1 iccoachb - Lebron James, Anthony Davis, Tyson Chandler, Mark Price, Klay Thompson, Jeff Teague, DeMarcus Cousins
James is one of the two clearly legit overall first picks in this league. The 12-13 vintage is most popular and probably most advisable because of the mad efficiency, although I still clung to the 07-08 season even after most owners graduated to 09-10 for a while. A terrific foundation who gives you lots of flexibility to build around. Davis’ 13-14 season is the bomb, as long as it’s used correctly. Tyson is another sim stalwart, although you have to choose between better rebounding and better defense in selecting a season. Three picks in, this is a great start for iccoachb. The next two picks will determine whether this team is going to make some noise… Price yes, Thompson not so much. Unlike a lot of WIS owners (who are better than me at this game) I prefer Lebron at the 2 rather than at the 1, and I think Price can slot in well next to him. But the addition of Klay means Lebron is at his real-life position of SF and Davis is at PF, which negates what was looking like a meaningful advantage on the boards (especially since Klay might grab about six boards all season). I don’t love the Teague and Cousins selections. They might provide a lot of minutes and Cousins brings nice rebounding, but neither shoots all that well for as often as they’ll be shooting. This team should still win some games, but the train came off the tracks a bit in the last two rounds. Crystal ball: lottery
2 maglor1 - Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry Lucas, Andrei Kirilenko, Jerry West, Paul George, Vern Fleming, Johnny Green
Can’t go wrong with Wilt, as long as maglor is going with one of three or so season. I always prefer 66-67, which gives the most flexibility given the high assists and efficiency. I’ve long thought Lucas should be a third rounder. He’s got that nice efficient season with app. 35 creb%, but without either much better defense or more scoring he seems like a stretch in the second to me. He’ll do fine next to Wilt, but I think snazzier players were available. I’ve become a big AK-47 fan (at least of one particular year) after using him this past season. You have to hide his efg% a bit and he shouldn’t be much of a scorer for a good team, but he can stuff the box score otherwise. He’s a great glue guy. After three picks I don’t yet see where maglor is going…West and George round out the usage picture, and there should be plenty of assists and possibly enough rebounds. I’d be rubbing every magic lamp I could find to try to get George’s efg% up a couple notches; I’m not yet sold on him as a starter in this league. So far I’m thinking West is the key to this team’s fate. Can he finally emerge as a sim stud who, if surrounded by the right talents (read: algorithmic probabilities) can carry a team? Fleming and Green are curious choices. Green can rebound which is almost always a priority, but neither player is particularly efficient or a strong defender. I’d love to be surprised by this squad, in part because I loved the real-life game of Mr. Clutch but I haven’t yet seen him materialize as a sim beast. Crystal ball: lottery
3 thomcat - Moses Malone, Chauncey Billups, Horace Grant, Chris Mullin, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Hill, Ed Davis
Moses is still a top 6-8 player in this sim, as long as we’re talking about the right season. He’s a little careless with the ball but he creates lots of second chances, gets to the line and is a reasonably efficient paint scorer. Dunno what it is about some sim trends, but Billups isn’t the sure bet to outperform his real-life shooting efficiency anymore. Still, there’s a lot to like about him: assists, defense, few mistakes, and a rare combo of 3s and FTAs from the PG spot. He spreads the floor nicely for Moses. As long as the rest of the starting lineup skews toward shooting well, this is a very good start. Grant is another nice addition – a SF who rebounds just well enough, plays defense just well enough, and scores efficiently in the paint. Mullin seems like a nice backcourt mate for Chauncey, with a nicely efficient scoring season and better-than-bad defense. And Bynum serves the same role for Malone. Overall I’d wish for slightly better team defense. So far I’m planning to crowd the paint and dare Chauncey to beat me, but on the whole I like this starting five. Ed Davis is a great backup for Horace. I don’t really understand the Hill pick, since the seasons of his I would think to use are too short on minutes to be worth a pick in this draft. Crystal ball: playoffs – second round
4 jkaye24 - Michael Jordan, Marcus Camby, Donyell Marshall, Kobe Bryant, Brad Daugherty, Arvydas Sabonis, Jim Les
