The $15 Game with Duke Players

[GGLC]

There is no Laettner on the team. I've seen only a couple teams with Laettner on them. Don't know why that is.

I thought the replacement value of Mason as a $1 center was much higher than the replacement value of G. Henderson as a $1 shooting guard.

[GGLC]

Btw, if I were to rerank this in terms of my own personal feelings about who should cost more at each position, it would probably go:

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shelden Williams
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Shane Battier
$4 Danny Ferry
$3 Kyle Singler
$2 Mark Alarie
$1 Jabari Parker

Small Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Chris Carrawell
$3 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Luol Deng
$1 Corey Maggette

Shooting Guard
$5 JJ Redick
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$3 Trajan Langdon
$2 Thomas Hill
$1 Gerald Henderson

Point Guard
$5 Jason Williams
$4 Bobby Hurley
$3 Nolan Smith
$2 Kyrie Irving
$1 Chris Duhon

That makes it a harder exercise, in my opinion. Any way you look at it, though, we've been blessed with an abundance of amazing players over the years.

[NashvilleDevil]

I started with Christian, and it wasn't a hard decision: one of the five best college players of all time, IMHO (where the H is silent). Given the short duration of college careers today and in the foreseeable future, no one is passing him (or Alcindor, Walton, etc.).

I thought Laettner was a no brainer too. I'll take Laettner, Hill and Singler to start my team. Good luck playing those guys.

[NashvilleDevil]

I thought the replacement value of Mason as a $1 center was much higher than the replacement value of G. Henderson as a $1 shooting guard.

I think Gerald could neutralize JJ. Laettner and Hill may be the two best players in the Coach K era and any team that doesn't start with them has no shot.

[BobbyFan]

If we're talking about how they performed at their peak with the team, then Nolan is being way underrated, and I don't see any remote justification for having Jabari at $4 with Shane at $3 (I think people are forgetting how ridiculous Shane was his last two years in college)

My first thought for the lineup would be:

Plumlee $1
Battier $3
Hill $5
Redick $5
Smith $1

that seems like it's absolutely incredible up and down the board

This is the team I selected. It's a defensive juggernaut with the brilliance of Battier and Hill and rim protection of Plumlee. Smith is also a good defender, and if JJ has trouble with his man, Hill's versatility easily allows him to handle that assignment.

Offensively, the need for a true PG is negated by Hill's playmaking ability, which allows Smith's combo ability to fit in well. JJ is obviously a focus on offense, but I'm particularly enticed by the terrific spacing that JJ, Battier, and Smith's shooting provides. Defenses will have to pick their poison.

[Newton_14]

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Mike Gminski
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Shelden Williams
$0.50 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Danny Ferry
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Mark Alarie
$1 Ryan Kelly
$0.50 Kenny Dennard

Small Forward
$5 Gene Banks
$4 Chris Carrawell
$3 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Kyle Singler
$1 Gerald Henderson
$0.50 David Henderson

Shooting Guard
$5 Johnny Dawkins
$4 JJ Redick
$3 Nolan Smith
$2 Trajan Langdon
$1 Phil Henderson
$0.50 Thomas Hill

Point Guard
$5 Bobby Hurley
$4 Jason Williams
$3 Tommy Amaker
$2 Chris Duhon
$1 Jon Scheyer
$0.50 Will Avery

I am sure I probably missed someone deserving, but we have been so blessed with great players at all positions in our position-less system over the years it is extremely difficult to fairly select the top 5 or 6 at every position; So many great players, so many different ways to measure who deserves which spot on each list.

As for selecting the perfect college team from that list, wow, that is even harder, but I will give it a shot. Note I am cheating and picking best players imo, capable of playing the position I pencil them in to. their position on my dream team may or may not match the position I have them in above in order to select the best talent and skill set. So here goes...

