All-Decade Teams (50s-Present)

Another offseason topic here, though I'll admit this one also has some modding motivation. What would be your All-Decade teams for the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s?

Rules:

• Minimum 12, maximum 15 players per team.
• Nominate the starting five.
• Players can only appear on one team, so pick the decade you feel is the best fit.

If you need a template, here's a straightforward one.

Code:

[size=150][b]1950s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

[size=150][b]1960s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

[size=150][b]1970s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

[size=150][b]1980s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

[size=150][b]1990s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

[size=150][b]2000s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

[size=150][b]2010s[/b][/size]

[b]Starters[/b]

C:
F:
F:
G:
G:

[b]Bench[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6
Player 7

[b]Inactive/Alternates[/b]

Player 1
Player 2
Player 3

Speaking of 90s (defense)

phpBB [video]

Not meant to hijack the thread, this is the most recent thread about vintage basketball so posted it here



Gunslinger made a good point

Arenas is only talking about the physical nature of the 90s, and hes also wrong about the reason why it was physical.

The rules allowed the game to be more physical, they didnt heavily favor the offense like they do in todays NBA. That is literally Arenas flying off the handle talking BS. It was also more physical because everybody wanted to beat eachother, not a "friends"league as much as it is today. Players were not constantly jumping teams to play against rivals, they were trying to win with the team they were on. Money wasnt even close to what it is in todays league, and the AAU generation of players hadn't started.

Defense seemed like more of a priority for the league and the players back in the 90s, the effort on that end seemed to be higher.

Nobody can honestly take that take seriously from Arenas, he is losing his mind in this clip. Especially if you know the game of basketball, and actually watched back than.

EDIT: I watched the whole thing, and it's even more ridiculous now hahaha. They said that Pippen and Rodman were "small" and undersized, and wouldnt have the same impact today.

Anybody who puts any stock into this interview either doesn't know the game or is easily influenced by bullshit.

Hahahahaha

Here are some more gems from the "gunslinger" who made a "good point" during this interview


Gilbert Arenas says
◾️ Power forwards in 90s were 6'4" to 6'8" (??)
◾️ Defense doesn't win championships
◾️ The late Anthony Mason wouldn't be able to guard players today (but he guarded MJ, Hakeem, Malone, Shaq & Vince)
◾️ Gary Payton was a "little guy" he could post up

And FYI

20-year-old Arenas (2nd season) vs 34-year-old Payton (13th season)

GA: 19 PTS, 11 AST
GP: 26 PTS, 10 AST, W

GA: 28 PTS, 5 AST
GP: 20 PTS, 7 AST, W

GA: 30 PTS, 7 AST
GP: 28 PTS, 10 AST, W

Everything about this interview is incorrect and garbage. People who take this seriously dont know shit about basketball.

Just saw that and laugh too... Their arguments are totally biased because they forgot the context : this isnt the same game anymore, the same rules.
OK, put Prime LeBron in 1975 with 1975 rules AND 1975 players, what will happen ? no spacing, no fast line to the rim, handcheck, no 3s in paint , no technical foul, no travel allowed, no palm... 15 championships ? No way
Lou Williams vs Scottie Pippen or Dennis Rodman with hand checking ?!

The comment about player heights is also strange, because there were plenty of power forwards who were big, strong, and taller than 6'8". That's not even a matter of opinion or bias. The average height in the NBA has been 6'7" for decades now, and there were bigs back in the 90s who were indeed quite large in stature.

I mean, you can debate rules, skills, technology, attitudes, strategy, and all that. But saying that all the power forwards in the 90s were 6'4" to 6'8" tops is factually incorrect. You might as well say the only reason Michael Jordan scored a lot of points is that back then there were two basketballs on the court, and he was allowed to shoot at the other rim while the rest of the players were up the other end. Demonstrably false.

Anyway, to redirect the topic to its original purpose, let's get to some All-Decade picks.

Ok, I'm game. I'll do my favorite decade, the 90's. That's when I got into NBA basketball and started playing myself.

1990's

starters
---

C - Hakeem Olajuwon
One of the two positions that was undisputed to me. There were other truly great Centers (Ewing, Robinson, slim Shaq) in this decade, but Hakeem reigned supreme in my opinion. His game got so well-rounded and smooth that it was an absolute pleasure to watch him go to town on his opponents. I'd have loved for his Rockets to have faced the Bulls at least once in the finals. There's a chance that MJ's perfect 6-0 record would be in danger, as they had noone who could even hope to contain The Dream offensively and defensively.

PF - Karl Malone
It's a pretty close one between the Mailman and Barkley, but I give this spot to the former, only because he stayed productive throughout the whole decade, while Sir Charles declined pretty quickly towards the late 90's. The question is: would Malone have been as consistent if he had played under different circumstances (i.e. not having Stockton on his team)? We'll never know, and as it is, Malone was an amazing model athlete and an outstanding presence during his whole career.

SF - Grant Hill
Yeah, I know. But I think that putting Scottie Pippen over Grant would be unfair. Early in his career, Hill was an amazing scorer, even without a reliable outside shot. His quickness on his first step and his agility rivaled MJ, and who knows what he could have done if it weren't for these injuries. I'm choosing him for the "what-if" factor.

SG - John Starks
HAHA - it's MJ. Who else, really? Nothing to say that hasn't been said already. GOAT. Period. Next.

PG - John Stockton
It breaks my heart to snub the beast that Gary Payton was, especially on the defensive end. But considering that Stockton was also an elite defender who knew every trick in the book, I'm going with the point guard who was as adept at creating for his teammates as nobody before and nobody after him. Stockton was every coach's dream, a man who would immaculately orchestrate the offense, harrass the opponent's PG all game long and just wouldn't back down from anyone. The more I write, the more I'm convinced that it could only be Stockton.

bench
---
Gary Payton
Penny Hardaway
Reggie Miller
Mitch Richmond
Scottie Pippen
Charles Barkley
Dennis Rodman
Patrick Ewing
David Robinson

honorable mentions
---
Jason Kidd (belongs in the 2000s)
Clyde Drexler (belongs in the 80s)
Chris Mullin (if the list went from mid-80s to mid-90s, he'd be a lock)
Shawn Kemp (one of my favorite players ever, but just not consistent enough)
Chris Webber (his Sacramento years are more memorable)
Shaq (let's face it - fat Shaq was the real Shaq)