2019 Historical: How Does My Team Look Thread

[nickagneta]

Detroit Pistons:

PG: John Stockton / "Pistol" Pete Maravich

SG: John "Hondo" Havlicek / Michael Cooper

SF: Kawhi Leonard / Bernard King

PF: Elvin "The Big E" Hayes / Al Horford

C : Alonzo Mourning / Dikembe "Mount" Mutombo

I have really dabbled back and forth with who to start. In a perfect world, I could have drafted players that can do it all, but such is life. In the end, I decided to start Hondo and Kawhi together on the wings. Their two-way play is just too good to not start with. Hondo's playmaking skill set also adds to the team's ball movement play. I'm just going to have to convince everyone that Kawhi can be a #1 scoring option, and I'm starting to compile some evidence to do just that. And with Alonzo Mourning being on the starting lineup instead of Dikembe Mutombo, scoring wouldn't be much of a issue compare to where the team was after five rounds. I envision him on the pick and roll/pop role with John Stockton, as his good mid-range game will cause issues against opposing bigs. Big E will be our #1 post scoring option.

Bernard King moves to the bench in a "microwave" role. If I will need more scoring, he will come in and shoot the lights out.

It might be blasphemous to say, but I really have NO IDEA what to do with Pistol. I have him as a backup PG for now, as a playmaker instead of a scorer, as King has that role. I would really want a backup PG who can make plays, defend, and not a heavy usage guy, so we'll see if I can find that within the last two rounds. God, what a luxury to have a Hall of Fame talent like Pete Maravich and tell the whole world that you have no idea how to use him. LOL.

Lastly, I am proud to say that this team can defend. 

I don't know how people will look at this team, and where they will rank it, but I'm extremely happy about how I was able to build my squad. I wanted a defensive team that will gel together, and I think I was able to do that.

Not sure I would have built this team the way you did but what you ended up with is quite good. Excellent balance. Lots of unselfishness. A really fun team to watch. I think you reached a couple times but like a couple other teams, made up for it with tremendous value picks later on.

I think Stockton is definitely the cog that makes this engine run. His passing will be tremendously important to this team. As will his ability to contribute offensively at a very high efficiency rate meaning he will get his while sacrificing as little amount of shots to the rest of the team.

I think a lack of truly top end talent brings this team down some but the excellent construction of the team will make it contender worthy. You will have very good offense and defense, just not be elite at either.

[nickagneta]

I will get to the other teams later.

Just want people to remember, if another owner commented on your team, you are obligated to comment on that owner's team. So a few of you have team reviews to do.

[Somebody]

TP for the analyses as a non-participant Nick (in the sense that you're not a player).

[nickagneta]

Los Angeles Lakers

Starting lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Tracy McGrady
SF: Julius Erving
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Dave Cowens

Second unit
PG: Steve Nash
SG: TBD
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Elton Brand/Draymond Green
C: Artis Gilmore

With some luck in the 11th and 12th rounds to fill out my SG position, I believe that my team has a nice blend of offense and defense that you'd be hard pressed to find on other teams.

Offense:
The starting lineup will have McGrady being the primary ball handler, even though it may sound baffling to some. His passing was superb, posting assist percentages as high as 30% on 35.2% usage in the 2002-2003 season, and has drawn praise from Jeff Van Gundy as one of the best passing forwards to ever play the game. His combination of scoring and passing will be a handful for any team to defend, and he will be running a bevy of pick and roll/pop plays with two versatile big men in Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, who could roll inside to strain interior defenses with speed and physicality, or pop outside to shoot a midrange shot or even a three (I'm assuming we're using the "what if all-time greats were born and raised in the modern game?", so great midrange shooters for their position in KG and Cowens will be assumed to make threes at a decent clip). These plays will likely collapse the defense, and the greatest shooter of all time in terms of sheer volume combined with efficiency in Steph Curry will be hauling up as many decent looks he gets (and likely making them with his incredible shot making!). The Doctor will be waiting for opportunities on the wing to cut/drive for acrobatic finishes only a select few can do, and will get plays run for him in the mid/low post if he gets a mismatch for an easy score. The team will also utilise the high post game of Garnett and Cowens, with both big men able to exploit their defenders with speed and skill. They also were known for their court vision-both can facilitate high quality looks for their teammates with their passing ability when the offense in run through them inside. What I really like about this lineup is that we have a lot of options to choose depending on the matchup, and the players in the starting 5 have games that are flexible enough to retain considerable offensive value no matter how we run the offense.

Defense:
The starting lineup is also quite strong defensively. Although Steph Curry is perceived to be a weak defender, he's not that bad-he consistently puts in the effort to stay in front of his man, has sound defensive positioning and good court awareness, which culminated in him leading the league in steals aside from winning the scoring title in the 2015-2016 season by disrupting passing lanes and occasionally getting the steal in man to man defense. He's by no means a lockdown defender, but he is certainly adequate to stay in front of opposing PGs and provide a positive impact with his intangibles. McGrady is also a decent defender-he used his size and length to contest shots, and he had the athleticism to stay in front of his man. I might have rose coloured glasses on but I believe that he can crank it up when he has a better supporting cast to make life on offense easier for him ala Houston (he posted 4.5 DWS and 1.6 DBPM as an SG for the Rockets in the 06-07 season, both pretty good marks). The Doctor was above average-not great, but he was certainly a positive on that end with his otherwordly athleticism that allowed him to recover from defensive lapses and provide some stunning help defense. The heart of the defense will be the tandem of Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, as both are strong interior defenders who can also step out and cover perimeter players if needed on switches. Garnett's video game skillet will be the lynchpin of our defense-he can switch to all 5 positions in a possession seamlessly and still play lockdown defense, whether is it being a second rim protector to help out Dave Cowens inside, patrolling the court alongside the Doctor as a help defense duo, or even as a safety valve when Curry or McGrady are thrown into the blender in isolation/the pick and roll. Overall I think this team is can hold their own defensively, and can be disruptive when needed.

