Your 2023-24 Chicago Bulls! (ChiBulls)Rotation:
PG: Deron Williams 07-08 / M.R. Richardson 80-81 / J. Wall 16-17
SG: David Thompson 77-78 / Hersey Hawkins 96-97
SF: Tracy McGrady 02-03 / Tayshaun Prince 06-07
PF: Larry Nance Sr 91-92 / Blake Griffin 13-14
C: Bob Lanier 76-77 / Brad Daugherty 92-93 / M. Camby 06-07
PG: DWILL, 08 (#12 MVP, #7 OWS, #12 WS/VORP)
SG: THOMPSON, 78 (#3 MVP, #1 WS/OWS, #2 VORP)
SF: T-MAC, 03 (#4 MVP, #1 VORP/PER/OWS/WSp48)
PF: NANCE, 92 (#10 VORP, #11 WS/BPM)
C: LANIER, 77 (#4 MVP, #2 PER, #5 VORP, #7 OWS)
Bench:
M. Ray Richardson (#17 MVP), John Wall (#7 MVP)
Hersey Hawkins, Tayshaun Prince
Blake Griffin (#3 MVP)
Brad Daugherty (#10 MVP), Marcus Camby (DPOY)
Philosophies & Highlights:
1)
Unstoppable Wing DuoSimply put, Tracy McGrady and David Thompson are the closest thing to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in this league, and they are both on the same team.
Relative to the other wing pairings in the league, this is the most dominant wing pairing of all-time behind only MJ and Pippen, 6x champions. They are the offensive focal point.
Both are 3-level scorers, athletic freaks, and elite outside shooters. They combine for 60 ppg on a combined 57% True Shooting %, with Assist rates of 30% and 19%. Here they have tons of support from other starters and the bench, and they can focus a little less on scoring and a little more on playmaking (see point below).
When they don’t have the ball they will always be in motion. They will also play off each other on the ball and leverage teammates’ scoring in the post, mid-range and from outside. The attention that other shooters and bigs draw allow them to work against a single defender far more often than either guy experienced in his era.
2)
Wing-Focused Egalitarian Offense (Ball/Man Movement)
Everyone on this team is unselfish and can pass:
Deron Williams: 43.6% assist rate / 23.1% usage
Thompson: 19.3% / 26.8%
TMac: 30% / 35.2%
Nance: 12% / 19%
Lanier: 12.9% / 26%
MRR: 27.5% / 20%
Hawkins: 14.6% / 17.5%
Tayshaun: 12.9% / 18.9%
Blake: 19.2% / 29%
Daugherty: 17.3% / 21.1%
Wall: 46.9% / 30.6%
Camby: 14.1% / 15.9%
The starters TS%’s are 59.5%, 57.8%, 56.4%, 58.6%, 57.4% from 1-5 on extremely high volume.
The offense will primarily run through the 2 starting wings, one of whom will be in at all times (either with the other, or a low usage defensive marksman), and will run a lot of simple variations of 3 plays:
Pick & Roll with PG / PF (DWill + Nance/Blake) with wings in motion
Lanier/Daugherty operating/facilitating in the high post with perimeter players in motion and the PF screening.
More spaced out, less complex Bulls triangle with T-Mac/Thompson alternating the MJ/Pippen roles.
3)
Skilled Size / Frontcourt DepthI have 4 elite bigs and a 5th who was DPOY. Larry Nance Sr will start with Bob Lanier, with Blake Griffin / Brad Daugherty as super subs. 3 of the 4 were top 10 in MVP voting that year (BD #10, BL #4, BG #3).
There is always a skilled center who shoots from mid-range, scores efficiently inside, rules the defensive boards, and passes well enough to facilitate offense.
There is always a skilled power forward who is mobile, athletic, can score inside and out, and can be leveraged in a devastating pick and roll. I’ve got a top 3 MVP finisher coming off my bench because Nance fits the starters better, which is nuts.
All these bigs are starting caliber guys, so in a league where elite bigs are rare, always having my bigs be top tier, or in special cases a DPOY, is a rarity.
