Who Loves Threesomes?
Oct 31, 2012 19:30:03 GMT -5
Post by Erbes on Oct 31, 2012 19:30:03 GMT -5
[glow=orange,2,300]Three's Company![/glow]
So all this talk of "The Holy Triumvirate" got me to thinking who has the best Big 3 in the league? Let's go through all of the teams...
The Bottom of the Barrel
29. Sacramento Kings
David Lee PF 24 6'9'' 249 B- C B- C+ B+ B
Dorell Wright SG 21 6'7'' 200 B- B- C B C B
JamesOn Curry PG 22 6'3'' 190 C+ B C C D+ B
The Kings are probably the worst team in the league in overall talent. They don't score and they don't defend. The one bright spot? David Lee. He's putting up 24/11 for a really bad team. The scoring probably comes down on a better team, but at a 45% shooting rate it might be believable. Wright and Curry are pretty scrubbish. The Kings would lose more if not for Curry's sparkling TOs though.
28. Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge PF 22 6'11'' 240 B+ C C B- C+ B
Al Jefferson PF 22 6'10'' 265 B+ C- C- C B C
Gerald Green SG 21 6'8'' 200 B+ C+ C- C C A
This team is weird imvho. They have the talent to compete, see: LMA, Al Jeff, but don't win. LMA is around 25/9 and AJ is at 15/10/1. That's a pretty solid 1-2 combo down low. Somebody check his DC for tanking! Nah jking, the suckiness comes about with Brooks. His TOs are atrocious and is the reason why he wasn't considered for this trio. LMA, AJ, and Green could combine for a solid inside oriented offense in the future. Still not sure why Brooks was drafted before the 2nd round?
27. Detroit Pistons
Kevin Durant SF 19 6'9'' 215 B+ A- C- C+ C A
Ramon Sessions PG 21 6'3'' 190 C+ C+ B+ B+ C- B
Darko Milicic PF 22 7'0'' 245 B C D+ A A- B
It's pretty obvious why the Pistons aren't the bottom feeders... DURANTULA! Wow. He's soooo goood. Sorry Pig
. How pathetic is it though that I almost put Chris Richard on here over Darko? Like what is up with that dude? Great ratings, but just horrible. Not sure how Repole feels, but Sessions could be turned into a solid PG. His TOs need major help, but I see scoring potential with solid steals coming. Anyways, pretty awful team with a couple of highlights.26. Atlanta Hawks
Rudy Gay SF 21 6'9'' 220 B- B C B+ C B
Kyle Lowry PG 21 6'0'' 175 C+ B B B C A
Carl Landry PF 24 6'9'' 248 B C D+ C+ B- B
This is a team playing way above their ratings right now. Maybe Biggie has found some secret DC formula. The players aren't good... yet. Lot's of potential on this team. Gay has been kicked around as a bust, but he's finally putting up big scoring numbers with 20 ppg. Lowry is a future star. 16/8/2 with only 2 topg is really phenomenal for a 2nd year PG. I put Landry above Oden if only because of the scoring. Oden should be on this list by next year with some camp love to that inside scoring.
25. Memphis Grizzlies
Louis Williams SG 20 6'2'' 175 B- A C B+ D A
Mike Conley PG 19 6'1'' 180 C+ B+ C+ B C- A
Brandon Bass PF 22 6'8'' 240 B C- C- B- B- C
This one was tough. The first tough decision was whether to put them in this class or bump them up. The lack of 3rd option landed them here. Second tough decision was Bass over Tony Allen. I like the combo of Bass's rebounding and blocking more than Allen's scoring. At 20 years old, Louis Williams is bona fide star and can score at will. Add in Conley who, once the handles are in check, could be a top 5-7 PG when all is said and done.
Ummmm You Need Help!
