I say a center. A traditional back to the basket, lock down the paint kind of center is the first guy I want on a team I’m building. I think the rest of the team builds up well from the strengths and weaknesses of your particular center.

I want to say that the most important attribute is something intangible like passion or hustle but I think the best thing to start with is fundamentals. I’m basically describing Tim Duncan but I guess I could settle for Kareem or the Dream.

I can’t wait for the Oden era.

actually we have two awesome building blocks in oden and roy. but if i had to choose one to build my team around…..

TROUT!!! #25 BABY! (just for you annthefan)

You need a guy that can lead, who is charismatic enough, that the rest of the team want him to be their leader. I think he can play any position. Put Roy’s mind in anyone from 5’ 10” to 7’ and build around that guy.

with team-player attributes.

Most important attribute: Being Chris Paul.

I know that is two positions. But teams with a post and scoring guard who could consistently work the inside outside game to set up the rest of the team had the pedigree I would want to follow.

I would guess that the #1 answer from all coaches around the NBA would be a leader / floor general. I think that player could play any postion on the floor, so without further ado….....24thewho’s greatest of all time!
1. Magic
2. M.J.
3. Bird
4. Duncan
5. The Dream ( Darn 2 tailed coin! )
I know, they are pretty boreing picks. But man where they good!

It’s already been hit upon and everyone knows the rap, a great center. There’s a reason we drafted Oden over Durant and a big part of it was the idea that dominating centers are not only rare but can be pivotal (no pun intended) to a teams success. I guess I’ve had to believe that ever since I saw the difference in a Blazer team with a healthy Bill Walton and without. We were still a good, good team without Bill Walton but not a championship level team. So I’ll go along with “center” as my position of choice.

Since Dave used the word “attribute” and not “talent” or “skill”, I’m going to take a base of talent and skill from my big man as a given. The attribute I most like to have from any player at any position is Competitive Desire. That’s the attribute I want from my talented big center. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I love to hear it when I hear a player is working on his own to get better. Great players that have individually dominated the game at different times all have had different and diverse set’s of talents and skills but one thing they all share at the top is competitive desire. I think that is the difference maker. Honestly, IMO a lot of players have come into the league with similar physical gifts as a Jordan, Bird or Magic and that might get their foot in the door but ultimately what separates them? Competitive Desire and Focus. I’ll take that as my attribute…and assume this is a big man with good skills.

I have to go w/ Center. No other position can impact both sides of the court more than a dominant BIG!

And I’m going with footwork for my skill. He’s got to be able to get good position on the block, box out for the boards, and be in a position to make plays on defense.

I think this changes from era to era. Generally speaking, the place where you want to have your strongest player is where everyone else is weakest. That is why the Center position is often seen as valuable. Although, I remember back in the late 80’s early 90’s there were actually a lot of good centers in the league. Portland’s Center play was not particularly dominant in those years, but the team was, because we had strengths in the right places.

Today, after reading Prezofdeath’s SG diary I see how weak the league is currently at SG. Fortunately, we have a very dominant SG on the team already. Likewise, Center today is a position that does not have a lot of dominant players in it. It looks like we have that one filled already also. This is good news for us.

The one position that is overloaded in the league right now is PG. There are lots of very good point guards playing today, so I don’t see the need of having one ourselves. Let everyone else worry about that position, and simply have someone who can fill the role adequately. After all, how could we get mismatches consistently?

So after careful consideration, If I was going after a piece to build a team around today, I would build it from the SG position. That may change in a few years though.

Big-Athletic-Center-Who-Gives-You-A-Sack-Lunch-Dunk-On-One-End-And-Eats-Your-Lunch-At-The-Other-End.

if you have greg, sg if you have Kobe, pg if you have CP3, pf if you have TD

To me, both positional importance and specific attributes are overrated. There are many ways to win basketball games and good players at any position can win.

most important attribute: decision/playmaker

I was a little torn between my choice and a center that can lock down the paint. I ended up going with a point guard because I think centers can be rendered usless offensively if they dont have anyone to set up the plays and get them the ball. I have always thought of point guards as being the quarterback of basketball and centers(post players)as the runningback. A good QB needs to have a good running game to open things up for his part of the game, passing. The problem is there is limits to what a running back can do, on 3rd and 13 he is likely not going to touch the ball. The QB is a part of every play, even if it is just handing it off to the RB after the snap. The same is true of point guards, they touch the ball every single play and generally are the brains of the team…

