FUTURE DRAFT GAMES THREAD - 2/9/2025

[ReggiesKnicks]

What if draft, based on: Walton, Penny, Roy, Sampson, Yao, Hill, Rose, McGrady, Oden

Option 1: teammates for those guys
Includes Bird, Shaq, LeBron (Oden teammate), Wade, Nash, Hakeem, T-Mac (we might include the guys themselves anyway), Butler, Noah, Kawhi, Duncan, Vince, Manu, Howard, Towns, Vince, Roy, Amar'e, McHale, Allen

Option 2: scavenger hunt format

For Walton/Oden/Roy, Penny/McGrady, Rose, Hill, Yao/Sampson
We can use 5 franchises - Portland, Orlando, Chicago, Detroit, Houston
And then either add 3 more guys to get additional three franchises (Pelicans for Zion? Boston to add for Walton? Cavs for Daugherty?)
Or add other categories, like one-time All NBA First, Top-5 Pick Who Didn’t Make an All-Star Game (for Oden), Rookie of the Year winners who weren't All NBA First

Why those players? I feel silly, I feel like there's a common theme I'm totally missing here and I'm gonna feel stupid when you say it.

They all had their careers (Primes) cut relatively short due to injury.

I think McGrady doesn't belong.

[durantbird]

What if draft, based on: Walton, Penny, Roy, Sampson, Yao, Hill, Rose, McGrady, Oden

Option 1: teammates for those guys
Includes Bird, Shaq, LeBron (Oden teammate), Wade, Nash, Hakeem, T-Mac (we might include the guys themselves anyway), Butler, Noah, Kawhi, Duncan, Vince, Manu, Howard, Towns, Vince, Roy, Amar'e, McHale, Allen

Option 2: scavenger hunt format

For Walton/Oden/Roy, Penny/McGrady, Rose, Hill, Yao/Sampson
We can use 5 franchises - Portland, Orlando, Chicago, Detroit, Houston
And then either add 3 more guys to get additional three franchises (Pelicans for Zion? Boston to add for Walton? Cavs for Daugherty?)
Or add other categories, like one-time All NBA First, Top-5 Pick Who Didn’t Make an All-Star Game (for Oden), Rookie of the Year winners who weren't All NBA First

Why those players? I feel silly, I feel like there's a common theme I'm totally missing here and I'm gonna feel stupid when you say it.

Players whose careers were meaningfully hampered by injuries. They serve as a common example for a "what if" scenario based on injury history.

Which of the versions do you think is best?

[Snakebites]

What if draft, based on: Walton, Penny, Roy, Sampson, Yao, Hill, Rose, McGrady, Oden

Option 1: teammates for those guys
Includes Bird, Shaq, LeBron (Oden teammate), Wade, Nash, Hakeem, T-Mac (we might include the guys themselves anyway), Butler, Noah, Kawhi, Duncan, Vince, Manu, Howard, Towns, Vince, Roy, Amar'e, McHale, Allen

Option 2: scavenger hunt format

For Walton/Oden/Roy, Penny/McGrady, Rose, Hill, Yao/Sampson
We can use 5 franchises - Portland, Orlando, Chicago, Detroit, Houston
And then either add 3 more guys to get additional three franchises (Pelicans for Zion? Boston to add for Walton? Cavs for Daugherty?)
Or add other categories, like one-time All NBA First, Top-5 Pick Who Didn’t Make an All-Star Game (for Oden), Rookie of the Year winners who weren't All NBA First

Why those players? I feel silly, I feel like there's a common theme I'm totally missing here and I'm gonna feel stupid when you say it.

Players whose careers were meaningfully hampered by injuries. They serve as a common example for a "what if" scenario based on injury history.

Which of the versions do you think is best?

Scavenger hunt.

With three thematic categories, not three additional teams.

1) One single time All NBA First
2) 1 Season Selected where the player was ineligible the year before (aka a comeback season)- this beefs up the high end talent numbers by adding guys like KD, Kawhi, Robinson, Steph
3) Top 5 pick non-All Star

[durantbird]

Top 8 Draft?

Players in seasons on the Top 8 finishing teams this season.

OKC
Denver
Minnesota
Golden State
Indiana
Cleveland
New York
Boston

Some deep franchises here.

I like this pool, we can do it after the What If Draft (assuming we get enough guys to start the What If)

[durantbird]

An idea that fits a small number of participants: Finalists who were 3rd seed or less

According to ChatGPT, this is the list since 1990:

1990 Portland Trail Blazers, 1991 Los Angeles Lakers, 1995 Houston Rockets, 1999 New York Knicks, 2003 Los Angeles Lakers, 2004 Detroit Pistons, 2006 Dallas Mavericks, 2007 San Antonio Spurs, 2009 Orlando Magic, 2010 Boston Celtics, 2011 Dallas Mavericks, 2018 Cleveland Cavaliers, 2020 Miami Heat, 2021 Milwaukee Bucks, 2022 Golden State Warriors, 2023 Miami Heat, 2024 Dallas Mavericks, 2025 Indiana Pacers

We'll use these years only

[migya]

You'll find you'll get more interest if you include the older eras and not as loaded teams. Something like, pick in pairs, a starter from "x team" and a bench player from that same team.