Bench
The second unit will mainly have their offense run through Steve Nash, who is one of the best floor generals on offense. There is synergy in the lineup-Nash and Marion had some fantastic runs together in Phoenix, and I believe that the two former teammates can form a strong partnership that can cover each other's weaknesses (defense for Nash, and offense for Marion). The frontcourt will consist of Elton Brand and Artis Gilmore, with the former being a two way force who could impose his will on either end of the court, and the latter being one of the finest rim protectors in NBA history. The defense of the frontcourt trio will cover Nash's defensive issues adequately imo, as opposing bench mobs would find it immensely difficult to go through the Matrix one on one and score on Brand and the A-Train once they get to the rim. Can't really go in depth about the second unit due to me lacking a backup shooting guard though.

Well, I think you saved your team in the Davis for Erving swap. You got a much better fit as I didn't like anything about the KG-Davis combo. I think KG would have had Davis crying in a corner like a rather rotund PF/C the Celtics once had. Did not like that dynamic. But that trade fixed that.

I love the leadership on this team and a ferocious defensive starting frontcourt. Oh, Cowens won't shut down the great centers, but he will slow them down considerably and make them ache all night after games. I am also digging the Nash/Marion synergy coming off the bench as we saw what those two could do in Nash's MVP years.

Overall, your backcourt defense will struggle nightly in this game, but you are going to outscore a ton of teams, especially with today's rules and the amazing three point shooting and scoring efficiency at the PG position that sets up the big scores in KG, McGrady and the Doctor.

Your ability to outscore your opponents without having great overall defense is what will make this team succeed. Really, really like what you did post trade and think this team contends in the West.

[Somebody]

Los Angeles Lakers

Starting lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Tracy McGrady
SF: Julius Erving
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Dave Cowens

Second unit
PG: Steve Nash
SG: TBD
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Elton Brand/Draymond Green
C: Artis Gilmore

With some luck in the 11th and 12th rounds to fill out my SG position, I believe that my team has a nice blend of offense and defense that you'd be hard pressed to find on other teams.

Offense:
The starting lineup will have McGrady being the primary ball handler, even though it may sound baffling to some. His passing was superb, posting assist percentages as high as 30% on 35.2% usage in the 2002-2003 season, and has drawn praise from Jeff Van Gundy as one of the best passing forwards to ever play the game. His combination of scoring and passing will be a handful for any team to defend, and he will be running a bevy of pick and roll/pop plays with two versatile big men in Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, who could roll inside to strain interior defenses with speed and physicality, or pop outside to shoot a midrange shot or even a three (I'm assuming we're using the "what if all-time greats were born and raised in the modern game?", so great midrange shooters for their position in KG and Cowens will be assumed to make threes at a decent clip). These plays will likely collapse the defense, and the greatest shooter of all time in terms of sheer volume combined with efficiency in Steph Curry will be hauling up as many decent looks he gets (and likely making them with his incredible shot making!). The Doctor will be waiting for opportunities on the wing to cut/drive for acrobatic finishes only a select few can do, and will get plays run for him in the mid/low post if he gets a mismatch for an easy score. The team will also utilise the high post game of Garnett and Cowens, with both big men able to exploit their defenders with speed and skill. They also were known for their court vision-both can facilitate high quality looks for their teammates with their passing ability when the offense in run through them inside. What I really like about this lineup is that we have a lot of options to choose depending on the matchup, and the players in the starting 5 have games that are flexible enough to retain considerable offensive value no matter how we run the offense.

Defense:
The starting lineup is also quite strong defensively. Although Steph Curry is perceived to be a weak defender, he's not that bad-he consistently puts in the effort to stay in front of his man, has sound defensive positioning and good court awareness, which culminated in him leading the league in steals aside from winning the scoring title in the 2015-2016 season by disrupting passing lanes and occasionally getting the steal in man to man defense. He's by no means a lockdown defender, but he is certainly adequate to stay in front of opposing PGs and provide a positive impact with his intangibles. McGrady is also a decent defender-he used his size and length to contest shots, and he had the athleticism to stay in front of his man. I might have rose coloured glasses on but I believe that he can crank it up when he has a better supporting cast to make life on offense easier for him ala Houston (he posted 4.5 DWS and 1.6 DBPM as an SG for the Rockets in the 06-07 season, both pretty good marks). The Doctor was above average-not great, but he was certainly a positive on that end with his otherwordly athleticism that allowed him to recover from defensive lapses and provide some stunning help defense. The heart of the defense will be the tandem of Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, as both are strong interior defenders who can also step out and cover perimeter players if needed on switches. Garnett's video game skillet will be the lynchpin of our defense-he can switch to all 5 positions in a possession seamlessly and still play lockdown defense, whether is it being a second rim protector to help out Dave Cowens inside, patrolling the court alongside the Doctor as a help defense duo, or even as a safety valve when Curry or McGrady are thrown into the blender in isolation/the pick and roll. Overall I think this team is can hold their own defensively, and can be disruptive when needed.

Bench
The second unit will mainly have their offense run through Steve Nash, who is one of the best floor generals on offense. There is synergy in the lineup-Nash and Marion had some fantastic runs together in Phoenix, and I believe that the two former teammates can form a strong partnership that can cover each other's weaknesses (defense for Nash, and offense for Marion). The frontcourt will consist of Elton Brand and Artis Gilmore, with the former being a two way force who could impose his will on either end of the court, and the latter being one of the finest rim protectors in NBA history. The defense of the frontcourt trio will cover Nash's defensive issues adequately imo, as opposing bench mobs would find it immensely difficult to go through the Matrix one on one and score on Brand and the A-Train once they get to the rim. Can't really go in depth about the second unit due to me lacking a backup shooting guard though.

Well, I think you saved your team in the Davis for Erving swap. You got a much better fit as I didn't like anything about the KG-Davis combo. I think KG would have had Davis crying in a corner like a rather rotund PF/C the Celtics once had. Did not like that dynamic. But that trade fixed that.

I love the leadership on this team and a ferocious defensive starting frontcourt. Oh, Cowens won't shut down the great centers, but he will slow them down considerably and make them ache all night after games. I am also digging the Nash/Marion synergy coming off the bench as we saw what those two could do in Nash's MVP years.

Overall, your backcourt defense will struggle nightly in this game, but you are going to outscore a ton of teams, especially with today's rules and the amazing three point shooting and scoring efficiency at the PG position that sets up the big scores in KG, McGrady and the Doctor.

Your ability to outscore your opponents without having great overall defense is what will make this team succeed. Really, really like what you did post trade and think this team contends in the West.

Oh for sure, what I meant was that he'd slow them down just enough individually so the opposing team wouldn't BBQ chicken me inside. And love your thoughts about the team!

