Who's "Pick-Two" Teams' Analysis

[Bahku]

This thread is for referencing Who's detailed analysis of some of the teams from Roy's "Pick-Two" fantasy draft.

[Fafnir]

Bahku I think we'll just move his posts here.

It'd be clearer that he's the author of the thoughts then. Or at least copy and quote them.

[Bahku]

Bahku I think we'll just move his posts here.

It'd be clearer that he's the author of the thoughts then. Or at least copy and quote them.

OK ... I'll remove these .. or maybe the thread is not a good idea ... sorry.

[Fafnir]

Bahku I think we'll just move his posts here.

It'd be clearer that he's the author of the thoughts then. Or at least copy and quote them.

OK ... I'll remove these .. or maybe the thread is not a good idea ... sorry.

It's a very good idea with how much people like Who's thoughts. But I'd rather have his original posts quote boxed so they can be clinked to go to the original or just split into this thread itself.

[Fafnir]

Click the quote button and do it like this:

Los Angeles Clippers (Atzar)-
Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Joakim Noah
Rafer Alston, Daniel Gibson, Jarvis Hayes, Marquis Daniels, Mareese Speights

I think Blake Griffin and Joakim Noah, plus a low level but serviceable supporting cast, could lead the Clippers to 30+ wins by themselves. Griffin is a major talent and Noah's defense + rebounding creates one heck of a foundation to build off of.

Add the abilities of Ricky Rubio + Rudy Gay + James Harden and talent wise you're looking at a 45 win team. A solid all-round team that does good work offensively + defensively + on the backboards.

Then consider the upside to each player and how much they could improve over the next few years ... beautiful. The Clippers are heading down a bright road and will very likely become a contender in a couple of seasons.

I don't like the bench but that's neither here or there because this team is all about the future. About the future that it's starting lineup creates. Marreese Speights, though, he could play a role in the Clips future too. Only reserve who's likely to last beyond this season. Well, maybe Gibson too, but preferably not.

This way we can clearly see it's who's thoughts and you can click to go to the original message.

If you'd like I'll do it when I get off work Bahku.

[Bahku]

Click the quote button and do it like this:

Los Angeles Clippers (Atzar)-
Ricky Rubio, James Harden, Rudy Gay, Blake Griffin, Joakim Noah
Rafer Alston, Daniel Gibson, Jarvis Hayes, Marquis Daniels, Mareese Speights

I think Blake Griffin and Joakim Noah, plus a low level but serviceable supporting cast, could lead the Clippers to 30+ wins by themselves. Griffin is a major talent and Noah's defense + rebounding creates one heck of a foundation to build off of.

Add the abilities of Ricky Rubio + Rudy Gay + James Harden and talent wise you're looking at a 45 win team. A solid all-round team that does good work offensively + defensively + on the backboards.

Then consider the upside to each player and how much they could improve over the next few years ... beautiful. The Clippers are heading down a bright road and will very likely become a contender in a couple of seasons.

I don't like the bench but that's neither here or there because this team is all about the future. About the future that it's starting lineup creates. Marreese Speights, though, he could play a role in the Clips future too. Only reserve who's likely to last beyond this season. Well, maybe Gibson too, but preferably not.

This way we can clearly see it's who's thoughts and you can click to go to the original message.

If you'd like I'll do it when I get off work Bahku.

I completely understand, Faf, and wholeheartedly agree ... I was posting with his sig at the bottom, but I was worried, too, that it wasn't his format, avatar, etc. Quoting seems a bit messy, so I think it would be great if someone could move them ... he puts a lot of work into them and it would be great to have a thread dedicated to it. Thanks for understanding ... I do not want to misrepresent such great stuff, but it deserves a good home.

[Bahku]

Denver Nuggets (Bahku)

UPDATE:

The "New Look" Denver Nuggets :


Starting Five:                                PPG                  Salary            RB/G        APG        Efficiency

C  -  Mehmet Okur                      12.7       $  9,000,000.00         6.7            1.8           +14.64
PF - Al Harrington                       17.8       $10,026,875.00         5.8           1.4           +15.05
SF - Carmelo Anthony                29.7      $15,779,912.00         6.5            3.3           +25.03
SG - Josh Howard                      12.1       $10,890,000.00        3.6            1.5            +  9.32
PG - Chauncey Billups              19.2       $12,100,000.00        3.0             6.1           +19.15


Bench:

PG - Jerryd Bayless                    9.7         $2,143,080.00           1.5            2.4           + 7.82
SG - Chris Douglas-Roberts   12.6        $   736,420.00           4.1            1.8           +11.77

Total Budget so far:                                $60,676,287.00

I'm not a fan of this team. I think it has a lot of flaws that will hold it back.

