CB Draft Ballot Results! (link to file on page 8 and page 1)

[StartOrien]

I must've missed this point about top 5 picks, what exactly was the point?

I was tweaking IP's nose not yours - and waiting for him to tell me why it wasn't important to be the better defensive team, better three point shooting team, better free throw shooting team, and the team that turns the ball over less.

ah, I thought it was in regards to us both having Top 5 picks in this draft.

[The Walker Wiggle]

I don't care enough to check, but those age numbers don't seem accurate, right? I've got some youngins but I've also got B-Diddy, Salmons, Jamison, Stevenson and Turkoglu tippin the scale in the other direction.

And you would be RIGHT.

Phoenix Gorillas: Dwight Howard 25, Antawn Jamison 34, John Salmons 31, Wes Matthews 23, Baron Davis 31, Greg Monroe 20, Ed Davis 21, Hedo Turkoglu 31, Terrence Williams 23, Rudy Fernandez 25, DeShawn Stevenson 29, Kosta Koufos 21, Dominique Jones 21

Average age: 25.769 (Total Playoff appearances 291)
Buccaneers average age: 26.153 (Total Playoff appearances 336)

Now too close to call.

[StartOrien]

I always forget how young Koufos is.

LET THE KOUFOS HYPE MACHINE BEGIN!

Here's what people forget, Koufos is a true center and he isn't even 22 yet! I think he's really taken some great strides and is on his way to becoming a Hakeem Olajawon type.

[indeedproceed]

the boogie is going to need a kingmaker to convince people he can hang with dwight. you think sarah palin is too busy to rustle up some support against the 'phoenix fat cats'?

As long as we can agree that in the postseason Dwight Howard's name recognition is > defense, turnovers, free throw shooting, and three point shooting?

NOLA Bucs	League Average	Phoenix Gorillas
.475 FG%	.461 FG%	.449 FG%
.781 FT%	.759 FT%	.712 FT%
.374 3PT%	.355 3PT%	.342 3PT%

Point of order IP, playing rookie Cousins 22 mpg is more of a problem than playing two rookie big men, Monroe and Davis 33 mpg?

Or Phase 1 Top 5 Pick, Phase 2 ?, Phase 3 Profit.

Yikes. Someone's going haaaaaard.

Only because I know you're up for it.

(You'll also notice IP is conspicuously silent on his preference for Top 5 picks above all else...)

Conference Finals Champions without one of Kobe, LeBron, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, or Tim Duncan on their rosters: Boston Celtics (2008, 2010), Dallas Mavericks  (2006)

That's not saying a team without those players can't get there, and I'm not saying a team without one of those guys can't beat a team with one of those guys in a playoff series. I'm just saying the NBA is different from any other league in that one player can make all the difference. If your team doesn't have one of those guys, and you're playing a team that does, it doesn't matter how well balanced you are, you still need to be able to stop the one guy from sending you home.

Your team doesn't have anyone remotely close to those guys (well Gerald Wallace is probably close to as good a small forward as Tim Duncan is a center at this point, but the Spurs haven't been "The Spurs" for a couple of years now), so you're going to first have to sell me on how you compensate for that.

[StartOrien]

Average age: 25.769 (Total Playoff appearances 291)
Buccaneers average age: 26.153 (Total Playoff appearances 336)

Ha, I love the quick jab of including playoff appearances.

[Fafnir]

The biggest challenge of evaluating this excercise is moving beyond what a player's past performance tells you and figuring out how they'd perform for a differet team in often a very different role.

Probably the next biggest is looking beyond your perceptions of the NBA and really looking at all the players in the league. I typically watch 5 games of any given team when they're not playing the C's over the course of a year. (rivals obviously get a bit more scrutiny) So I don't know a lot of things and a lot of players all that well. You have to fill in the blanks, that's hard to do too.

[Greenbean]

The biggest challenge of evaluating this excercise is moving beyond what a player's past performance tells you and figuring out how they'd perform for a differet team in often a very different role.

Probably the next biggest is looking beyond your perceptions of the NBA and really looking at all the players in the league. I typically watch 5 games of any given team when they're not playing the C's over the course of a year. (rivals obviously get a bit more scrutiny) So I don't know a lot of things and a lot of players all that well. You have to fill in the blanks, that's hard to do too.

Very well put. So it becomes really challenging to draft a team consisting of players who are easy to project onto a winning basketball team. Every pick you must ask yourself, will the majority of voters think this guy can contribute to a successful eam, even if you as the GM think he can.

It is funny because I ended up with a team that I really like but I can totally see why some voters saw it differently.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Average age: 25.769 (Total Playoff appearances 291)
Buccaneers average age: 26.153 (Total Playoff appearances 336)

Ha, I love the quick jab of including playoff appearances.

I am mean.

Let's talk about Gorillas' point guard depth. They have one, Baron Davis:

I don't see it. He's too often injured our check out at this stage of his career. his last two years have varied between bad to below average. The talent is still there but 25% usage on a player with TS% of .500 or worse? Yuck!!!

