2016 Scavenger Hunt Draft - ESAL/Gatz wins

[Diop]

I will get a vote I promise you that

You can't vote for yourself

[Flip Murray]

I will get a vote I promise you that

You can't vote for yourself

If I lose this election its rigged

[BatumtheGlue]

I will get a vote I promise you that

You can't vote for yourself

If I lose this election its rigged

You vote me and i'll vote you. It's all good

[fatlever]

team capsules have been compiled and posted at the top of page one. any suggestions on how to do the Q/A?

[amcoolio]

Gilmore is salivating looking at these 2nd unit bigs. Okafor? Rik Smits? Divac? He is going to dunk all over them.

[SWedd523]

team capsules have been compiled and posted at the top of page one. any suggestions on how to do the Q/A?

Pick a guy and ask three questions they must respond to. No ducking questions and no being a dick.

[Flip Murray]

team capsules have been compiled and posted at the top of page one. any suggestions on how to do the Q/A?

Pick a guy and ask three questions they must respond to. No ducking questions and no being a dick.

we just yell at each other

[Flip Murray]

Gilmore is salivating looking at these 2nd unit bigs. Okafor? Rik Smits? Divac? He is going to dunk all over them.

sure he will. Here's some irrefutable evidence that Smits shut down Shaq.

[yosemiteben]

He's got a point.

[Diop]

Gilmore is salivating looking at these 2nd unit bigs. Okafor? Rik Smits? Divac? He is going to dunk all over them.

well Kareem was averaging 40 minutes a game for when I drafted him, I think between Divac and Kermit, they can hold down the for 8 minutes. 8 minutes is probably enough time for Gilmore to foul out when he tries to dunk over the "Father of Flopping" Vlade Divac anyhow.

In any list of NBA floppers, you will certainly find the name of Vlade Divac. This Serb defender is widely regarded as one of the biggest floppers in NBA history. He was the master of this craft and an habitual doer of flopping. He used his tactics mostly against the physically gigantic offensive players especially Shaquille O,Neal. Some former players credited him as the father of flopping, though it was not him who introduced it but he certainly took it to such a level which was unmatchable by any player of his time and even by any player today .

and Gilmore aint no Shaq

[fatlever]

I'll get the party started by posting my praise and concern for each team. Not really a Q/A but should get some discussion moving.

Overall, everyone crushed it. I love all the teams and it seems like everyone had some fun looking up all these players and finding the gems of the categories. Well done.

Flip
Likes: Prime KG, Prime Nash. Love those two players together. KG/Dwight on defense really should help cover for Nash, Harden and Carter, 3 players not known for defending. Walter Davis for rookie was a fantastic pick. He'll be a stud off the bench. He was basically a vet by the time he graduated from UNC.

Dislikes: Bench is really weak. I'm sad that you completely ignored some of the really talented guards available in the "SD/KC" category in favor of Bryant. Carlos Arroyo? Rick Fox? Knight is decent enough as an emergency guard, but in a league where everyone team is stacked two deep, I think he'll really struggle. As mentioned above, having all 3 of Nash, Harden and Carter on defense could be trouble, especially w/out any bench defenders that can step in and help.

Coolio
Likes: Starting 5 is fantastic and really seems to fit cohesively. Bryant gets to be the Alpha and everyone else plays their role, especially considering we're talking about Rookie Duncan. Rookie Duncan, while great, would definitely have given the Alpha status to peak Kobe. Great defense up and down roster. Very physical team. Gilmore and Laimbeer off the bench should be very intimidating. Duncan and McHale give frontline a lot of versatility. Prime Mark Price on the bench is just unfair.

Dislikes: The con to having Price behind Stockton is they are both very similar in style and size, so don't give you another option for a bigger stronger guard. Dell and Hedo on the wings could be trouble defensively. Expansion year Dell still wasn't near his peak self. Theus might have a decent claim to being in that 2nd unit ahead of either.

Lamar
Likes: The Hakeem/Payton duo is the best defensive duo in this mini league. I can't imagine trying to run an offense vs those two on the court together.The passing and playmaking from every position is impressive. Bench featuring two crazy good scoring options and a solid backup center.

Dislikes: Does this team need another true PG? Free and Terry both more SGs trapped in a PGs body. It probably works due to the plethora of playmaking forwards on the roster. I didn't really understand the Robert Reid pick. He wasn't very good that first year in Charlotte, despite how versatile he was in Houston a few years earlier. His shot selection was brutal. Felt like there were better options available. (was that a drunk pick?). McGinnis, Kukoc, Sikma, all guys more finesse than power. Outside of Hakeem, this team might struggle a bit against some of the more physical frontlines.

Team Gatz
Likes: Even with a rookie Shaq as opposed to prime Lakers Shaq, this lineup is stacked. How do you defend Shaq when you have Dirk and Durant on the wings? Smart to put Conley as the starter since he'll run the show, play defense and not need a ton of touches on offense. If Westbrook buys into a bench role, he'll be a monster. He fits well with Rauf who can play off the ball. Iggy and Winslow give two more good defenders on the wings.