(1) Too many hands to feed offensively. Everyone is a scorer. Diminishing returns. Not enough shots + plays to go around. Only one ball.

(2) A lack of passers. Only one high quality passer in the lineup and that's Chancey Billups. Josh Howard and Al Harrington are both very poor passers. Memo Okur is a poor passer. Carmelo Anthony is solid. Jerryd Bayless is a poor passing guard and Chris Douglas Roberts is a poor passer. Every one of those players, except for maybe Memo (and that's only because of the extremes from the other players) are pure scorers.

(3) That team is going to play a lot of one-on-one basketball. Have poor ball movement and a lack of offensive fluidity. A lot of those "I haven't had a shot in awhile so I'm jack one up" types of plays.

(4) Some Scoring efficiency concerns -- Josh Howard has a TS% of 48% this season and 53% for his career. Al Harrington has a 53.8% mark this season and 52% for his career. CDR has a TS% of 52%, Bayless has a TS% of 54% this season. Those are score first players who will be eating a lot of possessions/shots. Melo, Billups and Okur are very good in this respect. It's the possessions that they aren't using that is a concern.

(5) Rebounding -- only one good rebounder on the roster and that's Carmelo Anthony. Everyone else is a below average rebounder. The lack of rebounding from the bigs is a major problem. This will be one of the worst rebounding teams in the league.

(6) Defense -- The perimeter defense will be good. Billups, Howard and Anthony is a nice combination. Bayless and CDR are serviceable. The interior defense will be shockingly poor, on track to be the worst in the league and that will leave Denver with a below average defensive team.

So I'm thinking a 7-10th place offense + bottom 10 defensive club + bottom 3 rebounding club ... based on the players selected so far. That's a .500 team.

Bakhu, I'd love to see you sacrifice some of your team's scoring prowess for more defensive minded players. It would make a big difference. You could add 10 wins to that roster pretty quickly with a talented interior defender/rebounder. Create better roster balance.

I think this analysis is way too one-sided ... only ONE good passer on this team? I just don't see that at all ... and neither stats or what I've seen from these guys backs it up. As far as rebounding, only ONE also? Okur is a very good rebounder, as is Harrington and Anthony ... ALL average around 6/game, and both guards are decent.

To say there are too many scorers on a team just makes no sense to me at all ... scoring is what teams do to WIN, and there can never be too many. If anything, being a good scorer facilitates better ball-handling and better passing, and means that the team is also effective in the post, and when you're a threat from all over the floor like this team is, you become VERY difficult to defend or anticipate.

I understand where you're coming from defensively ... I agree this team is offensively-oriented, but when your starting five is AVERAGING almost 95 points/game, you really don't need a lot of defense. I certainly would think about trading some bench scoring for a great rebounder and low-post player, though, but I think Rad is competent off the bench in that area also.

This assessment was done before the end of the draft, and I have to say that one thing I noticed while writing up these rosters, is that I have one of the deepest benches in the league, on both sides of the ball. I love the analysis, and truly appreciate it, but I'd have to rate it at about 40%, and take exception to around 60%.

Here's the full lineup now:



 The "New Look" DENVER NUGGETS  :
Bahku - General Manager

Pos.	Starting Five	PPG	Salary	RB/G	APG	Efficiency
C   -	Mehmet Okur	12.7	$  9,000,000.00	6.7	1.8	+14.64
PF -	Al Harrington	17.8	$10,026,875.00	5.8	1.4	+15.05
SF -	Carmelo Anthony	29.7	$15,779,912.00	6.5	3.3	+25.03
SG -	Josh Howard	12.1	$10,890,000.00	3.6	1.5	+  9.32
PG -	Chauncey Billups	19.2	$12,100,000.00	3.0	6.1	+19.15
C   -	Ryan Hollins	6.2	$  2,183,333.00	3.0	0.7	+  6.73
PF -	Vladimir Radmanovic	6.2	$  6,466,000.00	4.3	1.1	+  7.17
SF -	Chris Douglas-Roberts	12.2	$     736,420.00	3.9	1.8	+11.44
SG -	Devin Brown	9.0	$  1,107,572.00	2.6	1.5	+  7.26
PG -	Jerryd Bayless	9.7	$  2,143,080.00	1.5	2.4	+  7.82
PG -	C.J. Watson	8.3	$  1,000,497.00	2.3	2.3	+  9.41
G   -	Luther Head	8.2	$     825,497.00	1.7	1.6	+  6.53

           Total budget so far:                                      $72,259,186.00

[Bahku]

Orlando Magic (Edgar)

C:  Dwight Howard
PF: Rashard Lewis / Ryan Gomes
SF: Ron Artest
SG: Rip Hamilton / Mike Dunleavy
PG: Andre Miller

Ryan Gomes and Mike Dunleavy give you the makings of a very nice nine man rotation. Those two can backup the SG + SF + PF positions effectively so you'll need a backup big man and a backup guard next.