Starters
PG- Hurley
SG- Johnny Dawkins
SF-Grant Hill
PF- Elton Brand
C- Laettner

Reserves
Jason Williams
JJ Redick
Shane Battier
Danny Ferry
Shelden Williams

[lotusland]

This is the team I selected. It's a defensive juggernaut with the brilliance of Battier and Hill and rim protection of Plumlee. Smith is also a good defender, and if JJ has trouble with his man, Hill's versatility easily allows him to handle that assignment.

Offensively, the need for a true PG is negated by Hill's playmaking ability, which allows Smith's combo ability to fit in well. JJ is obviously a focus on offense, but I'm particularly enticed by the terrific spacing that JJ, Battier, and Smith's shooting provides. Defenses will have to pick their poison.

JJ is pretty 1 dimensional compared to the other $5 guys. His value almost exclusively is scoring so the only way you can get $5 worth from him is to get him a BUNCH of shots. He's not even creating his own shots so do you really want Grant, Nolan, Shane and Mason setting a bunch screens, rebounding and watching JJ shoot? Especially considering that those shots didn't drop as frequently in the tournament. Laettner is a higher % 3 point shooter for his career and way higher in the tournament and way way higher on the last play of the game in the tournament. Laettner also adds post scoring, rebounding and defense and super clutch free throw shooting. You could make an argument that JJ is Duke's best shooting guard of all-time (I'd take Dawkins and Nolan over Redick) but there really should be no argument about who is more valuable between JJ and Laettner.

[Edouble]

Btw, if I were to rerank this in terms of my own personal feelings about who should cost more at each position, it would probably go:

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shelden Williams
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Shane Battier
$4 Danny Ferry
$3 Kyle Singler
$2 Mark Alarie
$1 Jabari Parker

Small Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Chris Carrawell
$3 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Luol Deng
$1 Corey Maggette

Shooting Guard
$5 JJ Redick
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$3 Trajan Langdon
$2 Thomas Hill
$1 Gerald Henderson

Point Guard
$5 Jason Williams
$4 Bobby Hurley
$3 Nolan Smith
$2 Kyrie Irving
$1 Chris Duhon

That makes it a harder exercise, in my opinion. Any way you look at it, though, we've been blessed with an abundance of amazing players over the years.

I agreed with you up until point guard. Duhon, a four year starter with a natty and an almost natty if not for some bad officiating, at $1? I have to keep Nolan at $1 on that list.

[BobbyFan]

JJ is pretty 1 dimensional compared to the other $5 guys. His value almost exclusively is scoring so the only way you can get $5 worth from him is to get him a BUNCH of shots. He's not even creating his own shots so do you really want Grant, Nolan, Shane and Mason setting a bunch screens, rebounding and watching JJ shoot? Especially considering that those shots didn't drop as frequently in the tournament. Laettner is a higher % 3 point shooter for his career and way higher in the tournament and way way higher on the last play of the game in the tournament. Laettner also adds post scoring, rebounding and defense and super clutch free throw shooting.

You could argue JJ was one dimensional, but 1) he was pretty remarkable at that one dimension and 2) by his senior year, he wasn't a liability at other aspects of the game. And JJ did plenty of creating his own shot his final season en route to scoring 27 ppg on terrific efficiency; it almost sounds as if you are describing JJ from his first two seasons or in the role he plays in the NBA. Obviously, he wouldn't have the same impact overall as he did in his actual collegiate seasons, but the same can be said about anyone in this hypothetical scenario.

All that said, I overlooked Dawkins in the list, who I would have chosen over JJ.

You could make an argument that JJ is Duke's best shooting guard of all-time (I'd take Dawkins and Nolan over Redick) but there really should be no argument about who is more valuable between JJ and Laettner.

Well I agree, but I didn't say otherwise.