The fact that there are so many great Lebron seasons detracts attention from the fact that a couple of Jordan seasons are still the bomb. Either season works in this sim depending on whether you want a head start on assists or 3s. Camby is pretty good value toward the bottom of the third. A bit lot on minutes, but he’s out of the Big Ben mold, giving you a nice start on boards and interior D with blocks to boot. Marshall is the quintessential supporting small forward in this league, and he doesn’t always last until the third round. The team needs assists and inside scoring, but is rounding into shape nicely. I frankly hate the addition of Kobe, who’s going to steal shots from Jordan and miss a lot of them. This backcourt will be a nightmare defensively, but it feels like what should have been the gameplan of building around Jordan has been sabotaged. I’m not really feeling the Daugherty pick…he’ll score some points inside on a nice percentage, but he’s a poor defender and rebounder at his position for this league. There could still be some nice backup bigs available in the sixth…Sabonis is a fabulous sixth rounder who I would have taken above several players taken before him. I used him to back up Walton the first time I won the title in this league. His per minute value (for the right season) is much higher than Daugherty’s, giving you scoring, dreb% and some passing. Les doesn’t defend or shoot much but he dishes and doesn’t miss much when he does shoot. A problem with running a backcourt of MJ and Kobe in this kind of higher cap draft league is that it’s basically impossible to avoid falling off the usage cliff when the starters sit. Loved the first three picks, didn’t care for the next two. Crystal ball: on the bubble – contingent on division strength and matchup luck
5 hoopsdude - Dennis Rodman, Kevin Love, Terrell Brandon, Emeka Okafor, Paul Pressey, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph
Yes, this is the way to use Love! I tend to think the second round is too high for him given his putrid defense, but playing next to Rodman offsets his permeability somewhat. Two forwards with creb %s of 40+ is a fantastic start. Brandon brings good defense and a clean game, although a high-usage, short-minutes PG can be hard to find a backup for. His efficiency is a bit on the low side given the number of his touches. Okafor makes sense in the fourth round. If the right season is used he’ll have a few games of 14-10 and play okay defense in limited minutes. Pressey is an interesting choice for this team. His defense and passing definitely will help. There’s a lot riding on how well Love can deliver on the offensive end of the floor; I might even try the rare double-team on him since there isn’t another scorer who worries me at this point. I think the starting five is short on FTAs, but they’re a pretty clean-playing bunch so it may come out even. Tony Allen is a blistering defender but doesn’t really do anything else. Randolph can rebound and score, depending on the season, but is an atrocious defender. There were much better bigs available in this round, in my opinion. Overall, good boards and most good defense, but I don’t think there’s enough scoring to go far. Crystal ball: lottery
6 eleibowitz - Karl Malone, Shawn Marion, Clyde Drexler, Larry Sanders, Charlie Ward, Leon Powe, Eric Beldsoe
A bit high for the Mailman in my estimation, but that’s mainly because I tend to be obsessive about the board battle and my favorite season of Malone’s is light on rebounds for what I want from my starting PF. But he’s definitely one of the few cornerstone studs, a player who can take over games and carry his team, and who comes without major flaws. Marion is a second round staple and the kind of rebounding SF you need to pair with Malone. I wish Marion’s nicest season came with more FTAs or a handful more 3s, but he does everything well except pass, and he plays a pretty clean game. Drexler gives the team a nice big three, and way plenty of usage. These first three picks fill enough needs that eleibowitz can concentrate on finding role players with narrow skill sets to round out the starting five. Sanders works at C although I keep wanting him to fall to me again so I can try him at SF. I’m not a fan of drafting guys who play less than 2000 minutes in any round higher than the fifth, but eleibowitz has proven he’ll find the gap-fillers he needs at the end of the draft. Ward is a nice fit, playing D and setting up his teammates and spreading the floor a little. elei needs a pair of sixth rounders who can log quality time… Bledsoe is fine addition, although I’ll be curious to see which version is used – either more defense or more passing. Still, I’d have gone for more of a pure point guard to fill in the vacuum behind Ward’s short minutes. Powe is a very nice backup SF, but I’m puzzled why a big wasn’t selected when they are some pretty nice backup board lords that went undrafted. I’m sold enough on the first five but feel like they could have been better bolstered by the last two. Crystal ball: playoffs – second round
7 jhsukow - Dwight Howard, Bill Walton, Shawn Kemp, Danny Green, Jose Calderon, Joe Dumars, Tayshaun Prince
