Madness Draft - Semi - durantbird* vs Snakebites

[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).

[Snakebites]

PG: Jamal Murray 22-23 16.0 FGA
SG: Andre Iguodala 11-12 10.2 FGA
SF: Jayson Tatum 23-24 19.3 FGA
PF: Luol Deng 10-11 14.1 FGA
C: Joakim Noah 13-14 FGA

B: Jason Williams 09-10 5.2 FGA
B: JJ Redick 09-10 6.7 FGA
B: Channing Frye 16-17 7.0 FGA

Total: 88/88

Rotation:

Murray (36)/Williams (12)
Iguodala (25)/Redick (23)
Tatum (37)/Iggy (11)
Deng (37)/Frye (11)
Noah (36)/Frye (12)

Alrighty, lets do this. My team has All Star level players at all 5 starting positions, strong defense, and impeccable depth. Tatum and Noah were both All-NBA first team selections in the selected seasons as well. Joakim Noah in particular is extremely underrated here. In the chosen reason he lead a team decimated by the injury to Derrick Rose- he not only held the defense down but was a decently effective offensive hub in the post with his underrated passing ability.

DB has built an impressively talented team around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but I'd argue that his team isn't well suited to SGA's strengths. Part of the secret sauce that makes SGA so good with his slashing and playmaking is space. I could buy Drexler as a dynamic pair with him given Drexler's ability as an off-ball cutter, but I think that's greatly undercut by the fact that none of DB's other starters is a reliable outside shooter. One might try to sell last year's Herb Jones this way, but he was a low volume shooter in the chosen year and given how unreliable a shooter he was both before and after that season I am fairly comfortable leaving him alone out there. This allows me with my effective interior defense (Noah was All NBA First and DPOY in the chosen season).

Chris Webber is a guy I'm definitely a fan of, my original plan was to pick him, but I don't think his volume scoring and passing are particularly complementary to an SGA/Drexler offense, and having him at center means I can put Joakim Noah on him.

Overall I think DB has built a very strong team on the basis of talent, but that the fit and defense of my team should be enough to carry the day here.

[durantbird]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 24' - 19.8
Clyde Drexler 91' - 16.3
Herbert Jones 24' - 7.7
Gerald Wallace 10' - 12.4
Chris Webber 97' - 16.2

Morris Peterson 04' - 7.2
Bo Outlaw 96' - 3.0
Dereck Lively 24' - 5.4

88/88

SGA 40 / Drexler 8
Drexler 30 / Peterson 18
Herb 32 / Wallace 14 / Peterson 2
Wallace 24 / Webber 14 / Outlaw 10
Webber 24 / Lively 24

Matchup:
- Defensive assignments: Herb on Murray, Gerald on Tatum, Drexler on Deng, SGA on Iggy, Webber/Lively on Noah.
- We match up extremely well across the board. Our elite defensive wing duo of Herb and Gerald takes on Murray and Tatum, while SGA, Drexler, and Peterson provide secondary coverage. Murray will also see some SGA and Drexler, and Tatum gets different looks from Herb, Wallace, Peterson, and Outlaw.
- Noah isn't a high-usage offensive threat, so Webber won't be exposed defensively—and we've got Lively and Outlaw behind him to bring elite help D and rim protection.
- Offensively, SGA and Drexler form a dynamic and balanced backcourt, capable of scoring efficiently and playmaking. Webber and Wallace are excellent tertiary options who can punish switches and contribute in transition.
- Defensively, we're elite at every position except maybe Webber—but he’s solid, and he’s covered by three elite defenders behind him in Wallace, Outlaw, and Lively.
- The biggest difference is that SGA-Drexler-Webber is a more reliable and versatile offensive engine than Murray-Tatum-Noah. In a defensive battle, that slight edge in shot creation and playmaking makes the difference.
- Webber (39.7%), Wallace (37.1%), Herb (41.8%), and Mo Pete (37.1%) all shot well from deep in the given seasons. Plenty of spacing for SGA and Drexler to thrive.
- Benches are close, but we get the edge: Peterson brings defense and length that Redick and Orlando JWill don’t. Outlaw and Lively also offer elite defense, while Frye is more one-dimensional.

[durantbird]

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Matchup is open, Snakebites please vote for yourself

[Snakebites]

Damn, don't think I have the votes.

Ah well.

In a bit of a draught here.

[durantbird]

durantbird advances