Who would you build your franchise around and why?

The 3 players I would choose are Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin. Let me explain why.

Rose is an up and coming superstar. He already has an MVP in just his 3rd season in the NBA. Not many people can say that they've done that. If you look at Rose's improvement over the last few seasons, it's clear that his work ethic is outstanding and this is what my team would value along with traits like teamwork and hustle.

Durant is another great young player. He has already developed into one of the best scorers in the league and has heaps of potential. As you mentioned, Durant has ridiculously long arms and this would all contribute to turning him into the best scorer in the league. Durant would be the number 1 scoring option on my team.

Blake Griffin is the other guy I would choose. Yes, he has a history of injuries but I think, on the whole, he has more potential than someone like Dwight Howard. Both are phenomenally athletic but if I could turn Blake into a decent shot blocker and get him to develop a good post game, he would just about surpass Dwight Howard.

My team would punish their opponents on the break. With Blake and Rose running the floor, the highlights would be spectacular. I would like to try and turn Rose into the distributor now that he has Durant to take the scoring load off of his shoulders. If Rose could average 10+ assists then I would be very happy. My team has a bit of a weakness defensively but if I could sign a defensive specialist like Shane Battier or Thabo Sefolosha then this would hopefully make up for it.

The other thing I took into consideration was popularity amongst fans. Griffin, Rose and Durant are all young players who are all fan favourites. My team would have a huge following and this would give us a big home court advantage. Someone like LeBron (who is disliked by a large number of people) may take away from our popularity.

My lineup would look something like this:

PG: Rose

SG: Defensive stopper (Battier, Ariza, Artest, Sefolosha, etc.)

SF: Durant

PF: Griffin

C: Someone to hog the boards (Kris Humphries, Tyson Chandler, etc.)

Note:

- Dwight Howard has 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards (not 2).

- LeBron is the best player right now but is NOT a top 5 player All-Time.

Great question though.

1. LeBron James

2. Dwight Howard

3. Kevin Durant

(4. Derrick Rose

5. Chris Paul

6. Dwyane Wade

7. Deron Williams

8. Kevin Love

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Russell Westbrook)

.

Dwight Howard

There are a lot more talented Guards and Forwards out there then Centers. Which means that pairing Dwight up with a elite guard or forward would be very easy and in the end it would be highly effective. Howard changes the game on the defensive side like no other current player. The fact that he can score now at will and rebound at a high rate makes him very valuable. He's about 25 years old which gives him a good 8-9 years left of high level basketball.

What up Mikey O's,

I think given the choices i would build around Dwight Howard. Currently as we look at the league it is not a time where the league is very strong at the Center Position- in fact a lot of teams have players who are really Power Forwards or in year's past would be back up centers playing in the Center position. Dwight is also one of the best rebounders in the league and has established himself as currently the best defensive player in the league- and we know how crucial defense and rebounding is to winning championships. i also find Dwight to be a lot more humble than LeBron and i think this is sometimes an under-valued character trait that matters in the locker room and in terms of team chemistry.

When the Magic have lost - Dwight has actually been the one bright spot- but he speaks about the Magic losing as a team. When LeBron has lost in Cleveland and Miami he has blamed teammates or made disparaging remarks to fans about getting a life, etc. i think in the long run this matters in terms of building a franchise around a player. LeBron acts like he's bigger than the team-- Dwight elevates his team but has also showed the humility to lose as a team.

Nickster

Lebron because he is a great all-around player. He is the best player in the league in my view. He can score and is a great defender. There are many great point guards, shooting guards, and power forwards in the league. The only hard thing to do would be getting a solid center. You wouldn't need a center who could score. You would need one who could play good defense, rebound, and block like Joakim Noah.

Dwight Howard

he is only 25/26 years old

arguably the best center in the game

when in trouble, you can just dish it inside to him and let him finish

he seems friendly with a competitive attitude when necessary

Kobe second, because well, KOBE

Lebron if he stayed in Cleveland

pretty much Dwight, Kobe , or lebron

Dwight Howard. Hard to find great centers who can do it all like Dwight. Once his offensive game gets better he'll be a beast. And I'll take Kobe over LeBron and KD anytime. BUT I'll pick Dwight. HARD to find great centers these days

Your choices are good same here, LeBron first, Durant second, Howard third. I wouldn't choose Wade or Rose because they don't share the rock, LeBron looks to make plays Durant don't mind passing and Howard doesn't demand the ball. But all three can take over...

Deron Williams - you get scoring, facilitating, and defense

Kevin Durant - you get a lot of scoring during the game and crunch time

Dwight Howard - post presence scoring and defending

Dwight, just get an elite PG and it will be a show

Like when the Lakers had Kareem and then drafted Magic.