Youth, unselfish play key to building perfect team

	Good team chemistry is easy to come by if you have a tandem like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen leading the way. Andy Hayt/NBAE via Getty Images

How do you build a perfect team? Good question. It's not like a fantasy team, because if it was, every couch potato in America would be qualified to work as an NBA general manager. And it's not as simple as picking a guy whose strengths complement another player's weaknesses. There are other factors to consider, such as team chemistry (see 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers), salary (unless you're working for Paul Allen or James Dolan, you can't push past the $61.7 million luxury tax threshold), and most important, feasibility. Can this team you so desire be put together with some creative thinking and shrewd cap management?

We all would love a roster filled with Tim Duncans, Kevin Garnetts and anyone named O'Neal (Jermaine or Shaquille) but no one can really have it. We would also love to have that team in San Antonio, which is as perfect as any team can get and whose players, for the purposes of this exercise, I have excluded from consideration. To build a perfect team, in my humble opinion, you have to build a squad like the 1990s Bulls. Start with a superstar (Michael Jordan) and his running buddy (Scottie Pippen), surround them with a host of interchangeable parts and you've got yourself a winner. And let's not forget, you're not just building a team for one season. The NBA is a marathon, not a sprint. History won't remember a one-time champion -- win three or four, and they will give you your own chapter in the record books.

So, after an exhaustive review of rosters, stat sheets and salary databases, I present the perfect team, or at least one I would go to war with any day of the week.

The starters

SF -- LeBron James (Salary: $4.6 million)

LeBron James

Championship teams begin and end with a superstar, and James is as close to a sure thing as you can get. Despite the presence of more seasoned stars such as Duncan and Garnett, James is the best choice thanks to his versatility and selfless nature. He's just as happy making the extra pass as he is finishing with a thundering slam. And at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds and 20 years of age, nagging injuries are highly unlikely.

SG -- Gilbert Arenas ($10.2 million)

Gilbert Arenas

I know what you're thinking: Arenas? Isn't he a little bit selfish? Maybe, but wasn't Jordan at 23 years old? It wasn't until Pippen arrived in '87 that Jordan became a complete player, one capable of carrying the Bulls to six NBA titles.

Arenas has that same fire, that same passion to be great. His scoring average (25.5) has improved in each of his four seasons, a testament to his tireless work ethic, and he is a dead-on shooter. Arenas isn't Jordan, but James may turn out to be better than Pippen, making this duo the perfect complement to one another.

PG -- Chauncey Billups ($5.9 million)

Chauncey Billups

Every team needs a leader, and Billups is a natural one. Forget the assist totals and the clutch shooting. Billups is a chemistry guy, the product of a vagabond career that has seen him in five uniforms since '97. He knows the role of a superstar and the role of a support player -- and he knows how to play with both. Billups is a heady point guard who will keep this young squad on an even keel while having enough left in his tank to take the big shots at critical moments.

Joel Przybilla

C -- Joel Przybilla ($1.8 million)

You can't be a great defensive team unless opponents have a reason to fear going into the paint. Przybilla isn't going to give you much offensively (6.4 points) but his 7-1 wingspan will make driving guards think twice before launching floaters in the lane. A trade throw-in much of his career, Przybilla will throw out any weak shot attempts in his area.

Al Jefferson

PF -- Al Jefferson ($1.5 million)

Jefferson is raw (20 years old) and needs to learn how to stay on the floor (14.8 minutes last season), but there might not be a better prospect at his position. Soft hands around the basket are a must with Billups and James on the floor, and Jefferson's are like oven mitts. Improving his back-to-the-basket game is a must, but until then Big Al will be happy rebounding and cleaning up around the rim.