[luburch]

JJ is pretty 1 dimensional compared to the other $5 guys. His value almost exclusively is scoring so the only way you can get $5 worth from him is to get him a BUNCH of shots. He's not even creating his own shots so do you really want Grant, Nolan, Shane and Mason setting a bunch screens, rebounding and watching JJ shoot? Especially considering that those shots didn't drop as frequently in the tournament. Laettner is a higher % 3 point shooter for his career and way higher in the tournament and way way higher on the last play of the game in the tournament. Laettner also adds post scoring, rebounding and defense and super clutch free throw shooting. You could make an argument that JJ is Duke's best shooting guard of all-time (I'd take Dawkins and Nolan over Redick) but there really should be no argument about who is more valuable between JJ and Laettner.

Nolan Smith was a better college player than JJ Redick? Seriously?

[lotusland]

Nolan Smith was a better college player than JJ Redick? Seriously?

No on second thought he wasn't. Junior and Senior Nolan was close but JJ at his best still > Nolan at his best. If both were vakued at $1 I might still pick Nolan over JJ because he had a more complete game and I don't want the offense designed around JJ so his value is negated somewhat. Constructing a $15 roster in this scenario where JJ at $5 and Nolan at $1 I'm not taking JJ and Nolan is a steal imo.

[ice-9]

$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Chris Carrawell
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$2 Chris Duhon

Wow, how ridiculous would the above team be on defense. Duhon was an absolute ball stopper. Dawkins has his length (can a team with Redick be a defensive juggernaut? I don't think so). CC is solid. Battier is a defensive genius. Brand will swat anything that comes his way.

Offensively, you have Elton Brand down low who was just absolutely dominant in college; in a way that Williams, Boozer and Plumlee simply cannot compare to. The dude didn't need anything; just the ball in his hands. Battier and Carrawell can do a bit of everything. Dawkins, wow -- he'd be my crunch time scorer if Brand is double teamed. I wish Duhon was a better shooter but with the rest of the cast's scoring ability, his playmaking skills are a premium.

Sorry guys but for $15 I think my team is the best.

[superdave]

I wanted to think about this over the weekend before picking my team. The two guys I felt most compelled to grab were Laettner and Hill with Battier not far behind. So I grab them and am more than happy with Gerald and Nolan in the backcourt.

$5 Laettner
$3 Battier
$5 Hill
$1 Henderson
$1 Nolan

Maybe we can expand this to a full 8-man rotation for $18 using Newton's rankings.

This made the rounds earlier this week and I got sucked in: https://twitter.com/Ballislife/statu...95421345292288

So I thought it would be fun to play this game during the off-season with Duke players from the Coach K era. It was hard to omit a few guys from these lists, but I decided to keep it simple and fun. Pick a guy from each position and do not spend more than $15. Enjoy...

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shelden Williams
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Danny Ferry
$4 Jabari Parker
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Kyle Singler
$1 Mark Alarie

Small Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Luol Deng
$3 Corey Maggette
$2 Chris Carrawell
$1 Mike Dunleavy

Shooting Guard
$5 JJ Redick
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$3 Trajan Langdon
$2 Thomas Hill
$1 Gerald Henderson

Point Guard
$5 Jason Williams
$4 Bobby Hurley
$3 Jon Scheyer
$2 Chris Duhon
$1 Nolan Smith

[superdave]

I'm going to try for an 8-man rotation for $18 using this set of rankings -

Center $5 Laettner
PF $5 Hill
SF $2 Singler
SG $0.50 T Hill
PG $1 Scheyer

Reserves
$1 Shelden
$0.50 Avery
$3 Battier

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Mike Gminski
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Shelden Williams
$0.50 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Danny Ferry
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Mark Alarie
$1 Ryan Kelly
$0.50 Kenny Dennard

Small Forward
$5 Gene Banks
$4 Chris Carrawell
$3 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Kyle Singler
$1 Gerald Henderson
$0.50 David Henderson

Shooting Guard
$5 Johnny Dawkins
$4 JJ Redick
$3 Nolan Smith
$2 Trajan Langdon
$1 Phil Henderson
$0.50 Thomas Hill

Point Guard
$5 Bobby Hurley
$4 Jason Williams
$3 Tommy Amaker
$2 Chris Duhon
$1 Jon Scheyer
$0.50 Will Avery

I am sure I probably missed someone deserving, but we have been so blessed with great players at all positions in our position-less system over the years it is extremely difficult to fairly select the top 5 or 6 at every position; So many great players, so many different ways to measure who deserves which spot on each list.