[nickagneta]

The Blazers plan on running everyone to death.  We intentionally drafted players from high scoring teams and several real life teammates.  We also focused heavily on the same era to add a big level of familiarity and cohesion. 

PG - Magic, Parker
SG - Dexler, DJ
SF - Worthy, English
PF - Barkley, Wallace
C - Moses, Mikan

We are led by Magic, the 4th best player in NBA history per ESPN.  He is a 3-time MVP and 5-time champion. We are leaning towards 87 when Magic was MVP, Finals MVP, led the league in apg, and upped his scoring to 24 a game.  He is also an elite rebounder, making him the perfect man to build around.

We surround Magic with real life teammates ranked 15 and 18 all time.  Like Magic, Moses is a 3-time MVP and his 1st season in Philly led what many consider the greatest team ever to play (83 and the year selected). That year Moses led the league in rebounding by nearly 3 a game.

Sir Charles joined Moses a couple of seasons later and they had a tremendous chemistry together.  As we want a fast break team, we will select 90, an earlier Barkley season, in order to maximize his athleticism.  That year he finished 2nd in MVP voting to Magic (more 1st place votes), but led the league in 2 point % and essentially averaged 25/12/4 along with 2 steals.

Rounding out the starting 5 we have 36th ranked Clyde Drexler and 43rd ranked James Worthy.  Clyde showed great versatility throughout his career.  Easily serving as the #1 player on 2 finals team and also gladly stepping into the 2nd man role on his way to winning a title in Houston.  For this exercise we will select 92 when Clyde finished 2nd in MVP voting leading the Blazers to their 2nd Finals (with him), earning a slot on the Dream Team and generally just being awesome.

James Worthy joins his Showtime Lakers teammate on the squad and in the starting lineup.  The Blazers wanted to add someone on the wing who could defend, run, and didn't need the spotlight.  There are few better than Worthy in filling that description.  People also forget that James was the 1st pick in the draft and won a Finals MVP.  His talent was immense and real. The Blazers will use 89.

For the bench, the Blazers wanted to keep to the theme of great rebounders and fast breakers but also wanted to grab some defensive toughness.  We accomplished this goal and then some.  With our first bench selection we grabbed the 33rd greatest player of all time.  A man that essentially played 6 seasons and won 5 titles as the best player in the world.  Mikan was a monster on offense, defense, and rebounding.  He led the league in defensive win shares 5 times.  He has the 3rd highest win share season in nba history and has the 2nd, 7th, and 10th best offensive win share seasons in history.  He played long ago, making him harder to judge, but Mikan was an absolute monster and we are happy to have him anchoring our bench.  We have selected his 2nd year, 1950 for this exercise.

Joining him in the paint is the only man not in the top 84 all time on the roster, of course he is a 4-time DPOY and when adjusting for pace one of the greatest rebounders the league has ever seen.  Big Ben Wallace provides everything you would want on your bench.  We will take his 1st DPOY season, 02, when he led the league in both rebounds and blocks.

In the backcourt, the Blazers add uber versatile Finals MVP, Dennis Johnson, ranked 84, and Finals MVP, Tony Parker, ranked 58.  We like the hard nosed nature of both players, each of which won multiple titles with varying degrees of responsibility.  We will select DJ's Finals MVP winning season of 79, when he was just entering his prime.  For Tony, we will also select his Finals MVP season of 07 when his shooting was superb and he was still in his athletic prime.

Rounding out our bench and our top 10 is Alex English, the 62nd best player of all time.  Alex was the offensive anchor of the most explosive scoring team in league history (even surpassing the output of Wilt's Warriors).  Over the span of his prime 5 seasons English basically averaged 28/5.5/4.5 with uber efficient scoring.  We needed some top tier scoring pop for our bench and thus were happy Alex fell to us. We will select his best season of 83.

As indicated, we believe we will run teams into the ground and have crafted the team most capable of winning shootouts.  While the starting 5 may not be the best defensive team, we believe we make up for it by having the best offensive team, the best rebounding team, and the team with most unique positional challenges for every other team to guard.  When we need a stop we can go with the defensive unit of Mikan, Wallace, Worthy, Johnson, and Parker (or a yet undrafted player).  All teams in this our great, but we believe we are the greatest collection of talent coupled with the best chemistry and thought of actual team building.  We purposefully chose real life teammates and players that thrived playing with other great players.  We focused heavily on selecting players with extensive time in the 80's.  We have 3 Dream Team members.  We are Portland and we are the best.

Here is a case where Moranis, got almost maximum value in every pick he made, never reached, and just packed his team with All Time greats that just fit excellently.

I think Magic might be one of the hardest matchups in this game and for that reason, and because Magic was surrounded by just loads of talent, I think this team goes far. And it has talent that is familiar with each other because so many played together. Magic played with Worthy on title teams and Barkley on the Dream Team. Barkley played with Moses on great Philly teams and with Drexler late. I think that would result in some of the best chemistry you could see in an endeavor like this.

The biggest weakness will be the defense which, if I am honest, will be needing the likes of Ben Wallace and DJ playing a bunch. But, the offense is so elite that the defense won't turn into some Achilles heal that dooms this team. The defense will be good enough to possibly take the team to the Finals.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Detroit Pistons:

PG: John Stockton / "Pistol" Pete Maravich

SG: John "Hondo" Havlicek / Michael Cooper

SF: Kawhi Leonard / Bernard King

PF: Elvin "The Big E" Hayes / Al Horford

C : Alonzo Mourning / Dikembe "Mount" Mutombo

I have really dabbled back and forth with who to start. In a perfect world, I could have drafted players that can do it all, but such is life. In the end, I decided to start Hondo and Kawhi together on the wings. Their two-way play is just too good to not start with. Hondo's playmaking skill set also adds to the team's ball movement play. I'm just going to have to convince everyone that Kawhi can be a #1 scoring option, and I'm starting to compile some evidence to do just that. And with Alonzo Mourning being on the starting lineup instead of Dikembe Mutombo, scoring wouldn't be much of a issue compare to where the team was after five rounds. I envision him on the pick and roll/pop role with John Stockton, as his good mid-range game will cause issues against opposing bigs. Big E will be our #1 post scoring option.

