Help Solve an Odd NBA Basketball Question

The Blazer’s Edge Mailbag has covered hundreds of questions over the past 17 years. Many of them could be guessed readily, thoughts about a star player being traded or a coach’s approach to the game. After nearly two decades, you start to think you’ve seen it all.

But in all the hubbub, we finally got a unique question today, one that nobody has asked. Just for fun, we’re going to run it and see what you think.

Dear Dave,

Love your writing! I have my own question. When you go to sleep thinking about the Blazers at night as you obviously do, what goes through your own mind? What questions do you ask yourself? Or dare I say, if you were going to submit a mailbag question, what would you ask?

米歇尔

You know what? This is odd, because I’ve been running a thought process with myself all week. It’s not about Damian Lillard trade scenarios or secret ways to convert Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe into 50 wins. Instead, it’s about a certain type of player: the 6’10-7’0, mostly “finesse” forward. I don’t mean that pejoratively. These guys can be big, muscular, and tough. They’re defined by their skills and touch more than the traditional, 6’8-6’9 bruiser who gets in the paint and rebounds.

Specifically, I wondered if you could make a team of them that’s any good. Like, what would happen if you put Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber, and Rasheed Wallace in the same lineup? Maybe have Pau Gasol and Cliff Robinson back them up? Would it work?

Those forwards would be looking up at a team of true centers, probably Shaq, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Wilt Chamberlain, Nikola Jokic, and Bill Russell.

They’d also be plagued by the multi-skilled small forward team of Scottie Pippen, Grant Hill, Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird, Kawhi Leonard, Elgin Baylor, and Jimmy Butler.

Heck, my finesse forward team might even have trouble with the physical power forward squad of Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, and Shawn Kemp. Or do Garnett and Duncan belong in the finesse group by virtue of their height? And which group does LaMarcus Aldridge fit into?

So now you know how my mind works. Also, is my super-tall finesse forward lineup constructed correctly, and do you think they could win and/or dominate? Share your thoughts and/or weird basketball musings below.

Thanks for the question! You can always send yours to blazersub@gmail.com and we’ll try to answer as many as possible.