Is Your Pick Two Team Better than When it Started?

[Who]

Charlotte Bobcats (crownsy)-
Tony Parker, Mikael Pietrus, Gerald Wallace, Troy Murphy, Brendan Haywood
Mike Conley, Eddie House, Nick Young, Glen Davis, Kwame Brown

I preferred the team with Stephen Jackson. I thought his playmaking + mismatch potential at the point was a great creative force for the team. More so than Parker. I'm not sure Gerald Wallace plays as well off of Parker as he does with Jackson. I also loved the three man defensive ability of Jacks + Wallace + Pietrus on the wing and the flexibility to go smaller with Wallace at the four and those two on the wing.

That said, Parker is the much better asset to be holding going forward.

I'm not a fan of the Troy Murphy or Glen Davis selections. I think those two players are two slow + too poor with their team defense and with their man-to-man defense. I think they'll downgrade the Bobcats defense significantly.

I do enjoy the Haywood + Kwame combination at center. Two quality defensive players who'll give you good service in the paint doing the dirty work.

I wasn't sure if Mike Conley was still on the team or not but if he is ... he's an excellent backup point guard. Himself and Tony Parker will be one of the best 1-2 punches in the league at the point.

I think the Bobcats will be close to .500. Mainly due to Haywood + Wallace + Pietrus + Parker. I think they'll do most of the heavy lifting.

[Who]

San Antonio Spurs (celticsclay)-
Jarrett Jack, Stephen Jackson, Shawn Marion, Tim Duncan, Samuel Dalembert
Chris Duhon, Leandro Barbosa, Roger Mason, Jr., Larry Hughes, Darrell Arthur, Tony Battie

Acquiring Stephen Jackson was a major boost to the Spurs defense. From shooting guard to center they have a sensational combination of defensive players. And an average defensive point guard in Jack who'll look very good playing alongside those other players. The Spurs will be an elite team defensively.

Tim Duncan will remain the first option offensively. Stephen Jackson the second option. In terms of being a contender, that's asking a lot of Jackson. No true third scorer and possibly Barbosa as a fourth scorer. Offensively, not a lot of options. I'd expect the Spurs to be below average offensively.

San Antonio will be phenomenal on the backboards with a starting frontcourt of Duncan + Dalmebert + Marion.

I also like Marion's ability to play the PF position and allow the Spurs to play a smaller quicker lineup. Something the current Spurs cannot do and sorely miss. The addition of Stephen Jackson also gives the a wing with good size + defensive ability + playmaking ability which is a great fit in this smaller lineup. San An could then play Barbosa at the two alongside Jack. A more potent offensive lineup.

I don't like the backup bigs of Arthur + Battie. I don't think Battie is a rotation player in this league anymore. Best served as a sixth big in the rotation or a serviceable fifth big. Arthur is a good second big off the bench but not ready to be the main reserve big man.

A lot of similar options in the backcourt with Barbosa, Mason Jr and Duhon. Not enough minutes to go around. Best to trade one of these to land a better backup wing than Larry Hughes.

The Spurs would be somewhat similar in overall quality to the 2004 Detroit Pistons. A completely different type of offensive team but that top heavy defense + solid and highly opportunistic offense. A very difficult team to play against and murder to beat come playoff time. A contender.

[Who]

Final thought on Orlando? 

Nah, nothing further.

Arguably the best bench in the league?

[Evantime34]

can't seem to find your thoughts on my team.

[Who]

Minnesota Timberpuppies (Fafnir)-
Darren Collison, Rudy Fernandez, Luol Deng, Al Jefferson, Kevin Love
Luke Ridnour, Daequan Cook, Chase Buddinger, Anthony Randolph Nick Collison

A good team. I very much like the perimeter trio of Collison + Rudy + Deng. Especially the idea of Deng + Rudy in the Triangle offense where I think both would flourish. Albeit not Collison.

Luke Ridnour is a very good backup point guard. Budinger is a solid backup wing and Cook is serviceable. So good depth across the perimeter too.

