ODLXLVIII Evals **HALFWAY DONE WITH PREDICTIONS!** Topic

As tradition dictates, I'll be giving my opinions on picks and team compositions as this draft progresses.



DISCLAIMER:  Everything that I write in this post is purely my opinion.  I have no idea what I'm talking about, and everything I type should be taken with a grain (read: dump-truck full) of salt.

Feel free to chime in at any point to add your opinion (which I will promptly steal and regurgitate as my own).
 

I will be borrowing certain formats used by past evals.  

 

  • For "Round One" I will discuss my thoughts on the specific players drafted and their general strengths and weaknesses.  I will also indicate their average draft position based on the previous six ODL's in a bluish color next to their names.
  • For Rounds One through Four I will also indicate a player's Fall, Rise, or Repetition in draft position from the previous ODL to the current one.  
  • For Rounds One through Three it is unlikely that I will write much about team composition or individual picks; unless I find a pick to be particularly interesting.  
  • After Round Four I will write a brief synopsis on what I believe the team will need in it's subsequent draft picks in order to succeed.
  • After Rounds Five and Six I will make a prediction (read: bad guess) as to which teams will advance to the playoffs, and which team will win it all!
6/25/2014 4:41 AM (edited)
Round 1 (Part 1)

#1- robocoach:  Lebron James (2.83, 1)

     
I would almost be willing to intentionally tank a season just to get this guy on me team.  He gives HUGE AMOUNTS of flexibility (something I value very highly in my first pick) to any team that drafts him.  Literally the ONLY statistic he's lacking in is OReb%, but that's the tiniest of prices to pay to have arguably the best player in the draft.  


#2- natenoy:  Wilt Chamberlain (2.00, 1)

     
I do not like Wilt Chamberlain in this league and I personally would not select him unless he dropped VERY deep into the first round.  In what most consider to be his best season ('66-67) he can only play the Center position, he shoots a lot of free throws at a VERY low percentage1, he has what I think is a sub-optimal Usage% for a first round pick2, and he comes at a MASSIVE price for a $47 Million league ($12,311,6413).  All that being said:  He also has some of the best OReb%'s in the league, a very good DReb%, non-existent fouls4, a disgustingly large amount of total minutes, and above average defense.  Some might argue that you gain back some of the value from this monetary monster by not having to pay much (or anything at all) for a backup.  I would still have a hard time building a winning squad around him, but I'm also a total scrub.


#3- jhsukow:  Dennis Rodman (4.17, 0)

     
I absolutely adore The Worm.  I love the attitude and intensity he brings to whatever team he's on5.  His OReb% comes in at a whopping 17.1%; his DReb%, a 31.6%.  His defense is also fantastic, but here's the real kicker:  He can bring all these stats to the Small Forward position!  He leaves you all kinds of options for your other positions.  Sure, his Usage% is fairly low for a first rounder, BUT COME ON!  How can you not love this guy?
 



#4- smokey57:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4.50, 1)

     Always a solid pick.  He's a jack of all trades, having a good OReb%, DReb%, Defense, Usage%, eFG%, good Ast% for a big man, and hefty minutes at the Center position.  Like most top tier usage guys, he tends to turn the ball over and foul a lot, but that can be easily negated with your other draft picks due to his all-around assets.  Jabbar is a little pricey for my blood, but I can see him taking a team far.


#5- amerk1180:  Michael Jordan (4.00, 1)

     
"For the third pick of the 1984 draft, the Chicago Bulls select:  MIIIICHAAAAAAAEL JOOOOOOORDAAAAAN!" is something I frequently find myself saying before a clutch shot of a spirited game of H.O.R.S.E. (or beer pong)6.  There's a certain amount of mysticism attached to the name of Michael Jordan, which is partly why I believe he tends to get drafted slightly higher than I think he should.  He does a lot of good for a team (good defense, top tier Usage%, decent Assists and Rebounds for his position), but he just seems very "meh" to me this early in the draft.


#6- jcred5:  Larry Bird (14.67, 1)

     I said it last season and I'll say it again, I think picking Larry Bird this high is a mistake.  He has a good DReb% for a small forward, but very few 3's (unless you're going for a lesser Defensive season) which you'll have to makeup for with your other picks.  If you want to play him at the power forward, his DReb% becomes average, but his OReb% is abysmal for the position.  He's a good player with good stats, I just wouldn't select him anywhere lower than 16 or 17.


#7- jhsukow (via tarheel):  Karl Malone (7.50, 3)

     
The mailman is a fantastic player and he deserves to be picked at this point in the draft.  Some of you might be thinking, "But, Postage, Karl Malone and Larry Bird have similar statistics and weaknesses!"  To which I respond, THESE ARE MY EVAL'S AND I'LL TYPE WHATEVER PLEASES ME, PEASANTS!  In all seriousness7, Karl Malone's weak OReb% for his position is still almost double what Larry brings to the table, and you have a larger variety of seasons to choose from (which adds flexibility!!! <3).  The mailman is very... consistent.  Also, he has a top tier Usage% and a fantastic eFG%.  Karl Malone > Larry Bird (in the sim).


