Scavenger Hunt Draft Winner: Sachmo!!!

[BigSlam]

As for Paydro's team - it sure would be exciting in the open court - so long as who ever had the ball was willing to pass it to his team mates! The best play maker on the team might actually be the starting PF. It's a "sexy" team with guys like Rusty and Rudy and Blake, but I wonder if there is actually any meat on them bones. I'd be worried that teams would just clog the paint because there really isn't any outside shooting threats on the team (outside of Korver - who would hardly sniff the court) which would make it pretty one dimensional.

Against a crappy defensive team though I think your team would be exciting as all get out.

[BigSlam]

I like the way Jaruff's team ended up. I think that Mayo would thrive next to a guy like Rondo and no doubt Amare would dig it too. It's a pity you couldn't change Wright out with a lock down defensive wing - that would have given you great balance. The biggest problem I think you have though is a serious lack of depth - oh, and that boring thing called defense!!

[BigSlam]

Captaincrunk's team is cool. Obviously there is a serious lack at the PG and PF spots but I really like the Lawson/Monta/Dwight line up. There is a nice mix of inside/outside and some nice pace to the team. I think once you get past Lawson, Ellis, Manu and Dwight (maybe Galinari and Hickson as well) the team gets a little thin though. It's got some good balance amongst those 5 those.

[BigSlam]

Kemba2Hendo automatically defaulted when he selected Dicky.

Outside of that, the big man dept is pretty bare - outside of Scola who is a stud. I love Richardson in that 6th man role and Felton being able to defer most of the ball handling duties to Wade would be good for the team. Not so sure about the run and gun approach for this team though. It would work for Wade, but Felton isn't so hot in the open court, Pierce is too old to keep up, Scola is too old and Beans, well, he makes DeAndre Jordan look like Wilt.

[captaincrunk]

Captaincrunk's team is cool. Obviously there is a serious lack at the PG and PF spots but I really like the Lawson/Monta/Dwight line up. There is a nice mix of inside/outside and some nice pace to the team. I think once you get past Lawson, Ellis, Manu and Dwight (maybe Galinari and Hickson as well) the team gets a little thin though. It's got some good balance amongst those 5 those.

That's why Manu will be coming off the bench

And Lawson can play his 35 minutes with Monta getting 13 minutes there (freeing up even more space for Manu to play SG).

I like your reviews, I think I might do some myself once we get more lineups in

[fatlever]

@ paydro - like slam i would be concerned about your experience and outside shooting. if an experienced team could slow your guys down and make them grind out a halfcourt win you might have trouble. that being said, your team is unmatched in terms of athleticism. the dunks would be scary.

@ jaruff - jaruff, i love that you stick by your knuckleheads. you are definitely consistent on that front. if iverson, arenas, darko and mayo didnt kill each other during the season, you might have a chance. rondo would likely average 15 assists per game. and i do love a good offense.

@ crunk - did you mean to list galinari as your starting sf and pf? i think another 3pt shooter would have helped. and i would probably start manu and bring ellis off the bench (but thats just me). any team that has dwight and manu has a chance. manu is still my boy.

@ kemba - you selected two players that i always feel are underrated, pierce and scola. i love your 1 thru 4, but i am not a fan of the 5 spot. luckily scola can score enough in the post to make up for beans lack of offense. my main concern other than the 5 spot would be how well pierce and wade can mesh. we've seen that wade is best with the ball in his hands, as is pierce and felton. defensively this team would be very tough on the perimeter and wings.

[captaincrunk]

@ crunk - did you mean to list galinari as your starting sf and pf? i think another 3pt shooter would have helped. and i would probably start manu and bring ellis off the bench (but thats just me). any team that has dwight and manu has a chance. manu is still my boy.

Not intentionally, but it's true that he'd likely start one position or the other.

And Manu, Monta, Ty, Gallo, Markieff, Corey Brewer, and Shannon Brown all shoot over 35% from 3pt range, generally.

