The $15 Game with Duke Players

[Flyers52]

$15 Patrick Davidson

[gocanes0506]

$15 Patrick Davidson

nice, winning

[1999ballboy]

Without looking at the other replies, I choose Hurley, Dawkins, Carrawell, Battier, Boozer.

My initial thought was that Battier was a bargain, so he was a lock. Then I had to pick one position to splurge on, and the logical choice was PG, so I got Hurley for $4. With the remaining $8, I was able to get 2 more bargains with Boozer and Carrawell, since they're arguably pretty comparable with Williams and Maggette. With the savings, I was able to grab Johnny Dawkins for $4.

[magjayran]

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

Laettner, Battier, Carrawell, T Hill, and Scheyer

You give me Battier and Laettner on the same team and I don't believe we could ever lose.

[jv001]

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.).

Amen! You cannot leave off Christian. Probably the best Duke player ever. Winning tops everything(in sports) and he was a winner. I would throw in David Thompson along with Alcindor and Walton. DT may be the best college player I saw play. But we're talking Duke. Give me Christian and Grant and two 2s and a one. We'd win with that team.

[dukefan1980]

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

This was a lot tougher than I initially thought. I'd go with:

Laettner
Battier
G. Hill
Henderson
Nolan

With the logic being that 1-4 are somewhat interchangeable. Grant can run the point as well as guard all 5 positions. Battier can guard anyone on the floor as well and is just a steal for $3. Nolan is a lock-down defender against any guard position. The athleticism duo of Grant and Gerald would be ridiculous. Lastly, there is no one else that wore a Duke uniform that you want taking a last second shot that Laettner.

[COYS]

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

Using this rating system, I'm pretty torn. Some of the best bargains (Battier at $3 and Boozer at $2) are in the same categories where I'd like to like to spend the money I save on $5 guys (Laettner and Ferry). Still, those are some seriously good bargains. One of the best defenders Duke has ever seen and a criminally underrated offensive talent in Boozer (he was underrated so long that when people FINALLY figured out how good he was in the NBA, he was on the downside of his career and was actually overrated). I HATE to leave Laettner off the team, but I'm doing my best moneyball impression =). Now I've got $10 left for three positions after getting two national champs and a NPOY for $5 (see what I mean by getting a bargain?). When I first saw this game, I expected Scheyer to either not make the list or at least be a bargain at $1. Sadly for me, Superdave is aware of just how good Scheyer really was. Therefore, I'm going with defense and distribution for my point guard and grabbing Duhon at $2. I've spent $7 so far, which is not even half of my money. This makes me think it's safe to splurge. I'm going all in and grabbing the best player of the K era, Grant Hill, for $5 with no regrets. That leaves me with $3, which I'll spend on Trajan Langdon.

PG: Duhon
SG: Langdon
SF: Hill
PF: Battier
C: Boozer

Now, if I were able to make a position-less team, it would look quite different. I'd grab Laettner, Hill, and Dunleavy right off the bat, leaving me with a mere $4 to spend. With three of those dollars, I'd grab Battier. That's right. I can have a team with Laettner, Hill, and Battier ON THE SAME TEAM! For the last spot, I'd plug in Nolan at PG. Nolan wasn't really a point guard, but by senior year he did a good enough impersonation. Plus, he brings tough defense on a team that already has Hill and Battier. The only weakness I see on this team is that Dunleavy has to play SG. He lacks a little bit in lateral quickness, but he makes up for it with his size and the fact that Grant and Shane are around to take care of . . . well . . . everything. Between Nolan, Battier, and Dunleavy, Laettner will have plenty of space to work on the block or at the elbow. Then, when he steps outside to shoot some threes, it will open up driving lanes for Nolan and Grant. Basically, I just can't see a team with Laettner, Battier, and Hill losing to anyone at the college level . . . especially when they're supported by talents like Mike Jr. and Nolan.