#8- felonius:  Shaquille O'Neal (10.00, 2)

     
The Shaqtus, The Big Diesel, Shaqfu, or as my friend and I affectionately refer to him as:  Fat Shaq.  He summed up by saying he does everything Karl Malone does, but exclusively at the Center position, with more OReb%, and waaaaaay worse from the charity stripe, which is bad news considering his high FTA's8.  All in all, a good pick.


#9- seapilots:  David Robinson (12.00, 3)

     
Basically a skinnier Shaq from a sim standpoint, but with a better Freethrow% and worse eFG%.9


#10- superrobb420:  Moses Malone (4.33, 1)

     
WHAT IS MOSES MALONE DOING AT NUMBER 10?!?  He has Rodman-esque OReb%'s, solid (but not great) Usage%, decent defense, good eFG%, good total minutes, and all at a reasonable price.  I would personally take him at pick #3 for how good he is all-around (flexibility!).  You can go fo' fo' fo' with him, with the right supporting cast.10


#11- jkaye24:  Dwight Howard (8.00, 3)

     
As good or better than Shaq and The Admiral.  He has basically the same strengths and weaknesses as Shaq.


#12- eleibowitz:  Kevin Durant (12.67, 2)


     The Slim Reaper has a reputation of looking good on paper, but lacking a certain oomph in the sim.  He can be played as a small forward, but absolutely shines at the shooting guard position.  He has a top tier %Usage, good 3's, great from the charity stripe, great eFG%, decent Defense, good Assist%, and FANTASTIC Dreb% for his position.  If anyone can make KD work, eleibowitz can.

 

 
Footnotes____________________________________________________________________

I'm not sure whether the amount of FT's a player shoots in the SIM is related to a player's RL total FT's or their Usg%.  Feel free to correct me here.

Be prepared for hypocricy in the next paragraph as I splooge myself talking about Dennis Rodman.

Yikes!

For those of you that didn't know, Wilt Chamberlain was OBSESSED with not fouling out.  He would literally stop playing to avoid committing his final foul, no matter how close the game.

I'm starting to sound like smokey, here ;)

Usually drunkenly and to the general annoyance of my friends.

As much as I can muster, anyway.

See footnote 1.

I swear, I'm not getting progressively lazier with each write-up!

10 I suppose that can be said with just about anybody selected in the first round.

6/25/2014 6:15 AM (edited)
Round 1 (Part 2)

#13- scudmissle:  Artis Gilmore (16.336)

     
There are several things I really like about Artis Gilmore; He has a great OReb% and DReb%, he has a very high eFG%, he gets fouled A LOT, he has great Blk%, an above average defense at the season I would use, and he sports an awesome 'fro.  That's a lot of stats he covers for your team1.  His flaws (high turnovers/fouls, mid-tier Usage%, can only play Center) aren't so great that they can't be easily supplemented by a strong supporting cast.  If you use his '75-76 season, he comes at a very reasonable price.
     I picked him 15th overall in ODL XLV and he enabled me to win my division and get second place in the conference by one game.  The season before that he was able to help Tarheel DOMINATE the regular season (only to lose in the second round, like me).  He helped thisredbox make it to the second round as well, before falling to one of my other favorite afroholics (more about him later).  Maybe scud can break the second round curse.



#14- theyard2:  Ben Wallace (19.834)

     
Big Ben!  That's two fantastic afro's taken in a row!  Coincidence?  Probably.  Am I kind of upset Ben Wallace didn't fall to me for the second draft in a row?  Definitely.  Was he taken a little earlier than I think he should be?  Yup.  Am I going to stop asking myself questions?  I probably should.
     There are typically two types of first rounders taken in this draft:
  1. Guys who are really good all-around players that cover lots of different stats for your team that afford you flexibility in later rounds (your MJ's, Kareem's, LeBron's).  And then there's....
  2. Guys that are VERY good at their respective talents (Rodman, Stockton), that allow you a different type of flexibility (I don't have to worry about assists or rebounds as much anymore!).
     Ben Wallace obviously falls under the second category, in that he gives you monster boards, and reaaally good defense at either the power forward, or center positions.  He doesn't touch the ball much other than that, but he offers, through addition by subtraction, something that I feel like doesn't get enough mention:  When he touches the ball he almost NEVER turns it over, and for a big man with lots of blocks and good defense, he RARELY fouls.  He's a statistical anomaly for his position.  Try to find another player who grabs over 20% DReb's, 10% OReb's, has less than 3 FP48, and less than 2 TOP48 (hint: there isn't one)2.


