Posted by jcred5 on 3/3/2024 1:40:00 PM (view original):
14. raggedclaws – Durant is a good selection at 14. I like using 2 seasons at SG and 3 at SF, but there are other options. I have hesitated taking SF early in the past because there’s so much SF value later in the draft. But KD can do it all and I think easy to build around. Whiteside is another good value pick, one of the most productive front court players when on the floor. I’m not a hug fan of Ginobili, but he fits well with this group. Solid in nearly every category and with KD you can often play him at the point.

Jarrett Allen is another good pick that fits well next to Whiteside. Great eFG, solid rebounds and D and a clean player. Horford in the 5^th is interesting. Depending on the seasons you like he plays some 3 and 4 and fit with the KD 2 and 3. Or maybe you’re going full KD at the 2 which I don’t love as much, although my 5 favorite Horford seasons are all SF. It’s good to have options too with 7 picks left. Javale and Ed Davis is another great pairing. You need FC minutes with Whiteside and Javale fit nice with him, Ed David is another SF eligible that definitely leans towards lots of KD at the 2.

Calderon is the first pick I don’t like. With KD and Ginobili you have enough 3’s and Calderson shoots pretty well, but not frequently and otherwise he’s a zero. Nit-picking in the 8^th and PG is getting thin. I like the Terrell Brandon pick better but understand he doesn’t have as many usable seasons #5 time Savage King robusk. David Lee is a solid SF/PF rebounder who scores efficiently. Two nice value picks to close out in Thomas Bryant and Mirotic.

I really like all but 1 pick, not sure I recall that in the past. Every pick seems to fit well and gives good options for team building. I’ll be curious to see how he uses KD. I believe I finished 3^rd with him but I think any of my teams were close to a championship. I recall being generally disappointed in his performance. I put him with Conley, Eddie Jones and Nance most notably and I was frustrated with his SG play and was moving him back and forth between the 2 and 3. I’m pretty sure I used the 16-17, 18-19, 15-16 at SF and then 12-13 and 13-14 at SG. I’m sure you’ll get more out of him than I did with a good chance at getting KD his first Savage season championship.

Overall Prediction: Top 5, probably top 3
Individual League Championship O/U: + 155
Savage Title Odds: + 500
Draft Grade: A

Currently 2nd, there's a lot of teams in competition for the 2-6 range I think - but I bet RC finish 2 - 4 at worst.

Highlights: Whiteside and Allen were great together. Bryant and Mirotic great picks late.
Lowlights: embraced KD at the 2 and it was a great build. Braver than me. And Horford great pick. Well done.

Posted by jcred5 on 3/3/2024 1:39:00 PM (view original):
15. riftonapple – Great start with AD. Not that he slid, but he’s great to build around. Rebounds can be a bit light, but he does everything really well. Gilmore I don’t love as much. He’s ok, but I think there’s more valuable players here. And if you’re going to take two bigs I’d rather you do it with someone who has position flex. Gilmore has some interesting seasons to choose from and can give roster building flex, with his big minute early career seasons with the higher boards and D or the later career high eFG at the expense of boards and D. Also he’s a towel machine, but at least you have very clean AD next to him.

Bobby Jones is a good player and you took him in a good spot, but he’s another one with very high towels. You’ll be looking at you team D and wondering how teams are scoring so much against you until you notice you’re average 20-23 fouls and TO’s each. Jones and AD I like a lot. Jones and Gilmore not so much. But if you pair them with plenty of clean players it can work. SGA is a bit of a reach. I like being aggressive with lower season guys, but I have him with 1 starting season and two helping. Late 4^th the guards are getting real thin and I’m not sure there were significantly better options. You need assists so maybe Lowry. 5^th pick is Pierce and it’s a bit early. I see Anfernee is still on the board. If you take Anfernee’s best and SGA’s best, you now have two emerging strong teams. Pierce is fine, but I’ve had been interested to see that Anfernee/SGA combo. Dejounte is ok. One season with great boards and solid elsewhere. Another pretty solid season. 3’s are a little light but looking at my team who am I to criticize that. Poeltl and Maxwell are real nice value. McMillan I like as a defender with steals and you have enough usage. Blake can be good and gives a little flex with Bobby Jones if you need to play him at the 4. I think Gervin is a good back up and a bit undervalued if you can make it work. I’ve had Lonzo Ball – hopefully you enjoy him more than I did.

