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).
Rotations PG: Terry Porter (36) / Alex Caruso (12) SG: Clyde Drexler (36) / Alex Caruso (12) SF: Mikal Bridges (36) / Nicolas Batum (12) PF: Danilo Gallinari (36) / Nicolas Batum (12) C: Hakeem Olajuwon (36) / Chris Andersen (12)
Offense Hakeem and Drexler are a proven championship duo from their days with the Rockets. Likewise, Porter and Drexler have proven chemistry from their days with the Blazers. Gallo is a terrific 4th option recording .633 TS% in his selected season. Stretch 4s were at a premium in this draft. Would be a matchup nightmare for teams starting two drop bigs. Can space the floor for Hakeem and Drexler, plus he can attack closeouts off the dribble. Bridges and Caruso are the ultimate glue guys.
Defense Hakeem drops back to protect the rim. Gallo lacks the lateral quicks to defend in space, but that's not an issue whatsoever against McHale. At 6'10'', Gallo has the size to defend post ups, especially since Hakeem got his back in the paint. Porter, Caruso and Bridges assume POA duties. We go over/fight through the pick vs Price daring him to either attack the basket against Hakeem or shoot the long 2 off the dribble with my POA defender trying to block the shot from behind. We always go under vs Moncrief since he doesn't have 3pt range. Fade starts three non-3pt shooters. I assume we play under modern rules. We should have a sizeable advantage in terms of scoring efficiency.
FGA 1989 Terry Porter 14.1 1988 Clyde Drexler 20.7 2021 Mikal Bridges 9.3 2019 Danilo Gallinari 13.0 1988 Hakeem Olajuwon 17.5 2023 Alex Caruso 4.3 2021 Nicolas Batum 6.1 2011 Chris Andersen 3.0
24.5 ppg, 15.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.1 spg, 2.0 bpg, .501 FG%, .761 FT%, .578 TS% - Led the NBA in rpg, PER (25.1), ORB%, TRB%, WS (15.1), WS/48 (.248) - NBA Champion - NBA MVP - NBA Finals MVP - NBA All-Star - All-NBA First Team - All-Defensive First Team
PF - Kevin McHale (1986-87)
Spoiler:
26.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.2 bpg, .604 FG%, .836 FT%, .655 TS% - Led the NBA in FG% - NBA All-Star - All-NBA First Team - All-Defensive First Team
Moses Malone - 16.7 Sidney Moncrief - 13.2 Mark Price - 13.4 Kevin McHale - 17.0 OG Anunoby - 8.2 Nate McMillan - 5.4 Robert Horry - 5.7 Joe Ingles - 8.4
Total: 88.0/88.0
Given the era, the throwback two-big lineup seems to make sense here. Considering how much trouble the Rockets caused playing two centers in this year's playoffs, we feel comfortable with a big man tandem as skilled and versatile offensively as Moses and McHale. We've flanked them with two dynamic guards in Moncrief and Price, both of whom can make things happen off the dribble either as scorers or creators. OG is the quintessential 3-and-D wing to round things out. Our bench gives us a spacing boost with Ingles and Horry, plus McMillan can knock down an open three. Defensively, Price is our only weak spot, but Moncrief, OG, and McMillan can cover for him on the perimeter, while Moses and McHale provide solid rim protection.
Matchup - We'll stash Price on this lower-usage version of Bridges, and focus on cutting of the water to flaco's backcourt with OG on Clyde and Sid on Porter. McMillan can come in and shadow either one depending on the matchups. - I think the Gallo-McHale matchup is very much in our favour here. The theory of Gallo as a skilled stretch 4 is always tantalising, but he always falls off hard in the playoffs as a shooter and overall scorer. Then at the other end, he's a poor defender who plays with no force at all and will be eaten alive by McHale on the block. Hakeem can help, but his primary assignment is one of the greatest offensive rebounders of all time, so that's far from a panacea. - I like our bench a little better offensively with Ingles (who for my money should have won SMOY over his teammate Clarkson) as a hyper-efficient scorer, shooter, and secondary playmaker to supplement our starting backcourt.