#15- mcdarsh:  Dwyane Wade (13.502)

     
As a Mavericks fan, I will NEVER, EVER forgive Dwyane Wade for 2006.  As a GM in the ODL, I really want him on my team.  He's a type 1 first rounder in that he give above average rebounding at his position(s), good Ast%, top-tier Usage%, efficient shooting, and lockdown defense at either the point guard or shooting guard position.  He doesn't foul much, and he also shoots a metric ton of freethrows3.


#16- coachcroft:  Magic Johnson (19.005)

     
Magic is an odd mixture of that type 1 and type 2 first rounder.  He has good all around statistics for his position (15%+ DReb% from the point!), and he basically eliminates your need to draft another guy with assists (35%+ Assist%!).  He gets lots of FT's and he has pretty good Usage% and eFG%.  His only real downsides are he doesn't shoot many 3's, and his defense is sub-par.  He's pretty much like a lesser Chris Paul... Oh wait, CP3 was still on the board?4  Whoops.

     
#17- slymonium:  Chris Paul (12.672)

     
Hey, look!  It's a better defensively, higher Usage% version of Magic Johnson.  What the heck is he doing way down here?  Nice steal, slymonium.


#18- postage:  Charles Barkley (14.002)

   
 Uuuuuuuuuuuugh.  WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF?!?5  I've never valued average pick position in my past drafts, why did I do it this time?!  Reasons why I currently hate myself:
  1. Unless I force myself to pick a lower defense version of Barkley (and I REALLY like having a strong defensive team), I'm stuck with him at Power Forward.
  2. Even though his eFG% is awesome, his Usage% is second-tier.
  3. Even though his OReb% and Total FT's are good, his DReb% for his position is average.
  4. He fouls and turns the ball over a lot.
It's okay... ncmusician won a championship with him 3 seasons ago... I CAN DO THIS!  Plus, the Round Mound of Rebound is one of my favorite players to ever.  What can possibly go wrong?6


#19- ashamael:  Tim Duncan (20.172)

   
 The Big Fundamental, AKA the guy I wanted to draft.  He does everything Charles Barkley does with way better defense, slightly worse Dreb%, slightly high Usage%, but significantly lower eFG%... eh, maybe my pick wasn't soooo bad.


#20- dh555:  John Stockton (21.173)

   
 Another type 2 first round guy.  Assist?  He's got that covered.  He has what I consider third-tier Usage%, but with really good eFG%.  I personally wouldn't draft him here, as I believe Assist% is overrated (but what do I know?).  He also plays surprisingly strong defense with a rating of 80.

#21- benhoidal:  Julius Erving (22.831)

     
Dr. J!  AKA Wade-lite.  I love this guy!  He has great defense, top-tier Usage%, great eFG%, loads of FTA's, and as a type 1 first rounder, he also has good assists and rebounding for a shooting guard (he can also defend the small forward position with that MASSIVE 100 Def).  Oh yeah, and did I mention he had7 an awesome Afro?
     His weaknesses:  High fouls and turnovers, not a three-point shooter, and he cut his 'fro once he joined the NBA.
 
   
 He will always have a special place in my heart for giving me my first championship.


#22- mikee1:  Jason Kidd (25.834)

     
There are a couple of directions you can go with Jason Kidd, but I think my favorite season of his is the '09-10 one.  In that particular season, he shoots way way way less freethrows8, but it's one of his only good seasons where he shoots a greater than 50 eFG%,  which includes lots of 3's from the point guard position.
      I would almost call him a type 2 guy, because his high Assist%, except for the fact that Jason Kidd is a monster on the boards for a point guard.  You can even go with one of his high Usage%, lower eFG% and get upwards of 20 DReb%!9  All in all, he's a great point guard with that offers a lot of flexibility for your team.



#23- iccoachb:  Scottie Pippen (28.74)

     
AKA Dr. J-lite, AKA Little Little Wade.  This is his first time in the past six ODL's that he's been drafted in the first round, but he almost always goes top 3010.  He's a type 1 first rounder (early 2nd rounder?) and does pretty much everything the Doctor does, except with a second-tier Usage%, slightly worse defense, and eFG%.  His weaknesses are even virtually the same.  Overall, I don't think he's a bad pick at this spot, especially if you have strong shooting guard and small forward scorers in your division (which remains to be seen).


#24- banditone:  
Bill Russell (20.672)

     Although it goes without saying, Bill Russell's low defense in the SIM in a travesty.  Having gotten that out of the way, I like to use his best defensive season ('68-'69)11.  In that year, although not his best, he still has very strong rebounding, and a good Assist% for a power forward/center.  He's a great building block at #24.



Footnotes____________________________________________________________________

The afro, of course, being the most important.

2 Did I mention he has a 100 Defense?

3 Picture me wearing a tear-stained 2006 NBA Finals shirt, screaming like only Shatner1 can, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADE!!!"