Having just won the title with this tandem of bigs, I can’t argue with the start. There are two great Dwight seasons to choose from, depending on whether you want him as your lead scorer. Between these two guys they can be a little sloppy with the ball, but really, they do it all. Walton is obviously low on minutes and in building around Howard you’re committing yourself to looking for assists to feed the paint and enough perimeter shooting to space out defenses. I do not understand the addition of Kemp at this point. I get that his presence creates a monster rotation of bigs, but he brings the same good stuff and same bad stuff that Dwight does and to me the third round is the time to be diversifying and balancing. So here comes Green, a guy who plays defense and shoots a nice percentage from the floor on a handful of attempts per game but does nothing else. He came a round too early in my opinion, and now I’m really thinking there might only be one option at PG who can pull this squad together and dish up enough opportunities. Aaannnd… Calderon isn’t the guy I was thinking of, but he’s close. At this point I’m definitely going to try packing the paint and inviting the lower-usage guards to beat me. Dumars is a decent backup for Green. Prince defends well and is virtually mistake-free, but now I don’t see a legit starting forward out of this bunch. Prince comes closest but doesn’t rebound enough. The overall talent quotient is pretty high for this team, but the scoring is packed in the front court and I question whether there are enough assists and rebounds. Crystal ball: lottery
8 uptowngbv - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, DeAndre Jordan, Steve Nash, Brent Barry, Cedric Maxwell, Charlie Edge, Al Horford
I still haven’t used Kareem in this version of the sim but better owners than me swear by him. I’d still take Howard for his superior rebounding, but it’s hard to argue with the mega-minutes of mega-efficient scoring Kareem provides. DeAndre is a very sensible sidekick, defending well enough and concentrating on cleaning the glass. Nash is pretty close to the perfect PG to run with KAJ, and Barry has a beautiful supporting game at SG. Maxwell is nearly perfect because he brings rebounding (including at the offensive end) and just the right amount of usage to the SF position, along with a surprising number of FTAs. This is a ridiculously efficient and smartly constructed team so far, although they will get lit up at times by high-scoring wings and some of the superstar backcourts. Edge and Horford complete a really strong draft. Edge’s defense and rebounding are a perfect fit and Horford brings some efficient scoring. Neither Edge nor Maxwell can slide to SG so I wonder if the frontcourt is actually overcrowded. I might’ve used the Horford pick on a backup guard who’s a strong defender. Crystal ball: playoffs – conference finals
9 pennsylvania - Larry Bird, Bobby Jones, Anthony Mason, Maurice Cheeks, Don Buse, Andre Iguodala, Elvin Hayes
Penn starts out with a couple of his staples. I’ll be curious to see whether he opts for a highly efficient Bird or a defensive stud Bird. Larry doesn’t come with the number of FTAs most other offensive studs do, but that’s because real-life opponents tried hard to avoid sending him to the line. Bobby Jones is a very nice player…to me he belongs in the third round, but he doesn’t last that long anymore. Mason is a little underwhelming to me as a third round pick. Now by my lights this team has three starting SFs, and none of them are great fits at any other position. Mr. pennsylvania’s teams usually look light on rebounds to me but end up holding their own, so maybe he’ll surprise me again. Cheeks is a penn-friendly addition who will make most of the shots he takes but he won’t take many. The team should have plenty of assists but I’m not sure it’ll be enough to combine magically with the nice all-around efg% to tilt outcomes in this bunch’s favor. By conventional sim wisdom the fifth pick needs to be a player who is a rebounding monster (or at least can hold his own on the boards, meaning a creb% of about 35) and supplies about 4 usage points. I actually have a guy in mind and penn has used him before, but let’s see if penn picks him out of the rummage sale again… But instead, Don Buse is shipped in from scudland in a curious trade. While Buse has a place in this league with his defense, passing, steals, 3s and general lack of wrinkles, I’m more puzzled than ever about what pennsylvania is doing. There are a few nice Iguodala seasons from which to choose, depending on how many minutes and assists are needed. I don’t understand what Hayes is doing on a penn team, given the low efg%. I see a team that’s going to lose more than its share of board battles, has very few FTAs and might struggle with usage. Crystal ball: lottery
10 mikee1 - Shaquille O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Derek Harper, Paul Pierce, Goran Dragic, Clarence Weatherspoon, Chris Gatling
