Hoops Habit
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Each State’s All-Time NBA Starting Five

By Ben Gibson

Jan 26, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels mascot waves a flag before the game at Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels mascot waves a flag before the game at Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Nets defeated the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Nets defeated the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Arkansas

Derek Fisher, Joe Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Paul Silas, Caldwell Jones

Total of 17 All-Star appearances, 14 NBA/ABA championships

Arkansas if the first state on the list that has strong NBA credentials and could throw out a starting five to compete with almost any other team on this list.

The MVP and small forward of the team would be Scottie Pippen with his six NBA titles and seven All-Star appearances. Pippen may be in the shadow of Michael Jordan, but to pretend like he isn’t one of the best players and wing-defenders to ever play the game only shows ignorance. Pippen won titles with Jordan, but Jordan didn’t win them without Pippen either.

Pippen averaged nearly 20 points a game during his prime and made three All-NBA First Teams, two all-NBA Second Teams, two All-NBA Third Teams as well as eight NBA All-Defensive First Teams, two NBA All-Defensive Second Teams and once led the league in steals. His credentials speak for themselves.

Though Paul Silas’ resume resembles a journeyman’s career with the six teams he played with, he made two All-Star teams while also winning a trio of NBA titles. Like Pippen, he made several All-NBA First and Second Defensive teams while scoring over 10,000 points and pulling down over 10,000 rebounds.

Derek Fisher may have never made it to an All-Star game, but he did win five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. While you could be dismiss him as an average player on a great team, that would erase the fact that he contributed in everyone of those championships and notably bailed them out against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2004 Western Conference Finals.

Next in the lineup is Joe Johnson, the often criticized but seven-time All-Star nevertheless. He kicked off an eight-year run of playoff appearances for the Atlanta Hawks, five of which Johnson was a part of. He’s averaged 17.3 points a game throughout his career.

While he gets pegged as a volume shooter, and rightly so at times, he’s been a strong three-point shooter throughout his career and was second the league in three-point percentage in 2004-05.

Caldwell Jones rounds out the Arkansas team with one ABA All-Star appearance and two NBA All-Defensive First Teams. On top of that he gave us this quote towards the end of his career when he was primarily a reserve: “I’m like a spare tire on the Cadillac. I’m just sitting around in the trunk, waiting to get put on the car if one of the fancy tires blows out.”

Grade: A

Next: California