Young Man's Groove - choosing an all-star basketball team, 2000-01 season

Basketball Digest, Summer, 2001 by Brett Ballantini

In a league filled with aging stars and teams on the wane, five twentysomething superheroes seized their opportunity and rocked the house

THE FIVE PLAYERS ON OUR ALL-NBA First Team each faced different challenges entering the 2000-01 season.

The 1999-2000 NBA Co-Rookie of the Year, Steve Francis, was threatened by the sophomore jinx and, even more importantly, had to seize control of the team that the retired Charles Barkley and declining Hakeem Olajuwon deeded to him early in his first season.

Superstar 2-guard Allen Iverson, nearly traded to the Detroit Pistons in the off-season after his insubordination had finally gotten the best of his coach, Larry Brown, was in danger of being placed in the "good numbers, no rings" file.

Tracy McGrady allowed himself an Orlando summer to get used to the deflected glow off of fellow free-agent Grant Hill before suiting up in the fall and realizing not only would he have to live up to his new max contract, but he'd have to do it for a year without the comfort of having Hill in his backcourt.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were hit with the NBA's version of the death penalty for illegally tampering with forward Joe Smith, as a result losing key cog Smith and having their draft future ripped from them. Welcome to training camp, Kevin Garnett.

Shaquille O'Neal, simultaneously the most loved and hated player in the NBA, was coming off a season in which he drove his Los Angeles Lakers through the regular season and NBA Finals en route to MVP awards, a championship ring, and even his harshest critics acknowledging that, yes, now O'Neal had earned his spot among the NBA's 50 Greatest Players. Now, Shaq, do it all again.

Each player met his challenge. In a league filled with talent and brimming with stars new and old, these five superstars were the best at their respective positions.

STEVE FRANCIS, point guard, Houston Rockets (a.k.a., Stevie Franchise)

After barely missing the cut as last year's BASKETBALL DIGEST Rookie of the Year, Francis showed more growth than anyone in his draft class. He became the first player in Houston history to record 500 assists and 500 rebounds in a season. He finished 16th in the league in assists (6.5), ninth in steals (1.76), and 26th in scoring (19.9). He also demonstrated a rebounding ability not seen in today's point guards outside of Jason Kidd, actually outrebounding the taller Kidd by a half-board, 6.9 to 6.4.

How did Stevie Franchise leapfrog All-NBA perennials Kidd and Gary Payton to become our First-Team guard? Simple: Francis worked his butt off. He takes a pounding in the paint unseen outside of Iverson. He plays 48 minutes without a bat of a lash. For all the credit Kidd receives for his improved shooting, Francis is that much better (his 39.6% from the arc was within striking distance of Kidd's 41.1% from the floor).

And in the end, Francis carried Houston. A weak start and an uneven season from the Rockets' front line made the 6'3" point guard the team's second-leading rebounder. And while shooting guard Cuttino Mobley had a nice season (19.5 ppg) to complement him, it's not as if Francis--who led Houston on a kamikaze raid on the playoffs in March and fell short because the team simply ran out of time--had the offensive options of Kidd or even Payton.

Most impressive of all, this 24-year old has quickly shaken off the "pouty" stain of the 1999 draft by emerging as a leader in Houston. His infectious personality has won over his teammates, and the result is a locker room bursting with chemistry.

ALLEN IVERSON, shooting guard, Philadelphia 76ers (a.k.a., The Answer)

After a typical 36-point game in a 90-78 win against the Milwaukee Bucks in March--Iverson's first game back after missing five of six games with a left hip pointer--the toughest player in the NBA held forth: "If it comes to a point that some body can guard me, then I know I'm hurt. My thing is, as long as I can run, I can play. And I could run." [For the full story on Iverson, the 2000-01 BASKETBALL DIGEST Player of the Year, turn to page 26.]

TRACY McGRADY, small forward, Orlando Magic (a.k.a., T-Mac)

Perhaps our biggest surprise--or at least one that comes close to matching the ascendance of Francis--is naming T-Mac the top 3 in the league. Yes, he's leapfrogged past Kobe at the 2 and cousin Vinny Carter at the 3.

How? Well, he did benefit from Grant Hill's injury. McGrady certainly would have grown by playing with Hill, but he answered the challenge and completely defied expectations while Hill was out. We already knew he was on the short list of the NBA's top defenders, but T-Mac showed us all that he's the complete package on the other side of the ball as well. [For more on McGrady, the only player to grace three of our awards squads in 2000-01, see our Most Improved Player story on page 48.]

KEVIN GARNETT, power forward, Minnesota Timberwolves (a.k.a., The Kid)

Garnett is going to feel like a grandpappy if hordes of high-schoolers continue to bust past college and into the league. While The Kid isn't the originator of the prep-to-pros jump, he did lead this new generation into the NBA. And say all you want about Kobe or Tracy--or Moses Malone, if you want to kick it old-school--Garnett is the best prep-to-pro of them all.