There have been a lot of good players, but what bothers me most is that I am from Detroit and cannot come up with a Detroit player. I'll start off by listing my starting 5 and then the 7 reserves. I will also add 2 head coaches, one that will be chosen to work as the assistant. I know you did not ask for this, but what is a team without someone to get all that talent to work together.

Starters: All currently in the Hall of Fame
Center – Wilt the Stilt - Wilt Chamberlain - This was a tossup between him and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. There are just so many records Wilt holds that it is impossible for me to bypass him as a starter. Although he was not the team player Jabbar was until later in his career. Wilt's being able to average 50 pints in a single season and also 22 rebounds another time cannot be overlooked; neither can his 100 point performance which is still an NBA] record.

Combo Guard 1 – The BIG O –, who was maybe the best guard of all time and was a 12 time All Star. His life time average of nearly 26 points and almost 10 rebounds a game qualifies him to make my starting five. Through his first 8 years in the NBA he averaged 28 points and up. Oscar also averaged 7 ½ rebounds a game while shooting 84% from the free throw line and nearly 40% from the field.

Combo Guard 2 – Air – Michael Jordan a 14 time All Star with career scoring averages of 30 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game make him my number 2 guard behind the BIG O. He also played on 6 NBA championship teams.

Small Forward – Elgin Baylor who made 11 All Star teams and retired with a scoring average of 27 points per game. He was the first player to break the 70 point barrier. He also averaged 13 rebounds and 4 assists a game playing as a 6’5” forward.

Power Forward – Magic Johnson what can you say? Put him at guard, center or forward and he excels. He is simply a champion and great teammate. Averages aside, just a great player.

Reserves:
Center – Kareem Abdul Jabbar – A career full of Champions and 4 NCAA titles
Center – Hakeem Olajuwon – Shot blocker and defender supreme
Forward – Larry Bird – Could be one of my starters, but can’t start six.
Forward – Julius Erving same as Dominique
Guard – Jerry West - Clutch performer and on one of the best teams of his era
Guard – LeBron James – Talented but still learning
Swing – Kevin Durant the future of the NBA

All they do is win:
Head coach - Red Auerbach
Asst Head Coach - Phil Jackson

Great question here and very interesting too Kerry. Any answer here is perhaps better than any All-Star team that played in the NBA or perhaps many times better.

My twelve best players (3 point guards, 2 shooting guards, 2 centers, 3 small forwards and 2 power forward):

1. Wilt Chamberlain
2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
3. Karl Malone
4. Tim Duncan (this guy can play power forward position too)
5. Elgin Baylor
6. Jerry West
7. Julius Erving
8. Larry Bird
9. Michael Jordan
10. Isiah Thomas
11. Earvin “Magic” Johnson
12. John Stockton

Starting Five
1. Wilt Chamberlain – A dominant player that can score and rebound a lot!
2. Tim Duncan – A marquee player that can play both the center and power forward position.
3. Michael Jordan – He can break the defense of his opponents with his savvy basketball moves.
4. Larry Bird – A deadly shooter
5. Magic Johnson – At 6’9 Johnson is an oversized point guard with excellent ball handling skills.
Sixth Man: Julius Erving
Coach: Phil Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmBxdyPd34
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daddio/4321828228/

Wow! This is a very difficult question to answer being with just 12 players to select from but I will give this one a try. At center, I would have to choose Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar at the center position. They gave opposing defenders fits and both had an arsenal of offensive moves that were nearly impossible to guard against. At Power Forward I would choose Bill Russell and it would be a toss up at the other spot between Tim Duncan and Karl Malone. Bill Russell because he was on a team that won 11 titles in 13 seasons and he was a force on both ends of the floor while holding his own against taller players such as Chamberlain. You can go wrong with each choice with Duncan/Malone as each would give you a double-double in each contest and impacted the game even when they had sub par nights. Small Forward is way too difficult because there were many good past and present players that played this position. However I will choose LeBron James and Scottie Pippen because both players were responsible for igniting their teams' offense off a missed shot and both players were/are top-notched defenders as well. At the shooting guard spot, I would have to choose Mr. Clutch himself Jerry West and of course Michael Jordan. Both players were great for obvious reasons but they still stepped up their games when it was needed the most. West and Jordan are the only two players in history to average more than 40 points per contest during an NBA Finals. Now it doesn't get any more clutch than that. Finally at the point guard position I would have to Pete Marovich and John Stockton. Both players had a natural ability of finding their open teammates in favorable spots on the floor. Of course you could also include other players such as Steve Nash who won the MVP Award twice and Jason Kidd on the list as well as these players get these teams off and running on the fast-break and don't forget about Magic Johnson as well.

Selecting a starting five is just as difficult as many players will be overlooked but here we go.

C - Wilt Chamberlain
F - Bill Russell
F - Scottie Pippen
G - Michael Jordan
G - Magic Johnson

For a head coach, I would select either Red Auerbach or Phil Jackson as they have won 19 championships between them so these coaches know a little bit about winning.

Could any other assembled team compete with this one? Well I think the answer would be yes because the league has had so many good players at all five positions and each of those players are great for a lot of different reasons.

In compiling this list, a lot of players were left out such as George Gervin, Dr J, Dominique Wilkins, Kobe Bryant etc. and I am more than sure that the answers you receive for this question will vary across the board.

Good Question!!!