Here's a start on rambling evals. I'll finish up within the next day or two...
1. sixernuggets – Wilt Chamberlain, Gary Payton, Willis Reed, Kemba Walker, A.C. Green, Mo Williams, Roy Tarpley – It’s hard to evaluate a Wilt team without knowing which season is being used. I’ll assume it’s the mega-efficient 66-67 vintage – the best of the “help” Wilts. Overall this seems like an unlikely combination of players to assemble around the stilt, but they bring some 3s and boards and probably just enough scoring. Payton is one of those guys who is good in the sim but not the difference-making stud he was in real life, mainly because he’s not quite as efficient as would be nice given his combination of usage and customary drafting position. I’m not really feeling it, but the pieces could blend.
2. banditone – Lebron James, Bob McAdoo, Ron Harper, Michael Redd, Spencer Haywood, Michael Ray Richardson, Andrew Lang – The first two picks make perfect sense: efficient scoring, get you to the usage floor, and a decent start on rebounding and FTAs. If Ron Harper was really needed, he probably would have been available in the fifth round since he hasn’t been drafted in a while. Someone to help with rebounding as well as D would have made more sense here (Mutombo at C or Marion at SF)…or else someone who could help with both assists and 3s (like Porter or D. Harper). Still, he’s a great defender who helps distribute from the 2 position. Except here comes Redd, which probably means Harper is a 1 (which season is being used??) and Lebron is a 3. Others have used Lebron at forward here, but bear in mind this gives away the potential team rebounding advantage he helps create if you use him in the backcourt. Bandit’s squads often come up short in the rebounding contest, and decisions like this are the primary reason why. I love Spencer in this sim, but I can’t really make the case for him in this league – his efg% is just a bit too low. But it’s worth noting he plays a very clean game and brings solid rebounds for the billion minutes he plays. Michael Ray is a bandit favorite, and a stud in real life but lacking the efficiency to be worth the shots he’ll take in this league. Lang is a puzzle here, although to his credit he does have a backup season at 97 D I had never, ever noticed.
3. uptowngbv – Stephen Curry, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Andrew Bogut, Maurice Cheeks, Vince Carter, Dan Gadzuric – I can’t argue with the right Curry season at the third overall pick, although I could still make the case for a couple other guys here. And I can’t argue with the trend toward efficient hooting, but I’m not a big fan of Amare unless you’re confident of packing in enough boards elsewhere to compensate for what he doesn’t give you elsewhere. Marion helps somewhat, but uptown needs a major board lord at C. Bogut seems like a nice addition, but he’s one of the cases where season selection really matters – his minutes, D, rebounds, efficiency, and usage all come and go to different degrees. Cheeks is a nice backcourt mate to Curry – all smothering D and assists, and low usage. Uptown doesn’t really need more 3s from a second guard. Carter is a sensible backup for Curry, and Gadzuric is one of the best values in this league when you’re looking for safe, cheap boards. - PLAYOFFS
4. bds9992 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Harden, Nate McMillan, Lamar Odom, Jrue Holiday, Dale Davis, Clint Capela – Never used KAJ at this cap level, but he gives you oodles of minutes of efficient scoring, with decent-to-great defense to boot. I’m guessing the shiny new Harden season will be used here, in which case have fun with the turnovers. But he will help with rebounding (where Kareem may be lacking, depending on the season used), and he gives you a nice start with assists, 3s and FTAs, all which makes for a nice complement to Kareem. It’s worth questioning whether Harden will be taking shots you’d rather Kareem take, but I’m getting more accustomed to the notion of two top-tier usage guys coexisting in the same starting unit (having just won a title with Ewing and Harden). The McMillan selection seems early, but he fits well enough next to Harden as a guy who (assuming the right season) does virtually nothing but pass and defend. Still, I can think of a guy (as yet undrafted) with similar characteristics who plays more minutes. Odom isn’t amazing but fits in okay at SF here, adding more boards and assists and a handful of 3s but not really much else. Jrue works as a third guard, especially backing up Harden. I’m pretty underwhelmed by the platoon of Davis and Capela at PF…neither one really excels at anything, but I guess they both bring some needed offensive boards.
