2011 CB Draft Eastern Playoffs: 1st Round

[Who]

Danny Granger is going to struggle mightily against G.Wallace's defense. Granger doesn't fare well against guys who have great defensive skills + elite athleticism. He doesn't have that explosive athleticism himself to create separation and get quality looks at the basket. So the result is a lot of contested jump shots and ugly field goal percentages.

LaMarcus Aldridge will terrorize Udonis Haslem and/or Joakim Noah so it's not all bad news for the Bullets. Haslem is too short and struggles too much against against length in the low post. Aldridge is bigger, longer and stronger than Noah. Noah doesn't have enough physical toughness to stop Aldridge. I think the Bulls are going to have major problems slowing Aldridge down.

[nickagneta]

SO and action: You modeled your team after the real life Memphis Grizzlies, a team that made the Western Conference Semi-Finals this year. But some people said the reason they did so well is because of the absence of Rudy Gay and the insertion of Shane battier, I savvy veteran and leader who helped glue the team together and established firmly ZBo as the focus of the offense.

ZBo isn't what you call the best playoff shooter as his shooting averages decline at a very decent rate come playoff time. Also, as much as Ariza is a good bench wing and Parker an upgrade on Conley, the real Grizzlies relied on tremendously athletic, experienced and versatile wing depth that I see lacking with your team. How does you team make up for this, and then get past farther than the real Grizzlies got?

[Kane3387]

I gotta think d will gives ny the advantage in a close series.

[Roy H.]

I'm curious about the back court matchup, especially in regards to Washington's view on that. 

[Gainesville Celtic]

Rip Hamilton will have a large advantage against Jodie Meeks.

That battle at SG will be closer once Nick Young enters the game though.

John Kuester's bizzare coaching aside, we know Hamilton is not the player he used to be.

His pts/36 (19.3/18.5/19.4/19.3/18.7)and FG% (.468/.484/.447/.409/.429) are on a very-slow decline over the last 4-5 years. No reason to think the 33-year old Rip is going to get better next year is there?

[Lucky17]

LaMarcus Aldridge will terrorize Udonis Haslem and/or Joakim Noah so it's not all bad news for the Bullets. Haslem is too short and struggles too much against against length in the low post. Aldridge is bigger, longer and stronger than Noah. Noah doesn't have enough physical toughness to stop Aldridge. I think the Bulls are going to have major problems slowing Aldridge down.

Aldridge doesn't operate in the post all that much, though, does he? Nearly 2/3 of his offense last year came from jump shots. Will he be able to change to a back-to-the-basket player?

[Roy H.]

Danny Granger is going to struggle mightily against G.Wallace's defense.

You know, logically this makes sense, but historically in their careers Granger has done fine against Wallace.  He's averaging 20 ppg on 48.3% shooting (and 42.5% 3PT shooting), and has only averaged 1.9 turnovers.

I give Washington the slight edge in this matchup, and a fairly large edge with Aldridge.  It's going to come down to the backcourt mismatch, in my eyes, and to what degree Washington can mitigate it.

[nickagneta]

Lucky: In a very evenly matched series, the weakest link I see in either team is your starting back court's defense. Your back court offense is obvious with Smith. Terry and Nash, but none have never been known for playing really any defense whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Washington, has a group of back court players that might not be as elite in some skills as your back court is but are a group of more real rounded players that can play both ways. If they can slow down your back court any, it looks like they should be able to do what they want on offense which would open space for Granger and Aldridge, two very under rated players who have come into their own as 2nd tier stars, IMO.

[jgod213]

I think the Magic could survive offensively.  I would imagine real growth for Beasley's game playing with CP3; so much so that David West would certainly have his hands full.

In the end, just too much on Paul's hands...yet again.  Agreed that he alone maestro's a victory or two, but eventually Phili controls this series and ends it.

[nickagneta]

WD: Washington lacks that transcendent superstar that most teams in the real NBA and this CB Draft need to go deep into the playoffs. Who does your team overcome this and how do you stop the Bulls superstar, Nash, from making the rest of the Bulls a lot better offensively and making this their series, especially since the series is so evenly matched and Chicago has home court?

[Who]

Rip Hamilton will have a large advantage against Jodie Meeks.

That battle at SG will be closer once Nick Young enters the game though.

John Kuester's bizzare coaching aside, we know Hamilton is not the player he used to be.

His pts/36 (19.3/18.5/19.4/19.3/18.7)and FG% (.468/.484/.447/.409/.429) are on a very-slow decline over the last 4-5 years. No reason to think the 33-year old Rip is going to get better next year is there?

There are a lot of players in Detroit would have  underperformed over the past couple of seasons for the Pistons. That franchise has been a train wreck. Horrible coaching has been a major problem. Ill-defined roles, chopping and changing lineups and poor overall utilization of talent.

I think Rip is one of those players and still has a lot left in the tank. If he can get out of Detroit and find a good situation (like with NJ in this fantasy league), I think he'll surprise people.

[Kane3387]

I think this series comes down to who controls the glass. If the bulls do then I think there out on the break with Nash and will be too much for Washington.

[Lucky17]

Danny Granger is going to struggle mightily against G.Wallace's defense.

You know, logically this makes sense, but historically in their careers Granger has done fine against Wallace.  He's averaging 20 ppg on 48.3% shooting (and 42.5% 3PT shooting), and has only averaged 1.9 turnovers.

I give Washington the slight edge in this matchup, and a fairly large edge with Aldridge.  It's going to come down to the backcourt mismatch, in my eyes, and to what degree Washington can mitigate it.

Here are those numbers:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=grangda01&p2=wallage01

A little surprised to see Wallace right there with 19 PPG.

[Who]

LaMarcus Aldridge will terrorize Udonis Haslem and/or Joakim Noah so it's not all bad news for the Bullets. Haslem is too short and struggles too much against against length in the low post. Aldridge is bigger, longer and stronger than Noah. Noah doesn't have enough physical toughness to stop Aldridge. I think the Bulls are going to have major problems slowing Aldridge down.

Aldridge doesn't operate in the post all that much, though, does he? Nearly 2/3 of his offense last year came from jump shots. Will he be able to change to a back-to-the-basket player?

Aldridge spends a huge amount of time in the low post.

He used not to but he made major progress in this department last year. Far superior post scorer compared to years past.

[nickagneta]

To Both GMs: I see this as one of the more interesting and surprisingly close matchups in the East even though it is a 3/6 matchup. Both teams have transcendent superstars, even matchups in most of the other areas, and even bench depth. Tell me why your matchup of your superstar(New York/Deron and New Jersey/Durant) is the deciding factor in this game.