FGA restricted all time fantasy draft ROSTER THREAD

[BasketballFan7]

In My Hood, The Bullies Get Bullied

Coached by Zach Randolph

Roster:

1986 Larry Bird - averaged 26 PPG (61 TS%), 9 RPG, 8 APG over 18 playoff games; 8th in the NBA in steals per game
Thought process:

Spoiler:

It was Bird, Curry, or Durant -- I wanted flexibility moving forward -- and the decision came down to identity. Bird provides the team a leader, a direction, and he's a marvelo us fit for the modern power forward position. Bird's defensive inadequacies are less transparent at PF. Still, I knew I would need athletic, long defenders around him.

Spoiler:

2005 Manu Ginobili - on/off of +17.2 in regular season, TS% of 65.2% in the playoffs; 1st in NPI RAPM and 3rd in PI RAPM
Thought process:

Spoiler:

Again -- flexibility! Manu can do everything, and a Bird+Manu pairing would allow me to take a variety of paths moving forward. Bird and Manu making passes in the same offense

Spoiler:

1991 Scottie Pippen - 22 PPG, 9 RPG, 6 APG in the playoffs, along with 2.5 steals and 1.1 blocks
Thought process:

Spoiler:

I very, very nearly selected Pippen in round two, so I did my best not to overthink here. In this sort of competition, having a premier perimeter defender is a must. I have the best. Offensively, '91 Pippen was outstanding. I needed an athlete to tandem with Bird and Ginobili, and the shooting of Bird/Manu allowed me to take Pippen without fear of skillset redundancy.

Spoiler:

1996 Dennis Rodman - NBA leader in rebounds per game
Thought process:

Spoiler:

Like Pippen, I had considered Rodman a round previous. Pip+Rodman has already been shown to work, and now there's increased passing and spacing. Rodman backs up the 4 and the 5 and cover for Bird when facing a particularly tough matchup, or move to the 5 when we want to pick up the pace. Rodman's offensive value may have (was?) been better than his defensive value. And, again, identity. Bird+Manu+Pip+Rodman? I can see it. I love it.

Spoiler:

1999 Alonzo Mourning - 2nd in MVP voting, 1st team all-NBA and all-defense; 3.9 blocks per game; 2nd in NPI RAPM
Thought process:

Spoiler:

And Mourning fits right in with them! He was 1st team all-NBA over Shaq. Goddamn. Defensive player of the year over Dikembe and Duncan. Geesh. 5.8 blocks per 100 possessions. What a fit with the crew, and especially Bird at PF. With Pippen, Rodman, and Zo, Bird will be free to play the help defense he excels at.

Spoiler:

2013 Mike Conley - 2nd in NPI RAPM to LeBron, 2.2 SPG, led Memphis to 56 wins and Western Conference Finals
Thought process:

Spoiler:

What an addition to the puzzle -- Conley fills in the holes. He plays defense and steals the ball, shoots and passes well, and adds bigtime speed to the team. There's a reason he rated so well in impact statistics.

Spoiler:

2015 Khris Middleton - 10th in ESPN's real plus minus, 1.5 SPG and better than 40% from 3
Thought process:

Spoiler:

Another bigtime impact stats guy, Middleton's shooting was essential to add for a team with Rodman, Pippen, and Zo. And he's 6'8" 230 with crazy long arms and switchability on defense. But he's no standard 3&D wing. Middleton can make funky shots from all over the court, and he can exploit mismatches, be it a PG in the post or a big on the perimeter.

Spoiler:

1998 Greg Anthony - 15 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds per 36 minutes, as well 2 steals and 41% from 3. 16.8 PER
Thought process:

Spoiler:

What value for 4.4 FGA. I was surprised to find it. Shooting, shooting, shooting. Can't have enough of it. Same with defense. Anthony won't play much in tight games, but if there's a reason for him to play -- foul trouble, fatigue -- there's no worry when he comes in the game. A part of those nasty Knicks' defenses of the early 90s, and part of a nasty defense here.

Field Goal Attempts:
PG: 2013 Mike Conley (11.8) ; 1998 Greg Anthony (4.4)
SG: 2005 Manu Ginobili (10.5) ; 2015 Khris Middleton (11.0)
SF: 1991 Scottie Pippen (14.1)
PF: 1986 Larry Bird (19.6) ; 1996 Dennis Rodman (4.8)
C: 1999 Alonzo Mourning (13.8)
Total: 90.0/90

Minutes (TBA):
PG: Conley (34), Ginobili (11), Anthony (3)
SG: Middleton (27), Ginobili (21)
SF: Pippen (39), Bird (9)
PF: Bird (31), Rodman (17)
C: Mourning (35), Rodman (13)

Gameplan (TBA):

Offense:

Spoiler:

It's the Bird show but egalitarian after that. Between Conley, Manu, Pip, and Bird, three strong playmakers should be on the court at all times, as well as three or four shooters. Bird averaged 20 FGA/G but four players averaged between 10.5 and 14.1; with high IQ ballers, spacing, and passing, the ball will be zooming to the open man. Late game, we can simplify: a Manu/Bird pick and roll is unguardable. I shied away from isolation here: no team is going to win this by pounding the rock with one player, not with so many stellar defenders littering rosters. But this offense? Impossible to halt. Everybody contributes somewhere, and there's a ton of nastiness paired with all the intelligence. As for the bigs, we don't plan on consistently dumping the rock down to Zo, although he was outstandingly efficient by 90s standards 59 TS% in the decade). That number will rise as he is on the receiving end of slick Bird/Manu passes (+ Conley, Pip). Parish got 1-2 easy dunks per game from Bird, imagine Zo. As for Rodman, he was an outstanding offensive player and fits well here. When paired with Bird, Rodman can take the tougher of the matchups and pound the offensive glass with spacers all around. With Zo, Rodman's rebounding compensates Zo's relative deficiency there. Rodman was also a fantastic passer and screen setter.

Defense:

Spoiler:

Geesh. Where to start? I won't expand so much because it's most obvious. The team is stacked with two-way players, and the defense is ridiculous. Pippen+Rodman was already the foundation of an all-time D, and now there's a DPOY at center behind them, a 6'8" impact star at SG, and a quick thief at PG. Switching is easy with two 6'8 wings, and Bird was a good post defender and defensive rebounder. He'll be free to play genius level help defense and rack up steals. The team has thieves all over the roster, man defenders and help defenders and rebounding and blah blah blah. It's awesome.

