Is Your Pick Two Team Better than When it Started?

[Who]

Boston Celtics (RebusRankin)-
Rajon Rondo, Jason Richardson, Richard Jefferson, Kevin Garnett, Joel Przybilla
Anthony Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Sam Young, JJ Hickson, Serge Ibaka

An excellent team that would be amongst the league leaders defensively and a solid offensive team.

I love the interior combination of Kevin Garnett + Joel Przybilla. Rajon Rondo gives Boston a third impact player ... and a third impact player who relies on his non-scoring contributions for his greatest impact. A rare trio.

Jason Richardson is a good scorer and rebounder who'll be a nice fit on that roster. Richard Jefferson is questionable fit offensively but a solid one, and, defensively he'll be superb. That starting five will be the best, or one of, the best in the league defensively.

I like two of the bench players, JJ Hickson and Serge Ibaka. Unfortunately, I think they'll get in each others way in terms of development. Both being prototypical power forwards who need minutes + responsibilities for the next phase of their growth. I'd rather keep Ibaka and trade Hickson. Hickson has greater possibilities but is less likely to achieve them. Ibaka, on the other hand, is already a quality defensive player + quality rebounder and he has excellent potential in both areas. A special combination.

I'm not a fan of the perimeter players off the bench. Anthony Johnson is a low level first guard off the bench. Ellington and Sam Young are both poor first wings off the bench while Young is a solid secondary wing off the bench. Ellington shouldn't be depended on for regular rotation minutes. Not yet. I see Ibaka as the only regular quality contributor off the bench.

I don't think the bench contributes enough for Boston to the best of the best but they'll remain an excellent team. A contender but slightly behind a couple of other teams.

[Who]

Philadelphia 76ers (riah32)-
Jameer Nelson, Ben Gordon, Carlos Delfino, Antawn Jamison, Robin Lopez
Earl Boykins, Jamal Crawford, Jerry Stackhouse, James Posey, Kris Humphries, Zydrunas Ilgauskus

I do not like the mix of this team. A lot of individual talents but collectively I don't think they're impressive.

I consider only two players on the roster to be mediocre or better defensively and they are Carlos Delfino + Kris Humphries. Humphries being a slightly above average defender and Delfino being a solid-to-good defender. I think the rest of the players on the team are liabilities defensively.

Robin Lopez is a player who I feel doesn't deserve his reputation for being a defensive player + rebounder. Although, in fairness to him, his rebounding has improved considerably this season after a very poor display last year. His defense still needs a lot of work. Not a serviceable defender.

Lopez' offensive game is very good though. He has excellent hands, is an excellent finisher, runs the pick and roll well, gets a good number of easy baskets (garbage plays, running the floor) too. A type of player who scores 12-15ppg if he's playing 32-35 minutes a night while shooting 55-60% from the floor. A complementary offensive threat and a very good one at that. His offensive play has been his best asset since his first day in the league. Unfortunately, he rarely gets any credit for it.

I don't like the mix in the backcourt with Jameer Nelson, Ben Gordon, Earl Boykins and Jamal Crawford. All scoring guards. Three of the four are poor passers/playmakers and Nelson is only mediocre (relative to position). I particularly don't like Boykins. I think he's at his best on a team that is desperate for scoring help but at his worst on a team that needs a floor general/passer/facilitator.

I think the lack of passing ability is also a major issue throughout the rest of the squad. Nobody on the team is an above average passer for their position. Actually, I think Delfino is a solid passer but he doesn't add much value to a team with his passing ability.

I think the team's lack of defensive ability + lack of teamwork offensively will hold it back. It's the type of squad that could improve greatly from some personnel changes in these two departments because there is good individual talent on this team.

I think is a team that wins somewhere in the 30's. Could be anywhere from low-to-high 30s depending on what type of playing time is given to players.

[Who]

Milwaukee Bucks (Gainesville Celtics)-
Brandon Jennings, Ronny Brewer, Wilson Chandler, Drew Gooden, Andrew Bogut
Earl Watson, Kelenna Azubuike, Jared Jeffries, Tyrus Thomas, Desagana Diop

I think is a fun team. Quite similar to the current Bucks. Less perimeter shooting ability but even more defensive ability.