I love the start with Shaq and Big Ben. I’ve taken Wallace in the first round before and then quickly wondered why I did because he gives you absolutely nothing on offense and doesn’t create the advantage that Rodman does with the latter’s ability to play SF. Still Wallace is basically the perfect big to play alongside Kareem, doing nothing but defending well and rebounding well. And Shaq is just a monster – like Howard, but scoring more and rebounding less. Harper is a good pickup – kind of a slightly poor man’s Terry Porter except that he plays better D. I think he needs some help spreading the floor for Shaq, though. Pierce can fit in okay if a particular season is used. In most cases The Truth doesn’t shoot well enough, shoots too often, and doesn’t pass enough to be the missing piece for this group of teammates, but mikee is pretty shrewd and can find the right combination of ingredients here. Gatling has a surprising high-usage season that I assume will be used to back up O’Neal. I’ve always thought Weatherspoon is a bit bland at this cap level, but he’s a decent fit given that he’ll grab some boards and muddle around innocuously between the two big scorers. I’m wondering if Dragic’s nice 13-14 season will back up both Harper and Pierce. Crystal ball: playoffs – conference finals
11 scudmissle - David Robinson, Elton Brand, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Nicholas Batum, Rodney McCray, Drew Gooden
Scud starts off with two players who seem really expensive for how they end up producing. Mainly what I see is a great start on defense, and also a potential candidate to lead the league in blocked shots depending on how the rest of the roster shapes up. Robinson has a very efficient season, and gives you some paint scoring and a lot of FTAs (and makes a high percentage for a big). The start on rebounding is okay but not world-class. The additions of Reed and Frazier bring more rebounding and defense, and the rest of the usage needed. A big infusion of assists is needed, but the second guard doesn’t really need to do anything but pass (and hopefully hit at least a handful of 3s). I was thinking Buse fit nicely but then he turned into Batum, who brings an interesting all-around game and might offer just enough assists to keep the offense flowing. I don’t understand either of the sixth round picks. Neither is up to par as a shooter in this league, and neither seems to add anything significant. There’s probably too much talent in the first four picks to miss the postseason altogether, but I don’t see enough cohesion in the three supporting selections to get very far. Crystal ball: playoffs – first round
12 steelers821 - Chris Paul, Gary Payton, Larry Nance, Spencer Haywood, Paul Silas, Corey Alexander, Josh McRoberts
I’ve come to love Paul in this sim, and prefer the higher FTA season but can see the appeal of a couple others. I don’t see the pairing with Payton yet. If steelers is going the mega-assist route and looking for a bump in shooting efficiency then this seems like a really expensive start and Payton is not an assist king. This will be a great defensive backcourt, to be sure. Nance is a defensive stud at SF and can score efficiently, too. I tend to avoid him in this league because his boardwork is ever so slightly lower than I look for in a SF, but the Paul-Payton combo evens that out with decent rebounding from their positions. Haywood is a little unfairly discounted at this cap level. He gives you 35 creb% and a very clean game for 44-45 mpg, and he’ll score some points and draw some fouls. His efficiency is a shade below mediocre for this league, but he has a lot of assists coming his way. Hmm, the Silas pick feels a little too sentimental. He defends well but his efficiency and rebounding are a little low for this league. Alexander fits with this backcourt, and I can understand McRoberts slotting in behind Nance. If all goes well, Paul tears up the court and makes a lead scorer out of Haywood. If it doesn’t, it’s because the shooting percentages aren’t getting a bump and Payton is getting his dimes. Crystal ball: playoffs – lottery
13 amerk1180 - Kevin Durant, Tracy McGrady, Andre Drummond, Mel Daniels, Roy Tarpley, Johnny Moore, Muggsy Bogues
Objectively speaking, the pairing of Durant and McGrady doesn’t make sense. Both are great SGs in this league, giving you a little or a lot of everything good with no significant weaknesses. But McGrady’s mediocre (at best) efg% combined with his high usg% means he’ll be taking some shots away from Durant who is more efficient. Both these fellows rebound nicely at the SG position, but neither gives you an advantage in that department at SF. Still, amerk can go a little mad scientist in this sim at times, tinkering with new approaches just to see what happens, and I totally respect that. Drummond brings much-needed rebounding, although his 13-14 season is mediocre on D. Daniels is a great addition with his rebounding, inside game and just the right about of usage, but the team is looking a little vulnerable to squads with a lot of high-octane inside scoring. Neither of these starting bigs is much of a defender or shot-blocker. Tarpley’s addition continues the theme…a rotation of board lord big men with meh defense. Still no one to really key the offense, so here comes a curious combination of Moore and Bogues. Moore can almost hold his own in this league; his efficiency is a tad low, but hopefully he’ll lose most of his touches to the ballhogs at the wing spots. Bogues is a poorer shot and worse defender…there were better choices available. Crystal ball: playoffs – first round
