UNC Basketball: All Time Basketball Team

Choosing the first and second team for one of the most storied programs in history was hard. Even as good as I think the list is there are several good arguments about omissions. Guys like Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Kenny Smith, Vince Carter, and Brad Daugherty who were left off.

Take a look at some of those who made the cut and why:

Phil Ford (1974-1978)

Points per game: 18.6  Assists per game: 6.1  Accolades: UNC’s second-leading scorer all-time; three-time All-America; national player of the year in 1978.

A full picture isn’t even necessary. To identify Phil Ford, all that’s needed is a shot of his hand, four fingers extended. For the past 40 years, Ford has been the most iconic UNC player ever to dribble a basketball. Coach Dean Smith had developed the four corners delay offense before Ford arrived at UNC, but nobody ran it better than the skinny freshman from Rocky Mount. When Ford raised four fingers, the game was often over. Ford could dribble around anyone, and his staccato crossover was unguardable. Ford finished his career with a national title game appearance, three straight first-team All-ACC team honors, three All-America honors and 2,096 career points. He will be, and remains, the greatest player ever to wear a North Carolina basketball jersey, and his retired No. 12 is one no UNC player will ever wear again.

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Are the Big 3 Really A Big Two Plus Three

Basketball, my third love, is a very complex game. One has to be astute to the nuances that make a player great. In the NBA greatness is measured by a lot of different formulas, one being the NBA championship. If you were to ask me who I thought the best five players in the league were, I am sure you would get a different response than most other people. I am not suggesting that I am right or wrong, its just that everyone has a little bias in their rankings of the top five players in the league.  

This brings me to my current dilemma. I have seen enough basketball to recognize greatness. When I watch the NBA several people jump out as good, but not many have the it factor that makes them great. You may ask where is this all going? Well let me tell you. When I watch Chris Bosh play basketball, I don't see what everyone else is proclaiming about him. His game is lazy and unorthodox. He is a big man who would rather play the perimeter than to bang. He is a small guy trapped in a tall guys body.

Everyone proclaimed Bosh as the linchpin to "The Decision." He might have served as a mechanism that made the 3 friends decide to play together but I don't see his greatness. If you were to ask me what power forwards I would rather have than Chris Bosh, I would immediately come up with three to four names. 

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Never Question History ... Can You Hear Me Lamar?

Two years ago I watched as Mr. Bill Russell, probably the greatest defensive big man to ever play the game of basketball drop major knowledge on Kevin Garnett. If you haven’t see it, then (a) you aren’t a real basketball fan or (b) you have been under a rock for the last 3 years. Either way here is what it looked like:

Bill Russell in my mind solidified himself as a hero when he put this together and passed his respect and infinite knowledge on to one of my favorite players in the past decade.

I have been struggling with picking a winner in this series but I think a big part of me has wanted Boston to win because of the sequence between Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell and also because I respect Doc Rivers so much as a coach.

But! What if? What if Big Game James Worthy comes

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