24. Miami Heat
Andrew Bynum C 20 7'0'' 285 B D+ C- A- B- A
Andre Iguodala SG 23 6'6'' 207 B B C+ B+ C B
Zach Randolph PF 26 6'9'' 253 B- C D+ C+ B B
Really thought the Heat would be a lot better this year, but I was wrong
. This is another trio without a 3rd player. Pig seems to have a ton of middling bigs - Z-Bo, Freeland, Davis. He should look to consolidate. Could you imagine this team with Durant? Ouch. Anyways, Bynum has his TOs under control this year so that's a positive to hang your hat on! Pig does seem to get the best out Iggy; he's scoring 3 ppg more than he has in his career. Pig needs some help.23. Milwaukee Bucks
Jermaine O'Neal PF 29 6'11'' 242 A C C- A- B D
Richard Jefferson SF 27 6'7'' 222 A- C C A C D
Sergio Rodriguez PG 21 6'3'' 168 C+ B C B- C- A
Just as Durant elevated Detroit, so does JO with Milwaukee. The guy is a freak and totally underrated. 28/13/2.5 need I say more? Jefferson is kind of a fringe starter, but the A defense makes him nice. I had to choose between Sergio and Lionel Chalmers and went Sergio. He's younger, better TO rate, and shoots better. Jordan is always MIA so I doubt he's able to put anything around these guys, but it's a solid base to build off.
22. Dallas Mavericks
Paul Millsap C 22 6'8'' 245 B- C D A- B A
*Jose Barea PG 34 36.7 17.2 4.0 6.0 1.3 0.3 3.6 .451 .828 .455
Jared Dudley SF 22 6'7'' 225 B- A- C B- C B
So the big ommission here is Jose Barea. Barea doesn't score nearly enough to justify the 3.6 topg. That's nasty. Greg should camp him a bit if he cared at all. Dudley and Kleiza play the same position and really bring the same thing to the table, but they're both only 22! That could be a nice 2-3 in a couple of years. Millsap is the anchor on this team, figuratively and literally. 15/10/1.5 on 48% shooting is real nice. And oh yeah he's only 22 too and still have A potential. Hopefully he develops into a nice 17/11/2 kinda guy for Greg.
*Subbed in Barea for Kleiza after trade.
21. San Antonio Spurs
Tracy McGrady SG 28 6'8'' 210 A- A- B B C C
Amir Johnson PF 20 6'9'' 210 B+ D+ C B- B- A
Jalen Rose SF 34 6'8'' 217 B- A- C C C- C
Not sure why T-Mac is still on this team, but he is. Hopefully Tiger gets a good haul for him soon. Amir is the beginning of his rebuild and he's really nice looking at this point. His blocking and rebounding are already pretty elite. I hated putting Rose on here because I think Afflalo will be super good, but at this point I couldn't judge due to the lack of minutes. I'm surprised Tiger hasn't been able to snag a pick for Jalen yet because he should. Bright future in SA, but for now pretty mediocre squad.
Needs a Pinch of Something...
20. Seattle Supersonics
Kris Humphries PF 22 6'9'' 235 B+ C C- A B+ B
Jamal Mashburn SF 34 6'8'' 240 B- A- B- C C D
Marcin Gortat C 23 6'11'' 240 B D+ C- B+ B- B
Marty is in big trouble regarding his CY. Not sure if he'll make it or not tbh. He's got a solid team though. I think Humphries is majorly overrated, but Gortat is majorly underrated, mostly done by Marty. Gortat gets 2+ bpg after all. Marty needs one more scorer along Mashburn who was a nice steal in the creation draft by Skillz in the 3rd round. The guy can score! Anyways, Marty will probably have to trade one of Humphries or Gortat for that scorer.
19. New Orleans Hornets
Amare Stoudemire PF 24 6'10'' 245 A- D+ D+ B B+ C
Rashard Lewis SF 28 6'10'' 215 B A D+ B C C
Jamal Crawford PG 27 6'5'' 175 C A- B C+ C- C
Pretty sure this is accurate up to this point. It's meh. Not sure what Aar is shooting for here with these trades. I don't see a system he can run. I'm in the anti-Amara camp as well. He's a decent scorer and that's about it. Lewis can light it up, but doesn't rebound enough for SF for my liking. And yeah that Crawford contract is downright horrible. Yucky. A nice positive is that they're all under 30.
