HEAD COACH: Lionel Hollins A former NBA player, All Star and 2 time all defensive team player. I think Its important for NBA coaches to have played in the league. As a player Lionel was a tough, defensive minded player...And he is the same way as a coach. Love his defensive first attitude while coaching the game and his agressiveness. He encourages his teams to play the passing lanes and to go for steals which lead to easy transition points. The grizzlies under Lionel Hollins lead the league in SPG and also were top 3 in opposing ppg as well as top 10 in other defensvie catagories. As soon as i picked Rubio, i knew of 3 coaches i wanted to run this team. Doug Collins, Scott Brooks or Lionel Hollins...So i pretty much drafted this whole team around Rubio and Hollins. There are a lot of 2 way players on this team and he should get the most out of his guys defensively. He is the type of coach that encourages going for steals, so you can expect a slight increase to players SPG averages underneath him. Was absolutely thrilled i got Coach Hollins to coach my teams and that i didnt have to settle for somone like Spoelstra or Avery in the later rounds.
Starting Rotation:
PG: Ricky Rubio:6'4 180 lbs 21 Years old PG out of spain. Had an incredable rookie year putting up 11/8.3/4.2 along with 2.2 steals per game. One of the best young Points in the game, is the definition of a "Pure PG". Isnt known as a scorer/shooter but he did put up 34% from beyond the arc in 94 tries (Also shot 80% from the FT line, so chances he can improve his shot are pretty good). Not only is Rubio a very good play maker, but he is also one of the top defenders in the league at the PG position. Was a DPOY in spain and showed he can defend some of the worlds best Point guards. He also gets a ton of steals while being a great defender. Rubio is still so young at 21 years old, but has so much experience running a team. I dont think its crazy to think within 2 years Rubio can be a 13/11/5.5 type of player. If he works on his jumper and can improve his FG%, he can be argued as being a top 3 PG in the near future. I have high hopes for Rubio and i feel like i built the perfect team around him. We are expecting anywhere from 10-13 ppg 8-11 apg 4-6 rpg 1.5-2.2 spg from rubio next season. (32-34 mpg)
SG: Martell Webster:6'7 230 lbs25 years old. Alot of people are going to disagree with me with starting Martell Webster over Demar Derozan, but i feel like my starting 5 has enough offense in it and is lacking a 3pt shooter. Martell is a very good defender (maybe underated by some here) and is also a 3pt threat. (a career 37.4% shooter from downtown) Martell will only play 20-22 mpg for us while Derozan will be playing 32 mpg. Martell's 3pt ability will space the floor for the Rubio/Hickson pick and roll and he should get plenty of easy 3pt oppurtunities in transition. Martell is also a good shot blocker/rebounder from the SG position. Averaging over 3 rpg and about a half a block a game. Martell only averaged 6.9 ppg last season, but in his previous 3 seasons before that averaged 10ppg. We are expecting him to be around that 8-10 ppg mark along with 1 apg 3.5 rpg 1 spg and .4-5 bpg. Him and Rubio are going to be a very solid defensive back court.
SF: Rudy Gay:6'9 230 lbs 25 years old. IMO one of the most underated players in the league. Gay may not be a 26ppg player, but he is a very solid/efficient 2 way player. Been right around the 20ppg mark the passed 5 seasons, and we are expecting him to take a 2-4 ppg leap from 19-20ppg to 21-24 ppg while playing with rubio and this up-tempo team. And now that he is the clear cut #1 option, that should give him more oppurtunity to score as well. But Gay isnt just a scorer, he is a lock down defender and a player who gets rebounds(over 6 a game) Steals (over 1.5 a game) and blocks (1 a game) He is a perfect fit with this team/coach. Him and Rubio will cause a ton of havoc in the passing lanes as well as in transition. Gay is an average 3pt shooter at about 35% for his career, and is a career 46% shooter from the field. We expect Gay to be an all-star this season and average about 21-24 ppg 6-7 rpg 2-3 apg 1.5-2 spg 1-1.2 bpg.