Bernard King moves to the bench in a "microwave" role. If I will need more scoring, he will come in and shoot the lights out.

It might be blasphemous to say, but I really have NO IDEA what to do with Pistol. I have him as a backup PG for now, as a playmaker instead of a scorer, as King has that role. I would really want a backup PG who can make plays, defend, and not a heavy usage guy, so we'll see if I can find that within the last two rounds. God, what a luxury to have a Hall of Fame talent like Pete Maravich and tell the whole world that you have no idea how to use him. LOL.

Lastly, I am proud to say that this team can defend. 

I don't know how people will look at this team, and where they will rank it, but I'm extremely happy about how I was able to build my squad. I wanted a defensive team that will gel together, and I think I was able to do that.

Not sure I would have built this team the way you did but what you ended up with is quite good. Excellent balance. Lots of unselfishness. A really fun team to watch. I think you reached a couple times but like a couple other teams, made up for it with tremendous value picks later on.

I think Stockton is definitely the cog that makes this engine run. His passing will be tremendously important to this team. As will his ability to contribute offensively at a very high efficiency rate meaning he will get his while sacrificing as little amount of shots to the rest of the team.

I think a lack of truly top end talent brings this team down some but the excellent construction of the team will make it contender worthy. You will have very good offense and defense, just not be elite at either.

If you don't mind, I want to ask a couple of questions.

1. Do you think that's the best starting lineup moving forward?
2. Can Pete Maravich play backup PG for this team?
3. Is him and Bernard King coming off the bench redundant?

[nickagneta]

Detroit Pistons:

PG: John Stockton / "Pistol" Pete Maravich

SG: John "Hondo" Havlicek / Michael Cooper

SF: Kawhi Leonard / Bernard King

PF: Elvin "The Big E" Hayes / Al Horford

C : Alonzo Mourning / Dikembe "Mount" Mutombo

I have really dabbled back and forth with who to start. In a perfect world, I could have drafted players that can do it all, but such is life. In the end, I decided to start Hondo and Kawhi together on the wings. Their two-way play is just too good to not start with. Hondo's playmaking skill set also adds to the team's ball movement play. I'm just going to have to convince everyone that Kawhi can be a #1 scoring option, and I'm starting to compile some evidence to do just that. And with Alonzo Mourning being on the starting lineup instead of Dikembe Mutombo, scoring wouldn't be much of a issue compare to where the team was after five rounds. I envision him on the pick and roll/pop role with John Stockton, as his good mid-range game will cause issues against opposing bigs. Big E will be our #1 post scoring option.

Bernard King moves to the bench in a "microwave" role. If I will need more scoring, he will come in and shoot the lights out.

It might be blasphemous to say, but I really have NO IDEA what to do with Pistol. I have him as a backup PG for now, as a playmaker instead of a scorer, as King has that role. I would really want a backup PG who can make plays, defend, and not a heavy usage guy, so we'll see if I can find that within the last two rounds. God, what a luxury to have a Hall of Fame talent like Pete Maravich and tell the whole world that you have no idea how to use him. LOL.

Lastly, I am proud to say that this team can defend. 

I don't know how people will look at this team, and where they will rank it, but I'm extremely happy about how I was able to build my squad. I wanted a defensive team that will gel together, and I think I was able to do that.

Not sure I would have built this team the way you did but what you ended up with is quite good. Excellent balance. Lots of unselfishness. A really fun team to watch. I think you reached a couple times but like a couple other teams, made up for it with tremendous value picks later on.

I think Stockton is definitely the cog that makes this engine run. His passing will be tremendously important to this team. As will his ability to contribute offensively at a very high efficiency rate meaning he will get his while sacrificing as little amount of shots to the rest of the team.

I think a lack of truly top end talent brings this team down some but the excellent construction of the team will make it contender worthy. You will have very good offense and defense, just not be elite at either.

If you don't mind, I want to ask a couple of questions.

1. Do you think that's the best starting lineup moving forward?
2. Can Pete Maravich play backup PG for this team?
3. Is him and Bernard King coming off the bench redundant?

I do think that your best starting lineup. It has superb two way balance and you can run an offense that has Stockton, Kawhi and Hondo doing all the ball handling and making sure you feed Mourning and Hayes enough in their spots to stay happy and efficient. That's important.

I think you might be overthinking the Pistol at PG thing. Maravich would struggle to cover even much of the bench PGs in this league. He is a SG that handles the ball a lot like say MJ or Kobe. But he was a tremendous outside shooter who could take and make the craziest shots.

Steph Curry didn't invent the "OMG did he just make that shot from way out there" shot. That may have been Pistol Pete.(I think people may have said the same thing about some Jerry West shots before Maravich but his longest shots were probably easier modern day threes rather than way out there.)

I think it best to just go get one of the outstanding PGs still available out there and move Maravich to his natural position.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Detroit Pistons:

PG: John Stockton / "Pistol" Pete Maravich

SG: John "Hondo" Havlicek / Michael Cooper

SF: Kawhi Leonard / Bernard King

PF: Elvin "The Big E" Hayes / Al Horford

C : Alonzo Mourning / Dikembe "Mount" Mutombo

I have really dabbled back and forth with who to start. In a perfect world, I could have drafted players that can do it all, but such is life. In the end, I decided to start Hondo and Kawhi together on the wings. Their two-way play is just too good to not start with. Hondo's playmaking skill set also adds to the team's ball movement play. I'm just going to have to convince everyone that Kawhi can be a #1 scoring option, and I'm starting to compile some evidence to do just that. And with Alonzo Mourning being on the starting lineup instead of Dikembe Mutombo, scoring wouldn't be much of a issue compare to where the team was after five rounds. I envision him on the pick and roll/pop role with John Stockton, as his good mid-range game will cause issues against opposing bigs. Big E will be our #1 post scoring option.

Bernard King moves to the bench in a "microwave" role. If I will need more scoring, he will come in and shoot the lights out.

It might be blasphemous to say, but I really have NO IDEA what to do with Pistol. I have him as a backup PG for now, as a playmaker instead of a scorer, as King has that role. I would really want a backup PG who can make plays, defend, and not a heavy usage guy, so we'll see if I can find that within the last two rounds. God, what a luxury to have a Hall of Fame talent like Pete Maravich and tell the whole world that you have no idea how to use him. LOL.

Lastly, I am proud to say that this team can defend. 