[Narigo]

PG: 1970 Walt Frazier(15.0)/2013 Patty Mills(4.2)
SG: 1994 Reggie Miller(13.2)/1997 Hersey Hawkins(9.7)
SF: 2017 Jimmy Butler(16.5)
PF: 1976 Wes Unseld(7.3)/1996 Toni Kukoc(9.7)
C: 1967 Wilt Chamberlain(14.2)

89.8/90

[Dr Positivity]

PG: Stephen Curry (16: 20.2 FGA)
SG: Dwyane Wade (09: 22.0 FGA)
SF: Shane Battier (09: 5.9 FGA)
PF: Karl Malone (97: 19.2 FGA)
C: Dikembe Mutombo (94: 7.8 FGA)

PG: Pablo Prigioni (14: 2.9 FGA)
SF/PF: James Posey (06: 5.9 FGA)
PF/C Channing Frye: (16: 5.0 FGA)

Total FGA: 88.8

Stephen Curry (38) / Pablo Prigioni (10)
Dwyane Wade (38) / Shane Battier (10)
Shane Battier (28) / James Posey (20)
Karl Malone (38) / James Posey (10)
Dikembe Mutombo (38) / Channing Frye (10)

Curry, Wade and Malone are all in their peak statistical and accolades seasons. Curry and Wade were both terrifying in these seasons, now imagine them together and Curry opening up space for Wade with his 3pt threat level, or Wade collapsing the D for him. Malone had an MVP combination of scoring, defender, passer and his spacing by this point in his career helps the guards too. If sometimes I need a midrange shot he is a good fallback option.

My team embraces Moreyball. Along with getting shots at the rim from Wade and Malone and shots from 3 from Curry, Battier (38.4% 3P) will hit wide open 3s and Mutombo (.59 TS%, 57% FG) will finish baskets at the rim. Mutombo is DPOY caliber and Battier is a good wing defender. My bench continues to embrace shooting with Frye (38.7% FG), Posey (40.3%) and Prigioni (46.4%). I love the impact of lineups with Frye playing C on offense as his floor spacing in a lineup like Curry, Wade, Battier/Posey, Malone, Frye, and Frye/Curry pick and rolls would scary to guard. I also have Posey as my backup PF giving me more spacing, even a Posey/Frye lineup if I want it.

My offense will be unstoppable because of my big 3 combined with tons of 3pt shooting/spacing. Defensively I have several great options including a great anchor in Mutombo, wing defenders in Battier and Posey and Wade and Malone especially with less offensive pressure on them to carry a team can be very good on D as well.

[Red Skies]

These Snakes Have Claws

PG Nate McMillan 94 5.4fga
SG Kobe Bryant 08 20.6fga
SF Kawhi Leonard 16 15.1fga
PF Serge Ibaka 15 12.3fga
C Patrick Ewing 92 18.6fga

Dan Majerle 91 10.7fga
Brian Cardinal 11 1.8fga
Tyson Chandler 11 5.5fga

5.4+20.6+15.1+12.3+18.6+10.7+1.8+5.5=90.0

[E-Balla]

The Gotham City Pantalones - season two: Electric Boogaloo

PG: 2015 Chris Paul (14.3)

Spoiler:

The 2nd pick for the Pantalones and probably the 2nd or 3rd best PG in the draft. What can be said about the man that already hasn't. Top class midrange shooter with a bevy of floaters, deadly dribble moves, a knack at limiting turnovers and controlling the pace, and lockdown ability.

SG: 2003 Bruce Bowen (5.8)

Spoiler:

3 and D describes him more than anyone else ever. Can't really do anything but hit corner 3s, injure guys on purpose, and make 1st team All Defense. Not expected to do much outside of lock people down and hit shots when the defense starts sleeping.

SF: 2001 Vince Carter (22.1)

Spoiler:

Needed someone that could:
1. Run the floor.
2. Shoot lights out on the perimeter.
3. Not be a liability defensively and even make plays defensively often.
4. Catch alley oops from the best alley oop thrower ever.
5. Make plays off cuts.
6. Score 1 on 1 when needed against great defenders.
7. Take care of the ball.
8. Be unselfish and allow Chris Paul to run the show.

And 5 names came to mind. Jordan (no way that was happening), Clyde Drexler (didn't like his 1 on 1 ability much), Kobe (not unselfish), George Gervin (closest to getting him but I felt Vince was better overall), and Vince. VC ended up edging out the competition when I went back to look at +/- numbers from 2000 and 2001 and I saw him leading the league in ORAPM in 2000 and generally ranking high most years. I think between him, Kemp, Iggy, and Walton we have the ability to quickly take momentum just by forcing a few turnovers in a row and with the guys I have and their career steal numbers we have a legit shot at having series where we force 3-4 turnovers in 5 possessions and finish with big time dunks on the other end. Things like that can be draining.

PF: 1996 Shawn Kemp (11.9)

Spoiler:

The styling, profiling, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss stealing, wheeling and dealing son of a gun himself. Kemp always had a flair for the dramatic (see what I did there). If games were won off swagger he would've been the first PF off the board. On most teams his weaknesses (mainly his tendency to foul and turnover the ball) would be an issue but here its completely outclassed by his ability to throw down alley oops, make momentum changing plays, and dominate when the lights are at their brightest. Next to the man that orchestrated lob city Kemp becomes scary and becomes a man with the ability to destroy any C/PF in this tournament. In the playoffs from 95-98 (40 game sample - so nothing to scoff at) Kemp averaged 22/11/2 with a 24 PER and 62 TS%. His worst series in that stretch (and remember this is 8 series total) was probably a 3-1 win over the Kings where he averaged 17/8 with 6 combined steals and blocks a game. Outside of that he had series where he outplayed Reggie Miller (he lead in scoring every game of the series), Jordan, Hakeem (twice), and Karl Malone. Whether next to Walton catching lobs or holding down the paint with 2Pat at PF he will make a huge impact.

C: 1977 Bill Walton (14.3)

Spoiler:

First pick on a returning player. Amazing anchor, great passing, and a good post game. Was healthy for the playoffs twice in his career and won a ring both times - once as a super 6th man and once as a Finals MVP. Was 12th in the RealGM peaks project in a year where he only played 65 games. That was one spot under Kevin Garnett with only 65 games played. Always a steal in these projects.

