I can’t let Coach Max have all the fun! If you haven’t been following Max’s series on basketball, you’ve been missing out. In addition to rock climbing, both Coach Max and I (Carrot) happen to be basketball fanatics. He is a fan of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and I am a fan of the Detroit Pistons. Over the last couple months, Max has been comparing our respective teams along several key factors, including coaches, eras, benches, and even undrafted players.
I wanted to take things in a different direction and see if I could build a championship team out of players who spent time playing for both the Pistons and the Wolves. While each franchise had some wonderfully outstanding players including some all-time greats, the chances that many of the greats played for both franchises is slim. Despite this self-imposed restriction, I do think that we can put together a very competitive team, that may aspire to championship contention (if everything fell into place). I will be using each player’s best season in this imagined scenario for the Detrota Pistonwolves.
| Player | Points | Assists | Rebound | Steals | Blocks | 3’s | TO |
| Chauncey Billups | 18.5 | 8.6 | 3.1 | .9 | .1 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Derrick Rose | 25 | 7.7 | 4.1 | 1 | .6 | 1.6 | 3.4 |
| Tayshaun Prince | 14.7 | 3 | 5.3 | .7 | .9 | .6 | 1.6 |
| Christian Laettner | 18.1 | 2.7 | 8.8 | 1.2 | .8 | .4 | 2.7 |
| Theo Ratliff | 12.4 | 1.2 | 8.3 | .6 | 3.7 | 0 | 2.5 |
| Malik Beasley | 16.1 | 1.7 | 2.6 | .9 | .1 | 3.9 | 1 |
| Joe Smith | 15.3 | 1 | 8.7 | 1 | 1.6 | 0 | 1.7 |
| Mike James | 20.3 | 5.8 | 3.3 | .9 | 0 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
| Taj Gibson | 13 | 1.1 | 6.8 | .5 | 1.4 | 0 | 1.8 |
| Michael Williams | 15 | 8.2 | 3.8 | 2.9 | .3 | .1 | 3 |
| Wayne Ellington | 11.2 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .1 | 2.9 | .9 |
| Tony Campbell | 23.2 | 2.6 | 5.5 | 1.4 | .4 | 1.4 | 3.1 |
Could this team win a championship?
There is a great mix of scoring and defense, Billups and Rose would have been a nightmare for opposing defenses. Laettner would have swimming in open shots off the pick and roll, and Ratliff would have been destroying the rim on lobs. Theo Ratliff and Tayshaun would make up for any defensive lapses with their long arms and shot blocking ability. That is an incredibly strong starting 5.
It gets even better off the bench. James, Beasley, Taj Gibson, and Joe Smith would wreak havoc on any opposing bench, and each of them would blend well while subbing in for players in the starting 5.
Thie team has 9 players who have averaged 15 points or more at some point in the NBA, including a former MVP and a former Finals MVP.
I think the biggest shortcoming would be 3-point shooting, but between Chauncey, Beasley, James, and Wayne Ellington, we could find a way to keep the opposing defense honest.
In the end, I wouldn’t say this would be an unbeatable championship team, but depending on the era, I could see the Detrota Pistonwolves putting up a banner or two.
Bring on the San Angles Splakers!
thedihedral.com 