NOLA's All-Time NBA Roster

A couple of days ago Scottie Pippen and Shaquille O’Neal got into a little quarrel over who would win between an All-Time Chicago Bulls team, and an All-Time Los Angeles Lakers team. That got me thinking, who would make an All-Time New Orleans team?

Notice how I didn’t say “Pelicans?” That was on purpose. Since the Charlotte Hornets stole away our official records, our organization technically hasn’t existed before the 21st century. So to make up for that, these are the rules I will use when forming the roster.

1. All players need to have played in the city of New Orleans.

2. Only their specific NOLA statistical seasons may be used.

3. Kendrick Perkins gets to ride the bench.

Okay let’s get started!

Starting Point Guard: ’08-’09 Chris Paul

24-year-old Chris Paul was an absolute monster. He averaged 22.8 Points (7th in the league), 11.0 Assists (1st in the league), 2.8 Steals (also 1st in the league), had a 30.0 Player Efficiency Rating (3rd in the league) and made 2nd team All-NBA.

He ended the season with a strikingly strong MVP case, and he let a less than elite New Orleans Hornets roster to 49 wins in the loaded Western Conference.

He is easily the best point guard in NOLA history, including one of the best Point Guards in NBA history, period.

Starting Shooting Guard: ’76-’77 “Pistol” Pete Maravich

Photo courtesy of Mr. Barry Hirstius, Sr.

Pistol Pete will forever be a New Orleans legend. That season he averaged 31.1 Points, 5.4 Assists, 5.1 Rebounds, and 1.2 Steals. Now those 5.4 assists don’t seem jaw-dropping, but make no mistake.

Pistol was one of the greatest, and flashiest passers in NBA history. He pioneered the elbow and wrist pass, and was notorious for finding guys on the break with insane accuracy. That season he also led the league in scoring (Sorry Kareem, Dr. J, and George Gervin) and made First Team All-NBA.

Him and Paul in the backcourt would be a nightmare for opposing defenses, and electrifying to watch in transition.

Starting Small Forward: ’02-’03 Jamal Washburn

Mashburn had his very best NBA season for the New Orleans Hornets in 2003. He made his first All-Star game, played a full 82 game season, and averaged 21.6 Points, 6.1 Rebounds, and 5.6 Assists.

He peaked during an insane 50 point performance against Memphis in February, and led his team to the playoffs. He’s not a superstar like Pistol and CP3 were, but he would make a fantastic compliment to their games.

Starting Power Forward: ’77-’78 Leonard “Truck” Robinson

I was planning on going with David West right here, but since my editor Barry Hirstius is a Truck fan I decided to give him the starting nod. Turns out Truck makes a pretty compelling case as well.

In his only full season in New Orleans he averaged 22.7 Points and 15.7 Rebounds (first in the entire league over Prime Kareem, Bill Walton, and Bob McAdoo), made his first All-Star game, and secured a spot as a First Team All-NBA forward. 15.7 rebounds a game for a guy who was barely 6’7′ (not counting the Afro)?

I change my mind, if it was between this guy and D-West, this is the guy I’m going to war with.

Starting Center: ’14-’15 Anthony Davis

Oct 28, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) dunks against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Since we have CP3 at point and outlet-passer extraordinaire Pistol Pete at shooting guard, I wanted to put Davis at center and make this team run.

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Davis made first team All-NBA this season while averaging 24.4 Points 10.2 Rebounds and 2.9 Blocks. He and Truck would pound the boards while also getting out in transition with their excellent speed and athleticism.

In the half court, try defending a prime Chris Paul – Anthony Davis pick and pop, I dare you.

Backups:

PG: ’03-’04 Baron Davis

Baron is the team’s 6th man. In 2004 he averaged 22.9 Points (6th in the league), 7.5 Assists (4th in the league), and 2.4 Steals (1st in the league). Baron was an All-Star that season and brought a depleted roster to a .500 record. He can be a bit of a chucker (shot just 39% that season from the floor), but that’s fine since we’re looking for gunner to lead the 2nd unit.

SG: ’69-’70 Steve Jones

Steve Jones played out his 2nd ABA season with the New Orleans Buccaneers averaging 21.5 Points, 4.6 Rebounds, and 2.3 Assists.

Jones was a tough defensive guard with a saavy veteran mindset. He made the ABA All-Star team that season, and was also top 10 in points. He wasn’t a great outside shooter, but the next guy on the roster should make up for that.

SF: ’07-’08 Peja Stojakovic

In 2008 Peja averaged 16.4 points a game while shooting 44% from three and 92% from the free throw line! Since Baron and Steve Jones are going to be forcing themselves into the lane and cutting baseline, Peja will be getting tons of open looks in the corners and in transition. Peja was also 6’9″ meaning we could slide him down to the four and run a killer small ball lineup if the moment was right.

PF: ’07-’08’ David West

Prime D-West averaged 20.6 Points, 8.9 Rebounds, and 1.2 blocks, made the All-Star team and ran an impressive regular season campaign playing as a 2nd banana to Chris Paul. He’s a tough defender, and a solid enforcer, and is a perfect “I need a quick bucket dump it in the post guy” he’s no Truck Robinson, but he more than deserves a spot on the roster.

C: ’07-’08 Tyson Chandler

Prime Tyson Chandler was an athlete.

He would make a perfect backup for AD on this team, and would be able to score 10 points a game at least simply off alley-oops. In 2008 he averaged 11.8 Points, 11.7 Blocks while shooting 62% from the floor (2nd in the league).

He would be able to run the floor, block a few shots, and make one or two crazy dunks to get the crowd going. Exactly what the 2nd unit needs.

NOLA’s All-Time NBA Roster

By Johnny Louisiana | Jul 22, 2015

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