Bench Guard: 1983 Mo Cheeks (9.4)

Spoiler:

Shoring up the best PG rotation in the project is Mo Cheeks. Not going to be playing much next to CP3 but we have enough +/- data from the Sixers to know he was amazingly impactful - possibly even more so than the 3 MVPs he was facilitating for during his time in Philly. Lockdown defense, great passing, and the ability to hit midrange shots and finish inside all in a 6-1 package. In terms of having a combination of defense and passing Chris Paul, Walt Frazier, and John Stockton are the only guys better.

Bench Wing: 2017 Andre Iguodala (5.5)

Spoiler:

IGGY! As a former Finals MVP and constant leader of "they have that many wins?" teams, Andre Iguodala has shown his stuff. He is probably the best perimeter defender since the handcheck was gotten rid of, he won a Finals MVP through locking down the best player in the post handcheck era (Lebron James - who ate Klay Thompson alive and immediately turned to nothing against Iguodala), and he is an athletic freak with nasty handles and the ability to score when needed.

Bench Big: 2015 Patrick Patterson (6.6)

Spoiler:

I might've dropped the ball with this pick but its not because 2Pat isn't a beast. Patrick Patterson for years was the only thing keeping Toronto's defense from becoming a red carpet and offensively he's shown the ability to make plays off the penetration and creation of others and even dunk on people if the opportunity rises. For example an example of his impact you don't have to look far. Last year the Raptors were a +10.7 team with him on the court (+0.3 without him) and he lead the league in DFG% holding his opponents to -7% shooting under their expected FG%. He'll be bringing that same energy and impact to the Pantalones.

89.9/90.0

[ardee]

2007 Tim Duncan: 14.1 FGA
1980 Julius Erving: 20.7 FGA
1992 Mark Price: 12.5 FGA
2003 Tracy McGrady: 24.2 FGA
1995 Robert Horry: 8.4 FGA
1997 Fred Hoiberg: 3.3 FGA
1996 Bo Outlaw: 2.3 FGA
2011 James Jones: 4.3 FGA

Total: 89.8/90 FGAs

[MisterHibachi]

PG: Terry Porter 1991: 11.7 FGA
SG: Ray Allen 2009: 13.2 FGA
SF: LeBron James 2013: 17.8 FGA
PF: Chris Bosh 2014: 12.1 FGA
C: Rasheed Wallace 2006: 13.3 FGA

B: Otto Porter 2017: 10.0 FGA
B: Joe Ingles 2017: 5.5 FGA
B: Steven Adams 2016: 5.3 FGA

=88.9/90 FGA

Minutes rotation:

I'm not gonna break it down by position because tbh I don't care about positions. There's three roles I want to fill: big guy, ideally a rim protector and some sort of gravity threat, floor spacer who can shoot and attack bad closeouts, and ball handler who can make plays for the others.

Big guy rotation: Wallace, Bosh, Adams with LeBron getting spot minutes at the 4 in one big lineups.
Floor spacers: Basically everyone, but primarily Porter (both of them), Allen, Ingles.
Ball handlers: Porter, Allen, LeBron, Ingles.

LeBron's likely to play 40+ minutes. All other starters should be around 34-38 minutes. They call handle it. I'm not worried about burnout. Judges, let me know if you guys have any concerns on this front, I'll address them.

General team gameplan:

To start off:

Here's the offensive rating for my starting 5 in the years I've chosen:
Porter (127)
Allen (122)
LeBron (125)
Bosh (112)
Wallace (110).

Fair to say, this lineup is absolutely disgusting on offense. I can play legit 5 out. The worst 3 point shooter on that team is Bosh, but he was a legit threat from out there and guys didn't really leave him alone on those shots. And even if they do, I'll bring in Otto Porter and go small and that dude shot 43% from 3. Anyways, point is: spread floor + peak LeBron = death by hellfire.

To explain my basic drafting strategy a little: with LeBron, I knew I was gonna take Ray Allen next no matter who was on the board unless Curry somehow fell through the cracks. He's a better fit than anyone next to LeBron. Second greatest shooter of all time, probably best off-ball mover ever, and he can handle and drive when needed. Ray + LeBron in 2013 outscored opponents by 10 points per 100.

Wallace is an all around big man that won't take anything away from my team and fill in every crack as needed. He's a power forward true, but I would only be concerned about him guarding a centre if I were to face Shaq, and even then, LeBron and Bosh as the help defenders with Wallace as the primary guy is not a bad option when you're facing Shaq, relatively speaking.

Bosh and LeBron have established chemistry and are a proven duo. Combined with Allen, they are probably one of the very few 3-man units we know would be dominant in real life. 3-man combo in 2014 outscored opponents by 10 points per 100.

Then Terry Porter, one of the perfect point guards for this roster. He can shoot, he can handle, and he can defend. LeBron in 2013 was a devastating off-ball player, both on cuts and spot ups. Porter on-ball with LeBron screening with Ray Allen on the court is an unguardable play. I fully expect that to be a crunch time go-to. I'm not gonna talk about running Ray off screens on the weak side while these two run a pick and roll because I'm not a coach and would make myself look like a fool trying to get into the nitty gritty details, but you can imagine how such an action would play out and what kind of the choices the defense would be forced into.

Something else to add here: in 2014 the four man combo of Chalmers-Ray-LeBron-Bosh outscored opponents by 16 points per 100, and was a hair below their best 4-man unit (while playing almost double the minutes). Now, I've upgraded Chalmers to Porter (is there anything Porter is not better than Chalmers at?). This 4-man combo is to put it simply, unguardable.

As for, Otto Porter, Ingles, and Adams: Otto and Ingles are two of the best wing shooters we have in the game today: Otto shot 43% from 3, and Ingles 44%. And both of them are positive defenders. Again, I keep going back to the Miami Heat lineup combinations. These two, while not as smart as Battier, are both better shooters and better ball handlers and a smidge worse as defenders. Battier+LeBron outscored teams by 10 points per 100 in 2012, 16 points in 2013, and 8 points in 2014. These are all proven combinations next to LeBron. I'm not gonna cite the data for LeBron+Birdman because we all know what happened after Birdman signed with Miami in 2013 (27 game win streak) and his insane FG% in the playoffs. Adams is better than old Birdman on both ends.

