MIKE'S TAKES:
I see very few definitive playoff teams, which means that maybe 4 teams are definitely in with a toss up to make the remaining 8 spots. Get your minutes right guys, because that first round bye will be HUGE this season. I'll do a few predictions after the division draft is up.
Hoopsdude- Wilt, Nance, T-Mac, J Terry, Varejao, Dave Cowens, Jason Richardson: Unsuccessful Wilt teams usually have some similarities- not enough usage or not enough rebounding. By taking TMac, you have pretty much assured yourself enough usage. I think this team might be light on scoring itself, though, unless you are planning on winning games 110-105. Which Terry are you using? Is Richardson backing up TMac? I’m not sure Cowens was the best pick, but it does get slim in the 6th if you’re filling out starters. Final take: Not enough cohesion, I don’t see this team winning the championship. The “BAN WILT” conspiracy theorists will have to wait another year for the vitriol to be regurgitated.
Ysw128- LeBron, R Westbrook, Mutombo, D Harper, Mo Cheeks, D Cousins, C Edge: Yikes. Westbrook and Boogie denying Lebron his greatness? Also, is Lebron your PF, or is Boogie actually starting? The hints are there at a nice lineup- Lebron 1st, Mutombo 3rd, Harper/Cheeks 4th and 5th- light on threes, rebounding…Westbrook and Cousins though…Edge was a good choice. Final take: Missing playoffs.
Amerk1180- Steph, D Marsh, K Love, P Pierce, C Ray, Channing Frye, JJ Redick: Hurting on boards. Steph had a fantastic, historically great season…but he’s still playing only 33 MPG. I’d want my first overall pick playing more than 69% of my minutes at his position, personally. Hopefully GS isn’t quite as good next year and we see Steph play more 4th quarters, to boost his minutes up to 300 or so. YES- this matters! He will be sitting for more than an entire quarter of the game. Unsure of your frontcourt strategy, but KLove and Ray will grab rebounds. They’ll need to, to limit opponent possessions, because they’re getting diced by efficient post scorers. Final take: missing playoffs
Cjok1051- Kareem, D Wade, C Ward, Larry Sanders, Marvin Williams, D Granger, Dalembert: Obviously you had to make some concessions to nail this trade, and we see that in your final three picks. That being said, I love the trio of Ward-Wade-Kareem. Kareem (if using the proverbial “right season”) is a monster at over 30 PPG for a ton of minutes. Wade and Kareem bring tons of scoring and FTA. Rare that you get to assess a Kareem team where he’s the second fiddle, but in this instance the guy is capable of some Charlie Daniels level sh*t! Sanders, Ward, and Dalembert make capable backups in the band. Final take: playoffs, could get interesting if your undrafted are great picks.
Uptowngbv- CP3, McAdoo, Manu, W Reed, Carmelo, R McCray, Amir Johnson: Paul and Manu carried me to a final, where I lost, and also had The Captain supporting the cause. I didn’t have a big man scoring like McAdoo, and I didn’t have super-sub (or is he?) Carmelo either. McCray is a headscratcher. Does Amir Johnson have the highest fouls per 48 of anyone drafted? If McCray is your SF and Melo is a backup, I think you’re not getting killed on the boards but you’re not winning that war either. Melo as a starter and Manu as a super sub is a wrinkle- not sure I like it. Defense is solid. Depending on Paul season, I think this team is a non division winner but in the playoffs. CP3 could pull this sled by himself, but Manu is there alongside him for plenty of “a’s”- 3PA and FTA. Final take: 50-50 playoffs depending on division, could get frisky if drafted by an unsuspecting owner.
Jkaye24- MJ, E Brand, Noah, R Allen, George Hill, Ryan Anderson, Cole Aldrich: I really screwed up my ODL MJ team. Brand and Noah are solid compliments. A secondary scorer the likes of Ray Allen is a nice addition. Don’t think Anderson does much for you in this league- I think at 52 he’s pretty overdrafted. The vets could probably shed more light on their favorite MJ season, but as far as I’m concerned the foundation is here and the only hole I see is SF/PF- which is Brand playing? Is George Hill starting? Could get “yikes” level quickly. Final take: Hard to say for sure, given I’m not sure what your starting lineup looks like. 50-50 playoffs? I guess?
Jcred5- Shaq, Bill Walton, Drexler, KJ, Millsap. Jon Barry, KA Towns: I like that inside combo- Shaq/Walton. Drexler and KJ also interesting. Is this the 15-16 debut for Millsap? KAT had an incredible rookie season, comparatively to the greats- solid backup. I don’t see enough rebounding here, though. Walton is short on minutes, Shaq isn’t a dominant rebounder in this league, and to get him going he needs to be supported by rebounding and possessions. Jcred is a vet, and I think has some tricks in the undrafted pool to see this lineup to fruition. Something about that KAT pick tells me he’s got a solid sub plan set up for the 2-3-4 neighborhood other than Jon Barry. Final take: likely playoffs.