Is this your first savage? If so welcome!!! I think you did pretty well for a first timer, if not still good. AD, Gilmore and Bobby Jones do a lot and you filled in behind them pretty well. You could do worse than 5 seasons of Pierce with these guys, but I wonder if you could have done a little better.

Overall Prediction: 6-12 range
Individual League Championship O/U: + 600
Savage Title Odds: + 1200
Draft Grade: B-

13 currently but could slide a depending on gerry or steelers performance.

Highlights: Not exactly breaking news that AD was a great start. Maxwell was added good value and Ball was predictably useless.
Lowlights: Missed a little on this one. Gilmore hurt more than I thought and combined with Jones fouled the crap out of teams.

Posted by jcred5 on 3/3/2024 1:38:00 PM (view original):
I’m glad I’m not doing 24 of these

16. ashamael – Solid start for Ash with Karl Malone. My metrics have KG, Kawhi and Bird a little higher, but not much and you may have used them before. And you may also be afraid of taking Kawhi based just on metics because you know what it feels like for Kawhi to put up 24 mins, 14 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast in a playoff game. F That! I’ll take Malone’s 27-7 any day!!! Sorry, I can’t do a Savage eval without taking shots at that looser Kawhi. Oscar is a good solid player but I think too early. Nothing wrong with the player, but I like several other players more. Camby is very nice next to Malone. You have all the assists you need now and good FC defense. Boucher is early, but he has one of the best per minute seasons so you have that with some other nice partial seasons.

Brent Barry is not my cup of tea. Hopefully playing mostly at PG behind Oscar. Batum is a pretty nice fit here. You can afford Kanter with you FC defense and A.C. is a nice clean player who doesn’t really hurt you anywhere. Okongwu is a nice value in small doses. Really like O’Quinn and don’t mind Sikma. Good dreb and solid D. De’Aaron Fox is likely to cost me a fantasy basketball championship because he can’t hit his damned FT’s so F that guy. But fine for a 12^th round Savage back up.

I find Ash’s teams the most difficult to eval. He’s so good at assembling teams I couldn’t see, so I’ll eval what I see knowing Ash will probably do better with it.
Overall Prediction: 6-12 range
Individual League Championship O/U: -+350
Savage Title Odds: -+900
Draft Grade: B

6th now but probably will slide a little.
Highlights: Karl Malone is a handful and I say under-rated. It was a great pick and Oscar too. More to the credit of Ash than my predictions.
Lowlights: Not much in my predictions, but I think this was probably the worst outcome for Ash with this team. We're all probably playing for 2nd and I see very little difference with these teams compared to whatever 2nd is

Posted by steelers821 on 3/3/2024 10:16:00 AM (view original):

9. jcred5 - Rudy Gobert, Larry Nance, Andrei Kirilenko, Clyde Drexler, Dirk Nowitzki, Fat Lever, Donovan Mitchell, Zion Williamson, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Mel Daniels, Gorgui Dieng