As for selecting the perfect college team from that list, wow, that is even harder, but I will give it a shot. Note I am cheating and picking best players imo, capable of playing the position I pencil them in to. their position on my dream team may or may not match the position I have them in above in order to select the best talent and skill set. So here goes...

Starters
PG- Hurley
SG- Johnny Dawkins
SF-Grant Hill
PF- Elton Brand
C- Laettner

Reserves
Jason Williams
JJ Redick
Shane Battier
Danny Ferry
Shelden Williams

[NashvilleDevil]

I wanted to think about this over the weekend before picking my team. The two guys I felt most compelled to grab were Laettner and Hill with Battier not far behind. So I grab them and am more than happy with Gerald and Nolan in the backcourt.

$5 Laettner
$3 Battier
$5 Hill
$1 Henderson
$1 Nolan

Maybe we can expand this to a full 8-man rotation for $18 using Newton's rankings.

I think a matchup between your team and mine (Laettner, Singler, Grant, Gerald, Duhon) would be pretty epic.

[Edouble]

This made the rounds earlier this week and I got sucked in: https://twitter.com/Ballislife/statu...95421345292288

So I thought it would be fun to play this game during the off-season with Duke players from the Coach K era. It was hard to omit a few guys from these lists, but I decided to keep it simple and fun. Pick a guy from each position and do not spend more than $15. Enjoy...

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shelden Williams
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Danny Ferry
$4 Jabari Parker
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Kyle Singler
$1 Mark Alarie

Small Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Luol Deng
$3 Corey Maggette
$2 Chris Carrawell
$1 Mike Dunleavy

Shooting Guard
$5 JJ Redick
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$3 Trajan Langdon
$2 Thomas Hill
$1 Gerald Henderson

Point Guard
$5 Jason Williams
$4 Bobby Hurley
$3 Jon Scheyer
$2 Chris Duhon
$1 Nolan Smith

I start off the process by looking to find the best values on the list.

Among players with their jerseys in the rafters, Shane and Landlord come in at the $3 price point. I can't not take Shane at $3, particularly because I think he is actually worth $5. So I've got one of the greatest defensive players the ACC has ever seen, who is no slouch on offense, to anchor the squad. I've got $12 left and I'm feeling pretty good at this point. One $5 player (in my mind) wrapped up. Four more selections to go.

$3 Shane Battier

I spot a few other "value players" right away. Chris Duhon, Chris Carrawell, and Kyle Singler are all very attractive at $2. Somehow Mike Dunleavy is a mere $1.

Corey Maggette at $3 and Jabari at $4 are looking pretty overpriced. I also notice that I really can't afford to spend less than $4 on a shooting guard. Trajan Langdon, who I love from being a member of my class at Duke ('99), is a significant drop off from Redick and Dawkins. Thomas Hill and Henderson are a significant drop off from Trajan.

Now I'm starting to feel a bit anxious knowing that I have to spend at least $4 on a 2 guard. I was hoping to get a $5 player at some point here, so if I spend a minimum of $4 on a shooting guard, get one $5 player, plus the $3 I spent on Shane, that only leaves $3 to spend on my last 2 players... damn!!!

OK, I click over to Twitter to get the 411 on the original game, and a smile breaks out across my face. There aren't really any rules. It just says spend $15. I remember that we don't have positions at Duke besides point guard, and the creative juices start to flow. Wasn't it Kyle that never had a position? He just plays winner!