Corey, in 09-10 season, went 82-237 for a solid 34.6%. Not bad, he could at least spot up off double teams and shoot. I was really trying to avoid the Magic's failure of only 3pt shooting and nothing else.

[fatlever]

I was really trying to avoid the Magic's failure of only 3pt shooting and nothing else.

good point

[Diop]

Team $$$

Depth Chart

Pg. Jrue Holiday, Tony Parker (please make Parker the starter in 2k11 simulation)
Sg. Kobe Bryant, Jarred Dudley, Kelenna Azubuike
Sf. Andre Iguodala, Rashard Lewis
Pf. Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass, Troy Murphy
C. Tim Duncan, Sammy Dalembert

Selection Strategy
First pick is BPA, so I went Kobe. Then I wanted a good big as I love an inside/outside game, so I went Duncan. Then I wanted good team players and defenders to round out the 5. Duncan and Kobe have exceeded without great play makers, so all I really wanted from the Pg spot was defense and the ability to hit the 3. Jrue is a great defender with the size and athleticism to defend 1 and 2's and has developed a dependable 3 ball.

Team Philosophy
This team is going to make you cry defensively. They are all excellent defenders Tim Duncan was 8th overall in blocks per game and is easily the leader in blocks per foul at 1.23, (next highest is McGee at .83, while Fat's defensive cornerstone Ibaka is a measily .74 ) While all other players are lock down defenders at their position.

Iggie has become one of the better wing defenders and would take the best wing defensively to allow Kobe to concentrate on his scoring. Jrue has the ability to defend 2 guards as well, so there is plenty of flexibility. This is why I want Jrue starting, I don't need Parkers scoring in this starting 5.

People mentioned the decline of Duncan this year, his numbers were down but the Spurs still had the 2nd best record in the league, only 1 game behind Chicago's and it was more an injury to Ginobli that hurt their playoffs. The great thing about Duncan is his ability to become a 2nd or 3rd option and still be effective. He doesn't whinge and doesn't force up crap demanding to still be "the man".
Also Spurs fans will tell you that one of the biggest issues was that Duncan didn't have much big help to take some of the workload. Garnett will the best bigman he has played with since Robinson.

Scoring wise, we have plenty of options and can adjust how we play according to our opposition. We have the inside targets of Garnett and Duncan with the great wing scoring of Kobe. All players can pass and sharing the ball to find the person in the best position to score will be the coaches philosophy. Even Kobe has shown the ability to pass if he trusts his team mates. Iggy would continue his Pippenesque like role being a creator and could even spend some time at Pg.

Parker will be the main scoring burst off the bench scoring with his usual speed and skills, while Rashard Lewis and Brandon also provide different scoring looks and flexibility off the bench.

Go to players
Kobe, Duncan, Garnett, Tony Parker (not a bad list of options)

Why this team will win
Because they are winners. Kobe, Garnett and Duncan are all about winning and won't accept anything but a full effort to win. They will set the tone and create a winning culture and demand that everyone buys in. There is plenty of defense and scoring in the starting 5 and bench, as well as a ton of flexibility.

This would be the highest paid team in NBA history. They would also be the best team in this Scavenger Draft.

[captaincrunk]

So much age on that team... So much age...

[Diop]

Aged but not done. They can hold it together for another year, just like the Mavs did this year.

Solid depth too.

[captaincrunk]

Aged but not done. They can hold it together for another year, just like the Mavs did this year.

Solid depth too.

Just like the Lakers did this year (Kobe)? Just like the Celtics did this year (Garnett)? Just like the Spurs did this year (Duncan)? They'll all be a year older than they were the year they all failed.

I like the team, I just like it a lot more 3 years ago.

