Reply to Josh's comment:

Yes Wade over Kobe and here's why: I picked the 5 players that would make the best TEAM rather than the 5 best American players. I don't pretend to argue that Kobe isn't one of the 5 best U.S. players, but I damn near guarantee you that you can't name a single teammate of Kobe's that he has ever made better. He is a selfish prick (and a rapist) who believes that the best opportunity for his team to score on every possession is for him to take a shot. This is one reason why Kobe will never win another championship. He had Shaq and some of the all-time greatest role players in NBA history when he one those three titles (Derek Fisher: quintessential good defender and open shooter, unable to get his own shot; Rick Fox: good defender and open shooter; and Robert Horry: the all-time greatest role player and save Michael Jordan, the guy I want to take the last shot in a playoff game over anyone else). Wade, on the other hand, in only his third season, has already made Lamar Odom and Udonis Haslem into much better players (however, being Kobe's teammate has completely raped Odom of 75% of his talent and caused him to fall back into his underachieving ways that he developed with the Clippers). He rebounds and passes better than Kobe and his teammates don't want to cut his heart out with a spoon. Nobody, and I mean nobody, on the Lakers likes Kobe. He's a complete cancer.

As for Duncan, if you'll note, I said that Duncan is considered by "some sportswriters" as an international player. I think if you play for the U.S. Olympic team, that makes you non-international, but I was trying to make the most competitive team. I also put the Yao Ming exception in so that people like Josh wouldn't bitch. But much to my chagrin, Josh defies all odds.