18. Toronto Raptors
Gilbert Arenas PG 25 6'3'' 191 B A- B- B+ C B
Richard Hamilton SG 29 6'7'' 193 A- B- C B- C D
Anderson Varejao C 24 6'10'' 230 C+ C- D A- B+ C
Remember when this team was good last season just so they could make the playoffs and now they suck again? DJ should give Spence a nice sloppy beej for that. This trio isn't terrible. Dan Gibson misses the cut because AV is more valuable to the team than he is with Agent Zero and Rip present. Can't believe Arenas is only 25. With the AC love he could be a superstar. Ugh DJ.
17. Golden State Warriors
Rajon Rondo PG 21 6'1'' 171 A- C B A- C+ A
Al Horford PF 21 6'10'' 245 B C- D- B- B A
Randy Foye SG 24 6'4'' 210 B- B C B- D+ B
CC has a great core in place. Just sucks that it's probably 1 season away from really clicking. I know he's going for it this year and the only way he makes it is with continued dominance from Rondo. He's a top 5 player in terms of value right now and is pretty untradeable. Horford and Foye combine for some solid scoring, but CC really needs another go to guy on the wings. Hopefully Horford can become a shot blocker in the future!
16. Chicago Bulls
Kobe Bryant SG 29 6'7'' 215 A- A+ B A+ C B
Josh Smith PF 21 6'9'' 225 A- C B- A- B B
Wilson Chandler SF 20 6'8'' 220 B- C C- B C B
Talk about putting all your eggs into one basket. And that basket is Kobe. He's the best scorer in the league. His TOs are a bit whack, but that's it. No negatives. Josh Smith is also a really nice young talent. 19/11/2.5 is sexayyyy. Chandler isn't bad. Ashes needs a PG bad. Kobe makes this trio so goood though. Maybe ranked a bit high, but it's justifiable with the best scorer.
Glass is Half Full
15. Minnesota Timberwolves
Kelenna Azubuike SG 23 6'5'' 220 C+ A- C- B- C B
Leandro Barbosa PG 24 6'3'' 176 C A C+ B+ C- B
Marc Gasol C 22 7'1'' 265 B C- C C+ B- A
Again we might be a bit high here, but I like the overall roundness to this trio. Azubuike is a shot caller and a shot maker! He can torch defenses. I'm a huge Barbosa fan as well. Obviously because I gave him that contract... That brings us to big boy Gasol. Yummy! So nice. He can already score a bit and he looks to be a big time shot blocker in the making. Already with 1.5 bpg in his rookie season. Pretty unheard of in this league. A little maturity will go a long way in this trio.
14. Los Angeles Clippers
Dwyane Wade SG 25 6'4'' 210 A B- A- B+ C B
Mike Bibby PG 29 6'1'' 190 C+ A- A- B D+ C
Emeka Okafor PF 24 6'10'' 252 B C- D+ A- B B
Damn this is an underrated team. Carried by D-Wade, the Clips are legit contenders this year. They have scoring, defense, and limit TOs very well. Bibby is a perfect counterpart to Wade. Doesn't need to shoot a ton to score. Okafor does 13/11/2.1 without sweating. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him in FA. Is he worth a max? I feel like someone will give it to him. This team is very well rounded, and the bench is key to winning and one of the reasons this trio isn't higher.
13. Philadelphia 76ers
Tony Parker PG 25 6'2'' 180 B B A- B+ D B
Dwight Howard C 21 6'11'' 240 A- D+ D A- A B
J.R. Smith SG 21 6'6'' 220 C A C C+ D+ B
Habes just pulled off the trade for Howard and gives himself a very protypical FBB team. Super awesome PG and a big down low who can board/block and score. A part of me wishes I never traded Dwight because he's legit now. All he really needed to come along were his blocks. Not only did they come along, but they exploded. HE'S 21 YEARS OLD!!! Wow. Parker is a top 7 PG right now, no questions asked. And JR can bomb, but he can't be considered a foundation piece and therefore brings this trio down a bit.