- Whats not to love above about Rudy Gobert(in the sim at least) he gives you an immediate advantage on the boards with fantastic dreb and good oreb, great efg and great defense. His usage isn’t even that low compared to some of his counterparts like DJ. With that said I still prefer to have a bit more usage with my pick i personally would’ve gone with Shaq or Kareem. Nance, boom 3 more 100 defense seasons. Nance is a lot of fun, decent efg, passable rebounding for SF and at least 3-4 low tov options. In fact I didn’t realize how many good seasons he had, IMO its not obvious which 5 to choose. You picked him about 12 picks earlier than hes been going in our 22-23 version of savage but i don’t consider that much of reach. Kirilenko, hmm I’m starting to notice a theme. Just looking at all of his seasons gives me a headache. Some with high efg but not 100 D or 06 where everything is fantastic except his TOV and efg. I’m not sure if I like this pick. Good defense is hard to find late so maybe it was smart to load up early but it just feels like there were more efficient offensive options. Ok so I’m assuming Clyde is going to be playing a decent amount of PG. I like that a lot. You finally answered the glaring lack of usage, while improving your team from a possession battle standpoint. His assists are also not terrible for a PG. When I look at the other high usage options available here this pick was definitely the right one. I love Dirk and sandwiching him between 3 100 defenders and a PG who is good on the offensive boards makes me feel like you planned on taking Dirk for a while. Dirk is going to get the line a lot for you and rarely turn it over so is meh EFG isn’t a problem. Dirk is a player who’s fantastic when the pieces fit well around him and you did that to perfection. Fat Lever is clearly always a great pick in savage. If I remember correctly, he could have the highest point total if he was drafted every season. Even by my more modest standards he only has 4 usable season but thats fine in the 6th. The seasons that he does have provide a major possession advantage and should fit well behind Clyde or next to him if need be. Mitchell and Zion both provide one really good season but not much else. I'll be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Al’s game but the low tov and good dreb will make for good enough backup to Dirk. Theo seems to be a fine match Gobert’s backup and Mel Daniels is a walking rebounding advantage for 2 seasons although not much else.

Overall I’m in love with the first 6 picks. I don’t think there are enough 3s but that’ll be fine until playoff season. Mitchell and Zion give you some best season flexibility for your starters but I do worry about your depth. My prediction is top 5 finish, with at least one title but a lack of 3s and depth keeps you from winning your second savage.

also

Posted by steelers821 on 3/8/2024 10:31:00 AM (view original):
sorry for the delay its been a busy work week.

10. berkelon - Shaquille O'Neal, Scottie Pippen, Jonas Valnciunas, Derrick Favors, Mike Conley, Kevon Looney, C.J. McCollum, Eddie Jones, Brook Lopez, JaMychal Green, Dewayne Dedmon

Shaq gives you a superstar center for 5 seasons. I’ll be honest I just Like Kareem more but clearly I’m in the minority there. His Oreb% is a plus, He’s a good defendor and at least never will need cover. His TOV is actually fantastic some seasons which is something I never realized about shaq. His ft% obviously is a bit of an issue but his low tov and high efg more than nullifies it. I really like Pippen other than one thing. His Usage is just a bit high for someone who isn't great from the line. Mostly has a tov above 13 and his ft% is low. On the flip side of that He’s an amazing defendor. Great D, Great stl% and even a good blk%. His assists give you flexibility at PG and his rebounding is plus at SG especially the SG season. One major thing required imo when building around shaq is lots of 3s. Well he at least has 2 seasons that provide that. Jonas has monster Drebounding and fantastic EFG. His defense is terrible though and he can’t be covered by 90% pf shaq but i see you kind of address that issue next. He has some 3s in a couple seasons but for the most part I think you’ve secured a -2 defense against your team. Derrick Favors can pretty much never be considered a bad pick. His 19 season is a work of art although you’ll probably have to play him at the 4 that season. He isn’t as clean of a SF fit as i thought but i know some of the better owners don’t mind playing lower usage seasons at 97/98%. I wish his usg was a little lower some season but I'm nitpicking a little. Conley has some deficiencies, but I think he was a great pick for your team. His rebounding is bad but you’ve gone strong with the boards your first 4 picks. His efg is meh at best but you’ve mostly got a team with high efg. He’s clean with his tov% especially for a pg. You also finally drafted a player with 5 seasons worth of 3s which i think was needed. I wish Looney had better defense but i think he’ll make a solid sf backup or even starter. It’s nice when you can fit him in at SG but i don’t think that will be happening. Love Mccollum other than his D. He doesn’t really turn it over, has pretty good efg at least for this round and takes a lot of 3s(wohoo) he’ll be a good backup for Pippen i think and decent enough behind Conley although you may be light on assists in those lineups. I don’t like Eddie Jones here. Thats back to back rebounding minuses now and I guess he’ll be pippen’s backup which makes me a little more confused about the Mccollum pick. His defense is good to be fair. Obviously has 3s and low tov. Feels like you could’ve found a better Backup for shaq but Lopez is fine I guess it just feels like you’ll be choosing between rebounding and efg because he doesn’t have many seasons with both. Green’s D is bad but he seems like a solid enough backup SF get for the 11th. Dedmon has a couple really solid rebounding and efg seasons and I think he was a solid find.

