NBA All-Time Starting 5: Creating the ultimate lineup without altering positions

What is the all-time best lineup of NBA players that could be put together?

We don't mean simply the best five players in NBA history (here are my picks from the 75th anniversary a few years back) but rather the five that would fit best together in a lineup to go and face the Monstars or whoever else would try to defeat such an incredible lineup. Who fits the best together, who can scale up alongside other stars, who can excel even when they don't always have the ball?

The Rules for our All-Time Team

However, while it may be true that in the modern NBA a small, positionless lineup would excel - 5 forwards all switching and destroying worlds - we are going to stay true to positional definitions. We assigned each all-time player a position label and they were stuck in that category. LeBron can't play center, Bird can't be a point guard.

This team will compete in the modern NBA, however, with generally modern rules. That means the 3-point line does exist and that a defensive approach of simply clotheslining opponents won't be allowed (sorry Bill Laimbeer). Shooting, therefore, will matter a fair bit, as will versatile defenders.

When we select a player we are getting them at the peak of their ability as a player, and for historical players we are assuming they have a run of time to adapt to the modern game.

Using superstars and legends from throughout NBA history, what is the best starting 5 that we can build? We start with a player who redefined what shooting meant in the NBA and would be the no-brainer choice at point guard for this squad.