[fatlever]

@ sachmo - the defense on that team alone would win 50 games. easily the best defensive team in the draft. what those old guys have lost in quickness and burst they have made up for it in experience. adding jrue almost seems unfair defensively. your starting 5 + parker is amazing. that being said, i was hoping to see you offset your older guys with a young dynamic bench with a few shooters and a few speed guys. the lakers and celtics were both burned in the playoffs due to lack of team speed. i was hoping you would load your bench with those types. instead you went with a few more dinosaurs in lewis, dalembert and murphy. and your backup sgs consist of dudely who is slow and more of a sf and azubuike who is coming off major injuries. after 5 rounds i thought you had this thing won in a landslide. but now i think its not so clear. there is still room for an upset.

[countryboi]

PG - Derrick Rose 35- Aaron Brooks 13- Earl Boykins -WEL
SG - Joe Johnson 33- Vince Carter 15- Raja Bell -WEL
SF - Luc Mbah A Moute 15 - Nicholas Batum 25 - Michael Beasley -8
PF - Carlos Boozer 28 - Michael Beasley 15 - Luc Mbah A Moute -5
C - Kendrick Perkins 28 - Brendan haywood - 20


Discuss The Reasoning Behind Your Team Selection:
I was just attempting to build the best team i could. Of course Rose is the centerpiece, in the NBA i feel that you either need a dominant point or a dominant center to win and I have the best PG in the league. rose driving ability will work great with JJ's abilty to shoot and working with boozer out of the P&R. Prince and Perkins are glue guys they will work hard play tough D but Nicholas Batum will get most of the mins at SF.



Describe Your Team's Style Of Play (defensive & offensive strategies):
Its going to be mostly Half Court P&R with rose setting up shooters on the outside. but even with rose out the game i have players that can create their own shot. I want super cool beas to own the second unit. On defense I want to play Man, i feel like i have defenders that man up and stay in front of their guys and the cover up for the problems of the ones that cant.


Your Go To Players:
Rose, JJ, Boozers, Super Cool Beas.

Tell Us Why Your Team Can Win The Finals:
Rose is good enough to carry this team alone but I think i have players that work well with rose and even win without him. I have the best low post defender in the league and have a good mix of scorers, shooters, rebounding and defenders.

[Diop]

If Gasol wasn't sooking about his girlfriend then yes the Lakers could have won and Spurs were more hurt by injuries to Ginobli. They can't do it by themselves anymore, they need good support which they have with this team.

Fats, the idea is that Iggie and Jrue have the flexibility to play several positions and cover most of those gaps.

If you are worried about speed, how about a lineup of Parker, Jrue and Iggy? Super quick and can still defend their positions.

In all honesty, Dude will probably only get spot minutes at the 2/3. But he is a good shooter and another solid defender.

Dalembert was needed as the defensive big off the bench, while Lewis is the shooter/scorer.

Apart from Parker, Lewis and Dalembert will be the only players seeing any noticable time off the bench.

[Paydro70]

I can't say I disagree with any of the concerns regarding my team... experience will be a problem, and I'm depending on Gay to really hit a lot of 3s. I think my team is also tougher to predict than most... maybe I'll look like a genius when we revisit this next year (Griffin/Westbrook are all-NBA, Gay takes another step forward, Monroe or Splitter has a big season), maybe I'll look like an idiot (Allen turns out to have been a fluke year, Griffin gets hurt again, Westbrook levels off or declines, etc.).

*shrug* I feel like I did the best I could. We'd definitely kill in the ratings, and I'm betting I have the most fun team to be in NBA2k, and that's good enough for me.

I really like Jaruff's starting lineup. Particularly if Gasol improves, I see this as a well-balanced, humming offense and an effective defensive and rebounding team. ...but I hate the bench, it's has-beens and never-wases. Granted, maybe it won't matter so much by the time you get to the playoffs and rotations get shortened, but I think having to depend on guys like Reggie Williams and Arenas is not a great situation to be in.

The only way I see Crunk's squad contending is if Oden plays a full season and Howard goes to PF and plays well. Otherwise, that frontcourt rotation looks weak (the faith in Hickson seems misplaced to me), and Ginobili really ought to be starting at SF. Meanwhile Lawson's an above-average player, but apparently Ellis is going to have to spend some serious time at the point, and I don't think that is going to end up working well. In short, while there are a lot of nice pieces on this squad, I don't really see them meshing so well as he hopes.

