How would a team of UConn All-Stars do in today's NBA?

[Travelman6]

If I were to construct this team made of UConn players in, or around their prime. How would they do?

Ray Allen ----- Ben Gordon
Kemba Walker ----- Shabazz Napier
RIP ---- Caron Butler
Andre Drummond ---- Rudy Gay
Cliff Robison ---- Emeka Okafor

Reserves: Donyell Marshall, Kevin Freeman, Chris Smith, Rashad Anderson

I think this team would do very well this year in the NBA.

 

[caw]

If I were to construct this team made of UConn players in, or around their prime. How would they do?

Ray Allen ----- Ben Gordon
Kemba Walker ----- Shabazz Napier
RIP ---- Caron Butler
Andre Drummond ---- Rudy Gay
Cliff Robison ---- Emeka Okafor

Reserves: Donyell Marshall, Kevin Freeman, Chris Smith, Rashad Anderson

I think this team would do very well this year in the NBA.

Probably, though I am confused with how you put them positionally. I would change things around a bit

Walker - Ollie - Bazz - Williams - El-Amin - Price
Allen - RIP - Gordon - Lamb - Bouknight
Butler - Gay - Burrell - Donny - Martin
Robinson - Marshall - Charlie -
Drummond - Okafor - Armstrong - Boone - Jake - Knight - Adrien - Thabeet

Probably have the above to really pick from. In today's NBA, I would probably go with the following as my three deep:

Walker - Ollie - Bazz
Allen - RIP - Gordon
Butler - Gay - Burrell
Robinson - Marshall - Charlie V
Okafor - Drummond - Jake/Knight

 

[Kenny11]

If they were all in their prime, it’s a championship team. But there’s never a team where everyone is in their prime. Ray and Ben on the court together in today’s nba would be really fun.

 

[husky429]

Calhoun was ahead of his time with some of the guys he recruited ajd how he played them. Marshall comes to mind. 6'10 guys weren't draining 3s and taking guys off the dribble back then. I am sure if you put Donyell in the NBA in his prime now, he's be an All-Star for a decade or more. He was way ahead of his time.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Calhoun was ahead of his time with some of the guys he recruited ajd how he played them. Marshall comes to mind. 6'10 guys weren't draining 3s and taking guys off the dribble back then. I am sure if you put Donyell in the NBA in his prime now, he's be an All-Star for a decade or more. He was way ahead of his time.

Cliff Robinson too. He was an All-star, even before the game changed to favor his skills. Butler and Gay of course fit well too.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Modern lineup would probably be:

Kemba
Ray
Rip
Rudy
Cliff

 

[Dogdeacon]

Modern lineup would probably be:

Kemba
Ray
Rip
Rudy
Cliff

Probably right with Caron as 6th man, Drummond backup defensive center (rarely plays last 5 minutes) Donyell backs up Rudy and Gordon for backcourt depth rounding out 9 man rotation.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Modern lineup would probably be:

Kemba
Ray
Rip
Rudy
Cliff

Probably right with Caron as 6th man, Drummond backup defensive center (rarely plays last 5 minutes) Donyell backs up Rudy and Gordon for backcourt depth rounding out 9 man rotation.

Donyell starts ahead of Gay. Much better rebounder and defender.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Donyell starts ahead of Gay. Much better rebounder and defender.

I think Rudy’s superiority offensively and also being a sufficient defender would have him over Marshall. Also can be a secondary ball handler that the lineup may need.

 

[G0UCONN]

If I were to construct this team made of UConn players in, or around their prime. How would they do?

Ray Allen ----- Ben Gordon
Kemba Walker ----- Shabazz Napier
RIP ---- Caron Butler
Andre Drummond ---- Rudy Gay
Cliff Robison ---- Emeka Okafor

Reserves: Donyell Marshall, Kevin Freeman, Chris Smith, Rashad Anderson

I think this team would do very well this year in the NBA.

A little light in the shooting department in today's NBA where they all shoot 3s or dunk (little mid range) but they would be good.

 

[superjohn]

If I were to construct this team made of UConn players in, or around their prime. How would they do?

Ray Allen ----- Ben Gordon
Kemba Walker ----- Shabazz Napier
RIP ---- Caron Butler
Andre Drummond ---- Rudy Gay
Cliff Robison ---- Emeka Okafor

Reserves: Donyell Marshall, Kevin Freeman, Chris Smith, Rashad Anderson

I think this team would do very well this year in the NBA.

They would do well but UNC, Kentucky, and LSU would kill them.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I think Rudy’s superiority offensively and also being a sufficient defender would have him over Marshall. Also can be a secondary ball handler that the lineup may need.

Agree to disagree.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Cliff Robinson too. He was an All-star, even before the game changed to favor his skills. Butler and Gay of course fit well too.

