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. Please ensure you give a rationale for your vote; votes with no explanation will not be counted.
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. If no new votes are cast within 24 hours from last vote, first to 2 votes advances, unless we are tied 2-2.**
(Bracketed numbers are league rank) Moses Malone ( 1983 ) 16.7 - Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP Kristaps Porziņģis ( 2024 ) 13.2 - PER (9th); W/S per 48 (4th), 37.5% on 5.1 3PA Julius Erving ( 1981 ) 18.6 - Most Valuable Player Shane Battier ( 2009 ) 5.9 - DPOY (4), 38.4% on 4.0 3PA Deron Williams ( 2013 ) 14.4 - All-NBA Votes, PER (20th), W/S per 48 (15th)
Isaiah Hartenstein ( 2024 ) 4.9 - Off rtg (2nd), Def rtg (5th), W/S per 48 (12th), Toni Kukoč ( 2001 ) 9.0 - 44.6% on 2.4 3PA, 4.5 ast. per 36 Alex Caruso ( 2021 ) 5.3 - All-D Votes, 40.1% on 2.4 3PA
88.0
Moses Malone (38) / Isaiah Hartenstein (10) Kristaps Porziņģis (36) / Toni Kukoč (12) Julius Erving (38) / Toni Kukoč (10) Shane Battier (36) / Alex Caruso (12) Deron Williams (38) / Alex Caruso (10)
Good luck, Fade
We're a potent offensive team with a proven combination of Moses and Doc, both in MVP seasons. They're surrounded by good shooting and a savvy floor general in Deron. We know Kareem struggled with the physicality of Moses. Wiggins is solid defensively, I suppose, but not the top drawer type of stopper you'd like to assign to MVP Erving. The backcourt of Allen and Hardaway is weak as well.
We match up pretty well. Moses/Kareem, Zinger/Wallace, Doc/Wiggins, Battier/Allen, and Deron/Hardaway. Moses, Zinger, and I-Hart give us 48 minutes of excellent interior defense.
Their bench is okay, but I like ours a bit better.
Kareem has a very tall order here - being their only MVP type player and having a very physical match-up in Moses. Our talent and depth win out.
Comments to rationalize bad contracts - 1) It's less than the MLE 2) He can be traded later 3) It's only __% of the cap 4) The cap is going up 5) It's only __ years 6) He's a good mentor/locker room guy
24.8 ppg, 10.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 3.4 bpg, .604 FG%, .765 FT%, .639 TS% - Led the NBA in bpg, OWS (9.5), WS (14.8), WS/48 (.227), VORP (7.3) - NBA Champion - NBA All-Star - NBA MVP - All-NBA First Team - All-Defensive First Team
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 16.9 Ray Allen - 13.2 Rasheed Wallace - 13.3 Andrew Wiggins - 14.0 Tim Hardaway - 16.0 Dennis Rodman - 3.7 Patrick Beverley - 6.1 Royce O'Neale - 4.2
Total: 87.4/88.0
Our formula is straightforward: take one of the most dominant low-post scorers of all time, and surround him with shooting at every position. These aren't just spot-up guys though: Hardaway and Allen are a lethal backcourt, Wiggins is a capable shot creator for a fourth option, and Sheed is a decent failsafe on the block. Defensively, the frontcourt is pretty formidable with Kareem and Sheed protecting the rim, Wiggins and O'Neale on the wings, and Rodman doing a bit of everything. Beverley is a quality 3-and-D PG who can pair with both Hardaway and Allen.
Matchup - Defensive assigments will be straight up. Allen gets to rest on Battier, while Wiggins backed up by the Kareem-Sheed tandem is a great counter to Doc. Bev comes in off the bench to pressure Deron for a good chunk of the game. - We have a moderate spacing advantage with all four non-Kareem starters being volume three-point threats. Additionally, all five starters are capable of dropping 20+ points on any given night. Even without a second MVP, we have more than enough firepower.
Close call. Kareem is the best player here, and while there's a difference between Allen and Erving, I like the synergy of Allen Kareem. Fade having a fifth All Star in Wiggins over Battier, plus this version of Tim Hardaway being significantly better than this version of Deron Williams, give the edge to Fade for me.
Two good teams of course. I see the appeal of Laimbeer's team, but I'm somewhat skeptical both about the defense and about this version of Deron. I think Kareem/Sheed/Rodman/Wiggins is a pretty good defensive answer for Moses and the Doctor, and I just think Kareem is the most reliable two points in the matchup. On the other hand, you could certainly argue that Fade's team has no second scorer on Dr. J's level, maybe not even one on Porzingis's level, which is a pretty big swing. So it's by no means an easy call.
Close but I prefer the fit of Fade's team as I don't love Deron with Erving/Moses style, while Fade's starting lineup is extremely balanced. Vote Fade.
It's going to be a glorious day... I feel my luck could change
Wasn't sure how Hardaway would work out since he isn't often drafted.
There weren’t any perfect teams in this pool. Yours had a clear game plan around an elite player. I tried to do something similar but fell a bit short.
