Mueller Genuine Drafts: Top 5 NBA Alumni Teams
By nmueller
I would like to start off by explaining what a Mueller Genuine Draft is all about. This blog is about giving my genuine point of view on a current hot topic in sports every week. I don’t intend to make everyone happy with my opinions and I may not always be right (like once out of every 100 drafts), but I will always give a point of view that shines a little light on current University of Arizona and Pac 12 sports topics.
First off, this week’s Mueller genuine call of the week is going to be fairly simple. I predict that not only will Solomon Hill be the leading scorer for the Wildcat basketball team this year, but that he will also be in the top three of the Pac 12 for free throw attempts and free throws made. He should be able to create his own shot at will this season and will have a huge year for the Wildcats. With Josiah Turner at his side, they will be the most feared Wildcats all year long.
Now down to business. It has been very easy to be a fan of the University of Arizona basketball team recently. The recruitment news this week has made everyone extremely excited for the upcoming season and the near future. With this week’s draft I think it is important to look at the recent activity at the U of A to see how it has helped our recruiting. Kaleb Tarczewski chose Arizona basketball over Kansas in what was considered an extremely hard fought recruiting battle. I think there is no coincidence whatsoever that Tarczewski chose our program after seeing the amazing showing at the Red/Blue game. I couldn’t help but get goose bumps when the ex-wildcats were introduced one after the other and stepped onto the court. It really is an impressive list of players.
After looking through all of the current NBA rosters and the schools that these players went to, I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of top 5 ‘alumni’ teams if they were to be currently playing in the NBA. I wanted to actually see if schools could put together an entire team, position by position, and how good these teams would be. Of course it is all on paper, but by the stats and talent, I think that the lists compiled give the Wildcats a great chance to compete with any school in the country. Please reply to me if you think I have missed any school, but I think the list is very thorough. I do have a couple different players playing outside of their natural positions but I don’t think it is anything that they couldn’t handle. Here it is:
1. University of Connecticut:
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Emeka Okafor
C: Hasheem Thabeet
Backups: Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Caron Butler, Charlie Villanueva, Hilton Armstrong
2. University of Arizona
PG: Jason Terry
SG: Richard Jefferson
SF: Andre Iguodala
PF: Derrick Williams
C: Channing Frye
Backups: Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill, Mike Bibby, Jarryd Bayless, Gilbert Arenas, Luke Walton
3. University of Kentucky
PG: John Wall
SG: Rajon Rondo
SF: Tayshaun Prince
PF: Patrick Patterson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Backups: Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, Keith Bogans, Chuck Hayes, Nazr Mohammed
4. Duke University
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: JJ Redick
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Shelden Williams
Backups: Grant Hill, Correy Maggette, Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon
5. University of Texas
PG: DJ Augustin
SG: Jordan Hamilton
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Tristan Thompson
C: Lamarcus Aldridge
Backups: Avery Bradley, TJ Ford, Maurice Evans, Dexter Pittman
Honorable Mentions:
Florida, Kansas, North Carolina
Stating that any one of the first three schools on the list is the best team would be an easy argument. Even Duke and Texas fans could debate that their teams are better based on star power (Kevin Durant), but I still think the top three schools are a tier above all others. Connecticut would have an edge down low against Arizona, which is why I think they deserve to be #1. The Huskies also have an amazing amount of depth with proven scorers like Rip Hamilton, Ben Gordon, and Caron Butler coming off the bench. The Wildcat team would be fun to watch, but would struggle with larger teams. They would be built like the Phoenix Suns in that they would have scorers all over the court. The Arizona depth could be the best in the NBA with a quality backup waiting at virtually every position. Meanwhile, the Kentucky Wildcats have an amazing display of guards and a quality Center, but they lack higher quality at the forward position. That position would kill them if they faced Arizona, Duke and possibly even Connecticut. Overall, I think it is a very fun list where even the honorable mentions would have a chance to be considered the best teams. Have fun with the list and let the debate begin.