PF: J.J Hickson: 6'9 242 23 years old. JJ is a very good player. Good finisher/good rebounder/good touch around the basket/can shoot the mid range if open.In 2010-2011 JJ averaged 14 and 9 and just under a block a game in 80 games on 28mpg. JJ averaged 18 mpg with the Kings splitting time with guys like Cousins and Jason Thompson. On a team with a bunch of me first players and no direction, he wasnt given much of a chance to succeed. His season total numbers were hurt because of this. His 20 games with portland were different. He was given 32 mpg and put up very good numbers. averaged 15/8.3/1.2 apg along with .9 bpg and .6 spg. This was also playing behind Lemarcus Aldridge. Aldridge got injured and allowed Hickson to start in his place, during his 9 starts Hickson averaged 19/11/2/1/1.1bpg and shot 54% from the field. Hickson is a very good Pick and roll player and has good hands. He is an average defender/shot blocker as well. If given the minutes and put in a role where he is able to succeed, Hickson could be a very dangerous player. He has double double potential and possibly all-star potential (although that could be a stretch) If he can put up 15/8 with Felton, I expect him to play much better with the likes of Rubio. I am expecting 15/9/2/.6/1bpg on 50-53% next year. Hickson is the perfect player to have with Rubio. He's also another great dunker/athlete in this system.
C: Anderson Varejao: 6'11 (7'3 if you count the fro) 260 lbs. One of the best overall defenders in the league. Great post defender, great man defender, great at taking charges and pick and roll defense. Isnt an elite shot blocker, but still alters shots coming into the paint and will slide in for a charge which is even better then a blocked shot. Hes a double double guy and is a good finisher around the basket. Hes also a pretty good passer for a big man and picks up a lot of steals for a center too. Last season he was averaging 1.4 steals a game before injuring his wrist. Varejao IMO is one of the most underated Centers in the league, and he is a guy opposing players hate going against because he plays dirty and loves doing the dirty work. Great box out, Great rebounder, great defender...cant ask any more from my starting center. Im expecting about 8-10/9-12/2apg/1+spg along with about a block a game.
Bench Rotation:
6th man SG/SF: Demar Derozan: 6'7 220 lbs 22 years old. Demar is definatly am up and comer in the NBA. He averaged 17 ppg both his sophmore and junior season in the NBA. Demar is a very hard worker, and is in the Gym constantly improving his game, and because of this we have high hopes that he will become an all-star one day. He already has a very solid mid-range game at only 22 and is one of the most athletic players in the league. Young/tough kid should fit well in the James Harden/Manu Ginobli 6th man role. We expect him to be towards the top, if not win the 6th man of the year award. Decent defender who has the athletic ability to become a respectable/good defender in the league. Lionel Hollins preaches defense, so we hope he can help have a positive impact on him and turn Demar into the 2 way player he can be. But even if he doesnt, he is still a solid player with all-star potential at only 22 years old. We are expecting 17-19 ppg 3-4 rpg 2-3 apg along with .4 bpg and 1-1.2 spg
7th man SG/PG: Leandro Barbosa 6'3 194 lbs 29 years old. Barbosa at 29 is still one of the fastest players in the NBA. The guy is a 1 man fast break and will help push the tempo as a scorer off the bench. Leandro is not known for his defense, but he is a career 40% 3pt shooter as well as a good ball handler/scorer and a great finisher at the rim. Averaged 12 ppg last season on the Raptors while only playing about 21 mpg. Barbosa is a very efficient scorer as well, not only is he a career 40% 3pt shooter, but also a career 46% scorer from the field. Not much of a rebounder or passer, but as a solid 2.5 apg total for his career, which isnt bad for a SG. Will play some spot mins at PG if there are injuries, but will primarily be a SG. We expect Barbosa to have a great season with us, especially since he will be playing in a system/style that he can benifit from. We are expecting 10-13 ppg 2 rpg 3 apg and 1.0-1.2 spg on good shooting %.
8th man PF/C: Jordan Hill 6'10 235 lbs 24 years old. Jordan Hill is the dark horse on this team. Everybody else can be expected to produce at a high level, but Hill is where ther is a bit of a question mark. Hill is a solid rebounder/defensive player/shot blocker/shooter while being a good athlete. He will be 25 soon and We feel is ready to step up into a bigger role. He has never averaged more then 15mpg, but has always put up solid numbers for the amount of mins he played. averaged 5/5 .9 bpg for LA in only 11 mpg and the same for houston in 15 mpg. We feel Hill is ready to step it up this up and coming season and is ready for a bigger role. In 20-24 mpg we are hoping to get 7-8/7 with about 1.2-1.4 bpg and just under a steal a game (good steal numbers for a big man). Will play some backup Center, and although he is a bit undersized, we think he can handle the duties. If Hill fails to produce with the higher minutes, we at least know he is a productive player at 10-15 mpg and still have some depth at center behind him.
