Opening Day Pairs Draft - R1 - Snakebites 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. 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).

[Snakebites]

PG: 2018 Chris Paul 13.8 FGA
SG: 2025 Mikal Bridges 14.4 FGA
SF: 2018 Paul George 17.0 FGA
PF: 2017 Kevin Durant 16.5 FGA
C: 2018 Al Horford 10.5 FGA

B: 1984 Michael Cooper 6.7 FGA
B: 2013 Jason Kidd 5.4 FGA
B: 2024 Luke Kornet 3.2 FGA

Total: 87.5 FGA

Rotation:

CP3 (36)/Kidd (12)
Bridges (37)/Cooper (11)
PG (33)/Cooper (15)
Durant (39)/PG (6)/Horford (3)
Horford (32)/Kornet (16)

Alrighty. I’ll openly acknowledge I’m an underdog here based on the names involved, but I believe firmly that the team I’ve built would work extremely well in real life- that the balance and defense would be enough to take down anyone.

Kareem is gonna have to defend perimeter players in this series- a lot- because he’s up against a team built for modern basketball. Way more than he ever imagined he’d do when he played against 70s and 80s offenses. Because we’ll be running a lot of two man action with our various options. Offensively spacing separates us- we can go five out and have playmaking for days to exploit all that space. Kareem will be out of his element defending against a team that will run a lot of modern P/R and P/P plays that will generate opportunities for our shooters and cutters.

My team is built on the idea that having every player in the starting lineup capable of carrying their weight and producing at a high level puts you at an advantage. Here nobody is one dimensional, everyone is dangerous, and there’s no place to hide anyone.

Kevin Durant has a strong case as the best scorer of all time, and he’s surrounded here by a team that cannot be doubled off of- every player on my team can play with the ball and without it, and everyone shoots threes. KD will score at will no matter who’s on him.

Chris Paul is, I’d argue, still at or near peak here. His offensive role was reduced in Houston here and missed games kept him off All NBA and All Stars teams, but he’s still an absolutely elite offensive orchestrator and efficient scorer here.

Those 2 are my floor raisers, and they’re extremely effective at that. Everyone else raises the ceiling of this team sky high.

Paul George is an ideal 2nd/3rd option here- he spreads the floor and can be a ball handler or play off ball.

Horford is a do it all player- rim protection, defensive versatility, passing, and shooting. He’s also a great pick and roll/pick and pop player. Not a superstar but everything this team needs at center.

Bridges is more than a 3 and D player- he’s an elite cutter and multifaceted player who can do multiple things without the ball, and he’ll play off of KD, or off of the CP3/Horford two man game perfectly.

And the bench has savvy vets who slide into natural roles. When CP is out, Kidd is the veteran playmaker, and Cooper slides in as a wing who can defend multiple positions, make plays and hit open shots.

On defense we have a lot of options because we can double off of Battier- who does little besides hit the occasional corner three. Paul George and Mikal Bridges will cover for Butler and SGA respectively, Durant will cover Ray, and CP will take Battier, but expect SGA and Butler to see frequent double teams.


So yeah. Ness has a great team. But i think mine takes a different approach that should warrant a look.

[MadNESS]

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (40) | Nate McMillan (8)
SG: Ray Allen (38) | Nate McMillan (10)
SF: Jimmy Butler (38) | Mario Elie (10)
PF: Shane Battier (36) | Mario Elie (12)
Cc: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (40) | Tyson Chandler (8)



79’-80’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 16.9 FGA
MVP | All NBA 1 | All NBA D 1 | Champion
17’-18’ Jimmy Butler 15.6 FGA | NBA 3 | All NBA D 2 | MVP (10) | All Star | 35% 3’s
23’-24’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 19.8 FGA | MVP (2) | All NBA 1 | All Star | DPOY (7) | 43% 3’s in PO
08’-09’ Shane Battier | 5.9 FGA | All NBA D 2 | DPOY (4) | 38% 3’s
07’-08’ Ray Allen 13.5 FGA | Champion | 40% 3’s | All Star
11’-12’ Tyson Chandler 5.7 FGA | DPOY | All NBA D 2 | All NBA 3 | FG% Champion
95’-96’ Nate McMillan 4.3 FGA | Defense
94’-94’ Mario Elie 6.0 FGA | 40% 3’s | Champion

Total: 87.7 | 88.0 FGA

GL Snake!

Defense:

Our two best defenders just so happen to be matched up against his 2 best offensive players. Butler on PG and Battier on KD. We also have Elie off the bench to defend them both as well.

Kareem protects the paint (and defends Horford).

SGA (a good defender himself) on CP3. Ray on Mikal.

We can play straight up, no switching or mismatches (doubles) needed.

Offensively

We will attack the paint (SGA, Butler) and pound the ball
Inside (KAJ) with no real rim protection at all.

Kareem should have his way this entire series.

Open shooters like Ray, Battier, Elie will thrive playing alongside KAJ.

With Nate, Elie and Tyson we believe we have one of the best benches in this thing.

Vote NESS as SGA and KAJ carry us through!

[durantbird]

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Voting is open. Team owners please vote for yourselves

[durantbird]

MadNess advances