As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m running a simulated all-decade team tournament called the Fight of the Decade. It’s a small diversion I can lose myself in during breaks of madness from my gigantic DB Project.
For this undertaking, I’ve decided to go with What If Sports, an online fantasy sports simulation engine where I can create dream team matchups and determine the outcome. They’re a great service that combines jaw-dropping ease of use with a beautiful presentation, though I’m a little against some of the simulated stats decisions that they’ve made. Still, since this is just for fun, I’ll err on the side of ease (I’ve got my whole DB Project to be super nit-picky with)!
In my introductory blog about the Fight of the Decade, I went over the very brief list of rules I decided upon so I’ll move on to the teams. One of the coolest ideas at What If Sports is boiling down players into salaries. The salaries are all relative to each other, so you can plunk down a measly $100,000 for a typically bad season from one of the NBA’s benchwarmers or you can shell out over $13,000,000 for Wilt Chamberlain’s most dominant season. Certain leagues you can join on the site will limit how much spending cash you have to put together a team but for this exercise money is no object. I will use money as a determination factor should a player be eligible for 2 teams (such as Wilt who was good enough for both the All-1960s and All-1970s teams). The decade with the player’s season with the higher salary gets to pick him first.
To determine rosters I combed through What If Sports to find the highest salaries from each decade until I had the 12 highest. However, there are a few stipulations on these players. First, players are only eligible for positions in which they are 100% effective at playing. What If Sports determines a value between 1-100 for each position per season per player. If a player has a value below 100 in any position he will have a simulated handicap should he play that position in a game. I want the best of the best so everyone on these rosters are 100% effective to play their selected position (according to What If Sports, anyway). For example, Tim Duncan has 100 efficiencies in both PF and C, and is therefore available to be selected at either position. For Walt Bellamy’s fantastic 1963 season he’s rated 100 for C but 98 for PF, thus he can only be a C in this tournament.
Secondly, I followed author Ken Close’s rule that every player should see at least 6 minutes of game time (Close’s similar project from 1990 is mentioned in my previous post). This means that two of the five best players per decade will only see 36 minutes per contest (as they would have 2 backups needing 12 minutes total). So, I actually tuned each roster to find the optimized amount of minutes for each player. It was a bit of a grueling method but I loved every minute of this nonsense.
Ok, enough blathering, I’ll get on to the teams!
| G |
1953 BOS |
Bob Cousy |
36 |
$7,298,078 |
G |
1960 DET |
Gene Shue |
6 |
$7,042,685 |
| F-G |
1960 STL |
Cliff Hagan |
36 |
$7,276,919 |
G |
1952 ROC |
Bobby Wanzer |
6 |
$6,795,021 |
| F |
1952 PHW |
Paul Arizin |
42 |
$9,292,940 |
G-F |
1958 DET |
George Yardley |
6 |
$7,106,769 |
| F-C |
1959 STL |
Bob Pettit |
39 |
$8,846,552 |
G-F |
1952 PHW |
Andy Phillip |
6 |
$7,023,431 |
| F-C |
1953 PHW |
Neil Johnston |
42 |
$9,408,276 |
F |
1960 CIN |
Jack Twyman |
6 |
$7,220,264 |
|
|
|
|
|
C-F |
1960 BOS |
Bill Russell |
9 |
$8,734,189 |
|
|
|
|
|
F-C |
1953 BOS |
Ed Macauley |
6 |
$8,071,803 |
Even though I didn’t even become a fan of the NBA until 2003, I have developed a soft spot for the early pioneers of the sport. These guys played a game that wasn’t as glamours as basketball is today and had to endure back-breaking travel and inadequate equipment. Furthermore, they were all making it up as they went, forming basketball from the raw game it was into the highly coregraphed sport we recognize.
That said, I think the 1950s team is going to get creamed.
