Franchise Draft History Game Semifinals: Snakebites vs Square

Post #1 » by **Snakebites** » Yesterday 6:10 am

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).

Square wrote:

Post #2 » by **Snakebites** » Yesterday 9:27 pm

G: Chris Paul 2013-14- 14.0 FGA
All NBA First, All Defensive First
19/10/2, 48/40/90, 60% TS- QB of League's Best Rated Offense (yes, better than the Warriors were the following year)

SG: Ray Allen 00-01- 16.0 FGA
All NBA Third
22/5/5, 48/43/89, 61% TS- Top Scorer on League's Best Rated Offense (yes, better than Shaq/Kobe Lakers)

SF: Herb Jones 23-24 7.7 FGA
All Defensive First, 5th in DPOY Vote
11/4/3, 42% 3pt

PF: Kevin Garnett 04-05 16.6 FGA
All NBA 2nd, All Defensive First
22/13/6, 57% TS, Lead League in VORP, WS, PER

C: Rasheed Wallace 05-06 13.3 FGA
All Star
15/7/2, 36 Percent from three on 2 makes per game, strong defender

B: Deni Avdija 24-25 11.7 FGA
Multiposition Defender and Scorer/Playmaker
17/7/4, 48/37/78, 61% TS

B: Dyson Daniels 23-24 5.1 FGA
POA Defender
6/4/3/2, 2.5 DWS

B: Javale McGee 16-17 3.4 FGA
Backup Center on a title winning team
5/3/1

Total: 88/88 FGA

Team Breakdown:

Drafted by Pelicans: Chris Paul, Herb Jones, Dyson Daniels (3)
Drafted By Wolves: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen
Drafted By Wizards/Bullets: Rasheed Wallace, Deni Avdija, Javale McGee (3)

Rotation:

Paul (38)/Daniels (10)
Allen (38)/Daniels (10)
Jones (28)/Avdija (20)
KG (38)/Avdija (10)
Wallace (36)/McGee (12)

Alrighty, lets do this. Square has built one hell of a team, but I think my teams potency and fit is enough to give it the edge. Lets lay out the case like this.

Chris Paul is one of the greatest orchestrators of offense in NBA history. For a two year run (including the selected season) he ran the league's best offense with Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan, and JJ Redick. The offense had a better statistical rating than the 2015 Warriors. What held them back in the playoffs was their defense and go-to scoring. I'd argue that I've massively upgraded both of these while also bolstering what made prime CP3-lead offenses so good. Lets look at each one:

1) Defense. Those Clipper teams were average defensively at best, in part due to Blake/DAJ being a pretty mediocre defensive front court. We've swapped those pieces out with KG and Sheed, who together make a defensive front court that's up there with the best in the game. KG is also an even more optimal offensive fit with CP3 than Blake was- this is the best 2 man combo in this game and should crush it. Herb Jones is also an absolutely elite perimeter defender who should be massively helpful here.

2) Go to scoring. Prime Ray Allen was an absolute beast. Is he a classic go to iso-scorer in the vein of Kevin Durant or Michael Jordan? No. But he's more than an off ball threat. Prime Ray Allen was athletic and could score from just about anywhere, and was capable of creating his own shot. The Bucks had him as easily their best scorer (Glenn Robinson took 3 more shots to score the same amount- inefficient even in 2001), and they still had a higher rated offense than the Shaq/Kobe Lakers. On a team that will be very P/R heavy, he offers us floor raising scoring without compromising fit in a pick and roll scheme. He fits like a glove.

Matchup specific-

Mostly straight position given the size of that front court makes that necessary, but luckily our front court is large and defensively tenacious enough to make that workable. His 4th and 5th best scorers are both forwards, which enhances my ability to use Herb Jones and Kevin Garnett as free safeties. I think the two of them up front, plus Rasheed's solid post defense and CP3's solid on-ball defense really means I've got all of my bases covered.

Overall I think I've got enough to carry the day here. Vote Snake!

