This list was compiled by the incomparable DMtShooter, from Five Tool Tool…

All-Time Sixers Team

Starters
Center — Wilt Chamberlain
Power Forward - Charles Barkley
Small Forward - Julius Erving
Shooting Guard - Allen Iverson
Point Guard - Mo Cheeks

Bench
Center - Moses Malone
Forwards - Bobby Jones, Billy Cunningham, Dolph Schayes
Guards - Andrew Toney, Hal Greer, Hersey Hawkins

Coach - Billy Cunningham

Notes…
With the Sixers, this is a relatively easy list to compile. You’ve got the four franchise MVPs, and your only choice is whether to start Wilt or Moses at center, and while Moses was the best player in the game for a brief and mostly forgotten period, he’s not Wilt.

The players all mostly separate nicely by roles; it’s not like you have a real problem imagining Chuck and Doc being in the same lineup, because they just do different things, especially early in Chuck’s career, when he was basically an unstoppable energy player. I’d love to see the first team play if for no other reason to see how Allen Iverson would adjust his game to having teammates that could play at his level. Ivy is going to go down in team history as a beloved but tragic figure, and it doesn’t betray the laundry to say that he deserved better. Cheeks might have issues guarding modern points due to size, but both guards are deadly in generating steals, and with this many scorers on the floor, it’s nice to have a very pure point.

The first team is a monster on on-the-ball matchups, but they are fairly weak defensively, and can definitely be posted up in the backcourt. That’s where the bench can really pick it up. Jones was simply an outstanding defender, a freakish albino with length and superior positioning, and he’d run all day long. I’m seeing Schayes in the role as ancient bruiser, and it says something to my tastes that I took Rick Mahorn off the roster to include him. Andrew Toney off the bench is serious fun, and Hersey Hawkins is in for those end-of-quarter three-pointers, because if there is one thing that my team has more or less taken a pass on in its entire history as a franchise, it’s shooting from beyond the arc. It’d also be highly interesting to see how Moses would blend with the others here. A team with Chamberlain at center versus a team with Malone there is, well, just a ridiculously different team. In Moses, AI and Chuck, we’ve got three guys who just dominated the ball during their peak years in Philly; all are wildcards, to some extent, in an All-Star lineup

Does my team win in an all-time versus all-time game against other franchises? In a single-game environment, that’s very possible, but in a longer series, the defensive problems and possible chemistry issues would keep them from breaking through against the Lakers or Celtics. We also don’t have a terrific record in tight series; when the Sixers win historically, it’s a rout. (Perhaps if I bring in Larry Brown over Cunningham at coach, but to be honest, I can’t see Larry winning with this much talent. He’s more of a my system guy. Besides, he’d jump ship in mid-season, anyway.)

A more interesting matchup to my mind would be whether the all-time team could beat the two nearly perfect teams in the franchises’s history (that’d be 66-’67 and 82-83′). My money would be on either of the individual year teams, which had perfect chemistry and superstars at the height of their powers, and wouldn’t have ball-sharing issues between Chuck, AI and the center. Now, who wins between the two era teams? Well, I’m not old enough to remember the ‘67 club, but I’ve never seen a team that was more perfectly configured than the ‘82 outfit. My money’s on them, along with the idea that I’m never going to see a team that good again.

As for the question of whether anyone on the current roster could crack the All-Time lineup… maybe, one day, Andre Iguodala for either Greer or Hawkins, but only if he seriously upgrades his handle and shooting range. I’m not betting on it.

Oh, and one last thing — we definitely have the all-time clown team (coached by Doug Moe, and “starring” Shawn Bradley, Sharone Wright, Armon Gilliam, Tim Perry, Chris Webber, Leon Wood and Clarence Weatherspoon… I’d go on, but the flashbacks are starting to get fierce) in during pre-season to serve as a punching bag. Watching Moses work on the Death Stick, Chuck trashing the trash that was traded for him, Bobby Jones making Chris Webber cry… that’d be more fun than watching the real games. Much, much, much more fun…

- DMtShooter

A few other bloggers might get behind this, and if they do, I’ll post their thoughts up here!

First to do so is the phenomenal Celtics blog, Red’s Army (do you realise how difficult it is for me to put ‘phenomental’ and ‘Celtics’ together?). Read his All Time Celtics team…

FOULEDOUT have the All Time Nets team up…

Irish Warriors listed their All Time Warrior Team…

Have a look at Waiting For Next Year’s All Time Cavs Team…

It’s never a bad time to have a look at the history of the franchise you follow, and it seems appropriate that as the young and new head to the various Summer Leagues, to have a look at what came before.
So I present to you my selection for the All-Time Los Angeles Lakers team…

As a Los Angeles Lakers fan, many might think that with the abundance of players available, it’s easy. Well, I’d argue that for a Lakers fan, it’s harder than for most… for the exact same reason.