I don't know how people will look at this team, and where they will rank it, but I'm extremely happy about how I was able to build my squad. I wanted a defensive team that will gel together, and I think I was able to do that.

Not sure I would have built this team the way you did but what you ended up with is quite good. Excellent balance. Lots of unselfishness. A really fun team to watch. I think you reached a couple times but like a couple other teams, made up for it with tremendous value picks later on.

I think Stockton is definitely the cog that makes this engine run. His passing will be tremendously important to this team. As will his ability to contribute offensively at a very high efficiency rate meaning he will get his while sacrificing as little amount of shots to the rest of the team.

I think a lack of truly top end talent brings this team down some but the excellent construction of the team will make it contender worthy. You will have very good offense and defense, just not be elite at either.

If you don't mind, I want to ask a couple of questions.

1. Do you think that's the best starting lineup moving forward?
2. Can Pete Maravich play backup PG for this team?
3. Is him and Bernard King coming off the bench redundant?

I do think that your best starting lineup. It has superb two way balance and you can run an offense that has Stockton, Kawhi and Hondo doing all the ball handling and making sure you feed Mourning and Hayes enough in their spots to stay happy and efficient. That's important.

I think you might be overthinking the Pistol at PG thing. Maravich would struggle to cover even much of the bench PGs in this league. He is a SG that handles the ball a lot like say MJ or Kobe. But he was a tremendous outside shooter who could take and make the craziest shots.

Steph Curry didn't invent the "OMG did he just make that shot from way out there" shot. That may have been Pistol Pete.(I think people may have said the same thing about some Jerry West shots before Maravich but his longest shots were probably easier modern day threes rather than way out there.)

I think it best to just go get one of the outstanding PGs still available out there and move Maravich to his natural position.

Yeah, I really want to, but wouldn't Pete Maravich and Bernard King on the same second unit be a hard fit? Both are extremely ball dominant players.

[nickagneta]

Detroit Pistons:

PG: John Stockton / "Pistol" Pete Maravich

SG: John "Hondo" Havlicek / Michael Cooper

SF: Kawhi Leonard / Bernard King

PF: Elvin "The Big E" Hayes / Al Horford

C : Alonzo Mourning / Dikembe "Mount" Mutombo

I have really dabbled back and forth with who to start. In a perfect world, I could have drafted players that can do it all, but such is life. In the end, I decided to start Hondo and Kawhi together on the wings. Their two-way play is just too good to not start with. Hondo's playmaking skill set also adds to the team's ball movement play. I'm just going to have to convince everyone that Kawhi can be a #1 scoring option, and I'm starting to compile some evidence to do just that. And with Alonzo Mourning being on the starting lineup instead of Dikembe Mutombo, scoring wouldn't be much of a issue compare to where the team was after five rounds. I envision him on the pick and roll/pop role with John Stockton, as his good mid-range game will cause issues against opposing bigs. Big E will be our #1 post scoring option.

Bernard King moves to the bench in a "microwave" role. If I will need more scoring, he will come in and shoot the lights out.

It might be blasphemous to say, but I really have NO IDEA what to do with Pistol. I have him as a backup PG for now, as a playmaker instead of a scorer, as King has that role. I would really want a backup PG who can make plays, defend, and not a heavy usage guy, so we'll see if I can find that within the last two rounds. God, what a luxury to have a Hall of Fame talent like Pete Maravich and tell the whole world that you have no idea how to use him. LOL.

Lastly, I am proud to say that this team can defend. 

I don't know how people will look at this team, and where they will rank it, but I'm extremely happy about how I was able to build my squad. I wanted a defensive team that will gel together, and I think I was able to do that.

Not sure I would have built this team the way you did but what you ended up with is quite good. Excellent balance. Lots of unselfishness. A really fun team to watch. I think you reached a couple times but like a couple other teams, made up for it with tremendous value picks later on.

I think Stockton is definitely the cog that makes this engine run. His passing will be tremendously important to this team. As will his ability to contribute offensively at a very high efficiency rate meaning he will get his while sacrificing as little amount of shots to the rest of the team.

I think a lack of truly top end talent brings this team down some but the excellent construction of the team will make it contender worthy. You will have very good offense and defense, just not be elite at either.

If you don't mind, I want to ask a couple of questions.

1. Do you think that's the best starting lineup moving forward?
2. Can Pete Maravich play backup PG for this team?
3. Is him and Bernard King coming off the bench redundant?

I do think that your best starting lineup. It has superb two way balance and you can run an offense that has Stockton, Kawhi and Hondo doing all the ball handling and making sure you feed Mourning and Hayes enough in their spots to stay happy and efficient. That's important.

I think you might be overthinking the Pistol at PG thing. Maravich would struggle to cover even much of the bench PGs in this league. He is a SG that handles the ball a lot like say MJ or Kobe. But he was a tremendous outside shooter who could take and make the craziest shots.

Steph Curry didn't invent the "OMG did he just make that shot from way out there" shot. That may have been Pistol Pete.(I think people may have said the same thing about some Jerry West shots before Maravich but his longest shots were probably easier modern day threes rather than way out there.)

I think it best to just go get one of the outstanding PGs still available out there and move Maravich to his natural position.

Yeah, I really want to, but wouldn't Pete Maravich and Bernard King on the same second unit be a hard fit? Both are extremely ball dominant players.

Two ball dominant players in a lineup is fine. The best teams usually have two ball dominant players on the court at a time. Basketball is actually more successful when you have the ability to have two high volume scorers on the court at one time. If they are efficient, even better.  You will not have problems with Maravich and King playing together.

[Who]

This is the lineup I think I’m going with:

Oscar Robertson/Bob Cousy/ Sam Jones
Elgin Baylor/Mitch Richmond/ Sam Jones
Scottie Pippen/Dan Majerle/ Sam Jones
Tim Duncan/ Rasheed Wallace
Willis Reed/Rasheed Wallace

I believe I have the best starting 5 and incredible length in that lineup.  Additionally the ball movement my team will have from starters through the bench is unmatched.  Defensively I love my chances to contain the stars of the other teams.  Bob Cousy and Sam Jones have the bench synergy from their championships together.

Before the trade, I thought you had the best starting five in the league.

