RealGM

Assuming that all teams' rosters were cleared and there was a draft with the Wizards having the 17th pick, who would you guys pick? The following players would be unavailable.

Chicago: Rose
Portland: James
Cleveland: Howard
Dallas: Durant
Miami: Griffin
New York: Wall
Utah: Wade
LA Lakers: Deron Williams
Orlando: Paul
Golden State: Anthony
Boston: Bryant
San Antonio: Nowitzki
OKC: Westbrook
LA Clippers: Love
Phoenix: Curry
Denver: Aldridge
Washington: ?

rondo.

Horford

Bynum.

Pau Gasol

Bosh

I might go with Ibaka.

I'd do Rondo I think.

A key player on any championship team is the perimeter lockdown guy. Rondo is so versatile in this capacity he can pick-up players 1-3 and put significant pressure on them. The best rebounding guard he helps initiate the break himself and is one of the better finishers at the opposite end. One of the biggest triple double threats in the league.

Few teams win the championship with a dominant PG, Rondo's squad is the rare exception due more to his defense than offense, nevertheless he's a 'raise the game' 'nother level' sort of player when the stakes are highest, able to score at will despite lack of range. We saw in the Dallas run how key it is to have an off-the-dribble attacker (JET and JJ Barea) who can put the team on his back and the opponents defense on their heels. Rondo is that guy, with the best floor generalship in the game (apologies to Chris Paul).

This is the guy I'd love John Wall to model his game after -- albeit with a slightly more reliable jumpshot. You can win with Rondo as your linchpin.

doclinkin wrote:I'd do Rondo I think.

I think I would go with Rondo. I also think Rondo probably should have been picked sooner.

I would very strongly consider Kevin Martin. There aren't many SGs that are very productive in the NBA and there is a drop off from Wade and Kobe to Martin, but after that it gets really steep. Granger is probably the best SF, but I think the drop off of waiting a round or 2 would not be too bad.

I am assuming contracts are irrelevant, otherwise it would be difficult to pass on Ibaka.

Horford. We can go small on the way back.

Amare Stoudemire

I'd thought about Horford, but in the vein of 'Best Two Way Player Available' disregarded him. Rondo should have gone ahead of Westbrook in my opinion, ditto Curry. Whereas Horford is the offensive yin to Noah's yang. Equivalent players exist. But who left is better than Rondo? Anyway if I'm looking at bigs I'd take a defensive one before a talented scorer. You can find scoring elsewhere, and I'm pretty sure we'd find an underrated defensive Big on the back end. Horford's a nice player, but I don't think he will ever win a championship.

Horford by a small margin over Noah and Rondo. I'd go with Noah but I'm wondering how durable he is over the long haul.

This exercise shows how lucky the Wizards are to have John Wall. Past the 12th pick, I see it very hard to build a championship team around any of the players. I might slide Wall, down to 8 or 9, but he belongs in the top 12.

montestewart wrote:Horford by a small margin over Noah and Rondo. I'd go with Noah but I'm wondering how durable he is over the long haul.

Yup - though I'd still lean towards Horford even over a healthy Noah. At PF, Horford would/will be an all-star.

Ruzious wrote:

montestewart wrote:Horford by a small margin over Noah and Rondo. I'd go with Noah but I'm wondering how durable he is over the long haul.

Yup - though I'd still lean towards Horford even over a healthy Noah. At PF, Horford would/will be an all-star.

Good point. Horford's been playing out of position most of his career, while Noah and Rondo have always played their natural positions.

Horford

How was the draft order decided? They got the top 3 in inverse order. Should have been Howard, then James, then Rose.

I go Bynum..... Def not Horford or Noah.... I would consider rondo a ton, just don't think I pick him first to start a team without knowing my other pieces already in place. Bynum is a risk vs. reward pick, but believe the reward is to high to pass up.

I say Horford too.