Michael Jordan's Hornets lead our list of top 10 NBA staffs as players

One of the many great things about the NBA is its continued incorporation of former players in roles beyond their playing careers. Owners. General Managers. Coaches. Scouts. Former players can be found all over the league, and it got us to thinking ... of the 30 NBA teams, which staffs boast the best five-man rosters of former players?

Here's our Top 10 list:

1. Charlotte Hornets

Michael Jordan (Owner)
Patrick Ewing (Associate Head Coach)
Stephen Silas (Assistant Coach)
Dickey Simpkins (Scout)
Chris Whitney (Director of Player Programs)

The Hornets have two of the 50 greatest players in NBA history working for their franchise with Michael Jordan as the team's owner and Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach. Jordan is of course regarded as the best player of all time by many people, so there's not much to say about his game that hasn't already been said. The same could go for Ewing, who is a Hall-of-Famer and was a defensive beast and excellent scorer in his prime for the Knicks, though he was never able to win a championship -- in part because of Jordan.

Rounding out Charlotte's five-man unit are Dickey Simpkins, Stephen Silas and Chris Whitney. Simpkins was a decent reserve big man who played for eight years in the league, primarily with the Bulls, where he won three championship rings alongside Jordan.

Whitney spent the majority of his 11-year career with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, averaging 6.5 points and 2.8 assists while shooting 39.5 percent in his career. Silas is the son of NBA great Paul Silas but he never played in the league. He did however, play Division 1 ball at Brown University.

With four of the Hornets' five-man roster having NBA playing experience, two of them being Hall of Famers and one of them being Michael Freaking Jordan, it's pretty hard to top this staff.

2. Golden State Warriors

Jerry West (Executive Board Member)
Steve Nash (Player Development Consultant)
Steve Kerr (Coach)
Jarron Collins (Assistant Coach)
Bruce Fraser (Assistant Coach)

This unit comes close to the Hornets, as pretty much the only squad that beat this top 3 of West, Nash and Kerr is one with Michael Jordan on it. But seriously, The Logo, one of the greatest points guards to ever play and one of the greatest 3-point shooters to ever play. This organization is stacked all over.

Kerr was an expert marksman in his long NBA career, hitting several big-time shots (including this famous game-winner to seal the Bulls' 1997 title) while winning five combined championships with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. He led the league in three-point percentage twice and was at least within range of ending his career as a 50-40-90 shooter, which is amazing regardless of volume. For his career Kerr averaged 47.9 percent shooting, 45.4 percent from three and 86.4 from the line.

Jarron Collins was a limited reserve during his nine-year career, most of which was spent with the Utah Jazz. But this Warriors squad is No. 6 on this list due to the mere presence of Steve Nash. Sure Bruce Fraser (Arizona) and Bob Meyers (not listed here but he won a national title at UCLA) didn't make it to the NBA after playing Division 1 ball at major universities, but they would still be playing with Nash, one of the best point guards in history and a surefire Hall of Famer who made everyone around him better.

3. Miami Heat

Pat Riley (Team President)
Alonzo Mourning (Vice President, Player Programs)
Juwan Howard (Assistant Coach)
Bob McAdoo (Assistant Coach)
Chris Quinn (Assistant Coach)

While the Hornets and Warriors have two of the greatest players ever, the Heat also have two Hall of Famers in Mourning and McAdoo, and the talent doesn't stop there.

Chris Quinn played for seven years in the league, mainly with the Heat, and was a solid shooter with career averages of 37.7 percent from three. Pat Riley was a big-time player at the University of Kentucky and then had a solid 10-year NBA career as a reserve, primarily playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Riley was on the 1972 Lakers championship team and had respectable career averages of 7.4 points on 41.1 percent shooting.

Though Juwan Howard came to fame as part of Michigan's Fab Five, he was an All-Star-caliber NBA player during much of his fabulous 19-year run. A versatile big man, Howard has career averages of 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds.

But again, it's those Hall of Famers that make the squad. Mourning was a seven-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and led the league in blocks twice in his 16-year NBA career. He just wasn't an excellent defensive player, though, Mourning was a solid low post scorer and rebounder, ending his career with averages of 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks.

McAdoo had one of the more unique shots of all time, yet it was effective. Playing mainly for the Buffalo Braves and Los Angeles Lakers, McAdoo ended his 14-year career with averages of 22.1 points (on 50.3 percent shooting) and 9.4 rebounds. He also won two championships with the Lakers.

Quite the formidable five-man unit for the Heat, who may even be able to challenge Jordan's Hornets.

