I posted this in the "Team write-ups" thread (
for the full post with cool graphs, look here), but since that's not for discussion purposes, lets hear what you think about it:
New-Look Bucks:
Rotation: Player, (mins)
PG: K Lowry (32), J Bayless (16)
SG: Landry Fields (30), Reggie Williams (10), Deshawn Stevenson (8 )
SF: Paul Pierce (32), Reggie Williams (10), Shawne Williams (8 )
PF: Serge Ibaka (20), Tyler Hansbrough (15), Drew Gooden (13)
C: Andrew Bogut (35), Serge Ibaka (8 ), Omer Asik (5)
Biggest Advantage In The Bucks As a Pick 2 Team:
In a word, AndrewBogut. He's rapidly become in the past 2 seasons the second best defensive center in the NBA, he's a rebounding force (5th among centers getting 20 mins or more a game, 11th in the league), and he leads the league in blocks per game. Any defense centered around Andrew Bogut should be in the top half the league, unless you're starting Andrea Bargnani or something.
Toughest Challenge:
The current Bucks' team is last in the NBA in scoring, with Brandon Jennings being its most potent weapon. Part of that can probably be blamed on Pace (how many possessions a team goes through a game..the Bucks play slow), but the Bucks' pace isn't all that different from Boston's. I knew I had to inject some scoring into the lineup, but nearly all the premier scorers in the league were assigned as keepers. The best scorers left on the board in the first round were either injury concerns (Brandon Roy), or just not that great being a primary scoring option (Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Zach Randolph, etc).
Best move:
Trading my first round pick (Josh Smith) and 4th round pick for Paul Pierce and a 5th round pick. My team needed a premier scorer, and a vet leader, and Pierce can offer both. I already had Serge Ibaka to pair with Andrew Bogut by that time, so I didn't feel like Smith's interior disruptive presence really had that high a value to me.
Worst move:
Sigh. Trading Brandon Jennings for a pick in the 2nd round, which I used on Landry Fields. I had my eye on Kyle Lowry, who I knew I could get in the 3rd, and I didn't really like what Jennings was bringing to the table. He's a low % shooter, a poor finisher around the rim, but he's also a guy who can be an explosive scorer. I should've gotten more for him or kept him.
Toughest Draft Pick: My second pick in the second round
I had just traded Brandon Jennings, and was on the clock. I had my eye on Kyle Lowry, but nobody was really talking about him, and I thought he could wait until the 3rd round. I still had hope at that time that I could trade for a true scoring 3 (my first pick was a Josh Smith for Melo swap, but riah went for Stephen Curry instead), so I was looking for a defensively oriented but reliable shooting 2 guard. I was thinking about Arron Afflalo, but I thought he was a little too one-dimensional. I went with Landry Fields, because as a rookie he already plays like an elite role player, he's versatile, he's a good defender, and a good passer, and he's an efficient scorer (4th in true shooting % among SG's). I wonder though if he would've lasted until the 3rd round.
Team Strengths:
Defense and Rebounding) This team is first and foremost a defensive force. The starting 5 is a defensive nightmare, and if it isn't outright the best defensive starting 5 in the draft, it is in the top 3. Andrew Bogut is 1st in the league in blocks per game, and 4th in the league in blocks per 48 mins..one of the 3 guys ahead of him is also on my team Serge Ibaka. On top of that, Kyle Lowry is a very tough nosed defender at the point, and in the top 20 for steals per game, and Landry Fields has proven himself to be a solid defender at the 2, despite playing the 4 in college. Paul Pierce, as we all know, is a very good defender also. off the bench we also have Deshawn Stevenson, who is one of the better defending 2 guards in the league also.
Bogut and Landry Fields are both top 10 rebounders at their positions, while Ibaka and Gooden are also very good rebounders. The anticipated rebounds for the team total of 49 per game would easily lead the league, but that number would drop significantly when actually put to the test. I don't think though that it would fall out of the top 5.
Bawl Movement) While none of my guys are anywhere the level of a Rajon Rondo or Steve Nash, 4 of my 5 starters are good decision makers. Kyle Lowry is a top ten passer by assist ratio, Landry Fields is the second best facilitator in his rookie class, Andrew Bogut is known as a very good passing center, and Paul Pierce, while first and foremost a scorer, is also a gifted passer.
Versatility) While defense is our strong suit, the second unit is absolutely peppered with scorers. Reggie Williams, Tyler Hansbrough, and Drew Gooden are all versatile scorers, all capable of 'creating their own shot' (you know who those air quotes are for!!!). We also have a good mix of inside outside scoring, with Bogut and Gooden being gifted post scorers, Lowry and Pierce both being good at getting to the hoop, athletic finishers in Ibaka, Shawne Williams, and Fields, and good 3pt shooters in Lowry, Pierce, Fields, both Williamses, and Deshawn Stevenson.
Outlook:
I think this team is a 5-7 seed in the Eastern Conference right now. While the scoring won't be the most dangerous in the league, the turnovers and tough shots created by the defense will hopefully compensate for that significantly.
Did I improve the Bucks?:
Yes, I feel I absolutely improved the Bucks. While I don't have the proven scorers the Bucks have in John Salmons, Maggette, and Jennings, I do have high % shooters and versatile young scorers, who all appear to be on the upswing. On top of that I took a Bucks defense that was already good, and made it significantly better with impact players at all 5 starting positions.