Vancem- Moses, T Porter, Harden, Ibaka, A Mason, Faried, Beaubois: It’s ridiculous to me that Harden is rated as highly as he is on D. He’s a clap-machine! Moses makes a great pivot for a Porter/Harden back court. Ibaka is a tough nugget to squeeze in, as I feel he always underperforms compared to my expectations. Mason- outstanding pick! More rebounding, tons of minutes, more passing. Will help prop up Harden on those lonely 7 for 29 nights where Vance looks to see what went wrong when he loses 121-115. I just had Harden- I know that sting! Faried is a great compliment to Ibaka at SF- can they match up together for 48 MPG at SF? If so, mini-Moses at SF. I like it. Roddy Buckets for the added usage, passing and scoring as a backup guard. Really though- Moses’ offensive rebounding here coupled with this SF set up that I think I see, truly anchors Harden’s weakness. Final take: Division winner. Final four, depending on draw.
Maglor1- Admiral, Anthony Davis, AK47, J West, Mike Conley, Thabo Sef, Buse: Lots of defense, I see that. Looks light on rebounding, and light on 3’s. Eventually Davis will play a full season and be a top 24 pick, but until then he’s a complimentary player here to DRob. Has Sefolosha been drafted before? Some interesting substitute seasons. Final take: missing playoffs.
Jt7king- Rodman, McHale, Kobe, T Brandon, E Okafor, Bledsoe, K Humphries: Rodman and McHale compliment each other like peanut butter and jelly. Kobe at least gives you a solid base of assists, guard-rebounding, defense, FTA, etc- at the cost of being a chucker at a high volume. Brandon reigns the team in a bit. Okafor and Humphries are solid picks- they’re going to ensure you don’t give up the rebounding advantage you get by drafted Rodman. I think owners fall into the trap of reaching for other players light in rebounding, because “well I’ve got Rodman to rebound”, but you draft him for a reason: win the board battle. Good thinking. So- this team rebounds, it defends, it has enough usage, it has a few 3’s, it has a few scorers…but it still doesn’t blow us away, does it? I think you’re in the playoffs, but I need to see your undrafted fill-ins.
Dh555- D Howard, D Williams, Ho Grant, Dirk, Batum, Horford, Kanter: As discussed, this is the best chance Dirk has had to see a deep run in the $52 playoffs. Think Batum was the product of fewer solid 3&D wings being available than you thought there, and I bet you’re wishing you could have had someone else. Had you waited, no impactful 3&D guys went in between your picks, so ultimately it’s probably a wash. Horford is a super sub. Great choice there, and Enes the Mustache shores up the bench boards. Nice drafting. Final take: Playoffs, and I’m rooting for a German ‘chip if I can’t repeat with Ewing.
Slymonium- Durant, Marion, Drummond, Calderon, Boozer, Tinsley, Ceballos: Explosive scoring. Rebounding won’t be an issue, I don’t think, if you can go Calderon-Durant-Marion-Boozer-Drummond, but interior defense will. Missing some Sly staples here, but this is a cool team. I’d like to see Durant have a deep run. It seems to me like he just isn’t as successful in WIS as I’d like him to be. Am I wrong? Sly is one of the guys to get him to the final four. This team reminds me of that Nash-led team that DH ran In the 52 or ODL that scored a f’ing ton of points. Good luck- I’ll be box score stalking to see if the formula around KD is a winner. Final take: Playoffs, If the chemistry works to offset the defense, this is a final four team.
Thomcat- K Malone, Dr J, Camby, Klay Thompson, N McMillan, David Lee, M Redd: I see no starter under 84 D, and I see efficient scoring, some rebounding and a balance of inside-out. I like that. Klay was a great pick. Had I taken Klay instead of Ewing, I’d be playing Bird at SF. I nearly flipped a coin. I don’t love Dr J but I matched up against him last season in the playoffs and saw his steady output. Camby was the “straw that stirs the drink” here- his clean D and rebounding will go a long way. Redd is a great back up to Klay- mirroring usage, perimeter splits and efficiency. Good work, Thomcat. Final take: Playoffs, potential division winner.
Jhsukow- H Whiteside, Kemp, Payton, Bobby Jones, Marques Johnson, G Dragic, JR Smith: Suffocating defense, strong rebounding, dynamic scoring guards on the bench (from the 6th)- interesting team. I might see one fewer complimentary guy in favor of one more scorer, but the foundation is here. Interested to see Whiteside fill it out. Final take: Probably a playoff team.