I decide to spend big and plunk down $5 on Christian Laettner. Even among the other Duke greats, I think Laettner is just a notch above. He's one of the Top 10 (according to SI) all time NCAA hoopsmen (Top 5 in my book) and a ruthless competitor. I'm feeling pretty good about winning a lot of games with him and Battier in the front court.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier

But now, I've gotta be really careful. I've spend more than half of my money, $8, on two players. While I think that I'm getting incredible bang for my buck, I have to be wise with my last $7.

Revisiting my $2 "value players" again, this time with a more discerning eye, I decide to eliminate Singler from contention to make the team. Despite the fact that Kyle won a National Championship as an upperclassman, unlike Duhon and Carrawell, I think that senior year Singler just wasn't the player that the two senior Chris's were.

With $7 left, and 3 players to go, it's becoming increasingly clear that I'm going to have to take a $1 player. While I could take two $2 guys and a $3, I just don't want to spend $3 on Jon Scheyer, Corey Maggette, Trajan, or Landlord. I'd honestly rather have Dunleavy for $1 than any of those guys anyway, so it's looking more and more like Mike Jr. or maybe Nolan will make the team for $1.

Carrawell continues to stick out like a sore thumb as a $2 value. The guy can basically shut down any backcourt player on D, and he can get crafty on O. If I take CWell for $2 and Dunleavy for $1, I can still take either Dawkins or Hurley for $4. But I'm torn...

Secretly, this whole time, I've fantasized about having Jason Williams and Christian Laettner on the same time. I feel a little greedy, but I'm sure that those are far and away the most dominant players of the 25 Duke guys on this list. While I love Hurley and Dawkins, I don't like Dunleavy, Carrawell, Dawkins/Hurley combinations. I pull the trigger on JDub at full price and don't look back.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$5 Jason Williams

With $2 left in my game wallet, I take Dunleavy for $1 at small forward.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$5 Jason Williams

With $1 left and several high value $2 players still available, I'm starting to feel a bit of buyers remorse with Jason Williams. I hold my breath, put my head down, and cash him back in.

With my remaining $6 I grab Hurley for my point guard and put Carrawell at the 2 spot.

Final Team:
$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Chris Carrawell
$4 Bobby Hurley

Looking at my team, I feel pretty happy. I notice immediately that without meaning to I have taken one player at each price: a $1 guy, a $2 guy, a $3 guy, a $4 guy and a $5 guy. I check back at the list to see if I think that I have taken the best value at each of those prices. I feel certain that I have and I get an even greater feeling of confidence regarding my final squad.

Go Duke!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I start off the process by looking to find the best values on the list.

Among players with their jerseys in the rafters, Shane and Landlord come in at the $3 price point. I can't not take Shane at $3, particularly because I think he is actually worth $5. So I've got one of the greatest defensive players the ACC has ever seen, who is no slouch on offense, to anchor the squad. I've got $12 left and I'm feeling pretty good at this point. One $5 player (in my mind) wrapped up. Four more selections to go.

$3 Shane Battier

I spot a few other "value players" right away. Chris Duhon, Chris Carrawell, and Kyle Singler are all very attractive at $2. Somehow Mike Dunleavy is a mere $1.

Corey Maggette at $3 and Jabari at $4 are looking pretty overpriced. I also notice that I really can't afford to spend less than $4 on a shooting guard. Trajan Langdon, who I love from being a member of my class at Duke ('99), is a significant drop off from Redick and Dawkins. Thomas Hill and Henderson are a significant drop off from Trajan.

Now I'm starting to feel a bit anxious knowing that I have to spend at least $4 on a 2 guard. I was hoping to get a $5 player at some point here, so if I spend a minimum of $4 on a shooting guard, get one $5 player, plus the $3 I spent on Shane, that only leaves $3 to spend on my last 2 players... damn!!!

OK, I click over to Twitter to get the 411 on the original game, and a smile breaks out across my face. There aren't really any rules. It just says spend $15. I remember that we don't have positions at Duke besides point guard, and the creative juices start to flow. Wasn't it Kyle that never had a position? He just plays winner!

