Scavenger Hunt Draft - finals - Fred Wins!!!

[SWedd523]

I've seen him do a number of telecasts, so I don't know why he wouldn't count.

[fatlever]

jay williams is totally acceptable.

i'll put you down for 2003 season

[LamarMatic7]

Even though these picks are unlikely to change the big picture, I'm going with some guys that can swing a game or two by exploding off the bench anyway.

Firstly, I pick Billy Ray Bates the Jeremy Lin before Linsanity and a Sleeper. Dude grew up in **** nowhere, Mississippi in an African American family that still picked cotton for some white guys. Despite a good college career at Kentucky State, the NBA didn't really notice him, so he could have played in CBA all his career.

However, the Portland Trail Blazers were breaking apart from the disease of more and injuries left Dr. Jack Ramsay without any players in the back-court. Bates would start off as a 10-day contract player and end up averaging 25+ points in the playoffs and randomly exploding for 40-point games, playing off the bench. Unfortunately, he started using later on and we all know how that can turn out....

If you want to learn more about him, you have to read one of the best basketball books of all time - The Breaks of the Game. Halberstam included plenty of pages on Bates's life and him joining the Blazers with a blast.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xeGS6C-H1M[/youtube]

My second pick is Manute Bol from the RIP category. Another game changer type of player. He may not get regular rotation minutes for my team, however I might send him in there to change the tempo/nature of the game. Manute could spark his team and get it on a run simply by being on the floor. Teams would stop getting points down low and start to rely on their outside game just because Bol was down there waiting. A guy you can't rate just by stats just because he meant so much on the defensive end and honestly he usually wasn't a factor in other areas. So I'd have my best scorers on the floor when Bol is out there, since it turns into a 4 vs 5 game on offense.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gpya5OTOnM[/youtube]

Chris Mullin's Fade

PG: Gary Payton 1995-96: 19.3ppg, 4.2rpg, 6.5apg, 2.9spg, 48% - DPOY, All-NBA 2nd team
SG Michael Jordan 1990-91: 31.5ppg, 6.0rpg, 5.5apg, 2.7spg, 54% - MVP, Finals MVP, All-Defensive and All-NBA 1st teams
SF Dennis Rodman 1990-91: 8.2ppg, 12.5rpg, 49% - DPOY
PF Chris Webber 2000-01: 27.1ppg, 11.1rpg, 4.2apg, 1.7bpg, 48% - All-NBA 1st team
C Robert Parish 1981-82: 19.9ppg, 10.8rpg, 2.4bpg, 54% - All-NBA 2nd team

Bench:
Alex English 1982-83: 28.4ppg, 7.3rpg, 4.8apg, 1.4spg, 1.5bpg, 52% - All-NBA 2nd team
Brad Daugherty 1991-92: 21.5ppg, 10.4rpg, 3.6apg, 1.1bpg, 57% - All-NBA 3rd team
Tim Hardaway 1990-91: 22.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 9.7apg, 2.6spg, 48% - All-Star
Andrew Toney 1983-84: 20.4ppg, 2.5rpg, 4.8apg, 53% - All-Star
Rasheed Wallace 2000-01: 19.2ppg, 7.8rpg, 2.8apg, 1.8bpg, 50% - All-Star
Mookie Blaylock 1993-94: 13.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 9.7apg, 2.6spg - All-Star, All-Defensive 1st team
Antoine Walker 2001-02: 22.1ppg, 8.8rpg, 5.0apg, 1.5spg - All-Star
Billy Ray Bates 1980-81: 13.8ppg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, 20.3mpg - Playoffs stats 28.3ppg, 4.3apg, 1.7spg, 56%
Manute Bol 1985-86: 3.7ppg, 6.0rpg, 5.0bpg - All-Defensive 2nd team

Payton/Hardaway/Blaylock
Jordan/Toney/Bates
Rodman/English
Webber/Wallace/Walker
Parish/Daugherty/Bol

I know that some might disagree with my choices, but I went with guys that add something to my team. In my opinion, you can't compare Bol to some of the solid bigs left on the board and you can't compare Bates to some of the guards who had longer careers and even averaged more points. It's just that Bol and Bates are unusual players in the history of NBA and they might help my team, while I don't see the point of having a regular 14/7 guy as my third center.

[fatlever]

great stuff lamar. honestly, i dont know anything about billy ray bates. i need to read that book. i've been yearning for a new NBA book recently.

[LamarMatic7]

great stuff lamar. honestly, i dont know anything about billy ray bates. i need to read that book. i've been yearning for a new NBA book recently.

What I love about it is that you wouldn't expect an NBA team in the late 70s to be as dysfunctional as the Blazers were after their championship title. It leaves you surprised about how unprofessional basketball players can be, a great example of the "disease of more". Plus, Halberstam touches on race issues, the rise of NBA's popularity, the Kermit Washington story and more.

There's a reason Simmons loves the book.

[amcoolio]

I wanted to take Bol because he was such a cool player but that would have meant 5 centers on my team with the categories that we had (Big White Stiff, Like Gana are pretty much guaranteed centers)

[LamarMatic7]

I wanted to take Bol because he was such a cool player but that would have meant 5 centers on my team with the categories that we had (Big White Stiff, Like Gana are pretty much guaranteed centers)

I also thought about that, but I couldn't resist not taking him, so I suppose I'll have four centers and only two small forwards.

