Choose the Eras No Champs - Playin - Fadeaway_J vs wackbone*

[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. Please ensure you give a rationale for your vote; votes with no explanation will not be counted.

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).

**First to 3 votes advances.**

[Fadeaway_J]

Starters
C - Chet Holmgren (2023-24)

Spoiler:

16.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.3 bpg, .530 FG%, .370 3P%, .793 FT%, 129 3P (1.6 pg), .632 TS%
- All-Rookie First Team

PF - Paul Pierce (2010-11)

Spoiler:

18.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.6 bpg, .497 FG%, .374 3P%, .860 FT%, 111 3P (1.4 pg), .620 TS%
- NBA All-Star

SF - Paul George (2020-21)

Spoiler:

23.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.4 bpg, .467 FG%, .411 3P%, .868 FT%, 171 3P (3.2 pg), .598 TS%
- NBA All-Star
- All-NBA Third Team

SG - Raja Bell (2007-08)

Spoiler:

11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg, .421 FG%, .401 FG%, .868 FT%, 176 3P (2.3 pg), .561 TS%
- All-Defensive Second Team

PG - Luka Doncic (2020-21)

Spoiler:

27.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 8.6 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.5 bpg, .479 FG%, .350 3P%, .730 FT%, 192 3P (2.9 pg), .587 TS%
- NBA All-Star
- All-NBA First Team

Bench
C - Steven Adams (2015-16)

Spoiler:

8.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.1 bpg, .613 FG%, .582 FT%, .621 TS%

G/F - Keith Bogans (2010-11)

Spoiler:

4.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.1 bpg, .404 FG%, .380 3P%, .656 FT%, 90 3P (1.1 pg), .559 TS%

G - Delon Wright (2019-20)

Spoiler:

6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.3 bpg, .462 FG%, .370 3P%, .770 FT%, 47 3P (0.6 pg), .554 TS%

Rotations
C - Holmgren (26), Adams (22)
PF - Pierce (38), Holmgren (10)
SF - George (38), Bogans (10)
SG - Bell (36), Wright (6), Bogans (4)
PG - Doncic (38), Wright (10)

FGA Per Player

Spoiler:

Paul George - 17.6
Luka Doncic - 20.5
Paul Pierce - 12.8
Raja Bell - 10.0
Chet Holmgren - 11.6
Steven Adams - 5.3
Delon Wright - 5.6
Keith Bogans - 3.7

Total: 87.1/88.0

This is pretty much a rich man's version of the Luka team that made the 2022 WCF. We have an excellent group of perimeter/wing defenders in PG, Pierce, Bell, Wright, and Bogans. PG replaces Brunson as the secondary playmaker (he showed significant growth here as a Clipper, averaging 5.2 apg this season then 5.7 and 5.1 the two after), with the benefit of being 6-8 instead of 6-2. Chet is the perfect big to pair with Luka, as he's a major threat both as a roller and a popper. Adams functions as more of a run-on-the-mill roll man, and his bone-crunching screens are an underrated offensive weapon. Most importantly, our shooting around Luka is just insane, particularly in the starting lineup.

Matchup
- We'll go with Bell on Stockton, Luka on Jones, PG on Rice, Pierce on Malone, and Chet on Gilmore. On pick-and-rolls, Bell fights through the screen against Stockton, who isn't super aggressive shooting the pullup three in that situation.
- Given the respective team builds, both teams are facing defensive mismatches, but I'd argue we win that battle overall for a few reasons. Firstly, Luka is comfortably the best offensive player in this series; in the chosen season he averaged 35.7 ppg and 10.3 apg while being defended by the likes of PG, Kawhi, and Nic Batum. Wack's only half-decent options are the Joneses, but both like the strength to handle Luka, and that still leaves PG and Pierce to be dealt with.
- There's also the issue of wack's bigs defending in space. Gilmore will be on skates guarding the Luka-Chet two-man game, especially since Chet actually has to be guarded if he pops out. Malone chasing a legit perimeter scorer/shooter like Pierce is just as bad. I'd argue this creates more efficient offense than Malone posting up on Pierce for example, since we always have at least one of Chet or Adams on the court to protect the rim. There's no way to help Gilmore or Malone if they get switched on Luka 28 feet from the basket (except to put two on the ball which Luka is a master of picking apart).
- Besides the base assignments, our team shooting allows Luka to mismatch hunt using any of PG/Pierce/Bell/Chet as screeners.

Good luck wack.

[wackbone]

Karl Malone - 1998 - 18.2 FGA
Glen Rice - 1998 - 16.9 FGA - 43.3 3P% on 3.7 att
Eddie Jones - 1998 - 12.6 FGA - 38.9 3P% on 4.6 att
Jeff Hornacek - 1996 - 10.7 FGA - 46.6 3P% on 2.7 att
Artis Gilmore - 1981 - 10.0 FGA
John Stockton - 1995 - 9.6 FGA - 44.9 3P% on 2.8 att
Derrick Jones Jr. - 2024 - 6.5 FGA - 34.3 3P% on 3.1 att
Jaylin Williams - 2024 - 3.3 FGA - 36.8 3P% on 2.1 att
Total: 87.8/88 FGA

Rotation:
John Stockton (38) / Eddie Jones (10)
Eddie Jones (26) / Jeff Hornacek (22)
Glen Rice (38) / Jeff Hornacek (10)
Karl Malone (38) / Derrick Jones Jr. (10)
Artis Gilmore (36) / Jaylin Williams (12)

Writeup:

Hellua team as always, Fade. Best of luck.

Defensively we will start with Eddie on Luka, Stockton on Bell, Rice on George, Malone on Pierce, and Gilmore on Chet.

I fully agree with Fade that both teams have defensive mismatches, however I do think we have the better end of it. I see Paul Pierce as the primary defender on Karl Malone as the largest mismatch by a large margin. Then it's Luka on Eddie and Rice on George, which I'd give a slight edge to Fade. Then it's Gilmore on Chet, which as much as I love Chet, and we will have to respect him out to the 3-point line, I don't think his advantage will overcome both the Pierce on Malone advantage and the general overall firepower edge that we have.

Even if Luka is the best individual player, I'd argue Malone isn't THAT far behind. We have the proven PNR formula of Stockton+Malone that was successful for over a decade, now with Eddie Jones and Glen Rice on the wings alongside Hornacek off the bench, and Gilmore down low. As far as offensive production goes, it's Stockton/Eddie/Hornacek/Rice/Malone/Gilmore against Luka/George/Pierce/Chet, and to a lesser extent Bell. I think we simply have more firepower here. None of Wright/Bogans/Adams are adding much scoring/overall offensive value.

Proven formula and more firepower carry the day here!

[Jon_3232]

Stockton/Malone obviously works, don’t like Pierce and Holmgren on Malone and Gilmore, they’d get destroyed.
Vote wack

[Laimbeer]

^^That's the first thing I thought as well. Pierce and particularly Chet are getting worked in this one. Wack just has a little better defensive answers in general. They'll have struggles defensively, but Fade's group struggles a bit more.

Vote - wack

[durantbird]

Interesting clash of two styles. This depends on how much you think fully spaced offense can take advantage and overcome more traditional schema. I think in this case Pierce Holmgren are too vulnerable against a physical player like Malone added by Gilmore. Adams can mitigate that but he'll hurt Fade's relative advantage.

Vote wack

[Fadeaway_J]

GG wack.

Nobody remembers results like this when they start crying about "spacing being overrated"