway was one of the first players who showed how important height is in this game. Spending most of his time at point guard, Penny's 6'7 frame gave him a ton of mismatches against smaller players -- as if his overpowered abilities didn't create enough mismatches. Penny is the perfect point guard for a team like this because he was a phenomenal scorer, but impacted the game in so many other ways that he doesn't need to be the star. He could defend, pass, and rebound, as his 20/6/5 career averages may suggest.
SG - Tracy McGrady - Class of 2017
Is there a better backcourt mate for Penny than a guy who almost did everything he did, and possibly better? McGrady could play the point, but in this roster he'd gladly slide to the 2. McGrady is perhaps the only player I can remember who had at least a B in every attribute. He can fit the same role as Penny, a do-it-all who can combine with Penny to make a backcourt that no one could stop or score on.
SF - Ron Artest - Class of 2022
If you can't tell, this team will be hell to score on. Artest was always known as a defensive anchor, as well as being able to score, so he fits in very well with this lineup. He may be a bit of an odd-ball, but with so many great locker room leaders you can get away with one headcase. Artest would likely be an X factor in games due to his three point shooting.
PF - Shawn Kemp - Class of 2013
No doubt, right? Kemp is largely considered the greatest player in PBSL History, or at least he was until Anthony Davis came along. Kemp had 7 MVPs and dominated the 90s, and he'd dominate for this team as well. Despite all of the great scorers on the team, Kemp would easily be the primary scorer, and he'd likely end up being the Finals MVP if this team was a championship team (which it would be, duh). This team will end up losing out on some deserving big men because Kemp dominated what is most likely the strongest position in league history.
C - Tim Duncan - Class of 2016
This was the hardest decision for me - Duncan or Robinson? Robinson tore through the league, but Duncan's career seems to have more gravitas. He also fits better on this team, I think. If we want this lineup to force feed Kemp, Duncan can defend, rebound, and clean up the mess. I also think the frontcourt of Kemp and Duncan is about as scary as you can get on either side of the court. Simply put, this starting 5 could blow out any all star team ever.
Bench
PG/SG/SF/PF - Magic Johnson - Class of 2001
I feel kind of weird about having Magic on the team because he wasn't around for very long. But he fits very well on this team, not only for his versatility, but because the two guards can be spelled without needing to worry about a height dropoff. Plus that championship experience is always valuable from the first champion in the league.
SF - Rashard Lewis - Class of 2017
I wasn't even thinking about including Lewis until I looked at the small forwards who are in the HOF. Of all of them, there is only one who won two MVPs and led the league in scoring 4 years. Lewis got somewhat overlooked because he didn't make much of a postseason impact, but I'm sure the team has a need for a career 43% three point shooter who can also play power forward in a pinch.
PF - Chris Bosh - Class of 2024
Chris Bosh is one of the players who gets overshadowed by how good Kemp was, but he is absolutely one of the best players of all time. He can come in and spell Kemp without much dropoff, and he has that killer instinct required to be a deadly bench scorer. He can also play the center position, although not as effectively as you'd want him to.
SF/PF/C - Kevin Garnett - Class of 2017
Yes, this team is big heavy. The league has been too. Garnett at his peak was quick enough to play shooting guard, so he will most likely find minutes there. And imagine being your typical 6'4 shooting guard and looking up to see Garnett guarding you - a nearly 7 foot dynamo with athleticism out the ass who can do pretty much everything except handle the ball.
C - Alonzo Mourning - Class of 2010
Kemp may have been the best player of the 90s, but Mourning challenged him every step of the way. It's easy to forget Mourning because the Celtics have not been dominant in so long, but Mourning could play next to any big on this team and put up huge numbers.
PG - Deron Williams - Class of 2022
In a team of giants, Deron makes the team based on his defining of the point guard position. No one played it in such a way as Williams, who posted a double double with points and assists eleven years in a row. He'd probably play next to McGrady best in the backcourt, but you won't see too much of a dropoff no matter who he replaces.
C- David Robinson - Class of 2006
Again, this team has so many big men, but I can't see a way to leave David Robinson off the list. Scoring leader, blocks leader, 2x DPOY...he was such a great player that I had to go all bigs. It would actually be amazing to trot out a bench lineup of Magic/Garnett/Lewis/Mourning/Robinson and see if anyone would ever score on them.
So that's my lineup. Like I said, it's very heavy on big men, but I think that's a reflection of our league. I know I left off some worthy players, but that's what the comment section is for! Let me know your team!