Christmas Day 2024 Draft - R1 - Snakebites* vs DCasey91

[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).

We'll be using a AI vote when a matchup seems stuck. AI vote counts for a single vote.

**First to 3 votes advances**

[Snakebites]

PG: 23-24 Jalen Brunson- 21.4 FGA (All NBA 2nd)
SG: 19-20 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 7.3 FGA (NBA Champion)
SF: 22-23 Mikal Bridges 15.3 FGA
PF: 16-17 Kevin Durant 16.5 FGA (All NBA 2nd, Finals MVP)
C: 99-00 David Robinson 12.9 FGA (All NBA Third)

B: Matt Bonner 06-07 4.2 FGA
B: Miles McBride 23-24 6.7 FGA
B: Chris Andersen 03-04 3.0 FGA

Total: 87.3/88 FGA

Brunson (38)/McBride (10)
KCP (34)/McBride (10)/Bridges (4)
Bridges (34)/Durant (14)
Durant (26)/Bonner (22)
Robinson (34)/Andersen (14)

Alrighty let’s do this. Once again I think my duo of KD and Brunson, flanked by 22-23 Bridges and 99-00 David Robinson will be extremely difficult to stop here. While I like DC’s team offensively I don’t think Gasol/Zing has enough mobility to keep up with my perimeter oriented attack, and I think he’s missing that one truly elite perimeter defender to contest my dynamic perimeter group as well.

On my end, I’ve got multiple POA defenders to throw at Luka and Manu, and while I won’t lock them down I think I can limit them enough to be able to outproduce him with my own weapons.

[DCasey91]

Team Name: 'Interzonal Ironclads"

Starters:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Manu Ginobili
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Pau Gasol

Bench:
Nemanja Bjelica
Aaron Mckie
Omri Casspi

Rotational Mins:
PG: Doncic (40), Ginobili (8)
SG: Ginobili (32), Mckie (16)
SF: Crowder (40), Mckie (8)
PF: Porzingis (30), Bjelica (10), Casspi (8)
C: Gasol (38), Porzingis (8), Bjelica (2)

Total Raw Stats:
PPG: 120.8
FGA, FG%: 42.7/87.4 48.9%
3PA, 3P%: 11.3/29.2 38.7%
FTA, FT%: 23.9/30.6 78.1%
Rebounds: 46.9
Assists: 25.9
Steals: 7.1
Blocks: 5.3

Player's Stats:
Starters:
Luka Doncic 2024-33.9/9.2/9.8/1.4/0.5
TS 61.7%, FG 48.7%, 3P 38.2%, FT 78.6%
FGA 23.6, 3PA 10.6, FTA 8.7
Scoring Champ, MVP 3rd, All NBA 1st, All Star

Manu Ginobili 2005-16/4.4/3.9/1.6/0.4
TS 60.9%, FG 47.1%, 3P 37.6%, FT 80.3%
FGA 10.5, 3PA 3.5, FTA 6.0
All Star

Jae Crowder 2017-13.9/5.8/2.2/1/0.3
TS 61.3%, FG 46.3%, 3P 39.8%, FT 81.1%
FGA 10.0, 3PA 5.5, FTA 3.0

Kristaps Porzingis 2017-18.1/7.2/1.5/0.7/2.0
TS 54.6%, FG 45%, 3P 35.7%, FT 78.6%
FGA 14.9, 3PA 4.8, FTA 3.8

Pau Gasol 2009-18.9/9.6/3.5/0.6/1.0
TS 61.7%, FG 56.7%, FT 78.1%
FGA 12.9, FTA 5.4
All NBA 3rd, All Star

Bench:
Nemanja Bjelica 2016-5.1/3.5/1.4/0.4/0.4
TS 59.4%, FG 46.8%, 3P 38.4%, FT 72.7%
FGA 3.9, 3PA 2.1, FTA 0.9

Aaron Mckie 2004-9.2/3.4/2.6/1.1/0.3
TS 55.0%, FG 45.9%, 3P 43.6%, FT 75.7%
FGA 7.7, 3PA 2.3, FTA 1.5

Omri Casspi 2018-5.7/3.8/1/0.3/0.4
TS 63.2%, FG 58.0%, 3P 45.5%, FT 72.5%
FGA 3.9, 3PA 0.4, FTA 1.3

First off Good Luck Snakebites!

Onto the team. 4/1 or 5 out high pnr
Gasol screen & roll or Zingis pick and pop.

I have a direct size and physical advantage over the 1/2/3 spot.

Brunson, Mikal and KCP are just too little to guard Luka with any effect and we've seen what happens when Luka has his way... Complete domination especially in a series spread when he just starts picking apart guys through playmaking action or iso/pnr high, bullying smaller player... Which he does by the truckload. Couldn't think of a better complimentary 1/2 punch to their games and style.

