No dream team is complete without King James. Photo by abardwell on flickr.com. Licensed under the Creative Commons.

The weirdest thing about this NBA season is not the surprisingly poor play of teams like the Wizards, Jazz or Sixers, but rather that talking heads seem more interested in analyzing the general managers than the game’s stars. A constant theme of ESPN and NBA TV is how almost every team’s GM is trying to clear cap space for the 2010 free agent class, which includes stars such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Yao Ming, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

With all this talk about general managers, I decided it would be fun to put on a general manager hat for a little while. Only I didn’t feel like limiting myself to the 2010 free agent class and certainly didn’t see the need to adhere to a salary cap. Instead, I imagined myself as an NBA GM with the chance to pick the ultimate “dream team” from the stockpile of today’s stars. Who would I pick? Maybe a VIP like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, or perhaps a flashy veteran like Jason Kidd?

In the end, I decided that my starting five would consist of:

1. LeBron James (SF) Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Kobe Bryant (SG) Los Angeles Lakers
3. Chris Paul (PG) New Orleans Hornets
4. Chris Bosh (PF) Toronto Raptors
5. Dwight Howard (C) Orlando Magic
Sixth man: Joe Johnson (SG) Atlanta Hawks

Yes, these players are some of the most talented in the league, but what differentiates them for me is that all six have yet to reach their peak.

Dwight Howard would be the golden center of my team. Why Howard and not Yao Ming? The decision was tough, but when it comes down to it, Howard is the more physical player in the post. Howard is also the more athletic player. Anyone questioning that assumption should just flashback to the 2008 All-Star dunk contest and Howard’s superman-esque performance. He doubles the fun by averaging around 20 points and nearly 14 rebounds a game…14 rebounds! True to his baby Shaq comparisons, his free throw shooting isn’t necessarily a bright spot, but what Howard lacks at the line, he makes up with his exciting play.

My team is heavy with super star shooters like Kobe and LeBron because this line-up would create a smorgasbord of assists for CP3. Imagine how stuffed his stats would be if he had this duo of shooting studs to pass too. CP3 alone is pretty amazing. He is like an architect on the floor—he creates this blue print on the court for his teammates, sees the openings, executes the pick and roll like a master, and delivers insane passes that leave you TiVoing every Hornets game. Jason Kidd has essentially passed the point guard torch onto Chris Paul. At 35, Kidd still dazzles, but CP3 is the point guard of the future. And just think of how Chris Paul and Dwight Howard could execute the pick and roll if they played together.

The LeBron and Kobe picks are just simple and obvious. These two are the faces of the league. Kobe would bring championship experience to this team. The majority of NBA players are out there to win conference titles and championships. Sure, the money, the fame, and the “love of the game” drive them, but true competitors have that nagging streak inside of them to win. Kobe and LeBron epitomize this belief—their desire to win is evident and seems stronger than all of the other NBA players combined. Kobe has sipped the champagne of winning a NBA championship; his hunger to win, acrobatic and amazing abilities, and natural leadership would provide the perfect captain qualities for this squad of competitors. You may hate Kobe, but you have to respect his game. He goes hard and is never satisfied with anything less than the best.

LeBron, a.k.a. King James, shares the NBA royalty with Kobe. He without a doubt is one of the best players to ever grace the hardwood. Put him with a bunch of top players instead of just his supporting cast of role players known as the Cleveland Cavaliers and he would shine even more (as evident with his participation on the USA basketball team). A Kobe-LeBron duo would be the ultimate fantasy of any NBA fan.

The power forward position for my team would be filled by none other than the Toronto Raptor’s Chris Bosh. Bosh has had a great season, averaging nearly 24 points and 10 rebounds. Like Howard, the term “double-double” is pretty much a permanent fixture when describing Bosh’s stats for a game.

And my final pick, the sixth man (aka the Ben Gordon award) spot would go to Joe Johnson. For fans of franchises that are used to being in the dumpster of the NBA (This means you Wizards and Bobcats fans), Johnson could be your hero. He plays for a franchise that has just recently seemed to escape its dark cloud of idiocy (aka Billy Knight), and now the Atlanta Hawks are no longer the butt of Eastern conference jokes (that title belongs to the Knicks, whose team roster looks more like a Upward sign-up sheet than an NBA squad; Marbury has proved to be the diva of NYC). Johnson is a shooter, and he plays with ease. He dominates the game while managing to keep the same composed swagger after every play. Seriously, it seems like he only makes three different facial expressions. His strictly business attitude would be perfect for a no frills basketball style that would get my dream team the W.

The NBA is full of five star players, young and old, it just depends on what kind of essence you would want your team to have. Any seven footer can seem to be the missing piece of the puzzle, but what they have on paper doesn’t always translate to the court (ahem, Kwame Brown). Playing GM and creating your perfect dream team is a risky business, and there will always be people commenting on a franchise’s mistake (cue banter and commentary by Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley). When the combination of players lucks out though, the results can create a dream team with Michael Jordan-like potential.