Perfect Team: Going big instead of taking the biggest thing

The Perfect Team has reached the perfect storm of decision making. Picking my backcourt, Chris Paul and Brandon Roy, was easy. The next pick represents the fulcrum upon which the fate of any basketball team rests.

With $26.3 million to spend on my three remaining starters, the decision is clear. We can have LeBron James, or we can have a dominant big man -- and thus a recipient for a steady diet of savvy entry passes, of the alley-oop variety and otherwise. We can't have both.

Having Dwight Howard at center is a better fit on the team than LeBron James at small forward. (Getty Images)

I essentially made this decision three weeks ago when I made Paul my first pick. If I have one of the top point guards in the business, I don't need a 6-8 point forward to go with him. But I delayed the decision on this anyway, just to make sure I feel the same way. And I do.

Don't get me wrong: It's hard to fathom starting an NBA roster from scratch, with the freedom to do anything but exceed the $57.7 million salary cap, and not include LeBron. He is insanely gifted, a fierce competitor, and will go down as the best athlete ever to play the game. In seven months, he will be the subject of the most heated free-agent signing period in NBA history. With his defensive abilities alone, LeBron would raise any team's championship aspirations. Throw in ball-handling, passing, finishing, and an ever-improving jump shot, and there's no other player who can match his overwhelming variety of skills.

But remember that this is a team we're putting together, one that has to include talents and ingredients that complement each other. LeBron is so valuable on the Cavs because he doesn't play alongside a pure point guard; I have one of those. This season, he's displayed a hint of unwillingness to defer his share of the offensive touches to a co-superstar, Shaquille O'Neal. Sure, Shaq doesn't deserve to get a superstar's share of the touches at this stage of his career. But he's still Shaq, and the fact that LeBron hasn't willingly stepped aside to share the spotlight with him is a little troubling. So is what might happen if my coach, Jerry Sloan, caught LeBron doing his little Riverdance routine during introductions. Sloan might bench him.

If I were creating a Perfect Team with an unlimited budget, LeBron would make it in a heartbeat. Give me $60 million more to spend and I'll take a frontcourt of LeBron, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard. But with less than half that much, we have to be more creative.

Once you've decided to go with an elite big man over LeBron -- and I have -- the question of which big man is just as confounding. If money were no object, I'd take Tim Duncan, but the $22 million cost would leave me next to nothing to fill out my starting five. Essentially, it's between Howard ($15.1 million) and Gasol ($16.5 million).

I chose Howard, and here's why:

1) The idea of Paul throwing Howard entry passes, alley-oop passes, and any other kind of passes he cares to invent is simply too tantalizing to pass up.

2) Howard's defense at the rim, his intimidation factor, his athleticism on that end of the floor, and his raw shot-blocking ability will anchor what otherwise will be a very good defensive team and make my other very good defenders better.

3) Imagine Paul, Roy, and LeBron on the floor together. Then imagine only one basketball. That's too many demanding hands.

4) Remember my coach's track record. Stockton-to-Malone is better than Paul-to-Howard, but you get the idea.

5) Gasol is having a career year and may very well be the most gifted post player in the NBA, but this is largely due to the guy playing next to him: Andrew Bynum. Gasol can be exploited on the defensive end, especially if he has to play center as opposed to power forward.

I could've taken Gasol as my four and gone with a cheap center; his brother Marc ($3,240,000) or Brook Lopez ($2,255,880) were the primary considerations. But given my spending constraints, I think there's more value at the power forward position in the $3-$4 million range than there is at center. In other words, Howard and a $3 million power forward is better than Gasol and a $3 million center.

I love this team so far. It has one of the top players in the league at each of the most important positions, point guard and center. Plus, with Paul and Howard, it has players at those positions who will play devastatingly well together. Add to the mix a wing scorer, Roy, who is capable of taking over games, and we are well on our way to perfection.

After spending $15,133,800 on Howard, that leaves us $11,117,513 to spend on two more frontcourt players. Now, $11 million is a lot of money to you and me, but when you're hiring a small forward and power forward in the NBA, it's chump change. So it's a good thing I like my Big Three as much as I do. The other two are going to have to be bargain-basement, scrappy types with defined roles that fit the team. The next two picks will be the most fun, because those are my favorite kind of players. And if we don't give the Big Three an optimal supporting cast, we're just wasting our time.

Considering the $46,582,487 I've doled out, would you have spent it differently? Given the roster I have so far, what do you think should be prioritized with the $11.1 million I have left? These are the questions I'll be contemplating over the next two weeks. I'll listen to your suggestions, but remember: The 11 million bucks stop with me.