Paolo Banchero Picks His All-Time Duke Team; Doug Gottlieb Reacts
Didn’t see this coming
Well now, this is interesting: after Paolo Banchero listed his all-time Duke starting lineup - Kyrie Irving, JJ Redick, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson and Jahlil Okafor - new Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb took issue with his list.
And not with one - with all of them, saying “0-5”.
Which really is kind of fascinating.
We wouldn’t have picked Okafor over Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer or Mark Williams, but the other four?
You could make an argument for any of them.
Which begs the question: who would Gottlieb put on his list?
Leaving those five out, we’d consider this list:
- Johnny Dawkins
- Shane Battier
- Elton Brand
- Christian Laettner
- Bobby Hurley
- Grant Hill
- Jason Williams
- Tyus Jones
- Tre Jones
- Billy King
- Danny Ferry
- Jeff Mullins
- Art Heyman
- Dick Groat
- Jack Marin
And out of that list, we’d go with Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Battier and Jason Williams...if we were putting together a team.
But a Mt. Rushmore+one?
It’d be Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Williamson and Williams.
The idea of Laettner surrounded in the frontcourt by Williamson and Hill is just amazing. One of the few issues the 91-92 back-to-back champions had was power. In 1991, Greg Koubek guarded UNLV’s massive Larry Johnson. He did the best he could but he was overmatched.
But Williamson?
Johnson was great but Williamson was on another planet.
That team would also have four guys who could play point guard. Watching that group on a fast break would be mind-bending.
And of course, Laettner’s incredible will to win would push them all forward.
And keep this in mind: Laettner was infamous for mind games with his teammates. Now imagine him trying to pull some of that stuff with Williamson.
That would get interesting really fast.