I was and still am quite high on both Kevin McHale and Reggie Miller. McHale was perfect next to Duncan and Oscar Robertson both offensively (highly efficient post scoring, comfortable playing off of others, high post game as well) and defensively (one of the better all round defensive PFs in competition). Reggie Miller is a super efficient sharpshooter.

Mitch Richmond is a good player but he is not the uber-efficient scorer that Reggie Miller was. To have that type of efficient and complementary scoring as your 4th / 5th best offensive player was a boon to the offense.

I am not wild about Reed and Duncan as a starting pair. I thought Willis played best next to a more mobile perimeter orientated PF (in DeBusschere) than he did next to a top center (yet undrafted). I am a big Rasheed Wallace fan. I don't think he is as highly rated on this site (and/or many other places) as he should be. He just does so many little things that make teams work better. I prefer Sheed as a starting PF next to Duncan. Sheed is more mobile defensively and will improve your team defense. He also has more range on his jump-shot and will help improve spacing. I doubt others will agree with me on this though and will instead prefer Willis Reed as the starter. I like Reed as the 6th man. I thought that was a cool fit behind McHale and Duncan.

I really like Scottie Pippen. I wasn't fond of his fit next to LeBron and I am not fond of his fit next to Oscar for the similar reasons. Oscar is an uber-controlling ball-dominant PG. I believe he works best with supporting stars who are scorers rather than a point forward type. Prior to the draft, I loved the idea of going after Durant and Gervin as Oscar's running mates if I drafted Oscar because of they didn't need as many touches/dribbles as most other scorers to put up points / get up shots.

I would be inclined to start Mitch Richmond to be honest and bring Pippen off the bench as a 6th man.

[Who]

Golden State Warriors - Pick 10

Starting Center - Bill Russell

Starting Power Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo

Starting Small Forward - Kevin Durant

Starting Shooting Guard - Bruce Bowen

Starting Point Guard - Isiah Thomas

Starting 5 Synopsis -  Strategy - Overview


This is my pre-specific season pick, general overview and decision making philosophy.

I'll start with the most "interesting" inclusion in this group, the pick probably had more than a few of you wondering if I am sleep deprived, drunk, high and/or all of the three. I assure you, I am and was not. My decision to make this pick, which I admittedly . could have made later on, was representative of my consideration of useage, spacing, winning culture, team and individual defense. As many of you know, Bruce Bowen was a member of some San Antonio teams that embodied the team first moto. He is a career .440% shooter from the corners, a spot from which he took a staggering 80% of his threes. I considered this to be my greatest ally as it relates to both Isiah Thomas and Giannis. His ability to effectively defend 3 positions and 1 at an elite level while being an elite team player/team defender, is central to my usage theory. Bill Russell had similar players on his team that were asked to do more offensively. On this team, Russell orders Bowen around the perimeter with the intention of shepherding SG's into my other two perimeter defenders, Giannis and Durant.

While I feel I made a bit of a mistake and should have selected Gary Payton, I would ask Isiah Thomas to pick up full court and lead the other teams ball handler, if size is applicable, to the side of the court that correlates with their weak hand - yes I know these guys don't have weak hands, but much of this is a statistics game and it is proven, generally, when you force someone on to their unnatural side they perform, even at this elite-elite level, a tad less great. On offense id ask him to be 13 assist a game Isiah. Id run double pick and rolls a la 2008-11 celtics and force teams to switch slower bigs onto his with Durant and Russell. Id pop Durant most frequently and look for the biggest gaps created. I actually think this would create the most chances for Giannis with ball movement finding him coming downhill against an unorganized defense.

Durant is one of my three matchup nightmares. Because Durant is playing the 3 I think he is my biggest mismatch on BOTH ends of the floor. I firmly believe I have the only player in this game who can effectively defend Durant position specific. He can do it all on the offensive end and I would ask him to. He is my MJ on offense, an elite scorer, creator, ball handler, and mismatch nightmare. On defense, I would ask him to press higher up the court and deny as many post opportunities as possible.

Giannis is someone whom I feel is an absolute steal. His largest critiques are that he is unproven in the playoffs and has a small body of work. I think those crits to mitigated with the winners he is surrounded by. His transcendent talent is undeniable and his size/agility combo is, imo, the most extreme example since shaq. I think he is a bigger freak than Lebron, not saying he is better though, simply referencing their genetic makeup. Giannis would, admittedly have a difficult time defending some of the larger/more imposing PFs in history, but of those guys I don't feel any are capable of defending him. Defensively Id ask him to have a similar role to Durant and play relentless perimeter defense, frequently switch, and foul hard. Offensively, Id use Durant/Thomas to create movement and rotation in the opposing defense. Id look to get him the ball frequently with the defense rotating and attack opposite momentum any time he see a chance. That spin move is deadly.

Russell's chief responsibility would be to be the chief. He would quarterback our defense and demand us to play crisp offense. His responsibility would be to take on the other teams biggest threat, from a big stand point. Crash the glass, catch lobs from my 3 other playmakers. Do all the dirty work. Something tells me he would cherish the opportunity.

Okay, that's it for now. Thanks to everyone for being so patient, this week has been a freakin whirlwind. If anyone wants to come out to see a Notre Dame game this fall, let me know!

I am a Giannis doubter to be honest. He had a great year last season but his entire team was setup to make him look good and to minimize his weaknesses. In prior seasons, I thought Giannis' subpar team offense (overdribbling, lack of shooting) made life more difficult for his teammates offensively and was a big reason in why I thought those Bucks team overachieved. Without the entire paint cleared out to allow Giannis to attack one-on-one, I do not view him as the scoring threat he was last year.

Bill Russell has offensive limitations too. He doesn't create much one-on-one and lacks a jump-shot to provide spacing. I believe these weaknesses combined with Giannis' subpar jump-shot and preference for driving combine (Russell and Giannis) together and compound one another's weaknesses. Further highlighting and exposing one another's weaknesses and creating more of a team-wise issue due to their combined weaknesses / overlapping weakness (shooting, floor spacing).

I would've liked to have seen Russell with a more skilled scorer away from the basket at PF next to him. And Giannis with more of a jump-shooter at C next to him.

---------------------------

I agree with others that Bruce Bowen should not start. I loved your David Thompson pickup late in the draft. I think he is your best SG. I would start him instead and keep Harden off the bench. Then you have Harden to run the offense when Isiah sits and you can have Bowen next to Harden to take tougher defensive assignments.