I decide to spend big and plunk down $5 on Christian Laettner. Even among the other Duke greats, I think Laettner is just a notch above. He's one of the Top 10 (according to SI) all time NCAA hoopsmen (Top 5 in my book) and a ruthless competitor. I'm feeling pretty good about winning a lot of games with him and Battier in the front court.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier

But now, I've gotta be really careful. I've spend more than half of my money, $8, on two players. While I think that I'm getting incredible bang for my buck, I have to be wise with my last $7.

Revisiting my $2 "value players" again, this time with a more discerning eye, I decide to eliminate Singler from contention to make the team. Despite the fact that Kyle won a National Championship as an upperclassman, unlike Duhon and Carrawell, I think that senior year Singler just wasn't the player that the two senior Chris's were.

With $7 left, and 3 players to go, it's becoming increasingly clear that I'm going to have to take a $1 player. While I could take two $2 guys and a $3, I just don't want to spend $3 on Jon Scheyer, Corey Maggette, Trajan, or Landlord. I'd honestly rather have Dunleavy for $1 than any of those guys anyway, so it's looking more and more like Mike Jr. or maybe Nolan will make the team for $1.

Carrawell continues to stick out like a sore thumb as a $2 value. The guy can basically shut down any backcourt player on D, and he can get crafty on O. If I take CWell for $2 and Dunleavy for $1, I can still take either Dawkins or Hurley for $4. But I'm torn...

Secretly, this whole time, I've fantasized about having Jason Williams and Christian Laettner on the same time. I feel a little greedy, but I'm sure that those are far and away the most dominant players of the 25 Duke guys on this list. While I love Hurley and Dawkins, I don't like Dunleavy, Carrawell, Dawkins/Hurley combinations. I pull the trigger on JDub at full price and don't look back.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$5 Jason Williams

With $2 left in my game wallet, I take Dunleavy for $1 at small forward.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$5 Jason Williams

With $1 left and several high value $2 players still available, I'm starting to feel a bit of buyers remorse with Jason Williams. I hold my breath, put my head down, and cash him back in.

With my remaining $6 I grab Hurley for my point guard and put Carrawell at the 2 spot.

Final Team:
$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Chris Carrawell
$4 Bobby Hurley

Looking at my team, I feel pretty happy. I notice immediately that without meaning to I have taken one player at each price: a $1 guy, a $2 guy, a $3 guy, a $4 guy and a $5 guy. I check back at the list to see if I think that I have taken the best value at each of those prices. I feel certain that I have and I get an even greater feeling of confidence regarding my final squad.

Go Duke!

Good rationale, great team. I suspect that lineup would win a game or two.

This exercise makes me realize how spoiled we all are! What amazing talent in the K era.

[lotusland]

I start off the process by looking to find the best values on the list.

Among players with their jerseys in the rafters, Shane and Landlord come in at the $3 price point. I can't not take Shane at $3, particularly because I think he is actually worth $5. So I've got one of the greatest defensive players the ACC has ever seen, who is no slouch on offense, to anchor the squad. I've got $12 left and I'm feeling pretty good at this point. One $5 player (in my mind) wrapped up. Four more selections to go.

$3 Shane Battier

I spot a few other "value players" right away. Chris Duhon, Chris Carrawell, and Kyle Singler are all very attractive at $2. Somehow Mike Dunleavy is a mere $1.

Corey Maggette at $3 and Jabari at $4 are looking pretty overpriced. I also notice that I really can't afford to spend less than $4 on a shooting guard. Trajan Langdon, who I love from being a member of my class at Duke ('99), is a significant drop off from Redick and Dawkins. Thomas Hill and Henderson are a significant drop off from Trajan.