[JDuaneWayne]

I want to bring out Shaq to introduce my next pick. "He used to beat me up in practice”, O’Neal said. Shaquille O’Neal later said the only player who could thwart him from his dominant play was Madsen.
For the category Big White Stiff. I select 2002-2003 Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ciMXvSE8U[/youtube]

[fatlever]

its always nice to have a few versatile wings on the end of your bench. guys who can defend 3 positions, rebound, pass, dunk in transition. kendall gill, from chicago. 1991-92, 20.5ppg, 5.1rpg, 4.1apg, 1.9spg, 46%. gill give my bench another guard with size, who can defend 1-3.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1f1w7p4vCs[/youtube]

team fatlever

PG: Magic Johnson 1986-87: 23.9ppg, 6.3rpg, 12.2apg, 52% - NBA MVP, Finals MVP, 1st Team NBA
SG: Allen Iverson 2000-01: 31.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.6apg, 2.5spg, 42% - NBA MVP, 1st Team NBA
SF: Chris Mullin 1991-92: 25.5ppg, 5.6rpg, 3.5apg, 2.1spg, 52% - 1st Team NBA
PF: Tom Chambers 1989-90: 27.2rpg, 7.0rpg, 2.3apg, 50% - 2nd Team NBA
C: Patrick Ewing 1989-90: 28.6ppg, 10.9rpg, 4.0bpg, 55% - 1st Team NBA

Bench
Antonio McDyess 2000-01: 20.8ppg, 12.1rpg 1.5bpg, 49.5% - 3rd Team NBA
Penny Hardaway 1995-96: 21.7ppg, 4.3rpg, 7.1apg, 2.0spg, 51% - 1st Team NBA
Drazen Petrovic 1992-93: 22.3ppg, 3.5apg, 52%, 45% on 3s - 3rd Team NBA
Anthony Mason 1996-97: 16.2ppg, 11.4rpg, 5.7apg, 52% - 3rd Team NBA, 2nd Team Defense
Bruce Bowen 2004-05: 8.2ppg, 40% 3pt - 1st Team Defense
Ralph Sampson 1984-85: 22.1ppg, 10.4ppg, 2.0bpg, 50% - 2nd Team NBA
Sam Cassell 2003-04: 19.8ppg, 7.3apg, 48.8% - 2nd Team NBA
Dale Davis 1999-2000: 10.0ppg, 9.9rpg, 50% - All Star Game
Kendall Gill 1991-92: 20.5ppg, 5.1rpg, 4.1apg, 1.9spg, 46%

Current Depth Chart
PG: Magic I P Hardaway I Cassell
SG: Iverson I Petrovic I Gill
SF: Mullin I Bowen
PF: Chambers I McDyess I Mason I Davis
C: Ewing I Sampson

[MKG14]

hawkins has already been picked, fatlever

[fatlever]

seriously?

i really need to do a better job of updating my spreadsheet. lol. thats twice.

[fatlever]

no worries. got another former hornet ready to go. kendall gill. more explosive than hawkins but also a little more of a bitch.

[MKG14]

no worries. got another former hornet ready to go. kendall gill. more explosive than hawkins but also a little more of a bitch.

better pick imo

[Diop]

For the deep sleeper pick I'm taking one of the first Euro's to make it in the NBA, Šarūnas Marčiulionis 1991-92.

Tough, strong and with a big heart. The best quote I heard about Sarunas was about how he used to hurt you if you tried to defend him. Physically hurt you.

Mullin has a funny story in this clip on how he heard Pippen and Jordan arguing over who was defending him, not because they couldn't, but because they new he would hurt them.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9zBndgbHKs[/youtube]

18.9pts, 1.6stls, 3.4assts. 2.9 rebs.

[Diop]

Depth chart.

Rajon Rondo 2011-12, Kevin Johnson 1989-90, Doc Rivers 1986-87
Vince Carter 2000-01, Ricky Pierce 1989-90, Šarūnas Marčiulionis 1991-92
Larry Bird 1987-88, Jalen Rose 2000-01,
Dirk Nowitzki 2004-05, Amare Stoudemire 2007-08 , Mike Mitchell 1980-81
Dwight Howard 2010-11, Mark Eaton 1984-85, Andrew Bogut 2009-10

[LamarMatic7]

I love the Šarunas pick. He's still probably the most physical Euro to play in the NBA.

[Diop]

he was probably a little over shadowed playing on run TMC, he might have gotten some more recognition on another team.

[fatlever]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9zBndgbHKs[/youtube]

the best part of this video is the grateful dead soundtrack. you dont hear that everyday on youtube mixes. but he had the dead connection, playing in bay area and also playing in the Lithuanian olympic team that wore the dead inspired tie-dyed jerseys.

[fatlever]

I love the Šarunas pick. He's still probably the most physical Euro to play in the NBA.

pekovic is going to try to challenge sarunas this year for the title of most physical euro ever.

[MKG14]

I love the Šarunas pick. He's still probably the most physical Euro to play in the NBA.

pekovic is going to try to challenge sarunas this year for the title of most physical euro ever.

But is he talented enough to be remembered the way Sarunas is?