And the rest of the evals...
13. jcred5 – Kevin Durant, Hassan Whiteside, Bill Walton, Kyle Lowry, Arvydas Sabonis, Enes Kanter, Raja Bell – Nice start by jcred. Durant is a monster, with (arguably) a handful of seasons from which to choose. Whiteside’s 15-16 season helped me to a championship last season. The 16-17 vintage gives you more minutes and scoring, but his D gets discounted. If the right choices are made, this is a great start on balanced scoring, rebounding and efficiency. (And extra assists need to be factored into the rest of the drafting strategy since Hassan passes the ball like once a season.) Walton in the mid-third is a mild steal. My only issue is that if the half-time Whiteside is being used (which should be the case), then you’ve used draft picks on about 4200 out of 8000 big man minutes. It might have been a better investment to fill up more time here, but let’s see what the next couple rounds bring. Lowry makes sense at PG…he’s the right fit in terms of usage and brings some more 3s. Sabonis and Kanter round out a high-quality rotation of bigs. I don’t really get the Raja pick. To me he’s a third-drawer 3-and-D bench guy who’s not worth a draft pick in this league. If he’s starting and Durantula is the SF, then I’m on the fence about this squad. If the starting SF is an undrafted high-quality role player, then I think this team can go a ways into the dance. PLAYOFFS?
14. maglor1 – Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Mookie Blaylock, Shawn Kemp, Josh Smith, Don Buse, Boban Marjanovich– The Dream at 35 is a nice way to start building a team without a first rounder, given that he occasionally still makes appearances at the end of the first round. You need to pack around him with guys that shoot efficiently and don’t make many mistakes, you need to beef up on FTA (because he doesn’t shoot that many for his usage level), and you need to face the mild conundrum of which of his seasons to use – better rebounding or better efg%. But he’s a defensive stud and will score big on occasion. And Pippen is great value at 39, given that I’m used to seeing him go at the top of the second. Nice start on D and usage. Mookie adds to the defensive strength and brings a lot of 3s. I prefer him at SG (the season with slightly higher efg% but lower ast%), which is where Pippen should be playing, so I’m curious to see how the rest of the starting unit shapes up… A front line of Dream and Man-Child means a frontrunner to lead the league in PFs and TOs. This should be interesting! But it also means continuing with a mean defensive strategy, and Kemp brings much needed FTAs. The magic trick now needed is a starting SF who doesn’t need the ball much but contributes about 15 ast%. Aaand, welcome Josh Smith! His 09-10 season is really the only way to go here…it brings everything needed, including being relatively low on mistakes and avoiding undue usage. The sixth round feels like an airball here. Buse is a guy I’m not sure you need to draft…someone who does so little (play some D and not screw up much) should be available for your bench out of the motley crew of undrafted dudes. And Boban is a stud but only for 508 minutes. Overall this is a very intriguing team with a defensive edge, headed for the big middle. Either just out of the postseason, or just in. PLAYOFFS?
15. samuelyork93 – DeAndre Jordan, Elton Brand, Rajon Rondo, Paul George, Bob Lanier, Tayshaun Prince, Salah Mejri – DeAndre is now clearly the best value out of the growing list of big guys specializing in defense and rebounding. His offensive efficiency is what sets him apart, which arguably only makes him slightly more valuable than the likes of Big Ben and Camby since these are the last guys in your starting lineup you want taking a shot. All that said, this feels a little high for someone who’s hardly going to score, especially with the likes of Barkley and Wade left on the board. Brand is one of those high-priced guys who never seems to soar the way you’d think, and he’s a SF who doesn’t help you space the floor. But his rebounding is fine, his D is fabulous, and he’s a start on the usage you need after starting with Jordan. Rondo keeps up the strong D trend, and takes care of playmaking. No 3s to speak of yet, but that may turn out to be okay since there isn’t much of an inside attack yet. This team needs another scorer… Enter Paul George, who brings great D and a little of everything, although is a tad inefficient for this league given his usage. And Lanier, who’s like a slightly less efficient McAdoo. Prince falls into the Buse category for me; I get why you might want a player like this to round out your team, but do you really need to draft one? Also, he’s not a usage fit behind either of the starting wings. Mejri is a high-value, low-minutes dude. This team doesn’t have a glaring Achilles’ heel, but I’m not getting much of a vibe from it…maybe because most of the scoring is coming from guys with mediocre efg%.
