The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

As the writer of a blog entitled "Sportin' Life," I'm one that clearly believes that one should not have to be a sports fan to realize that sports - and influential individual athletes - have had considerable impact on the nation throughout the years...and if you don't, look up Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Arthur Ashe, among others. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, the importance of individual games or even seasons really pales in comparison to the rest of life - as shown by recent events in Japan. Hopefully the thriving major leagues in Japan can play a part on the financial side of the rebuilding of their nation from some of the worst possible times.

That being said, I borrowed my title from Charles Dickens, in part because I was planning to write about some of the best of times, or the best of all time, in the NBA as I remembered that it was about fourteen years since the original 50 Greatest Players list was announced. Recognizing 50 players over 50 years ensured that some very worthy people would be left out - so I figured that this year I'd do my own Sportin' Life All-Time NBA Starting Fives (plus a "sixth man") list for every franchise.

Before I begin, I should say that by virtue of trades and free agency (check my earlier blog, "Open The Floodgates"), many great players have played for more than one team - and, as such, may appear on more than one team's list...but that is not absolute. For instance, LeBron James makes both Miami's and Cleveland's lists, for he is clearly among the best that has appeared on the court for both franchises. On the other hand, Allen Iverson doesn't make the Pistons' list; not due to the length of time spent in Detroit but due to the quality of his work there.

I more or less tried to do this like an actual team - two forwards and guards, one center - but some exceptions couldn't be avoided. We're going to start with the two most iconic franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, and work our way through on a divisional basis.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / Magic Johnson / Wilt Chamberlain / Kobe Bryant / Shaquille O'Neal / Jerry West

Boston Celtics

Bill Russell / Larry Bird / Kevin Garnett / Bob Cousy / Paul Pierce / John Havlicek

New York Knicks
Patrick Ewing / Bernard King / Walt Frazier / Earl Monroe / Willis Reed / Amar'e Stoudamire

Philadelphia 76ers

Wilt Chamberlain / Julius Erving / Charles Barkley / Allen Iverson / Hal Greer / Maurice Cheeks

New Jersey Nets (including New York Nets - ABA)

Julius Erving / John Williamson / Buck Williams / Jason Kidd / Larry Kenon / Vince Carter

Toronto Raptors

Tracy McGrady / Vince Carter / Chris Bosh / Antonio Davis / Andrea Bargnani / Mo Peterson

Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan / Scottie Pippen / Dennis Rodman / Derrick Rose / Bob Love / Joakim Noah

Indiana Pacers

Reggie Miller / George McGinnis / Mark Jackson / Billy Knight / Jermaine O'Neal / Rik Smits

Milwaukee Bucks

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / Marques Johnson / Oscar Robertson / Ray Allen / Sidney Moncrief / Brandon Jennings

Detroit Pistons

Grant Hill / Ben Wallace / Bob Lanier / Dave Bing / Isiah Thomas / Joe Dumars

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James / Larry Nance / Brad Daugherty / Mark Price / Craig Ehlo / Ron Harper

Miami Heat

Alonzo Mourning / Dwyane Wade / LeBron James / Glen Rice / Tim Hardaway / Rony Seikaly

Atlanta Hawks (includes St. Louis Hawks)

Lou Hudson / Dominique Wilkins / Pete Maravich / Joe Johnson / John Drew / Bob Pettit

Orlando Magic

Shaquille O'Neal / Penny Hardaway / Dwight Howard / Tracy McGrady / Dennis Scott / Scott Skiles

Charlotte Bobcats

Gerald Wallace / Emeka Okafor / Stephen Jackson / Gerald Henderson / Raymond Felton / Boris Diaw

Washington Wizards (including Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets)

Earl Monroe / Gus Johnson / Wes Unseld / Elvin Hayes / Gilbert Arenas / Phil Chenier

Oklahoma City Thunder (including Seattle SuperSonics)

Kevin Durant / Dale Ellis / Jack Sikma / Lenny Wilkens / Shawn Kemp / Gary Payton

Portland Trail Blazers

Clyde Drexler / Maurice Lucas / Bill Walton / Brandon Roy / Terry Porter / LaMarcus Aldridge

Denver Nuggets

David Thompson / Dan Issel / Carmelo Anthony / Dikembe Mutumbo / Alex English / Fat Lever

Utah Jazz (including New Orleans Jazz)

Karl Malone / John Stockton / Deron Williams / Adrian Dantley / Carlos Boozer / Pete Maravich

Minnesota Timberwolves

Kevin Garnett / Stephon Marbury / Wally Szcerbiak / Kevin Love / Al Jefferson / Sam Cassell

San Antonio Spurs

Tim Duncan / David Robinson / George Gervin / Tony Parker / Manu Ginobili / Artis Gilmore

Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki / Jason Kidd / Jason Terry / Mark Aguirre / Michael Finley / Derek Harper

New Orleans Hornets (including Chatlotte Hornets)

Chris Paul / Larry Johnson / Alonzo Mourning / David West / Glen Rice / Rex Chapman

Memphis Grizzlies (including Vancouver Grizzlies)

Mike Miller / Zack Randolph / Rudy Gay / Pau Gasol / Marc Gasol / Jason Williams

Houston Rockets

Hakeem Olajuwon / Elvin Hayes / Clyde Drexler / Calvin Murphy / Moses Malone / Rick Barry

Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash / Amar'e Stoudamire / Charles Barkley / Dan Majerle / Kevin Johnson / Connie Hawkins

Golden State Warriors (including Philadelphia Warriors and Syracuse Nats)

Rick Barry / Wilt Chamberlain / Tim Hardaway / Chris Mullin / Chris Webber / Jason Richardson

Los Angeles Clippers (including San Diego Clippers and Buffalo Braves)

Bob McAdoo / Randy Smith / Blake Griffin / World B. Free / Elton Brand / Baron Davis

Sacramento Kings (including Kansas City-Omaha Kings and Cincinnati Royals)

Chris Webber / Oscar Robertson / Vlade Divac / Nate Archibald / Mike Bibby / Peja Stojakovic

And this final "Honorable Mention" (or "my bad") group is a group of people who were deserving or could be seen as deserving but got left off this list because of the number of greats in their
franchise's history:

Michael Adams / Nick Anderson / Paul Arizin / Elgin Baylor / Walt Bellamy /Chauncey Billups / Rolando Blackman / Muggsy Bogues / Bill Bradley /Junior Bridgeman / Don Buse / Fred Carter / Doug Collins / Mike Conley / Billy Cunningham /Dale Davis / Bob Dandridge / Mel Daniels / Dave DeBusschere / Mark Eaton / Danny Granger / Spencer Haywood / Jeff Hornacek / Antawn Jamison / Richard Jefferson / Vinnie Johnson / Bobby Jones / Billy Keller / Jerome Kersey / Jerry Lucas / Kenyon Martin / Cedric Maxwell / Kevin McHale / Nate McMillian / George Mikan / Yao Ming / Robert Parish / Paul Pressey / Mitch Richmond / Rajon Rondo / Dan Roundfield / Dolph Schayes / James Silas / Ralph Simpson / Jerry Sloan / Latrell Sprewell / John Starks / Brian Taylor / Nate Thurmond / Rudy Tomjanovich / Andrew Toney / HedoTurkoglu / Norm Van Lier / Chet Walker / Jimmy Walker / Russell Westbrook / Gus Williams / James Worthy

Even with six players per team, some outstanding players were left off -maybe your favorite player - which brought forth the need for the above group, which includes some of the greatest players in the league today as well as some original Top 50 selections. Anyway, hit me up with your likes and dislikes!