4 Here I go, asking myself questions.  When will it end?  ;)

5 Not here, obviously.

6 I'll see you in the draft next season, LeBron!

7 Had* being the key word.  He was like a modern day version of the Biblical Sampson.  He was never quite the same afterwards.

8 99 total freethrows!?!  He used to be a driving machine!

9 Not to mention significantly higher FTA's.

10 In ODL XLIII, XLIV, XLVI, and XLVII he went at EXACTLY #30.  Talk about consistency!

11 You can also opt for a worse but still above average season defensively, and squeeze out another 6 DReb%.  You'll also get more minutes at a larger cost (not worth it in my opinion).


Sub-Footnotes___________________________________________________________

1 
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!


WHAT'S THIS?!  A footnote within a footnote?  Inception!
6/25/2014 9:44 PM (edited)
The "All-Afro First Rounders"




Honorable Mention:









6/25/2014 7:54 PM (edited)

Evals Through Round 3


Atlantic 
   

robocoach
: Lebron James (2.83, 1), Tyson Chandler (16), Kevin Love(12)                

     This team terrifies me.  Robocoach picked one of the most flexible players and just absolutely nailed his supporting cast (so far).  He pretty much has all his big needs covered:  Strong rebounds, good FT's, good assists, TWO top-tier usage guys, two strong 90+ defenders, and plenty of 3's.  It's going to be very, very hard to mess this team up.1

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  ????
2





iccoachb
: Scottie Pippen (28.7, 4), Serge Ibaka (18), UPDATE: Tree Rollins (8)

     Great defensive squad so far with fairly decent all-around stats, but with a couple of question marks.  Scottie Pippen and Serge Ibaka are similar in that they both have decent to above average stats for their positions, if played at the correct spot, and very similar strengths.  This team has a few glaring weaknesses that I think are compounded by the fact that these guys are on the same squad.  iccoachb going to be forced to get either a point guard, or power forward/center that can shoot three's (both of which are becoming much harder to come by as the draft progresses), and in order to find that in later rounds, he'll likely
have to sacrifice other aspects, like usage%, rebounds, and maybe even assists.  I think by picking both SI and SP, he nullifies whatever advantage he gains by having players like them on his team.

UPDATE:  iccoachb selected Tree Rollins for his third round pick.  Although not a bad pick, this doesn't address one of his biggest needs.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  3PAPG





natenoy
: Wilt Chamberlain (2.00, 1), Jerry Lucas (13), James Harden (38)                   

     I don't understand or like the Jerry Lucas pick.  He as a lot of the same strengths as Wilt and similar weaknesses.  I feel like this might be a rare example of too much of a good thing (at the potential expense of other equally important things).  Maybe nate knows something I don't; which is why I'm going to address this team using direct quotes3 from the G.M. himself.

"you REALLY need to be careful with the usage% of all your remaining players."

     ...Which makes me wonder why you wouldn't pick a higher usage guy in the second round.  You had a top tier usage guy in Kevin Love, just sitting there, waiting for some Love'n.4  

"His ast% means you can do fine without a 30% ast PG"

     Did I
 mention that Love adds even MORE assists for a big guy, allowing you more flexibility to play someone like...say... James Harden at the point guard position?

"the killer in this league is you have $47m for 5 positions or $9.4m per position."

     What about the other seven guys on your squad?  I think you need to reserve at least $7 mill for your backups (I personally prefer around $13 mill).  With your first three picks you're potentially using up about $28 mill of your $40 mill starting lineup budget.  Filling out this roster, while still have decent backups, is going to be difficult, but definitely not impossible!

"For me the key is to keep Wilt as the 3rd highest usage player on the court at all times that way you can hopefully maximize his insanely high efg%"

     Thankfully this is still totally do-able with several available players.  Even though I don't care for the Lucas pick, this team can still easily be turned into a playoff contender with a strong finish in the draft, shoring up any weaknesses.5

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Usage% and more Defense






coachcroft
: Magic Johnson(19.00, 5), Shawn Marion (10), Chris Webber (70)               

 
   Another interesting squad with good balance and a lot of flexibility.  If you manage to nab a PF with 3's, you can even play Shawn Marion at SG, and Chris Webber at SF.6  Lots of interesting and potentially fun possibilities.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  3PAPG and OReb%






theyard2
: Ben Wallace (19.83, 4), Manu Ginobili (4), Steve Nash (3)                   

