Lefties

On Friday, I watched the Pacers vs. Wolves game at the Target Center...by no means was it pretty with Al Jefferson, Danny Granger, and Mike Denleavey out, but I did notice one bright spot. Was anybody else aware that Troy Murphey is averaging like 14 pts and 11 rebounds a game? The guy's 5th in the league in rebounding, and he hits two threes a game! He played great, but beyond that, I noticed something else about him. He's a lefty.

So, along with watching famous Laker lefties Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher warm up before tonight's Wolves vs. Lakers game, I got to thinking about what an all-lefty NBA all-star team would look like.

First off, let's look at some of the best left-handers in the league.

Obviously the two big names who most people know are lefties are Chris Bosh and Michael Redd. Redd is one of the best spot-up shooters in the league and has an underrated ability to drive the lane as well; he's a pure scorer. Chris Bosh, of course, is one of the best power forwards in the league. Both are gold medalists for team USA.

I already mentioned Odom and Fisher, the Lakers' lefty duo who are so critical to the team's success. Fisher runs the triangle as well as anybody who Phil Jackson coached; it's no coincidence that the Lakers started playing way better when he returned to the team in 2007. Odom is the Lakers' x-factor. When he plays well, as he's been doing since Bynum went down, the team is nearly unbeatable. He's a big, athletic guy who's long on defense, can get you 20 rebounds, and hit threes.

Troy Murphey surprised and impressed me when I saw him in-person. Now, he's pretty awful on defense, and he was 1-for-6 on shots inside the three-point arc weirdly enough, but he had a double-double by halftime and was lights out from three. His lefty stroke is beautiful for a tall, gangly white guy.

Now, onto some guys I hadn't thought of at first. Josh Smith. Smith's blocks per game are down this year, but man, this guy's a freak. Like Odom, he's a versatile athlete. He brings big rebounds, a fierce presence on the defensive end, and all kinds of different things on offense. Smith's big left hand is to be feared in the paint.

Tayshaun Prince, one of my favorite players in the league. Tayshaun Prince is like Mr. Fantastic he's so long. He's a crazy good defender, an underrated (and underutilized) offensive threat, and another USA gold medalist from last summer. I think every single organization in the league wishes they had Prince on their team for what he brings both on the court and for the hard work, dedication, and other intangibles he brings off the court.

Finally, we have one of the deadliest scorers in the world: Manu Ginobili. Oh man, how did I almost forget about GINOBILI! Manu makes absurd layups go in seemingly without effort. He's simply one of the most talented scorers on the planet when he's playing well.

So, to recap, we've got Bosh, Redd, Odom, Fisher, Murphey, Smith, Prince, and GINOBILI. That's a pretty damn nice 8-man rotation. Now here's the question: who should start?

My starting five is Bosh at center, Smith at PF, Prince at SF, Redd at SG, and Fisher at PG. Fisher is a no-brainer because he's really the only pure point guard this team has. Redd is also a no-brainer to start over Ginobili, both because he'd be great along with Bosh's post-up game and Fisher's penetration to get open for threes, and because Ginobili is already used to playing off the bench. I like having Smith start at PF over Odom or Murphey because of how well he plays off other big men coming over from the weak side to get blocks. I also wanted a strong defensive presence like Smith and Prince to back up Redd and Fisher, neither of who are exactly top-teir defensive players (Redd because he's just not, Fisher because he's old). Bosh has seen plenty of time at center even though that's not his position, and honestly, after watching Al Jefferson play center all season when he's "naturally" a power forward, I think Bosh can handle it. Finally, Prince is a strong defensive presence who doesn't need the ball and does all the little things to fill out this starting five.

As for the other three, bring in Odom or Murphey if you need more size to match up with a team like the Lakers. Bring in Murphey and Manu if you want more three-point shooting. Have Manu lead the scoring charge off the bench.

So, what do you guys think? Am I forgetting any other great left handed players in the league?

Of course, this is all kind of absurd speculation. I mean, if we're going to make a left-handed team, we might as well make a right-handed team...but that's basically just naming all the best players in the world who aren't on this list, so LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard...that's my starting five. I guess the righties win again.