All NBA Actual Team

The All NBA Teams are chosen by selecting two guards, two forwards, and one center for each team. The DBT "All NBA Actual Team" is selected by myself and consists of five players who would make up the best lineup in the NBA, if they actually had to play together. In other words, it's not a matter of simply picking the best point guard, the best shooting guard, etc. The players would have to fit together and form a great whole.

The 2007-8 All NBA Actual Team:

Point Guard: Deron Williams- There's a very clear line separating the top three point guards in the NBA from the rest. Williams, Chris Paul, and Steve Nash are the top three. Whereas Paul and Nash are the centerpieces of their respective teams, around whose playmaking the entire offense revolves, Williams plays in a more diverse offense in which he distributes the ball and even plays off the ball at times, in addition to pick-and-rolling like the others. I think Williams would be the most capable of thriving in an offense that doesn't revolve around him.

Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant- He can play on or off the ball, defend, shoot from distance. Who else is there?

Small Forward: Shawn Marion- He rebounds awesomely for his position, scores 18-20 per game without dominating or even holding the ball for long periods of time, is a good defender, and he can finish on the break. You did know that this is an uptempo team, right? He's a great fit for an uptempo team. If you run an uptempo team, and he's on your team, you probably shouldn't trade him for a fat old tird. Hypothetically. Why not Lebron? Because the way Lebron played this year (dribbling 16 seconds per possession) wouldn't fit in with this team, or any great team, for that matter (Bravo, Mike Brown). The team could sure use his passing, though.

Power Forward: Kevin Garnett- He excels at everything except at being the alpha leader, which he wouldn't have to do on this team. He rebounds, plays defense, and is unselfish. Plus, there wouldn't be as much pressure on him to score in the low post, with the center in the middle.

Center: Dwight Howard- It's hard not to pick Tim Duncan because he's won so much and he's been a top 3 player for about a decade, but I think this year is the first post-dominant Shaq year when Duncan wouldn't be the All NBA Actual Center. While Tim Duncan is a better passer and a smarter basketball player, Dwight is a much better rebounder, much younger, and I'm not sure how Tim Duncan would fit into an uptempo offense since he's old and the Spurs have been balls-twistingly slow for as long as he's been there. I suppose I'd trust him with an outlet pass more than Dwight, but overall, I would cautiously say that Dwight Howard has passed Tim Duncan as the best big man in the NBA.