Evals - F

Some supplementary evals, just for fun and because I had a couple meetings canceled.

1. logain - Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Ray Allen, Charlie Ward, Clarence Weatherspoon, Amare Stoudemire, Kirk Hinrich

Nothing really to dislike about this team.  Great scoring balance and very good efficiency from the scorers, decent defense and enough trips to the line.  Not a lock by any means, but the team to beat coming out of the gate and one of the clearest contenders I’ve seen in this league.  I’m not as big a fan of K. Malone in this theme as a lot of owners seem to be, but no question he’s a great offensive anchor for this team.  The starting five fit together really well.  Surprised Stoudemire fell this far, although he’s a weak rebounder as a starter in this league.

2. steelers821 - Lebron James, Horace Grant, Oscar Robertson, Cedric Maxwell, Charles Oakley,

I get the allure of a Lebron-Oscar experiment, but I’m not convinced this is the way to do it.  Grant and Maxwell are both starting SFs at this cap level, and the team needs a rebounding defensive center.  The guards may help out enough with boards to offset what the front court lacks in that department, but this crew doesn’t seem cohesive.  While these players are all sim staples, as a unit I don’t think the playoffs are in their future.

3. mcdarsh - Dennis Rodman, Buck Williams, Dikembe Mutombo, James Harden, Kenneth Faried, Gilbert Arenas, Derrick Rose

Picks 1-5 all belong in this league, although if one of Harden’s Rockets seasons is being used then I’ll confess I’m not a fan of high-volume shooters who struggle to shoot 50% in the sim.  Middling is actually low at this cap.  The front line of Worm, Buck and Deke (with Faried in the mix) will hold their own on the boards against most teams, but they need more reliable help from the backcourt to avoid getting blown out in the second half.  Adding Arenas and Rose to Harden cements a strategy that will win some battles but not the war – relatively low-percentage chuckers who dominate the ball.  Buck will have some 20-22 point games on a high-percentage, but it won’t be enough to right the ship on a regular basis.

4. vancem - Michael Jordan, DeAndre Jordan, Bob McAdoo, Nick Anderson, AC Green, Dan Gadzuric, Jamaal Tinsley

Another group of usual sim suspects who don’t seem to belong in the monkey barrel together.  The first three picks all make sense to me, but Anderson’s presence means Jordan is on point which doesn’t make sense to me.  Gadzuric and Tinsley are great pick-ups anywhere in the sixth round, but I don’t see enough assists in the starting unit to get the most out of MJ and McAdoo.  I’m often wrong and vance is a great owner so I’m prepared to eat crow on this, but this looks like a bubble team to me.

5. mikee1 - K. Abdul-Jabbar, Marcus Camby, Manu Ginobili, Anthony Mason, Larry Sanders, Doug Christie, J.R. Smith

Okay, what is it with this trend of PG-less teams?  I went with Manu as my PG last season, but I had Boerwinkle at center and still struggled to create enough opportunities on offense.  A Manu-Christie backcourt will hold its own on defense, but I’m not sure Kareem will get enough touches to get full value out of his high usage and high efficiency, even with 3-4 dimes a game from Mason.  I love the compatibility of the first three picks and Sanders is a great backup at all three frontcourt positions, but I’m not sure this is quite how you build around Kareem.  Call me a traditionalist and a guy who’s never used Kareem in this league, but I’d want to see him paired with a more traditional PG who passes and stretches the floor in the second or third round – say, Nash or Porter, and then pick up the role players in later rounds.  Like vancem, mikee is a more accomplished owner than I am and probably knows what he’s doing.  Still, I’m predicting a first round exit. 

6. longtallbrad - Dwight Howard, Bill Walton, A, Kirilenko, Terry Porter, Alvin Robertson, Arvydas Sabonis, Nate McMillan

This is a team of glue guys surrounding Dwight, who can definitely be the cornerstone of a championship team in this league.  Walton is a little like Camby to me in that I’ve used him a lot and keep learning the hard way that his short minutes really limit his impact.  Still, Arvydas is the perfect guy to back him up.  If this team doesn’t at least make the playoffs it’ll be because I abandoned my original plan to use AK at SG.  I had planned on using a Faried or Edge at SF but just didn’t like the overall usage or FTA equation at that point, and thought I’d roll the dice on Alvin.  I prefer to roll with more emphasis on boards and 3s, but I should be able to hide Alvin’s and AK’s mediocre efg% between Dwight and Porter.  The combination of high fouls and turnovers alone are probably enough to keep this team out of the Big Dance, but they should at least make the playoffs and could make it to the second round. 