Anthony Randolph has excellent potential and there's a good chance he's the Wolves' best player three/four years from now. A potential All-NBA guy. Not all that great in the present tense though (very poor defense + decision-making issues offensively). Collison and Randolph combine to give the Wolves good big man depth behind Love + Big Al.

I don't think it matters a great deal whether you start Randolph ahead of Love or not. Randolph would make your starting team worse defensively but Love is one heck of an impact player off the bench. Love would make up any negatives Randolph brings as a starter when going up against opposing bench players.

Kevin Love and Al Jefferson create a lot of value with their rebounding + offensive play. They create a lot of negative value through their poor defensive performances too.

The lack of big man defense holds the team back and stops them from being a 50-55 win team. I think they'd be somewhere in the high 40s. A good team. A playoff caliber team.

[Who]

Washington Bullets (Evantime34)-
Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili, Vince Carter, Andrei Kirilenko, Tyson Chandler
Sergio Rodriguez, Willie Green, CJ Miles, Tracy McGrady, Amir Johnson, Hasheem Thabeet

I love the Andrei Kirilenko + Tyson Chandler combination. I also love their backups Amir Johnson and Hasheem Thabeet. I think those four players will give the Bullets a great foundation defensively to build the rest of the team off of.

Kirilenko is an All-Star caliber power forward who'll make an excellent all-round contribution to your side at the four. He'll facilitate your transition game both offensively and defensively. He'll be a mismatch problem offensively and above average in terms of passing + ball handling + shooting ability for a power forward. Kirilenko will also be a good go-to scoring option (15-17ppg) at the four. As well as the creative destruction that he provides defensively. The chaos. The turnovers he make happen. The shots he'll intimidate around the rim.

I'm not sure what to make of Tyson Chandler's play this season but I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt going forward. I think he's still able to be a double double guy or close to it. And a very good interior defender.

I'm a fan of Hasheem Thabeet's game. He reminds me of Sam Dalembert. He's a good defender with very good-to-excellent potential. And a good rebounder with excellent potential. An efficient + effective garbage man offensively.

Actually, I'd give the same description to Amir Johnson. Although he's more of a PF than a C. His size + length will be a nice contrast to the smaller Kirilenko where needed.

Likewise, I'm a big fan of the Steve Nash + Manu Ginobili backcourt. I think those two + the big man rotation will lead the Bullets to a 55-60 win season.

Then there's Vince Carter. I don't like him starting alongside Ginobili and Nash. Not enough basketballs to go around. Either Manu or Carter would be best served by coming off the bench and allowing a role player to slide in take those minutes. Ideally a player like Martell Webster.

I have no faith in Tracy McGrady. I'm not convinced he's a rotation player in this league anymore and I think he'll cause massive problems on the Wizards roster offensively because he won't accept being so low in the pecking order offensively. He'll want more touches, more shot attempts, more opportunities to effect the game and he will disrupt your team's offense as a result. Similar to last season with the Rockets but to a larger extreme because your Bullets' squad has more firepower than that Rockets team had.

I think Sergio Rodriguez is a good backup point guard and I love seeing him behind Steve Nash. Another uptempo playmaking point guard. He'll be able to sustain the team's style of play and limit the drop off from Nash sitting on the bench.

I think CJ Miles and Willie Green are serviceable second wings off the bench but neither is fit to start.

If the Wizards were able to add a role player and moved Vince Carter to the sixth man role, then I'd consider them a legitimate contender. Without that personnel change, I consider the Wizards a highly talented regular season team but an outside contender come playoff team (like the Utah Jazz for the last 2-3 years).

[Evantime34]

Washington Bullets (Evantime34)-
Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili, Vince Carter, Andrei Kirilenko, Tyson Chandler
Sergio Rodriguez, Willie Green, CJ Miles, Tracy McGrady, Amir Johnson, Hasheem Thabeet

I love the Andrei Kirilenko + Tyson Chandler combination. I also love their backups Amir Johnson and Hasheem Thabeet. I think those four players will give the Bullets a great foundation defensively to build the rest of the team off of.

