What If...? An IRL v. TMBSL Top 10 List (196 views)

[👨🏼‍⚕️delapandemic🚑]

We all know and love the simulated basketball players here in TMBSL.  However, sometimes we forget that they are people IRL, too.  So, I was thinking... which IRL teams from the past would be the best if their starting 5 were replaced with their SIM counterparts?  We are assuming they get their totality of a SIM player in a single season... so they get all of the career Win Shares of that player for that year.  We know that teams featuring Scott Pippen, Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic, and Allan Houston (among others)... will fare poorly... and we can probably guess that teams featuring Kyrie, LeBron, Russell, Robinson, and Kareem will be great.

The structure: The Top 10 teams from the past (IRL), ranked by total WS (in TMBSL) of their starting 5 (5 with the most minutes played if GS is not available on basketball-reference).  The catch: A player can only appear once on the list, with their highest performing team... so there won't just be teams of just those 5 listed above.  I'm pretty sure I've got the Top 10.... but this is far from a scientific method, so if you find one, let me know in the comments.  Clearly these teams are anchored by individual SIM greats, with only 3 teams I can find that started 3+ 100 WS players at the same time.  Win Share totals are taken after the 2041 season... so the list is subject to change... but #1 is probably safe.

Narrow Misses:

Two teams fall just outside the Top 10 by a matter of a few Win Shares:

1995-1996 Los Angeles Lakers: 356.62 (Nick Van Exel: 177.9, Vlade Divac: 147.72, Eddie Jones: 31.0, Elden Campbell: 0, Cedric Ceballos: 0)

1966-1967 Boston Celtics: 368.57 (Bill Russell: 217.7, Sam Jones: 67.79, Jon Havlicek: 63.83, K.C. Jones: 16.72, Bailey Howell: 2.55)

10.  2009-2010 Orlando Magic: 371.68

Dwight and Vince anchor this team, Matt Barnes brings them down a touch. 

(Dwight Howard: 173.9, Vince Carter: 127.71, Jameer Nelson: 51.95, Rashard Lewis: 18.7, Matt Barnes -.58)

9. 1968-1969 Los Angeles Lakers: 374.81

Wilt's only year with great teammates.

(Wilt Chamberlain: 165.2, Jerry West: 121.24, Elgin Baylor: 87.49, Mel Counts: .88, Keith Erickson: 0)

8. 1964-1965 Cincinnati Royals: 434.79

Being trumped (later in the list) by a Magic Johnson/James Worthy combo teaming up with Kareem, Oscar has to settle for his best non-Kareem team.

(Oscar Robertson: 233.3, Jerry Lucas: 183.39, Adrian Smith: 15.72, Wayne Embry: 2.24, Jack Twyman: .14)

7. 2005-2006 Houston Rockets: 474.33

Yao and TMac's only year with a good (TMBSL) 3rd starter.

(Tracy McGrady: 195.6, Yao Ming: 180.7, Juwan Howard: 90.19, Rafer Alston: 5.71, David Wesley: 2.13)

6. 2014-2015 Memphis Grizzlies: 478.01

Not great in IRL, good, but not great... elite by TMBSL standards though.

(Zach Randolph: 205.1, Mike Conley: 189.15, Marc Gasol: 76.83, Courtney Lee: 3.53, Jeff Green: 3.40)

5. 2015-2016 Milwaukee Bucks: 515.01

A strange team IRL, again... much better in TMBSL.  MCW really sucks.

(Giannis Antetokounmpo: 203.3, Greg Monroe: 193.9, Jabari Parker: 102.66, Khris Middleton: 19.79, Michael Carter-Williams: -4.64)

4. 1984-1985 Los Angeles Lakers: 532.14

Showtime! Kareem and Magic's best possible score.  Would've been even better if they had started Michael Cooper over Rambis.

(Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 249.0, Magic Johnson: 159.02, James Worthy: 80.04, Byron Scott: 44.08, Kurt Rambis: 0)

3. 2008-2009 Phoenix Suns: 556.8

The only team on the list with 4 (four!) 100+ WS players.  Not too shabby at all.

(Amare Stoudemire: 195.9, Steve Nash: 129.85, Shaquille O'Neal: 127.84, Grant Hill: 103.28, Jason Richardson: -.07)

2. 2002-2003 San Antonio Spurs: 586.89

Surprisingly close to #1... but will fall further and further back as all of their players are retired.

(David Robinson: 219.8, Tim Duncan: 191, Stephen Jackson: 176.7, Tony Parker: 1.39, Bruce Bowen: 0)

1. 2016-2017 Cleveland Cavaliers: 606.91

Having the 2 GOATs (IRL/TMBSL for LBJ, just TMBSL for Kyrie) means you can be the best in this metric all by yourself... I guess Kevin Love is sorta good, too.

(Kyrie Irving: 323.5, LeBron James: 249.7, Kevin Love: 24.75, J.R. Smith: 5.92, Tristan Thompson: 3.64)

[jhb]

30k

[andrewluck]

30k. Cool article.

[👨🏼‍⚕️delapandemic🚑]

The '85 Lakers have some upside because of Magic/Worthy and shuold end up #2. If Elden Campbell/Ceballos get some decent run the '96 Lakers will move into the Top 10. The '16 Bucks can move up with Jabari continuing his great play. If Simisola Shittu ever lands on an NBA roster or Cam Reddish ever plays with anyone good, they could vault out of nowhere onto the list.

[ahebrewtoo]

What is this, Buzzfeed?

[TimPig]

35k. Fun stuff.

I think the 1966-67 Cincinnati Royals roster should trump the one you have because they had 62.25 win shares Guy Rodgers on that team as well.

They still had Adrian Smith and added 12 WS Walt Wesley as well.

If my math is correct, that should give them an extra ~72 win shares and move them into 6th all time.

[👨🏼‍⚕️delapandemic🚑]

Jul 18, 2020 23:32:07 GMT TimPig said:

35k. Fun stuff.

I think the 1966-67 Cincinnati Royals roster should trump the one you have because they had 62.25 win shares Guy Rodgers on that team as well.

They still had Adrian Smith and added 12 WS Walt Wesley as well.

If my math is correct, that should give them an extra ~72 win shares and move them into 6th all time.

I think you mean 67-68... but I went with MP for starting 5 if actually games started was not available (which it isn't for teams back then on basketball-reference)... and Rodgers was the 6th man in minutes.

[TimPig]

Jul 18, 2020 23:36:06 GMT 👨🏼‍⚕️delapandemic🚑 said:

Jul 18, 2020 23:32:07 GMT TimPig said:

35k. Fun stuff.

I think the 1966-67 Cincinnati Royals roster should trump the one you have because they had 62.25 win shares Guy Rodgers on that team as well.

They still had Adrian Smith and added 12 WS Walt Wesley as well.

If my math is correct, that should give them an extra ~72 win shares and move them into 6th all time.

I think you mean 67-68... but I went with MP for starting 5 if actually games started was not available (which it isn't for teams back then on basketball-reference)... and Rodgers was the 6th man in minutes.

My bad.

I was reading over this on my phone over a late lunch/early dinner and thought the criteria was basically which IRL teams had the most TMBSL win shares with each player only appearing once.

[eric]

great article

i think you're selling love short, i think he's a lock for another 10 seasons in the league at 8 WS as a starter or 5 WS as a third big, that gives those cavs at least another 50. it is the only cav upside left unless someone takes a flier on MOZGOV but they're already in first, and when the bar to clear is a cool 4 career WS it seems like there's appreciable upside in TIMO too

[pointyegg]

40k

[skrouse]

50k for creativity