Zero degrees of separation: most of the names that fill up our all-time teams are familiar—but there are some surprises as well - Special section: dream teams

Basketball Digest, Jan, 2003

ONLY A HANDFUL OF PLAYERS would make everyone's list of the very best in NBA history: Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell.

But how about a twist on that blunt "who's best?" question? What if we tried to determine the man who has had the biggest impact on the most teams in NBA history?

While the methodology may be unscientific, measuring volume and not necessarily quality or importance, our answer is clear: Lenny Wilkens. When we selected First and Second Teams of the best players on every NBA franchise, as well as an all-fine best coach for each team, Wilkens' name surfaced an astounding five times. To put it in perspective, no other player or coach showed up more than three.

Of course, Wilkens making Atlanta's First Team and Seattle's Second, as well as being the top coach for Atlanta, Cleveland, and Toronto proves only that he's been a highly desired piece of the winning puzzle for teams as a player and coach for more than 40 years. And his dual role--appearing as both a best player and best coach--suits the man who was the last player-coach in the NBA, more than 30 years ago in Seattle.

This special section, in which we named the all-time best players for every team in the NBA, includes many of the names you'd expect to see--and skips a few of the all-time greats.

That's because this section is compiled strictly by team. In every case, the 10 best players by position were selected: four guards, four forwards, and two centers. (While positions are increasingly fluid in basketball today, a concerted effort was made to match players to position, rather than, for example, simply slide talented seven-footer Kevin Garnett into Minnesota's center slot to eliminate a more pedestrian player like Dean Garrett.)

While there were a fair share of Garretts and Lorenzen Wrights who became All-Timers solely because they've contributed solid time on young franchises, certain Hall-of-Famers fail to even show up. Take the L.A. Lakers, with four bona fide top-20 all-time players in their history--all centers to boot: George Mikan, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal. With only two spots available in the pivot, you can see that some of the decision-making was excruciating.

While statistics can provide the best baseline for comparing players from different eras, other factors did tip the balances, including leadership, durability, versatility, and clutch play.

As you peruse our selections, no doubt you'll be struck by the depth--or lack thereof--some teams have had at certain positions. And how, in turn, some minor stars snuck through to find places on not one but two All-Time Teams.

Sam Cassell shows up on two squads, as do Ron Harper, Mark Jackson, Guy Rodgers, Jamal Mashburn, Alvin Robertson, and Eddie Jones. Larry Nance--Larry Nance--made the First Team of two franchises. Tracy McGrady, while certainly on track as a potential Hall-of-Famer, was a First-Teamer for two franchises despite playing just five years in the NBA.

Only two players show up as the overall Best Player for two different franchises. Chamberlain is an easy guess. But how long would it have taken you to identify Alonzo Mourning as the other?

We've had a great lime--and a few heated debates--while compiling this special section. As the 2002-03 season starts to gather momentum, take a few minutes to page through the past, team-by-team, and relive the greatest performers for every NBA franchise.

Where to Find Your Team

Team            Page

Atlanta           36
Boston            37
Chicago           38
Cleveland         39
Dallas            40
Denver            41
Detroit           42
Golden State      43
Houston           44
Indiana           45
L.A. Clippers     46
L.A. Lakers       47
Memphis           48
Mimmi             49
Milwaukee         50
Minnesota         51
New Jersey        52
New Orleans       53
New York          54
Orlando           55
Philadelphia      56
Phoenix           57
Portland          58
Sacramento        59
San Antonio       60
Seattle           61
Toronto           62
Utah              63
Washington        64

We want your feedback on our choices for our all-time teams. Feel free to e-mail your comments to bkt@centurysports.net

ATLANTA HAWKS

ESTABLISHED: 1949 as Tri-Cities Blackhaks; became Milwaukee Hawks in 1951; moved to St. Louis in 1955; moved to Atlanta in 1968

THE MUCH-MOVED HAWKS HAVE been winners wherever they happened to be playing at the moment. But despite the franchise having had a number of outstanding 56- to 57-win teams, the 1957-58, 41-31, squad--led by Bob Pettit's then-playoff record 50 points in the deciding sixth game against Boston--is the only one to win an NBA title.

The problem? Like clockwork, the finest teams the franchise has fielded had the maddening misfortune of running into some of the greatest teams in NBA history: Bill Russell's Boston Celtics and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls always prevented the Hawks from soaring all the way to the top.