   
 So far, theyard2 has almost replicated the exact same team that I wanted to build before the draft started, and before Wallace didn't fall to me.  This team has fantastic potential.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  More Defense and More OReb%




postage
: Charles Barkley (14.00, 2), Anthony Davis (
?), Deron Williams (9  

     I'm as excited to use Anthony Davis for the first time as I am bummed that I have to use him with Charles Barkley.  He's like a cheaper Kevin Garnett/Elton Brand.  I'm surprised Deron Williams fell to me, but I really shouldn't be.  He's a pretty good point guard with lots of assists, decent boards for a PG, good eFG%, and second tier Usage%.  He gets to the free throw line a lot, like my other players, but he doesn't shoot that many 3's; which is a big need for me right now.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  3PAPG and More DReb%







Central
7       

jkaye24
: Dwight Howard(8.00, 3), Donyell Marshall (14), Ray Allen (12)                   

     If jkaye24 finds a point guard or power forward that can shoot threes, he can REALLY make it rain.... or he can do the more logical thing and focus on his few needs; which, depending on where his fourth round pick is8, might be difficult to do (but probably not).  I've also noticed that neither Marshall nor Allen get to the foul line much;  Howard, however, has no difficulty doing so.  Uh oh.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Assist%9   





eleibowitz
: Kevin Durant(12.67, 2), Horace Grant (5), Andrei Kirilenko (29)

   
 If you were to combine this team's ridiculous wingspan, you could potentially have the world's greatest hug.10

     
Kevin Durant is great, in that he offers a lot from the shooting guard position, but like I said earlier, not as much from the small forward, because I prefer to have more rebounds from that position.  Horace Grant is a fantastic pickup for this team, because he gels really well with your first round pick, and has decent assists and GREAT rebounds for a small forward and... wait... wait a minute.  You drafted Andrei Kirilenko, A.K.A. "AK-47", A.K.A. "lil' Durant."  I'm just... what?
     I don't understand!  YOU HAD IT!  In one fell swoop you took a great small forward and made him an average power forward.  Don't get me wrong, in the right circumstances I really like Kirilenko (he's one of my all time favorites to watch); these just aren't those circumstances.
     This team's saving grace is that Kevin Durant brings so much to the table as a shooting guard, that this team still has great all-around stats.
     With one pick you made what could have been a GREAT team, into a pretty good team.


Biggest needs for the next few rounds:       I'm actually not sure, as this team is still pretty well rounded.  Probably more rebounds?





smokey57
: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (4.50, 1), Tracy McGrady (26), Wes Unseld (32

     I have no idea which seasons you will be choosing for Kareem and Wes.  There are so many different possibilities.  With Tracy McGrady, you don't have to worry as much about Usage%.  With Wes Unseld, do you pick a cheaper season, with lower rebounds and higher assists?  Do you select the Kareem with better defense, but lower OReb%, and supplement that pick with a one of Unseld's higher OReb% seasons???  THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS.

I'll see you in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds, Bart Scott.
www.youtube.com/watch

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  More Defense and More Assist%





tarheel1991
: Joakim Noah (20), Mookie Blaylock (3), Andre Drummond (56), Camelo Anthony (67)    

     
This team doesn't have the best eFG%, but they'll have lots of three pointers, lots of assists (especially if you use Noah's '13-14 season11), and, with Drummond, lots of OReb% to make up for it.  This is an interesting team, for sure.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  More Defense and more Usage%.






felonius
: Shaquille O'Neal (10.00, 2), Bill Walton (1), Clyde Drexler (24)

Updated: I have no idea why I decided to choose the seasons that I did for Drexler/Walton, but I was rightly corrected as to the better choices... so without further ado:  felonius team evals for rounds one through three version 2.0.

     This team has an incredible amount of flexibility.  You can play Drexler either at shooting guard or point guard, knowing that Shaq and Bill have high Assist% for their positions.  "The Glyde" also has decent three point shooting, so you don't have to stress too much about filling that role with either your small forward or PG/SG.  There are lots of options left for this team.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Probably less fouls/turnovers, more Assist%, and few more 3PAPG.






amerk1180
: Michael Jordan (4.00, 1), Shawn Kemp (19), Gerald Wallace (2


   
 That's a lot of defense!  I predict most teams will shoot poorly against this one.  This team has a few holes to be shored up, but it's off to a great start.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Assist% and people who don't foul very much.








Footnotes____________________________________________________________________

1 ...and, seeing as how we share divisions, I sincerely hope he does.

2 Seriously, how can you go wrong with this team?

3 All of which will be selfishly taken out of context, to better suit my own needs.

4 See what I did there?

5 This can basically be tacked on to every single paragraph from here on out; which is why doing these evals at this point in the draft is kind of silly (but I still enjoy it).

6 ...or you can be boring and just grab a SG with good 3's.  It's up to you.

7 I thought it was interesting that this division's draft picks through the third round, with the exception of Walton and Wallace (which could have easily been the name of a 70's or 80's sitcom), were chosen earlier than they were in the previous ODL.  On average, each player was selected 15.5 spots ahead; largely in part due to Melo, Drummond, and Noah's '13-14 seasons. 

