Matchups:
PG: Billups v. Curry
SG: Carter v. Klay
SF: Shane v. Durant
PF: Dirk v. Draymond
C: Timmy v. Zaza
Dirk and Timmy are obviously interchangeable here, I was just thinking more along the lines of making sure the PF has 3pt range.
Thoughts on who'd win?
https://twitter.com/spurs/status/1001954797216522240
https://twitter.com/Pitt_FB/status/1179833677427040256?s=20
What a reputational redemption story that’d be. He’s definitely making a case:
“The Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award that recognizes the league's ‘ideal teammate’ who exemplifies ‘selfless play and commitment and dedication to his team.’”
Reprinted from this earlier post about Stokes:
Maurice Stokes really was "LeBron before LeBron". He was a physical specimen who entered the league in 1955 (one year before Bill Russell): he was 6-ft-7, and I've seen him listed everywhere from 232 to 280 pounds (teammate Jack Twyman said his normal playing weight was 275). Not only did he have a large, strong frame, he was also very athletic -- not just for the 50's, for any era. Here are some career highlights. He played 2 years in college and averaged 23 ppg & 27 rpg his first year and 27 ppg & 26 rpg his second, and he was the NIT MVP despite his team finishing 4th. He was the 2nd pick in the '55 draft, and he was immediately great in the pros.
In 1955-56, Stokes averaged a league-leading 16 rpg (above MVP Bob Pettit), team best 17 ppg, and also had the league's 8th-best assists/game at 4.9. With his size & athleticism & hustle, he was also one of the league's elite defenders. On offense, he was difficult to handle in the post and extremely difficult to stop in transition because of his athleticism & passing. He was an All-Star, 2nd-team All-NBA, and easily won the Rookie of the Year. He also was the league's first point-forward (really a point-PF/C). He also had the most insane triple-double ever recorded by a rookie: 26 points, 38 rebounds, and 12 assists (box score)
In 1956-57, Stokes averaged a league 2nd-best 17 rpg (behind Bill Russell), team 2nd-best 16 ppg (15.6 just behind team-best 16.3), and league 3rd-best 4.6 apg. He was fractionally behind a PG and was only really topped by Bob Cousy (7.5). Stokes' defense remained elite. Again he was an All-Star and 2nd-team All-NBA, plus he was 6th in MVP voting despite playing on a middling club and lots of racist voting back then.
In 1957-58, Stokes' 18 rpg were again 2nd-best to Russell, his 17 ppg were 3rd on the improving Royals (pre-Oscar), and his 6.4 apg were again 3rd in the league (barely behind Cousy who lead the league at 7.1). Again, he was an elite defender, an All-Star and 2nd-team All-NBA player, and was now 5th in MVP voting as he lead his team into the playoffs. In November of this season, he recorded 4 consecutive triple-doubles, back when recording even one triple-double was nearly unheard of.
O
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