I'd target a point guard with a good jump shot to complement Andre Miller. Preferably a point guard who is athletic and can match up well defensively against quicker opposing points but that is only a secondary concern. Shooting + running the offense is the primary concern. And a big man who focuses on defense + rebounding and preferably is physically strong. Has a bit of heft about him, to complement the finesse power forwards. After those two positions are filled I'd look for a wing with athleticism and defensive ability, someone who can provide a different look than Dunleavy or Gomes can off the bench (on the wing).

I love the Mike Dunleavy selection. He's a wonderful passer, and in particular an excellent post entry passer. Moves very well without the ball and has an excellent jump shot from anywhere on the floor. Dwight Howard will love playing with him. Artest and Rip Hamilton provide enough defense to allow Dunleavy to always be pitted against the weaker offensive player on the wing, and then you have Dwight Howard behind him. Very good protection defensively.

Not a fan of Ryan Gomes but he'll slot in nicely here. He has a solid complementary type of offensive game that will fit in well alongside Orlando's other scorers + alongside one low post big like Dwight Howard.

[Bahku]

Minnesota Timberwolves (Fafnir)

I really haven't been all that active this game, but what does everyone think of my Timberpuppies?

Minnesota Timberwolves (Fafnir)-
Luke Ridnour, Rudy Fernandez, Luol Deng, Al Jefferson, Kevin Love
Darren Collison, Corey Maggette, Nick Collison

I'd start Darren Collison ahead of Luke Ridnour. A better overall player a much better defender. I like that starting five of Collison + Rudy + Deng + Big Al + Love. Great balance offensively and a nice group of perimeter defenders. Very good on the backboards too. Three strong bench players, a wing (Maggette) + a big (Collison) + a guard (Ridnour), so a very good eight man rotation.

The lack of defensive ability amongst the bigs holds the team back in a big way. Below average but serviceable (team overall). Very good on the backboards (team overall). A lot of talented offensive players but it lacks that creative force (playmaker) on the perimeter, and not a lot of three point shooting but that's largely offset by the quality of the two point jump shooters. A good-to-very good offensive team overall.

I'm thinking somewhere in the 45 win range. If you could add a good defensive big with mobility (a Varejao type) who can play both big man positions defensively and bring Love off the bench as a sixth man, that would do wonders for this team. A 50-54 win team.

[Edgar]

Orlando Magic (Edgar)

C:  Dwight Howard
PF: Rashard Lewis / Ryan Gomes
SF: Ron Artest
SG: Rip Hamilton / Mike Dunleavy
PG: Andre Miller

Ryan Gomes and Mike Dunleavy give you the makings of a very nice nine man rotation. Those two can backup the SG + SF + PF positions effectively so you'll need a backup big man and a backup guard next.

I'd target a point guard with a good jump shot to complement Andre Miller. Preferably a point guard who is athletic and can match up well defensively against quicker opposing points but that is only a secondary concern. Shooting + running the offense is the primary concern. And a big man who focuses on defense + rebounding and preferably is physically strong. Has a bit of heft about him, to complement the finesse power forwards. After those two positions are filled I'd look for a wing with athleticism and defensive ability, someone who can provide a different look than Dunleavy or Gomes can off the bench (on the wing).

I love the Mike Dunleavy selection. He's a wonderful passer, and in particular an excellent post entry passer. Moves very well without the ball and has an excellent jump shot from anywhere on the floor. Dwight Howard will love playing with him. Artest and Rip Hamilton provide enough defense to allow Dunleavy to always be pitted against the weaker offensive player on the wing, and then you have Dwight Howard behind him. Very good protection defensively.

Not a fan of Ryan Gomes but he'll slot in nicely here. He has a solid complementary type of offensive game that will fit in well alongside Orlando's other scorers + alongside one low post big like Dwight Howard.

This is a very early comment
before Blake, thomas,najera,foster and may were picked
I am sure the rotation is even better now
can you please update Mr. Who.

Predicted No. of wins...  I say 62 

[Bahku]

San Antonio Spurs (CelticsClay)

PG: Tony Parker
SG: Leandro Barbosa
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Tim Duncan
Center: Samuel Dalembert

Bench: Jarrett Jack, Darrell Arthur (playing his first games of the season soon), Roger Mason Jr...