Manu is a crazy high impact offensive and defensive player, big motor

Crowder has no difficulty guarding 2/3 and Durant

Crowder, Mckie, Porzingis, Ginobili can float in between and Gasol and Zingis can form the interior defense which can be funnelled by either on ball pressure (Manu) or Crowder/Mckie on the outside

99 defensive systems are vastly different to what it'll be vs this team. So Drob is not camping in the paint especially when it's Luka + Manu shooters with a stretch big + elite finisher or complete 5 out and no good matchup for him. And on the other end his offensive load dropped a ton

Luka/Manu has perfect spacing around them to go nuts. Bjelica/Casspi for more 4/5 out spacing easy as pie

I mean peak/Manu/Luka/Gasol is just too synergistic and high end especially at a size disadvantage to the primary on ball guys.

To be honest I don't think my team will be tested at all.

[Dr Positivity]

Not crazy about 2nd year Zingis as a starter I think I liked Snake's core of Brunson/Durant/Robinson/Bridges more anyway than overlapping Doncic and Manu. Also Casey's bench hurts my eyes (not that Snake's is amazing). Vote Snake.

[Fadeaway_J]

I'll be honest, I'm not sure how well either of these teams can guard the other. DCasey is correct about the lack of a stronger wing defender who can prevent Luka from getting where he wants and drawing Robinson away from the basket. Combine that with excellent spacing and it's a pretty potent offensive group.

On the other hand, Manu is literally the only Brunson defender I can see not being a disaster, and even he is far from ideal. (That's also a very gruelling task for Manu who is playing a heavier minutes load than he ever did in real life.) Also, the concerns about Robinson defending in space apply even more to the Gasol-Porzingis combo, especially this version of Porzingis.

Both benches are pretty suspect to me.

I just think Snake's group is more viable defensively even with the Luka issue.

Vote: Snakebites

[DCasey91]

People aren't considering the synergy and just look at names. Mckie is good and Bjelica/Casspi is fine at the 4

The reason for picking that version of Porzingis

1. He was on a crappy Knicks team
2. His All Star year took a heavy offensive load thus dropped his TS% sub 53
3. Now he has Manu + Luka and Gasol so his role on the team is simplified and will have better looks

Legit no one can guard Luka I have better matchups on the wing and guard spot and I'm down 0-2? This is peak Manu/Luka and Gasol here and no it's wrong that there'll be overlap between Manu and Luka wtf

2005 Manu would be a gruelling task on Brunson? Heavy minutes? He played heavy minutes especially for series games... Which this is

Huh He would be outright second best offensive and defensive player on Snake's team. Ask around about 05 Manu in the playoffs he was spectacular

I dunno help me make sense of this because this isn't right imho

He was the main driver of 05 Spurs offense, Billups quote "Should have won Finals MVP"

He played alongside TP.... Now it's Peak Luka who has no matchup, he's literally vsing the Suns again.

[wackbone]

Both teams have some matchup problems here, but ultimately I think having KP+Pau down low is too slow-footed against Snake's dynamic perimeter group, particularly the Brunson+KD combo. I see Snake's star duo taking full advantage of that frontcourt.

Vote: Snakebites

[durantbird]

Snakebites advances

[durantbird]

People aren't considering the synergy and just look at names. Mckie is good and Bjelica/Casspi is fine at the 4

The reason for picking that version of Porzingis

1. He was on a crappy Knicks team
2. His All Star year took a heavy offensive load thus dropped his TS% sub 53
3. Now he has Manu + Luka and Gasol so his role on the team is simplified and will have better looks

Legit no one can guard Luka I have better matchups on the wing and guard spot and I'm down 0-2? This is peak Manu/Luka and Gasol here and no it's wrong that there'll be overlap between Manu and Luka wtf

2005 Manu would be a gruelling task on Brunson? Heavy minutes? He played heavy minutes especially for series games... Which this is

Huh He would be outright second best offensive and defensive player on Snake's team. Ask around about 05 Manu in the playoffs he was spectacular

I dunno help me make sense of this because this isn't right imho

He was the main driver of 05 Spurs offense, Billups quote "Should have won Finals MVP"

He played alongside TP.... Now it's Peak Luka who has no matchup, he's literally vsing the Suns again.

I think your main weaknesses were the Porzingis Pau frontcourt, they're both drop bigs which isn't considered optimal in our games, and is more flammable against a KD at the 4. Luka Manu is great offensively but leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end and I don't think Crowder is enough to mitigate that. While there isn't really an ideal look a defender for snake, I consider. Mikal as at least an adequate option.

Also weak benches are not overlooked. As voters said snake didn't have any overwhelming bench himself but while McKie is great, Casspi and Bjelica pretty much continue with the defensive issues (I like Casspi, I'm Israeli, but even I acknowledge his limitations).

[DCasey91]

Hey guys I'm done count me out for the this current draft.

Personally this is nonsensical stuff now like this is unreal I'm out

GGS Snakebites