This is one of the best defensive teams in the league. Bogut is very talented interior defender. Ty Thomas is a good-to-very good defender at the four. Ronnie Brewer and Wilson Chandler combine to make a very effective defensive tandem on the wing. One with great size and versatility too. I also like Azubuike off the bench, another solid defender. Jennings is a solid defender at the point and backed up by another solid defender in Earl Watson. Jared Jeffries gives the team good versatility defensively as a reserve forward and Diop is a superb defensive backup center.

The only player on the roster who is a poor defender is Drew Gooden. Offensively, Gooden will supply a solid jump shot and a decent low post game. That should be a nice complement to Bogut's game.

Scoring is going to be a major issue. A lot of grind it out games ... heck, a grind it out season. But they'll be effective and be close to .500.

[Roy Hobbs]

Oden / Brand / FA
Blatche / Charlie V. / Wright
Durant / (Garcia) / (Charlie V.) / Clark
Morrow / Garcia / FA
Westbrook / Beaubois / FA

vs.

Krstic / Ibaka / Thomas / Mullens
Green / Collison / White
Durant
Sefolosha / Harden / Weaver
Westbrook / Maynor / Ollie

Even though the "real" Thunder have an excellent young team, I prefer the Robber Barons.

(Sorry to interrupt Who's assessments, which are interesting.)

[Who]

Portland Trailblazers (PosImpos)-
Delonte West, Brandon Roy, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, LaMarcus Aldridge, Shaquille O'Neal
Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton, Travis Outlaw, Erick Dampier

I like the Delonte West + Brandon Roy combination. I think those two would be very effective playing alongside one another. I also like Sasha Vujacic as the backup guard. A big point guard rotation size wise. Nice shooting ability too.

Mbah a Moute gives the Blazers a terrific defensive player on the wing.

I dislike the lack of quickness amongst the bigs + lack of team defense. Their overwhelming size, and importantly, the size of the Blazers perimeter players will help offset their weaknesses though. Still, the Blazers will be increasingly vulnerable to pick and roll offenses + transition offense + against teams who force multiple defensive rotations on the same possession due to the lack of quickness/team defense.

I love having Travis Outlaw off the bench. I think he offers the Blazers a whole different look with their bigs. Two burly seven footers with Shaq + Dampier and a big PF/C in Aldridge. A combo forward like Outlaw who can play out on the perimeter and has great quickness creates a whole different type of matchup problem for opponents. Makes life difficult for teams ... changing up between styles of play. A change of pace substitute. A nice weapon to have. Walton is a solid backup SF too.

I think this Blazers team will be very effective offensively. A lot of very efficient players. I think the Blazers' big men's weaknesses defensively hold it back some but it should still be a good defensive side.

[Bahku]

Boston Celtics (RebusRankin)-
Rajon Rondo, Jason Richardson, Richard Jefferson, Kevin Garnett, Joel Przybilla
Anthony Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Sam Young, JJ Hickson, Serge Ibaka

An excellent team that would be amongst the league leaders defensively and a solid offensive team.

I love the interior combination of Kevin Garnett + Joel Przybilla. Rajon Rondo gives Boston a third impact player ... and a third impact player who relies on his non-scoring contributions for his greatest impact. A rare trio.

Jason Richardson is a good scorer and rebounder who'll be a nice fit on that roster. Richard Jefferson is questionable fit offensively but a solid one, and, defensively he'll be superb. That starting five will be the best, or one of, the best in the league defensively.

I like two of the bench players, JJ Hickson and Serge Ibaka. Unfortunately, I think they'll get in each others way in terms of development. Both being prototypical power forwards who need minutes + responsibilities for the next phase of their growth. I'd rather keep Ibaka and trade Hickson. Hickson has greater possibilities but is less likely to achieve them. Ibaka, on the other hand, is already a quality defensive player + quality rebounder and he has excellent potential in both areas. A special combination.

I'm not a fan of the perimeter players off the bench. Anthony Johnson is a low level first guard off the bench. Ellington and Sam Young are both poor first wings off the bench while Young is a solid secondary wing off the bench. Ellington shouldn't be depended on for regular rotation minutes. Not yet. I see Ibaka as the only regular quality contributor off the bench.

