CB Historical Draft - Team Rosters/Panelists Comments

[Moranis]

For my team I also like the fact that I have a real nice end of game set up.

Offensively I will go with Stockton, Johnson, James, Bosh, and Bogut.  Defensively, I will go with Stockton, Bell, James, Rodman, and Willis.  For those last offensive second sequences, I will get the ball to Lebron and let him drive and dish, drive and score, or work the pick and roll with Bosh or Bogut.  If I absolutely need a three, then I bring in Bell for Bogut.

I think those sort of end of game lineup constructions, gives my team a huge edge on everyone else.  I just don't think anyone else can mesh lineups as well as I can for the unique situations and get the success I can muster.  

[Moranis]

I find it strange, Moranis, that you would prefer someone like Joe Johnson on the outside over a player the caliber of Dirk Nowitzki or Clyde Drexler or even Mark Price. Price and Nowitzki had years of +45% from the field, +40% from three, +90% for the line and +60% true shooting percentage in the years I selected.

Outside of Shaq, the players I chose were, offensively, some of the more efficient players you could have have their particular games.

Outside shooting PF to draw the defensive double teams away from a near unstoppable Shaq, Dirk in his MVP year with an almost histyoric outside shooting year for a big man.

Point guard that is a great floor general that could shoot outside after having the ball kicked back out from Shaq, one of the best pure shooting PGs ever, Mark Price.

A SG and SF that could create their own shots and dominate their men, Hall of Famers and 2 of the best 50 players ever according to the NBA in 1997 James Worthy and Clyde Drexler. Both truly dominant and clutch players at what they do.

Off the bench, length, athleticism, speed, offense and defense in Porter, McDyess and Marion in their absolute primes and just incase, if something happens to Shaq, a grizzled veteran that could throw up 20 points and 10 rebounds against the absolute best of the best any time he wanted to because he was maybe one of the top 7 centers EVER, Moses Malone.

Add to that BJ ARmstrong, one of the better situational three point shooters ever, Jayson Williams, one of the greatest offensive rebounders ever, John Starks a former Sixth Man of the Year and very good defender and Jerry Stackhouse, just a pure scoring machine and I feel, as KCattheStripe wanted to hear, that Utah has the best team due to their offensive superiority, good blend and balance of defense as well and depth.

What makes you think I would rather have Joe Johnson then Dirk?  My point is that Dirk's greatness comes from his versatility, with Shaq clogging up the middle Dirk loses a lot of his versatility making him much easier to guard.  As your team is constructed, a guy like Joe Johnson is a much better fit then Clyde Drexler.  Johnson shot 48% from three scoring 17 points a game for a 60 win team.  That is what you need when you have a monster in the interior.  You don't need a great slasher who is just going to crowd things up and take away space for your big man to work.

When James drops down to double Shaq, there is no one on the wing capable of making James pay for doubling Shaq.  That is the problem I see with Utah, just not enough pure shooters on the wing to effectively utilize the beast in the middle.

[Fan from VT]

First, wow, I didn't realize that, Fan From VT.  If you swap in Duncan and Ewing for Malone and Zo, I think I've got you as clear #1.  Tough breaks.

Questions for Golden State:

How (specifically) do you stack up against Milwaukee and Utah?  Do you agree that (outside of your own squad) those are the top two teams in the league (with all due respect to other owners)?

What's the single biggest advantage for your team as compared to other squads?

Questions for Charlotte:

Do you have the defense to compete with the other great teams in the league? 

Who is the primary offensive ball-handler for your team, KJ or Larry?

