Alright folks, the evals begin. I’m going to use dh’s star rating system from last year because I like it. Keep in mind, this is the first time I’ve had to do the evals (and the task feels daunting) so feel free to flip me **** for any reason whatsoever.
24. iccoachb - Jason Kidd, Julius Erving, Paul Pierce, Robert Parish, Charles Oakley, Eddie Jones, Shane Battier
coach! Not bad! Don’t get me wrong though; it’s nothing special. I dig Kidd and Erving on the turn. Your back court was set. Then Pierce in the 3rd threw that off because now you’re playing Erving at SF. I probably would have grabbed 2 bigs with my back to back picks. I’m not a fan of Chief, but he’s definitely serviceable. I assume you’re using his 91 D season (which comes with approximately 682 fouls). Oak fits your squad nicely. Jones and Battier in the 6th confuses me. You have two usage monsters in Erving and Pierce then you draft those two clowns to back them up? This team was well on its way to 3 stars before Jones and Battier appeared on the scene like a flaming pile of dog shat.
**
23. mikee1 - H. Olajuwon, Anfernee Hardaway, Chris Webber, Mel Daniels, Chris Andersen, A. Horford, W. Person
This team screams unorganized to me. You have decent pieces, but I would not have collected that group of players. With the shift toward defense-first teams, Olajuwon fits that bill nicely. Unfortunately, it doesn’t change the fact that he will not lead you a chip. Penny is a great pick. I never really look at Webber, but I just did. I do like what I see, assuming you’re playing him at SF. Which it looks like you’re doing since you grabbed Mel D. in the 4th. I like Mel for his minutes and boards. I don’t like him for his fouls and his mediocre D and efg%. Birdman is a nice piece. Where’s Horford fit in? I like Person in the 6th. Feels like a middle of the pack team.
***
22. felonius - John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Donyell Marshall, Carlos Boozer, Gus Johnson, A. Robertson, K. Anderson
I’ve seen stronger felonius squads, but this is by no means bad. Stockton Pip and Marshall at the 1-3 should be feared. 3’s, dimes, D, boards = very nice. Boozer and Johnson up front should not be feared. Boozer will get you paint scoring at an efficient rate and he rebounds nicely, but he’s a ghost on D. Gus Johnson? I had to go look him up. I assume you’re using the 70-71 season for the boards. With his D, it’s too bad he can’t guard both bigs. Anderson is a nice backup but instead of Robertson I probably would have gone after another big.
***
21. tarheel1991 - Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Wes Unseld, Josh Smith, T. Brandon, C. Edge, S. Dalembert
Awesome back court! It would have been fun to see Magic and Oscar on the floor at the same time. Sure, they’ll turn it over more times than a burger flipper at in & out, but who cares. They do everything. Unseld is a perfect pick in the third. Not a fan of Smith, but he’ll bring his D to the table. Now you grab Brandon to fully commit yourself to the ultra high ast% theme. I like it in retrospect because you were able to get Sammy D and Edge in the 6th. I probably would have gone after my other big in round 5, but can’t argue with what you did. Nice Draft.
****
20. longtallbrad - Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tom Boerwinkle, Gerald Wallace, Bo Outlaw, A. Bogut, Mark Price
Not much to say about this team other than I dig it. Duncan and Ginobili to start? Very nice. I was high to think that Manu might make it back to me to pair with Ben Wallace. I was not happy with you. Boerwinkle is a great addition as is Crash. I don’t care for Outlaw but he is serviceable. Bogut works well with your squad and you finally get a PG with Price. Looks to me like a nicely put together team with the components to win.
****
19. jkaye24 - Larry Bird, Marcus Camby, Patrick Ewing, Maurice Cheeks, C. Weatherspoon, A. Varejao, C. Ceballos
Things that stand out to me: Defense, lack of 3’s and strong rebounding. I almost took Bird instead of Ben at 15. Camby’s boards, D and low fls/tos with Ewing doing the scoring and also playing some D of his own is a nice front court tandem that should help carry your team into the playoffs. Mo brings D and dimes but I would rather settle for lower D here to grab some 3’s. Weatherspoon is a great piece but I would have rather seen you go after some 3’s, especially after taking Mo in the previous round. Varejao and Ceballos are great backups for this team.