8 Even though it would be really easy to do, I'm too lazy to look it up.

9 ...and someone to magically take FTA's from Dwight Howard.

10 Just kidding, they're far too wire-y for that.  It would be like hugging a fence post.

11 Joakim Noah is the only player with an OReb% and Assist% over 20, while having a defense greater than 90.  Cool beans.

6/27/2014 11:49 PM (edited)

Midwest      

mikee1
: Jason Kidd (25.834), Kevin McHale (11), Buck Williams (4)                 

     I think what you're going to do is play McHale at SF and use the 09-10 Kidd (rather than play McHale at PF and use a higher rebound/low eFG% Kidd).  If this is the case, I'm not sure I like the McHale pick, because there were stronger SF's on the board at this point (LIKE MA BOI ANTHONY DAVIS1!!!).  He's not bad in that he has a decent Usage% to go along with a VERY good eFG%.  We'll see how this goes.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  More Usage% and to fill out the DReb%


 




scudmissle
: Artis Gilmore (16.336), Kobe Bryant (3), Elton Brand (32)

     
A strong team so far with great defense.  You just need to make sure your next guys don't foul or turn the ball over as much, since that's a serious weakness of Gilmore's.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  More assist% and Less fouls/turnovers.






banditone
: Bill Russell (20.672), Anfernee Hardaway (3), Sidney Moncrief (
?)            


     
There are still a lot of needs left for this team, and I'm not too sure I like to Moncrief pick this early, seeing as he wasn't even drafted in the last ODL, and the one before that he was drafted very late in the 4th round.  We'll see where banditone goes with this team with his next few picks, but I'm not too optimistic.


Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Rebounds and more Usage%





dh555
: John Stockton (21.173), Hakeem Olajuwon (7), Mel Daniels (15)        

 
   Another strong team with great all around stats and decent defense.  Mel Daniels used to be a staple in the ODL, but seems to recently fell out of favor (I'm thinking it's because of the increased emphasis on defense).  All this team really needs is maybe a little more usage and 3's from the 2/3.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  3PAPG and a little Usage%





seapilots
: David Robinson (12.003), Stephen Curry (28), Larry Nance (3)   

   
 DE-FENSE!  DE-FENCE!  This team can be great if seapilots picks up a good rebounder at the 4/5.  It's great that he has one of the most prolific and accurate three point shooters in the league, because Nance at small forward won't be shooting much.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Rebounds





slymonium
: Chris Paul (12.672), Chauncey Billups (11), Bob McAdoo (10


     It would have been miraculous if CP3 fell to me, but people can dream.  I don't know why you'd pick Chauncey Billups in the second round, when you already have Chris Paul.  On the other hand, you do have a ton of assists, great FTA's (at a reaaally high FT%), and decent backcourt defense.  Hopefully you can find good rebounds in the later rounds, because that's pretty much all you need.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Rebounds and Frontcourt Defense.









Pacific
  


ashamael
: Tim Duncan (20.172), Gary Payton (11), Patrick Ewing (22)

     
This is an EXPENSIVE team, unless you go with the 53% eFG Payton.  There's a lot of strong defense, but Ewing and Duncan aren't the best rebounders for their positions.  Hopefully you can find a good SF with rebounds in the later rounds.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Rebounds






mcdarsh
: Dwyane Wade (13.502), Marcus Camby (1), Bobby Jones (3)

     
Another strong defensive team with slightly fewer rebounds (then again Camby is a rebound monster).  A lot depends on mcdarsh's next few rounds.  Even though Wade is a Usage% KING, he needs a little help.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds:  Usage%

          




benhoidal
: Julius Erving (22.831), Kevin Garnett (2), Tom Boerwinkle (0)

     I loved the first two picks, because they're very similar to what I did last season, but I'm not sure I like the Boerwinkle pick.  I feel like you can get solid rebounds from late round bigs, but with Dr. J at shooting guard and Kevin Garnett at small forward, you are seriously lacking three's.  Unlike me last year, you didn't luck out with Curry falling into your lap, but there were still good options available in the 3rd.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds: 3PAPG




jcred5
: Larry Bird (14.671), DeAndre Jordan (
?), Alonzo Mourning (11)

   
 Decent defense, decent rebounds.  Hopefully you can find some good three-point shooting from your point guard and shooting guard positions!

Biggest needs for the next few rounds: 3PAPG and Assist%




jhsukow
: Dennis Rodman (4.140), Karl Malone (7.50, 3)

     
There's not much I can say about this team, except I actually really like this trade for jhsukow.  I totally think he can abuse the late rounds to support these two bosses.  We'll see!  It'll definitely be a challenge.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds: Everything but rebounds







superrobb420
: Moses Malone (4.331), Dikembe Mutombo (15), Oscar Robinson (13)

     I think the biggest challenge with this team is budgeting without devaluing the picks.  "Big O" brings a lot to the team (including PF's and TO's), but he doesn't shoot many 3's.  Despite getting good value from Malone and Mutombo (I think both were picked later than they should be), I really don't understand where Oscar Robertson fits here.  We'll see how superrob420 finishes this out.