I don't think the bench contributes enough for Boston to the best of the best but they'll remain an excellent team. A contender but slightly behind a couple of other teams.

This is one of my favs, too, Who ... the process of "writing up" these rosters gave me the unique opportunity and time to analyze and ponder on each one as I did so. I think I'm going to do something with it as well, though probably not to the detail and depth of yours, but more quicker impressions. It's funny, because getting to the Celtics I was a bit apprehensive to see my beloved team "adjusted" in such a way, but this is definitely one of the teams in this "exercise" that I would LOVE to see on the floor, mixing it up. TP for the great analysis ... I don't always agree, but you're dead-on with this one ... excellent team, but not quite at the top of my list.

[Who]

Dallas Vindicators (GreenFaith1819)-
Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, Trevor Ariza, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O'Neal
Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Tim Thomas, Brandon Bass

A lot of elderly players who are past their best. I consider (1) Peja Stojakovic is a borderline rotation player at this point in his career (2) Allen Iverson a questionable backup guard who could create more problems than value. I think he'll have a lot of problems operating within his role (3) Michael Redd was dreadful this season before picking up another severe injury. It's unclear whether he'll be able to come back and be a useful player or not. Nevermind an All-Star. (4) Jermaine O'Neal benefits greatly from Dwyane Wade and will be far less effective offensively without Wade's help.

I also consider Tim Thomas a poor rotation player. A decent deep reserve guy. An insurance policy.

Dirk Nowitzki is a fantastic player. An All-NBA talent. Jason Kidd is still a very effective guard who has a large impact out there for the Mavs. Trevor Ariza is an excellent role player. Brandon Bass is a good role player. I like those four guys and how they complement one another. However, I don't think the rest of the roster offers much and those lack of fellow contributors will stop this squad from making any noise.

A borderline playoff team.

[Lucky17]

Dallas Vindicators (GreenFaith1819)-
Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, Trevor Ariza, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O'Neal
Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Tim Thomas, Brandon Bass

A lot of elderly players who are past their best. I consider (1) Peja Stojakovic is a borderline rotation player at this point in his career (2) Allen Iverson a questionable backup guard who could create more problems than value. I think he'll have a lot of problems operating within his role (3) Michael Redd was dreadful this season before picking up another severe injury. It's unclear whether he'll be able to come back and be a useful player or not. Nevermind an All-Star. (4) Jermaine O'Neal benefits greatly from Dwyane Wade and will be far less effective offensively without Wade's help.

I also consider Tim Thomas a poor rotation player. A decent deep reserve guy. An insurance policy.

Dirk Nowitzki is a fantastic player. An All-NBA talent. Jason Kidd is still a very effective guard who has a large impact out there for the Mavs. Trevor Ariza is an excellent role player. Brandon Bass is a good role player. I like those four guys and how they complement one another. However, I don't think the rest of the roster offers much and those lack of fellow contributors will stop this squad from making any noise.

A borderline playoff team.

In GreenFaith's defense, I think he stopped drafting after the 3rd or 4th round. The roster was pretty much 'autopicked.'

[Roy Hobbs]

Dallas Vindicators (GreenFaith1819)-
Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, Trevor Ariza, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O'Neal
Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Tim Thomas, Brandon Bass

A lot of elderly players who are past their best. I consider (1) Peja Stojakovic is a borderline rotation player at this point in his career (2) Allen Iverson a questionable backup guard who could create more problems than value. I think he'll have a lot of problems operating within his role (3) Michael Redd was dreadful this season before picking up another severe injury. It's unclear whether he'll be able to come back and be a useful player or not. Nevermind an All-Star. (4) Jermaine O'Neal benefits greatly from Dwyane Wade and will be far less effective offensively without Wade's help.

I also consider Tim Thomas a poor rotation player. A decent deep reserve guy. An insurance policy.

Dirk Nowitzki is a fantastic player. An All-NBA talent. Jason Kidd is still a very effective guard who has a large impact out there for the Mavs. Trevor Ariza is an excellent role player. Brandon Bass is a good role player. I like those four guys and how they complement one another. However, I don't think the rest of the roster offers much and those lack of fellow contributors will stop this squad from making any noise.

A borderline playoff team.