Overall I feel like this team is all over the place. I mostly like the players you chose but idk if i like the sum of the parts. I think you rebounding will be solid although you picked 3 negatives there and your efg should be good. This feels like a team in the 15-20 range although it wouldn’t surprise me if you went a little higher or lower depending on how you put your teams together.

Looks like I underestimated Berk. You’re sitting at 12 with room to grow.

Posted by steelers821 on 3/8/2024 11:40:00 AM (view original):

11. jethroeg - James Harden, Bob McAdoo, Buck Williams, Marques Johnson, Anfernee Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, Deron Williams, Maurice Lucas, Charles Oakley, David Thompson, Spencer Haywood

Harden’s usage makes him one of the easiest players to build around. He’s got the assists to always play PG and rebounding to be a plus at that position. Mcadoo, ugh why do you do this Jethro. That was about 80 picks early. He's got one good season and i suppose a couple of ok ones. I actually really like Buck. He’s a very good rebounder, his efg is good, his defense is solid and can usually be adequete even covering SFs. Obviously he fouls more than most would like and he turns it over quite a bit. I think Marques was great pick. Hes got a couple of SG seasons that I think fit very well next to harden. You don’t need 3s there and hes a big posession battle plus. I wish his two best seasons were availble at SG but I think they rebound well enough that you’ll be fine with them at SF. Makes me sad that Penny only has 2 good seasons. Idk if this was intentional but if marques plays 3 seasons at SG then a harden and penny could be the backcourt for those other 2. I really don’t like moving harden away from pg but it should be fine fine. Mcgrady and Deron Williams ok so nevermind Marques won’t be playing SG and i guess Harden will only be SG. Love Mcgrady but idk what he does for your team you have plenty of usage already. I suppose he is a good backup for harden if he’s going to be your SG. Deron Williams has a good season or 2. Obviously Maurice lucas is a poison pill. Oakley is a fantastic rebounder but he loves to turn it over and foul. I think if i didn’t know who else you picked I might like david thompson at SG. Haywood would at least make Savoy proud i guess.

Some pick I like but nothing fits. You might have one good team if you put the pieces together but thats all that will save you from 24^th place.

Shouldve bet Rob on this one lol.

Posted by steelers821 on 3/8/2024 3:43:00 PM (view original):

12. tarheel1991 - Nikola Jokic, Moses Malone, Jason Kidd, Sidney Moncrief, Otto Porter, Daniel Gafford, Carlos Boozer, Dan Roundfield, James Johnson, T.J. McConnell, Jamal Murray

