bds9992 – Dwight Howard, Chauncey Billups, Dikembe Mutombo, Chris Mullin, Paul Silas, Enes Kanter, Tobias Harris
1 Great frontcourt defense and rebounding, nice spacing, and there will be effective three point shooting. Dwight needs offensive support, and Billups should prop up Mullin enough to pace this team.
2 Not sure it’s enough scoring. If it’s a big deal Mullin season, he’ll need to be scoring and will likely be the leader. I also worry Mullin is the soft spot of the defense. Is there enough defense in the back court to prevent it from getting lit up? Foul trouble could plague the unit.
3 In the mix. Not a guarantee for the playoffs but it should be OK.
4 Wouldn’t Mullin be more effective in the modern NBA? Some players were just in the wrong era. Maybe I’ll start a list, but any depth shooter who would reprioritize the three-ball would see a bump I think. Mullin, certainly Bird.
jcred5 – Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Terry Porter, Mike Conley, Kenneth Faried, Tyreke Evans, David Lee
1 Interesting team. Definitely can’t respond to the interior scoring by playing -2/-3, Porter and Conley keeping defenses honest. I like Evans backing up Porter/Conley. Front court D is strong. Passing looks strong for sure.
2 Weird mix of Malone and Hakeem. I think this team is short on the glass. Back court D is 60-60, right? That’s pretty light for this cap. Could be a bad recipe.
3 Missing the playoffs. This team can probably beat anyone in a single game, but won’t be consistent enough due to the short rebounding and backcourt defense.
4 Remember a few years go when Malone had a little SF eligibility? I think he was 96 or something. Am I making this up? 2010/2011 or so?
gerryred – Chris Paul, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bobby Jones, Buck Williams, Mark Price, Marvin Williams, Ray Allen
1 CP3 pacing a KAT team with Ray Allen mixed in? Interesting…I like that you mixed defense/rebounding with efficient shooters. Often folks get over zealous with EFG in drafts and can score a bunch but end up getting lit up on the other end. I’ve done that before myself. Jones, Buck and CP3 won’t let that happen, as they can defend all 5.
2 Buck is a tough candidate because of the fouls. Is there synergy to be formed with Chris Paul and KAT? I think there’s only one KAT season but options for CP3. Need Price to hold his own. Interested to see how you assign Price and Ray Allen.
3 Missing, but maybe in the mix depending on division.
4 KAT is from close to my home town, so I am hoping he continues this arc and becomes an All NBAer. Looking at his first three seasons, he’s really done well for himself. I wish he could play a little defense though.
maglor1 – David Robinson, Julius Erving, Brent Barry, Andrei Kirilenko, Wes Unseld, Delon Wright, Keith Jennings
1 Thanks for getting me to look up Wright and Jennings- I like these picks. Wright will be a valuable sub. Not sure how I’ve missed Jennings. The Admiral, the Doc, and AK47 will defend all positions, which looks good on paper. They’ll cover Unseld and Barry, which will be important. I think you’re running Barry/AK/Dr J/Unseld/Robinson, which looks like enough usage and balanced scoring.
2 Depends on Robinson, but the efficiency is soft. Dr J and Kirilenko will both shoot more than Barry, sort of negating his impact. He’s relegated to 3pt duty and ball movement. This team is light on the glass, too, I think. Could be a rough combo.
3 Missing the playoffs
4 Robinson’s scoring title was the last of the absurd scoring races I think. There was definitely a period there in the mid 90s when he was nearly scoring at will. A better surrounding cast and he might not have needed to wait for Duncan for a chip.
ysw128 – Moses Malone, Steve Nash, Klay Thompson, Derek Harper, Tom Boerwinkle, Mason Plumlee, Nate McMillan
1 Nash+Klay and Moses catching misses- I like it. Harper is a little puzzling, though if he’s backing up both guards there’s no harm in shoring up a rotation if you don’t like the other choices. Tommy Bo! Strong running mate to Moses on the glass.
2 Dirty game between Moses, Nash (TO) and Boerwinkle. I hope the rebounding surrounding Moses is adequate, and I’m not sure it is.
3 Missing the playoffs
4 Really looking forward to Klay’s next move if it’s on another team. Can’t wait until he’s a featured lead dog. Guy is a human torch.
pennsylvania – Artis Gilmore, Horace Grant, Nate Archibald, Danny Green, Shane Battier, Zelmo Beaty, Cedric Maxwell