I loved the Kevin Durant and Isiah Thomas pick ups. I think Durant is the best scorer in this Historical League and would be perfect to play because of his scoring versatility, efficiency and ability to put up points without needing to dominate the ball.

I agree 100% with you about Isiah getting a boost from playing in today's league. He is the best ball-handler of all time & super fast. Nobody could stay in front of him with today's rules on defending the perimeter. I also agree he would shoot the 3 better today. And I believe he'd benefit thirdly from not having to carry a team. I was very impressed with how played throughout the 80s in the All-Star games and how well he shared the ball with his teammates and balanced his scoring and playmaking. He was very efficient in that role also. I believe that speaks well of how he'd do in this league.

Billy Cunningham was a very good piece as well. Well rounded. Can pass and rebound as well as score. Versatile. Very good piece to have coming off your bench.

I am less sold on Tom Heinsohn. I have troubling imagining him in today's league. Joel Embiid was very interesting. In terms of raw talent, perhaps the most talented backup center in this Historical League.

Overall, I think it is a really good team. My concerns about Giannis and Russell together stop me from placing it near the top of the pile although I doubt others are as skeptical of Giannis as I am so I wouldn't worry about.


Edit: Maybe I am being too hard on Giannis and Russell. That starting unit if David Thompson started would be pretty awesome.

Isiah Thomas, David Thompson, Durant, Giannis, Russell

[Who]

After 10 rounds, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking like:

Jason Kidd / Tiny Archibald
Paul Pierce / Sidney Moncrief
Larry Bird / Mark Aguirre
Karl Malone / Jerry Lucas
Patrick Ewing / Bob Lanier

My back-court starters in Kidd and Pierce both have size and some elite skills. Kidd is a great passer and rebounder, and could score when he needed to. Pierce was one of the most deadly all-round scorers of the 2000's. Both were good defenders.

My starting forwards are Larry Legend and the Mailman. Not many forward combos I would rather. One of the best shooters ever, who also happens to be one of the best passers and rebounders for his position, alongside one of the most dominant scoring presences in NBA history.

Anchoring the center spot is Pat Ewing. Not as good as some of the other 90's big men, but he's still for me a top 10 center of all time. Good defence, good scoring and good rebounding.

My bench is led by my back-court. Amazing scoring and passing from Tiny, one of the best back-court defenders in Moncrief, a strong scoring wing in Aguirre, one of the best shooting bigs of all time in Lucas, and a really solid all-round big man in Lanier.

Love to hear anyone's thoughts. I'll return the favour to anyone who has something to say on my team, assuming I don't say anything before!

I love this Philly team. I think they are the standout team of this draft. Superb all round.

I thought Ewing was miscast in New York as a primary scorer. He wasn't versatile enough as a scorer nor talented enough as a passer to have the offense run through him that much. But none of that matters here because that is not his role. Here he gets to be the 4th scoring option. He gets to concentrate on playing defense, rebounding the ball and just being opportunistic on offense. And Ewing is perfect for that. I love Ewing on this team.

I love Larry Bird as the leader of this team (heck, any team!). By himself he will create a team first environment due to his work ethic, elite skills and brilliant teamwork. Karl Malone will follow suit with a brilliant work ethic, physical toughness, highly skilled and team orientated. Kidd then triples down on those qualities. And everyone else will simply follow them.

Pierce is perfect as the 3rd scorer after Bird and Malone. So versatile. Capable of scoring in every possible situation from every possible spot on the court. And very efficient at it. Strong extra ball-handling and playmaking. You know you're good when Pierce is your 4th best passer on the court.

I love the bench. Tiny and Moncrief might be the best backup backcourt in the league. Lanier is a high quality backup center. Jerry Lucas I am not that fond of but he is a sharpshooter and a rebounder. His shooting will be more valuable today than it was in his era. Aguirre is like Pierce without the defense.

[GreenFaith1819]

Here is our Celtics Strong Historical Draft 2019 MIA Heat after 10 rounds:

PG - Jerry West / Marcus Smart
SG - Dwyane Wade / Manu Ginobili
SF - Paul George / Detlef Shrempf / Bobby Jones
PF - Chris Webber - Nate Thurmond / Bobby Jones
C - Shaquille O'Neal / Nate Thurmond

My backcourt is lead by Jerry West, with Dwyane Wade being capable of handling PG duties while JW plays off the ball from time to time. Jerry West provides elite offense as well as a several 1st Team Defensive awards. JW also earned Finals MVP in a losing effort. Wade - while not a great defender - is a great shot-blocking guard and is widely recognized as the 3rd best SG of all-time (behind Michael and Kobe). I also could not pass up DWayde's elite rim-attacking abilities. He is not a great shooter from deep but has solid deep two range. Dwyane Wade also earned a FInals MVP.

My backcourt bench so far features Elite 6th man Manu Ginobili and Mr. Impact Marcus Smart. Manu is my do-all utility knife - providing very good ball-handling and distributing skills, solid threat from deep, solid rim-attacking skills and good defense.

I absolutely love Marcus Smart. He is a great teammate, a dogged defender and capable of making IMPACT plays that the team feeds off of. I have seen Smart do this time and time again for the Boston Celtics and I know he would continue with impact plays for my team here. He also had his best offensive improvement the past year.

Smart can also defend 1's, 2s and some threes in this format. He's done it repeatedly against modern day players and I'm certain he would be a heady, smart and savvy player in an all-time great format. Marcus does not need the ball to make impact plays and affects the game in various ways.

Paul George is leading my SFs. He is an elite SF in the modern NBA - providing elite defense, a deep threat and capable scoring. Injuries have kept him out of perhaps the top 5 modern day conversation but make no mistake he has few holes in his game.

Loved Detlef when he played for SEA. He reminded me of Dirk Nowitski in that he was a big PF that could stretch the floor. He also spent considerable time at SF. Detlef is another 6th man of the year player on our team as well.

My PFs provide an array of skills and talent to fit both the modern and past NBA. Nate Thurmond gave Bill Russell and Wilt fits on the defensive end, was a capable scorer down low, an elite rebounder and defender. He was also a decent passer and could shoot from mid-range even though most of his scoring came from down low near the rim. I can also see Nate being a good perimeter defender in that he was athletic, quick and extremely long - with a wingspan reportedly longer than Wilt's. He was 6'11" and a chiseled 225 ad I don't see him having much trouble switching out and defending in space if needed.

