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).
12.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.7 apg, 0.6 spg, 1.1 bpg, .489 FG%, .429 3P%, .783 FT%, 97 3P, .575 TS%, 17.6 PER - NBA All-Star - All-Defensive Second Team
PF - LeBron James (2012-13)
Spoiler:
26.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.9 bpg, .565 FG%, .406 3P%, .753 FT%, 103 3P, .640 TS%, 31.6 PER - Led the NBA in PER, OWS (14.6), WS (19.3), WS/48 (.322), OBPM (9.2), BPM (11.6), VORP (9.8) - NBA Champion - NBA MVP - NBA Finals MVP - NBA All-Star - All-NBA First Team - All-Defensive First Team
2013 Heat on steroids. Penny replaces Wade as LeBron's explosive sidekick, and Horford plays the stretch 5 role even better than Bosh. Dumars is a killer #3 guy who can thrive both on and off the ball. You just can't stop peak LeBron with this much shooting and playmaking around him at all times. LeBron, Penny, Dumars, Middleton, Livingston, and Tucker give us amazing defensive versatility one through four, while Horford can both battle traditional post players and guard out on the perimeter. Asik provides a more orthodox rim protector off the bench.
Matchup - The big ticket item of course is trying to slow down Dirk. We'll throw a variety of defenders at him, starting with LeBron for the first few minutes and continuing with Tucker and Horford depending on how rotations shake out. (Tucker will likely close most games to keep him on Dirk.) All three have the size and strength to prevent Dirk from easily setting up shop in the midpost as well as the mobility to chase him out on the perimeter. Dirk will probably get his regardless, but we think we can keep him from going crazy. - Dumars guards Rose while Middleton and LeBron split the Hill matchup. With both being limited outside shooters and Big Ben having no offensive game to speak of, we will have more opportunities to hedge towards the paint and provide help on dribble penetration. - Horford's outside shooting has to be honoured; not only is he a good three point shooter on solid volume, he's also money from 16-23 feet. Big Ben will have to cover him honestly, opening up lanes to the basket for LeBron and Penny. - Speaking of LeBron, Snake doesn't really have a good cover for him. Cooper and McKie will be overpowered physically, and Hill, while capable, is not the level of individual defender you need to have an impact against peak LeBron. With Horford already spacing the floor nicely, LeBron is in position to have a big series.
PG: Derrick Rose: 2010-2011 19.4 FGA Most Valuable Player SG: Michael Cooper 1986-87- 9.0 FGA Defensive Player of the Year SF: Grant Hill 1996-97 15.7 FGA All NBA First, 3rd in MVP PF: Dirk Nowitzki 2010-11 16.2 FGA Finals MVP C: Ben Wallace 02-03 6.0 FGA Defensive Player of the Year
B: Steve Kerr 96-97 5.7 FGA B: Aaron McKie 99-00 7.4 FGA B: Charles Oakley 92-93 5.3 FGA
Total: 84.7/85
Rotation:
Rose (37)/Kerr (11) Cooper (32)/Kerr (3)/McKie (13) Hill (30)/McKie (18) Dirk (27)/Oakley (13)/Hill (8) Wallace (36)/Dirk (12)
I'd like to open by thanking Dr Positivity for using that picture for this matchup.
A team very similar to the Lebron Heat team, with a lesser secondary star but a significantly upgraded supporting cast of characters vs a version of the 2011 Mavericks with better playmaking and vastly more star power.
That's pretty much the lay of land here.
I don't see an obvious solution to Dirk on this team. A younger Dirk might have been stumped by a shorter defender like Lebron or Tucker, but this version of Dirk with a better post game absolutely crushed the 2011 playoffs. I actually think Fade's smaller lineup works against him a little bit here, as the offensive advantage he gains is more than matched by a defensive detriment, at least IMO. Note that Lebron didn't impact this version of Dirk in the finals like one might think he would in theory. Don't get me wrong- Fade's got an amazing team that is really tough to deal with for most teams, but I think Dirk, with his combination of perimeter skills and size, creates problems that Fade hasn't seen thus far in his playoff run.
Defensively, we've got a very well constructed Fadeaway team to combat, but I really like that we have big and athletic perimeter players to match up to our opponents here. Expect to see Hill guarding Lebron and Cooper or McKie guarding Penny. Cooper's likely to see some time on Lebron too. Note that we've altered our bench rotation a bit to match up better defensively with Fade's smaller linuep.
Gotta go with Fade here. Nobody to even slightly slow peak LeBron is a problem. Even a defender like Cooper wouldn’t have be able to do much. Dirk will go off too but Tucker and Horford could at least make him work.
As talented a team that SB has I’m not huge on the duo of Hill and Rose around Dirk. I think James with peak Dumars,Penny,Horford is too much to stop.
Yeah Rose along with Dirk and peak Hill is a big 3 that LeBron can't match with Penny and Dumars. Fade does have a little more shooting with Horford but Wallace would clean up on the boards against a smaller lineup. Snakebites also has more depth with Cooper, Kerr and Oakley over 15 Middleton, Livingston and Asik while Tucker and McKie are more or less interchangeable.
Dirk did win back in the day vs Lebron but this is different version of Lebron and much better fit around Lebron. On the other hand Snakebites has the better talent overall with big three vs Fades big 2.
This is going to be close with Snakebites talent advantage and rebounding advantage but I think Fade will win in the end due to his great fit. I like his build a lot more with elite shooters all around, secondary playmaker in Penny and elite roleplayers while Snake has three guys in the starting lineup that are really bad threepoint shooters in Rose, Grant Hill and Ben Wallace. It's not going to be bad but I think its going to be easier for Fade to score
I think the Rose/Dirk combo would be fearsome. Cooper is very underrated defensively, dude guarded Bird every year in the Finals, I think him and Hill will be able to make LeBron work some. Snake also has the better bench.
Oops I thought I voted here already. I had something typed up . Lebron is going to have a monster series with snake not really having an ideal defensive counter, but I think snake has a pretty serious overall talent advantage here that is too much to overlook. Vote snake.
Greatest Bulls of All Time: 1. TONY SNELL 2. Jordan 3. Pippen 4. Rose 5. Gilmore
Snakebites wrote:GG Fade. I feel like this one deserves an asterisk since I only had to beat 2 other teams to win it.
Don’t call it a comeback....
You had the most talented team though - I was just hoping certain matchup advantages would get me through, but it didn't work out.
Dirk’s my go-to for a reason. There are some specific ingredients you need to make him work, but at 16.2 FGA he tends to lead to some pretty talented teams. Add to that the fact that his play style gels really well in a modern setting and to me you’ve got a great player to build around.
My Dirk teams are always super talented. When they lose it’s due to matchups or team construction.
Derrick Rose absolutely was a calculated risk, but one that felt like it would pay off in this setting with a lot of conventional choices gone.
. Lebron is going to have a monster series with snake not really having an ideal defensive counter, but I think snake has a pretty serious overall talent advantage here that is too much to overlook. Vote snake.