In GreenFaith's defense, I think he stopped drafting after the 3rd or 4th round. The roster was pretty much 'autopicked.'

I think it was the 7th, but yeah, Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, and Tim Thomas were chosen sort of as the "best player available", rather than as players that intrinsically fit GF's squad.

[Bahku]

Dallas Vindicators (GreenFaith1819)-
Jason Kidd, Michael Redd, Trevor Ariza, Dirk Nowitzki, Jermaine O'Neal
Allen Iverson, Peja Stojakovic, Tim Thomas, Brandon Bass

A lot of elderly players who are past their best. I consider (1) Peja Stojakovic is a borderline rotation player at this point in his career (2) Allen Iverson a questionable backup guard who could create more problems than value. I think he'll have a lot of problems operating within his role (3) Michael Redd was dreadful this season before picking up another severe injury. It's unclear whether he'll be able to come back and be a useful player or not. Nevermind an All-Star. (4) Jermaine O'Neal benefits greatly from Dwyane Wade and will be far less effective offensively without Wade's help.

I also consider Tim Thomas a poor rotation player. A decent deep reserve guy. An insurance policy.

Dirk Nowitzki is a fantastic player. An All-NBA talent. Jason Kidd is still a very effective guard who has a large impact out there for the Mavs. Trevor Ariza is an excellent role player. Brandon Bass is a good role player. I like those four guys and how they complement one another. However, I don't think the rest of the roster offers much and those lack of fellow contributors will stop this squad from making any noise.

A borderline playoff team.

In GreenFaith's defense, I think he stopped drafting after the 3rd or 4th round. The roster was pretty much 'autopicked.'

 ... and he probably ran out of budget ... this is one expensive team, averaging over $10M/player!

[Edgar]

Orlando is AAAAAWESOME!!!!!!!

[Who]

Phoenix Suns (Gomesfan)-
Mo Williams, Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala, Amaré Stoudemire, Spencer Hawes
DJ Augustin, Jason Kapono, Josh Childress, Taj Gibson

Only one non-poor or worse defensive player on the roster -- Andre Iguodala who is a superb defensive player.

A lot of offensive players, primarily scorers, in that starting lineup. Every one of those players wants and needs the ball. Mo Williams isn't a good enough floor general to put them in positions to succeed and Kevin Martin is a poor passer too. A lot of pressure on Iguodala to organize and facilitate the team. Stop the Suns from taking a lot of poor shots + having a large number of possessions that become one-on-one my turn, your turn, basketball. I'm not sure how effective Iguodala will be in this role. There would be a lot of demands placed on him.

I like Josh Childress off the bench. Not his biggest fan but he's a solid player and this squad has enough shooters + offensive players to protect him offensively. Allow him to be a garbage man + opportunistic scorer. The role he's best suited too. I also like Taj Gibson. A decent role player. DJ Augustin is another decent bench player. I dislike Jason Kapono but this should be a serviceable bench. Close to league average.

I greatly dislike the Hawes-Amare combination defensively in the paint and the Williams-Martin guard combination. I think those combinations, especially in concert with one another, will create a ton of negative contributions defensively.

Hard team to pin down. Could be anywhere from 38 wins to 48 wins depending on successful Iggy is as an organizer/facilitator offensively. How well this team plays offensively will be the key because they're not going to be good defensively.

[Bahku]

We should have a thread dedicated to Who's analyses' ... just a thought.

[Roy Hobbs]

Phoenix Suns (Gomesfan)-
Mo Williams, Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala, Amaré Stoudemire, Spencer Hawes
DJ Augustin, Jason Kapono, Josh Childress, Taj Gibson

Only one non-poor or worse defensive player on the roster -- Andre Iguodala who is a superb defensive player.

A lot of offensive players, primarily scorers, in that starting lineup. Every one of those players wants and needs the ball. Mo Williams isn't a good enough floor general to put them in positions to succeed and Kevin Martin is a poor passer too. A lot of pressure on Iguodala to organize and facilitate the team. Stop the Suns from taking a lot of poor shots + having a large number of possessions that become one-on-one my turn, your turn, basketball. I'm not sure how effective Iguodala will be in this role. There would be a lot of demands placed on him.

