It’s an exercise that could be done and could change every NBA season and never stop being enjoyable and entertaining.
And it hit me last night while I was watching Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between Cleveland and Atlanta.
As Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague had his way with the Cavs’ smaller guards in the first half, my mind wandered and tried to remember where Teague played his college ball. After a few minutes of thinking, it hit me and the following “conversation” played out in my head. “Wake Forest. That’s right. Wake’s pretty well represented in the NBA these days with Teague, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan. I wonder who else they have.”
Perhaps spurred on by an earlier conversation at work about which Florida guys Billy Donovan might try to stockpile on the Thunder, I then got serious and started racking my brain and searching the internet for a current NBA starting five from several of the powerhouse college programs.
Kansas, of course, was included in the exercise and I have to admit, for all that talk about Bill Self not having put too many bona fide stars in the league, the KU squad is pretty nice.
Here’s a quick look at it and several others that helped me pass the time as the Cavs pulled away and LeBron James moved one game closer to a fifth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. Unreal.
**KANSAS -** If you’re trying to put the best KU players in the starting five, the Jayhawks wind up a little small. But I’m not putting Pierce on the bench and I think I’d rather have McLemore out there than Marcus Morris, Thomas Robinson or Cole Aldrich.
> PG Mario Chalmers
SG Andrew
> Wiggins
SF Ben McLemore
SF
> Paul Pierce
PF Markieff Morris
**FLORIDA -** Beal might not be a true point guard, but I’m sure he could handle the role with this squad of hard-working, defensive-minded Gators.
> PG Bradley Beal
SG Corey
> Brewer
SF David Lee
PF Al
> Horford
C Joakim Noah
**NORTH CAROLINA -** I thought the UNC squad was going to be pretty bad but it’s better than I thought. Lawson’s a stud, Green and Barnes are lights out shooters and Hansbrough is, well, Hansbrough. Not the best on this list but not terrible either.
> PG Ty Lawson
SG Danny Green
SF
> Harrison Barnes
PF Tyler
> Hansbrough
C Ed Davis
**MICHIGAN STATE -** Richardson’s an actual old man and Harris has barely played (though I think he has a bright future), but those other three are pretty legit.
> PG Gary Harris
SG Shannon
> Brown
SF Jason Richardson
PF
> Draymond Green
C Zach
> Randolph
**KENTUCKY -** There’s no doubt that UK was everybody’s guess for the best current NBA squad and I think this lineup proves it. A lot of talented former Wildcats didn’t make the cut here, which only further speaks to Kentucky’s stellar presence in the Association.
> PG John Wall
SG Rajon Rondo
SF
> Eric Bledsoe
PF DeMarcus
> Cousins
C Anthony Davis
**UCLA -** I didn’t even really want to do a team for UCLA, but Westbrook’s too talented to not mention. As it turned out, the team was better than I expected. Even if it is lacking size, it’s not lacking scoring or athleticism.
> PG Jrue Holiday
SG Russell
> Westbrook
SF Matt Barnes
PF
> Trevor Ariza
C Kevin Love
**TEXAS -** The backcourt leaves more than a little to be desired, but Durant and Aldridge earned UT a spot at the table. Tristan Thompson is starting to come into his own, as well, making this one of the best front courts on the list.
> PG Corey Joseph
SG Avery
> Bradley
SF Kevin Durant
PF
> Tristan Thompson
C LaMarcus
> Aldridge
**DUKE -** Nothing too special here… yet. Once Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justice Winslow land on an NBA roster next month, all three will probably crack this starting five and help the defending champs’ current NBA squad stack up with the rest a little better.
> PG Kyrie Irving
SG J.J. Redick
> SF Luol Deng
PF Ryan Kelly
C
> Carlos Boozer
**WAKE FOREST -** As I mentioned above, this whole thing started with me wondering who else Wake had in the league and I quickly found out that the answer was not much. Still, CP3, Duncan and Teague is a pretty nasty trio.
> PG Chris Paul
SG Jeff Teague
> SF James Johnson
PF Al-Farouq
> Aminu
C Tim Duncan
**MARQUETTE -** I did this one strictly for Journal-World sports editor Tom Keegan (a Marquette grad, in case you’re somehow unaware of that) and the rapidly-emerging Jimmy Butler. That guy’s a stud and this team’s better than you think.
> PG Darius Johnson-Odom
SG Wesley
> Matthews
SF Dwyane Wade
SF
> Jimmy Butler
PF Jae Crowder
**SMALLER SCHOOLS -** No way I could leave Steph Curry, the reigning NBA MVP off of here, so I went with a “smaller schools” category that clearly features some absolute studs.
> PG Steph Curry
SG Damian
> Lillard
SF Kawhi Leonard
PF
> Kenneth Faried
C Andrew
> Bogut
**NO COLLEGE -** And, finally, I rounded the whole thing out with the guys who never went to college at all. No surprise here that this team is absolutely loaded. Even with Kobe and KG getting up theere in years, it’s still the best of the bunch.
> PG Monta Ellis
SG Kobe Bryant
> SF LeBron James
PF Kevin
> Garnett
C Dwight Howard
Did I miss anyone that belonged on these teams or forget to include a college that should’ve been on here, as well? I probably could’ve done a dozen or so more but had to cut it off somewhere.