Now I'm starting to feel a bit anxious knowing that I have to spend at least $4 on a 2 guard. I was hoping to get a $5 player at some point here, so if I spend a minimum of $4 on a shooting guard, get one $5 player, plus the $3 I spent on Shane, that only leaves $3 to spend on my last 2 players... damn!!!

OK, I click over to Twitter to get the 411 on the original game, and a smile breaks out across my face. There aren't really any rules. It just says spend $15. I remember that we don't have positions at Duke besides point guard, and the creative juices start to flow. Wasn't it Kyle that never had a position? He just plays winner!

I decide to spend big and plunk down $5 on Christian Laettner. Even among the other Duke greats, I think Laettner is just a notch above. He's one of the Top 10 (according to SI) all time NCAA hoopsmen (Top 5 in my book) and a ruthless competitor. I'm feeling pretty good about winning a lot of games with him and Battier in the front court.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier

But now, I've gotta be really careful. I've spend more than half of my money, $8, on two players. While I think that I'm getting incredible bang for my buck, I have to be wise with my last $7.

Revisiting my $2 "value players" again, this time with a more discerning eye, I decide to eliminate Singler from contention to make the team. Despite the fact that Kyle won a National Championship as an upperclassman, unlike Duhon and Carrawell, I think that senior year Singler just wasn't the player that the two senior Chris's were.

With $7 left, and 3 players to go, it's becoming increasingly clear that I'm going to have to take a $1 player. While I could take two $2 guys and a $3, I just don't want to spend $3 on Jon Scheyer, Corey Maggette, Trajan, or Landlord. I'd honestly rather have Dunleavy for $1 than any of those guys anyway, so it's looking more and more like Mike Jr. or maybe Nolan will make the team for $1.

Carrawell continues to stick out like a sore thumb as a $2 value. The guy can basically shut down any backcourt player on D, and he can get crafty on O. If I take CWell for $2 and Dunleavy for $1, I can still take either Dawkins or Hurley for $4. But I'm torn...

Secretly, this whole time, I've fantasized about having Jason Williams and Christian Laettner on the same time. I feel a little greedy, but I'm sure that those are far and away the most dominant players of the 25 Duke guys on this list. While I love Hurley and Dawkins, I don't like Dunleavy, Carrawell, Dawkins/Hurley combinations. I pull the trigger on JDub at full price and don't look back.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$5 Jason Williams

With $2 left in my game wallet, I take Dunleavy for $1 at small forward.

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$5 Jason Williams

With $1 left and several high value $2 players still available, I'm starting to feel a bit of buyers remorse with Jason Williams. I hold my breath, put my head down, and cash him back in.

With my remaining $6 I grab Hurley for my point guard and put Carrawell at the 2 spot.

Final Team:
$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Chris Carrawell
$4 Bobby Hurley

Looking at my team, I feel pretty happy. I notice immediately that without meaning to I have taken one player at each price: a $1 guy, a $2 guy, a $3 guy, a $4 guy and a $5 guy. I check back at the list to see if I think that I have taken the best value at each of those prices. I feel certain that I have and I get an even greater feeling of confidence regarding my final squad.

Go Duke!

I like the team you ended up with. I had to have Grant so I cut Hurley with much regret. With a fantasy teams like these I want a true PG to run the offense and handle the ball. You've definitely got one but I'm satisfied with Duhon for $2. After Laettner and Grant my next priority was Shane. I agree that he's a bargain at $3 but that would put me at $13 with no guards. As I said before I want a true PG and I don't include Nolan in that category so I need to spend $2 on Duhon. But now I have no SG so I notice that Kyle is only $2 and I rate him as an upper middle class man's Battier so, as with Hurley, I regrettably have to cut Shane in a salary cap move to free up $1 for a SG. I am more than happy with Nolan as my SG for a buck. If I had the option to take Amaker for $1 at PG I would definitely switch Kyle for Shane and keep Nolan at SG.