14 slymonium- Alonzo Mourning, Mookie Blaylock, Tom Boerwinkle, Chris Webber, James Harden, Carlos Boozer, Jameer Nelson
Sly becomes the latest owner to try his luck and skill at trading out of the first round. The first four picks fit together nicely. While Boerwinkle is awfully short on minutes, his boards make up for the fact that Mourning doesn’t grab a lot and his assists can allow use of the slightly more efficient Blaylock season. There’s a nice inside-outside scoring balance. Harden fits in a lot of ways, rounding out the team in usage and assists and FTAs. There will be a lot of quality big man minutes needed behind Boerwinkle and Mourning. The right season of Boozer gives you great rebounding and good scoring in probably just enough minutes to back up both Alonzo and T-Bo. He’s an absolutely porous defender, though. Jameer is a good fit behind Mookie. Crystal ball: playoffs – first round
15 jt7king- Charles Barkley, Jason Kidd, Dikembe Mutombo, Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Greg Anthony, Jeff Ruland
A couple of sim staples in the first two rounds. There are definitely better and worse seasons for each (and really just one Kidd season to go with in this league, in my opinion). They both rebound well for their respective positions (assuming Sir Charles will be used at SF), they establish a nice inside-outside balance on offense, they take care of most of the assists between them, and Barkley counts for a good start on FTAs. Mutombo is a great pickup in the third, bringing D and blocks and rebounds without taking the ball away from Barkley. I don’t love the addition of Amare here. The usage and FTAs were needed and his efficiency is fabulous, but his rebounds are low for a starting PF and now another sizable infusion of perimeter shooting is necessary. Redd brings some 3s but I don’t see a season of his that should be starting in this league. There were other SGs available who shoot better, pass more, and play much better defense. Anthony works fine as a backup; Ruland will score from the bench but (depending on the season chosen) doesn’t even the scales on the boards and is a terrible defender. Crystal ball: lottery
16 cjok1051- John Stockton, Stephen Curry, Serge Ibaka, Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Eaton, Kyle Korver, Chris Bosh
I love Stockton in this league. 16 seems mildly high for him, but I think at this point in the first round you go with the player that best gets you started on the strategy you want to follow. He turns the ball over some but he gives you two-thirds of the assists your starting five needs, can hit a few 3s (if you use the right season), plays D and will occasionally go off for 20 points. I don’t see the addition of Curry, since I think cj may end up paying for assists that never materialize. But we’ll see where he goes with the rest of the draft. Will this be a mega-assist squad? Will there be an inside game to go with the wagonload of 3s Curry will fire up? Who will grab the rebounds? Here comes Ibaka to grab his share at SF and be a smothering defender. The Serge addition makes sense except that the team is starting to look skinny on FTAs. And here comes Dirk, and now the team is looking skinny on rebounds. Eaton doesn’t plug all the holes but fills the need for more interior defense. Dirk is thankfully sandwiched between a couple of shot-blocking fools and defensive maniacs. The starting unit is on track to lose the battle of the boards and defenses may crowd the perimeter. Korver belongs in this league, although his addition means it’s even more likely cj will see some +2 defenses. I’m not sure Bosh belongs in the league. Crystal ball: lottery
17 vancem- Artis Gilmore, Manu Ginobili, Deron Williams, Kawhi Leonard, A.C. Green, Andrew Bogut, Zelmo Beaty
I’m among those few who think Gilmore, as a first round investment in this league, is too much money given his usage tier. Still, he gives you good rebounding and some efficient scoring over a lot of minutes. Ginobili is a second round fixture and I love his 07-08 season, although given his short minutes and high usage it can be tricky to find a good backup for him in this league. I really like the pairing of Deron and Manu. Neither is a world class defender but they are solid, and between them they take care of assists, usage and threes. While I griped in the first sentence about Gilmore, this is a very nice trio. Kawhi fits well but I’m not psyched about taking a half-timer in the fourth round. I’m surprised by the A.C. Green selection since he is a passable SF in this league but doesn’t board well enough to play the 4 spot in my estimation. Hmm, what’s vancem doing? And the sixth round, the plan materializes. Bogut and Beaty make a nice two-headed monster at PF, and Kawhi looks like a super sub behind Manu and Green. I’m pretty sold on this bunch now, except that I think it’s mighty tough to build a real contender around 2200 minutes of Ginobili or anyone else. Crystal ball: playoffs – second round
