2020 Historic Draft: How’s My Team Look: Conference Finals winners announced!!

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Oklahoma City Thunder thru 12 rounds.

PG: Jrue Holiday / Isaiah Thomas
SG: Paul George / Aaron McKie / Bradley Beal
SF: Paul Pierce / Tayshaun Prince
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Shareef Abdur-Rahim / Ben Simmons
C : Jermaine O'neal / Ben Wallace

Not fully committed on it yet, but for now, Jermaine O'neal has supplanted Ben Wallace as the starting Center for this team. He's not as great a defender as Big Ben, but JO offers enough defense for us to keep us comfortable, and his added offensive punch, and his decent range should help with our scoring.

Bradley Beal and Ben Simmons have been moved to the deeper bench roles in place of Aaron McKie and Shareef Abdur-Raheem.  With Isaiah Thomas and Reef being the two vocal points of scoring off the bench, we like what McKie brings in as far as backup wing who can defend and add some scoring, and a little bit of playmaking without being high usage player.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Oklahoma City Thunder thru 12 rounds.

PG: Jrue Holiday / Isaiah Thomas
SG: Paul George / Aaron McKie / Bradley Beal
SF: Paul Pierce / Tayshaun Prince
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Shareef Abdur-Rahim / Ben Simmons
C : Jermaine O'neal / Ben Wallace

Not fully committed on it yet, but for now, Jermaine O'neal has supplanted Ben Wallace as the starting Center for this team. He's not as great a defender as Big Ben, but JO offers enough defense for us to keep us comfortable, and his added offensive punch, and his decent range should help with our scoring.

Bradley Beal and Ben Simmons have been moved to the deeper bench roles in place of Aaron McKie and Shareef Abdur-Raheem.  With Isaiah Thomas and Reef being the two vocal points of scoring off the bench, we like what McKie brings in as far as backup wing who can defend and add some scoring, and a little bit of playmaking without being high usage player.

I love most all the players on your team, but I'm worried about the high-end talent. Pierce and George are really good players, but neither of them was ever a true alpha on their own team, much less on an era team. If only one of them was Durant, or James, or someone like that, I'd say your chances are much higher.

I also think Beal is your third best player, as much as I like Aldridge and O'neil.

Also, I agree on Wallace. As much as people forget, backups took a lot of minutes from Wallace because of his offense. Still would love to have him as the anchor of a defense.

[Roy H.]

Pierce and George are really good players, but neither of them was ever a true alpha on their own team

What do you mean by alpha in this context?

In my mind, neither was necessarily a super-duper-star, but I’d consider them both as alphas under my definition.  I think of an alpha as a team leader who can step up to take the last shot and wants the weight of the team on his shoulders.  I see Pierce as more of an alpha personality than Kevin Durant, for instance.

[action781]

Oklahoma City Thunder thru 12 rounds.

PG: Jrue Holiday / Isaiah Thomas
SG: Paul George / Aaron McKie / Bradley Beal
SF: Paul Pierce / Tayshaun Prince
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Shareef Abdur-Rahim / Ben Simmons
C : Jermaine O'neal / Ben Wallace

Not fully committed on it yet, but for now, Jermaine O'neal has supplanted Ben Wallace as the starting Center for this team. He's not as great a defender as Big Ben, but JO offers enough defense for us to keep us comfortable, and his added offensive punch, and his decent range should help with our scoring.

Bradley Beal and Ben Simmons have been moved to the deeper bench roles in place of Aaron McKie and Shareef Abdur-Raheem.  With Isaiah Thomas and Reef being the two vocal points of scoring off the bench, we like what McKie brings in as far as backup wing who can defend and add some scoring, and a little bit of playmaking without being high usage player.

Well, your offense is hugely improved by moving Ben to the bench and Jermaine into the starting 5.  You now have 5 good scorers in the lineup with no real liability in there.  And your starting defense isn't elite anymore, but isn't that bad either actually.  Props on the out of the box thinking there.  It isn't making the most of Ben's talents (defending the best starting centers in this game) but a lot of us are finding ourselves in that situation, so I wouldn't worry about it at all.  I think your overall team is improved by doing this.  And Big Ben-Shareef make a nice complementary frontcourt pairing together off the bench too.

[gouki88]

12 rounds done - what do people think of the LA Clippers:

PG: Stephen Curry / Deron Williams / Penny Hardaway
SG: Michael Redd / Doug Christie
SF: Grant Hill / Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Elton Brand / Lamar Odom / Josh Smith
C: Joakim Noah / Andrew Bynum

I would use Brand as the 2nd C even if he starts at PF and use Odom/Smith at PF more then Bynum at C.