***
18. 98average - Dwayne Wade, A. Mourning, Andrei Kirilenko, Tree Rollins, Nate McMillan, K. Washington, D. Armstrong
A strong squad for 98. Defense, Defense, Defense. This is a scary squad. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is the lack of 3s and the ridiculous amount of fouls your bigs are committing. You will probably lead the league in fouls. I love the Wade and Mourning start and you’ve surrounded them with the right compliment of role players. If you can grab enough defensive boards and keep your front court out of foul trouble, you have a strong shot at the finals.
****
17. natenoy - Bill Russell, Andre Drummond, James Harden, Jerry West, Kenneth Faried, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George
Well, you got your rebounds taken care of in the first two rounds. I like it. Then a dose of some scoring with Harden and Logo. I still like it. How about some more rebounding with Faried? Sure, why not. I hate Carmelo though. I had been looking at George and wondering if the tradeoffs would be worth it. It seems like you’ll be light on assists. Intriguing squad nate. I like what you’ve done, aside from Carmelo and the light assists.
***
16. amerk1180 - Kevin Garnett, Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Swen Nater, Danny Green, Adrian Dantley, Manute Bol
Well amerk, sometimes you put together a good looking squad and sometimes you put together a squad that looks like this. Just not a fan of Garnett. But somebody has to take him. Love Curry and I kind of kick myself now for not taking him. You were on track with those two to be able to draft a team. Then you drafted two revolving doors. Green will probably be a staple in the 4th or 5th round from now on and rightly so. Now Dantley enters the fray. He, Dirk and Swen will be fighting over who the worst defender is. There’s you and Manute. He’s tall. Sorry buddy, not my fave.
*
15. slymonium - Ben Wallace, Shawn Kemp, Anthony Davis, Charlie Ward, Larry Sanders, Vince Carter, J. Tinsley
Wanted to go with another defensive-minded theme since it bode so well for me last season and didn’t see a better option than Ben. Kemp in the 2nd was a stretch since he usually goes in the 3rd. But I wanted that 100D season and his paint scoring so I could have two 100D bigs, with one of them able to get buckets. I’ll live with all his fouls and tos. Davis was still there for me to cherry pick in the 3rd. It was a no-brainer for what I had going. I normally like to have a PG by round 3, but I try to remain flexible throughout the draft. Ward in the 4th gives me D, 3’s and dimes. Now I need a SG. But LARRY SANDERS is still on the board when it gets back to me and I couldn’t pass on him. I’ll likely have him back up Davis and Ben. Carter isn’t my fave at SG, but he’ll work. Other than Tinsley’s turnovers, he’s a great super-sub PG with his asts and stl%. I’d have preferred to have more asts, but I still built a studly team. A totally biased 5 stars for me.
*****
14. logain - Artis Gilmore, Shawn Marion, Kobe Bryant, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Paul Millsap, Russell Westbrook
Hmmm, this team could surprise me either way, so I’m going say average squad here logain. A-Train is tough for me to build around. I always feel like I’ll have other options available to me to draft. But if anyone can build a squad for him, logain can. I’m always super-tempted to take Matrix whenever possible, but the last time I did I just didn’t get what I expected. Kobe fits in well with your squad, but he’s another guy I won’t draft. I considered Clyde over Ward, but opted for higher ast% and more 3s. Again though, he’s another nice fit for you. It’s about time Reed came off the board. Too bad his rebounding isn’t a bit better. Millsap was an excellent pick to back up your bigs. Westbrook? ick. I would like to see higher ast%, especially with Kobe taking a ridiculous amount of shots at a low efg%. I would also have liked to see a bit better orbd%.