1. I think you've asked this of all owners, so in no particular order:

1. Utah
2. Milwaukee
3. San Antonio
4. Philadelphia
5. Portland


2. I think I stack up well against both Milwaukee and Utah. I've already explained the Utah matchup a lot, but I really like the matchup at point guard, because I think our 1st and 2nd string points are a wash offensively, but that Isiah is tougher, more of a leader, and a better defender than Price, while lever gets the nod over porter based on his defense and ability to do everything on the floor. On the wings, drexler is the best of our rotation, but I like the fact that I have the best wing defender of our top 9 rotation guys, so I think I can slow him down more than he can slow down my team. I think Mullin's a more dangerous player than Worthy, especially since with Price, Dirk and Shaq, Utah is a halfcourt team which negates a lot of Worthy's value. I like the versatility of Kirilenko at the 3/4 off the bench if I need the extra elite defender/athlete, as well as believing that Carmelo may be the best 6th man in this league. Vlade fits very well against Utah because he is a large Center who can body Shaq (not stop him, by any means), and can really pull him away from the basket and open stuff up on offense. As for our starting frontcourt, I like Malone/Mourning over Dirk/Shaq. Mourning was just a little below Shaq as an overall player before injuries, being less valuable on offense but better on defense. Malone was an all-time great player. He certainly would have won titles if not for Jordan, so I don't think that should be held against him. He was probably the 3rd best player of that entire stretch behind Hakeem and Jordan; tough luck for him. But he could do everything in the year I picked: he was insanely strong and athletic (Dwight Howard type strength at the PF spot), could score, rebound, get assists, and was all-defensive first team. So I think the matchup vs. Dirk is a big one in our favor. The book on Dirk is that he has the advantage when you try to finesse defend him or out-size him, allowing him to use quickness. We have the right type of defenders to throw at him, tough guys who he won't be able to beat off the dribble, will get in his space and really cause him problems. And on offense, I would LOVE to watch Price/Dirk defend the pick and roll of Isiah/Malone, especially with Mourning, Majerle, and Mullin around them.

I also like our chances against Milwaukee. Magic is a fantastic player, but his defense was atrocious by this time in his career. Kemp was still on his way up; hadn't really peaked and still had a lot of holes in his game. Wilkins is an elite scorer, but not much else, though in fairness he found his range from distance that year. I very much like the manu 6th man role, but i may like Anthony as 6th man a little more. Basically, I think Milwaukee and Golden State are both very potent offensive teams. I think Milwaukee is better on offense, but that Golden State is more better on defense. I just don't see Milwaukee making it hard for Golden State to score, but I do see Golden State really frustrating Milwaukee at multiple positions. I've used this analogy elsewhere, but Milwaukee seems a lot like that '07-'08 lakers (names, offense, eye catching, exciting, media rep) while Golden State is closer to the '07-'08 Celtics (fit, versatility, defense, mental touhgness). And since defense is often more consistent and is the part of the game that seals championships, I like Golden State vs. Milwuakee to end in a Warriors victory.

I think our biggest strength is our completeness within the top rotation players. These rosters are deep, so a lot of teams have leaders, have athletes, have shooters, have rebounders, have scorers, and have defenders, but a lot of teams have to make a substitution to bring in those aspects. Within the same top players, we have the ability to adjust to any situation or opposing style if need be. I think Golden State did the best job of taking care of all aspects of the game, as well as style fit, within the starters and primary bench subs, so that all things you'd want in a championship team are on the floor at the same time, and you don't need to sacrifice one part to bring in another. I think when you look at what you want from a championship team, we have it. It's a two way game, and we've got a rotation of players who can all play both ways. In essence, we are the '03-'04 lakers or '07-'08 celtics of this exercise. Not always the prettiest style, the "experts" won't always pick them based on the "names on paper" rosters, but when the ball goes up, and players need to fit and defense and offense both matter,  we'll get it done.

[riah32]

Not sure y charlottes not getting any love...maybe it's my lack of a quality presentation?

[stoyko]

Questions for Philadelphia and San Antonio:

Preliminarily, I have you guys as the 4th and 5th best teams in the competition. I really like both of your squads, but I can't quite move you into the same category as Golden State / Milwaukee / Utah. 

Please explain why you're each better than those teams (as well as the other team included in this question), either overall or in a series.  Extra points will be given to analysis of specific matchups.

Question 2:

My least favorite picks for each of you were Cedric Ceballos and Ron  Artest, respectively.  I think both players are good ones, but I thought they were reaches for when they were drafted.  Please explain why you selected your player when you did.

Question 3 (San Antonio only):

I've been shocked to read that Dikembe is a bit overrated as a defender / that he couldn't hold his own against Shaq as well as some other centers of the generation.  How do you defend Deke against those criticisms?