Anyway…

Starters…
Jerry West
Kobe Bryant
Magic Johnson
Vern Mikkelsen
Wilt Chamberlain

Bench…
Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Elgin Baylor
George Mikan
Gail Goodrich
James Worthy
Jim Pollard
Clyde Lovellette

Some explanations are due:
- I felt I really had to start both Magic and West… Magic could probably play at the 3, and if that was an issue I’d start Kobe at the 3 and play Magic at shooting guard. But I’d have those 3 (the Logo, Magic & Kobe) in my starting 5.
- I couldn’t start Shaq over Wilt… Yes, Shaq had some amazing years, but Wilt’s Wilt. And personally? I like Kareem over Shaq too. And on Mikan - ‘historical perspective’ has to hold some sway o’ the day. Shaq misses out due to having two centers better than him (Wilt/Kareem), and as alluded to earlier, Mikan gets in on historical significance (yes, I realise that Shaq is probably… well, ‘was’ a better center than Mikan). Mikan was more important to his place in history than O’Neal. I’m fine (and prepared for) with those that disagree. I understand that this means that some people make the team that are actually not as good as O’Neal… but I’m choosing on position, not just numbers.
- Amazing how light on for all-time great power forwards the Lakers are (now that I’ve said that there’s bound to be a really obvious one I’ve missed), so I included ol’ timers Mikkelsen & Lovellette. Mikkelsen was a hard, hard man. Very intimidating. Great for this team. Lovellette was a giant of a man, and could play center as well should foul trouble necessitate it.
- Pollard - the ‘Kangaroo Kid’, could dunk from the free throw line despite being only 6′4″. Even tho’ he was short for a power forward, Pollard was voted by his peers as being the best player of his era… whilst playing with both Mikan and Mikkelsen.

Hot here, at least the rainy season’s past. Baseball’s in full flow, and it’s nearly time for the summer barbecues…

Anyway, in sports blogs at the moment:

1. Nuh-uh chicken lil’… you got it wrong. The Sky is not falling - Five Tool Tool (you might want to check out DMtShooter’s take on the A-Rod divorce too - quite the unexpected!).
2. Blake Murphy has a look at the salary cap woes for free agents in the NBA… Hoops Addict.
3. Seriously… Brett Favre is looking like a bit of a bum at the moment - he’s in danger of damaging something that’s oh-so-important to athletes: his legacy. Signal To Noise asks him to stay away.
4. Sabathia heads off to the Brewers. The Cub Reporter explores the trade’s significance… especially to post-game buffets.
5. The Angry T looks at the years of Tiger Stadium.
6. Blog-a-Bull rips into Chris Duhon to Knicks.
7. On a slightly different bent, And One’s Carolyn has an interview with artist Joey Kimmel.

When the perennial doormats from the American League East shortened their name and unveiled new uniforms last November, did anyone outside of St. Petersburg even care?
If you hadn’t heard that Tampa Bay dropped the “Devil” and now just goes by the “Rays”, they’ve made sure that they’re in the news enough that you know by now.

Tampa Bay owns the best record in baseball and they’re on a 7-game winning streak right now. They’ve pushed their record to 9-1 over the last 10 and 17-4 over the last 21 games. That stretch has produced a 5-1 record vs in-state rival Florida and 3 game sweeps of the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. What makes that so impressive is that those teams are all in the playoff race.

Two other impressive streaks reside in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins are both 8-2 over the past 10 games and are locked up in a battle for the division. The Sox currently lead by just one game.

The win streaks may be the story in the AL, but hot-hitting was on display this week in the NL.
Matt Holliday is back in form after his stint on the DL. He’s batting .444 this week with 8 Runs, 3 HR, 10 RBI and 2 SB. J.J. Hardy has been a big part of the Brewers hot streak as he’s hitting an astonishing .533 with 6 Runs, 5 Doubles, 4 HR, 8 RBI and 1 SB. Fellow shortstop Hanley Ramirez has also been on fire this week. He’s batting .406 with 7 Runs, 4 Doubles, 4 HR, 9 RBI and 1 SB.

The nod for best pitching of the week swings back to the American League. Roy Halladay followed up a complete game shutout with a 7-inning gem for his 2nd win of the week. Halladay stat line for the last 2 starts reads 16 IP, 10 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 13 K.

Gavin Floyd and Andy Sonnanstine also pitched their teams to two wins this week. Floyd went 13.1 IP, 10 hits, 3 ER, 5 BB and 16 K, while Sonnanstine went 14 IP, 10 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB and 6 K.

The major news for the week is just breaking, but it will remain a discussion around baseball all week long.
C.C. Sabathia is reportedly being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for at least one prospect.
Sabathia…Sheets…Braun…Fielder…Hardy… Hart…Watch out for the Brew Crew!

- The baseball Consigliere

Had a few people send me emails over this Australian dunker. Here’s some more footage of Chand, aka Area 51 dunking at MSAC (Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Center)…

For those that haven’t been exposed, time to be so. Area 51 is the pseudonym a 5′8″ basketballer who also runs by the name of ‘Chand’.

