Covering University of Colorado sports, mostly basketball, since 2010

Thursday, June 5, 2014

The All-Time Starting Five for $15 Game: Colorado Basketball Edition

If you're anything close to a basketball fan, you've undoubtedly seen this photo that has been sweeping the internet over the last few weeks.  The wizards over at BallIsLife.com came up with the perfect bar discussion game when they asked their readers to choose an All-Time NBA starting five from a pool of greats... only with one catch.   Every player is tabbed with a particular value, $1-$5 within each position, and you're slapped with a draconian salary cap of only $15 with which to build your 'team.'

Overnight, the $15 game became an internet sensation, and the talk of the basketball world (outside, of course, that whole 'NBA Finals' thing).

It's simply brilliant.  If given free reign over the pantheon of basketball's greats, anyone could piece together the best starting five by simply taking the best player at every position.  The valuation and salary cap makes everything much more complicated.  Do you sacrifice your shooting backcourt to lock down the paint? What sacrifice will you make to secure the services of the great Michael Jordan?  Is Kareem really worth an extra buck over Bill Russell? The discussion points are endless.

(For the record, my $15 five looks like this: Stockton ($2), Jordan ($5), Pippen ($1), Duncan ($3), Shaq ($2), and a $2 well at the Dark Horse.)

Not content with just debating the merits of the best in NBA history, hardwood aficionados have taken the game and made it their own, applying it to individual teams across the playing spectrum.  Given some prodding from the Mayor himself (and Zach Ruebesam!), I figure it's CU's turn, and have agonized over the history of our beloved program to set up the playing field.  See below, pick your five, and hit me up in the comments or on Twitter (@Rumblinbuffalo) with your All-Time CU Starting Five for $15.

(Disclaimer: No current players included in the main game)

PG –

Chauncey Billups - $5
Jay Humphries - $4
Spencer Dinwiddie - $3
Stevie Wise - $2
Marcus Hall - $1

SG –

Alec Burks - $5
Richard Roby - $4
Cory Higgins - $3
Donnie Boyce - $2
Michel Morandais - $1

SF –

Ken Charlton - $5
Scott Wedman - $4
Andre Roberson - $3
Chris Copeland - $2
Blair Wilson - $1

PF –

Cliff Meely - $5
Shaun Vandiver - $4
Bob Jeangerard - $3
Stephane Pelle - $2
Bob Doll - $1

C –

'Burdie' Haldorson - $5
David Harrison - $4
Jim Davis - $3
Chuck Gardner - $2
Scott Wilke - $1

(My 5?  Mayor, Boyce, Cope, Meely, Davis.  Scoring for days.) 

- Now that you've picked your five, add some spice with a free walk-on, or add $3 and select a coach -

Walk-On - 

$0 - Beau Gamble
$0 - Billy Boidock
$0 - Preston Slaughter
$0 - 'THE' Brett Brady
$0 - Trent Beckley

Coach -

$5 - 'Sox' Walseth
$4 - Tad Boyle (Praise be his name)
$3 - 'Frosty' Cox
$2 - H.B. Lee
$1 - Ricardo Patton

1 comment:

buff96 said...

How can you take anyone over Chauncey. Make mine Billups, Boyce (best scorer I saw at CU), Copeland, Meely, Wilke.