Here are some observations I have for this roster. First up, George Mikan (Mr. Basketball!) didn’t even make the cut! This is suprising, but we’re going on pure numbers here (What If Sports’ numbers, that is) so let’s remain unbiased. Another strange thing I noticed is that even though early basketball was a big man’s game this is the most guard-heavy team in the contest (6 legends occupying the PG and SG slots). Cousy will be a star and there will certainly be great rebounding thanks to Pettit, Johnston, Russell and Macauley but I’m concerned about shooting percentage. The 50s are a notoriously bad shooting decade and I’m eager to see how these players pan out against the ridiculous defense of the 70s and 90s teams. Finally, it’s interesting to see that shot-blocker extraordinaire Bill Russell came out better as a backup PF behind Pettit than a backup C behind Johnston. Both he and Macauley could’ve filled either backup role, but this was the optimal pairing.
For each team I’ve calculated two team values: Team Total Salary and Team Weighted Salary. The Team Total Salary gives a good indication as to how deep the team is while the Team Weighted Salary (I sum up the product of each player’s salary times their minutes per game and divide the result by 48) gives a better indication as to how good the team is at any given minute of the game. It’s no surprise that the 1950s squad is the weakest in both indicators (though not quite as bad on a per-minute basis if you compare them against the vaunted 80s and 90s rosters).
I think the 50s have a chance of making a little rumbling but will probably succumb to the law of averages and end up near the bottom when the dust settles.
| G |
1964 CIN |
Oscar Robertson |
42 |
$10,574,924 |
G |
1969 NOB |
Jimmy Jones |
6 |
$8,094,833 |
| G |
1966 LAL |
Jerry West |
36 |
$8,681,458 |
F-G |
1970 INA |
Roger A. Brown |
6 |
$7,963,402 |
| F |
1963 LAL |
Elgin Baylor |
42 |
$9,576,211 |
G-F |
1962 NYK |
Richie Guerin |
6 |
$7,639,494 |
| F-C |
1970 DNR |
Spencer Haywood |
36 |
$10,624,406 |
F-C |
1968 PTP |
Connie Hawkins |
6 |
$8,800,180 |
| C |
1963 PHW |
Wilt Chamberlain |
42 |
$13,119,818 |
F-C |
1968 CIN |
Jerry Lucas |
6 |
$9,791,472 |
|
|
|
|
|
F-C |
1970 SDR |
Elvin Hayes |
6 |
$9,424,970 |
|
|
|
|
|
C |
1963 CHZ |
Walt Bellamy |
6 |
$9,668,460 |
And now we get to the big dogs of the contest.
The 1960s team is the most top heavy of the entire tournament with 3 of their 5 starters above $10 mil (the “ridiculous” range of basketball performance … Jordan has just 2 years north of $10 mil). Obviously when you have Robertson and Chamberlain in their prime you’ve got a lethal combination at the two “most important positions” in the game but Spencer Haywood is going to be no joke in this simulation. Again, this is thanks to What If Sports’ decision to ignore flattening stats across different eras but I digress.
The 60s squad also benefits from the talent-unbalanced ABA beginnings with Jimmy Jones, Roger A. Brown, Connie Hawkins and Haywood all making obviously overrated appearances. I don’t know if What If Sports takes height into consideration when it simulates games, otherwise legendary Jerry West (slotted here as the starting SG) might have a few issues but something makes me think he’ll do alright.
If there’s one small weakness on this juggernaut I’d point out that nearly every legend here is a score first player. Ok, West was a theif, Chamberlain is long enough to block a ton and a few backups are decent defenders but I wonder how things will turn out for this very offensive-minded roster.