The (position-less) dream team:

PG: Smith - $1
SG: Dunleavy -$1
SF: Hill - $5
PF: Battier -$3
C: Laettner -$5

I know others might have already picked this team, but I just want to dream about it for a little bit more. In Grant and Shane, you have two guys who can defend virtually every position on the court as well as create mismatches no matter who is defending them. Shane is superior to Grant in the shooting department, which is good because it creates space for Grant to slash on offense. Even better, they can score without being the primary option. Of course, Christian fills that role, but both Mike and Nolan are fully capable of filling it up. If the team has a weakness, it's that Mike Dunleavy is the lone member of the team who was only an average defender. However, as a 6'9'' shooting guard with Grant and Shane to back him up, I think he'll be fine. Plus, the other team is going to have to be pretty dang good just to score enough points to win. Grant and Christian were NBA All Stars. Shane and Mike were top 6 picks. Nolan was a first rounder, an All American, and ACC POY. That team is going to win some games.



Interestingly, the best lineups, in my opinion, are heavy on the forwards. Hurley and Redick were incredible, to be sure. It hurts leaving Hurley off any dream team. However, I just can't resist putting Laettner, Battier, and Hill on the same team.

[Edouble]

The (position-less) dream team:

PG: Smith - $1
SG: Dunleavy -$1
SF: Hill - $5
PF: Battier -$3
C: Laettner -$5

I know others might have already picked this team, but I just want to dream about it for a little bit more. In Grant and Shane, you have two guys who can defend virtually every position on the court as well as create mismatches no matter who is defending them. Shane is superior to Grant in the shooting department, which is good because it creates space for Grant to slash on offense. Even better, they can score without being the primary option. Of course, Christian fills that role, but both Mike and Nolan are fully capable of filling it up. If the team has a weakness, it's that Mike Dunleavy is the lone member of the team who was only an average defender. However, as a 6'9'' shooting guard with Grant and Shane to back him up, I think he'll be fine. Plus, the other team is going to have to be pretty dang good just to score enough points to win. Grant and Christian were NBA All Stars. Shane and Mike were top 6 picks. Nolan was a first rounder, an All American, and ACC POY. That team is going to win some games.

I think it's a really, really great team. I would argue that Grant is the SG and Dunleavy is the SF on this squad though, particularly on defense.

[COYS]

I think it's a really, really great team. I would argue that Grant is the SG and Dunleavy is the SF on this squad though, particularly on defense.

I think that's the beauty of having both Grant and Shane on the same team. Grant can easily defend a SG that might be beyond Dunleavy's ability. Battier would be capable of switching onto a SG, too. You could even try some really unorthodox defensive sets, too, where Grant actually plays the opposing point guard, using his length and quickness to prevent the opposition from running their offense while Nolan and Mike guard the SG and SF, respectively. If only we could really see this team in action.

[Reilly]

$15 Patrick Davidson

He poops Euros and spits Bitcoins, too, so you sort of get your money back.

[79-77]

Great thread idea.


My first team:

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Chris Carrawell
$1 Gerald Henderson
$4 Bobby Hurley

If the goal is to win an NCAA tournament, Laettner, Battier and Hurley are non-negotiable. You could maybe talk me into Dunleavy and T. Hill over Carrawell and Henderson but the toughness that Carrawell brings gives that pair the edge.



My second team:

$4 Elton Brand
$1 Mark Alarie
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$1 Nolan Smith

Holy mackerel would this be an awesome team. Alarie and Nolan may look like cheap filler at $1 but both were great Duke players and both would fit in beautifully with the big 3.



My third team:

$2 Carlos Boozer
$5 Danny Ferry
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Thomas Hill
$5 Jason Williams

Also a pretty intriguing team.

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

This was the team in this thread that I liked most after my first team.

[Edouble]

Great thread idea.


My first team:

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Chris Carrawell
$1 Gerald Henderson
$4 Bobby Hurley

If the goal is to win an NCAA tournament, Laettner, Battier and Hurley are non-negotiable. You could maybe talk me into Dunleavy and T. Hill over Carrawell and Henderson but the toughness that Carrawell brings gives that pair the edge.