Kirilenko is an All-Star caliber power forward who'll make an excellent all-round contribution to your side at the four. He'll facilitate your transition game both offensively and defensively. He'll be a mismatch problem offensively and above average in terms of passing + ball handling + shooting ability for a power forward. Kirilenko will also be a good go-to scoring option (15-17ppg) at the four. As well as the creative destruction that he provides defensively. The chaos. The turnovers he make happen. The shots he'll intimidate around the rim.

I'm not sure what to make of Tyson Chandler's play this season but I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt going forward. I think he's still able to be a double double guy or close to it. And a very good interior defender.

I'm a fan of Hasheem Thabeet's game. He reminds me of Sam Dalembert. He's a good defender with very good-to-excellent potential. And a good rebounder with excellent potential. An efficient + effective garbage man offensively.

Actually, I'd give the same description to Amir Johnson. Although he's more of a PF than a C. His size + length will be a nice contrast to the smaller Kirilenko where needed.

Likewise, I'm a big fan of the Steve Nash + Manu Ginobili backcourt. I think those two + the big man rotation will lead the Bullets to a 55-60 win season.

Then there's Vince Carter. I don't like him starting alongside Ginobili and Nash. Not enough basketballs to go around. Either Manu or Carter would be best served by coming off the bench and allowing a role player to slide in take those minutes. Ideally a player like Martell Webster.

I have no faith in Tracy McGrady. I'm not convinced he's a rotation player in this league anymore and I think he'll cause massive problems on the Wizards roster offensively because he won't accept being so low in the pecking order offensively. He'll want more touches, more shot attempts, more opportunities to effect the game and he will disrupt your team's offense as a result. Similar to last season with the Rockets but to a larger extreme because your Bullets' squad has more firepower than that Rockets team had.

I think Sergio Rodriguez is a good backup point guard and I love seeing him behind Steve Nash. Another uptempo playmaking point guard. He'll be able to sustain the team's style of play and limit the drop off from Nash sitting on the bench.

I think CJ Miles and Willie Green are serviceable second wings off the bench but neither is fit to start.

If the Wizards were able to add a role player and moved Vince Carter to the sixth man role, then I'd consider them a legitimate contender. Without that personnel change, I consider the Wizards a highly talented regular season team but an outside contender come playoff team (like the Utah Jazz for the last 2-3 years).

Has his 16 and 26 points in the first two games allayed your concern about T-Mac? Did you catch cj miles dropping 31 the other night?

[Edgar]

Final thought on Orlando? 

Nah, nothing further.

Arguably the best bench in the league?

like that one

[celticsclay]

San Antonio Spurs (celticsclay)-
Jarrett Jack, Stephen Jackson, Shawn Marion, Tim Duncan, Samuel Dalembert
Chris Duhon, Leandro Barbosa, Roger Mason, Jr., Larry Hughes, Darrell Arthur, Tony Battie

Acquiring Stephen Jackson was a major boost to the Spurs defense. From shooting guard to center they have a sensational combination of defensive players. And an average defensive point guard in Jack who'll look very good playing alongside those other players. The Spurs will be an elite team defensively.

Tim Duncan will remain the first option offensively. Stephen Jackson the second option. In terms of being a contender, that's asking a lot of Jackson. No true third scorer and possibly Barbosa as a fourth scorer. Offensively, not a lot of options. I'd expect the Spurs to be below average offensively.

San Antonio will be phenomenal on the backboards with a starting frontcourt of Duncan + Dalmebert + Marion.

I also like Marion's ability to play the PF position and allow the Spurs to play a smaller quicker lineup. Something the current Spurs cannot do and sorely miss. The addition of Stephen Jackson also gives the a wing with good size + defensive ability + playmaking ability which is a great fit in this smaller lineup. San An could then play Barbosa at the two alongside Jack. A more potent offensive lineup.

I don't like the backup bigs of Arthur + Battie. I don't think Battie is a rotation player in this league anymore. Best served as a sixth big in the rotation or a serviceable fifth big. Arthur is a good second big off the bench but not ready to be the main reserve big man.

A lot of similar options in the backcourt with Barbosa, Mason Jr and Duhon. Not enough minutes to go around. Best to trade one of these to land a better backup wing than Larry Hughes.

