Stacked Teams That Didn't Do Much

[JtotheIzzo]

This is not a thread to harp on teams who made an ECF or an WCF but had championship potential, this is a thread for teams who had a ton of talent and didn't do nearly as well as they could have.

First team I will throw out there is the 2008-09 Houston Rockets, obviously injuries were an issue (as they will be for many teams in this thread), but if you look at the rotation this team COULD HAVE BEEN great.

Starting 5:

C: Yao Ming
PF: Luis Scola
SF: Ron Artest
SG: Tracy McGrady
PG: Aaron Brooks

Back-ups:

PG: Rafer Alston, Kyle Lowry
Wing: Shane Battier, Brent Barry, Von Wafer
Post: Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Dikembe Mutombo
Spare Parts: James 'Flight' White, Luther Head

Ironically this was one year where Yao was healthy and they ended up 53-29 losing in the second round of the playoffs. T-Mac didn't play in the playoffs and the team lost to the Lakers in 7, but had they been healthy and at full strength all year, I do not think this collection of talent could have been beat.

[LoneyROY7]

2012 Miami Heat.

[wpdougie2180]

This is not a thread to harp on teams who made an ECF or an WCF but had championship potential, this is a thread for teams who had a ton of talent and didn't do nearly as well as they could have.

First team I will throw out there is the 2008-09 Houston Rockets, obviously injuries were an issue (as they will be for many teams in this thread), but if you look at the rotation this team COULD HAVE BEEN great.

Starting 5:

C: Yao Ming
PF: Luis Scola
SF: Ron Artest
SG: Tracy McGrady
PG: Aaron Brooks

Back-ups:

PG: Rafer Alston, Kyle Lowry
Wing: Shane Battier, Brent Barry, Von Wafer
Post: Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Dikembe Mutombo
Spare Parts: James 'Flight' White, Luther Head

Ironically this was one year where Yao was healthy and they ended up 53-29 losing in the second round of the playoffs. T-Mac didn't play in the playoffs and the team lost to the Lakers in 7, but had they been healthy and at full strength all year, I do not think this collection of talent could have been beat.

Best team on 2k8 just ask anybody in the $25,000 tourney where the last 4 matchups were all Rockets vs Rockets

[JtotheIzzo]

Best team on 2k8 just ask anybody in the 25,000 tourney where the last 4 matchups were all Rockets vs Rockets

Computers will eventually be our masters...

that is hilarious.

[chazzy]

Best team on 2k8 just ask anybody in the 25,000 tourney where the last 4 matchups were all Rockets vs Rockets

Yao was unstoppable

[StateOfMind12]

You could replace Tracy McGrady with Vince Carter on that team. The Rockets planned on trading Tmac for VC near the trade deadline but Tmac ended up getting season ending injury without telling anyone in Houston so the trade never went through.

That team wouldn't even have done well with Tmac. Tmac was a cancerous player for them by then. They were like 20-15 when he played that season but they were 33-14 without him.

Tmac was and still is an immature player that doesn't care or know a thing about winning or teamwork.

[Whoah10115]

Wow. That Rockets team is insanely deep, Dikembe, Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry...lol, the team's best PG was the 3rd stringer....Brent Barry and Shane Battier was on the bench...good shit.

[Bigsmoke]

Might as well throw in the 2007 Suns

[wpdougie2180]

Yao was unstoppable

Combined with T-Mac spin glitch unfair

[Xiao Yao You]

The current Knicks.

Similar to when the Hawks added Theus and Moses thinking that would be enough to help Dominique to the promised land.

[Fiasco]

Wow that Rockets team was ****ing sick.

[Owl]

This is not a thread to harp on teams who made an ECF or an WCF but had championship potential, this is a thread for teams who had a ton of talent and didn't do nearly as well as they could have.

First team I will throw out there is the 2008-09 Houston Rockets, obviously injuries were an issue (as they will be for many teams in this thread), but if you look at the rotation this team COULD HAVE BEEN great.

Starting 5:

C: Yao Ming
PF: Luis Scola
SF: Ron Artest
SG: Tracy McGrady
PG: Aaron Brooks

Back-ups:

PG: Rafer Alston, Kyle Lowry
Wing: Shane Battier, Brent Barry, Von Wafer
Post: Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Dikembe Mutombo
Spare Parts: James 'Flight' White, Luther Head

Ironically this was one year where Yao was healthy and they ended up 53-29 losing in the second round of the playoffs. T-Mac didn't play in the playoffs and the team lost to the Lakers in 7, but had they been healthy and at full strength all year, I do not think this collection of talent could have been beat.

IF everyone was healthy, in their prime, and and hadn't had any previous injuries thats a very good team.
Yao fell off substantially that year, T-Mac was never the same as he was in Orlando. Alston was getting on and was never great in the first place. Mutombo was 41, Artest was on the start of his downswing, Lowry wasn't what he would become, Brooks hadn't yet broken out (and then swiftly regressed back) and Hayes had an off year (at least numbers wise, his D was probably about where it always was)

Of those players who was genuinely peaking that year? Landry.

It had a lot rotation calibre players but not a lot of exceptional (and healthy ones).

When I think of stacked teams I think teams with a lot of all-star ish (or better) level of talent.

So Boston and LA in the 80's were stacked. 50's 60's Celtics were stacked. Late 70's 76ers were a stacked team that failed to win a title.
Miami last year.
Late 90's Lakers.

But if its depth you want without a title and mostly healthy.
03 Pistons
Ben Wallace
Clifford Robinson
Rip Hamilton
Chauncey Billups
Corliss Williamson
Michael Curry (for some inexplicable reason playing 6th most minutes)
Jon Barry
Chucky Atkins (also playing too many minutes)
Mehmet Okur
Zeljko Rebraca
Tayshaun Prince
(and if you want to count them Hubert Davis and Danny Manning)

Late 90's early 2000s Trail-Blazers
Early 2000s Sacramento

[wagexslave]

This is not a thread to harp on teams who made an ECF or an WCF but had championship potential, this is a thread for teams who had a ton of talent and didn't do nearly as well as they could have.

First team I will throw out there is the 2008-09 Houston Rockets, obviously injuries were an issue (as they will be for many teams in this thread), but if you look at the rotation this team COULD HAVE BEEN great.

Starting 5:

C: Yao Ming
PF: Luis Scola
SF: Ron Artest
SG: Tracy McGrady
PG: Aaron Brooks

Back-ups:

PG: Rafer Alston, Kyle Lowry
Wing: Shane Battier, Brent Barry, Von Wafer
Post: Carl Landry, Chuck Hayes, Dikembe Mutombo
Spare Parts: James 'Flight' White, Luther Head

Ironically this was one year where Yao was healthy and they ended up 53-29 losing in the second round of the playoffs. T-Mac didn't play in the playoffs and the team lost to the Lakers in 7, but had they been healthy and at full strength all year, I do not think this collection of talent could have been beat.

Imagine that team with every player completely healthy, as in-shape as ever, and in their prime.

[VIP2000]

2003-04 Dallas Mavericks, who got bounced in the first round:

Dirk Nowitzki
Michael Finley
Steve Nash
Antawn Jamison
Antoine Walker
Tony Delk
Josh Howard
Marquis Daniels
Danny Fortson

[El Kabong]

2003-04 Dallas Mavericks, who got bounced in the first round:

Dirk Nowitzki
Michael Finley
Steve Nash
Antawn Jamison
Antoine Walker
Tony Delk
Josh Howard
Marquis Daniels
Danny Fortson

You look at that and think how the hell could they lose? But that was before Dirk turned into Superman I guess.