Zach Lowe wrote this recently:

It is a bizarre variation of one lineup type that has always worked: LeBron surrounded by three shooters and one slasher/cutter/roller (Wade) who knows how to play off of him. (Tristan Thompson, out since Nov. 1, normally fills that spot.)

We saw this with Birdman and TT (Adams is better than both). Now imagine a lineup of Porter-Allen-Otto-LeBron-Adams. 4 out, LeBron-Adams pick and roll. This is good offense, and I'm gonna run this lineup out often.

I've written a lot about my offense, and deservedly so, I have so many good options every time down and so many fun combinations of players to put out there. With an offense this good, I don't need an all time great defense, yet I could possibly field one.

I have zero negative defenders. Period.

I have 2nd-in-DPOY-voting LeBron, with his trusty partner Bosh backing him up, but instead of those two being the only backline helpers (not a bad thing even if they were the only two) I have Wallace as well. Bosh being moved down a position will increase his defensive impact so much. He was already great, but he won't be guarding 7'2 behemoths in the post anymore. Wallace had a 101.9 on-court Drtg (-4.3) in 2006, which is pretty incredible. For any rim attacking offense, this should be a troublesome front court to face. LeBron's gonna start off guarding his own position, with spot minutes on the best wing player as needed. I plan to let him be a free roamer as much as he can. Otto Porter, Ray, Ingles all are good enough that it won't be a 2009 Orlando type of situation for LeBron. Above all, all my players are super smart on defense. I have two great communicators in Wallace and LeBron. As I said, I'm not the best defense in the league, but I don't need to be. I have one that should be borderline elite nonetheless and combined with what I think is the best offense in the league, I think that is good enough.

[pandrade83]

'83 Moses Malone: 16.7
'04 Kevin Garnett: 19.6
'90 Charles Barkley: 14.9
'02 Brent Barry: 9.8
'95 John Stockton: 9.6
'17 Beverly 8.1
'92 Schrempf 10.1
'95 Rollins 0.8

89.6/90 FGA Used

'83 Moses 37/'03 KG 11
'04 KG 28/'90 Barkley 20
'90 Barkley 19/'92 Schrempf 29
'02 Barry 34/'17 Beverley 14
'95 Stockton 35/'17 Beverly 13
DNP: Rollins


General line up principles:

-Avoid Barkley-Schrempf-Barry combos (let 2 of 3 on court - never all 3 - want to keep 3 All-D players on court at all times as much as possible)
-If opponent doesn't have a high scoring 2, give some of Beverley's minutes to Barry
-Minutes are what these guys actually played in the RS (shaving off a couple for Schrempf & Barry) - everyone should be able to go all-out - fatigue shouldn't be an issue.

Statistical Analysis:

Now that I've drafted the minutes I needed, I let the geek in me do some analysis on my team vs. all teams post-merger. Some interesting stuff. All figures are pro-rating the minutes against their actual RS averages for the three guys not getting their full minute allotment. Obviously more than just looking @ these #'s are needed - but I thought it would be interesting to look at.

Offense
TS% (weighted for TSA): 60.4% - 2nd all time to 2017-2018 GSW
FTA: 38.7/g - next highest all time is '81-'82 Denver (37.2)
3 Pt Made: 5.0/g - this figure is equal to the '02-'03 league average. Given that nearly 60% of my FGA come from KG, Barkley & Moses, I think that's a decent amount of spacing balance.
Assists: 34.3/g - next highest all time is 31.4 ('85 Lakers). I probably could've lightened up here.
TO Rate (weighted for usage/minutes): 14.6% - this would be bottom 5 (but never last) every year past 2010.
OReb% (weighted for minutes): 42.4% - the next highest is the '92 Nets

Summary:
The team exerts a ton of pressure on the opponent's interior defense. The very high TS% coupled with the ridiculously high free throw rate + the passing is a nice combination. It has the capability to get opposing front lines in foul trouble for sure and the attack is balanced enough such that it's hard to key in one player/spot and the passing is so strong that the team will make you pay if you do. From a spacing perspective, I think I have just enough. Of the 21 teams with an ORTG > 114, 9 made 5 or less 3PA per game, with the most recent being the '95 Jazz. The high turnover rate is the one area of concern but this seems to go hand in hand with the fact that the team has a really (maybe too) high number of assists. Overall, this feels like a really strong team from an offensive perspective - but I also know that this league is going to be full of great offensive teams and that others would set a lot of records as well.

Defense
Blocks: 6.2/g. 150 teams post-merger got at least this many per game; the figure will be good for 4th/5th in a typical post-merger year. There's good but not great rim protection.
Steals: 10.5/g. 46 teams post-merger got to this high of a figure; it's noteworthy that the last team to do so was the '98-'99 Sixers. It's fair to say that this team is better at being ball-hawks than they are at blocking shots.
Fouls: 18.7/g. 50 teams post-merger had this amount or fewer. Given that all but 4 ('94 Hou, '94 Phi, '99 Magic, '91 Lakers) occurred after my most recent front-court player's season, this gives me a lot of confidence that this team will avoid foul trouble.
DReb%: 98% - I'm not sure how to quantify that other than to say that rebounding won't be an issue.
Relative DRtg (weighted for minutes): -3.7.
All-Defensive Team members: 4 ('04 KG, '83 Moses, '95 Stockton, '17 Beverley)

Summary:
The weak spot is obviously the wing level. Barkley, Schrempf, Barry manning the lion's share of those minutes doesn't feel totally great and it's easy to envision a high powered wing getting penetration & causing damage. Aside from that, it would be pretty tough sledding. 2nd chance points will not be happening against this squad & it's not a team that is going to put you on the line much. You'll have to hit your shots. It's also an opportunistic defense that is strong at forcing turnovers & the team definitely has the athletes (as will basically every team in this tournament) to capitalize on those turnovers.

Other teams are more well rounded with fewer weaknesses, but there's also areas where this team truly stands out in it's areas of strengths as the best or near the very best .