Chand has a 51 inch vertical leap… which of itself is pretty amazing. It also enables the rather diminutive player to make some absolutely amazing dunks.
Best you see for yourself.

Redemption.
That’s the whole theme of the US Olympic basketball team, the entire program is called ‘Road to Redemption’. And after the debacle at the last Olympics, it will be every bit as arduous as it sounds.
Last time, the co-captains of the team were LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony. And as good as they are, as imperative to their NBA teams’ successes, they are not the guys to lead an Olympic squad. Who were the senior guys that those three had on their last team? Stephon Marbury and Allan Iverson. Both good players (well… at least Iverson is), but neither are exactly the types of guys you’d set as role models.

So despite Mike Krzyzewski not naming any captains for this team, it’s on Kobe. He’s the one for this Olympic undertaking.
He knows it, Coach K knows it, the team knows it.

The thing that surprises me is (as mentioned in a previous post) the selection of Tayshaun Prince over Tyson Chandler. It allows for a game plan for opponents, a weakness to be exploited - whereas if Chandler was included the current issue over a lack of bigs would be a moot point.
The recent injury to Dwight Howard (stress fracture of the sternum) only heightens the concern, and the naming of Chandler as first alternate doesn’t really alleviate the worry either.

In line with that, it has to be a little worrisome that Chris Kaman was named to the German team, paired with Dirk Nowitzki (the fact that Kaman’s eligible because his great-grandparents were German is an entirely different issue). Now armed with twin 7 footers, Germany have the length that will bother a lot of teams. Not that I’d select Kaman over Howard, but it all depends on how injured Howard is. The question over who’s better between Kaman and Chandler is a helluva lot closer.

The closer the Olympics get, the more interesting it becomes.
Bring it on already.

It’s that time of year again when we hear ‘buyer’ and ’seller’ in every other baseball story.

July 31st marks the non-waiver trading deadline and teams begin to analyze each plate appearance, each pitch thrown and each contract on the books. Some teams are in the hunt and must decide if they are willing to dump prospects for a rental player that could help them reach the postseason. Other teams are hoping that they can find a trading partner willing to take a huge contract off their hands while giving up some young prospects.
The rumors come and go so fast that it’s often tough to keep up with who might be going where, but here are some of the current talks between the movers and shakers.

One of the biggest names circulating is Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday. Two possible destinations for him are Oakland and St. Louis. Holliday is signed through 2009 so the price will be steep. Oakland may not be able to afford the price and unless the Cards were to send pitching the other way, their OF is plenty stocked right now.

Xavier Nady is more likely to be on the move and two teams that have been showing interest are Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Tampa Bay seems to have better options in house, but Atlanta could be a good fit. Jeff Francoeur hasn’t been hitting well and they could use some offensive help. If Atlanta starts to slip out of the picture, not only would the deal be off, but they could also begin shopping slugger Mark Teixeira. Teixeira will be a free agent after this year and the Braves probably can’t afford him, but if they hang onto him for the rest of the season, they could get draft picks as compensation if he leaves.

Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. seem to be prime candidates to relocate, but it appears Griffey to Tampa Bay wasn’t true and there just doesn’t seem to be a market for the high-priced Dunn. American League teams don’t want a DH that bats .240 and National League teams are scared off by his defense.

There are several players that may or may not become available depending upon how the next couple of weeks shake out.

Ivan Rodriguez seemed to be playing his last games in Motown, but the Tigers are suddenly in the hunt and Brandon Inge going down, leaves Detroit needing Pudge in the lineup.

The Rangers could be looking to move Frank Catalanotto or Hank Blalock if they hit a losing streak this month.

The Angels may be interested in Brian Giles. The Padres might be mathematically eliminated already and Giles could contribute in Anaheim, but the Angels usually aren’t deadline dealers.

Brian Roberts could also be moved if the Orioles find themselves on the outside of the playoff race. Roberts would be their biggest piece of trade bait, but closer George Sherrill has also been rumored to be heading to the Red Sox as a setup man for Jonathan Papelbon. The Red Sox rumors don’t stop there though.

Boston may also be looking at Joe Borowski, Chad Bradford, Rich Harden, Roy Oswalt, Brian Fuentes and C.C. Sabathia. Fuentes and Sabathia are in the middle of most trade rumors right now.

Fuentes could find himself out of the closer role and out of Colorado with the list of new teams growing daily. Along with the Red Sox, the Yankees, Rays, Cubs and Cards are also reportedly interested.

C.C. Sabathia would be the biggest deal to go down, if the Indians end up moving him. They apparently would like to resign the reigning Cy Young winner, but as they fall double digits back in the division race, things could change. The Phillies, Rays, Cubs and Brewers have been mentioned the most as possible trading partners.

Other arms that are rumored to be available are Joe Blanton, Huston Street, A.J. Burnett, Erik Bedard, Bronson Arroyo and Greg Maddux.

- The baseball Consigliere