16. gerryred – Charles Barkley, Anfernee Hardaway, Dikembe Mutombo, Brent Barry, Connie Hawkins, Paul Pressey, Kermit Washington – Love the first two, pairing the round mound with Penny. Different ways to go with Barkley…arguably all of them can be good, but you just need to build appropriately. gerry knows how to build teams in this sim. Hardaway doesn’t pass enough to be used as a conventional PG at this cap level, but we’ll see who he ends up running alongside. I think he's gotten a tad bit overvalued in this league, but his best season brings a little of everything and just makes for an all-around guard who looks good next to nearly any backcourt mate. Mutombo seems like a steal in the mid-third since I remember when he used to go in the first. He brings a much-needed defensive presence to the paint. And now gerry has some flexibility to play with. Is Charles a 3 or 4? Is Penny a 1 or 2? Brent Barry may just enough assists (with some help from Barkley) to get the starting unit up to snuff in that department, and his 3s will be extremely helpful in making defenses think twice about collapsing on Sir Charles. Hawkins suits gerry’s old school style, but his presence leads me to assume that Barkley is a 4 here which I think is not the best use of him at this cap level. I like Pressey and Kermit, but more 3s are needed and this team may suffer a bit on the boards.
17. pointfwd – Giannis Antetonkoumpo, Alonzo Mourning, Manu Ginobili, Buck Williams, Charlie Ward, Bo Outlaw, Samuel Dalembert – Giannis is the guy who (not surprisingly) takes the biggest jump after the 2016-17 season. He’s now basically on the level of the Bird seasons that come with better D and fewer 3s. He provides a solid start on boards and FTAs, gives you flexibility on ast% down the road, and shoots pretty efficiently. He’s either a better defender or more efficient than whatever your favorite Bird season is. The Mourning addition means a step back in the rebounding department, so that’s a deficit that will need to be filled in later rounds. Also that’s a lot of usage after two rounds, so it’s worth being attentive to the eventual possibility of paying for shots that never get taken. Aaaand here’s another top tier usage guy in Ginobili. A fine Swiss Army knife kind of glue in this league, but I’m not sure I’m liking the chemistry here. But given his short minutes, maybe Manu can be the offense off the bench, especially If the goal is to play Giannis at SG… Buck is a fine addition (to almost any team, really), with helpful offensive boards, decent defense, and (depending on the season used) really nice scoring efficiency. Ward is just what the team needs at PG. The addition of Outlaw makes me hope that he’s the starting SF, Ginobili comes off the bench, and Giannis starts at SG but swings over to SF when Outlaw sits. Nothing wrong with Dalembert in the sixth round, given that he used to go a round or even two higher. Not sure there are enough 3s here, but I think this bunch could challenge for a playoff spot. PLAYOFFS?
18. tarheel1991 – Kevin Garnett, Karl Anthony-Towns, Horace Grant, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Beverley, James Johnson, Jamaal Tinsley – KG is back in the first after occasional seasons swinging around to the top of the second. I had long dreamed of pairing him with Duncan in this league, and was able to do so two seasons ago to pretty good effect (I think I made the conference finals, maybe?). Garnett is a world-class Swiss army knife. He’s an exceptional puzzle piece, a really good player who has to be accompanied by other really good players (like Duncan, or like several fellows still on the board). He’s not a world-class stud who gives you a killer edge and demands to be surrounded by supporting players. I’d argue that Jordan, Mailman, and Dwight are that second kind of player. So, with whom does he get to play? And the answer is…KAT. Add in Grant and you have a formidable front line. I was hoping to see KG at SF, but Horace is a fabulous glue guy in this league and his oreb% is very needed. Karl and Horace help compensate for Garnett’s mediocre efg%. I’m not loving the Drexler addition but it’s okay. This is potentially a strong team that’s begging for just the right PG to step in and help the pieces blend together. So…Beverley? I would have been looking for someone who brings more assists, but maybe he brings just enough. I’ll confess I’ve been sleeping on this guy. He’s got great D, good efficiency, and even helps on the boards. This is a very intriguing team tar has stitched together. James Johnson newest season is another Beverley-level sleeper of a role player, and Tinsley has a fabulous backup season. I would never have strung this team together, but it seems thoughtfully assembled and, quirky though it is, I can’t find any fault with it. (Other than maybe low on FTAs?) PLAYOFFS
19. longtallbrad – Dwyane Wade, Rudy Gobert, Gerald Wallace, Nikola Jokic, Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, Joe Dumars – Wade is a monster in this sim. dh won a title with him several seasons back, but the only time I’ve used him in this league I fell short of the playoffs. Trying again. Gobert was a bit of a reach, arguably, since there were several other directions that arguably could have brought more value. But he’s a classic board lord who defends, blocks, and scores efficiently to boot. No one like him – at least at starter’s minutes – was going to be available to me in the next round. Gerald Wallace was definitely not the zippiest player available, but my draft board and intuition were telling me it would be easier to find a guard or big man I liked at the bottom of the 5th than a SF who gave me whatever I needed by that point. Wallace is up there with Billups and Frazier for me…I never seem to get tired of drafting him. Main thing not to like is that the combination of him and Wade means that I’m not making enough of the 3s I take, but I’ll just need to try to build a team that doesn’t rely on a bombs-away strategy. But Gerald brings dreb%, defense, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and has a lot of FTAs for his usage level. I considered a lot of different looks in the fourth round, but in the end I was intrigued by the shiny new object that is Jokic and figure his passing gives me some flexibility at the bottom of the fifth. Bynum will end up getting most of the minutes at C. I think the wheels probably come off with that pick, but I was enamored of his efficiency and his usage lines up with Jokic’s. Farmar is a solid, undersung sub in this league. I was underwhelmed by my Dumars pick, but frankly had to choose someone in a hurry, my draft board had been decimated, and one of his seasons fit my search criteria. I’m not betting the farm on this team, but they’ll be fun to watch.