1 Back to the well with Tiny. Gilmore and Grant will help clean the glass. There are 3-and-D guys around the perimeter. Maxwell used to be a staple in these leagues and now he falls.
2 Tiny wasn’t a small reach, he was a big one. Probably available in the 6^th. Green and Battier as well?
3 Missing the playoffs
4 I think DH wears rec specs when he’s got his Ho-Grant jersey on. I bet if he was a sixer that jersey would be a full body tattoo!
dh555 – Donyell Marshall, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Manu Ginobili, Jerry Lucas, Arvydas Sabonis, J.R. Smith
1 Gotta respect the commitment to giving it a shot with his guys. I can never get a decent season out of Marshall but I’m open to the idea that I’ve been doing it wrong. Simmons and Embiid will be fun to box-watch this sim season. Lucas is underrated, despite the low D. Manu will need to be at his best.
2 I don’t like that DH didn’t rise to the challenge and draft the PG he suggested I should have last year!
3 I have no idea
4 A coworker of mine tried to argue Manu was the best international player of all time. Have you heard of the German? Come on…
cjok1051 – Anthony Davis, Hassan Whiteside, Deron Williams, Kyle Lowry, Kyle Korver, Jamario Moon, Willis Reed
1 Defense, three point shooting, rebounding, and a Wildcat to brew it together. AD isn’t at SF, most likely, so I am thinking Reed is a backup. He could post a truly ridiculous sim season soon. Passing looks good. The Captain in the 6^th is a nice pick!
2 Feels short on minutes. It’s tough to back up your high usage players if you’re taking low usage guys like Korver and Moon- could still be done though.
3 I think this team is in.
4 When I was a senior, Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye had just wrapped up their last seasons with the Cats and signed agents before the draft in June. Both got shoe deals once they signed with agents. Both got lots of money for college kids before graduation rolled around (for Randy but not Kyle, he was a soph). Randy got a 6 series convertible. Kyle got a Mercedes convertible. On Lancaster Ave (main street running through the neighborhoods around campus), Randy pulled up at a red light with the music blaring. Kyle pulled up next to him, rolled down the window, made the “turn it down” motion and got Randy to turn it down. Kyle screams, “turn that **** down you broke *** N**!!” and peels out through the red light
24kpyrite – Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Alonzo Mourning, Otto Porter, Andrew Bynum, David West, Kevon Looney
1 KD and Kidd, nice combo. The efficiency is here and it’s real. Can’t easily shift a defense against this team either since there’s punch on the perimeter and inside as well. Durant will be the key, Mourning a sidekick along for the ride.
2 Minutes concerns. West backing up Bynum and Zo? Porter will get roasted with low D, and poor rebounding if he’s your SF. Kidd will need to be a rebounding hero to make up for Porter and Zo.
3 Missing playoffs
4 Bynum also an NJ guy, unfortunately. He went to the same school as KAT, St Joe’s Metuchen. Sad to see him never get it together.
mikee1 – DeAndre Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Amare Stoudemire, Marques Johnson, Chris Webber, Kirk Hinrich, Eric Bledsoe
1 I liked DAJ’s mix after having him last season. Great rebounder, cleanish game, great defense. I couldn’t get Garnett again so I thought Pippen could fill in as a SG instead of Garnett covering the SF. Amare was an easy choice once I couldn’t try Ewing there. Amare will anchor the interior offense and be hidden a little on the glass and on defense by Jordan. Johnson will shore up the glass. Webber once again the super sub behind Marques/Amare/Jordan. My boy Bledsoe running the second unit.
2 Kirk Hinrich? I am still shaking my head. I had regrets about Pippen since I haven’t done well with him in the past. Hopefully that will be different here.
3 Playoffs, possibly a bye.
4 It irks me that I can’t put together a decent team in the ODL but can in this league! Am I incapable of managing a budget? Hopefully my boss would disagree…
uptowngbv – James Harden, Marcus Camby, Shawn Kemp, Serge Ibaka, Terrell Brandon, Goran Dragic, Emeka Okafor
1 Harden and Camby is a good mix. There’s certainly solid defense here. I like Brandon, he’s underrated. You guys need to let him fall to the 6^th though so I don’t have to take Kirk F’King Hinrich. Dragic is a solid backup. Okafor is just plain old good drafting. No major downsides and he’s very solid in the 6^th. Nice job.