Milest- Barkley, Mookie, M Price, Tree, Weatherspoon, J Teague, A Bogut: Obvious marriage of Inside (chuck) and outside (Mookie/Price) scoring- I like that. Tree fits as a C, meaning Chuck at PF? I don’t like that. I like him at SF and I’m using his Oreb/EFG/FTA to bludgeon opposing front courts. Your team feels disjointed. Good 6th round picks, and Spoon is a solid minute filler. I think you rely on Price and Mookie too much to score. Final take: missing playoffs.
Mikee1- Bird, Nash, T Chandler, Ewing, Oakley, Jameer Nelson, Birdman: What were you thinking? This smells like a wet fart after that championship team. Ewing should be respected and adored, not forced to play 3rd chair to…wait a second…Bird, Nash and Ewing? Scoring in all zones, at high efficiency? Final take: I need to win games 130-129 to get in the playoffs, but if I can, I’ll get blown out to the superb offensive teams that I will not be able to keep up with.
Bds9992- Penny, Ben Wallace, B Russell, Vince Carter, Moncrief, R Miller, J Donaldson: Missing the value of a primary scorer. Penny is most successful as Best Supporting Actor-can’t carry the franchise by himself. Like putting that Hemsworth dolt in as the new Will Smith in the Independence Day sequel (20 years later, ouch)…Big Ben and Russ should rebound enough to give you an advantage, but is the Carter/Reggie combo enough scoring to win you games? I think the aliens win this time. Final take: Lottery team
Omagax- D Jordan, KG, Gobert, Buck Williams, B Barry, Avery Johnson, Antonio Daniels: Waiting until the 5th to take your first guard is risky, but Brent Barry is a good payoff. The downside is that you’re starting Avery Johnson. I don’t see much usage here, which will drag down KG. Lots of rebounding, though, with great defense as well in the front. Don’t think you have enough scoring to compete here. Lottery potential. I could see this team crushing on the boards and still losing games handily. Final take: Missed playoffs.
Longtallbrad- Hakeem, Billups, Boerwinkle, Gerald Wallace, Greek Freak, J Farmar, Valanciunas: Boerwinkle is a cool pairing to Hakeem. Billups will make sure you don’t get -2/-3 most games, I think. Solid D all around. I had counted on Farmar in the 6th as the backup to Nash. I like his capability as a PG over 22.1%. This feels one scorer short. Is Giannis the guy to fill that void? I suppose Wallace and Giannis fill in as scorers 3A and 3B. Could be enough. Final take: 50/50 on the playoffs
Copernicus- Duncan, Kidd, Frazier, Amare, Cedric Maxwell, Sabonis, Kukoc: Love the risk behind that Kidd season you’re using. The team looked very light on the boards prior to that. Duncan/Amare is a cool front court pair. Sabonis an outstanding backup to either. Will there be enough 3’s? The defense is here, the usage is spot-on. I don’t know if Cornbread was the guy, but he doesn’t upset the balance. Hopefully that Kidd season isn’t a sim poison. Final take: Playoffs.
Samuelyork- Draymond, A Gilmore, Grant Hill, Rondo, Kyle Lowry, A Robertson, D Blair: A-Train in the 2nd, Rondo and Lowry in the 4th and 5th. If Grant Hill was any of the guys you could have taken before you took Rondo, I think you’re better off- with the exception of Dana Barros. Is Grant Hill a derailer? I think so. Use the higher usage A-Train season where he’s over 22.1, and paired with an efficient Parish season, you’re looking pretty good. But you took Hill. Final take: out of it.
Pennsylvania- Magic, Oscar, Jerry Lucas, Mel Daniels, Korver, Peja, Greg Oden: You’ll need Lucas and Daniels to rebound when starting Korver at SF in this league. This team doesn’t scare me. I think you didn’t build in enough scoring, because none of these guys are going to consistently lead a scoring hierarchy, with the possible exception of Oscar in this setup. Final take: Missed playoffs
Eleibowitz- Stockton, K Leonard, Parish, Webber, Gatling, Mullen, Unseld: Great start, Great middle, really strong finish. This team is efficient, has enough rebounding (I think) to stay competitive, and plenty of passing. Seems short on minutes at first glance though- lots of guys at less than 34 MPG. Will need superb subs to make the final four, but this is a playoff team. Final take: In the playoffs, likely division winner.
Banditone- Mourning, Pippen, Barros, W Person, S Haywood, A Bynum, Robert Pack: 1st round: reach, 2nd round: feasible, 3rd round: ultra-reach, 4th round: SOLID! 5th round: Someone would have taken him.
6th: Bynum, nice! Pack, oh no….
Peaks and valleys, Bandit. Stars and scrubs. Final take: Lottery
6/4/2016 3:47 PM (edited)