[Dr Spaceman]

At forward, a 6’8", 7-time All Star from Duke University, number 33,GRANT HILL

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Spoiler:

I feel like I got incredibly lucky here; Hill was a 2nd or third round talent that fell all the way to me in the 5th. Hill to me was a perfect multi-talented forward to add to this roster. He had the skills and athleticism to be a proto-Lebron on offense, the talent to be one of the top 5 players in the league, and even from a young age the maturity to mold his skills to the particular team he played on, and the veteran savvy and willingness to put the team above all else. I plan to use a high-flying younger version of Grant Hill, the perfect running mate for a Nash-led offense. He’s going to be the first man up the floor in transition, use his insane athleticism to finish in traffic, and the two-man fast break is going to be in the back of the other team’s mind every trip down the floor. In the half court, he’s going to do what he did in his Detroit days, come around screens, cut to the rim, occasionally isolate and post up (although this won’t be needed very much on this team). His role is going to be largely off-ball, although he’s going to get some pick and rolls to run as well, especially with Nash on the bench. Hell set some ball screens for Nash as well. One particular reason I loved the Hill pick so much is his passing. He was always thinking of the right play to make, always a step ahead of the defense, so he knew what was going to open up sometimes before the ball even got to him. This is going to be key on this team where I expect the ball to be flying around. A pass that he particularly excelled at was the dumpoff to the big on the baseline. For obvious reasons, this is going to be a killer against opposing defenses because the man in the middle is one of the most fearsome scorers ever at his position. Hakeem is going to feast on the gravity Hill draws barreling into the lane, and Grant had a ridiculous ability to stay a step ahead of his man both off the dribble and off ball. Defensively, he was very solid. We’re not going to ask all that much of him frankly, because the best forward will be guarded by Millsap and the best guard by Moncrief. He’s going to get to freelance a bit, especially when he has a weaker matchup (and given the nature of this draft, he will have a few). Grant had elite hands (2.5 steal rate during his best seasons, Kawhi is around 3.0), and elite motor, and an incredible IQ beyond his years. Defensively, I see him playing something like the role Miami and late Cleveland LeBron perfected: the free safety ballhawk and disruptor, and the main perimeter help guy. I’m under no illusions that he’ll be as good, because no one is LeBron, but his athleticism is comparable and he’s demonstrated elite IQ at every stage of his career. I think he’ll be awesome.

Quick note on his shooting: It’s worth noting that Grant came of age in the early 90s when most teams didn’t even acknowledge the 3 point line existed. Given that he developed a very workable 3 late in his career with Phoenix, I’m working under the impression he’d be an above average 3 point shooter on low volume projected forward into the modern game. Maybe 3 ateempts per game on 38% or so. If I’m off ase here, I hope someone lets me know, but all we really need is for him to take a step back on his already good jump shot.

For reference, late-career Hill in 7SOL:

Watch on YouTube

And at guard, from Arkansas, a 6’3" 2-time defensive player of the year, number 4 SIDNEY MONCRIEF

Spoiler:

Moncrief was nicknamed "Squid" due to the slippery nature of his offensive game. He had the uncanny ability to squeeze into tight spaces and finish at the Rim around multiple defenders. He flourished as a lead guard on those elite mid-80s Bucks teams where his playmaking served as the catalyst for a team that was just barely not good enough to take down Bird’s Celtics. He had a very respectable mid-range jumper, a crafty off ball game, and as mentioned earlier, elite finishing skills for a guard. He is going to go absolutely nuts running the fast break with Nash and Hill, and the 3 man break with elite ball handlers and finishers filling all the le\antes is going to be a terror.

But what he’s best known for, of course, is his defense. Squid won the first two defensive player of the year awards, and it was well deserved. He was a ferocious man defender, face guarding the other team’s best perimeter player, and making their life hell with his length and tenacity. He was also an excellent defensive rebounder for his position. Here, he’ll be allowed to focus much more on defense, as he won’t have as many playmaking duties as he had in MIL. He’s going to be a terror, hounding the other team’s best perimeter player and making their life hell. Michael Jordan on Moncrief: "When you play against Moncrief, you're in for a night of all-around basketball. He'll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it."

I think Moncrief’s defense will be even better than it was in the real word for two main reasons: offensively, he’ll have a smaller role to play, mostly focusing on off-ball play with Steve Nash at the helm. And, he’ll have one of the very best rim protectors of all time backing him up in Hakeem Olajuwon, as well as two elite help-side perimeter guys in Millsap and Hill.

I do plan to stagger the minutes between he and Nash to a degree. I’ll try to balance the minutes he plays so he has Lot se of time to flex his play-making game with Nash off the floor. Both he and Nash will get a lot of time to play with Kerr as their counterpart, giving them more freedom and space to freeland]ce offensively. Sid will be my lead playmaker for the second unit, except in cases where the other team has an all-time perimeter threat he has to guard, in which case he will likely go minute-for-minute with said player.

Spoiler:

And at Guard, the team captain, a 6’3" two-time MVP from Santa Clara, number 13 STEVE NASH

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

So right off the bat I want to share a quote: "But in some ways I wish I was a 13 year old starting to play basketball for the first time so I could grow up watching [Steph Curry] play and emulating him. That’d be pretty powerful."

Well here’s your chance, Steve.

Aside from Curry, Steve Nash is very arguably the greatest shooter the league has ever seen. Like Curry, the vast majority of his shots came off the dribble with very little space. Obviously Nash is not Curry, nobody is. But Nash had seasons of shooting 45.5% and 47% on 5 attempts per game with an assisted % much lower than Steph Curry. Nash will come into this league a few years after the breakout of Stephen Curry, meaning he will reap the benefit of the play style that Curry spearheaded. People forget this, but Nash really turned the league on its head. A player had never really been given the green light to shoot the way Nash was, and it wasn’t until a full decade later where that was fully realized in Steph Curry. Before Nash, a 3 in transition was a cardinal sin. Before Nash, shooting over the top of a ball screen was not something that was even tried. Before Nash, pick and rolls were just as likely to start at the elbow. In a league where James Harden is now shooting eleven **** threes per game, what if we truly took the reinss off or]f Nash?

Im not saying Nash is going to be Steph Curry. He’s not going to score 30 a game. But Kawhi Leonard shot more 3s last year than Nash at his peak. Nash is going to be in a situation he never saw during his career: all 4 other guys on the court can create for themselves and others. What if we had Nash be a little more aggressive, and shoot from a little farther out like Eric Gordon? What if he didn’t hesitate to pull up in transition? What if we had Hakeem set drag screens a little over half court for Nash to pull up? What if we started running plays for Nash to come around screens off the ball? What if we had Hakeem and Millsap immediately look to the arc after an offensive rebound so Nash could shake his guy for an open 3 (a Steph Curry special)?

