Is Your Pick Two Team Better than When it Started?

[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 think you need a snipper. 

a sniper?.....my binkie is my sniper off the bench....shooting 47.5% from three(2nd in nba) and has shot as many threes as Paul Pierce...jared dudley

[Who]

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.

[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.

I think they're still a championship contender in three or four years, if Oden develops like he should.  I agree that the team could use some more elite defenders on the wing, but I think it will be able to score anyone, and will get timely defensive stops when necessary (due to strong defenders at the 1 and 5).

[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

It's a good, relatively young team.  Here's my question:  by the time you're ready to contend, will West and Butler be too old?  They're already going on 30. 

I'm impressed with the team, though.

solid question...i think we can make a nice run immediately, but as for Caron and West...off the books after next season.  With our emerging stars, low payroll and warm climate we should attract some nine FAs

[wdleehi]

The new LA Pigs.


PG  Foye
SG  Kobe
SF  Turk
PF  Gasol
C   Gortat


Bench

SG/PG  Redick  (He works as a PG in the Triangle offense much like a Ron Harper.  Kobe and Turk are the true PGs)
PF   Tyler Hansbrough
SF   Moon
C    Boone

Let me ask again.

[wdleehi]

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. Very good on the backboards. 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.

How is Magette going to react coming off the bench?

[fairweatherfan]

PG Chris Paul, Goran Dragic
SG Eric Gordon, Dahntay Jones
SF Marvin Williams, Dahntay Jones (can play either wing)
PF Boris Diaw, DeJuan Blair
C Yao Ming, DeAndre Jordan

This team was built with the intention of rebuilding into a championship contender within 2-3 years.  All players are 29 and under, and mostly 25 and under. We've got defense, efficient scoring from outside, midrange and inside, rebounding, and versatility off the bench.  Jordan is a big question mark, but he's only 21 and has all the physical tools to be a star - team doctors have formally diagnosed him with acute Clipperitis, and expect him to recover fully within 8-10 months.  But I see this as a major championship contender from 2011-2013 at the least, and that's if you don't count the high lottery pick they'd probably get this year with Yao and Paul out.

[Roy Hobbs]

The new LA Pigs.


PG  Foye
SG  Kobe
SF  Turk
PF  Gasol
C   Gortat


Bench

SG/PG  Redick  (He works as a PG in the Triangle offense much like a Ron Harper.  Kobe and Turk are the true PGs)
PF   Tyler Hansbrough
SF   Moon
C    Boone

Let me ask again.

Obviously, they're a contender.  I'd like to see a guy off the bench who can create his own offense, and your backup bigs are both undersized for the positions they're playing.  Still, in terms of two-somes, they don't get much better than Gasol/Turk. ()

[Truck Lewis]

The new LA Pigs.


PG  Foye
SG  Kobe
SF  Turk
PF  Gasol
C   Gortat


Bench

SG/PG  Redick  (He works as a PG in the Triangle offense much like a Ron Harper.  Kobe and Turk are the true PGs)
PF   Tyler Hansbrough
SF   Moon
C    Boone

Let me ask again.

starting 5 is very very solid...maybe a little soft on D....i like Psycho T and Gortat,,,but the rest of your bench has 2 of my least favorite college players ever in boone and redick, but i will say i have been suprised by how well Redick has played, i thought he'd go the adam morrison route, so not a bad pick.  

[PLamb]

Since this isn't a competition I'm not going to go deeply into defending my team more than I have

Do I think this Knick team could contend for a title

Maybe, maybe not

But after reading people over and over again talk about this CB Draft last summer I did some research and found that the team that won that competition was much like mine

A little older(or in that teams case much older), very deep, good youth in spots, with no go to scorers or super top line defenders

This team compares very favorably to the reality that that team was

So although I might think this Knick team could win it all, I don't know for sure one way or the other and I'm not sure I care

My goal here was to have fun, try to build a team and to try to build a team better than the current Knicks team

I've done that and am proud of this team, I think they are real good

That said, if you don't have a top 3-5 player in the league on your team, you shouldn't be expecting to win a championship so I wouldn't expect this team to win one much like looking at that team that did win the CB championship last summer, I can't understand how people could vote that team a winner when they didn't have a top 50 player in the league on that team

That's a head scratcher there

But I think this team could get into the ECF's

It wouldn't be easy, but it's possible

And being a tremendously healthy team isn't going to hurt either

It's funny how year after year in almost every sport that the champion is usually the healthiest teams in the league that year

[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. Very good on the backboards. 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.

Mirrors a lot of my thoughts, I don't think I have enough 3 point shooting and I'm not happy with my bigs mobility.

[wdleehi]

PG Chris Paul, Goran Dragic
SG Eric Gordon, Dahntay Jones
SF Marvin Williams, Dahntay Jones (can play either wing)
PF Boris Diaw, DeJuan Blair
C Yao Ming, DeAndre Jordan

This team was built with the intention of rebuilding into a championship contender within 2-3 years.  All players are 29 and under, and mostly 25 and under. We've got defense, efficient scoring from outside, midrange and inside, rebounding, and versatility off the bench.  Jordan is a big question mark, but he's only 21 and has all the physical tools to be a star - team doctors have formally diagnosed him with acute Clipperitis, and expect him to recover fully within 8-10 months.  But I see this as a major championship contender from 2011-2013 at the least, and that's if you don't count the high lottery pick they'd probably get this year with Yao and Paul out.

Definitly a lotto team this year, but a dangerous team next year when Paul and Yao return.


Still don't like how you trades West.  I think you could have gotten back more in return (with Yao probably having at least one round of self life left)

[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. Very good on the backboards. 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.

How is Magette going to react coming off the bench?

Yeah I think he'll be a problem coming off the bench. He didn't like it under Dunleavy. One can only hope my part time Lawyer/Coach Roy Hobbs of Celticsblog can win him over.

Talent-wise I really like him on the team though.

[Who]

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.

[fairweatherfan]

The new LA Pigs.


PG  Foye
SG  Kobe
SF  Turk
PF  Gasol
C   Gortat


Bench

SG/PG  Redick  (He works as a PG in the Triangle offense much like a Ron Harper.  Kobe and Turk are the true PGs)
PF   Tyler Hansbrough
SF   Moon
C    Boone

The starting 5 looks very strong although there's no telling if Gortat can produce consistently with starter's minutes.  But overall that's probably about a wash with their current 5, and maybe even a little better depending on how Turk adjusts.  

The bench is a big dropoff at every position, and there's only one guy - Redick - who's a legitimate scoring threat, and that's mostly on catch-and-shoot plays.  Hansborough and Boone are bangers who struggled to create their own shots at the NBA level, and Moon has probably at least plateaued as a player and may be regressing.  But Hansborough stands a good chance at improving and he'll provide good energy when the starters are off.  Bench defense should be ok but the team will lean on the stars to provide the large majority of their scoring, which might wear Kobe down like we're seeing this season.

I think this team would dominate most starting 5s but would struggle to hold leads when the backups come in.  Teams with multiple quick, skilled players at the 1-3 could give this team a lot of trouble.  I could see a conference finals, but I think a lot would have to break their way to go much further.