A Not-so Dream Team

Who's your personal dream team? Or should I say, "who's your personal dream team with parameters?" Dream-team dominance is easy when you can just pluck elite player after elite player off the list. I suppose that's why it's called a "dream" team But I decided to try something a little different. I decided to put together a dream team with some built-in limitations. It turned out to be more difficult than I thought. If you're interested, below are the criteria I followed to compile my team, and, after the jump, you can see the completed project:    

1. No current Hall-of-Fame players.

2. No future/probable Hall-of-Fame players.

3. No players who have won championships.

4. For relevancy purposes, there must be at least one former or current Pacer on the roster.

5. Any bench players on the team must have actually come off the bench the majority of their NBA career.  

My Not-so Dream Team:

PG: Kevin Johnson - Here lies Chris Paul before there was Chris Paul, and a slightly more athletic version at that (as you can see here). Six-footish guys who can throw it down and bust out multiple 20-and-10 seasons are a rarity, and  KJ's a deserving member of the exclusive group. Sans the injuries, he may have accomplished top-10 all-time PG status, but, alas, injuries stunted what could have been a hall-of-fame career. A worthy consolation prize, however, is a distinguished spot on Glenn's Not-so Dream Team.

SG: Eddie Jones - A consistent, do-it-all SG, who will act as my primary wing defender. Jones was once a 20 ppg scorer, but more impressively, he was a master of thievery being in the top-5 of steals per game the majority of his career. He's often a forgotten commodity as injuries, and his inability to live up to a generous contract sullied his reputation a bit. I see his all-around style, though, complementing KJ and Co. quite well.

SF: Chuck Person - Every team needs a world-class, chest-beating trash talker. Every team needs a Pacer. Chuck is my candidate for both. Beyond the emotional theatrics, he was actually a legitimate explosive scoring option for a time. With KJ dishing, someone needs to be gunning. Enter Rifleman.

PF: Shawn Kemp - Watch highlight's from Kemp's prime and you're left in mouth-wide-open wonderment as to how such an athletic specimen isn't enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. Read about his many sketchy off-the-court hobbies, the poor work ethic, the careless weight gain, the disenchantment with game, and you wonder how such a flawed character managed 10 seasons of productivity. Kemp's red flags seep from every pore, but the offensive trio of KJ, Chuck, and Kemp is just too irresistible to pass up.

C: Marcus Camby - If it's not apparent already, this team wants to run. There's no room for cement-boot walkers in the paint. Camby will add more length and athleticism, along with some elite rebounding and defense. Yet another injury risk to boot, but this is all for pretend, right? Throw caution to the wind.

Bench:

PG: Nate McMillan - Will solidly defend both backcourt positions and be the floor general of the 2nd unit.

SG: Dan Majerle - Offers shooting touch, toughness, and the best tan in the business.

SF: Rodney Rogers - A hulking combo forward who'll always be a scoring threat.

PF: Danny Manning - His body couldn't cut it as a starter, so I'll let him be an offensive craftsman off the bench.

C: Jeff Foster - A bench 5-man who'll play solid defense, give a hard foul, and who has a remarkable habit of creating second-chance opportunities on offense? Yes, please.   

Could you do better?