Obviously Nash was more inclined to be a playmaker. Pick and roll is his bread and butter. We’re not going to take that away, he’ll get his chance to run the offense the way he wants, and 4th quarters will probably be a Nash pick and roll every possession. But we have other really talented scorers to accommodate, and Nash being such an offensive genius, I think giving him more of an imperative to hunt his own shots and take advantage of his gravity is going to make this offense truly unstoppable.

We’re not going to play SSOL. He and Hill and Hakeem and Sid will be encouraged to run to their heart’s content, but a guard-heavy offense isn’t going to keep Hakeem happy and engaged. I think Nash could thrive working around Hakeem’s post ups in the half court, hunting 3s off the kick out and running pick and rolls against a defense that was forced to double. We may play a little slower than he’s used to, but we’re still going to let Nash be Nash, and wit the type of talent and IQ he possesses I think he could be outstanding finding ways to use the talents of this group and giving up a little on-ball responsibility and being more agresiva with his own scoring.

Now the big question about Nash is always defense. Especially in a league like this where he is going to e facing real perimeter scoring threats every single night. Here’s what I’ll say about Nash’s defense: he was bad when he was physically overmatched by a much stronger or quicker or more athletic guy. Guys could take advantage of him in isolation. But he did basically everything else on defense exceptionally well. He actually led the league in charges drawn for several consecutive seasons. He knew how to position himself and deter a little bit. He was willing to play physical and put his body on the line (remember the broken nose against San Antonio? Happened going for a steal on defense). He rotated smartly and never broke the scheme off the ball. He picked up a decent amount of steals, and hi\e always kept opposing players honest with the threat of him taking the ball the other way. I think Nash’s reputation is far worse than his actual play, and Stoudemire and the small-ball roster was a far bigger overall sistemic problem defensively rather than Nash himself. He’s not James Harden who just doesn’t care. He’s active, consistently engaged on and off the ball, and he’s not going to kill your scheme unless he’s trying to guard Dwayne Wade, which thankfully he won’t.

And finally I Love Nash as an emotional leader for this team. The dude cares a lot. He was fiercely competitive, he dedicated his life to the game, and in recent interviews he’s said the 2010 Conference Finals los still haunts him almost every day. Guys who played with him talk about how special a teammate he was, how great a guy to be around, and with temperamental sorts like Hakeem in tow I think this will be an important aspect of his game. And finally, the effect of having someone who you know will be unselfish and put you in position to score does a lot to foster ball movement across the entire team and get them to buy in.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

At Forward, 6’8", a four time All Star from Louisiana Tech, number 24 PAUL MILLSAP

Spoiler:

I picked Paul Millsap here basically because I think he’s the perfect fit at Power Forward next to Hakeem, and in general a perfect glue guy for a team. He doesn’t need a ton of touches, his skill set is versatile and involves handling the ball, posting up, shooting 3s, and playmaking. He’s excellent at playing the baseline next to a high post big man, he’s an excellent screener for the guards, he’s an excellent defensive player with super active hands (a pretty common refrain for my team) and the perfect complimentary guy to round out my starting lineup. A super role player (although I hate that term) who can create for himself as well as others and fit like a glove on any unit.

A couple things I like about him in particular: the pick and pop between he and Nash should be deadly. They have so many options out of the play, from him setting up for three to him finding Hakeem after short rolling to him setting up Nash for a look on the hand off. These two will kill it together. I also think he’s got a lot of unusual skills as a four, and his dribble drive game in particular can pose a serious problem against slow footed bigs.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

And... the man in the middle, from Nigeria, 1 time MVP, 2 time DPOY, six time All-NBA first team, at 7 feet tall number 34 HAKEEM "THE DREAM” OLAJUWON

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

Spoiler:

I mean, there’s not a lot I can say about Hakeem that hasn’t been said, but it’s me, so I’ll say it anyway.

Hakeem was basically everything you want out of a big man. I’m going to take his 93 self, probably without the same motor he had as a youngster but better in just about every way. Start with this: the man was unguardable. Not the semi-cute but inaccurate definition of "unguardable" you see in And 1 mixtapes, I mean the guy straight up would eat single coverage alive, even against absolute historically elite defenders like Pat Ewing and David Robinson. The guy just had such an outrageous Arsenal of moves and counter moves and cout]niter counter moves that you could watch him for a full season and he would still surprise you. Arguably the most fluid and coordinated 7 footer in NBA history, and often credited with one of the best carry jobs in NBA history.

Now as far as the fit with the style of offense I’m trying to play: I don’t think there will be any issues. I specifically built this team with the idea in mind that Hakeem would be posting up a lot. The thing I like about this later version of Hakeem was that in addition to his improvements as a passer and shooter, he became an instantaneous decision maker at this stage of his career. He’d catch and just go. And if it wasn’t there, he’d kick it back out and let his guard make a play. He didn’t stand and wait and hold the ball, he didn’t re-post, his movements were quick and decisive. This is super important on an all-time team, because there’s so many talented guys to give the ball to you can’t waste resources. He’s going to be spoon fed countless easy looks by Sid and Hill and especially Nash. He will have a well spaced floor with a three point threat manning the 4, and he’s got some serious scoring weapons to work with. He’ll be encouraged to attack the offensive glass, and the pick and roll between he and Nash will be straight up unstoppable. This version of Hakeem also LOVED to run the floor, a perfect pairing with Nash.

Hakeem is going to get his post touches. He’s not going to feel left out, and when you have a talent like this you need to use it. But when people say "the post game is dead", what they actually mean is the idea of a lumbering 7 footer taking 15 seconds of clock to shoot a midrange turnaround is dead. That isn’t Hakeem. He gets position, makes his move on the catch, and keeps it moving. It’s not going to be a problem accommodating him into a Nash-based offense, and Nash will boost his game quite a bit with all the easy looks he’ll get and the entry passes Nash perfected with Amar’e.

Probably the skill I will most make use of is his handling of double teams. Hakeem was doubled maybe more than any player in history. The goal of every post up with him will be to draw a double, and when you have these incredible skilled offensive players dotting the perimeter, this quickly becomes overwhelming.