18 longtallbrad- Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ray Allen, Gerald Wallace, Fat Lever, Anderson Varejao, Jamaal Tinsley
Nothing to crow about with my first two picks. Russell gives me great rebounding and decent but (criminally) not stellar defense. I need to build the rest of the roster so that he doesn’t touch the ball much, given his low, low efg%. The Hakeem selection cements the decision to just have fun larking around this season, since he’s near the top of the list of “modern” players whose sim impact don’t match their real-life talents. I have to choose between board lord Hakeem and the version who’s not as dominant a rebounder but is incrementally above blah in terms of scoring efficiency. Neither season gives me the FTAs I’ve come to want from a lead scorer. The fact that Dream can’t keep his hands to himself and will turn the ball over means I’ll have to aim for a scrupulous supporting crew for him. These two might be my two favorite NBA players of all time, so I’ll pay my money and have my fun. Allen gives me most of the 3s I expect to have on this team. I looked hard at several other players but in the end wanted an efficient backcourt scorer without major holes in his game. Wallace is one of those guys who does it all (except pass)…he’s sort of a poor man’s Dr. J and helps to offset Allen’s lower D. I’m one of a number of owners who will be sorting through the remainder bin for a starting PG. *Sigh* I hoped for Harper, Cheeks, Pressey, Buse, Ward, and might have considered Calderon despite his low D rating. Lever gives me good D and some steals, strong rebounding from the backcourt, and few mistakes. I don’t need 3s from him given that I don’t have much of an inside game that needs balancing, but Fat definitely shaves down my already-mediocre shooting efficiency. I picked Lever over two guys I rated more highly, but one would have given me a pair of iffy defenders in the backcourt and the other I just…wasn’t…feeling. Varejao and Tinsley were the two guys I wanted coming into the sixth, giving me boards, assists and defense in roughly the minutes I needed. I have plenty of cash left to pick up enough usage to hold the bench together. Crystal ball: playoffs – first round (the Russell-Olajuwon duo doesn’t instill fear)
19 dh555- Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Joakim Noah, Tree Rollins, Ron Harper, Oliver Miller, Nate McMillan
Wade and Garnett make for an expensive pair, and neither is particularly notable for his efficiency. Wade is definitely one of those scoring monsters who can explode in the box score. I’d be more inclined to surround him with really nice role players than pair him with a gold-plated Swiss Army knife like Garnett, but then again I tried that and didn’t do very well. Looks like Garnett’s at small forward (which some say isn’t his best season, but I’m agnostic on that question) so this is a good start on a rebounding advantage, and his ast% creates some nice flexibility in rounding out the backcourt. Noah and Rollins add to the awesome defensive picture. Noah’s lower on boards than I like for my starting bigs but the team is still looking competitive on the glass given what Garnett brings. Noah’s ast% seems like bringing coals to Newcastle (they’re not really essential), but now dh has a ton of flexibility in adding a backcourt mate for Wade. The inclusion of Harper continues the themes of midrange scoring on middling efficiency, and mondo defense. Big Oliver has a couple really nice backup seasons with stat profiles that appear to surpass what he actually accomplished on the real hardwood, and McMillan excellent halftime season makes him a quite stud as I learned last season. I’m not quite a believer in the Noah-Rollins pairing, but this team will be monstrous on defense and relies on a midrange attack that foils any opponent’s impulse to cheat on defense. Crystal ball: playoffs – conference finals
20 sixernuggets- Tim Duncan, Robert Parish, Terry Porter, Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Kermit Washington, Earl Watson
Duncan gives you a lot now that defense is a much higher priority in this league than it used to be. He’s basically an extremely high-caliber glue guy who doesn’t blow up the box score but does a lot of things well and doesn’t have any significant warts. He defends, boards and gets to the line a reasonable amount, and even gives you a few assists and blocks. More efficiency would be nice given his usage and price tag, but #20 is about right for him in the first round. Parish was a bit of a reach here, but he has some nice seasons from which to choose. Porter is a great pickup anywhere in the third or fourth rounds…Nash-like efficiency, with fewer trips to the line but a cleaner game and much better defense. And Marques has a very solid season that strengthens the team’s rebounding and adds a good amount of FTAs while not making anything worse. Four picks in this seems like a very solid start. Moncrief is a nice pickup with his defense and solid supplementary scoring. The only thing he doesn’t do is make 3s – in his best season he gets more of his points in the paint – but he and Porter should complement each other well. Kermit and Watson both have very serviceable backup seasons. This crew came together nicely. Crystal ball: playoffs – second round