| G |
1973 KCO |
Tiny Archibald |
36 |
$9,476,764 |
F-G |
1973 CAR |
Billy Cunningham |
6 |
$8,400,287 |
| F-G |
1975 NYA |
Julius Erving |
40 |
$9,866,739 |
G |
1978 DEN |
David Thompson |
6 |
$7,701,548 |
| F-G |
1972 BOS |
John Havlicek |
36 |
$9,343,100 |
G |
1971 NYK |
Walt Frazier |
8 |
$8,435,833 |
| C-F |
1979 HOU |
Moses Malone |
41 |
$10,593,514 |
F |
1974 HOU |
Rudy Tomjanovich |
6 |
$8,427,728 |
| C |
1972 MIL |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
42 |
$11,598,379 |
F |
1972 NYA |
Rick Barry |
6 |
$8,313,201 |
|
|
|
|
|
C-F |
1975 BUF |
Bob McAdoo |
7 |
$10,232,175 |
|
|
|
|
|
C |
1972 KEN |
Artis Gilmore |
6 |
$10,574,945 |
The 1970s squad has to be the best team on both ends of the court. There are all-time defenders on this team in Cunningham, Frazier and Gilmore while there isn’t a bum in the rest of the bunch.
But there’s just as much firepower with the ball on this team. By the 1970′s the crazy ABA had evened out in terms of talent so, unlike the 60s, only non-flukes from that league show up (Erving, Cunningham and Barry are hands-down ballers). Meanwhile, one of the most eye-popping offensive statistical season in Archibald (he led league in both scoring and assists) is running the point. With slashing (Erving), shooting (Havlicek), offensive rebounding (Malone) and everything else (Abdul-Jabbar) this team should have no lack of scoring options.
I see this 70s team matching up nicely against the rest of the competition but could have some trouble against their 60s opponents as everyone but Erving is outclassed by their counterparts. Still, with a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his bonafide prime and a murderer’s row of big men (Malone, Kareem, McAdoo and Gilmore), this team is going in as the sleeper pick.
| G |
1989 CHI |
Michael Jordan |
40 |
$10,650,734 |
G |
1989 UTA |
John Stockton |
8 |
$8,332,879 |
| F-G |
1981 UTA |
Adrian Dantley |
36 |
$9,034,006 |
G-F |
1988 POR |
Clyde Drexler |
6 |
$8,150,558 |
| F |
1985 BOS |
Larry Bird |
39 |
$9,595,649 |
G-F |
1990 IND |
Reggie Miller |
6 |
$8,035,569 |
| F |
1988 PHI |
Charles Barkley |
39 |
$10,050,219 |
G-F |
1990 LAL |
Magic Johnson |
9 |
$8,476,577 |
| C |
1990 NYK |
Patrick Ewing |
36 |
$9,598,531 |
F-C |
1987 BOS |
Kevin McHale |
9 |
$9,280,278 |
|
|
|
|
|
C-F |
1982 SEA |
Jack Sikma |
6 |
$8,335,781 |
|
|
|
|
|
C-F |
1984 WSB |
Jeff Ruland |
6 |
$8,210,672 |
I’m guessing this is the squad most people are going to gravitate to as they have the most recognizable legends on it. And yet, I’m willing to bet it’s going to be the most surprising as this team is so unconventially wired. A prolific scoring guard as the starting PG? An oversized SG? An undersized PF? Magic Johnson as the backup SF??? It’s weird, people. Get used to it.
This is the result of making unbiased optimization decisions based on What If Sports’ numbers. Sure, Magic is the better PG, but I can fit Jordan and Dantley (both with higher salaries) in at PG and SG. And, since Magic is oddly able to play SF at 100% efficiency, he gets that backup position since that spot will see a lot of court time. It’s going to be interesting to see how this lineup simulates in the tournament – this could be either a huge cheat to get in the best players or the downfall of the 1980s roster.
But, perhaps the biggest issue on the 80s squad is the relatively weak position at C. Sure, Ewing, Sikma, and Ruland have great seasons, but they are easily the second weakest group at C in the competition (and only a hair above the 1950s squad). The 80s come with some of the biggest names and brightest stars of the game, but bring just as many questions going into the tournament.