Square · Post #3 » by **Square** » Yesterday 11:53 pm

Team Square

Roster
G Steph Curry '17: 25/5/7 on 47/41/90 (Playoffs 28/6/7, 48/42/90, +10 BPM), #1 in RAPM, his peak season per PC board, All-NBA 2nd, NBA Champ
G Terance Mann '21: 14/7/3 per 36 on 51/42/83 shooting, 60 TS%
G Klay Thompson '15: 22/3/3 on 46/44/88 shooting, #7 in NBA in RAPM, All-NBA 3rd, NBA Champ
G/F Mike Miller '05: 13/4/3 on 51/43 shooting, 61 TS%, #15 in NBA in RAPM, +3 BPM
F Aaron Gordon '25: 15/5/3 on 53/44/81 shooting, 65 TS%
F Draymond Green '17: 10/8/7/2/1, #6 in NBA in RAPM, All-NBA 3rd, DPOY, NBA Champ
F Lamar Odom '09: 11/8/3/1/1 on 49/32, #2 in NBA in RAPM, NBA Champ
C Dwight Howard '10: 18/13/2/3/1 on 61 FG%, All-NBA 1st, DPOY

Picks, FGA, etc.:

Spoiler:

Rotation:
G Curry 38 / Mann 8 / Miller 2
G Klay 38 / Miller 10
F Gordon 34 / Miller 14
F Draymond 24 / Odom 24
C Dwight 36 / Draymond 12

About Team Square
We take the core of the champion, 73-win Warriors squad and add to it the rim-running, vertical presence they never had in Dwight. We spice that up with a trio of big forwards that defend, pass, rebound, and shoot.

Offensively, we know a core of Steph/Klay/Draymond is going to be elite offensively. Dwight is going to feast off that movement and finish ultra-efficiently at the rim. Draymond and Odom are going to suck opposing bigs outside because of the passing synergy; we all know that you have to guard any big at the arc that plays with the splash brothers. (This is why GSW always had elite offenses no matter what crappy non-shooting 5 was playing with these guys.) Miller and Gordon provide added shooting, ball-handling, and transition ferocity. (BTW if you think Aaron Gordon is not a good shooter, your NBA knowledge is out of date.) Finally, we’re huge and will feast on the offensive boards.

Defensively, this team is monstrous. Anchored by two of the most impactful modern DPOYs in Draymond and Dwight, surrounded by big, physical, switchable defenders in Gordon/Klay/Odom/Mann, and terrifying on the glass.

We’re also super deep – Miller and Odom are starter quality guys off the bench.

So overall, the case is pretty simple: Great offense built around the GOAT offensive backcourt, an elite interior finisher, and passing/shooting all around. Great defense built around 2 DPOYs and huge switchable forwards. Not much else to say.

Vs. Snakebites

Always good to see Snakebites. In some ways, these are similarly built teams: all-time great PGs, elite shooters at the 2, elite defensive frontcourts.

Honestly, I see only one major difference between the two teams that I really want to harp on: It’s the difference between building the engine of your playoff offense around Steph Curry or around Chris Paul. Maybe it’s unfair, but the spectacular success of the former option (in basically exactly the setting he has around him here, plus Dwight!), vs. the often disappointing up and downs of the CP3 experience would lead me to trust Team Square as the more reliable offensive option of these two great defensive teams.

A few smaller points:
- Defensive matchups are fine straight, but we can also put Klay on CP3 and Curry on Jones/Daniels at times. We’re happy to switch a lot. (Note that Jones is also an easier guy to hide bad defenders on then Gordon.)
- Of the two great defensive 3/4/5 combos in this matchup, I’d argue that DPOYs Dray and Dwight are both significantly more impactful than 31-year old Sheed (who didn’t make all-D) and that Gordon is a better all-around player than Jones.
- Both of us have nice pieces off the bench, but I’d say we have two legit starter-quality guys in Odom and Miller to his one in Avdija, and a better bench overall.

Good luck Snake.

Post #4 » by **Snakebites** » Today 12:08 am

Larry_Russell wrote:

durantbird wrote:

Fadeaway_J wrote:

Jon_3232 wrote:

Dr Positivity wrote:

GeorgeMarcus wrote:

lilroddyb wrote:

flaco wrote:

Square wrote:

Voting is now open via poll, and will be for exactly 24 hours. You are more than welcome to post in this thread explaining why you voted the way you did, but it is not required and only poll votes will be counted.

Square, please vote for yourself. Everyone else please vote within the time frame.

Post #5 » by **Snakebites** » Today 2:58 pm

Yikes. This one took a turn.

Square · Post #6 » by **Square** » Today 4:10 pm

Checked this morning and I was down 5-4 and thought I was cooked. Now I'm up 7-5 (in a 10-person draft?). Seems like anything could still happen in the last few hours.

Post #7 » by **Snakebites** » Today 4:34 pm

Square wrote:Checked this morning and I was down 5-4 and thought I was cooked. Now I'm up 7-5 (in a 10-person draft?). Seems like anything could still happen in the last few hours.

Unlikely we’ll get 2 more voters. And even if we did they’d both have to vote the same way to force a tiebreaker.

Yeah anything can happen but 12 is already on the high end in terms of voters.