***
13. dh555 - Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, Horace Grant, Amare Stoudemire, Andrew Bynum, K. Johnson, J. Nelson
Wow. What a juggernaut. Bottom half of the league defensively, but the offensive firepower should make up for it. It’s crazy you can get a guy like Durant at #13. Top notch scoring at a 56% clip at the 2 is a great piece to build around. Find some good role players that can play D and rebound and you’re good. That’s what you did. DeAndre with 67 efg%, boards and starter minutes. Nice pick in the 3rd with Ho’s 57 efg%, rebounding, D and low usage so that you can grab Amare in the 4th for a scoring punch from the paint. And why not grab Bynum in the 5th? He fits perfectly. Now you need dimes. I looked at KJ a couple of times. What’s he bring? Over 30 ast%, 54 efg% and some 3’s. Top it off with a Jameer and you’ve completed the juggernaut. Nicely done. Watch out for this team.
*****
12. eleibowitz - Chris Paul, Elton Brand, Joakim Noah, Paul Pressey, Kawhi Leonard, Jeff Ruland, Eddie Griffin
This looks like another classic eleibowitz team- tough. Paul at #12 surprised me, but it’s hard to argue with. His stats justify it, especially at a PG position where the talent in that top tier is so slim. Love the Brand and Noah picks. Really cool squad so far. Pressey should fit well, but he doesn’t shoot the long ball. The Kawhi pick surprised me. You desperately need threes, but I figured you’d grab another big so Brand could play SF. But then abandoning your theme altogether you grabbed Ruland in the 6th so maybe Kawhi is a super sub? Or Pressey? And finally, ignoring efg% altogether, you took another defender with Griffin. Great squad overall.
****
11. maglor1 - David Robinson, Kevin McHale, Marques Johnson, Derek Harper, Don Buse, Toni Kukoc, A. Iguodala
So much promise, then so much disappointment. You are going to get KILLED on the boards. I love the Admiral, but didn’t do well when I drafted him. Regardless, he’s a stud. So is McHale. So far, so good. Then Marques happened. He is an effective player, but he’s not the player you should have drafted. IMO, they are both SFs. Noah was on the board when you took Marques. Sure his efg% isn’t good, but everything else is excellent. Instead you left that piece of ripe fruit for eleibowitz. I like Harper and I hate Buse. I don’t think two swingmen in the last round was the right move either. Sorry maglor, I just don’t like this squad.
*
10. thomcat - Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry Lucas, Terry Porter, Chris Mullin, AC Green, Jason Terry, Marcin Gortat
Decent looking squad thomcat. Probably not a playoff team though. I don’t think you have the firepower to overcome your lack of defense though. I love Shaq. All those points at nearly a 60% clip with so few turnovers is excellent. I would have preferred to see a defender next to him in the post (Chandler was still on the board here), but Lucas isn’t bad. TP is the PG you needed so good pick there. Mullin is effective, but I just don’t like him in most situations. I assume you’re using the 80 D season of Green? Serviceable, but not spectacular. Terry and Gortat are good subs and I Terry is borderline 5th round material, but it just feels like you’re adding average to an already average team.
**
9. vancem - Dwight Howard, Gary Payton, Clyde Drexler, Anthony Mason, Dale Davis, A. Sabonis, Michael Redd
Once again Vance, you’re representing PDX well! Nice draft. Howard has done well here recently and he will continue to do so on your squad. I don’t know which season you’ll use (I’m sure it’s posted in the thread somewhere), but no matter. You have options depending on how the rest of the draft goes. I was set to take Glove at my spot in the 2nd when I impulsively chose Kemp instead. He’ll serve this squad nicely, especially with Glide beside him doing what he does best- a bit of everything. Now you need some low usage role players and you got them in Mason and Davis. I know you love to grab Sabonis whenever you can (as anybody should) so nice pick. Redd should serve you nicely as a backup. I think you have all your bases covered. D, rebounding, points, usage, assists. Your back court efg% may be a bit low, but this team is a contender for sure.