20. jhsukow – Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Camby, Bill Russell, Jerry West, Isaiah Thomas, Grant Hill, Chris Bosh – I get the Kawhi love, although he’s still not a first round pick to me. With his most recent season, he doesn’t quite board well enough for what I want at SF, or pass enough for what I want in a SG. Still, he works as a lead scorer and can defend his own man. Camby is fine and rebounds were needed, but Gobert was available and is basically the same player except he scores a little more and much more efficiently. Russell deserves his chance in the third round (remember when he used to go in the first?) but he doesn’t look good next to Camby. There’s now a lot of usage to fill in, and a need to avoid inviting defenses to cheat toward the perimeter due to the lack of interior scoring. West provides some of the needed usage, and – about as importantly – a lot of free throws. Still need more assists and more points. Thomas is a great fit, and I don’t think his poor D will stick out too much. I’ll be curious to see which Hill season is being used. I don’t see a Bosh season I’d be excited to use in this league.
21. copernicus – Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, Patrick Ewing, Marques Johnson, Danny Green, Chris Mullin, Guillermo Hernangomez – A classic start with Duncan and Kidd. copernicus’ teams generally board and defend well and make few mistakes. I don’t love the Ewing pick, only because that’s now a gargantuan pile of usage in the frontcourt that will need to balanced somehow elsewhere. Still, Ewing is a very efficient scorer and fine defender. Marques is a staple in this league, but I’ve been seeing him used at SG and I much prefer one of his SF seasons where he brings solid rebounding and decent defense. Let’s see what the vision for him is here… Green and Mullin seem to fill in the cracks pretty well and allow Marques to settle in at the 3 spot, and Guillermo is a solid addition. Overall this team feels on track to lose the battle of the boards by at least a hair, and Ewing fouls a lot for a copernicus team, but I suspect the pieces jell here. PLAYOFFS
22. mikee1 – Steve Nash, Ben Wallace, Andrei Kirilenko, Robert Parish, Carlos Boozer, Kevin Johnson, J.R. Smith – Nash has been climbing back up the draft boards. This is his second consecutive season in the first round after years of going in the second or third. He definitely brings a lot, but his D needs to be covered up and his turnovers need to be mitigated by cleaner teammates. Wallace is a fine next move since he does nothing but rebound, defend, and block shots. I’ve long been intrigued by Kirilenko but so far I don’t like his addition here. Given his low efg% this makes two starters you don’t want the ball going to. At this point the remaining two members of the starting five need to be flat-out scorers for Nash to feed, and one of them needs a bona fide inside game. And so, Parish. Nice fit. Boozer has nice seasons as both starter and backup, but you don’t want him as a starter here since there’s already a very substandard defender in Nash. I’m hoping KJ is starting alongside Nash, with J.R. 07-08 season bringing a sweet load of efficient 3s. I like this team but I can’t quite believe in it…the scorers are largely poor defenders, and the defenders are poor shooters.
23. vancem – John Stockton, Artis Gilmore, Klay Thompson, Joakim Noah, Cedric Maxwell, Goran Dragic, Cole Aldrich – vance starts with a couple sim stalwarts, each of whom has gone higher in the draft at times. Stockton alone is two-thirds of the ast% the starting lineup needs, and both of them are wicked efficient. The immediate challenge I see is a usage deficit going into the third round. Klay and Stockton seem made for each other – a guy who shoots well and a guy who passes well, and both of them defend well. It’s like they were made for each other. I don’t get Noah here…I’d rather have seen a more efficient scorer and better defensive rebounder. Also, I’m getting worried about FTAs for this bunch. Nice to see Cornbread Maxwell drafted again. He brings much-needed rebounds and adds to the overall efficiency theme. Dragic and Aldrich are solid bench additions. Too much is riding on Klay’s scoring for this team to go very far, but they may be too efficient to miss the postseason, so I’ll say… PLAYOFFS
24. ysw128 – Magic Johnson, Draymond Green, Tracy McGrady, Mark Price, Mason Plumlee, Vlade Divac, Sam Lacey – After four picks none of this makes sense to me. I see three guards and a small forward. This team is at a rebounding disadvantage, and has a lot of assists I suspect won’t be able to land enough ast% at the center position (at the end of the fifth round) to succeed in activating the magic boost in shooting efficiency. All great players in this league and I was intrigued at first, but the Price addition lost my confidence. Ah, and the last three picks indicate that ysw is indeed going for the efficiency bump, and perhaps will succeed. This team will score a lot of points at times, but I think they’re giving up too much on the boards to make much noise. (They might never, ever snag an offensive rebound.)
8/26/2017 10:05 PM (edited)