I’m not sure about this. I love Brand at his natural position, as he’s a physically dominant 6’8” 260lbs beast with a very long wingspan. I also like his fit next to Noah - on offence he’s like Boozer with great athleticism.

I like Bynum as a player. He’s a legitimate 7’ 290lbs bruiser who can physically bang with every big in this league that isn’t Shaq (nobody can bang with him). He’s got a great low-post offensive game, great rebounder and can protect the ring. I think having the ability to put 4 40%+ shooters from deep alongside him in a small ball lineup is fun too.

I am pretty happy with my lineup. In certain matchups I think Christie will start, as he’s my best small defender and one of the best in the league.

[tazzmaniac]

Pierce and George are really good players, but neither of them was ever a true alpha on their own team

What do you mean by alpha in this context?

In my mind, neither was necessarily a super-duper-star, but I’d consider them both as alphas under my definition.  I think of an alpha as a team leader who can step up to take the last shot and wants the weight of the team on his shoulders.  I see Pierce as more of an alpha personality than Kevin Durant, for instance.

IMO, an alpha is the leader not a leader.  An alpha sets the nature of the team for better or worse.  Pierce played 2nd fiddle to Antoine and then to KG.  KD is an alpha wannabe.  Lebron is a true alpha.   

[Jvalin]

Pierce and George are really good players, but neither of them was ever a true alpha on their own team

What do you mean by alpha in this context?

In my mind, neither was necessarily a super-duper-star, but I’d consider them both as alphas under my definition.  I think of an alpha as a team leader who can step up to take the last shot and wants the weight of the team on his shoulders.  I see Pierce as more of an alpha personality than Kevin Durant, for instance.

IMO, an alpha is the leader not a leader.  An alpha sets the nature of the team for better or worse.  Pierce played 2nd fiddle to Antoine and then to KG.  KD is an alpha wannabe.  Lebron is a true alpha.

KD was the alpha in OKC while playing alongside 2 future MVPs. Harden became a superstar only when he stopped living in KD's shadow.

He then moved to a Warriors team that had already won a ring and had broken the Bulls record for most regular season wins. Steph was the first unanimous MVP in league history, yet KD became the go-to guy.

If you ask me, KD is more of an alpha than LeBron is. Imo, Bron plays with a pass-first mentality (which is what I love about him), whereas KD is the best scorer in the NBA since MJ's 2nd retirement in 1998. Don't get me wrong, Bron > KD. When comparing players of similar value, always gimme the pass-first player over the score-first player.

[Moranis]

Through 12 rounds.  Brooklyn Nets


2020 CS Historical Draft

PG- Andre Miller
SG- Tracy McGrady
SF- Shawn Marion
PF- Anthony Davis
C- Yao Ming

Bench: Allen Iverson, Blake Griffin, Theo Ratliff, David West, Shane Battier, CJ McCollum, Eddie House

Love the team except for AI.   He is not going to be able to "get his" to the level he would accept.   

If somehow you are able to either brainwash him or get him when his money ran out, he would make a great offensive spark off the bench.

Yeah, legit criticism.  I mentioned a few days ago that I saw glimpse of his ability to accept more of a team role when it came to his national team & ASG team play.   That's about all I got in terms of getting him to buy in.

I'm not sure that is a fair criticism.  One of the reasons AI had so many FGA's is he played a ton of minutes.  I mean his career FGA per 36 minutes is 19.1, while Durant is 18.2, Lebron 18.4, Carmelo 19.1, Kobe is 19.4, etc.  Obviously AI was a volume shooter, but I don't think he was really much more of a volume shooter than many of the great scorers in history, what sets him apart from his modern contemporaries is his consistent ability to average over 40 mpg.  His ability to stay on the floor for huge minutes, with such a huge load, and bring it night after night is a toughness the league really hasn't seen since basically Wilt.

It's extremely fair criticism.

The statement was that Iverson wouldn't be able to get his shots due to....and this part is understood....the lack of minutes, role and Iverson's mental makeup.

Not sure what AI's shots per 36 plays into it. It's more a question of getting AI to buy into a role where he doesn't just shoot all the time, especially his bad shots, because he will have more efficient guys on the court with him.

My point was it was unfair because the criticism would work against many of those other players as well, yet AI seems to be single handedly singled out.  Everyone's role is going to be vastly different in this thing.  I'd probably take Iverson from 07-08 in Denver playing along side Anthony.  That season he had 26 and 7 with a TS% of 57 and still had the 2 steals.  That season compares very well (at least offensively) with basically any Kobe season, as an example.  Now obviously Kobe is a much better defender, but if you are talking about offensive fit, role, etc., I do find the AI criticism to be unfair in that others aren't criticized in the same manner for the same things. 