*****
8. scudmissle - Karl Malone, Dikembe Mutombo, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Lamar Odom, Ron Harper, R. Tarpley
Mailman is a stud. He’ll deliver, even on Sunday. However, just as in real life, his supporting cast will fail to do their share to get him that elusive ring. Mt. Mutombo isn’t bad since you need some low usage rebounding, but you are forced to decide whether you want the great boards or the great D since you don’t seem to get both in the same season. I probably would have taken Mr. Big Shot here (he’s treated me well the past two seasons) and chased my big man later. I feel like Jesus has been slipping the last several drafts due to his weak D and it’s probably warranted. However, he’ll get you those important threes, but if you had taken Billups in the last round, you could have grabbed Noah or somebody like that in this round. Now you need a PG and Rondo fits the bill. At least you have one defender in the backcourt and a ton of assists. He turns it over, but I think the asts and D make up for it. Not a huge fan of Odom, even though he does a little bit of everything (except get back on defense). Harper and Tarpley are serviceable role players, but you probably could have done better. Overall, this team just feels average to me and may have trouble keeping up.
**
7. pennsylvania - Charles Barkley, Bill Walton, Steve Nash, Rodney McCray, Cedric Maxwell, Kenny Smith, P. Ellison
Effective scoring and effective at being scored on. Pretty weak defensively, so hopefully you can outscore the other team. I just don’t like seeing Barkley playing PF at all. He should always play SF in my opinion. Can’t argue with Walton. Nash is always gamble since he’s so weak defensively, but he may work out for you here. McCray does a little bit of it all, except shoot the long ball. Once you took Maxwell, you locked yourself into Barkley at PF and not many threes. Smith is another weak perimeter defender. Now Ellison comes into the picture. Is Barkley playing SF after all? Will it be Barkley, Ellison, Walton up front? We’ll see. Regardless, I’ll probably try to draft your squad in my division.
**
6. steelers 821 - Kareem A. Jabbar, Bobby Jones, Brent Barry, Pau Gasol, Clifford Ray, D. Thompson, Greg Anthony
This team doesn’t frighten me- at all. It looks like you went the high efg% route with this team. I just am not feeling it though. Jabbar is fantastic, but he needs help on the glass- and doesn’t get it from anybody here. Jones is alright and fits your theme, but I would prefer to see either Chandler or Billups here. Brent Barry doesn’t do it for me either. He is effective, plays a ton of minutes and shoots treys, but he is a low usage guy with average D and average stats elsewhere. Pau also fits your theme. Now for a PG… Clifford Ray? Not a PG. David Thompson? Not a PG. Greg Anthony? Not a good PG.
*
5. tricky24 - Lebron James, Tyson Chandler, Serge Ibaka, Bob Lanier, Nick Anderson, Javale McGee, G. Dragic
Lebron at 5? Pure thievery. You have so many options now. Tyson was a good pickup at the end of the second. He probably should have gone higher. A couple of squads ahead of you should have grabbed him. So far, so good. I was thinking Ibaka would fall to me and A. Davis would go higher. Nice pick up with Serge. Lanier isn’t a superstar, but you don’t get superstars in round 4, you get role players and he’ll fill that 2nd scorer role for you. One gripe about him is that his scoring is midrange instead of paint, but he’ll do. Nick will get you some threes and few turnovers, but you’re now light on assists. Without looking, I’m going to say you’re only starting between 50-55 ast% which is low. I like to see 60 at least (my own squad barely scrapes by in this category). McGee and Dragic are solid backups. Decent squad, not blown away by it. Playoffs are possible.
