My NBA All-Star draft

I saw "Stockton" trending on Twitter yesterday. That's because NBA on TNT had this:

The rules? With 15 draft points, build an NBA All-Star starting team out of that.

If we're playing today, especially?

Here we go:

If we're in today's rules & strategy, easy. Sorry, Wilt, Bill, Kareem, but bye.
Guards: Stockton, West, 1 pt each.
Frontcourt: MJ and LeBron, 5 each, and Bird, 3.
FIVE 3-ballers. FIVE playmakers. TWO nominal centers.#NBAAllStar
Shit, I'll take that as my all-time #AllNBA https://t.co/TOFT2gVVnx

— Dixville Notch, Dixville Itch 🚩🌻 (@AFCC_Esq) February 12, 2020

It's simple.

Bill Russell? Still arguably the greatest defender ever. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn shooting. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain could (except Wilt on free throws) but both were traditional back to the basket centers, out of date in today's world. The pre-Jordan NBA in general was relatively static compared to today. Sure, there was lots of fast break running, as Russell's Celtics showed, but in the halfcourt? The best of offenses back then had poor spacing and poor cutting way too often. And the game slowed down when the ball got dumped into the post.

It's just like I said. Jerry West, the Logo, would be bombing if he had the 3-ball line in his career. Stockton did. Both were good passers, too. Stockton's too short and slow to really be a PG, but, he's a better overall player than Westbrook.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James both give me great D as well as their variety of offensive skills, and LeBron could play center on D today. So, that's 3 points left.

Peak Larry Bird beats peak Tim Duncan at 3s and assists both, and he wasn't horrible defensively. He can play center on D well enough. 

Options? KD instead of Stockton is one. Olajuwon was very tough to leave out, but I ignored the 4-pointers in general from the start. On the 5-star line? Only two names ever got consideration. Nope, Kobe-stanners. I am very solid with my original five.

As for the best ever? Sorry, Jordan-stanners, but he's 1A to LeBron's 1. Already covered that. (And Kobe is in the back seat.)

As for biggest insult? No, it's not Durant being a 1-point ranker. It's that Steph Curry isn't even on there. You could easily boot Westbrook.