...One of the league's least efficient scorers and he's backed up by Rudy Fernandez, an unhappy shooting guard, who shot 38% from the field last season and is a mediocre playmaker at his natural position?

Not worried because Jrue Holiday and Beno Udrih stink? Hedo looked awful last year in Toronto. (When he wasn't calling in sick to beat the line at the club.)

[KCattheStripe]

Average age: 25.769 (Total Playoff appearances 291)
Buccaneers average age: 26.153 (Total Playoff appearances 336)

Ha, I love the quick jab of including playoff appearances.

I am mean.

Let's talk about Gorillas' point guard depth. They have one, Baron Davis:

I don't see it. He's too often injured our check out at this stage of his career. his last two years have varied between bad to below average. The talent is still there but 25% usage on a player with TS% of .500 or worse? Yuck!!!

...One of the league's least efficient scorers and he's backed up by Rudy Fernandez, an unhappy shooting guard, who shot 38% from the field last season and is a mediocre playmaker at his natural position?

Not worried because Jrue Holiday and Beno Udrih stink?

I'd be worried that NOLA has no one, literally no one to stop the best center in the NBA from getting easy buckets.

[indeedproceed]

Average age: 25.769 (Total Playoff appearances 291)
Buccaneers average age: 26.153 (Total Playoff appearances 336)

Ha, I love the quick jab of including playoff appearances.

I am mean.

Let's talk about Gorillas' point guard depth. They have one, Baron Davis:

I don't see it. He's too often injured our check out at this stage of his career. his last two years have varied between bad to below average. The talent is still there but 25% usage on a player with TS% of .500 or worse? Yuck!!!

...One of the league's least efficient scorers and he's backed up by Rudy Fernandez, an unhappy shooting guard, who shot 38% from the field last season and is a mediocre playmaker at his natural position?

Not worried because Jrue Holiday and Beno Udrih stink?

I am more optimistic about Baron Davis's chances in a new environment with an energetic superstar proven winner like Howard than I would be if we're just talking about "How is he going to do next year on the clips"

And the depth thing in the playoffs to me doesn't turn it one way or another. Either you think he'll be healthy, or you don't.

Definitely a very "Euroleague" approach to positions though. No backup 1 because you have Hedo Turkoglu? I don't know if I buy that.

[StartOrien]

Not worried because Jrue Holiday and Beno Udrih stink? Hedo looked awful last year in Toronto. (When he wasn't calling in sick to beat the line at the club.)

I'm sick of your inaccuracies, sir. He called in sick but was reportedly singing 'World's Greatest' at a karaoke bar. NEWSFLASH: 'World's Greatest' is a dope jam.

As far as retorting, I'll save my bullets for the playoffs. But, I'm sure you already know what link I'll be opening up with Walker Wiggle.

(note: I didn't include 'the' in 'walker wiggle.' Disrespect, coming at you).

[Who]

When do the playoff matchups + voting happen?

[The Walker Wiggle]

Average age: 25.769 (Total Playoff appearances 291)
Buccaneers average age: 26.153 (Total Playoff appearances 336)

Ha, I love the quick jab of including playoff appearances.

I am mean.

Let's talk about Gorillas' point guard depth. They have one, Baron Davis:

I don't see it. He's too often injured our check out at this stage of his career. his last two years have varied between bad to below average. The talent is still there but 25% usage on a player with TS% of .500 or worse? Yuck!!!

...One of the league's least efficient scorers and he's backed up by Rudy Fernandez, an unhappy shooting guard, who shot 38% from the field last season and is a mediocre playmaker at his natural position?

Not worried because Jrue Holiday and Beno Udrih stink?

I'd be worried that NOLA has no one, literally no one to stop the best center in the NBA from getting easy buckets.

Well you'll at least be happy to know that McDyess is 15-5 against Dwight Howard, even if he clearly can't match Howard basket for basket or rebound for rebound.

Still, I'm willing to let Howard get his points. (I have to be.) And worth noting that Orlando rarely was at their best when running the offense through Howard.

But, who else does Phoenix have to hurt me? Horford on Jamison, Gerald Wallace and Raja Bell on Salmons and Turkoglu, Jrue Holiday on Davis.

Fun fact, Phoenix has four sub 41% shooters in the team's rotation (Davis, Turkoglu, Fernandez and Terrence Williams), and a fifth, even worse shooter, DeShawn Stevenson ready to come of the bench in a pinch.

[StartOrien]

When do the playoff matchups + voting happen?

Tomorrow

[Fafnir]

When do the playoff matchups + voting happen?

Tomorrow is when we'll start the first round. At some point tonight I'll put together the 8 first round match up threads and get them posted.

At that point GMs can present their rotations and make their case for how they see the series playing out. Voting will be done via PM again to CB Draft Voting. I'm going to create a template for votes and ask members to use it for ease in collating results.