5. pennsylvania – Larry Bird, Walt Frazier, Bobby Jones, Alvin Robertson, Andre Iguodala, Elvin Hayes, Theo Ratliff – I love Bird and Frazier in real-life, and Frazier has become my most consistent draftee in this league (supplanting Billups). Together they give you a start on pretty much everything. (A burst of 3s may be needed, especially if a higher D Bird season is used…) penn has used Bobby Jones to good effect many times in the past. I don’t like the fact that either Bird or Jones evidently will be used at PF, since neither of them bring enough boards to that spot at this cap level. But rebounding has often been my critique of penn’s teams, and he’s usually proven me wrong. The Alvin pick continues an emerging focus on defense, and rounds out the playmaking. But Iguodala instead of a big man…hmmm. I’ve learned to expect that penn always has a rational, well-considered strategy, even if it’s one I can’t spot or don’t understand. I’m more mystified than usual this time, but perhaps he’s banking on cleaning up on role-playing rebounders in the sixth. And what the sixth round brings is strong defense. Hayes doesn’t board as well as you’d think once he’s reduced to advanced stats. penn surely has a plan here…but what is it?
6. amerk1180 – Michael Jordan, Deron Williams, Andre Drummond, Kirk Hinrich, Serge Ibaka, Yao Ming, Kyle Korver – MJ is a mild steal with the sixth pick. People are starting to sleep on how monstrously good a couple of his seasons in particular are. Deron is great at this cap level but a slight surprise to pair with MJ. Makes for a fabulous backcourt, but my instinct would have been to go for a rebounding ace who defends well here, because they won’t last much longer. Instead we see Drummond, who rebounds nearly as well as anyone in the sim but as a starter is a mediocre defender. The Hinrich pick doesn’t make sense to me, both because he likely would have been available in the fifth round and maybe even sixth, and because this pushes Jordan to small forward where you’re losing the rebounding advantage you could have cultivated by playing him at his real-life position of SG. Ibaka would look dandy at SF on this team, but at PF this really continues the shortcoming on the boards. But if Hinrich isn’t meant to play starter’s minutes, there’s even less reason to draft him in the fourth round – or at all, frankly. I’m stumped this time. And here comes Yao as a part-time starter, who does a lot well but is a Drummond-like defender. Kyle brings helpful threes, but it’s beyond him to knit this bunch into a contender.
7. eleibowitz – Shaquille O’Neal, Donyell Marshall, Terry Porter, Ray Allen, Clifford Ray, DeMarcus Cousins, Emeka Okafor – Fabulous trio out of the starting gate from eleibowitz. Shaq’s best season is a tad light on rebounding, but Donyell brings the boards I want to see from a SF. (The PF and rest of the big man rotation will be critical to shore up rebounding.) Add in Porter, and you have an efficient inside-outside game with no significant weakness. Porter’s D is a little light for this league, so he needs a tenacious defender for a backcourt mate. Instead we see Ray Allen…not what I had in mind, but I don’t dislike the pick. Now you’ve got a load of pretty efficient 3s to counterbalance Shaq pounding it inside – basically a no-win situation for defenses who will have to play this crew straight up. Ideally a lower-usage, defensive rebounder at PF would round out this bunch. And here comes Ray and Okafor, fine value where they were picked and just what the team needed. And Cousins, with presumably his 16-17 season backing up Shaq. While I could wish for better backcourt D, I think this team should have a real shot. DEEP PLAYOFFS
8. thomcat – Dwight Howard, Kevin McHale, Oscar Robertson, Dana Barros, Clarence Weatherspoon, Chris Gatling, Marcin Gortat – Two fine picks in the first two rounds. (McHale used to go higher than this). Good start on D and efficiency, in particular. My only quibble is you’re starting with two paint scorers, neither of whom passes the ball, so subsequent rounds will need to be devoted to spacing the floor and accumulating ast%. Oscar helps some with those priorities, but a lot more 3s and some more assists are still needed. (And how often does the Big O fall into the third round??) I like Barros here, although he might have been available in the next round. Weatherspoon is a stalwart in this league, and Gatling and Gortat are very high-quality backups, but now I’m confused. McHale and Weatherspoon should both be small forwards at this cap level, but if they are starting alongside each other then you’ve lost the rebounding advantage you invested in by building around Howard. Without seeing the rest of the bench, I’d say this bunch needs more offensive balance and a slightly stronger attack on the glass. Solid, but not spectacular.