Biggest needs for the next few rounds: 3PAPG and Cheap role players








Footnotes____________________________________________________________________

1 I'm probably a little biased here, because I'm pretty pumped to use him.

7/2/2014 1:38 PM (edited)
Did they address their needs after the 3rd round picks???

Yes:


robocoach-
Pretty much just needed to fill out the other positions to make this team strong, but I would have like to have seen a little more defense from his later picks.

natenoy-
You addressed your needs, but potentially at the expense of your either Lucas or Harden ($$$$).

theyard2-
Well done.  This team is nasty.

jkaye24- Emphatically, YES.

eleibowitz- Yes?  I need to take a closer look at this team, because I'm convinced there has to be a weakness somewhere...

smokey57-  Yup!  I think he's short on 3PAPG, but this team looks pretty strong.

tarheel1991- He didn't really get more Usage%, but looking back, does he really need it?  Maybe for his bench...  I don't know.  This is a Yes/No, partly based on the fact that I think tarheel can find decent Usage% to backup Carmelo.

felonius- I really like the Robert Horry and Ryan Anderson picks.  I'm actually kind of ******, because I wanted Horry as one of my backups.

amerk1180- Talk about strong defense!  Definitely met your needs with Harper, but I still think your team might be a bit high on fouls (and slightly lacking in 3's)

scudmissile- He met his needs... but I still really don't like the Fat Lever pick.  It's kind of nuts, thinking back (like 10 years ago), how Fat Lever used to be a first/second round fixture in the ODL.

seapilots- He got his rebounds!  Can't wait to see his 5th starter...

slymonium-  I love the Sanders pick!

ashamael- Moon and Iguodala are two players that I consider using every season, they address your salary issues (cheap players) and your rebounding!  Nicely done.

jcred5- I like your Calderon pick!

superrob420- I'm going to put you in the "Yes" column, but barely.

mcdarsh- Addressed his needs, because he decided to choose good seasons to do so.



No:

iccoachb-
 This is a kind of Yes/No.  I said he needed to get more 3PAPG (which he did), but that was under the assumption that Scottie was playing shooting guard, and Ibaka was playing small forward.  Now he's lacking in rebounds... 

coachcroft:  
Shawn Bradley?  I'm not sure why you would pick him in the 5th, as he's not exactly picked...  ever.  Even though Mr. Logo can shoot some three's, this team is still found lacking.

postage-
We don't need no stinkin' 3-pointers!

mikee1-  I just don't know.

banditone- Still no 3-point shooters.

dh555- No 3's?  No problem!

benhoidal- Even though Baron brings 3's off the bench, he doesn't play enough minutes to make a real impact in that area!  I'm starting to see a bit of a pattern in the "No" column.



PREDICTIONS:

WARNING:  Consider my predictions to be pure guesswork, because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
With that being said, I'll be ordering teams by conference from best to worst, and by best to worst, I actually mean who I will think will have the best to worst win/loss record by the end of the season.  A lot of my decision has to do with divisions. As some divisions are stronger than others, I might consider a team that I ranked 7th to be better than a team I ranked 5th, but I believe their record will be worse, as they have a stronger division.  Try not to be offended, as I really don't know what I'm talking about.


Eastern Conference:  

1)  The Round Mound of Eyebrow!!! (just kidding)

1)  Big Daddy- Thank goodness this team isn't in my division.  What gives this team the edge in my mind, is it's well balanced defense, and a nudging fear in the back of my mind.  I'm trusting my instincts on this one.

2)  Et Malleus ed de Iudico Dei- This was a pain to type out correctly.  Latin is a dead language, robo!  Let it rest in peace.

3)  The Round Mound of Eyebrow- My team may not shoot many 3's, but I think they shoot enough to punish anyone going -2 against me, which is all that matters in my eyes.

4)  Mookie Monsters- There are four drafted players on this team are from '13-14.  I anticipate several players expected draft positions to be shifted.  Any team after this one is a total crap-shoot as to where they rank.

5)  The Starters-  If you live by the 3, you die by the 3, but in the case of this team, I feel like there will be a lot more living than dying.

6)  Brianna's Warriors- Although I don't care for this team's defense as much, I really like their bench/starters.  They could easily finish higher or lower on these rankings.