The Spurs would be somewhat similar in overall quality to the 2004 Detroit Pistons. A completely different type of offensive team but that top heavy defense + solid and highly opportunistic offense. A very difficult team to play against and murder to beat come playoff time. A contender.

Thank you I agree with this, though think Marion is an alright third scorer and would get good looks (along with barbosa) for teams trying to pack it on duncan.

[Lucky17]

Final thought on Orlando? 

Nah, nothing further.

Arguably the best bench in the league?

like that one

Me too.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Final thought on Orlando? 

Nah, nothing further.

Arguably the best bench in the league?

like that one

Me too.

Except the guy with the thinnest bench in the league would stress the word arguably.

[Roy Hobbs]

Well, it looks like Who and I fundamentally disagree on Kirilenko.  All-star caliber?  Maybe in the D-League.  

[Who]

Washington Bullets (Evantime34)-
Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili, Vince Carter, Andrei Kirilenko, Tyson Chandler
Sergio Rodriguez, Willie Green, CJ Miles, Tracy McGrady, Amir Johnson, Hasheem Thabeet

I love the Andrei Kirilenko + Tyson Chandler combination. I also love their backups Amir Johnson and Hasheem Thabeet. I think those four players will give the Bullets a great foundation defensively to build the rest of the team off of.

Kirilenko is an All-Star caliber power forward who'll make an excellent all-round contribution to your side at the four. He'll facilitate your transition game both offensively and defensively. He'll be a mismatch problem offensively and above average in terms of passing + ball handling + shooting ability for a power forward. Kirilenko will also be a good go-to scoring option (15-17ppg) at the four. As well as the creative destruction that he provides defensively. The chaos. The turnovers he make happen. The shots he'll intimidate around the rim.

I'm not sure what to make of Tyson Chandler's play this season but I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt going forward. I think he's still able to be a double double guy or close to it. And a very good interior defender.

I'm a fan of Hasheem Thabeet's game. He reminds me of Sam Dalembert. He's a good defender with very good-to-excellent potential. And a good rebounder with excellent potential. An efficient + effective garbage man offensively.

Actually, I'd give the same description to Amir Johnson. Although he's more of a PF than a C. His size + length will be a nice contrast to the smaller Kirilenko where needed.

Likewise, I'm a big fan of the Steve Nash + Manu Ginobili backcourt. I think those two + the big man rotation will lead the Bullets to a 55-60 win season.

Then there's Vince Carter. I don't like him starting alongside Ginobili and Nash. Not enough basketballs to go around. Either Manu or Carter would be best served by coming off the bench and allowing a role player to slide in take those minutes. Ideally a player like Martell Webster.

I have no faith in Tracy McGrady. I'm not convinced he's a rotation player in this league anymore and I think he'll cause massive problems on the Wizards roster offensively because he won't accept being so low in the pecking order offensively. He'll want more touches, more shot attempts, more opportunities to effect the game and he will disrupt your team's offense as a result. Similar to last season with the Rockets but to a larger extreme because your Bullets' squad has more firepower than that Rockets team had.

I think Sergio Rodriguez is a good backup point guard and I love seeing him behind Steve Nash. Another uptempo playmaking point guard. He'll be able to sustain the team's style of play and limit the drop off from Nash sitting on the bench.

I think CJ Miles and Willie Green are serviceable second wings off the bench but neither is fit to start.

If the Wizards were able to add a role player and moved Vince Carter to the sixth man role, then I'd consider them a legitimate contender. Without that personnel change, I consider the Wizards a highly talented regular season team but an outside contender come playoff team (like the Utah Jazz for the last 2-3 years).

Has his 16 and 26 points in the first two games allayed your concern about T-Mac? Did you catch cj miles dropping 31 the other night?

No, not convinced McGrady can be a positive influence. His defense is awful, it creates a lot of negative contributions for his team. If he plays intelligently enough, McGrady can still be a good offensive player but that is a major "if" given his track record ... but I consider that an impossibility on your Bullets team given how low he is on the pecking order.

This isn't the Knicks where he'll be allowed to whatever he wants whenever he wants. He'll have a lot less opportunities to impact the game offensively on this Bullets squad and McGrady hasn't reacted well to that over the last decade. And with less offensive opportunities there is less opportunity to negate his weaknesses defensively.