Nice job with these LTB. Now just keep them coming, and we might be able to forget about the "other" evals 

I'll keep going, but I'm very curious to see what sixers does with the rest of the grades.  He's a tough professor so far.

Great job, LTB. LOL though at the thought of that McDarsh team, "holding their own" against other teams for rebounds. I assume they will lead the league in boards with the guys they have working the glass and the two, possibly three, chuckers they have.

7. maglor1 - Chris Paul, Shawn Kemp, Josh Smith, Nate Thurmond, Don Buse, Chris Mullin, Ed Pinckney

Paul shouldn’t go any higher than this but I think seventh overall is defensible since he’s emerged as the best conventional PG in the sim.  I prefer his high FTA season to the one where he sinks more 3s.  With the right team around him he can average 22 and 14, and will definitely take over some games.  Buse is a funky choice as backcourt mate, but he defends well, doesn’t make many mistakes, and paired with Paul could help this team lead the league in steals.  Kemp is a legit second round pick and a good fit with Paul.  I don’t get the Smith and Thurmond picks…decent but not amazing boards and defense.  Mullin and Pinckney are okay pickups in the sixth round, but I think I’d rather see Mullin full-time at SG alongside Paul.  Overall this team has some strong pieces but seems light on FTA and could have questionable chemistry depending on how those pieces are utilized.  Could struggle to make the playoffs.

8. dh555 - Moses Malone, Patrick Ewing, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Chris Andersen, Charlie Edge, Jon Barry

Okay, I get the plan: two efficient shooters to dish to two reasonably efficient paint scorers.  I think I’m seeing too much usage among those four studs so I’ll be curious to see whether they all start.  Andersen and Edge are a great tandem at SF, and Barry is a very nice fit.  Overall I see enough of everything, maybe too much usage and plenty of turnovers.  Probably too many assists also, given that Deron and Nash won’t both dish every dime that dh is paying for and I there won’t be nearly enough ast% to deliver the turbo efg% boost that benhoidal and others like to manufacture.  I’m guessing second round of the playoffs.

9. slymonium - Shaquille O'Neal, Chauncey Billups, Larry Nance, Kawhi Leonard, Emeka Okafor, J. Moon, Andrew Bogut

A very nice lineup that covers the bases.  I really like the rotation of bigs, and the pairing of Billups with Shaq.  I see good things ahead for this team, but I wonder whether there are enough assists to get them as far as they deserve.  None of the wings pass much.  Shaq needs more than just Billups’ 30 ast% to max out his scoring potential in an up-tempo offense, and a team with Billups shouldn’t be playing any other way.  Still, this bunch could get as far as conference finals.

10. jhsukow - Kevin Durant, Gary Payton, Andrei Drummond, Bob Lanier, Andre Iguodala, Danny Green, Tony Parker

Another team with a nice collection of the usual suspects.  I’ve never been a big fan of Payton in this sim, maybe because he’s not quite enough of one thing or another.  Great D and a decent number of other attributes, but he’s not an assist emperor, he’s not a major bomber, and he’s not particularly efficient.  He strikes me as Walt Frazier with more steals and, depending on the seasons you’re comparing, a few more assists.  Anyway, nothing to dislike about this squad and yet the chemistry doesn’t make me rave.  Durant is more advantageous at SG because of the rebounding advantage he supplies, but wherever he plays that advantage appears lost with either Iggy or Green stepping on the court with him.  This bunch will hold its own and won’t get blown out.  I’ll say first round of the playoffs.

11. pennsylvania - Larry Bird, Bobby Jones, Serge Ibaka, Maurice Cheeks, Jose Calderon, Walt Bellamy, Steve Kerr

This team is just built wrong, but penn’s teams are usually better than I think they should be or will be.  I see three SFs and a rebounding disadvantage, but my guess is that penn is putting Bird at SG and either Jones or Ibaka at PF.  I see above average defense overall (depending on how many minutes Calderon plays), and high efficiency which is the defining feature of penn’s strategy.  I don’t see enough 3s to keep me from experimenting with doubling Bird or collapsing on Bellamy.  I think this is a bubble team, which probably means it will get to the second round.

