2018 Annual JazzFanz LEGENDARY Players - Round 1 Match 3 - Wes Mantooth vs checkbookdoc

[gandalfe]

Wes Mantooth -
Chauncey Billups/ Kevin Johnson
Kobe Bryant/ Joe Dumars
Larry Bird/ Bernard King
Dennis Rodman/ Rasheed Wallace
Bill Russell/ Bill Walton

Checkbookdoc -
Magic Johnson/ Mark Price
Ray Allen/ Rick Barry
Tracy McGrady/Elgin Baylor
Kevin Garnett/ Shane Battier
Chris Bosh/ Artis Gilmore

Wes Mantooth’s argument:

I have the best non-active small forward in this in Bird and the second best shooting guard in Kobe. Neither of those can be argued. I also have arguably the best center ever. I know we typically show recency bias (this board loves Hakeem) but most experts would select Russell or Wilt as the greatest center ever. Maybe Kareem.

I also have the best defensive center of all-time and a monster rebounder alongside perhaps the best defensive power forward of all-time and best rebounder at his position. The defense up front is almost too good. On the other end, I have Bird, Kobe and Billups, three of the clutchest players in history.

Chauncey is my “weak spot” but we are talking about a great two way player who won a Finals MVP for God’s sake.

While we are on that, Chauncey, Kobe, Bird, Walton and Dumars won Finals MVP’s for me. And oh yes, the award is named after my center Bill Russell because he was the MVP so to speak on all the championship Celtics’ teams.

These guys are not just studs. They’re winners. My starters have 24 rings combined. 24!

They play both ends. And they play to win. Simple as that.

And you come to my bench and Walton (a top 5 player of all-time for Bill Simmons...he was that good) and King and Dumars are just insane to have come off the bench.

So far as flexibility goes, I have it. I can bring Rodman out whenever I want and slide Bird over to the 4 (look at his size and rebounding numbers next to Parrish and McHale) or bring Rasheed in for 10-12 a game to stretch the floor and bring the nasty.

Which is something I also have in spades. My guys are tough as ****.

Checkbookdoc's argument:

None submitted.

 

[addictionary]

It’s fun to think about Bosh going up against Bill Russell. He’d use him as a toothpick.

 

[LogGrad98]

Bosh will get destroyed by Russell. I mean curl up in a little ball and cry destroyed. I just can't get past that piece. He would have been better off starting Gilmore, who is a much stronger inside presence. Even then Bosh would get destroyed by Walton. You can make some other minor arguments but really these teams are nearly carbon copies. KJ and Price, meh pretty close, the combo of Billups and Bryant vs Magic and Ray, balances out really. Even Bird and McLady, although I give the nod to Bird there as McLady has a tendency to fade in big games, while Bird eats big games for breakfast. Baylor and King, very close. I have to give the nod to Wes mainly for the center matchup, which he wins pretty solidly.

 

[MVP]

yeah, this one is not even close. Check book only has advantage at PG position. Not enough, this would be a 4-0 blowout with no game being close.

 

[MVP]

Like seriously looking at all the other teams I see nobody beating Wes. He has crazy deep team.

 

[Hekate]

My thinking goes that Garnett would guard Russell and he would be effective at it. Rodman could bully and defend Bosh but Bosh has that gravity. Billups starting against Magic, I don't know what to say to that.

I will vote later.

 

[idestroyedthetoilet]

Garnett was a better defender than Rodman, and played both sides of the court. Prime Bosh will give Wes fits on offense too. Magic puts checkbook over the top.