Watch this highlight, and note what I’m talking about here: the quick, decisive moves, the instant passing, the constant double teams:

Watch on YouTube

Defensively, obviously he’s a terror. Amazing hands (there’s that word again) probably the best shot blocker of all time, an unfairly fluid athlete who seemed to be everywhere on the floor at once. You can count on an elite defense with him at the helm, and with good man defenders manning the perimeter this will be an elite unit. One thing I love about Hakeem’s defense is his tendency to toy with opposing Post players: slapping the ball out of their hands, stripping them on the way up, pulling the chair out, etc. He was interested in not only stoping them, but making them feel foolish for daring to challenge him. He’ll be facing quite a few gifted post players here, and he’s maybe the player most suited to guard this archetype in history. Superlative rebounder. Superlative positioning. Just all around one of the maybe 3 best defenders to ever grace the hardwood.

There’s a poster in this very game who holds the opinion that Hakeem was the best player the NBA has ever seen. He, at the very least, has an argument.

Starting lineup:
G: 2007 Steve Nash (12.8)
G: 1983 Sidney Moncrief (13.3)
F: 1997 Grant Hill (15.7)
F: 2015 Paul Millsap (12.7)
C: 1993 Hakeem Olajuwon (19.5)

Bench
G: 1996 Steve Kerr (5.9)
F: 2000 Rick Fox (6.1)
C: 2012 Ömer Aşık (2.4)

Total: 88.4/90.0

Basic Rotation:
PG: Nash (38)/Moncrief (10)
SG: Moncrief (24)/Kerr (24)
SF: Hill (40)/Fox (8)
PF: Millsap (36)/Fox (12)
C: Olajuwon (43)/Asik (5)

Some basic rotation thoughts: Built to maximize the amount of time both Sidney and Nash play with Kerr, who will play the off-guard offensively. Both guys function best with an elite shooter next to them, so that’s what they’ll have. Minutes load is pretty consistent with what each of these guys were playing in the playoffs in their best years. More pending when the last two roster spots are finalized.

[eminence]

Starters
PG: 1987 Magic Johnson 16.4
SG: 1992 Clyde Drexler 19.4
SF: 2003 Doug Christie 7.0
PF: 2015 Anthony Davis 17.6
C: 2017 Rudy Gobert 7.7

Bench
2012 George Hill 7.6
2011 Matt Barnes 5.3
2009 Lamar Odom 9.0


Total FGA
90/90

Rough Minutes Guide
PG: Magic(40)/Hill(8)
SG: Drexler(40)/Hill(8)
SF: Christie(40)/Barnes(8)
PF: Davis(28)/Odom(20)
C: Gobert(36)/Davis(12)

[ronnymac2]

2000 Shaquille O'Neal 21.1
1995 Horace Grant 9.6
2008 Paul Pierce 13.7
2015 Kyle Korver 8.0
2006 Chauncey Billups 12.5

1997 Anthony Mason 11.3
2015 Danny Green 9.1
Andre Miller 4.0


Rotation (tentative):

Shaq 38/Mason 10
Grant 34/Mason 14
Pierce 36/Green 12
Korver 32/Green 16
Billups 36/Miller 12

Spoiler:

Offensively, we're based around Shaquille O'neal, the most devastating interior scorer in NBA history. 7'1", 325 pounds of power, balance, coordination, superior musculoskeletal structure, and grace in the season selected. 40 MPG in 79 games. In the 4th quarter, after wrestling with Shaq and face-guarding him to try to keep him off the offensive glass, the opposing center simply doesn't have the legs to defend him on one end or shoot with precision at the other end. Shaq breaks you physically. He's the most blessed physical force in NBA history, and in 2000, he had the discipline and cardio to maximize all that potential. Shaq averaged 29.7 points, 4.3 offensive rebounds, 3.8 assists, and just 2.8 turnovers (Jordan-esque 9.9 TOV%). He can't shoot, but he is an elite half-court ball-handler and one of the greatest, most creative, most skillful passers from the pivot in NBA history.

At his peak, Shaq had poor 3-point shooting around him (2000 LAL was 18th in 3-point FGMs, 25th in percentage). On this team, he has elite 3-point shooting around him.

Kyle Korver knocks down 2.9 out of 6.0 3-point FGAs, shooting at an absurd 49% from downtown. Korver brings defenses with him as he moves around picks set by brawny Anthony Mason and tried-and-true Horace Grant. He's got Chauncey Billups delivering him the ball. Chauncey is used to delivering the ball to another elite on-the-move catch-and-shoot player in Rip Hamilton; now those mid-range shots Hamilton took are replaced by Korver 3's. Korver also averaged 2.6 assists versus 1.4 turnovers and was adept at catching the ball, recognizing there were two defenders on him 26 feet away from the cup on the catch, and delivering the ball to an open player, many times being the forward who set the last screen for him. Korver will be finding Horace for wide open mid-range shots, which was Horace's specialty. Horace shoots over 56%, averages just 1.1 turnovers, and moves the ball if the shot isn't there. If Korver passes to an open Mason, Mason can shoot the mid-range shot or drive and finish or find Shaq with his passing ability for a dunk.

Chauncey is my floor general. He's a 43% 3-point shooter on high volume that also attacks aggressive closeouts by drawing a ton of fouls (.514 foul draw rate, higher than Shaq!!). And he's an elite free throw shooter at over 89%. Chauncey averaged 18.5 points, 8.6 assists, and just 2.1 turnovers per game. He delivers the ball to Korver, makes excellent post-entry passes to Shaq, spreads the floor, can play aggressive in pick-n-roll with Mason/Grant, and delivers the ball to Pierce in space.

Pierce is my professional scorer. Dynamic. Creative. Can manufacture points. And he doesn't do any of this at the expense of efficiency or his teammates. Nearly 60 percent True Shooting , .442 foul draw rate, and a 39 percent 3-point shooter (1.8 makes per game). He's proven he can adapt and be an elite catch-and-shoot threat, which works with Shaq. He's got one of the most well-rounded perimeter games with GOAT-level midrange footwork. Pierce doesn't need spacing, but he's got it on my team. He's also unselfish with 4.5 assists per game. And most importantly, he makes smart swing passes. Imagine: Billups up top finds Korver on wing, who dishes to Horace baseline. Horace is covered by Shaq's man, so he tries to find Shaq, but Shaq is double-covered by two smalls, so Horace skips it to an open Pierce on the other side, who sees a closeout from up top and swings the ball back where it all started, Billups, for an open 3. It's not glamorous, but Pierce is one of the only elite scorers in this league who has proven he'll make that pass consistently. Pierce is a guy who will make the offense...just...work.