4. Dallas Mavericks

Rick Carlisle (Coach)
Michael Finley (Assistant Vice President)
Darrell Armstrong (Assistant Coach)
Rolando Blackman (Director of Basketball Development)
Brad Davis (Player Development)

From their head coach to the front office, the Mavs have some more-than-capable players and even some stars.

Rick Carlisle was a limited role player during his five-year NBA career, but he did win a championship with the Boston Celtics in 1986. Brad Davis, who did a little bit of everything during his 14-year career, became the first player to have his jersey retired by the Mavs, while Amrstrong, who spent the core of his 14-year career with the Magic, piqued individually when he won Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player in 1999.

The true stars of the Mavs, though, are Rolando Blackman and Michael Finley. Blackman, a dynamic scorer during his 13-year career, was a four-time All-Star and the Mavs' main man throughout the 80s, while Finley was a core piece of some very good Dallas teams in the late 90s and early 2000s. Finley, a two-time All-Star, may not have received a lot of shine during his heyday, but he was a 20-point-plus scorer in his prime and a dependable shooter.

This, by the way, isn't even counting Mavs assistant coach Melvin Hunt, who played Division 1 ball at Baylor. The Dallas staff can play.

5. Detroit Pistons

Tim Hardaway (Assistant Coach)
Malik Allen (Assistant Coach)
Quentin Richardson (Director of Player Development)
Otis Smith (Assistant Coach)
Pat Garrity (Assistant GM)

With all due respect to Stan Van Gundy's high school legacy at SUNY Brockport, where he played for his father, he's not cracking Detroit's starting lineup.

Let's start with Malik Allen, who was a fine rotational player for most of his nine-year career, which included stops with eight teams including Miami and Chicago. While Otis Smith only played six seasons, he averaged double figures in scoring in four of them.

Pat Garrity also didn't have a lengthy NBA career, during which he played for the Magic and Suns, but he was a 39.8 percent three-point shooter. Quentin Richardson played for five teams in his 13-year career, and he was a legit scorer, averaging in double figures five times while topping out at 17.4 ppg with the Clippers in 2003-04. With Garrity and Richardson shooting, the Pistons' staff squad would have plenty of space to operate, which would really behoove the staff's real star, Tim Hardaway.

Hardaway was a five-time All-Star, Hardwaway was one of the better point guards in the league during the '90s and was in large part, why the Miami Heat were near the top of the East back then.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

Doc Rivers (head coach)
Sam Cassell (assistant coach)
Mike Woodson (assistant coach)
Dee Brown (pro personnel scout)
Armond Hill (assistant coach)

Similar to the Hornets, the Clippers are stocked with excellent ex-NBA talent on their staff. Doc Rivers played for 16 years in the league, made the All-Star Game once and was an excellent starting point guard for the majority of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. In Doc's first eight seasons, all with Atlanta, he only averaged less than 10 ppg once, and for his career he posted 10.9 points and 5-7 assists.

Sam Cassell was a great mid-range shooter and strong all-around player. Cassell won a championship with the Houston Rockets early in his career and then won another one with the Celtics near the end of his career.

Dee Brown had a legendary dunk-contest performance in 1991, capped off when he blinded himself with his forearm, but was also a solid scorer who averaged 11.1 points in his career. Brown spent most of his 12 NBA seasons with the Celtics but also played for the Raptors and Magic.

Rounding out the Clippers squad are solid players in Mike Woodson (11 year NBA career) and Armond Hill (eight-year career). Woodson was a big-time scorer and shooter in his heyday, once averaging 18.2 points in a season and ending his career with averages of 14 points on 46.6 percent shooting. Hill spent most of his career with the Atlanta Hawks, and has career averages of 6.9 points and 4.7 assists.

You can almost picture Nash breaking down defenses and then whipping a pinpoint pass to Kerr for three.

7. Toronto Raptors

Dwane Casey (Coach)
Jamaal Magloire (Assistant Coach)
Jerry Stackhouse (Assistant Coach)
Masai Ujiri (General Manager)
Jama Mahlalela (Assistant Coach)

The Raptors have some legitimate basketball talent on their staff. Dwane Casey was on a championship squad at the University of Kentucky and assistant coach Jama Mahlalela won a Canada West title in 2003. Plus they have one-time All-Star Jamaal "Big Cat" Magloire, who was a fine big man in his 11-year career. Magloire was one of the better big men to ever come out of Canada and spent most of his career with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. He averaged a double double in his lone All-Star season in 2004 and ended his career with averages of 7.2 points and 6.5 assists.