Will probably add some more wily veterans after the next round of buyouts on the non contending teams. Ive also awarded myself the number one pick in next years draft and plan to select Wall.

The backcourt is just to small. 

How will they defend Kobe?  Roy?  Martin? 

I was surprised by the choice in the backcourt too. Four small players in Parker, Barbosa, Jack and Roger Mason Jr. Three of those guys are substantially better players as point guards. All four are liabilities defensively + on the backboards as shooting guards.

[Bahku]

OKC Thunder (Roy Hobbs)

My team won't compete for the title this year or next, but it's improved over the current Thunder, I think.

C: Oden
SF: Durant
PG: Westbrook

I thought this trio was one of the best (top four orfive) in the league at the start of this process. I was expecting a championship contender.

It had all the right ingredients to build for a title winning side. An excellent interior defender in Oden + the best defensive point guard in the league is amazing foundation defensively. One of the best rebounders in the league in Oden + two good rebounding perimeter players. One of the best scorers in the league + two other solid scorers. Potentially devastating in transition with Westbrook + Durant. Excellent foundation to build a team around.

Add one more good scorer + stopper on the wing + good complementary role players who play defense and can hit jump shots and that Thunder team would have been elite.

[Bahku]

Sacramento Kings (Truck Lewis)

The SacTown Kings

C:  Andrew Bynum
PF: David West
SF: Caron Butler
SG: Corey Brewer
PG: Tyreke Evans

Bench: Emeka Okafor, Jared Dudley, Marcus Thornton, and Brandon Rush

I don't think this team will work that well together.

I think Tyreke Evans is comparable to a guy like Allen Iverson in the way he uses his teammates offensively. They are/were great with finishers; with perimeter shooters (Korver) and bigs who can finish around the rim (Dalembert). But not as successful when playing alongside players who like to create with the basketball (Van Horn, Stackhouse, Robinson, Webber, to a degree Carmelo Anthony), who need to make plays themselves.

When they're allowed to dominate the ball and control the offense, they're more successful, which will be difficult for Evans to do alongside that much firepower.

I'm also worried about Caron Butler's play when his number of touches + shot attempts are low. A similar concern with Andrew Bynum. Both players suffer from inconsistent play in those circumstances.

Not a fan of David West, I think his game has dropped off the map over the past two seasons. He's stopped playing adequate defense + rebounding. Still not an overly efficient offensive player so those declines are hard to live with.

I don't think the players complement one another well so I'd expect a lot of poor returns against expectations for individual players, and, consequently less team success too.

My Idea For The Team

I'd love to see you build a team around Tyreke Evans and Andrew Bynum. Then target quality role players who rebound + play defense at a high level and who can finish plays offensively.

I think Dudley and Brandon Rush are excellent fits for that type of team. They could start at least provide one starter + the main wing off the bench.

Marcus Thornton? I'm not wild about. He needs a lot of touches and shot attempts without contributing anything else to the team. He's serviceable though. A second wing off the bench.

Corey Brewer's lack of shooting/scoring ability hurts him but he's a very good player in non-scoring areas. He could stay but you'd need to make sure the other wing position + the power forward position were strong shooters. It would be best if Bynum + Evans were the only poor shooters in the lineup though.

Did you have Jeff Green earlier in the process? Was that the Emeka Okafor trade? He would have been an excellent fit offensively alongside Bynum + Evans. Solid defensive fit too because of his quickness and ability to switch 1-4.

I would have really liked to have seen him stay here. He would have made Evans + Bynum more effective. Surround those three guys with complementary players and you could have a 50 win team with large room for internal development (as prospects realize potential) on your hands.

[Evantime34]

who I would like your thoughts on my team.

[Bahku]

Los Angeles Clippers (Atzar)

Rubio/Alston
Harden/Daniels
Gay
Griffin
Kaman/Speights

Still looking to trade Kaman, and I'd like to pick up a floor-running big in the process - Nene and Frye both come to mind, although I'm not sure if either is really attainable. 

Still, what do people think of the setup thus far?

I wouldn't be in a rush to trade Kaman. He is a solid center. Difficult to upgrade without giving up another high quality asset in a trade. I wouldn't be concerned about getting a runner there either due to the speed at the other four positions.

I think the starting five is very good. Not a fan of the Rafer + Marquis bench. Lack of shooting ability. Speights is a nice player but likely a poor fit alongside Griffin due to their respective defensive abilities (lack thereof).

Patience is everything for this team. Don't make a trade that sacrifices the future for today.