2 Kemp is just so dirty. So many fouls, plenty of TO. Not enough minutes. I don’t love adding this to the Harden mix here. You did need some interior scoring, and I can see the D and rebounding being appealing but I’m reluctant to take him.
3 Tough to say. There’s rebounding and defense but there’s also some careless ball handling and hammer hands (Kemp). I will say this is in the mix.
4 It’s interesting to consider the stark contrast between some NBA players and their performance in college, isn’t it? Camby and Okafor, pretty dominant in college, but not in the NBA- supporting players. Harden wasn’t, but now he’s a top 5 player.
midge – Rudy Gobert, Kevin McHale, Kevin Johnson, Larry Nance, Jerry West, Demarcus Cousins, Jameer Nelson
1 Stifle Tower (best nickname!) and McHale is a nice combo. Johnson is no joke. Nance’s defense will be welcome. The Logo will add some usage, is he the 2? This team will force McHale to shine.
2 This team will get whipped on the glass, as only Gobert is a plus rebounder and I don’t think Cousins is startable. Kind of backed yourself into a corner with usage, forcing you to take West and likely both 6^th round picks to have enough to avoid the penalty.
3 Missing the playoffs
4 McHale is a tough build. At SF he’s not at peak efficiency, so what’s the point? At PF, he is a terribly soft rebounder. That being said the usage and EFG is terrific. He’s clean and he defends. I’d like to try him in a bunch of different builds but I think he’s a tough salary to absorb in an open league.
6theluckyone – Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Joakim Noah, Robert Parish, Wesley Person, Andre Iguodala, Chris Andersen
1 Let’s make an assumption. Magic/Person/Legend/Noah/Parish is your lineup. Great start to the bench. Defense is solid, passing is solid. Seems like balanced scoring. I think this lineup makes Larry look really nice at the end of the season.
2 Is there enough rebounding? I am leaning towards yes. I don’t think there are a ton of holes here. I think I would have tried a different 5^th round pick and played Bird at SG instead. I know others will disagree, but if you can get him in at the two and stack rebounding and defense at the 3…this team is going to dominate possessions!
3 In the mix, will need the right season selection
4 Go down the rabbit hole watching Larry Bird videos on youtube, he’s really just super entertaining.
dBKC – Charles Barkley, Draymond Green, Victor Oladipo, Clint Capela, Rajon Rondo, Montrezl Harrell, JaVale McGee
1 Two SF right off the bat? Oladipo is a nice season, as is Capela. Rondo is a good PG choice for this team and you got him at a great value. Barkley will give Oladipo some space, which is a good thing.
2 Either one of these first two guys is less appealing at PF. Is there enough on the glass with one of them “out of position”
3 In the mix, I think.
4 Google the article about Barkley and his non celebrity friend, if you haven’t read it. Really illuminating and nice to see these guys can relate to normal folks like us when they need to just be people with friends like everyone else.
hoopsdude – Dwyane Wade, Ben Wallace, Kyrie Irving, Pau Gasol, Jonas Valanciunas, Jaylen Brown, Steve Kerr
1 Great start with Wade and Wallace- maximum defense! Irving and Gasol are clean, and it’s good to surround Wade with efficient shooters since he’s not exactly a deadeye.
2 Really relying on two guys to play defense, which can get dangerous. Soft on the glass outside of Wallace.
3 Missing the playoffs
4 I went to the 2003 NBA draft (LeBron) and asked Wade to sign a ball for me, and he fooled me into thinking he was actually his brother. He just didn’t want to sign! I regret it. I got Nene instead, and a handful of other players. That was a GREAT draft class.
amerk1180 – Giannis Antetonkounmpo, Kevin Garnett, Oscar Robertson, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Darren Collison, John Collins
1 Giannis and Garnett, a beautiful combo. They’ll cover for Jokic, which is crucial. Collison season looks good too. Team looks sensible on the glass and on defense. My first time using Garnett last season, and he’s really an f’ing monster playing that many minutes.
2 Short on threes. I am not sure Oscar fits, I suppose it depends on the season. Need Garnett at SF to be at max utility.
3 I think this is in the mix.
4 WHERE’S OSCAR!! https://awfulannouncing.com/2016/wheres-oscar-mike-francesa-has-issues-with-espns-all-time-nba-top-100.html
That link will get you started- try to find the audio. Classic.