Laettner, Grant, Kyle, Duhon, Nolan

I feel pretty confident with my $15 lineup but we'd definitely need to to bring our A game against yours

[Li_Duke]

Btw, if I were to rerank this in terms of my own personal feelings about who should cost more at each position, it would probably go:

Center
$5 Christian Laettner
$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shelden Williams
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Shane Battier
$4 Danny Ferry
$3 Kyle Singler
$2 Mark Alarie
$1 Jabari Parker

Small Forward
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Chris Carrawell
$3 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Luol Deng
$1 Corey Maggette

Shooting Guard
$5 JJ Redick
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$3 Trajan Langdon
$2 Thomas Hill
$1 Gerald Henderson

Point Guard
$5 Jason Williams
$4 Bobby Hurley
$3 Nolan Smith
$2 Kyrie Irving
$1 Chris Duhon

That makes it a harder exercise, in my opinion. Any way you look at it, though, we've been blessed with an abundance of amazing players over the years.

I agree with you for the most part, but a couple thoughts.
1. Nolan is really a shooting guard. That lets Irving be worth $3.
2. As a (next 5 in) jersey retirement-wise (along with Carrawell, Singler, Smith), Scheyer deserved to be on the PG list (either at $1 or $2).
3. Maggette was the 5th or 6th best player on his team, he shouldn't be on this list.
4. Jabari, for all his defensive warts, is too talented an offensive player to be $1.
5. I switched the order of Redick and Dawkins.
6. I moved Singler to SF and Deng to PF for positional balance. Couldn't decide whether to put Carrawell or Singler at $4 as they'd be among the weakest $4 players. I put Deng at $2, but one could argue for Alarie at $2 instead.

Center
$5 Christian Laettner (retired jersey)
$4 Elton Brand (NPOY)
$3 Shelden Williams (retired jersey)
$2 Carlos Boozer
$1 Mason Plumlee

Power Forward
$5 Shane Battier (retired jersey)
$4 Danny Ferry (retired jersey)
$3 Jabari Parker (concensus 1st team all american)
$2 Luol Deng
$1 Mark Alarie

Small Forward
$5 Grant Hill (retired jersey)
$4 Chris Carrawell (concensus 1st team all american)
$3 Kyle Singler
$2 Mike Dunleavy
$1 Gerald Henderson

Shooting Guard
$5 Johnny Dawkins (retired jersey)
$4 JJ Redick (retired jersey)
$3 Nolan Smith (concensus 1st team all american)
$2 Trajan Langdon
$1 Thomas Hill

Point Guard
$5 Jason Williams (retired jersey)
$4 Bobby Hurley (retired jersey)
$3 Kyrie Irving (#1 draft pick)
$2 Chris Duhon
$1 John Scheyer

[johnb]

$4 Elton Brand
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Chris Carrawell
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$2 Chris Duhon

Wow, how ridiculous would the above team be on defense. Duhon was an absolute ball stopper. Dawkins has his length (can a team with Redick be a defensive juggernaut? I don't think so). CC is solid. Battier is a defensive genius. Brand will swat anything that comes his way.

Offensively, you have Elton Brand down low who was just absolutely dominant in college; in a way that Williams, Boozer and Plumlee simply cannot compare to. The dude didn't need anything; just the ball in his hands. Battier and Carrawell can do a bit of everything. Dawkins, wow -- he'd be my crunch time scorer if Brand is double teamed. I wish Duhon was a better shooter but with the rest of the cast's scoring ability, his playmaking skills are a premium.

Sorry guys but for $15 I think my team is the best.

Brand, Battier, and Dawkins are, imho, 3 of top half dozen duke players of all time. to get them on one team would be amazing.

one quibble: johnny dawkins was kinda lengthy for someone who was barely 6' tall, but i wouldn't say he was lengthy, nor would I say his forte was defense (instead, one could argue that his forte could have ben running, as in when the team left the gym to go run a mile on the track. In his high topped tennis shoes from practice, the freshman Dawkins ran a 4:36 mile.