This was my first team with the exception that I took Dunleavy instead of Henderson. I may have broken an unwritten rule by taking two players from the small forward category. I think that with Dunleavy instead of Henderson, you have the best possible squad.

My second team:

$4 Elton Brand
$1 Mark Alarie
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$1 Nolan Smith

Holy mackerel would this be an awesome team. Alarie and Nolan may look like cheap filler at $1 but both were great Duke players and both would fit in beautifully with the big 3.

My third team:

$2 Carlos Boozer
$5 Danny Ferry
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Thomas Hill
$5 Jason Williams

Also a pretty intriguing team.

Yeah, I actually think your third team is better than your second team. You have essentially taken the laughably talented 2002 team and upgraded at the two role player positions. Ferry is a clear upgrade over Jones, and I think that a senior Thomas Hill is better than a sophomore Duhon. Your third team is really, really good.

[dyemeduke]

I know it's difficult to agree on a complete list, because of all the great players. However, Gminski and Banks deserve some mention.

[Dukeface88]

So, the first thing that jumps out at me is Battier for $3 - that's just an insane value, so he goes in immediately. That forces a choice between Grant, Laetner and Hurley/JWill; I can only get two of them at most, and even that's a bit of a stretch. Of the three, I think Laetner is the most expendable - not because the others are necessarily better, but because I think center is the deepest position. Carlos Boozer for $2 is pretty great, so I'll go with that. With Laetner out, I think Grant is the best remaining player, so in he goes. That gives me $5 in the two remaining positions. I think Hurley is key for taking advantage of all the crazy offense this team has, which gives Gerald Henderson in the remaining spot.


PG: Bobby Hurley
SG: Gerald Henderson
SF: Grant Hill
PF: Shane Battier
C: Carlos Boozer

[lotusland]

I know it's difficult to agree on a complete list, because of all the great players. However, Gminski and Banks deserve some mention.

I thought we were playing with K era players. Otherwise Gminski is the $4 center after Laettner at $5.

[79-77]

My first team:

$5 Christian Laettner
$3 Shane Battier
$2 Chris Carrawell
$1 Gerald Henderson
$4 Bobby Hurley



My second team:

$4 Elton Brand
$1 Mark Alarie
$5 Grant Hill
$4 Johnny Dawkins
$1 Nolan Smith



My third team:

$2 Carlos Boozer
$5 Danny Ferry
$1 Mike Dunleavy
$2 Thomas Hill
$5 Jason Williams

Yeah, I actually think your third team is better than your second team. You have essentially taken the laughably talented 2002 team and upgraded at the two role player positions. Ferry is a clear upgrade over Jones, and I think that a senior Thomas Hill is better than a sophomore Duhon. Your third team is really, really good.

Well, I guess I think that my 2nd team has 3 "force of nature" players in Brand, Hill and JD -- and would really give my 1st team a run for its money -- while my 3rd team has "only" 1 of those guys in Williams. If the 3s aren't falling for my 3rd team, I don't think they could keep up with my 2nd team.

I sure would like to fire up the hot tub time machine and watch the games, though.

[johnb]

I've been trying to come up with a $15 team that wouldn't have been an NCAA favorite and have been having trouble...

[Li_Duke]

I've been trying to come up with a $15 team that wouldn't have been an NCAA favorite and have been having trouble...

Boozer
Parker
Maggette
Langdon
Scheyer

might have had enough issues on defense not to be an NCAA favorite. :P

[DukeBlueDevil42]

Hurley
JD
Booz
Bat
CC

[Edouble]

Boozer
Parker
Maggette
Langdon
Scheyer

might have had enough issues on defense not to be an NCAA favorite. :P

This is the same team that I came up with for "worst team" (if I can use that term) possible.

I agree that there may be some issues on defense. In addition, we really only have two high level 3 point shooters on the floor. The best Duke teams tend to have three guys that can bomb.