OK, Kemba. Huge coup in my opinion to get Wade at #10, Pierce still seems to be playing at a high level, and I love Scola. Felton seems like a suitable fourth man, able to contribute and D up but not asked to do much else. But that center position is a huge problem... Biedrins was BAD last year, and his backup is retired and for good reason. I foresee a great deal of Mareese Speights, and that's hardly an ideal situation either. The wing bench neither impresses or disappoints, seems to cover most of the team's bases.

Crunk basically says it all for Sachmo's team... it's so very, very old. In particular Duncan's decline has been steep and KG and Kobe are both on the downside of their careers. I'll wait to see others, but I think it's very likely to be a contender even with that said... Iguodala and Parker are pretty amazing fourth and fifth players.

[Takuya Kimura]

Sorry guys I just found that Anthony Morrow have never played in NBDL,so I decide to pick Dahntay Jones for NBDL as the substitute.FWIW,I picked Morrow on my phone without doing research since my laptop was dead.

[Takuya Kimura]

Rotation:
Billups/Jack
Dahntay Jones/B.Gordon/Turner
Durant/Battier
Josh Smith/Carl Landry
Pau Gasol/Camby/Okur



Depth Chart:
Billups[35]/Jack[13]
Dahntay Jones[4]/Ben Gordon[27]/Battier[17]/Turner[f]
Durant[38]/Battier[10]
Josh Smith[33]/Landry[13]/Gasol[2]
P.Gasol[34]/Camby[14]/Okur[f]



Philosophy
I guess it's basically the Billups era Denver Nuggets on steroids.We have "big 4" and an otherworldly bench.


X-Factor

The guy is now in the wrong situation.He is insanely clutch(09 epic playoffs vs Celtics) and can still drop 18-20 points from anywhere ,his defense will be okay playing next to big PGs in Billups and Jack as he can slide to PG on defense.Should be very efficient as well since he is my 4th-5th option only.

Some set plays:
1.Durant score off the screens
2.Billups PnR with Josh Smith/Pau Gasol/Carl Landry
3.Pau Gasol isolation down low
4. Ben Gordon drop a shot off the screens


FAQ:
Q: Is Pau Gasol a legit C?

A: Since 06-07 Pau Gasol has logged more minutes at Center,regular season and playoffs included,during this timespan he is a 3-time allstar,3 time all-nba and won 2 rings.


Q: Is Billups too old?

A: He just had his 2nd highest TS% career wise last season.


Q: And his role on your team?

A:Like Kidd's on the Mavs.Not 05 Pistons allstar type role.


Q: Is your team too short up front?

A: 3 players on our frontcourt have 7-5 wingspan,give me another team who has that.



????
There is virtually no weakness on my team

Youth? Durant,Josh Smith

Experience? Billups,Camby

Shooting? Billups,Gordon

Defense? Battier,Josh Smith

Rebounding? Camby,Gasol

Athleticism? Josh Smith,Durant

Bench? Gordon,Landry(both top 6th man)





Our team welcome any challenges with open hands

[Paydro70]

Great squad, really. Billups is actually the biggest question mark here, he's not the same player he was offensively OR defensively, and I don't love Jack as his backup. Plus you really just want distribution with the rest of those weapons, and that's never been his forte.

The only other real concern is whether the team gets enough rebounding with Landry or Smith in the game, and the alternative (Gasol/Camby) isn't slated to play much, and depends on actually having Marcus Camby play. Still, they've got to be one of the favorites.

[captaincrunk]

Sorry guys I just found that Anthony Morrow have never played in NBDL,so I decide to pick Dahntay Jones for NBDL as the substitute.FWIW,I picked Morrow on my phone without doing research since my laptop was dead.

I think Dantay was taken.