[Roy H.]

Through 12 rounds.  Brooklyn Nets


2020 CS Historical Draft

PG- Andre Miller
SG- Tracy McGrady
SF- Shawn Marion
PF- Anthony Davis
C- Yao Ming

Bench: Allen Iverson, Blake Griffin, Theo Ratliff, David West, Shane Battier, CJ McCollum, Eddie House

Love the team except for AI.   He is not going to be able to "get his" to the level he would accept.   

If somehow you are able to either brainwash him or get him when his money ran out, he would make a great offensive spark off the bench.

Yeah, legit criticism.  I mentioned a few days ago that I saw glimpse of his ability to accept more of a team role when it came to his national team & ASG team play.   That's about all I got in terms of getting him to buy in.

I'm not sure that is a fair criticism.  One of the reasons AI had so many FGA's is he played a ton of minutes.  I mean his career FGA per 36 minutes is 19.1, while Durant is 18.2, Lebron 18.4, Carmelo 19.1, Kobe is 19.4, etc.  Obviously AI was a volume shooter, but I don't think he was really much more of a volume shooter than many of the great scorers in history, what sets him apart from his modern contemporaries is his consistent ability to average over 40 mpg.  His ability to stay on the floor for huge minutes, with such a huge load, and bring it night after night is a toughness the league really hasn't seen since basically Wilt.

It's extremely fair criticism.

The statement was that Iverson wouldn't be able to get his shots due to....and this part is understood....the lack of minutes, role and Iverson's mental makeup.

Not sure what AI's shots per 36 plays into it. It's more a question of getting AI to buy into a role where he doesn't just shoot all the time, especially his bad shots, because he will have more efficient guys on the court with him.

My point was it was unfair because the criticism would work against many of those other players as well, yet AI seems to be single handedly singled out.  Everyone's role is going to be vastly different in this thing.  I'd probably take Iverson from 07-08 in Denver playing along side Anthony.  That season he had 26 and 7 with a TS% of 57 and still had the 2 steals.  That season compares very well (at least offensively) with basically any Kobe season, as an example.  Now obviously Kobe is a much better defender, but if you are talking about offensive fit, role, etc., I do find the AI criticism to be unfair in that others aren't criticized in the same manner for the same things.

There are a handful of us who treat Kobe similarly, and you see where Westbrook went.  Efficiency matters.

[Somebody]

Oklahoma City Thunder thru 12 rounds.

PG: Jrue Holiday / Isaiah Thomas
SG: Paul George / Aaron McKie / Bradley Beal
SF: Paul Pierce / Tayshaun Prince
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Shareef Abdur-Rahim / Ben Simmons
C : Jermaine O'neal / Ben Wallace

Not fully committed on it yet, but for now, Jermaine O'neal has supplanted Ben Wallace as the starting Center for this team. He's not as great a defender as Big Ben, but JO offers enough defense for us to keep us comfortable, and his added offensive punch, and his decent range should help with our scoring.

Bradley Beal and Ben Simmons have been moved to the deeper bench roles in place of Aaron McKie and Shareef Abdur-Raheem.  With Isaiah Thomas and Reef being the two vocal points of scoring off the bench, we like what McKie brings in as far as backup wing who can defend and add some scoring, and a little bit of playmaking without being high usage player.

I'm not concerned by the raw offensive talent on your team, but I'm worried about how they will fit to create a high-end offence in this format. I think a wing duo of Pierce and George is excellent, but Holiday, Aldridge and O'Neal are all okay-ish offensive players in this format with some portability issues (shooting for Holiday and isolationist scoring game for Aldridge/O'Neal, with the latter exacerbating issues by being relatively inefficient back then) who I don't see adding enough extra value to your formidable wing duo, although Holiday's shooting issues are mitigated if you play him in an on ball role. I'd try to move O'Neal and/or Aldridge for a big with a more portable offensive game (eg. a big who can shoot, pass and finish in an off ball role).

[Somebody]

Through 12 rounds.  Brooklyn Nets


2020 CS Historical Draft

PG- Andre Miller
SG- Tracy McGrady
SF- Shawn Marion
PF- Anthony Davis
C- Yao Ming

Bench: Allen Iverson, Blake Griffin, Theo Ratliff, David West, Shane Battier, CJ McCollum, Eddie House

I think a McGrady led offence with Davis as his sidekick will be very competitive in this league. One concern is how your other players will chip in, I'm alright with Marion's fit (he can shoot and finish), but Yao and Miller seem iffy to me. Miller can obviously provide on ball value with his passing, but I don't think he's a great off ball PG to complement McGrady, while Yao obviously needs post touches to really add value to an offence (I guess you can have him stretch the floor or stick him under the basket to be a lob threat, but he's not going to be adding massive value to an offence in such a role).