| G |
2000 SEA |
Gary Payton |
36 |
$9,185,798 |
G |
1996 ORL |
Anfernee Hardaway |
6 |
$8,386,200 |
| G |
1999 PHX |
Jason Kidd |
41 |
$8,828,096 |
G-F |
1997 GSW |
Latrell Sprewell |
6 |
$8,261,742 |
| F |
1992 DET |
Dennis Rodman |
40 |
$9,208,494 |
F-G |
1995 CHI |
Scottie Pippen |
8 |
$8,519,503 |
| C-F |
1993 HOU |
Hakeem Olajuwon |
36 |
$10,353,108 |
F |
1997 DET |
Grant Hill |
8 |
$8,866,556 |
| C |
1994 SAS |
David Robinson |
40 |
$10,310,783 |
F-C |
1991 UTA |
Karl Malone |
6 |
$10,046,452 |
|
|
|
|
|
F |
1996 NYK |
Anthony Mason |
6 |
$8,424,606 |
|
|
|
|
|
C |
1994 ORL |
Shaquille O’Neal |
8 |
$10,115,625 |
This one’s going to be interesting. The players who had the highest salaries ended up being two-way players at best, and dipping towards defense-only at worst. Meanwhile, their backups are all offensive dynamos. Will this strategy of having the best defensive team out there for most of the game turn out to be excellent by stifling the other team? Or is the 1990s squad going to be choked by having all of their firepower wasting away on the bench?
Ah, then again, these starters average 106.8 points per game … maybe they’ll be fine.
One thing they will unquestionalby be great at is rebounding. Holy shit! They have Robinson and Olajuwon out there together for the vast majority of the game. Then they have the specialist Rodman out there doing nothing but looking for boards. And Kidd is one of the best rebounding guards ever. Teams playing this 90s squad are going to have one chance at scoring (there goes the series, team 1950s!).
Again, I do have to note how much of a sacrifice it seems to have Shaq at his athletic height, the prolific Karl Malone and pre-injury gunner, Grant Hill, scrapping up the remainder minutes of the game. I like the ballsy identity of this lineup, but I don’t know how this squad will simulate.
| G |
2009 MIA |
Dwyane Wade |
38 |
$9,450,484 |
G |
2009 NOH |
Chris Paul |
10 |
$9,220,841 |
| G-F |
2003 LAL |
Kobe Bryant |
41 |
$9,681,714 |
G-F |
2002 BOS |
Paul Pierce |
7 |
$9,097,976 |
| F-G |
2009 CLE |
LeBron James |
36 |
$9,883,276 |
F |
2010 OKC |
Kevin Durant |
6 |
$9,567,223 |
| F-C |
2004 MIN |
Kevin Garnett |
36 |
$10,169,257 |
F-C |
2006 LAC |
Elton Brand |
6 |
$9,269,032 |
| F-C |
2002 SAS |
Tim Duncan |
40 |
$10,287,364 |
F |
2006 MIA |
Shawn Marion |
6 |
$9,559,826 |
|
|
|
|
|
F-C |
2006 DAL |
Dirk Nowitzki |
6 |
$8,935,487 |
|
|
|
|
|
C-F |
2008 ORL |
Dwight Howard |
8 |
$9,581,492 |
The 2000 squad looks a lot like the 1970s in that everyone is a great two-way player (ok, Nowitzki and Durant excluded). The starters are all elite, offensive weapons as well as excellent defenders but Garnett and Duncan are all-time great intimidators. Paul coming off the bench will steal anything given half a chance and Marion is at his defensive zenith here.
Another attribute in the 2000s team’s favor is the fact that they have the highest average payroll in the competition by a substantial margin. This means that should any of the starters get into foul trouble, get injured or be ejected from a game, the drop in production their replacement notices is the lowest out of the tournament. No, you’re not going to be able to play a game of attrition with this squad, you will have to beat them straight up!
Well, now that we have the rules decided and we know all of the players, let’s get this party started. I’ll randomly move through the tournament to keep things fresh and interesting so without further ado, the initial 7-game matchup in the Fight of the Decade will be …
The 1960s vs the 1990s! Homecourt goes to the 1990s in this series.
Too bad.
Hopefully the 80s can win the next one.
Glad to see another post
Yeah … the 60s went down hard. Kinda sad, but these 2000 guys are no joke: as good on defense as they are on offense.