12. hoopsdude Charles Barkley, Shawn Marion, Tom Boerwinkle, Clyde Drexler, Darrell Armstrong, Eric Bledsoe, P. Millsap

Yet another team that doesn’t seem to have a clear identity.  Both Barkley and Marion are typically SFs in this league, but I assume Chuck is being slotted at the 4 spot.  Ordinarily I’d say this will backfire and ding hoopsdude for not grabbing an effective backup for Boerwinkle in the sixth round, but at least part-time board lords went undrafted so he should be able to shore up his rebounds if he rounds out the roster properly.  Armstrong’s numbers are better than I expected, if the right season is being used.  The team looks like on FTAs despite what Barkley brings, and FTAs seem to be assuming the importance that 3s once did in this league.  I’m not sure there are enough threes to keep defenses from crowding the paint against Barkley.  I really don’t know how to call this one, so I’ll punt and say fringe of the playoffs.

13. ysw128- Dwayne Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Rajon Rondo, Clifford Ray, Kermit Washington, Doc Rivers, Raja Bell

Lots of pluses here.  Wade is a monster, Mourning’s stock has gone way up, Rondo sets the table, Kermit is a secret weapon at SF, and Ray is a sim staple.  I see very good defense, plenty of assists, and enough firepower between Wade and Mourning.  While 3s aren’t essential like they once were, balance still is and I see no perimeter shooting to space the floor for Mourning.  That could be a problem.  A bigger one is the absence of a third option on offense.  When Wade or Mourning has an off-night, look out, because no one else will pick up the slack.  I’d like to see this team in the playoffs but the non-exclusive part of the roster will need to be spot on because I don’t see Rivers or Bell bringing the kind of pizzazz that’s needed.

Posted by jhsukow on 11/20/2014 10:24:00 AM (view original):
Great job, LTB. LOL though at the thought of that McDarsh team, "holding their own" against other teams for rebounds. I assume they will lead the league in boards with the guys they have working the glass and the two, possibly three, chuckers they have.

I see your point.  Rodman won't lack for chances at offensive rebounds.

14. uptowngbv- Elton Brand, Joakim Noah, Anthony Davis, Gerald Wallace, Dana Barros, Grant Hill, Yao Ming

This is a quirky band and I mostly like it.  Wallace’s rebounding at SG offsets the fact that Davis is a little weak on the boards at PF for this league, and Noah’s playmaking from the 5 spot makes up for the fact that the backcourt is low on assists overall.  Defense is strong overall (my championship team a few seasons back showed you can win a title while hiding one lousy defender, and Barros is less lousy than Troy Murphy whom I stuck between Dwight Howard and Horace Grant).  Ming is a nice addition, although an awkward fit behind Noah because of the usage differential.  I love the real-life Grant Hill and I want to take him for a spin at some point in this league.  His boards and assists definitely help this team, but I’m not sure he’s the right sparkplug off the bench here.  He’ll take shots away from more efficient scorers like Davis and Barros.  Overall I think uptown would have been better off keeping the 14^th pick and building around the Mailman, or Duncan or even Olajuwon.  Still, he managed to assemble a lot of talent and there’s a mad scientist flair at work here.  My head says this bunch doesn’t cohere because the guys who really complement one another won’t be on the court together often enough.  But my heart says they have a decent shot at the playoffs.

15. iccoachb- David Robinson, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Gus Johnson, Derek Harper, Fat Lever, Truck Robinson

Robinson and Chandler are a fine duo, and Harper is a legit starting PG in this league.  Fat arguably doesn’t belong because his scoring efficiency is too low for his usage, but I love the guy and give him a pass.  The only way I take Kobe in this league is if I’m relying on him heavily as my only true volume scorer, counting on board lords and assist maestros to give him plenty of chances and amp up his percentages.  While he’s a great defender who scratches a lot of statistics itches, you don’t want him taking shots away from the Admiral.  And Gus, a real-life monster, isn’t worth the gamble when you already have Kobe bringing down the shooting averages.  Iccoachb’s teams are getting better and most of these guys will enjoy playing together, overall they will miss too many shots and miss the dance.

16. sixernuggets - Artis Gilmore, Donyell Marshall, Terrell Brandon, Mel Daniels, Paul Pierce, Rick Barry, Joe Dumars

Okay, lots to like here.  Artis and Donyell are a very good start, and Daniels and Pierce were good value where they were picked.  Overall defense is fine, and rebounding is a strength.  I’ve never used Dumars, but Barry has a great low-minutes season and can anchor the second unit’s offense.  My only real concern about this crew, as with mcdarsh’s, is that the guys taking most of the shots – Brandon and Pierce in this case – aren’t all that efficient.  The fact that they’re quality human beings in real life means nothing when you’re throwing the switch on a mess of computer algorithms.  Still, there’s not a weak link in the starting five, and when shots are falling this crew may be able to hang with the big dogs.  First round of the playoffs, maybe a round or two more depending on matchups and luck.