Really never thought about it but Cliff was the 6’11” guy who could take you outside with that corner jumper, run the floor and take it to the hoop. . When he won sixth man of the year for that great Portland team he subbed at the 3-4- and even 5 . Amazing versatility.
He was ahead of his time , maybe he would even get drafted in the 1st round today./S.

 

[auror]

Our small guards would get mismatch hunted in the playoffs, unfortunately.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Our small guards would get mismatch hunted in the playoffs, unfortunately.

Yeah, it's perhaps Ironic but looking at this list of guys, PG is our weak link at the modern NBA level. We're loaded with forwards and wings. Some decent centers. Give it a few years and Castle could change that. For now, I think I'd probably start this group with subs behind.

1 Gordon - Kemba
2 Ray - Rip
3 Butler - Burrell
4 Donyell - Gay
5 Robinson - Okafor

 

[auror]

Yeah, it's perhaps Ironic but looking at this list of guys, PG is our weak link at the modern NBA level. We're loaded with forwards and wings. Some decent centers. Give it a few years and Castle could change that. For now, I think I'd probably start this group with subs behind.

1 Gordon - Kemba
2 Ray - Rip
3 Butler - Burrell
4 Donyell - Gay
5 Robinson - Okafor

Maybe in a few years if he figures it out we can put Bouk as our hypothetical NBA point. He's the right size and has the on ball skills.

 

[Shamon30]

Hilton Armstrong showed a decent if unexceptional touch from 3 point range during his international career. If that skill had been honed earlier on, he'd have been a better fit as a modern center.

 

[Mr. French]

Most of these guys are very old and probably not in great shape - Uncle Cliffy is no longer with us.

With that poor roster construction, I don't see them winning many games.

 

[superjohn]

Yeah, it's perhaps Ironic but looking at this list of guys, PG is our weak link at the modern NBA level. We're loaded with forwards and wings. Some decent centers. Give it a few years and Castle could change that. For now, I think I'd probably start this group with subs behind.

1 Gordon - Kemba
2 Ray - Rip
3 Butler - Burrell
4 Donyell - Gay
5 Robinson - Okafor

Gordon and Ray as your backcourt, lolz. They wouldn't be able to bring the ball past halfcourt.

 

[tykurez]

If I could build the roster using only a single season from their NBA career, here’s what I’d go with:

Starters

Kemba Walker (2016-2017)
Would take his 2016-2017 season (first year he was an all-star). Not his highest offensive rating year but pretty close to it.
Averages: 23.2/5.5/4.4 on 44%/40% shooting.

Ray Allen (2001-2002)
This was a tough one, because he had all-star years for the Bucks, Sonics and Celtics. I think his ‘00-‘01 and ‘01-‘02 years with the Bucks are stand outs though. Particularly the latter, even though they missed the playoffs and made the conference finals the year before. His usage rate still hadn’t peaked but he was the guy and had a statistically incredible year.
Averages: 21.8/4.5/3.9 on 46%/43% shooting (almost 8 3pa/game!)

Richard Hamilton (2005-2006)
Rip played in an interesting window in the NBA where the three ball was still not king. In his 14 seasons he only averaged more than 2 3pt attempts a game 4 times which surprised me. He was much more of a slasher though and his first all-star season was a stand out.
Averages: 20.1/3.2/3.4 on 49%/46%(!!) shooting.

Caron Butler (2007-2008)
This is a small ball lineup with Caron at the four but I think even with the slight height and athleticism disadvantage I’d give him the start over Rudy. He had two all-star years with Washington and in neither did he even play 65 games - but I think his best year was ‘07-‘08 when they finished 5th in the East even though they were without Gilbert Arenas for almost the entire year. He was the team captain and led the team in mpg.

Averages: 20.3/4.9/5.1/2.2 steals on 47%/36% shooting.

Andre Drummond (2017-2018)
What the rest of the team may lack in rebounding Andre more than makes up for. And while he can’t really shoot - I do think he fits well with this team due to the fact that he’s pretty mobile and is a good passer. It’s unfortunate he was stuck with Detroit so long since those post-Billups/Rip/Wallace years were where players went to die. And of his two all-star years, I think his ‘17-‘18 year is his best.
Averages: 15/16(!!!!!)/3(!) on 53% shooting.



Off the bench

Rudy Gay (2010-2011)
There’s a reason Rudy is still playing in the NBA and it’s because he fits so well in the modern game. I would argue he’s had at least one all-star season but unfortunately has never gotten the honor. I think his ‘10-‘11 season would have been his best if not for the shoulder injury to end the year — that Grizz team was fun with Mike Conley and Zach Rudolph.
Averages: 19.8/6.2/2.8 on 47%/40% shooting.