Chris Webber gives me a Big that can take opposing bigs off the dribble, is an elite distributor, has a reliable jumper and is a threat to attack the rim. I can see him pulling opposing bigs away from Shaq with his offensive talent and giving Shaq one on one opportunities. He  is no slouch on defense either.

Bobby Jones is another 6th man of the year addition AND an elite defender - being perhaps the most disruptive force on our team defensively. Jones was long, wiry, strong, quick, athletic and loved to run the floor. In the modern NBA I can see him spending time at SF defensively.

Shaquille O'Neal was recently called The Most Dominant Ever by none other than Kobe Bryant. His playing days featured an extremely intelligent, athletic, powerful and intimidating presence on the floor, quick off his feat and was a virtual lock to score in the paint. Shaq also possessed very good passing skills if doubled and would thrive in this format with capable shooters on the floor with him. He was also a capable defender and rim protector for 3 years, earning 2nd-team Defensive awards.

Shaquille O'Neal's FT woes are well-documented but amazingly this was not a determining factor in many games. Great coaching seemed to mitigate this shortcoming for Shaq. He also seemed to make FTs when they counted in crunch time. Shaq also earned multiple Finals MVP awards.

Love how my team fits and there won't be any drama here.

Looking forward to feedback and thanks in advance.

[Moranis]

Los Angeles Lakers

Starting lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Tracy McGrady
SF: Julius Erving
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Dave Cowens

Second unit
PG: Steve Nash
SG: TBD
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Elton Brand/Draymond Green
C: Artis Gilmore

With some luck in the 11th and 12th rounds to fill out my SG position, I believe that my team has a nice blend of offense and defense that you'd be hard pressed to find on other teams.

Offense:
The starting lineup will have McGrady being the primary ball handler, even though it may sound baffling to some. His passing was superb, posting assist percentages as high as 30% on 35.2% usage in the 2002-2003 season, and has drawn praise from Jeff Van Gundy as one of the best passing forwards to ever play the game. His combination of scoring and passing will be a handful for any team to defend, and he will be running a bevy of pick and roll/pop plays with two versatile big men in Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, who could roll inside to strain interior defenses with speed and physicality, or pop outside to shoot a midrange shot or even a three (I'm assuming we're using the "what if all-time greats were born and raised in the modern game?", so great midrange shooters for their position in KG and Cowens will be assumed to make threes at a decent clip). These plays will likely collapse the defense, and the greatest shooter of all time in terms of sheer volume combined with efficiency in Steph Curry will be hauling up as many decent looks he gets (and likely making them with his incredible shot making!). The Doctor will be waiting for opportunities on the wing to cut/drive for acrobatic finishes only a select few can do, and will get plays run for him in the mid/low post if he gets a mismatch for an easy score. The team will also utilise the high post game of Garnett and Cowens, with both big men able to exploit their defenders with speed and skill. They also were known for their court vision-both can facilitate high quality looks for their teammates with their passing ability when the offense in run through them inside. What I really like about this lineup is that we have a lot of options to choose depending on the matchup, and the players in the starting 5 have games that are flexible enough to retain considerable offensive value no matter how we run the offense.

Defense:
The starting lineup is also quite strong defensively. Although Steph Curry is perceived to be a weak defender, he's not that bad-he consistently puts in the effort to stay in front of his man, has sound defensive positioning and good court awareness, which culminated in him leading the league in steals aside from winning the scoring title in the 2015-2016 season by disrupting passing lanes and occasionally getting the steal in man to man defense. He's by no means a lockdown defender, but he is certainly adequate to stay in front of opposing PGs and provide a positive impact with his intangibles. McGrady is also a decent defender-he used his size and length to contest shots, and he had the athleticism to stay in front of his man. I might have rose coloured glasses on but I believe that he can crank it up when he has a better supporting cast to make life on offense easier for him ala Houston (he posted 4.5 DWS and 1.6 DBPM as an SG for the Rockets in the 06-07 season, both pretty good marks). The Doctor was above average-not great, but he was certainly a positive on that end with his otherwordly athleticism that allowed him to recover from defensive lapses and provide some stunning help defense. The heart of the defense will be the tandem of Kevin Garnett and Dave Cowens, as both are strong interior defenders who can also step out and cover perimeter players if needed on switches. Garnett's video game skillet will be the lynchpin of our defense-he can switch to all 5 positions in a possession seamlessly and still play lockdown defense, whether is it being a second rim protector to help out Dave Cowens inside, patrolling the court alongside the Doctor as a help defense duo, or even as a safety valve when Curry or McGrady are thrown into the blender in isolation/the pick and roll. Overall I think this team is can hold their own defensively, and can be disruptive when needed.

Bench
The second unit will mainly have their offense run through Steve Nash, who is one of the best floor generals on offense. There is synergy in the lineup-Nash and Marion had some fantastic runs together in Phoenix, and I believe that the two former teammates can form a strong partnership that can cover each other's weaknesses (defense for Nash, and offense for Marion). The frontcourt will consist of Elton Brand and Artis Gilmore, with the former being a two way force who could impose his will on either end of the court, and the latter being one of the finest rim protectors in NBA history. The defense of the frontcourt trio will cover Nash's defensive issues adequately imo, as opposing bench mobs would find it immensely difficult to go through the Matrix one on one and score on Brand and the A-Train once they get to the rim. Can't really go in depth about the second unit due to me lacking a backup shooting guard though.

I love the offense and spacing you get from your 3 backcourt player, but they are horrible defensively.  You really need to get 2 defense stoppers 1 at PG and 1 at SG to round the team out.  Dr. J is awesome.  I think he was the right guy to trade for, but he too is not exactly a defensive stopper either, though having Marion on your bench helps there.  I'm not sure I really love the KG and Cowens fit.  Both excellent all around players, but I wouldn't have thought of pairing them together. Gilmore was a great value selection, but I don't like Brand or Green in this.  Brand is just too ordinary i.e. good scorer, rebounder, etc.,but not great at anything.  Don't like that type of player in this.  As for Green, he thrives defensively against modern players, but I think he struggles guarding both PF's and C's that are on every team in this.

I think another trade could really help you out.  Not sure what it is necessarily but your bench could use some work.