17. thomcat - Ben Wallace, Jerry Lucas, Tracy McGrady, Jerry West, Mark Price, Anderson Varejao, Paul Silas

I like the combination of Big Ben, Lucas and McGrady.  I respect the Jerry West experiment and keep wanting him to blow up in the sim, but I don’t get putting him next to McGrady, who’s better at everything you need West for except for defense.  Adding Price probably means McGrady will see some time at SF which creates a disadvantage on the boards.  This team needed a more bona fide SF who rebounds, plays defense and can score if left alone under the basket.  Gerald Wallace would have been a terrific fit.  Anyway, Varejao solidifies a nice rotation of bigs and Silas adds some value.  Unless McGrady and West prove me wrong and dribble their way to a great partnership, I see this bunch finishing just outside the playoffs.

18. tarheel1991 - Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Love, Walt Frazier, Brent Barry, Bo Outlaw, Nick Batum, Chris Gatling 

Everyone seems to be taking a turn at trying to build a contender around Hakeem, and since he’s my favorite real-life player by a country mile I really hope someone pulls it off.  I still think this was early for Love but he and Hakeem could enjoy a nice bromance.  Love’s putrid defense is at least somewhat offset, he adds some needed 3s, and his masterful glass-cleaning can allow use of the Olajuwon season with slightly higher scoring efficiency (52 efg%, as I recall).  I love Frazier and Barry, and while I prefer to use them both as SGs in this sim I think they pair nicely.  Outlaw seems like the weak link in the starting unit.  He won’t hurt you but he just doesn’t do much to help you either.  On the whole this team will go as far as Hakeem can take them, and I’d feel a little better about his chances if there were a few more assists going his way.  Still, this is a good supporting crew and I’m hoping for a second round appearance.

Thanks LTB!

19. scudmissle - Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Willis Reed, Pau Gasol, Rodney McCray, Paul Pressey, Ryan Anderson

Overall this is a nicely constructed squad.  I have yet to see a McHale team blow the top off the standings but that doesn’t mean one can’t.  More substantively, both he and Gasol are light on the boards for what I like at the positions they’ll be playing, and I’m not sure the nice rebounding from the backcourt will make up for it.  And I don’t see enough 3s to keep me from wanting to sag into the paint on defense, where McHale and Reed will be going to work.  But I haven’t seen how scud rounded out his roster, and he always seems to have a plan.  I do like the Magic-McHale pairing.  I think I would rather have seen a gunner at the fifth round and a board hog in the sixth.  They might very well beat me in a fight, but I’m not afraid to fight ‘em.

20. jkaye24 - Bill Russell, Jason Kidd, Sidney Moncrief, Dirk Nowitzki, Hot Rod Williams, Blake Griffin, Cedric Ceballos

I really like the start with the first three picks.  Kidd and Squid seem made for each other, with an inside-outside balance and combining to smother opposing backcourts.  This is high for Moncrief – he’s become a staple, but probably would have been available a round later.  I don’t share the Dirk love, and maybe I’m a fool for it.  But I’d rather plug Griffin in at SF to be the high-volume scorer, and have nabbed Okafor or Daniels as my other big.  I think this is a playoff team but they look light on the boards and not strong enough elsewhere to go deep.

21. amerk1180 - John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Vince Carter, Marques Johnson, Tree Rollins, Roy Tarpley, Brandan Wright

I’m back to loving Stockton in this sim.  His TOs are a little high but it’s worth everything else he brings.  Pippen would be my choice to pair with Stockton since his nice dimes are unnecessary and Stockton’s numbers really call out for a skilled big man to run with him (McHale, Ewing, Mourning, Kemp…).  Still, I suppose this would have been high for any of those guys and they wouldn’t have made it back to the bottom of the third.  You can’t go wrong with Scottie’s D, he boards well at the 2 spot, and gives you some 3s with the right season.  The selection of Carter puzzles me since you don’t want either of these guys at SF in this sim.  Marques looks great at SF next to Pippen and Stockton, and I totally get the additions of Tree, Tarpley and Brandan…good rebounding and efficiency, and silly defense from Tree.  Okay, so Vinsanity is where this train jumps the tracks.  I see a significant rebounding deficiency and no need to guard anyone inside.  Webber, Parish and Daniels were all available here in the third and would have given this squad the flexibility and weapons it needed to make some noise.  As it is, a postseason appearance would surprise me.