9. dh555 - Dennis Rodman, Russell Westbrook, Tyson Chandler, Jerry Lucas, Kobe Bryant, Joel Embiid, Rodrigue Beaubois – Rodman’s stock has slipped a bit since I first started playing in this league, but he’s still a unique asset worthy of a high pick as long as you play him at SF, and then build around him in a way that creates a team advantage on the boards. And Westbrook…have fun, dh! The mad circus and novelty act that is 16-17 Russell Westbrook sets a new standard for rebounding at the PG position, so we may be on track to see an experiment in insane glass cleaning. But the combination of his efg% and usage mean he’ll shoot you out of more games than he shoots you into. A recipe for fun box scores but likely not playoff success. But let’s see what dh has up his sleeve next… Aaand, Chandler? Are we headed for a usage deficit here? What about someone to pass to Russell, or receive passes from him? The experiment continues with Lucas – strong rebounding, fairly efficient and clean. Will the fifth starter be the second scorer? Yes! It’s the Kobe and Russell show, with each of these guys destined to post several games of 8 for 30. dh nabs his protégé, Embiid, and then Beaubois for a few minutes of high-octane gunning from the bench. This will be an interesting show. I don’t expect a postseason encore, but then again, I’m wrong every season in this league.
10. cjok1051 – Karl Malone, Chris Paul, Tom Boerwinkle, Derek Harper, Chris Webber, Marvin Williams, Otto Porter – Awesome start, which should be expected from any thoughtful strategy hinging on two first rounders in this league. Usage and assists are basically taken care of, and by a tandem of two very good defenders and quite efficient scorers (assuming the right seasons are used). Nothing not to like here…just the perennial question where this sort of trade is concerned: will the right mix of supporting players be available later in the draft? I like this start more than most other two-first-round-pick teams I’ve seen, since these fellows seem complementary rather than redundant. Love Boerwinkle generally, although I probably would have gone for more minutes here after sitting out for two rounds. His assists really aren’t needed, but his rebounds are. Harper is solid, although again more unnecessary assists. It looks like Webber is the backup to Malone and Boerwinkle, which I kinda like, and Marvin and Otto are platooning at SF (and probably swinging around to back up the SG position, while Harper spends some time backing up Paul). This is not the team I’d build around the two first-rounders, and it might be a bit low on FTAs, but it seems thoughtfully constructed and could make some noise. PLAYOFFS
11. jkaye24 – Moses Malone, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Davis, Tree Rollins, Sidney Moncrief, Kenneth Faried, Chris Andersen – Looking good coming out of the starting gate. Two of my favorite real-life players, and two sim stalwarts who complement each other perfectly. I won a title in this league with Billups running alongside Dwight, and he should pair well with Moses, too. A good start on usage, boards, assists, 3s, FTAs, and D. The addition of Tree leads me to believe that the Davis season in use is the partial minutes SF-friendly season, which makes for a fairly wicked defensive front line. Moncrief is a nice complement to Billups, and in fact I think I once won a title with them as my backcourt. Faried and Andersen give you a pair of efficient offensive rebounders who, between them, can back up the C, PF, and SF spots. What prevents me from betting on this team is that Billups is the only long-distance shooter (Moncrief takes a lot of shots in the paint). Even if the bench fills out with bombers, I foresee defenses packing the interior against this core.
12. milest – David Robinson, Julius Erving, Larry Nance, Mike Conley, Kris Humphries, George Hill, Kyle O’Quinn – I think I like this initial pairing more than milest. Fabulous start on D, and these guys will fill up the box score. The reasons Dr. J is no longer a first round staple are that he’s not mega-efficient for the number of shots he takes (hello, Wade and Duncan), and he doesn’t contribute 3s from the SF/SG spot. I think it’s worth trying to compensate for those mild shortcomings, given the rest of what he brings to the table. Later rounds do need to bring 3s and more boards… Nance doesn’t bring all that much of either, but he does continue an emerging trend of wicked defense. Is this squad an early contender to lead the league in blocks? Conley is a nice add depending on the season used. Humphries and O’Quinn fill out the PF spot (one with strong boards, the other with strong D), and Hill is a decent backup in the backcourt, especially if his 14-15 season is being used. Overall, I love the emphasis on defense, and I don’t see enough floor spacing to keep defenses from collapsing on Robinson.