MY PICK	OVERALL	PLAYER
1	8	G		Magic Johnsonstarter Five titles, three MVPs; 19.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 11.2 apg
2	13	C		Moses Malonestarter Three MVPs, '83 title; all-time leader in offensive boards
3	28	F		Rick Barrystarter '75 Finals MVP; led ABA and NBA in scoring; 89.3% FT
4	33	F		Bob McAdoostarter '73 Rookie of the Year; '75 MVP; three straight ppg titles
5	48	G		Sidney Moncrief Back-to-back Defensive Player of Year; five-time All-Star
6	53	C		George Mikan Centerpiece of NBA's first dynasty (Minneapolis Lakers)
7	68	G		Penny Hardawaystarter Back-to-back All-NBA first team with Magic in mid-'90s
8	73	F		Spencer Haywood Led ABA in points/rebounds as rookie in '70; NBA All-Star
9	88	F		Billy Cunningham '73 ABA MVP; 26.1 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 4.3 apg for '70 Sixers
10	93	G		Mitch Richmond 10 21+ ppg years in row; six straight '90s All-Star Games
11	108	F		Charles Oakley NBA leader in total rebounds back-to-back years ('86-88)
12	113	G		Derrick Rose Youngest MVP in NBA history at 22, his third season

Magic Johnson led the Lakers to five titles and won three MVP awards.

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

COACH: Don Nelson, the eighth pick (out of 10) in the coaches' draft. OK, Nellie is a mad scientist at times -- and we'll be sure to hire a top defensive mind as his lead assistant -- but one reason he has the most wins of any coach in NBA history is that he's also a master at creating tough matchups for opponents. This is the perfect roster for him -- versatile players who can handle, shoot and dish. Rick Barry at point forward? Magic Johnson in the low post? Nelson would have a blast moving the pieces around and forcing foes to adjust on the fly.

Photo Gallery: Magic Johnson: The College Years

STYLE OF PLAY: This team would be a fast-breaking, three-point-shooting joy to watch. Think about spreading the floor with shooters like Barry, Bob McAdoo and Penny Hardaway, with Magic distributing and Moses Malone tracking down the rare misses. There's just enough muscle on the roster to grind it out if necessary, but the faster the pace, the better. If this group doesn't put up at least 120 points, it's an off night.

Photo Gallery: Magic and Larry

BIGGEST CONCERNS: Only a good, not great defensive team. Sidney Moncrief is a lockdown guy on the perimeter, George Mikan is an intimidator and Charles Oakley is an excellent team defender, but other than that the team would be just OK defensively. We might have some difficulty against teams with plenty of size on the front line. On nights when the shots aren't falling, can we grind out a victory?

MY GAME-ON-THE-LINE PLAY: I would post up Magic on the low block, with McAdoo, Barry and Hardaway stationed around the perimeter. Malone would be on the opposite side of the lane, giving Magic room to operate. Magic would either shoot over a smaller point guard defending him or draw a double team, leaving him the option of dishing to Hardaway cutting to the hoop or to one of his sharpshooters on the outside. I don't necessarily need Magic to take the last shot, but I want him making the last decision. In the unlikely event of a miss, Malone, one of the best offensive rebounders ever, crashes for the putback.

SCARIEST RIVAL: Lee Jenkins' team. His guards (Jason Kidd and George Gervin) have the size to match up with mine, and he has lots of scoring and muscle down low (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone), which might be tough for my mostly slender front line to handle.

WHY MY TEAM IS THE BEST: The roster not only has great scorers but also players with tremendous court vision, like Magic, Barry and Hardaway. It might be worth the price of admission just to watch this team pass. Take away our transition game and we can pound it into the low post to Malone, Mikan or even -- here's that name again -- Magic. Each member of the starting five is 6-7 or taller and four of them handle the ball like guards. They are a matchup nightmare.