***
4. banditone - Moses Malone, C. Billups, Kevin Love, Connie Hawkins, Jeff Hornacek, S. Haywood, G. Lehman
Another classic bandit team- not very good. Moses is a good pick. Lebron was who you should have chosen. As people might know, I like Mr. Big Shot right now, so nicely done there. You have a decent team right now. Kevin Love is just not somebody I’m drafting in round 3. I know he’ll be drafted, just not by me. Sure he can rebound and drop bombs from deep, but he’s not super effective and he’s so weak defensively that it’s just not worth it. You won’t be weak on the glass up front though. Connie is okay- but that’s it. Just okay. Same with Hornacek. They just feel like empty minutes. Then Haywood? What’s the thought process there? Are you using the 10mil season? If so, your highest usage guy shoots under 50 efg%. If he’s a sub, there were so many better subs out there. Lehmann? Please tell me you have a personal connection to him and that’s why you took him. It’s truly a terrible pick. I’m sure I’ve seen worse teams from you bandit, but this one isn’t great my friend.
*
3. jhsukow - Michael Jordan, Buck Williams, Larry Nance, Troy Murphy, Jose Calderon, R. Anderson, Grant Hill
Decent squad overall, but not blown away. I can understand the desire to take MJ. You must resist that urge if Lebron is still on the board. He is just statistically better. Buck is fine here, but if you were looking to win, you should have followed what I did last year and pair him with Chauncey. I just refuse to draft Buck. He’s efficient and he rebounds. But he turns it over too much, he fouls and he doesn’t have a 100D season, which IMO is the only thing that could balance out those negatives. Maybe I’m wrong here, but every time I look at him, that’s what I tell myself. I like Nance playing next to His Airness. Then Troy happened. Your interior defense just took a huge hit. Threes and defensive rebounds may help balance that out, but ouch. More threes and weak D with Calderon, but love the asts and low low tos. Then another Troy happened with Anderson. Grant Hill? He still gets drafted? This team does not wow me, which is a shame. MJ wanted another ring.
***
2. sixernuggets - D. Rodman, Bob McAdoo, Mookie Blaylock, Walt Bellamy, M. Richmond, C. Alexander, R. Beaubois
Well sixer, I think you’ve succeeded in drafting a stronger squad than last year. Unfortunately, you won’t make the playoffs. I get the Worm pick, but you just have to take Lebron if he’s available. Nice pickup of McAdoo this late in the 2nd. He’ll pair nicely with Worm. I also like Mookie’s defense, threes and assists. Not bad so far. Bellamy isn’t a great pick. Tons of minutes, high usage, below average efg% average reb% numbers and average D. But in round 4, I guess these are the players you’re going to get. Mitch is another high usg, below average efg% guy that I don’t usually draft. But since you have rebounding covered, why not. A couple of nice role players in Alexander and Beaubois is a nice way to round out an otherwise dull feeling draft. Probably missing the playoffs.
**
1. smokey57 - W. Chamberlain, D. Williams, Tracy McGrady, Antonio McDyess, D. Roundfield, J. Dumars, C. Dudley
And last, but not least: smokedawg. Smoke, if there was a way to underutilize Wilt in the scoring department, you found it. Is he your lowest usg starter? At 68 efg%? Not how I would have tried to work him into the offense. I probably would have taken Mookie over Deron, but hard to argue too much on your decision. Not sure TMac was needed, but I can understand the pick. You have your assists covered and you want a chucker. I’m curious why TMac over Kobe? They have similar stats, but Kobe has 90 D. McDyess? What’s the draw on him? I think he fouls a lot if I remember correctly. He also only has one or two decent defensive seasons right? Same with Roundfield. Doesn’t he foul a ton? My team fouls a ton, but they are also 90 or above defensively. Dumars does two things: shoots okay and has a high D rating. Doesn’t rebound, doesn’t pass = don’t draft for me. And the Dud. That clown lost a bid for Governor (thankfully) here in the great state of Oregon back in 20 ott ten. He’ll get another taste of losing on this squad. Sorry smoke, I just don’t think you put the right pieces around Wilt to make a run.
***
6/13/2014 6:03 PM (edited)