Point Guards are so important. If you don’t have a man that can lead the team, handle the ball well and be able to make good decisions, you are going to have trouble. Turnovers, bad passing decisions, and overall sloppy play mostly derive from the main ball handler, being a point guard. We have a nice advantage of having combo guards like Brandon and Jarrett (at least for now), but still really need that guy that can drop assists and make smart decisions like its going out of style. The attribute a player like this needs is dedication. You don’t get good at what you do over night, it is all in the practice and being able to have great team chemistry. If it needs to be compared for some of you out there, it is a Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler duo, that consistently can find the other on the court for high percentage opportunities. Hopefully either the new point guard we get, or a current one, (Steve Blake showed interest in becoming an Oden Specialist..) can get a relationship built with our twin towers in LA and Oden. Point Guards with dedication for the win..

is that they need the other players on the court to be good in order to reach their maximum potential. Sure, the great PG’s make their teammates look great even when they aren’t that good (see: Nash, Steve) but the PG still needs those other players. Any position benefits from better teammates but not in the same way the PG position does.

I say if you’re starting a team, start with the position that can dominate on both ends of the floor (almost) regardless of the teammates.

Furthermore, I like interior D now more than ever considering the hand check rules. A good slasher will be able to get into the paint on anyone. (see: Bowen switched to Peja in the playoffs) An intimidating, shot blocking center protects the rim and cleans up the paint.

I agree with Farty that it is a team game and having a close knit, well functioning team is preferable to one all star at a position of your choise. That said, there is no other position that can dominate the game as well as a quality center.

The position has to be center even though neither of the two teams in the NBA Finals have great true centers. But the center position facilitates everything that the rest of the team does. But you need a dominant center that wants to win above all else…... sounds a lot like a 7-footer I know from Indianapolis.

but whoever it his, he has to be able to slash and score when the shot clock is winding down. I think PG or SG is usually that guy.

With that said, I don’t think it matters how many ballers you got—-you still have to have coherence. I think the Lakers All Star team of Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton demonstrated that.

That’s why I luv the new Blazers. Roy is our slasher, we’ve got solid other players (very solid!), and we’ve got coherence.

That, in my opinion, equals future domination.

It forces the opponent to play on the perimeter, and god knows the shooting fundamentals in the league now are far less than they used to be. It helps if he has offense and can rebound for sure. Thats the kind of franchise player I want.

Most important attribute: Will to win.

MJ, Kobe have it, so do players like Cassell, Billups, Paul.. ( you will notice this tends to be a G attribute because they have the ball in their hands, but people like Hakeem DEMANDED the ball in the clutch. And refused to lose the game)

hence build around the center, of a team, center.

atribute would have to be chemistry. i know they are profetionals, but if they dont get along with there team, it will show. So, in conclution, I think chemistry can make up for any lacking, ware bad chemistry can reduce other attributes and over expose weekness.

I think a combination of a SG-PG and a PF-C is the best i would rather have two players who sit on the bench on the all-star team or barely miss out than i would have one dominant player, if you have consistency then you can spread the floor and take advantage of what other teams give you, if we upgrade Pg we will have 2 excellent guards and 2 excellent posts

If you were to ask this question 20 years ago I think the answer would be Center. But the NBA is a offensive league now. Your ability to get to the free throw line and cause stress on the opposing defense is the biggest factor. Your 2 needs to not only be a facilitator on offense but also solid on defense to throw off the opposing guards effectiveness.

The most important attribute is leadership. You need that floor general to get you through rough patches and keep the offense constantly attacking.

if you want to win a title, history says you need a SG who can close out games… i.e. Kobe, Manu, Wade, Hamilton, MJ, Clyde. All big time closers on the last 20 yrs+ of champions.

Just like “ItsMrHarris2u” said – Roy, Kobe, Wade, MJ, Clyde…those are the guys you build a team around. Actually, offensively, those five would make a fun team.