12. Los Angeles Lakers
Carmelo Anthony SF 23 6'8'' 220 B+ A C B B- B
Deron Williams PG 23 6'3'' 210 B B A+ B+ C A
Larry Hughes SG 28 6'5'' 184 B- A- C+ A- C C
Jefe aka Nanz aka Beautiful Boy comes in here with his Lake Show! It's probably a little lower than he was expecting... Carmelo is a really good scorer, but he's also really good at turning the ball over. Really thought Deron would have developed a bit more by now. I'm a huge fan of his, but I feel like he's stuck in 2nd gear. Hughes was a really good get. All three shoot awesome percentages and rebound well for their respective positions. Too bad none of his bigs or Deng developed. Could have been something awesome...
Even Steven!
Disclaimer: This is where I really think it just becomes a crap shoot. I'll try my best to be fair and what not.
11. Washington Wizards
Steve Francis PG 30 6'3'' 193 B- A- B+ A- C C
Chris Bosh PF 23 6'10'' 210 B+ C+ C- B+ B- B
Kenyon Martin C 29 6'9'' 230 B+ C- C A- B- C
The Wizards are also in their CY and Jah has done a nice job of compiling quality players. Obviously, not enough to win a championship, but I think these 3 players are single handly winning the Wiz games. Stevie is great minus his 3.7 topg. Martin is averaging 20/12 and Bosh is at 22/9. They don't have the flash of say, Howard-Parker-Smith, but I think overall they are more steady and better because of it.
10. Houston Rockets
Yao Ming C 27 7'5'' 296 B+ C C A- B+ B
Pau Gasol PF 27 7'0'' 227 A- C- C A- B C
Royal Ivey PG 25 6'3'' 200 C+ B- C- A- C- D
Really, really good team with two great players and a bunch of role guys. Yao and Pau are second only to Boston's bigs. They are as good a foundation as you could ask for at 27 years old. Like I said two great players, but they don't have that 3rd player to put them over the top. Ivey is a low TO PG, but doesn't really do much else. If Houston wants to continue to contend they'll need that 3rd dude going forward.
9. Utah Jazz
Michael Redd SG 28 6'6'' 215 B- A+ C A C C
Baron Davis PG 28 6'3'' 210 B A- B B+ C C
Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 32 7'3'' 260 A- C D+ C+ B+ C
Ahhh the Redd Baron combo is so niceeee. The Jazz probably would have been a bit higher with Amare still on the team, but Big Z is no slouch either. I think that trade will make the Jazz better in the long run. Not much to say about Mike Redd except GIMME! Baron's TOs are a bit high, but he scores very effectively and rebounds extremely well for a PG. Very good core three.
8. New Jersey Nets
Chris Paul PG 22 6'0'' 175 B+ B B B+ D+ A
Monta Ellis SG 21 6'3'' 175 A- B+ C B+ D+ B
Tyson Chandler PF 25 7'1'' 235 B+ C- C- A A- C
On paper this core three looks uber good. A look at the numbers proves otherwise. CP3 and Monta are both huge volume shooters... both shooting below 44% to get their numbers. I mean that's not horrible, but it's not great. Since coming over from the Mavs, TC's scoring has dropped (not a high option anymore?), but so has his shooting percentages. The blocks and boards are still top notch though. As the top two develop, they will move up the list.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
Elton Brand C 28 6'8'' 265 A- C- C B+ A- D
Stephon Marbury PG 30 6'2'' 180 B A- A- A- D+ C
Corey Maggette SG 27 6'6'' 228 A- B C C+ C C
The Cavs might be high in some people's eyes, but these 3 have been the bane of my playoff existence for 2 of the past 3 years and I hate them. Brand is one of the best bigs in the league. He's averaged high double-doubles since the beginning and is dominant on the blocks. Marbury is elite. Doesn't turn it over and shoots really well. Maggette might look like a weakness, but he shoots over 46% from the field... damn. Look out for Rudy Fernandez to jump on this list when Corey goes away.