4)
Perimeter Sharpshooting3 starters can shoot 3’s at a high level (38-40% if we assume Thompson shoots like McGrady) and 2 wings off the bench shoot 38.5-40.5% and play great D.
There are also players that will shoot it like Wall (32.7%), Griffin (27%) and Michael Ray (23%) and Lanier, with the latter 2 expected to shoot 3’s today.
In this league without modern players, modern volume from 3 and with no top 75 players, having 5 core players shoot elite from 3 and 3-4 other capable guys is a huge advantage. I can always use a lineup with shooters 1-3 and dominant bigs.
5)
Defense off the BenchWhen I assembled my starting lineup I was told the offense was incredible, but defense was lacking. So I swapped Blake and 3x all-D Nance, then drafted:
Marcus Camby, 4x all-D and DPOY
Tayshaun Prince, 4x all-D
Michael Ray Richardson, 2x all-D 1st team
Hersey Hawkins, elite 3+D guy
John Wall, 1x all-D (unspectacular but solid defense from a PG)
Being able to mix these guys in with starters or spot start them gives me balance.
6.
Versatility / Playing MatchupsI believe all 12 guys on my roster are good enough to play, from T-Mac down to the 12 man. We have the ability to react to how the opponent is playing.
If we need offense, we can throw out DWill-Thompson-TMac-Blake-Lanier
If we need defense, Michael Ray-Wall/Hawkins-Prince-Nance-Camby
We can also blend the two, with shooting, passing, and efficiency as needed. I will try to share more on preferred lineups/combos later.
Players:
Starters:
PG1: Deron Williams (07-08)
Accolades: All-NBA 2nd Team, #15 All-Defense Voting, #12 MVP Voting
Career: 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA (Nash/AI/CP3/Billups/Rose/Rondo era)
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 18.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 10.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.3 bpg, 23.1% usage
Shooting: 59.5% ts%, 53.3% on 2’s, 39.5% on 3’s, 80.3% ft%
Advanced: 4.5 VORP (#12), 3.8 BPM (#18), 11.3 Win Shares (#11)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 87
www.2kratings.com/deron-williams-all-time-utah-jazzSG1: David Thompson (77-78)
Accolades: All-NBA 1st Team, All-Star, #3 MVP Voting
Career: HOF, 5x AS, 2x All-NBA 1st Team, 1x All-ABA, ROY, 2x ASG MVP
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 27.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 bpg, 26.8% usage
Shooting: 57.8% ts%, 52.1% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s*, 77.8% ft%
Advanced: 5.2 VORP (#2), 4.8 BPM (#5), 12.7 Win Shares (#1)
*Thompson shot 36.8% on 3’s in the 1st year the stat was recorded. He is rated a 91 in outside scoring in NBA2K all-time mode.
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 95
www.2kratings.com/david-thompson-all-time-denver-nuggetsSF1: Tracy McGrady (02-03)
Accolades: All-NBA 1st Team, All-Star, #24 All-D Voting, #4 MVP Voting
Career: HOF, 7x AS, 7x All-NBA (2-1T/3-2T/2-3T), 2x Scoring Champ
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 32.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.8 bpg, 35.2% usage
Shooting: 56.4% ts%, 48.1% on 2’s, 38.6% on 3’s, 79.3% ft%
Advanced: 9.3 VORP (#1), 10.5 BPM (#1), 16.1 Win Shares (#3)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 95
www.2kratings.com/tracy-mcgrady-all-time-orlando-magicPF1: Larry Nance Sr (91-92)
Accolades: NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team (All-Star the following year)
Career: 3x All-Star, 3x All-Defense (1-1T/2-2T)
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 17 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 spg, 2 bpg, 19.1% usage
Shooting: 58.6% ts%, 54.1% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s, 82.2% ft%
Advanced: 5.2 VORP (#10), 5.2 BPM (#11), 12.2 Win Shares (#11)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 88
www.2kratings.com/larry-nance-all-time-cleveland-cavaliersC1: Bob Lanier (76-77)
Accolades: All-Star, #4 MVP Voting