[Somebody]

After 12 rounds, the 76ers

Ballhandlers:  Chauncey Billups, Sam Cassell, Kirk Hinrich

Swing:  Lebron James, Ray Allen, Gerald Wallace, Michael Finley

Bigs: Rudy Gobert, Paul Millsap,  Antoine Walker, Zach Randolph, Domantas Sabonis


I have a good idea who to pick with the next two picks and have plenty of choices.

LeBron is just OP with this cast of defenders and shooters. One concern is opposing teams being able to cheat off of Gobert a little, but he is a dangerous lob threat.

[Somebody]

12 rounds done - what do people think of the LA Clippers:

PG: Stephen Curry / Deron Williams / Penny Hardaway
SG: Michael Redd / Doug Christie
SF: Grant Hill / Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Elton Brand / Lamar Odom / Josh Smith
C: Joakim Noah / Andrew Bynum

I like how you've surrounded Curry and Grant with nice perimeter options, and your power forward spot is strong as well. I'm not a huge fan of your centre position though, I've always thought of Noah to be quite limited offensively during his prime (his passing was excellent, but I don't think he was dangerous enough of a scoring threat to truly maximise the value of his passing) while Bynum has his issues (non-passer/shooter). I think dipping into the trade market would serve you well to find a better option at C.

[gouki88]

12 rounds done - what do people think of the LA Clippers:

PG: Stephen Curry / Deron Williams / Penny Hardaway
SG: Michael Redd / Doug Christie
SF: Grant Hill / Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Elton Brand / Lamar Odom / Josh Smith
C: Joakim Noah / Andrew Bynum

I like how you've surrounded Curry and Grant with nice perimeter options, and your power forward spot is strong as well. I'm not a huge fan of your centre position though, I've always thought of Noah to be quite limited offensively during his prime (his passing was excellent, but I don't think he was dangerous enough of a scoring threat to truly maximise the value of his passing) while Bynum has his issues (non-passer/shooter). I think dipping into the trade market would serve you well to find a better option at C.

That's fair, but I'm not too worried about Noah's lack of scoring. Every other starter was a 25+PPG scorer, and he's got the best shooter of all-time in the back-court as well as another elite 3 point shooter.

With Bynum I'm also not too concerned, as I have two 40% 3 point shooters in Hedo and Christie, as well as two 37% 3 point shooters in Williams and Odom. Obviously Odom isn't a shooter, but he could actually hit them. All of those guys were also good-to-elite passers for their position, so I'm alright with it.

That being said, always looking to strengthen my roster, so I will be exploring the trade market.

[Somebody]

12 rounds done - what do people think of the LA Clippers:

PG: Stephen Curry / Deron Williams / Penny Hardaway
SG: Michael Redd / Doug Christie
SF: Grant Hill / Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Elton Brand / Lamar Odom / Josh Smith
C: Joakim Noah / Andrew Bynum

I like how you've surrounded Curry and Grant with nice perimeter options, and your power forward spot is strong as well. I'm not a huge fan of your centre position though, I've always thought of Noah to be quite limited offensively during his prime (his passing was excellent, but I don't think he was dangerous enough of a scoring threat to truly maximise the value of his passing) while Bynum has his issues (non-passer/shooter). I think dipping into the trade market would serve you well to find a better option at C.

That's fair, but I'm not too worried about Noah's lack of scoring. Every other starter was a 25+PPG scorer, and he's got the best shooter of all-time in the back-court as well as another elite 3 point shooter.

With Bynum I'm also not too concerned, as I have two 40% 3 point shooters in Hedo and Christie, as well as two 37% 3 point shooters in Williams and Odom. Obviously Odom isn't a shooter, but he could actually hit them. All of those guys were also good-to-elite passers for their position, so I'm alright with it.

That being said, always looking to strengthen my roster, so I will be exploring the trade market.

To be fair you don't just get a great offence by stacking up 25+PPG scorers, but fair point. What I was getting at was that Noah doesn't give you the backbreaking fifth threat on offence, and that holds quite some value in this format imo (you can draw away defenders from a player, but it doesn't mean anything if he can't capitalise on it). You don't need another 20PPG centre, but I think a centre who can somewhat shoot from deep and finish inside while offering some connective tissue passing (eg. a Divac lite) would make your offence even more potent, the synergy effect of having five guys who can pass, shoot, finish and create is underrated imo. And I love Bynum on your bench, I was just saying that both of your centre options weren't ideal for your starting lineup.