9th man PG: Patty Mills 6'0 185 lbs 23 years old Patty Mills is a player i have liked for a little while now. Good shooter and likes to attack the basket. Last season in 16 games, Patty averaged 10.3 ppg and 2.5 apg 2 rpg in only 16 mpg of action. Thats pretty insane for only playing 16 mins a game. Mills also shot 43% from down town and made 1.5 3's per game. Shot 49% from the field in total. Patty probably deserves a bigger role then he will get with my team, but at least he will get steady playing time. Who knows, if he ends up producing as a backup, he could see himself get more mins in the future or could be used as a nice trade chip in the future. Patty will be playing 14-16 mpg and we are hoping to get 7/3.5/2 along with .6 spg.
If patty were to play 24 mpg...i think he could be a 10/4/3/1 type of player.
10th man C: Aaron Gray 7'0 270lbs 27 years old Probably the odd man out of the 9 man rotation, but will get some minutes vs teams with elite big men(Bynum,Gasol,Dwight etc) and will play if there is foul trouble. Big strong player who gives much needed size at the center position, has one of the best rebound % in the game and averaged 4ppg 6 rebounds in only 16 mpg last season. Not a great shotblocker, but he is a big boy and will clog up the paint. Great player to have as a 10th man.
BENCH WARMERS:
PG Sundiata Gaines6'1 200 lbs 26 years old Big strong physical PG. Loves to attack the basket and is tough/fearless. Very good defensive player and produce as a starter while Deron Williams was injured. Averaged 5/2/2/1sp in only 14 mpg last season on the Nets. In 12 games as a starter he put up 8.7ppg 2.6 rpg 3.3 apg 1.2 spg in 25 mpg while playing great defense. He is a great option to go to as a reserve if somone ahead of him goes down. He can also play some SG as well since he is a so physical even though he is undersized.
SG/SF Jordan Hamilton6'7 220 lbs 21 years old Big strong nba body who is a good finisher inside and is a good 3pt shooter. Shot 36% from 3 last season and is also a decent defender and a good rebounder. May not play a whole lot, but has the potential to be an NBA starter in the league some day. High value pick for where i drafted him. Can be used as a trade piece later down the line, or fill in as a backup SG if Barbosa is ever traded or at the point of decline.
PF Craig Brackins6'10 230 lbs 24 years old First round draft pick in 2010. Hasnt played much his first 2 seasons, but he is definatly a player with nba skills.Good jump shot, Decent athlete, decent rebounder as having a good back to basket game with good footwork. Still young, but has the potential to be an NBA rotation player. Another value pick i grabbed in the later rounds. Could be used as a trade chip later down the line or play his way into the rotation. But for now is still a project.
PF Jon Leur6'10 230 lbs 23 years old Jon played pretty well as a rookie in limited mins. Putting up 5/2.6/.5apg/.4bpg in only 12 mins of work. A great jump shooter with range out to the 3pt arc. Has some decent back to basket skills if i remember right from college. Another player with potential and I think he can be a solid rotation player in the near future (maybe not for my team since im loaded, but in real life i think he will be a solid role player) Good value pick and a nice project player.
C Jerome JOrdan7'0 240 lbs 25 years old Legit 7 footer. Decent athlete, Decent jump shot and a good rebounder/shot blocker. Not a bad pickup for my last pick. Has potential to be a rotation player in the league and i think he will be next season with the Knicks.
In conclusion, i think i have built a very solid YOUNG team that will compete for years and years to come. I think my team could quietly make some noise THIS season because of all the depth and how well my players fit with one another. Maybe not championship ready yet, but after 2 years in the playoffs i think they will be ready to start competing for championships. Gay/Derozan/Rubio arnt even in their primes yet, and i think all 3 will be all star players. And i have young players who will be ready to step up as well. And i have a lot of trade pieces on this team as well, i dont know if that factors into grading, but i have valuable players that if i was an acual GM, i could make future moves.
Rudy Gay 15.0
Anderson Varejao 7.7
Leandro Barbosa 7.6
Martell Webster 5.3
Ricky Rubio 3.5
Jordan Hill 2.9
Demar Derozan 2.6
Aaron Gray 2.5
JJ Hickson 2.4
Craig Brackins 1.4
Jordan Hamilton 1.1
S. Gaines .854
Jerome Jordan .473
Jon Leur .473
Patty Mills .213
Total: 54.013
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