Career: HOF, 8x AS, ASG MVP
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 25.3 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.8 bpg, 26% usage
Shooting: 57.3% ts%, 53.4% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s, 81.8% ft%
Advanced: 4.6 VORP (#5), 5.4 BPM (#4), 10.3 Win Shares (#11)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 94
www.2kratings.com/bob-lanier-all-time-detroit-pistonsBench:
PG2 / Combo Guard: Michael Ray Richardson (80-81)
Accolades: All-Star, NBA All-D 1st Team, #17 MVP Voting
Career: 4x All-Star, 2x All-D 1st Team, 3x Steals Champ, Assist Champ
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 16.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 7.9 apg, 2.9 spg, 0.4 bpg, 20% usage
Shooting: 51.1% ts%, 49.3% on 2’s, 22.5% on 3’s, 66% ft%
Advanced: 4.2 VORP (#9), 3.2 BPM (#15), 6.9 Win Shares (Not top 20)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 89
www.2kratings.com/micheal-ray-richardson-all-time-new-york-knicksSG2: Hersey Hawkins (96-97)
Accolades: None (super-role player)
Career: 1x All-Star, NBA Finalist
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg, 1.9 spg, 0.1 bpg, 17.5% usage
Shooting: 61.6% ts%, 51.4% on 2’s, 40.3% on 3’s, 87.5% ft%
Advanced: 4.4 VORP (#15), 4.2 BPM (Not top 20), 10.9 Win Shares (#15)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 87
www.2kratings.com/hersey-hawkins-all-time-philadelphia-76ersSF2: Tayshaun Prince (06-07)
Accolades: NBA All-D 2nd Team
Career: 4x All-D, NBA Champion
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 14.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.7 bpg, 18.9% usage
Shooting: 53.4% ts%, 48% on 2’s, 38.6% on 3’s, 76.9% ft%
Advanced: 2.9 VORP (Not top 20), 1.8 BPM (NT20), 8 Win Shares (NT20)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: N/A
www.2kratings.com/tayshaun-prince-2003-04-detroit-pistonsPF2: Blake Griffin (13-14)
Accolades: All-NBA 2nd Team, All-Star, #3 MVP Voting
Career: 6x All-Star, 5x All-NBA (3-2T/2-3T), ROY
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 24.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 29% usage
Shooting: 58.3% ts%, 53.7% on 2’s, 27.3% on 3’s, 71.5% ft%
Advanced: 4.7 VORP (#11), 4.5 BPM (#15), 12.2 Win Shares (#6)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 90
www.2kratings.com/blake-griffin-all-time-los-angeles-clippersC2: Brad Daugherty (92-93)
Accolades: All-Star, All-NBA prior year (lower in MVP), #10 MVP Voting
Career: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 20.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 4.4 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.8 bpg, 21% usage
Shooting: 63.5% ts%, 57.1% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s, 79.5% ft%
Advanced: 4.7 VORP (#10), 4.9 BPM (#10), 12.7 Win Shares (#6)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 90
www.2kratings.com/brad-daugherty-all-time-cleveland-cavaliersPG3: John Wall (16-17)
Accolades: All-NBA 3rd Team, All-Star, 12th All-D Voting, #7 MVP Voting
Career: 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA, 1x All-D
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 23.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 10.7 apg, 2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 30.6% usage
Shooting: 54.1% ts%, 48% on 2’s, 32.7% on 3’s, 80% ft%
Advanced: 4.8 VORP (#17), 4.7 BPM (NT20), 8.8 Win Shares (NT20)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 90
www.2kratings.com/john-wall-all-time-washington-wizardsC3: Marcus Camby (06-07)
Accolades: DPOY, 1st Team All-D, #19 All-NBA Voting
Career: DPOY, 4x All-D (2-1T/2-2T), 4x Blocks Champ
Stats:
Counting/Usage: 11.2 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 3.3 bpg, 15.9% usage
Shooting: 52% ts%, 47.5% on 2’s, N/A on 3’s, 73% ft%
Advanced: 4 VORP (#19), 4.7 BPM (#14), 7.6 Win Shares (NT20)
All-Time NBA2K Rating: 85
www.2kratings.com/marcus-camby-all-time-denver-nuggets