I think we’ve all been watching what jokic has been doing the last 3 years. It certainly translates very well to the sim as well. Immediate assist flexibility, Great drebounding, amazing efg and even some 3s. So the issues and why he’s picked 12th is the other 2 seasons although good aren’t quite at that level, his defense is horrendous and you usually don’t want your center with that high of a tov. Moses the king of orebounding is a nice add to your first pick. He can play PF which is important next to Jokic and his defense should be 70-80 all seasons. The bad news with Moses is thats even more turnovers. How the hell is he going to grab an offensive board when you’ve already lost the ball. I’ll be honest I wasn’t super familiar with Moses game before now but his high tov and 3 seasons of lower efg kinda worry me. So Kidd is another player thats always confused me in savage. What seasons are supposed to be used. I assume 08/09 and 09/10 with there solid D, efg low usage and 3s but otherwise idk 12-13? I kinda like his 07 season. Idk I'm rambling but the point is its all kind of a mess and in the end its going to be even more turnovers. So far you have 3 rebounding super stars and 3 turnover kings. Is this a net positive or negative in the possession battle? I absolutely love Moncrief from the time I used him. Good backcourt pairing with kidd as well. He's got the 4 100D seasons plus the 54 efg 70 d season. I guess otto porter is the SG backup or I guess he could be a low rebounding sf? Or I suppose maybe more moncrief at PG that way all 3 can play. Definitely confused about those 3 together but I can see how it fits possibly. It is good that you finally stop adding to the turnover problem. 3s to go with all your paint monsters is good as well. I had him last season and was maybe a bit disappointed but he didn’t turn it over and he finished with 57ts% so I guess thats what you need. I do like gafford a lot as your SF. Its always nice just having a player with 65+ efg especially when you can get that rebounding at SF as well. Other than the assists Boozer is solid look alike backup for Jokic although without the assists. With those numbers it does feel like a steal to get him this late. I don’t understand Roundfield. I guess guys with more than 20 usage and less than 50 efg rarely clear my filters. But i suppose if you play him at SF his rebounding is good, and defense is very good. Love James Johnson he’s good a lot of fun options that could potentially fit just about any need at SF or SG. I don’t really get the Mcconnell pick. Imo stocking up on assists just isn’t worth the turnover problem you are just adding to. One of the best parts of jokic is you don’t need guys like kidd or mcconnell at pg. Now Murray is someone you do want at PG with Jokic both irl and on here lol. Much lower tov, 3s, and probably 2 seasons that should be helpful.

Overall I liked a lot of these picks but there are so many turnovers that I’m just not sure you can make the top 10. Rebounding should be fantastic, defense is up and down, efg should be mostly solid although Roundfield and kidd hurts things there. I think you’ll finish 10-14.

Looks like I underestimated tarheel as well. You should easily get top 10.

Big afternoon slate. Two games sevens for tarheel, I don’t wish that kind of stress on anyone, been there a bunch of times. Good luck with it, although you probably don’t need it. You’ve been on a huge a heater.

Raggedclaws can get his second team in; crucial for him. Good luck.

berk got two teams in the playoffs and took both of them to the conference finals. Huge accomplishment.

Steelers and Jcred in w5, good luck to you both.

Huge playoff flop by my guys but still love playing in these league and appreciate you all having me.

That is definitely the lamest way anyone has ever clinched the crown in the history of Savage. Didn't even get a finals team, first time that has ever happened. Lowest score to ever get a crown too. Most amount of parity we have ever had in the playoffs, what a wild ride the playoffs were.

Great job getting to finals teams tarheel.

6 out of the 10 finals teams came from teams outside the top 5 in wins. I don't think we have ever seen anything like that before.

Funny enough 337 is also the exact score I finished with the other time I had MJ.

Congrats Rob! You’re 100% the goat

Very ready for the next run with 23-24 players. I want that damn crown

Posted by dBKC on 5/8/2024 2:51:00 PM (view original):
Congrats Rob! You’re 100% the goat

Very ready for the next run with 23-24 players. I want that damn crown

Yes, excited and ready for the next savage with 23/24 players. It’ll be a nice shake up.

Posted by robusk on 5/8/2024 7:35:00 AM (view original):
Big afternoon slate. Two games sevens for tarheel, I don’t wish that kind of stress on anyone, been there a bunch of times. Good luck with it, although you probably don’t need it. You’ve been on a huge a heater.

Raggedclaws can get his second team in; crucial for him. Good luck.

berk got two teams in the playoffs and took both of them to the conference finals. Huge accomplishment.

Steelers and Jcred in w5, good luck to you both.

Huge playoff flop by my guys but still love playing in these league and appreciate you all having me.

Two straight Savages where I've had pretty insane playoffs luck. Two teams in the finals when I didn't have a single first-round bye. Win two game 7s with pretty absurd outcomes in my favor, after coming from down 3-0 in one the prior series with one of those teams. Nutty stuff.