7)  The Colorado Chronic-  This team can EASILY finish much higher than I have them ranked.  This is soooo hard :(

8)  Like a Bat Out of Hell-  Teams ranked 8-10 on this are all interchangeable as far as I'm concerned.  ALL of them have very strong starters, but I hate their benches.  I was very tempted to bump this team down to 10, as I have a very strong bias against James Harden.  He's an infuriatingly overrated player.  I hate his game.  If he even gave the SLIGHTEST OF SH*TS ABOUT DEFENSE... UGH.  Okay, my rant is over.1

9)  Guardians of the Galaxy-  Another solid team.  Why is this so hard?

10)  Unkept Beavers-  This team is the dark horse contender.  I think they'll struggle to make the playoffs, but if they do make it, I consider them a favorite to win it all.  The bench is just soooo bad.

11)  Shawn Bradley's Army-  How dare you disagree with my assessment of your Shawn Bradley pick!  Consider this my P.R.R.P. (petty revenge ranking placement).2

12)  Against the Odds-  I actually really like this team, but someone has to be last place.  If there is one team that I 100% expect to prove me wrong, it's this one.  I actually like the bench better than I like the starters.







Footnotes____________________________________________________________________

1 Just kidding.  How can anybody consider this guy a star player?  Sure he can make some impressive moves on the offensive end and get off his two points (and then proceed to talk trash to his defender), but then his guy scores on a wide open unguarded layup on the other end.  HEY, JAMES HARDEN, NEWS FLASH:  Your flashy moves and impressive finish are worth the same two points as your opponent's easy layup.  James Harden is like a really bad version of Dwyane Wade.  Don't even get my started on the way he flails his way to the basket hoping to draw the easy foul.  He gets so many bullsh*t freethrow attempts because refs reward him for his unbalanced, downhill romp through the paint, that it's almost reminiscent of Wade's 2006 playoff campaign.  I can literally go on for hours about how much I can't stand Harden's game, but I'll spare you guys.

2 Jokes.  Jokes everywhere.  I think that the Bradley pick is actually far better than I initially thought.  I really like this team, and the only thing I can think of that will actually hold it back is it's lack of 3's.  I thought you would get more threepoint shooters off the bench, like Roddy-B, but you didn't.  Expect to see a lot of -2 or -3 defenses coming your way.
7/8/2014 8:07 PM (edited)
You have a real job postage? This stuff takes a ton of time. Good read so far, thanks.
6/25/2014 8:35 AM
You are awesome, Postage
6/25/2014 8:58 AM
It took me 2 years on WIS to finally fully realize the true value of 66-67 Wilt and how to properly build around him.

You a 100% on regarding his major pitfalls. C only means you are locked out of any other C. Lower usage% means you REALLY need to be careful with the usage% of all your remaining players. And the killer in this league is you have $47m for 5 positions or $9.4m per position. His cap hit means you are $3m over budget at a position out of the box and that extra investment is locked into C and only C.

However, like I said it takes some time here to "get" everything this Wilt brings and how to maximize his advantage. One key is the areas where you can fade a category. The way I approach it is assume you will have Wilt for 48mpg (I always clear the bench in blowouts in this league and set Wilt for 48mpg, this will keep him close to 100% fatigue most of the season.)

His ast% means you can do fine without a 30% ast PG. His rebounding means you can take a few more weak players on the boards. His foul rate gives you the ability to take on some foul monsters. And his ultra low FGA to FTA ratio means you can take on some sharp shooters that rarely get to the line and still be ahead in the pf/fta battle.

For me the key is to keep Wilt as the 3rd highest usage player on the court at all times that way you can hopefully maximize his insanely high efg%. To do this and to avoid the penalty you need to keep a 6-8 point usage tier player on the court at all times. So I generally draft 2 players with at least 27.2% usage and EVERYONE else below Wilt's 18.5. The two high usage guys fill 48mpg at one position (went SG last time I had Wilt with a PG/SG/SF guy and a SG/SF guy.) The good news is that your other four draft picks have to be low usage and lower usage = less cost per minute in terms of the cap.

Its a very fine line to walk. Botch any pick and you will never get to 19,300 minutes but do it right and your team is an automatic contender with Wilt.
6/25/2014 9:01 AM
Btw postage the key to shooting FT's in the sim is the RL FGA to FTA ratio, at least that's my observation. Just take a look at last season, the correlation between the RL ratio for teams and the ratio in the sim is direct and very high.
6/25/2014 9:10 AM
Thanks rob and nate!
6/25/2014 3:30 PM
Posted by superrobb420 on 6/25/2014 8:58:00 AM (view original):
You are awesome, Postage
Yeah postage great Evals. Very fun to read your footnotes are awesome.
6/25/2014 7:09 PM
Thanks, eleibowitz!  I'll update round 2 tomorrow.     

6/25/2014 9:42 PM (edited)
Posted by natenoy on 6/25/2014 8:35:00 AM (view original):
You have a real job postage? This stuff takes a ton of time. Good read so far, thanks.
So do you have a day job? No way you are working AND married and finding this much time to post.
6/25/2014 9:49 PM
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