Dear Roy and fellow panelists,

The Ceballos pick was a bit of a reach. Management wanted a solid back up for Pierce and had fond memories of Ceballos filling the stat lines. Hindsight being 20/20, I definitely would have waited or made a better value pick at this point. Honestly I didn't have the time to research the best pick that day and went with my gut. Binkie beat brains but I still think the Sixers will be ok with the result. McKey will play minutes  at back up 3 to cover up for Ceballos' defensive shortcomings.

Match up reply coming later. Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend.

[stoyko]

Sixers Match Up vs Other Contenders

VS. Golden State. The match up to exploit is SF. Pierce can neutralize Mullin/Anthony and go after the defensive weak link on the team. The other match ups (Isiah-GP), Malone-Duncan, etc will be epic but I believe my advantage at 3 will prevail. Defensive I bring McKey and Blaylock to play solid D off the bench and give the Sixers the edge.

Vs. Milwaukee. The Sixers advantage over the Bucks is intelligence. Having played with Kemp, GP will be able to get into his head. Plus Gasol and Duncan will be able to give as good as we get with the Bucks bigs. Brandon Roy and Hersey Hawkins will have their hands full with Ritchmond and Magic vs. GP will be a tough match up. But going after Wilkins and Kemp defensively the Sixers will be able to come on top.

VS. Utah. Sixers have 3 big bodies to combat Shaq (Gasol, Duncan, and Campbell). With Shaq contained (and the Sixers will hack-a-Shaq as needed), PG will be our biggest advantage. I believe GP will eat Mark Price for lunch. Price was a nice player but athletically I don't think he could compete with The Glove. Wallace and Walker may see minutes to stretch the defense. Roy vs. Drexler is the Sixers biggest liability but hopefully Roy can body the Glide and have the twin towers of Gasol and Duncan cover as needed. Pierce v. Worthy should be a coin flip but I think Pierce physicality and savy should be up for it. Duncan has owned Dirk in the playoffs and that trend should continue with the Sixers. The Jazz are a hard match up but with my edge at PG I think the Sixers should be able to come up on top. 


Vs.

[nickagneta]

Well, Panelists, I have sent out voting ballots and they are due tomorrow.

So, owners, if you want to make one last ditch shot at influencing the Panelists for an award, now is the time to do it.

Hype your team. Let the Panelists know why you think your team deserves an award.

[nickagneta]

I do want to say as much as the Utah Jazz have been considered as one of the teams others seem to contrast their team with, and thank you, that is flattering and shows me a did a pretty good job, I would like the Panelists to take an extra special look at my team's offense and offensive scheme.

The offense will be an inside out scheme with Shaq playing the low post one side and Dirk playing the outside foul line extended perimeter spot on the opposite side to open as much room for Shaq to work. The offense will pitch it in to Shaq and allow him to decide to take his man or, if a double team comes, and if it does it's coming without a big as Dirk will be pulling his man as far away from Shaq's position as possible, Shaq can kick it out.

Two of the all-time most efficient outside scorers in the history of the era and the league will be playing outside in Dirk and Mark Price. Both have true shooting percentage's of over 60% that year. Also interspersed will be Clyde Drexler to swing the ball around from the top of the key or drive and shoot or drive and kick to Shaq for a finish if his man tries to help or outside if everything is closed of. If all else breaks down Worthy can be given the ball on one side in a face up position to take his man off the dribble or back him down and post him or hit his deadly mid range jumper.

This team will also run every chance they get. In Price, Dirk, Worthy and Drexler the Jazz have an excellent running team with Shaq rebounding the misses and getting the ball out fast for the break. When Shaq sits Dirk swings over to the center position, McDyess comes in at PF, Marion at SF and Porter at PG and the team becomes a deadly running unit that still has great outside shooting in Dirk, Porter and Marion and passing in Porter and Drexler.

When Drexler gets winded he'll be spelled briefly by pure scorer Jerry Stackhouse in easily his best year and a year where he averaged 29PPG in an array of different ways. Wiley vet Moses Malone is available for spotting Shaq in the event of foul trouble(33 year old Moses was still a force offensively and on the boards putting up 19 PPG and 10RPG while having 30 games of 20/10 that year. Also, BJ Armstrong is our three point off the bench specialist to load up the rotation with when a small ball three point shooting lineup is needed. Armstrong is one of the most efficient three point shooters in league history with a career three point % that is 7th all-time.