Ben Gordon (2008-2009)
It was tough to not put his ‘08-‘09 season in the starting lineup. The city of Chicago was calling him Ben Jordan. That seven game series against the Celtics was epic - Ben went for 42 and 33 in two of the games. Statistically he had a better ORtg than several all-stars including Paul Pierce and Tim Duncan. Just a tragic downfall after this season.
Averages: 20.7/3.5/3.4 on 46%/41% shooting.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Gordon and Ray as your backcourt, lolz. They wouldn't be able to bring the ball past halfcourt.

Ben was a good ball hander. But it's irrelevant in the modern NBA. Caron might well bring the ball up. Or Burrell. The Celtics have 5 guys that share that duty, none of them are great ball handlers.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Gordon and Ray as your backcourt, lolz. They wouldn't be able to bring the ball past halfcourt.

Teams don’t press regularly. Not to say that would be my backcourt.

 

[superjohn]

Teams don’t press regularly. Not to say that would be my backcourt.

I know but Ben had zero point guard skills, bad handles and bad passer. Loved watching him on the Bulls because he scored in bunches and took over the fourth quarter all the time scoring but you need playmaking skills. Rip and Ray would be running people ragged off screens with nobody to give them the ball.

 

[Husky25]

If I were to construct this team made of UConn players in, or around their prime. How would they do?

Ray Allen ----- Ben Gordon
Kemba Walker ----- Shabazz Napier
RIP ---- Caron Butler
Andre Drummond ---- Rudy Gay
Cliff Robison ---- Emeka Okafor

Reserves: Donyell Marshall, Kevin Freeman, Chris Smith, Rashad Anderson

I think this team would do very well this year in the NBA.

Not very good, I'm afraid. Basketball Reference lists the top 40 players to come out of UConn, but it also looks like the prime for most UConn's players were their college years, which paved their way into The Association. Frankly, Georgetown is a better debate, but they are remarkably thin in the backcourt after Iverson and Sleepy Floyd.

The leaders in terms of games played are:
Cliff Robinson
Ray Allen
Rudy Gay
Donyell Marshall
Richard Hamilton

Sub in Caron Butler for Marshall when sorting by Minutes played.

Highest draft picks were:
Hasheem Thabeet
Emeka Okafor
Ben Gordon
Donyell Marshall
Ray Allen

Kemba Walker is the only point guard in the top 10 for either minutes or games played.

An all-time-in-their-prime-UConn NBA team would probably looks like:
PG: Walker, Ollie
SG: Allen, Gordon
SF: Gay, Hamilton
PF: Robinson, Donyell Marshall
C: Drummond, Okafor.

Of the 10, only Allen is/will be a Hall of Famer, and no one else is particularly close, including Drummond or Walker, for whom the ridiculous premise was put forth that he only had to put up 7 or 8 Hall of Fame caliber seasons from 2019/20-2027/28 (i.e. the 8 subsequent season).

Only Allen and Hamilton contributed significantly to a Championship team (Butler played 29 games and 0 in the playoffs for Dallas in 2011) and Ollie didn't shoot 3 pointers, a must in today's NBA off the bench, though Gordon would have more than made up for him.

It's a flawed argument to be sure, but now that I went through this exercise, perhaps UConn is not considered a "Blue Blood" by many because their players are not among the greatest in NBA history.

 

[superjohn]

Not very good, I'm afraid. Basketball Reference lists the top 40 players to come out of UConn, but it also looks like the prime for most UConn's players were their college years, which paved their way into The Association. Frankly, Georgetown is a better debate, but they are remarkably thin in the backcourt after Iverson and Sleepy Floyd.

The leaders in terms of games played are:
Cliff Robinson
Ray Allen
Rudy Gay
Donyell Marshall
Richard Hamilton

Sub in Caron Butler for Marshall when sorting by Minutes played.

Highest draft picks were:
Hasheem Thabeet
Emeka Okafor
Ben Gordon
Donyell Marshall
Ray Allen

Kemba Walker is the only point guard in the top 10 for either minutes or games played.

An all-time-in-their-prime-UConn NBA team would probably looks like:
PG: Walker, Ollie
SG: Allen, Gordon
SF: Gay, Hamilton
PF: Robinson, Donyell Marshall
C: Drummond, Okafor.

Of the 10, only Allen is/will be a Hall of Famer, and no one else is particularly close, including Drummond or Walker, for whom the ridiculous premise was put forth that he only had to put up 7 or 8 Hall of Fame caliber seasons from 2019/20-2027/28 (i.e. the 8 subsequent season).

Only Allen and Hamilton contributed significantly to a Championship team (Butler played 29 games and 0 in the playoffs for Dallas in 2011) and Ollie didn't shoot 3 pointers, a must in today's NBA off the bench, though Gordon would have more than made up for him.

It's a flawed argument to be sure, but now that I went through this exercise, perhaps UConn is not considered a "Blue Blood" by many because their players are not among the greatest in NBA history.

Who are all the Duke hall of famers?