Coach Pairs Draft - Play in #1 - Laimbeer* vs MadNess

[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**

[Laimbeer]

Joel Embiid ( 2021 ) 17.6 - MVP (2), DPOY (7)
Kevin Durant ( 2017 ) 16.5 - Finals MVP; PER (2nd), W/S per 48 (1st)
Herbert Jones ( 2024 ) 7.7 - DPOY (5), 41.8% on 3.6 3PA
Ray Allen ( 2001 ) 16.0 - MVP (11), W/S (3), All-NBA
Jrue Holiday ( 2017 ) 13.3 - All-D votes, Assists per game (8th)

Onyeka Okongwu ( 2022 ) 4.7 - 10.3 reb/ 2.2 blk per 36
Matisse Thybulle ( 2023 ) 3.6 - All-D votes, 36.5% on 2.1 3PA
Alex Caruso ( 2024 ) 7.6 - All-D, 40.8% on 4.7 3PA

87.0

Joel Embiid (38) / Onyeka Okongwu (10)
Kevin Durant (38) / Herbert Jones (10)
Herbert Jones (28) / Matisse Thybulle (14) / Alex Caruso (6)
Ray Allen (38) / Alex Caruso (10)
Jrue Holiday (38) / Alex Caruso (10)


We've got a nicely balanced offense with multiple high-level threats. Rasheed is a good interior defender, but not a top tier defensive anchor. Embiid's 55 pound weight advantage should work in his favor.

Defensively it's Embiid/Wallace, Durant/George, Jones/Pierce, Allen/Roy and Jrue/Billups. All pretty solid. Jrue is an excellent POA defender to put a bit of a crimp in things.

[MadNESS]

PG: Chauncey Billups (37) | Scottie Pippen (11) | Brandon Roy
SG: Brandon Roy (37) | Scottie Pippen (11) | Paul Pierce
SF: Paul Pierce (37) | Scottie Pippen (11) | Paul George
PF: Paul George (37) | Robert Horry (11) | Scottie Pippen
Cc: Rasheed Wallace (32) | Robert Horry (6) | Dikembe Mutombo (10)



Total: 87.8 | 88.0

07’-08’ Paul Pierce - 13.7 FGA
All NBA 3 | All Star | Champion | MVP (14) | 39% 3’s

12’-13’ Paul George - 14.9 FGA
DPOY (8) | All Star | All NBA 3 | 36% 3’s

05’-06’ Chauncey Billups - 12.5 FGA
MVP (5) | All NBA 2 | All Star | 43% 3’s

08’-09’ Brandon Roy - 16.9 FGA
MVP (9) | All NBA 2 | All Star | 38% 3’s

07’-08’ Rasheed Wallace- 11.3 FGA
All Star | MVP (14) | DPOY (12) | 36% 3’s

99’-00’ Scottie Pippen - 10.5 FGA
DPOY (8) | Point Forward | 33% 3’s

04’-05’ Dikembe Mutombo - 3.0 FGA
Rim Protector

04’-05 Robert Horry - 5.0 FGA
3 & D Power Forward | Champion | 37% 3’s

Write Up:
GL Laimbeer

Defense: Straight Up Man. Sheed on Embiid, Billups on Jrue, Roy on Ray, PG on KD, Pierce on Jones. We have a good defensive team with real depth. We can defend man to man - no issues and as a unit we would be great defensively. We can switch in a lot when needed, but here I don’t think we will need it. PG is the perfect cover for KD, and we also have Pippen on the bench who was still an elite defender. Sheed is a great post defender and will be fine on Embiid.

Offense: pick your poison. We can spam pick and rolls and pick and pops all game, on either side. Find the mismatches. We can spread the floor like no other. Shooters literally everywhere. Guys who can create their own shot. All these guys on my team are winners. No holes. We would look to use Roy a lot against Ray, attacking him and getting to the rim. We will also attack KD, with whoever Herb isn’t guarding (Pierce or PG).

His 7th and 8th men are really weak. I got hammered for my bench last draft, so that should apply here as well.

No “5th” starters on team NESS, we have a legit 6 studs, with good 7th and 8th men.

Vote NESS for a true basketball team, not a couple stars.

[wackbone]

Jrue/Ray/KD/Embiid is just a significantly more potent offensive foursome than Billups/Roy/Pierce/PG, and I don't buy Laimbeer's bench being super weak.

Vote: Laimbeer

[Larry_Russell]

I think Ness takes this one.

Broy kills rayray on offense
Pierce to me is too big and too put a guy on his back for herb.
And sheed is a perfect defender against embiid amd george is as good as you can have for durant.

[Fadeaway_J]

Laimbeer has the two best players in the series, and a dynamite third option in Allen. Defensively, KD at the 4 is more viable to me than PG/Pierce due to his size and supplementary rim protection, and the combination of Herb, Jrue, and Caruso is more than sufficient to plug any remaining gaps. I prefer Ness's bench mainly because of Thybulle's offensive issues, but I don't see the massive gap in depth that he's suggesting. Caruso is a great sixth man, and Okongwu is a perfectly solid backup 5.

Vote: Laimbeer

[durantbird]

The depth approach for Ness is interesting and he has a clear depth advantage, but I think to really elevate that early too All NBA guys pick of Pierce and George you'd need an MVP level guy alongside them, like the undrafted Luka. Laimbeer has two MVP guys with a nice build around them, I think that puts him over the top.

Vote Laimbeer

[durantbird]

Laimbeer advances