So as much as people have discussed how I stacked up against other teams, especially for best team I say pay special attention to this team's offense. I think it without a doubt, the best in the league.

[Roy Hobbs]

I'm not sure if we're allowed to publicly disclose, but I know I didn't have Utah in my top three for either offense or defense, but I *did* have them in my top three overall.

I just really liked the team's balance.  There are great offense teams in this draft, and great defensive ones, but only a handful of teams could compete consistently on both ends in this league.  Utah, in my opinion, is one of those teams.

[Slugger]

Fake San Antonio Spurs.

PG - Tim Hardaway (1992/93)
SG - Kobe Bryant (2002/2003)
SF - Ron Artest (2003/2004)
PF - Chris Webber (2000/2001)
C - Dikembe Mutombo (1994/95)

Bench
Derek Harper (1989/90)
Nick Van Exel (2000/2001)
Michael Finley (1999/2000)
Steve Smith (2001/2002)
Detlef Schrempf (1994/95)
Ron Harper (1996/97)
Elton Brand (2005/2006)
Terry Cummings (1989/90)
Buck Williams (1989/90)
Rony Seikaly (1992/93)

Yes, we’re built around Kobe, which likely hurts me. However here it goes.

Starters

Kobe will be the centerpiece our team is built around. He averaged 30ppg that year along with over 5 apg and 6rpg. This is the young athletic Kobe. He’ll be our primary scorer on offense and also a lockdown defender on the wing.

Webber will play a role similar to Pau Gasol on the current Lakers. He’ll be the number two option on offense, mixing a post game with a solid outside jump shot.

Hardaway will run the offense. His first role will be to set up the rest of the team (he averaged over 10 appg that year) but also will provide scoring.

Artest’s role will be that of lock-down, all league defender.

Deke’s job will be to rebound and defend. He was the DPOY the year I chose.

Bench

Finley is our first wing off the bench. He’ll swing between the SG and SF spots. We feel he’ll provide an all around game (scoring, playmaking, rebounding and defense).

Elton Brand will swing between PF and C as the first big off the bench. We feel he gives us a low post scorer, rebounder and shot blocker.

Buck Williams will play both PF and C off the bench. Similar to Deke but with more offense, his primary role will be to defend and rebound.

Schrempf will play SF, PF and C depending on the match-ups. He provides scoring, rebound and outside shooting. We plan to use him also as a mismatch creator.

Derek Harper provides scoring, playmaking and defense. He was an all-nba defender the year we chose.

We chose the year we did for Steve Smith because he shot almost 48% from 3 that year. His role is designated shooter off the bench.

We chose the year we did for Harper because he teamed with Jordan and Pippen that year to provide stifling perimeter D. He’s role is defender off the bench, especially against bigger pgs.

Terry Cummings gives us another big man who can score, rebound and defend.

Seikaley is our third center but will be used in certain match-ups where we need more offense from the 5 spot.

Van Exel is our insurance pg.

Our team was designed with defense and specific roles in mind.

Insert Steve Smith into the starting 2 spot, and you have a heck of a starting 5.

hardaway has no place in that starting lineup, especially defensively.  

Smitty has the back to basket post game and also the outside shooting. He was also a very capable defender.

Also, more notably though, was a leader with a personality to keep the likes of C Webb, Artest and Kobe in check.

Love your team

[riah32]

I was just wondering why the bobcats got no love? I thought I had a pretty good team asembled vut evidently not. You can post your thoughts here or pm me.

[nickagneta]

I was just wondering why the bobcats got no love? I thought I had a pretty good team asembled vut evidently not. You can post your thoughts here or pm me.

Well, I can tell you that that isn't exactly true as your team did very well in one of the categories. It wasn't top 3 but it was a good finish.

Nobody had a bad team riah, as I said to someone earlier, it was like splitting hairs. All the teams were tremendously talented and the difference in the best team to the worst team was very, very slight.

You did an excellent job. Feel good about it.