21 98average- Magic Johnson, Penny Hardaway, Bob Lanier, Chris Andersen, Ryan Anderson, Darrell Armstrong, Javale McGee
Here’s another PG duo I don’t quite get. Two great players who deserved to go where they did, and 98 usually has a plan and he’s got the rings to show for it. But if this is a go-for-broke assists-over-everything-else strategy than I’d say Penny isn’t the right guy for it since he isn’t really a passing beast. And if it’s not, then I’d worry about paying for assists that go unused. Still, Magic pretty much does it all and Penny does most of it. Lanier never seems to make ripples in this league, but he has a very good season to trot out on the court. Andersen is a staple and the right kind of SF for this bunch but seems like quite a reach in the fourth round given his paltry minutes. I’m guessing Anderson will back up Andersen, possibly playing more minutes in a designated shooter role off the bench. Rebounding is needed, but there are rebounders left on the table. And McGee scarcely qualifies, although he can play decent defense and shoot a nice percentage in limited minutes, and Armstrong is a borderline starter in this league. 98 seems to be headed for some version or other of small ball. My instinct with this lineup would be to start Armstrong, put Magic at SG and Birdman at PF, roll the ball out on the court and see what happens, but my instinct would have been to take a guy like Bogut along with McGee and played it more conventional. Crystal ball: playoffs – first round
22 tarheel1441- Scottie Pippen, Julius Erving, Buck Williams, Wes Unseld, Jon Barry, Kenneth Faried, Vince Carter
And another dynamic duo I haven’t seen before. Killer defense, although the wing spots aren’t where I prefer to pay big bucks for defense and tar may experience a salary crunch elsewhere. Buck Williams bring good rebounding, decent D and some efficient inside scoring. Also more than his share of errors, but not quite Kemp-level. Unseld gives you rebounding and not much else. Finding the right PG to knit this crew together will be interesting late in the fifth round, but tar is crafty. Barry, Jr., isn’t who I wouldn’t imagined and I suspect he would have been available to tar just around the bend in the next round. But Barry will chip in a few assists and toss in a few 3s at a high percentage, and otherwise won’t have much impact. Faried and Carter each have very nice backup seasons. Crystal ball: playoffs – first round (Unseld and Barry feel like weak links to me)
23 ysw128- Patrick Ewing, Kevin McHale, Rajon Rondo, Clifford Ray, Baron Davis. Dale Davis, Brandon Rush
I see great defense and wicked-efficient scoring in the first two picks. But both are notches below what I’d prefer in rebounding from the positions I assume they’ll be playing. Ray helps some in that category, but this team is on track to need to win the possession battle through other means. Rondo is a nice player who adds to the D quotient and feeds the scorers, but he doesn’t bring the outside shooting needed to keep defenses from swarming the paint. Baron will jack up a lot of threes and provide the rest of the assists, and he’s a better defender than I remembered. Still, he doesn’t quite pass muster at this cap level with his lower efg%. Dale Davis has always seemed like a reach in this league to me, but Rush is a nice fit as long as you don’t need him to do anything but shoot and defend. Crystal ball: lottery
24 banditone - Oscar Robertson, Bob McAdoo, Pau Gasol, Wesley Person, Peja Stojakovic, J.R. Smith, Ray Scott
Four picks in I see a little of everything and not too much of anything. I’m not a Pau fan at this cap level since (like Amare and Dirk) he’s light enough on rebounding that he needs a lot of support in that stat category. I’m always rooting for Oscar in this league, but he’s a little hard to build around given that he doesn’t bring the conventional amount of 3s and you pay for FTAs you’re never going to see. I think it should be very possible to find the right SF to complement this bunch. Aaannd…Peja wasn’t the sort of guy I had in mind. He used to be a second or third round fixture in draft leagues back when perimeter shooting was valued more highly than defense, and contenders tended to carry a minimum of 500 3PM. He’s pretty light on both D and boards now. Still, the combination of Peja and J.R. bring an instant long-distance attack. I can see it. Ray Scott I can’t see. Respectfully, I don’t see a season of his that belongs in this league, with his 1950s-era efg% and blah defense. Crystal ball: lottery