I don't like CJ Miles. He is a poor defender + poor rebounder + poor passer. He is a good complementary scorer + shooter. His positives struggle to outweigh his negatives. A lack of improvement over the last couple of seasons too despite more playing time (due to Harpring's decline). He's a one position player too, not able to play SF, only SG due to his weaknesses defensively + on the boards. Less flexibility, a poor quality in a main wing off the bench.

[KCattheStripe]

Chicago Bulls (KCattheStripe)-
Derek Rose, Nicolas Batum, Danilo Gallinari, David Lee, Chris Kaman
Jrue Holiday, Brandon Rush, Marco Belinelli, Etan Thomas

An interesting team. A lot of youth. A lot of potential. Good quality across the starting five.

Let's start with the bench and work our way back to the starters. I think the bench has only one good player, Brandon Rush, in the immediate sense. Rush is the only player who I consider to be average or better in their role. He is a good defender + good rebounder + good jump shooter. A quality complementary player.

Jrue Holiday is better served as a starting point guard while playing alongside several offensive threats than used as backup guard alongside less talent at this point in his career. It makes a big difference to how effective he is. The reason is that he gets lost offensively when he's asked to shoulder more of a burden. A very good defensive player though which is what makes him a good glue guy in a starting unit. Going forward, Holiday is a good prospect and should be regarded highly. A very nice piece.

I consider Marco Belinelli more of a point guard than anything else. A decent two guard but that's also Brandon Rush's best position and he's a superior player at that spot so playing time could be hard to come by. I think Belinelli's lack of understanding of who he is as a player + lack of experience as a point will lead to a lack of playing time + lack of development. Just like it has in GSW and Toronto. He'll get squeezed and make only a minimal contribution.

I don't trust Etan Thomas at all. I don't think he should be a rotation player in this league. He is a mediocre defender + rebounder who can help a team but asking him to be the main big off the bench is too much. A second big off the bench is fine.

Derrick Rose + Nicolas Batum + Danilo Gallinari + David Lee + Chris Kaman

I think Rose needs another playmaker alongside him out on the perimeter. Frees him up to be a scorer and takes some of the workload off his plate. Something Kirk Hinrich does very well and something that a player like Joe Johnson could do at an extremely high level. I consider Gallinari a Turkoglu-like prospect (with better efficiency) so he can hopefully fulfill this role down the road. Not this season though, doesn't have enough confidence in himself.

I love the Nicolas Batum addition and enjoy seeing him as a two guard. Gives the Bulls a good defender with excellent defensive potential. A large and athletic backcourt. Great flexibility in switching defensively. A lot of quickness too. And amazing rebounding ability.

The Lee + Kaman big man tandem is a bit worrying defensively. A lot of pressure on Kaman. He puts in great effort defensively around the rim but the rest of his work on that end of the court is fairly mediocre. David Lee's inability to play adequate defense will pile on some extra pressure. Their rebounding will be superb though.

Offensively, Rose + Kaman + Lee with Gallinari + Batum playing off of them should create an above average unit and if Gallinari becomes the player I expect him to then the Bulls should become a very good-to-elite offensive team.

Defensively, I think they'll be slightly below average. Batum's reputation is greater than his ability (currently but great potential) and Lee's negative contributions are large.

I agree on almost everything you said. I will say that I tend to approach these games as an opportunity to restart a franchise and thus tend towards younger players with lots of potential while trying to win a playoff birth.

I agree with your assessment of DLee's defensive abilities, I think he'll do better at the 4 and still has room to grow into a good defender. As far as thomas goes, I don't see him getting a lot of minutes actually because of this team's players who can play multiple positions.  For example, Kaman may need to sit and then I slide DLee over to the 5 and Gall to the four, Batum to the 3 and Rush to the 2. Sure defense in the front court is weak, but this team can run over people to give Kaman a 5 minute spell.

[Slugger]

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.

RJeff is one of the most inept defenders in the league.

The Spurs must be really regretting the move they made for him.

How can you say he'd make a superb defender?