22. eleibowitz - Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry, Ron Harper, Wes Unseld, Terry Tyler, Jeff Ruland, Jameer Nelson

I think I like this crew more than anyone else, including eleibowitz.  Duncan is unspectacular in the sim (as in real life) but he manages to fill out the box score humbly, defense counts for more than it used to, and he gives you an important start on boards.  I love the Curry-Harper pairing, since each guy brings something important that the other doesn’t (namely a bucketload of 3s and great D) and together they get you most of the way on assists.  Meh to Unseld.  He provides a crucial helping of boards at the 4 or 5 but really doesn’t do much else.  I think Tyler is a fine addition – sort of a poor man’s Iguodala.  Edge might have been more appealing but he’s even shorter on minutes, and Tyler gives you some blocks.  I don’t care for Ruland so much but Jameer makes sense as Curry’s backup.  I think this team can be competitive and make a legitimate push for the playoffs.  If they don’t make it I’d look first at the FTA differential since I think they could be light in that category.

23. 98average - Kevin Garnett, Mookie Blaylock, Chris Webber, Robert Parish, Brandon Rush, Andrew Bynum, Mark Jackson

I think I should like this team better than I do.  There’s a good share-the-wealth approach to playmaking, good rebounding across the front line, in-out balance to scoring, and no utter matador in the starting unit.  I’ll be curious to see which Bynum season 98’s using, but there are a couple good options depending on the role envisioned for him.  The team doesn’t have a dominant feature and they lack a guy who’s a regular threat to pop for 30 on efficient shooting.  But 98’s a wily vet so perhaps he’ll be the one to massage a title out of a Garnett-led squad in this league.  They should make the playoffs, but Webber may have to put up big numbers for the team to go deep.

24. banditone - Julius Erving, Anfernee Hardaway, Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, Elmore Smith, Tony Kukoc, Swen Nater

A nice start with Erving and Penny.  Elgin gives you great boards and defense at the 3 spot but his efficiency is just too low for this cap level.  He does have a nice partial minutes season later in his career that is more efficient and effective at SG, but he probably would have been available in the 5^th or 6^th round, if indeed he were drafted at all.  Hawkins makes sense at SF but doesn’t rebound enough for PF.  Elmore can give you decent rebounding, great defense, and at least average efficiency, but they don’t all come in the same season so the player who can actually take the court will have some wrinkles.  I might go with his 75-76 season, start Nater to get the most of his awesome rebounding (knowing full well that he’ll get lit up most nights), and bring Baylor off the bench.  A big like Parish or Ray would have been a wiser choice than one of the SFs.  Well, Baylor and Erving will have some big games and Nater will grab some misses.  This team should finish outside the playoffs unless Doc and Penny really can dominate the ball and get enough help on D and on the boards.

Thanks, LTB. Picking up Price for his efficiency and 3s give me a quality backcourt for a full 48.  It did, as you say, cost me a quality SF. Experimenting with 97 SF Silas who provides 90D and nice rebounding.  If Silas and his 97 effectiveness is a flop,  I have some flexibility to reduce his minutes. A plus is that the division is not that strong. We'll see what happens

Okay so Mookie Blaylock and his 21.2% assists is a fantastic PG in this league and MJ's season at 100% PG with 22.8% assists is a terrible PG??? But overall great evals LTB.

LTB , of course Smith and Thurmond are questionable picks. I was suffering from depression when my primary target, Andrei Kirilenko was stolen by you, and then Bob Lanier was denied by jhsukow , both of which I originally thought as a long reach.

great stuff ltb...thanks

Posted by vancem on 11/20/2014 6:27:00 PM (view original):
Okay so Mookie Blaylock and his 21.2% assists is a fantastic PG in this league and MJ's season at 100% PG with 22.8% assists is a terrible PG??? But overall great evals LTB.

i see your point...but i gotta agree about jordan...why not use his 89-90 season at sg? more 3s, higher usg and a better tov%....you could have grabbed someone who gave you the 3s anderson does but with better ast% as well...could be the difference between a good offense and a great one