GM Masai Ujiri even has some significant game as he played professionally for six years in Europe. And then there is two-time All-Star Jerry Stackhouse, who could get buckets with the best of them during his prime. Stackhouse was the No. 3 overall pick in 1995 NBA Draft and ended up having a lengthy NBA career, which included stops in Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit. Stackhouse could flat out put the ball in the hole, once scoring 57 points while playing for the Pistons.

Stackhouse is the main star on this team and his scoring would likely carry the Raptors.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers

Tyronn Lue (Coach)
James Posey (Assistant Coach)
Larry Drew (Assistant Coach)
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Special assistant to GM)
Damon Jones (Shooting Coach)

Between their coaching staff and front office, the Cavs can field a pretty respectable five-man unit. Probably the most impactful player would be Big Z, lgauskas, who, when he was healthy, was a force to be reckoned with in the post. Ilgauskas was a two-time All-Star and averaged 13.0 points and 7.3 assists in his 14-year career, which was spent mainly with the Cavs.

With Big Z doing the heavy lifting, the Cavs have some nice complementary pieces with James Posey, a solid shooter and excellent defender who won a championship with the Boston Celtics. Damon Jones, meanwhile, played for a host of teams in his 11-year career but made a name for himself with his shooting and bench antics.

Tyronn Lue's career will always be remembered for Allen Iverson stepping over him in the Finals yet he was a tenacious player, solid defender and a dependable backup point guard who played for 11 years in the league. Larry Drew had some game, too, as he played in the league for 11 years and has career averages of 11.4 points and 5.2 assists.

But having a talented big man like Ilgauskas is the major key for the Cavs in this scenario.

9. New York Knicks

Jeff Hornacek (Coach)
Kurt Rambis (Associate Head Coach)
Howard Eisley (Assistant Coach)
Phil Jackson (General Manager)
Jerry Sichting (Assistant Coach)

This team has some serious old-school talent with Kurt Rambis, Phil Jackson and Jerry Sichting. Rambis was a rugged role player that played for 14 years in the league and won four championships with the Lakers. The same could be said about Jackson, who was a decent interior scorer while winning a championship with the Knicks. Sichting played for 10 years (mainly with the Pacers) as a point guard and ended his career with averages of 6.9 points and 3.3 assists.

While those three provide the intangibles, and are the bigger names, Eisley and Hornacek would be the go-to scorers on this team.

Eisley, who has a nice run as John Stockton's backup in Utah, was a journeyman player for his 12-year career, yet he was quite reliable at every stop and could score when needed. Hornacek, on the other hand, was a borderline star -- a 40.3 percent shooter from behind the arc while averaged double figures in scoring for the majority of his 14-year career. He was a big part of the Utah Jazz's success in the mid-90s and made the All-Star Game in 1991 as a member of the Suns.

10. Los Angeles Lakers

Luke Walton (Coach)
Brian Shaw (Associate Head Coach)
Mark Madsen (Assistant Coach)
Tracy Murray (Shooting Coach)
Paul Pressey (Assistant Coach)

Like a couple of the other teams, the Lakers can field a full five-man unit of all ex-NBA players from their coaching staff and front office. The only problem with the Lakers is that they don't have any true stars that could lead them.

Brian Shaw is the best of the bunch but although he was a solid player and excellent shooter, he can't be your team's best option. Shaw won three championships with the Lakers, however, and was a reliable scorer for the majority of his 15-year career.

The Lakers then have more role players with Luke Walton, Mark Madsen and Tracy Murray. Walton and Madsen both won championships with the Lakers yet their roles were minimal. Murray was a solid shooter in his 11-year career, shooting 43 percent and 38.8 percent from three.

Assistant coach Paul Pressey was a very solid player, with a career average of 10.6 points on 48.5 percent shooting. Pressey played primarily with the Bucks during 11-year career but he and Shaw wouldn't be able to lead the Lakers to any true glory.

Honorable Mention

Milwaukee Bucks

Jason Kidd (head coach)
Greg Foster (assistant coach)
Billy McKinney (Director of Scouting)
Sean Sweeney (assistant coach)
Eric Hughes (assistant coach)

Yes the Bucks have Jason Kidd, one of the best point guards of all-time and a sure fire future Hall-of-Famer. But the rest of his coaching staff, wasn't the greatest of players. Plus Sean Sweeney and Eric Hughes, although highly respected coaches, have never played in the NBA. Sweeney was a three-year starter at St. Thomas University in St. Paul though but again, that is a far cry from the NBA. The Bucks do have some NBA talent besides for Kidd as Greg Foster played for 12 years as a journeyman and Bill McKinney averaged eight points in a seven-year career for teams like the Nuggets and Kansas City Kings. Yet although Kidd was one of the greats, he could only do so much by himself.