6. Phoenix Suns
Jason Kidd PG 34 6'4'' 212 C+ B+ A A+ C C
Ron Artest SF 27 6'7'' 246 B A- C A+ C+ C
Ben Gordon SG 24 6'3'' 200 B- A C+ B+ D+ B
Skillz at it again with the wheeling and the dealing. I think he came out on top like usual. Not sure what he's going to do about his bigs, but these three can score at will and play defense hard. Kidd is old, but still sick. 19 ppg on 50% with only 2.6 topg. Artest has finally blossomed into a stud. Gordon is the kicker here. Still only 24 with B potential. We could easily see him become a super star.
5. New York Knicks
Paul Pierce SF 30 6'6'' 230 B+ A- C+ B+ C C
Ray Allen SG 32 6'5'' 205 B A C+ B C- D
Chauncey Billups PG 31 6'3'' 202 C+ A- B- B- C- C
This is one of the older cores in the league, but they can still ball. Truth and Allen on the Knicks?? Like what? Yeah that's happening and it's working well. Pierce does 29/8/2 nightly and kills it. Allen is smooth, but is only shooting 34% from behind the line which is weird. Chauncey is underrated. Feel like he gets kicked around a bit too much. He fits in well in New York. Good support and great trio.
4. Indiana Pacers
Allen Iverson SG 32 6'0'' 165 A- A- A- A D+ C
Vince Carter SG 30 6'6'' 225 A- A C B- C B
Jason Terry PG 30 6'2'' 180 C+ A C B D+ D
Guess I could slot in here. Look at all that scoring! Not terrible defense either which is weird for me tbh. AI exploded in TC and is lighting it up still. Really the only bad thing is Terry's TOs, but the guy is doing 30 ppg!! Like whattttt? We're finally turning it around, just need some depth.
Kings of the Mountain
3. Boston Celtics
Shaquille O'Neal C 35 7'1'' 335 A D C- A A- C
Tim Duncan PF 31 7'0'' 260 A C- C A+ A- C
Steve Nash PG 33 6'3'' 195 C+ A A+ C+ C- C
Feel like I've been unnecessarily ripping apart the Celtics lately, but I don't know I just don't fear them anymore. Wait did they just run through the playoffs losing only once? Oh. Anyways these guys are getting old! Still putting up great stats though. All three of them are shooting over 50% from the field! Damn maybe this ranking is a little low... Nah. They are very good, but not the best.
2. Orlando Magic
LeBron James SF 23 6'8'' 225 A B+ B+ A- B- B
Cenk Akyol PG 20 6'6'' 200 B- A- C+ A- C B
Kevin Garnett PF 31 6'11'' 220 A- C A- A+ A- C
Remember this is a core three ranking, not a power ranking. Do you see those top 2? Holy hell. LBJ is boss. Ayol does 1 topg. KG does 17/11/1. That's amazing. Play needs more bench and secondary scorers, but this core is top of the line. I'd trade for it in an instant. Lebron doesn't score as much as Kobe, but he also does 2 topg less. I'd take that trade off.
1. Denver Nuggets
Dirk Nowitzki SF 29 7'0'' 245 A- A- C B- C+ C
Shawn Marion SF 29 6'7'' 215 A- A- C A C+ D
Brandon Roy SG 23 6'6'' 215 B A- A- B C C
You can't be the best team without having the best core three. Great mix of offense and defense. Marion might be the most complete player in the league. Roy is filthy off the bench. He needs to start somehow. Maybe take the handles penalty? And that leaves Dirk... wow. What a team. Congrats Broph.
Yep wrap it up! Wow that took a long time. Votes please!