I like Josh Childress off the bench. Not his biggest fan but he's a solid player and this squad has enough shooters + offensive players to protect him offensively. Allow him to be a garbage man + opportunistic scorer. The role he's best suited too. I also like Taj Gibson. A decent role player. DJ Augustin is another decent bench player. I dislike Jason Kapono but this should be a serviceable bench. Close to league average.

I greatly dislike the Hawes-Amare combination defensively in the paint and the Williams-Martin guard combination. I think those combinations, especially in concert with one another, will create a ton of negative contributions defensively.

Hard team to pin down. Could be anywhere from 38 wins to 48 wins depending on successful Iggy is as an organizer/facilitator offensively. How well this team plays offensively will be the key because they're not going to be good defensively.

. . . sadly, Josh Childress isn't eligible this year, and probably won't be next year, either. 

[Who]

Sacramento Kings (Truck Lewis)-
Tyreke Evans, Corey Brewer, Caron Butler, Jeff Green, Andrew Bynum
Kyle Lowry, David West, Al Thornton, Marcus Thornton, Jared Dudley

This is one of my favourite teams in the league due to the mix of talent.

I think Tyreke Evans + Andrew Bynum + Jeff Green is an excellent core to build around. I think that trio could make a top 10 offensive team if surrounded with complementary players. They'd combine to score 55 points a night easily and would give every team in the league nightmares matchup wise. The size and interior play of Bynum, the perimeter orientated play at PF of Green, and the size/power of Tyreke Evans at the point. I also think they could be the foundation to an above average defensive team and an above average rebounding team. Overall, they could lead the Kings to 53+ win season comfortably.

Add another impact player on the wing and they're a contender. Or, add higher quality role players and just give that trio some time to grow and they'll become a contender by themselves.

However, I don't think the rest of the team complements that trio effectively enough to fulfill all of that. I think Caron Butler is too demanding offensively. Needs too many touches, too many shot attempts. I think he'll have a negative impact offensively and curb his teammates effectiveness.

I also think Corey Brewer is a low level but serviceable fit alongside our Big Three ... but a problem when placed alongside Butler. I don't like the idea of the two of them together.

I also worry about David West. A player who will definitely have problems accepting a secondary role behind those three players. He'll take too many shot attempts while only scoring at a mediocre clip + limit his teammates' offensive opportunities as a result.

Again, same issue with Al Thornton. A player who is only comfortable offensively as a go-to scorer. Struggles to fit into a team based offense. Efficiency a concern again.

Marcus Thornton is another shot happy player that will take touches away from others. He will, however, fit into a team structure offensively and he won't be quite as aggressive in terms of looking for his own stats as Butler or West.

I like Kyle Lowry a great deal but I'd rather see a point guard with shooting ability. Someone who is a better fit alongside Tyreke Evans to allow them to play together. To give opponents a great deal of discomfort with the Kings ability to change matchups and create different problems for opponents. I think a Lowry + Evans backcourt is a very poor jump shooting combination and that they would put a lot of pressure on the frontcourt for spacing.

I love Jared Dudley. An excellent complementary offensive weapon, a solid defender and a good rebounder. He is the right sort of role player to play alongside the Big Three.

Continuing with the matchups flexibility + ability to create problems for opponents -- I like the idea of a big frontcourt of Green + West + Bynum. That could be a good weapon for Sacramento. Not a first choice lineup though because Green is needed at power forward to facilitate the offense.

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

If I was given the Evans + Bynum + Green trio and allowed the choice between:

Butler + West + Lowry + Brewer + Thornton + Dudley + Thornton

or

Casspi + Garcia + Nocioni + Thompson + Hawes + Udrih

I would choose the Kings current cast of characters. I think they would be more effective as a supporting cast. I think they'd allow the Kings main trio to blossom. To fulfill their talent and to create an amazing foundation for everyone else to play off of.

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

Still, I think the Kings will be a good team. The talent of their three best players is too good ignore. A certain playoff team that wins in the high 40s.

The team could also find a lot of internal improvement down the road if Evans rounds out his game as facilitator + improves his jump shot. Also, if several other players accepted their reduced roles offensively. If they committed themselves to their new roles. This team could then become a 60 win powerhouse. A couple of big "ifs" but interesting nonetheless.