Franchise Pairs by Common Theme - Semi - wackbone vs Fadeaway_J*

[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. Once the writeups are posted, I will add a poll, and the team with the most votes after 24 hours will advance. EACH MANAGER SHOULD ALSO VOTE FOR THEIR OWN TEAM IN THE POLL - IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS, YOU ARE SIMPLY GIVING AWAY A VOTE. If the votes are tied, we will decide the matchup via AI vote.

You are not required to state or explain your vote, but you are free to comment in the thread if you want to.

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).

[Fadeaway_J]

Starters
C - Myles Turner (2022-23)

Spoiler:

18.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg, 2.3 bpg, .548 FG%, .373 3P%, .783 FT%, 93 3P (1.5 pg), .651 TS%

PF - Kevin Durant (2023-24)

Spoiler:

27.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.0 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.2 bpg, .523 FG%, .413 3P%, .856 FT%, 168 3P (2.2 pg), .626 TS%
- NBA All-Star
- All-NBA Second Team

SF - Jimmy Butler (2022-23)

Spoiler:

22.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.3 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, .539 FG%, .350 3P%, .850 FT%, 36 3P (0.6 pg), .647 TS%
- All-NBA Second Team

SG - Danny Green (2013-14)

Spoiler:

9.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.9 bpg, .432 FG%, .415 3P%, .794 FT%, 132 3P (1.9 pg), .580 TS%
- NBA Champion

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
F/C - Dennis Rodman (1989-90)

Spoiler:

8.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.7 bpg, .581 FG%, .654 FT%, .608 TS%
- Led the NBA in ORB% (16.2)
- Defensive Player of the Year
- NBA Champion
- NBA All-Star
- All-Defensive First Team

F - Richard Jefferson (2014-15)

Spoiler:

5.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.1 bpg, .444 FG%, .426 3P%, .684 FT%, 66 3P (0.9 pg), .577 TS%

G - Brent Barry (2005-06)

Spoiler:

5.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.4 bpg, .452 FG%, .396 3P%, .661 FT%, 80 3P (1.1 pg), .581 TS%

Rotations
C - Turner (34), Rodman (14)
PF - Durant (36), Rodman (12)
SF - Butler (34), Jefferson (10), Durant (4)
SG - Green (32), Barry (12), Butler (4)
PG - Doncic (40), Barry (8)

FGA Per Player

Spoiler:

Kevin Durant - 19.1
Jimmy Butler - 13.9
Luka Doncic - 20.5
Danny Green - 7.4
Myles Turner - 11.8
Dennis Rodman - 6.0
Brent Barry - 4.7
Richard Jefferson - 4.4

Total: 87.8/88.0

Our three-headed monster of Luka, KD, and Butler does the offensive heavy lifting. KD should thrive with a reduced workload, functioning mainly as a play finisher will Luka and to a lesser extent Butler handle the playmaking duties. Butler is an excellent cutter, and this spread floor should allow him to work as a quasi roll man for Luka at times. Turner slots in as a dynamite fourth option who roll to the rim or spot up beyond the arc. Green, Jefferson, and Barry provide additional spacing. Rodman brings value as a rim finisher and offensive rebounder, especially given the attention being drawn by our star trio. Defensively, we have a solid corps of rangy, switchable wings backed up by Turner's rim protection and Rodman's do-it-all skill set.

Matchup
- Defensive assignments will be Green-Parker, Butler-T-Mac, KD-PG, Luka-Sheed, Turner-Unseld. Green goes under any screens against Parker to guard against his drives to the basket; if and when he does get into the paint, Turner and to a lesser extent KD play important roles as rim protectors.
- Once again, I think we have to many big wings for the opposition to handle. Wack's two plus wing defenders are PG and Herb, neither of whom have the size and strength to deal with Luka alone (this is crucial, you need strength and physicality more than length and quickness to have a chance against Luka), and that's not even accounting for KD and Butler.
- Any minutes with the two-big lineup are pretty much untenable against KD-Turner with Luka at the controls.

Good luck wack.

