Redeem Team Draft - Semi - Larry_Russell* 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. 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).

[Larry_Russell]

PG: Kyle Lowry (2015-16) 15.6
21.2ppg, 6.4apg, 2.1spg, 0.5bpg, 39% on 7.1-3pta
MVP-10, DPOY-13, NBA-3, 14th in All Def voting, AS

SG: Danny Green (2018-19) 7.9
10.3ppg, 4rpg, 1.6apg, 1spg, 0.7bpg, 45.5% on 5.4-3pta

SF: Kawhi Leonard (2018-19) 18.8
26.6ppg, 7.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.8spg, 0.5bpg, 37% on 5-3pta
FMVP, MVP-9, DPOY-6, NBA-2, DEF-2, AS

PF: Pascal Siakam (2018-19) 11.8
17ppg, 7rpg, 3apg, 1spg, 0.7bpg, 37% on 2.7-3pta
MIP-1

C: Bam Adebayo (2024-2025) 14.3
18.1ppg, 9.6rpg, 4.3apg, 1.3spg, 0.7bpg, 35.7% on 2.8-3pta
Probable all defensive team

PG/SG: Delon Wright (2019-20) 5.6
7ppg, 3.8rpg, 3.3apg, 1.2spg, 37% on 1.7-3pta

SF/PF: Lamar Odom (2010-11) 10.9
14.5ppg, 8.7rpg, 3apg, 0.6spg, 0.7bpg, 38.2% on 2.2-3pta
6MOY

C: Chris Andersen (2012-13) 3
5ppg, 4rpg, 0.5apg, 0.5spg, 1bpg


PG: Lowry (38) / Wright (10)
SG: Green (38) / Wright (10)
SF: Leonard (38) / Odom (10)
PF: Siakam (32) / Odom (16)
C: Adebayo (38) / Andersen (10)

87.9/88

Matchups:

Will defend straight up, but are willing to switch everything.

I have an insanely effective defense with awesome versatility.

Lowry will take on Irving
Green on Rip
Kawhi on Lebron
Siakam on Love
Bam on Chandler

There is no weak point of attack here defensively, everything is going to be a struggle.


Offensively, there are weak points that can be attacked. Irving and Love are not great defenders and will be able to be singled out and with Chandler having to defend in space against Bam, that doesnt give them a backbone here either.

My offense has PROVEN synergy that won a title and has added 6moty Odom to the mix ALONG with an awesome bigman defender who can score efficiently and has added spacing to his jumper in BAM.

GL Wack

[wackbone]

LeBron James - 2013 - 17.8 FGA
Kyrie Irving - 2015 - 16.5 FGA
Richard Hamilton - 2008 - 14.3 FGA
Kevin Love - 2018 - 12.4 FGA
Aaron Gordon - 2025 - 9.7 FGA
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 2024 - 7.7 FGA
Tyson Chandler - 2011 - 5.5 FGA
Marc Gasol - 2021 - 3.7 FGA

Total: 87.6/88 FGA

Rotations:
Kyrie Irving (38) / LeBron James (10)
Richard Hamilton (30) / Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (18)
LeBron James (30) / Aaron Gordon (6) / Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (12)
Kevin Love (24) / Aaron Gordon (24)
Tyson Chandler (28) / Kevin Love (12) / Marc Gasol (8)

Writeup:

Helluva team as always LR, best of luck!

Defensively we will start with Kyrie on Lowry, Rip on Green, LeBron on Kawhi, Love on Siakam, and Chandler on Bam. KCP and Gordon are additional great defenders off the bench for Lowry and Kawhi/Siakam, respectively.

I will concede the defensive edge as a whole, yes. But we still have several good-elite defenders in our own right.

Both of our teams are taking an existing core and adding additional pieces. Both teams have high level synergy.

The biggest difference I see here is overall firepower. Kyrie and Love offer a lot more offensive firepower than Lowry and Siakam. Rip and Chandler pretty similar levels as Green and Bam. Benches are pretty similar overall.

Again, both teams are solid and have both synergy and good supporting casts. LR has the defensive edge whereas I have the firepower edge.

[durantbird]

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Matchup is open. LR and wack please vote for yourself

[Snakebites]

Looks like we might need the AI overlord for this one, I think it’s been a day since anyone voted.

[durantbird]

ChatGPT vote Larry Russell, Larry advances

Spoiler:

This is a very tight matchup. Let’s break it down by categories and then give a final call:


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Defense: Advantage – Larry_Russell

Switchable, Elite Point-of-Attack: Lowry, Green, Kawhi, Siakam, and Bam is a monster defensive lineup—each capable of guarding multiple positions.

Perfect Assignments: Kawhi on LeBron is as good as it gets. Bam on Chandler is fine, and Lowry has historically defended Kyrie well in playoff matchups.

Switching Scheme: This group can switch 1-4 comfortably, with enough rim protection via Bam and help from Kawhi.


Offense: Advantage – wackbone

Top-End Shot Creation: LeBron and Kyrie is a near-unstoppable duo in crunch time. Rip gives off-ball motion and shooting, Love stretches the floor and can post smaller guys like Siakam, and Chandler provides elite finishing.

More Proven Isolation Scoring: Lowry/Kawhi/Siakam are great, but Kyrie and LeBron are better pure scorers/playmakers under pressure.


Synergy & Fit: Slight Edge – Larry_Russell

The 2019 Raptors core (Lowry-Green-Kawhi-Siakam) already proved their championship-level synergy.

Bam and Odom are excellent additions, both high-IQ, passing, defensive-minded bigs that don’t need touches.


Bench: Even

Odom and Wright vs. KCP and Aaron Gordon is a wash depending on matchup needs. KCP is a 3&D guy, Gordon is an athletic defender. Odom brings shot creation and playmaking; Wright offers steady two-way minutes.



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X-Factors

wackbone: If Kyrie explodes offensively and LeBron plays peak 2013 two-way ball, the defensive gap shrinks.

Larry_Russell: If Bam stretches Chandler out and creates spacing mismatches, Love and Kyrie will be hunted relentlessly.



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Verdict: Larry_Russell in 7

It’s close. But defense often wins playoff matchups, especially with evenly matched offenses. Larry_Russell has a better defensive floor, cleaner team synergy, and can scheme to limit wackbone’s biggest threats.

Final Result: Larry_Russell wins 4-3 in a defensive, grind-it-out classic.

[wackbone]

Good battle Larry, best of luck in the Final!