2020 Historical Draft Thread: Draft over. Playoffs coming soon!

[Somebody]

Had three guys at the same level at this point.  I choose the one I would most enjoy arguing for.

TP. Best way to play this game. Pick guys you like and would like defending.

I'll probably have to go the other way and take guys I despise  . 
Although I hate LeBron with al my heart I still would have picked him at #1 anyway as well.

Lebron is the obvious #1 choice but there is are quite a few top notch 2-way forwards that could slow him down a bit.  It is hard to see who slows down Shaq assuming he's surrounded by shooters.  The other teams will have to draft big body centers to play against Shaq.   

Eh there's definitely personnel that can slow down Shaq even if he's surrounded by shooters. Shaq also has issues with guarding the high PnR, something that LeBron doesn't have (his prime years were some of the best defensive SF seasons ever).

I think it adds to the fun that all of these guys have had their match-up difficulties

For sure. It's part of the reason why I picked Garnett, his only real "weakness" was scoring in bunches on high efficiency against playoff defences, which I can mitigate with good teammates.

[Somebody]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

[nickagneta]

I have the Houston pick but freshinthehouse gave it to me in case he wasn't able to make it, so I am in waiting mode.

[Who]

I like young Kobe the best. I loved how he attacked the basket. Those young quick legs combined with that fearlessness and willingness to take the physical punishment elevated him over the other big name wings of that era.

It is a pity Kobe lost those in between years 05-07 to rebuilding teams. That was probably his peak.

[gouki88]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

That's fair. Personally I like 02-03 as a halfway point between that. 30PPG with good three-point shooting, good to great defence, but there are so many seasons to choose from.

I think with Kobe you're in a good spot because you can choose the season depending on who you draft around him

[nickagneta]

While not in the same order, the top 9 taken were my top 9.

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

While 06-08 might have led to more gaudy offensive numbers, he was basically the only player on that team until ******* arrived.

2003 Kobe: 30/7/6 on 45/38/84 shooting. 2.2 steals per game and his best defensive metrics of his career too.

Might as well start defending him now, I'm going to be doing this a lot over the next couple of weeks lol

[Somebody]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

That's fair. Personally I like 02-03 as a halfway point between that. 30PPG with good three-point shooting, good to great defence, but there are so many seasons to choose from.

I think with Kobe you're in a good spot because you can choose the season depending on who you draft around him

But you'd then be sacrificing his top 10 offensive peak if you choose '03 (although his defence was definitely good that year). Don't particularly like picking '03 Kobe, I think you have better players than that iteration of Kobe who aren't drafted yet.

[RPGenerate]

While not in the same order, the top 9 taken were my top 9.

For me, I still have a guy in the top 7 still. Everyone else has been picked in the top 10.

[Somebody]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

While 06-08 might have led to more gaudy offensive numbers, he was basically the only player on that team until ****** arrived.

2003 Kobe: 30/7/6 on 45/38/84 shooting. 2.2 steals per game and his best defensive metrics of his career too.

Sure, but his impact metrics peaked during that period (at least offensively) and the eye test also supports that his
offensive arsenal was at its apex (he developed an off ball game and refined his passing) in '06 and '08.

[gouki88]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

While 06-08 might have led to more gaudy offensive numbers, he was basically the only player on that team until ******* arrived.

2003 Kobe: 30/7/6 on 45/38/84 shooting. 2.2 steals per game and his best defensive metrics of his career too.

Might as well start defending him now, I'm going to be doing this a lot over the next couple of weeks lol

Please try and avoid mentioning undrafted guys - edited your post

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

While 06-08 might have led to more gaudy offensive numbers, he was basically the only player on that team until ******* arrived.

2003 Kobe: 30/7/6 on 45/38/84 shooting. 2.2 steals per game and his best defensive metrics of his career too.

Might as well start defending him now, I'm going to be doing this a lot over the next couple of weeks lol

Please try and avoid mentioning undrafted guys - edited your post

Ahh sorry, brain fart. Won't happen again.

[gouki88]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

While 06-08 might have led to more gaudy offensive numbers, he was basically the only player on that team until ******* arrived.

2003 Kobe: 30/7/6 on 45/38/84 shooting. 2.2 steals per game and his best defensive metrics of his career too.

Might as well start defending him now, I'm going to be doing this a lot over the next couple of weeks lol

Please try and avoid mentioning undrafted guys - edited your post

Ahh sorry, brain fart. Won't happen again.

No sweat, know for a fact I did it in the last historical draft, lol

[RPGenerate]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

It was a collective effort to let the Lakers pick him

As if it wasn't bad enough I was stuck with the Lakers.

But honestly, early 2000's Kobe was an animal. Proved he could win titles scoring 30 a game playing with another mega superstar (regardless of what was going on off the court) and was elite defensively as well

He definitely was. I think he only fell this far because it is a Celtic board. Kobe when he was locked in on defence was a monster. Could really do it all

I don't think his offensive and defensive peaks overlapped though. He was really only a solid to above average defender at best when he hit his offensive peak in '06 and '08.

While 06-08 might have led to more gaudy offensive numbers, he was basically the only player on that team until ******* arrived.

2003 Kobe: 30/7/6 on 45/38/84 shooting. 2.2 steals per game and his best defensive metrics of his career too.

Might as well start defending him now, I'm going to be doing this a lot over the next couple of weeks lol

Please try and avoid mentioning undrafted guys - edited your post

Ahh sorry, brain fart. Won't happen again.

No sweat, know for a fact I did it in the last historical draft, lol

Yeah, it's really hard sometimes to not mention other players.

[action781]

Wow.  You guys are really leaving me no choice here. I'm baffled he's still here, but this is a board of Celtics fans. I had to pick LeBron in the last draft, which was tough, but this one is even tougher. But it has to be done.

The Los Angeles Lakers select
The Black Mamba



Kobe Bean Bryant with pick 1(9)

I had him at #4 overall.  Part of that is due to true SGs being what I see as the weakest position in the 2000s.  There's a good handful that will make strong complementary pieces and some more than will make solid 4th-6th men.  Most of the SGs to be drafted later aren't exactly the types that can match up defensively with Kobe either.  That angle makes him #4 overall to me. 

Take Durant for example.  Durant is roughly an equal caliber player to Kobe (Durant better offensively, Kobe better defensively, Durant better teammate, Kobe more competitive/heart/guts).  Durant is an easier player to complement other stars in this game.  But Durant also has a lot more players in his position that are closer to his caliber and can match up defensively on him than Kobe does.