Ho-Grant and Mase put it all together. Horace is probably the most mistake-free offensive player in this league. He is the ultimate connector. Imagine Chauncey plays pick-n-roll with Horace. PF steps out to guard Chauncey's 3, so ball is swung to Horace, who immediately recognizes that Shaq's screen freed Korver on the wing. Bam. That's a 3. Mason is a bit more dynamic. He's an elite ball-handler who could basically play point forward/center. 5.7 assists, .519 foul draw rate (74.5% FT shooter). This guy is putting pressure on defenses, forcing help to come, and then finding Pierce/Green/Korver for corner 3's. He's delivering the ball to Shaq. He's a pressure release in case Chauncey/Andre are being harassed or doubled in the backcourt.

My Shaq/Mason/Pierce/Billups foursome makes you think that maybe 8 players per team on this league is too few; 3-4 of the opposing players are going to foul out, in which case the game is easy to win.

Danny Green made 2.4 out of 5.6 3-pointers per game (41.8 percent). On offense, he's there to move the ball where it needs to go (he was on the Spurs, so he has proven he can do this) and shoot 3's at an elite level on high volume (remember, he took that volume in under 29 MPG).

Andre Miller is there to get 8-12 MPG. He can't attack like Chauncey and force the issue, but he can certainly deliver the ball to my shooters and use his height to deliver post-entry passes to Shaq efficiently. He shot 52.4 percent from 3-point range for the season, so technically he's a better shooter than Korver, but even I must admit it is on pretty low volume.

Defensively, I have a very smart team. Danny Green is my elite perimeter stopper. He's one of the best transition defenders in the league and has an elite blocks/steals combination: 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks in 28.5 MPG. 13.9 defensive rebound rate; for reference, Kobe Bryant only has two prime years with a better defensive rebound percentage (2003 and 2008). Nobody thinks Kobe is pedestrian on the defensive glass for a wing.

Billups/Korver/Pierce is big and smart. They all stick to the gameplan and have been parts of excellent defensive teams in the years selected. My frontcourt are all-nba defense players and work well together. Shaq is a dominant defender with elite post defense and strong defensive rebounding and rim protection. Mason and Grant can defend post ups, big men who cut, big men who play pick-n-roll/pop, and can come out and guard smaller players. These two are likely to be my key defensive players. Shaq is the anchor and Green is a stopper, but Mason/Grant are big and versatile. Mason is as good on the defensive glass as Shaq and can defend post players when Shaq is out. With Shaq/Mason/Grant, I probably have the biggest, broadest, baddest defense in the league, even if it isn't the best.

My offense is essentially Shaq surrounded by sky-high IQ and elite shooting. My defense is basically Shaq surrounded by quick, long, elite defensive forwards and smart perimeter players. It's probably the scariest, best-fitting team you could put around the scariest human being to ever play basketball.

[Square]

Square Jordan



Roster:
G '15 James Harden (18.1 FGA)
G '91 Michael Jordan (22.4 FGA)
G/F '12 Thabo Sefolosha (3.7 FGA)
F/G '05 Mike Miller (10.1 FGA)
F '17 Gordon Hayward (15.8 FGA)
F/C '17 Draymond Green (8.6 FGA)
C '10 Dwight Howard (10.2 FGA)
C '13 Joel Anthony (1.1 FGA)

Total: 90/90 FGA

Rotation: (subject to change for matchups)
G Harden 36 / Jordan 12
G Jordan 26 / Sefolosha 22
F Hayward 14 / Miller 32 / Sefolosha 2
F Green 26 / Hayward 22
C Howard 36 / Green 10 / Anthony 2

[pandrade83]

bumping it since the draft is basically complete.

[Jiminy Glick]

2017 Giannis Antetokounmpo (15.7)
1990 Drazen Petrovic (5.5) / 1995 Ron Harper (6.4)
2012 Paul George (9.7) / 2004 Tayshaun Prince (8.8)
2005 Shawn Marion (15.9)
1979 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16.8) / 2003 Yao Ming (9.8)

I will be looking to give Kareem some minutes at pf and will probably give him 12 minutes there.

[LA Bird]

Starters
C: 1996 David Robinson (25/12/3/59) - 16.8 FGA
PF: 2011 Dirk Nowitzki (23/7/3/61) - 16.2 FGA
SF: 1970 John Havlicek (24/8/7/53) - 19.6 FGA
SG: 1996 Penny Hardaway (22/4/7/61) - 14.8 FGA
PG: 2009 Jason Kidd (9/6/9/55) - 7.6 FGA

Bench
C: 2012 Ben Wallace (1/4/1/40) - 1.4 FGA
F: 1983 Bobby Jones (9/5/2/60) - 6.2 FGA
G: 1986 Michael Cooper (9/3/6/56) - 7.4 FGA

Total FGA: 90.0/90.0

[70sFan]

Starting lineup:

PG: 1968/69 Oscar Robertson - 17.1 FGA
SG: 1967/68 Jerry West - 18.2 FGA
SF: 1984/85 James Worthy- 13.3 FGA
PF: 2002/03 Andrei Kirilenko - 8.0 FGA
C: 1980/81 Artis Gilmore - 10.0 FGA

Bench:

1987/88 Joe Dumars - 11.7 FGA
1994/95 Mario Elie - 6.0 FGA
1976/77 Caldwell Jones - 5.2 FGA

Total: 89,5/90

I'll do longer write-up later. I like my team though!

[Franco]

Lineup:

PG - 93' Gary Payton (11.7)
SG - 15' Klay Thompson (16.9)
SF - 17' Kevin Durant (16.5)
PF - 85' Kevin McHale (13.4)
C - 64' Bill Russell (13.8)

Bench:

13' Mario Chalmers (6.9)
10' Ron Artest (9.6)
11' Theo Ratliff (0.6)

Total: 89.4 / 90

Rotation (raw estimate)

PG - Payton (33) / Chalmers (15)
SG - Klay (36) / Metta (12)
SF - Durant (28) / Metta (20)
PF - McHale (32) / Durant (12) / Ratliff (4)
C - Russell (44) / McHale (4)