The James-Wade-Bosh Big Three, Part II

Following up on yesterday’s post about newly-formed “Big Twos”, here are notable “Big Threes” from throughout NBA history, formed by taking at least 1 established star from another team. Just to be clear, this is not a list of the Greatest Big Threes Ever; rather, this is a list of combinations featuring players who had been the biggest focal points of their teams the previous year, and then were put together on one team, with each having to adjust to not being the clear-cut alpha dog anymore. Let’s go to the list: (note that none of these would even come close to matching the 97.3% combined possession rate the proposed LeBron James–Dwyane Wade–Chris Bosh trio had in 2009-10)

1. Michael Jordan, Jerry Stackhouse, & Larry Hughes, 2003 Wizards
Previous Combined %Poss: 89.6% (Jordan – 34.6%; Stackhouse – 32.1%; Hughes – 22.9%)
Previous Team Offensive Rating: 104.8
New Team Offensive Rating: 103.0
New Split of Possessions: 27% (Jordan) – 27% (Stackhouse) – 21% (Hughes)

Comparability to James-Wade-Bosh: Low. We touched on this one yesterday, but it’s tough to remember that Larry Hughes was also added to that Wizards team after being the primary facilitator on a Warriors squad that won just 21 games in 2002. The raw talent was certainly there for this group, but they were in the wrong place at the wrong time — Jordan had peaked 5-10 years earlier, Hughes wouldn’t peak until 2 years later, and Stack was what he always was, a high-volume/low-efficiency gunner.

2. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, & Gary Payton, 2004 Lakers
Previous Combined %Poss: 88.6% (Bryant – 32.0%; O’Neal – 29.6%; Payton – 27.0%)
Previous Team Offensive Rating: 107.2
New Team Offensive Rating: 105.5
New Split of Possessions: 29% (Bryant) – 26% (O’Neal) – 21% (Payton)

Comparability to James-Wade-Bosh: Medium. On pure talent, this group is arguably better than James/Wade/Bosh (JWB), since you had one of the greatest big men ever, one of the greatest wing players ever, and one of the greatest PGs ever, all on the same team (and we’re not even talking about Karl Malone yet). But unlike JWB, the timing was off: Kobe was in his prime, but Shaq and GP were on the way out of theirs. Throw in Bryant’s legal issues, and this team didn’t have as much going for it as you might have expected based on the names involved.

3. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, & Kevin Garnett, 2008 Celtics
Previous Combined %Poss: 85.0% (Pierce – 29.7%; Allen – 28.1%; Garnett – 27.2%)
Previous Team Offensive Rating: 103.2
New Team Offensive Rating: 110.2
New Split of Possessions: 25% (Pierce) – 25% (Garnett) – 21% (Allen)

Comparability to James-Wade-Bosh: Medium-to-High. Pierce, Allen, and KG were older than JWB when they arrived in Boston, but they were still close to their peak abilities. Garnett was probably the best player in the league in 2005, and all three were All-Stars in 2007. The key difference between them and JWB, though, is that Pierce/Allen/Garnett were desperate to win a ring before the window closed on their careers, whereas JWB are still young players with a longer future in front of them.

4. Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, & Marcus Camby, 2007 Nuggets
Previous Combined %Poss: 84.6% (Iverson – 35.1%; Anthony – 30.2%; Camby – 19.3%)
Previous Team Offensive Rating: 105.5
New Team Offensive Rating: 107.6
New Split of Possessions: 32% (Anthony) – 27% (Iverson) – 17% (Camby)

Comparability to James-Wade-Bosh: Medium-to-Low. I talked about this one yesterday, finding the pairing of two megastars like Iverson and Anthony moderately comparable to the proposed Wade/James duo (though ‘Melo and A.I. are poor man’s versions at best). The addition of Camby into the mix strains the comparison even further, because Camby and Bosh are alike only in the sense that they’re both relatively skinny big men (Camby is worlds better defensively; Bosh is worlds better on offense).

5. Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, & Julius Erving, 1983 76ers
Previous Combined %Poss: 84.6% (Malone – 29.4%; Toney – 27.9%; Erving – 27.3%)
Previous Team Offensive Rating: 109.6
New Team Offensive Rating: 108.3
New Split of Possessions: 26% (Malone) – 26% (Toney) – 25% (Erving)

Comparability to James-Wade-Bosh: Medium. Like James, Malone in his prime was a devastating force capable of carrying an entire team on his back. Wade and Erving are also highly comparable in terms of all-around impact, though Erving was 3 years older in ’83 than Wade will be in 2011. However, Toney-Bosh is something of an apples-to-oranges comparison, since Toney was a guard & Bosh is a F-C, and Toney was known for his memorable postseason moments while Bosh’s playoff career has been forgettable as of yet. On paper, JWB looks like an even more dynamic combo than Malone/Erving/Toney, but you can’t argue with the ’83 Sixers’ result.

Best of the Rest:
6. Dominique Wilkins, Reggie Theus, & Moses Malone, 1989 Hawks
7. Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, & Drew Gooden, 2004 Magic
8. Chris Webber, Rod Strickland, & Juwan Howard, 1997 Bullets
9. Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, & John Stockton, 1991 Jazz
10. Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, & Clyde Drexler, 1997 Rockets
11. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Gail Goodrich, & Lucius Allen, 1976 Lakers
12. Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, & Juwan Howard, 2005 Rockets
13. Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, & Glen Rice, 1999 Lakers
14. Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers, & Xavier McDaniel, 1991 Suns
15. Allen Iverson, Keith Van Horn, & Derrick Coleman, 2003 76ers
16. Jerry Stackhouse, Clifford Robinson, & Chucky Atkins, 2002 Pistons
17. Antoine Walker, Dirk Nowitzki, & Steve Nash, 2004 Mavericks
18. Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, & Richie Guerin, 1964 Hawks
19. Pete Maravich, Gail Goodrich, & Truck Robinson, 1978 Jazz
20. Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, & Chauncey Billups, 2009 Nuggets