[wackbone]

Tracy McGrady - 2003 - 24.2 FGA
Tony Parker - 2013 - 15.1 FGA
Paul George - 2013 - 14.9 FGA
Rasheed Wallace - 2008 - 11.3 FGA
Herb Jones - 2024 - 7.7 FGA
Wes Unseld - 1975 - (7.5x0.85) 6.4 FGA
Dwight Powell - 2022 - 4.9 FGA
Delon Wright - 2022 - 3.5 FGA
Total: 88/88 FGA

Rotations:
Tony Parker (38) / Delon Wright (10)
Tracy McGrady (40) / Paul George (8)
Paul George (32) / Herb Jones (16)
Herb Jones (22) / Rasheed Wallace (26)
Wes Unseld (34) / Dwight Powell (8) / Rasheed Wallace (6)

Writeup:

Helluva squad as always, Fade. Best of luck!

Defensively we will start with Parker on Green, PG on Luka, TMac on Butler, Herb/Sheed on KD, and Unseld on Turner.

Few notes:

- I like the idea of 3&D Turner but I have no faith in him being good enough for how stacked our games are. Not that Unseld is a large scoring threat or anything but purely talent wise I see Turner as significantly closer to a Kelly Olynyk than a Wes Unseld.

- KD remains in great shape without a doubt, but this is 2024 KD who is not AS agile as younger versions. 2014 KD for example would have an absolute field day being guarded by 08 Sheed, but I think it's at least passable here for part of his minutes. And again, Herb is the primary defender.

- 2014 PG was an elite defender that we feel relatively comfortable guarding Luka. TMac will be fine on the clear third fiddle in Butler. I think TMac more than gets his own on the other end.

[durantbird]

Voting is open. Fade and wackbone please vote for yourselves

[durantbird]

ChatGPT vote Fade - Fade advances

Spoiler:

This is a close and competitive matchup between two well-constructed teams, but I would favor Fadeaway_J’s team in a seven-game series. Here’s why:

Offensive Breakdown

Fadeaway_J’s team has a clear offensive hierarchy with Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, and Jimmy Butler. Luka is the engine, KD is an elite scorer who can thrive in a lower-usage role, and Butler is a strong secondary playmaker and slasher. Myles Turner provides spacing, and Danny Green offers a reliable 3-and-D presence.

Wackbone’s team has Tracy McGrady as the lead scorer, with Tony Parker as a secondary creator, Paul George as an elite two-way player, and Rasheed Wallace spacing the floor. Herb Jones and Wes Unseld add defense and rebounding but aren't offensive threats.


Defensive Breakdown

Fadeaway_J has more defensive versatility, especially with Butler, Green, and Rodman. Green on Parker and Butler on T-Mac are strong matchups. Luka is a defensive liability, but the rest of the lineup covers for him.

Wackbone’s team has Paul George on Luka, which is solid, but they lack an elite Luka-stopper. PG is a great defender, but as Fadeaway_J noted, stopping Luka requires strength more than quickness. PG is more of a perimeter disruptor than a physical stopper.

Herb Jones and Rasheed Wallace on Durant is solid, but not enough. Herb is a strong, versatile defender, but he gives up size to KD. Rasheed was a great post defender but less suited for handling perimeter threats like KD.


X-Factors & Depth

Rodman off the bench is a game-changer. He will create extra possessions and provide defensive versatility that Wackbone’s bench lacks.

Brent Barry and Richard Jefferson offer shooting and spacing, while Wackbone’s bench (Delon Wright, Dwight Powell) lacks scoring punch.

Wes Unseld vs. Myles Turner – Unseld is a better player historically, but Turner’s spacing and rim protection fit better in this matchup.


Series Prediction

Fadeaway_J’s offensive trio (Luka-KD-Butler) is more reliable than Wackbone’s (T-Mac-PG-Parker).

Defensive matchups favor Fadeaway_J’s team, with Rodman providing crucial energy and versatility.

Wackbone’s team struggles with secondary scoring beyond T-Mac and PG, especially when Parker is defended well.


Final Verdict:
Fadeaway_J wins in 6 or 7 games. The combination of Luka’s playmaking, KD’s elite scoring, Butler’s two-way ability, and Rodman’s impact off the bench gives them the edge.