Opening Day Pairs Draft - Semi - Larry_Russell vs MadNess*

[durantbird]

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. Once the writeups are posted, I will add a poll, and the team with the most votes after 24 hours will advance. EACH MANAGER SHOULD ALSO VOTE FOR THEIR OWN TEAM IN THE POLL - IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS, YOU ARE SIMPLY GIVING AWAY A VOTE. If the votes are tied, we will decide the matchup via AI vote.

You are not required to state or explain your vote, but you are free to comment in the thread if you want to.

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).

[Larry_Russell]

PG/SG: Steph Curry (2014-15) 16.8
23.8ppg, 4.3rpg, 7.7apg, 2spg, 44.5% on 8-3pta
MVP, NBA-1, AS

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2020-21) 7.6
9.7ppg, 2.7rpg, 2apg, 1spg, 0.5bpg, 41%^ on 4.4-3pta
DPOY and All DEF votes received

SF: Anthony Edwards (2024-25) 20.4
27.6ppg, 5.7rpg, 4.5apg, 1.2spg, 39.5% on 10.3-3pta
MVP-7, NBA-2, AS, All DEF Votes Received

PF: James Posey (2007-08) 5.6
7.5ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.5apg, 1spg, 38% on 3.8-3pta
6MOY Votes received, Key run in playoffs

C: Shaquille ONeal (1999-00) 21.1
29.7ppg, 13.6rpg, 3.8apg, 0.5spg, 3bpg
MVP, FMVP, DPOY-2, NBA-1, Def-2, AS, MIP-10

PG/SG: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2023) 5
6.2ppg, 1.7rpg, 1.8apg, 0.5spg, 0.5bpg, 38.5% on 2.7-3pta

SF/PF: Rick Fox (1999-2000) 6.1
6.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.7apg, 0.5spg, 33% on 2.3-3pta

C: Mitchell Robinson (2022-23) 4.7
7.4ppg, 9.5rpg, 1apg, 1spg, 1.8bpg


Offense
PG: Curry (38) / NAW (10)
SG: KCP (38) / NAW (10)
SF: Edwards (38) / Fox (10)
PF: Posey (38) / Fox (10)
C: Shaq (38) / Robinson (10)



87.3/88

Defense

KCP on SGA - KCP is an elite defender with great size, speed and IQ who can use angles to cut off SGA and force contested midrange shots while not committing the foul. Elite at screen navigation.

Ant on Jimmy - Size, Strength and atleticism to body Jimmy and contest midrange while deterring Jimmy's post ups.

Posey on Allen - A great chaser/defender who will stay glued to Allen through any offball actions.

Curry on Battier - I will hide curry here. Battier is low usage who doesnt attack off the dribble. Battier will space to Corner and Curry is quick enough to recover out and contest while still poking his hands in on Kareem in the post.

Shaq on Kareem. Obviously.


Offense

Have a few options here for our attack.

Obviously we will run a good bit of Shaw and Curry pick and roll as that is about as un-guardable as anything can be. Kareem is a nice positional defender who blocks some shots with his length, but he cannot handle the brute force or deep posts of Shaq. And SGA is a good defender, but not one who can recover from behind. So we will exploit that.

Shaq and Curry pick and rolls force SGA to try and recover AROUND shaq which puts him a step behind Curry and forces Kareem to either come up to cut off the automatic Curry 3 giving up deep position to shaq or a lob, or he drops to cover shaq and gives up an automatic curry 3.

secondary offense will be isolating Ray Allen onto Ant and Anthony will dominate that defensive matchup with his athleticism, size advantage and 3 level scoring.

Posey and KCP add 2 more excellent 3 point options off kickouts or breaks.

[MadNESS]

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (40) | Nate McMillan (8)
SG: Ray Allen (38) | Nate McMillan (10)
SF: Jimmy Butler (38) | Mario Elie (10)
PF: Shane Battier (36) | Mario Elie (12)
Cc: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (40) | Tyson Chandler (8)



79’-80’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 16.9 FGA | MVP | All NBA 1 | All NBA D 1 | Champion
17’-18’ Jimmy Butler 15.6 FGA | NBA 3 | All NBA D 2 | MVP (10) | All Star | 35% 3’s
23’-24’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 19.8 FGA | MVP (2) | All NBA 1 | All Star | DPOY (7) | 43% 3’s in PO
08’-09’ Shane Battier | 5.9 FGA | All NBA D 2 | DPOY (4) | 38% 3’s
07’-08’ Ray Allen 13.5 FGA | Champion | 40% 3’s | All Star
11’-12’ Tyson Chandler 5.7 FGA | DPOY | All NBA D 2 | All NBA 3 | FG% Champion
95’-96’ Nate McMillan 4.3 FGA | Defense
94’-94’ Mario Elie 6.0 FGA | 40% 3’s | Champion

Total: 87.7 | 88.0 FGA

GL LR

Defense:

Plan to delete Curry from this series with Jimmy Butler face guarding him. He will get 38 minutes of hell from one of the greatest on ball defenders of all time. He will push, pull and drag Curry around. No only that, but Curry will also get the Nate McMillan treatment off the bench when Butler is not in the game.

Battier on ANT. This is self explanatory.

Ray Allen on Posey and SGA on KCP. This should keep our secondary and third scoring options fresh the entire series!

KAJ on Shaq, with 6 hard fouls coming from DPOY Tyson Chandler as well.

Elie covers any other wing minutes needed to defend ANT.

Offense:

Our spacing (SGA, Ray, Battier) around KAJ is elite. We have guys who can create their own shots in SGA and Butler. KAJ is in MVP form here. He will make Shaq work and keep him honest to where he can’t just sit in the paint and protect the rim.

KCP is not a 38 minute player and has never been. He cannot cover SGA for 38 minutes plain and simple. He played 28 minutes per game in the regular season and 29 in the playoffs.

SGA will be lighting him up.

VOTE NESS!

[durantbird]

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Voting is open. Team owners please vote for yourselves

[Larry_Russell]

well, thought I might have a chance in this one...

[durantbird]

MadNess advances