Four-man core vol. 2, Round 1: Dr Positivity* vs Snakebites

[flaco]

Here is a quick list of what you need in your writeup.

1. Specific years for each player on your team
2. Rotations and minutes for each player
3. Reasoning as to why your team will win and/or why people should vote for you.

Do not vote in this thread until both managers have submitted their writeups.

If writeups aren't posted within 24 hours, we will vote solely based on the players they have drafted (and any rotations they have posted on their roster page).

**First to 3 votes advances**

[Dr Positivity]

PG: Kyle Lowry (2019: 11.4 FGA)
SG: Manu Ginobili (2005: 10.5 FGA)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (2019: 18.8 FGA)
PF: Pascal Siakam (2019: 11.8 FGA)
C: Myles Turner (2023: 11.8 FGA)

PG/SG: Fred VanVleet (2019: 9.4 FGA)
SF: Bruce Bowen (2008: 5.3 FGA)
PF/C: Lamar Odom (2009: 9.0 FGA)

88 / 88

PG: Kyle Lowry (36) / Fred VanVleet (12)
SG: Manu Ginobili (32) / Fred VanVleet (12) / Bruce Bowen (4)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (32) / Bruce Bowen (16)
PF: Pascal Siakam (32) / Lamar Odom (10) / Kawhi Leonard (6)
C: Myles Turner (32) / Lamar Odom (16)

GL Snakebites

Defensive matchups: Lowry on Billups, Manu on Banes, Kawhi on Bridges, Siakam on Dirk, Turner on Chandler. Kawhi will try a few minutes on Dirk.

These teams are relatively close, however I like having Turner instead of Chandler in this matchup. With Chandler stretched out to 3pt line it will leave not much interior D against players like Kawhi and Manu. Meanwhile Turner can stay closer to the rim. Along with better perimeter defense we should overall be stronger on that end, and I don't see the offensive advantage for him. We have an excellent team to switch against his shooters and his team's perimeter penetration is average, I feel Manu is the best slasher here. Bridges isn't really better on defense anymore than 19 Siakam, and the 2011 Mavs got better when they lost Caron Butler as wing creator. Both benches are great.

[Snakebites]

CORE: 2011 Dallas Mavericks- NBA Champions

Dirk Nowitzki- 16.2 FGA-
Jason Kidd- 7.5 FGA
Shawn Marion- 10.4 FGA
Tyson Chandler- 5.5 FGA

Wild Cards:

2023 Mikal Bridges- 15.3 FGA
2006 Chauncey Billups- 12.5 FGA
2023 Desmond Bane- 16.2 FGA
2013 Boris Diaw- 4.4 FGA

Chandler (34)/Diaw (14)
Nowitzki (38)/Marion (10)
Bridges (38)/Marion (10)
Bane (30)/Kidd (18)
Billups (36)/Kidd (12)

Alrighty, let’s do this.

My team is build around a fairly simple but effective model that took home a championship in real life. Surround Dirk with unselfish defensive players who complement him well. Dirk’s 2011 playoff run is fairly legendary for knocking off Lebron/Wade/Bosh and being money in every series.

What I’ve essentially done is modified and upgraded a lot of the pieces around him and turned this into a more productive and efficient offense for the modern age, and this was done without sacrificing the defensive identity of the original teams. Billups is perfect here- he is skilled enough as a ball handler to form a very effective 2-man game but is also effective enough off-ball to add value when Dirk takes matters into his own hands. Bridges and Bane are both much more than 3 and D players here- both of them drain threes and score in volume while also being plus defenders, and this adds an extra element to the offense here. Chandler slots in perfectly as a rim runner who will be able to punish them if Dirk gets too much defensive attention. This combined with exemplary spacing positions Dirk to have a great series.

Position-wise, no matchup stands out as particularly problematic. Bridges’ length has made him arguably the best wing defender in the last few years, and he’s had reasonable levels of success against Kawhi in the past. Bane should be able to body Ginobili effectively as well, and Chauncey is plenty strong enough to offer a counter to Lowry.

The benches are both solid, but I’d argue that the largest difference is between Kidd and FVV. Kidd is still a savy vet and terrific defender and playmaker who is serviceable as a spot up shooter, while FVV was still finding himself as a player back in 2019 and his decision making left some to be desired. Marion and Diaw aren’t better than Odom and Bowen per se, but I’d argue that they complement and balance us out perfectly.

[Fadeaway_J]

This one is tough to decide as the builds are fairly similar and there isn't much a talent gap either way. I lean Dr P as he has a few different elements to inject some unpredictability. Manu is a wild card in general, and the combination of him with Lowry and Siakam gives them some juice in transition, while Turner can pop out to three in addition to being a quality roll man like Chandler. Odom is another guy who can flirt with All-Star level production on any given night. I can see Snake's group being super consistent from night to night, but Dr P squeaking by due to those X factors.

Vote: Dr Positivity

[flaco]

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Need votes please. Personally, I'm on the fence. I may vote later, but I don't have a strong opinion. I like both teams.

[durantbird]

Pretty close. I think I prefer Dr P because I think he has the best second star in Manu, while Billups is pretty close to Lowry. Also Kidd and Billups impact won't be maximized in their joint minutes.

Vote Dr P

[lilroddyb]

Awesome teams overall imo. Both fit really well and are talented

Could go either way to be honest but i prefer Dr P slightly more. I think his defense is better overall and Manu is quite a bit better than Billups imo

Vote Dr P

[flaco]

Dr Positivity advances to the Semi Finals.

[Snakebites]

Ugh.

Just not having success in these lately.