In conclusion, some good teams and a lot of interesting teams. I think there are no truly great teams and I don't think anyone will win under 25 games either. Call that my bold prediction. No 65 win teams, no less than 25 win teams. I know, I'm really putting myself out there.

Irrational confidence has me thinking I can repeat if I pay attention and draw the right division for a bye.

Thanks for indulging me and reading my rambling. Appreciate the patience- you guys know how much crap goes on these last two weeks of December outside of WIS-world. May the 2018-2019 season end and our players be delivered in June. Happy New Year folks

Wow, thanks for doing these.

My logic with Barkley and Draymond as my 1/2 picks was defense. Barkley is a great player but a poor defender. Dray not only can swap between SF/PF with him and cover the better offensive player on the other team, but he can also stretch the floor and feed him too.

My starting lineup will indeed be: Rondo/Oladipo/Green/Barkley/Capela, which gives me 36.6 ORB%, 93.8 DRB%, 89.8 AST% and 3 90 DEF players in my starting 5, with a team eFG (whole roster) of 60.7eFG

I’m still new, so this very well could blow up in my face, but I’m feeling confident in at least sneaking in to the playoffs.

Every single team looks good though, so I’d consider even getting swept in the first round of the playoffs a success because at least I got there over some great teams.

mikee, I like the Bledsoe pick. His 17-18 season is pretty great for a late round pick.

edit: my eFG is 57.5. Did the math wrong last night while drunk lmao

Yeah rebounding is going to hurt me, but I plan on using Ottos 17-18 season which will help in the defense category

Posted by dBKC on 12/29/2018 11:06:00 PM (view original):
Wow, thanks for doing these.

My logic with Barkley and Draymond as my 1/2 picks was defense. Barkley is a great player but a poor defender. Dray not only can swap between SF/PF with him and cover the better offensive player on the other team, but he can also stretch the floor and feed him too.

My starting lineup will indeed be: Rondo/Oladipo/Green/Barkley/Capela, which gives me 36.6 ORB%, 93.8 DRB%, 89.8 AST% and 3 90 DEF players in my starting 5, with a team eFG (whole roster) of 60.7eFG

I’m still new, so this very well could blow up in my face, but I’m feeling confident in at least sneaking in to the playoffs.

Every single team looks good though, so I’d consider even getting swept in the first round of the playoffs a success because at least I got there over some great teams.

mikee, I like the Bledsoe pick. His 17-18 season is pretty great for a late round pick.

Those totals look good... I'm upgrading you from frisky to dangerous!

Posted by 24kpyrite on 12/29/2018 11:13:00 PM (view original):
Yeah rebounding is going to hurt me, but I plan on using Ottos 17-18 season which will help in the defense category

Up to a 63, still pretty light.

Very clean season though, love the lack of TOs. Super efficient as well.

Nice job mikee, thank you.

PERSONAL PREDICTIONS CHALLENGE: my squad will be Top 5 in team scoring, and finish ten games over .500 ( 46-36, #4 or 5 playoff seeding ). Ah , the sweet innocence and confidence of pre-season...

Yeah I was disappointed by my draft... I had a plan to take KG and Draymond, but I got taken by the idea of Wade that late, and basically every pick after that was more or less of a “hurry up and cover my @$$” pick, with the exception of Kyrie

Personal Prediction— depending on players over/under achieving, I’ll either win less than 30 games or lose less than 30 games, there is no in between, and I’m leaning toward the former

Excellent job mikee!!!!

A belated thanks for the entertaining and thought-provoking evals, mikee!


longtallbrad – Wilt Chamberlain, Anfernee Hardaway, Mookie Blaylock, Gerald Wallace, Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Lin, Greg Monroe
1 Common mistake with Wilt is to not support with more rebounding- you didn't fall into this by taking Boozer to play alongside him. Nice backcourt- they won't get lit up. Balanced scoring between inside and outside. LTB is a veteran drafter and his pairing with the best player in the sim is concerning.
2 Is there enough scoring here? my inclination is that the defense is also kinda soft.
3 Wilt will carry this team over .500. I don't see it getting a bye unless the division is very friendly. Playoff bound on the LTB/Dipper pair alone
4 "Wilt, 1962" was a really good read. Insight into the season, the franchise, and what is was like for all involved that year. I recommend it. Second thought, I have a Penny poster framed "heaven cent" from probably 1997. Available and interesting trades will be considered.

I agree, Wilt teams often come up short on rebounding in this league. Also, it feels weird for the very first pick to be so low in usage. And those two factors - boards and (reasonably efficient) usage - basically dictated my choice of Boozer in the fifth round. No one else seemed to fit the bill. He's a notorious matador, but my starting unit is otherwise strong on D rating and one of my titles in this league came with Troy Murphy as the starting PF so I'm not too worried about that being a fatal flaw with Boozer. Mainly I'm looking to see whether my group can hold its own on the boards and keep enough usage on the court for 48 minutes per game.

P.S. I have 14 usage points in the starting lineup, which should be enough and definitely isn't too much, but my reliable sweet spot seems to be in the 16-17 range.