Dislikes: Would it have killed you to give us the years of the players in the capsule? Are Durant and Westbrook gonna kill each other? I guess not since they don't yet know that Durant is a pussy traitor. Good thing Dirk is around to be the man since Durant hates the spotlight. Am I bitter about Durant? Chambers solid in 81/82, nowhere near his peak level of Sonics/Suns. Too many rookies on this team (Shaq, Winslow, Jokic, Okafor, Chambers). Even if they are all great (or soon to be great), when competing vs the best of the best, it matters. No team can survive with 5 rookies in the rotation.

ESAL
Likes: Great balance of shooters, defenders and big men. That trio of Leonard, Rodman and Robinson would be hellish to score against. That's just about as scary as Lamar's duo. Not sure many teams have more legit 3pt shooters on the roster. Pierce works as the guy who you give the ball to in crunchtime and say "get me a bucket".

Dislikes: I'm not buying Cummings as a small forward. The footspeed of that 2nd unit would be a concern - Korver, Cummings at SF, Randolph. They have to play big to win, no chance to play against faster units. Would like to see a 3rd PG on the roster, but that's not a huge issue.

Diop
Likes: Kareem! Him slipping was the most disrespectful part of the draft (other than Dr J going undrafted). I still have Kareem as the best center in history. 78-79 is close enough to his best years that he's still the best center in this mini league. Kareem, Bird, Bosh and Wade, all at or near their prime. Good mix of shooting and playmaking.

Dislikes: So many dickheads in one team. As great as CP3 is,not sure I'd trust the rookie version of him to run a team full of superstars. I wish Bird was the PF instead of SF. I love Bird as a stretch 4. Bench is a little weak. Wilkins by far best scorer on bench and 83 Nique still far away from his best years. Team could use another 3pt shooter or two. Team needs another big man on the bench.

Ian
Likes: Great defensive starting unit. MJ and Kidd in the backcourt hounding the other guards would be fun to watch. Nice luxury to bring a lethal scoring option like Iverson off the bench. Kidd to Kemp lobs!!! The competitive fire of MJ and Mourning would be nuts. I bet they might kill each other in practice.

Dislikes: Not sure how it all fits together. MJ and Kidd both at their best with the ball in their hands. Seems like MJ would have been better off with more shooters around him rather than another ball dominant guard like Kidd (who can't yet shoot reliably). Can MJ and Iverson share the floor together? Does that work? Feels like Wedman is being overlooked. I think he should be in the rotation ahead of Posey and maybe even Battier (although I get Battier as a defender and spot up shooter). Primoz? LOL.

Yosemite
Likes: Obviously FAT LEVER! But really, he's a good fit next to Lebron. You really thought about this team and how to get the best lineup out there to make Lebron at his best. I love that you put Lebron at PF and surrounded him with shooters and a combo guard who can defend and be the 2nd playmaker. Bowen off the bench to defend anyone is a great luxury.

Dislikes: Bench could have used another shooter in place of either Mason or Griffin, but both were great players in those years so hard to pass them up. Drew feels a little forgotten as the 3rd guard behind Mills, but I guess that is the price paid for needed a better shooter with the bench. (side note: is it really fair to knock the 3pt shooting of guys that played in an era before the 3pt shot was common?) Eaton can be painfully slow and hard to play against any center that isn't as slow as him. I probably would have preferred Eaton as a situational big off the bench rather than a starter. His minutes will be very limited (as YB suggested).

Batum
Likes: Huge Isiah fan, so I love building around him as a PG. Lots of connectors on this team like Pippen, Walton, Barry and Green. They will keep the ball moving. Great depth in the bench with guys like Bobby Jones, Kurt Rambis, Lillard etc... And of course, Richmond was one of my favorites growing up. He never gets the credit he deserves as the 3rd best SG of that era behind MJ and Drexler.

Dislikes: Feels like the team is missing a legit go-to scoring option. Would have rather seen a killer scorer in place of Green with that All NBA pick. Pippen and Green are so similar in style that Green's talents will be a little wasted, especially considering the ball will be with Isiah most of the time. I'm a bit sad that nobody was able to use 77 Walton as their starting center.

[amcoolio]

Your concerns about my team were my concerns as soon as I saw Bowen and Battier go right before my pick. I zereod in on Bowen from the very beginning with that category, but I waited too long; I really, really wanted Laimbeer and was afraid someone would waste their big white stiff pick on him. Laimbeer is vastly underrated... a big, physical defender/enforcer who is also an excellent shooter and FT shooter is extremely rare, he can play in any era. Theus is bigger than Dell, but also a bad defender and a non-shooter. I'll admit im terrified when McGrady and Westbrook get on the court in the 2nd quarter. I'm not worried about Stockton/Price being similar, because I get 48 minutes of extreme high-BBIQ, passing, and shooting point guard play. Its very nice to have that consistency and not have to worry about it.

Everyone should post their biggest flaw about their team and what they could have done to improve it, thats my Q+A. We could do this Survivor style, lol.

My biggest flaw is clearly wing defense. I really need a defensive enforcer to take pressure off Kobe. Kobe is an excellent defender but he is going to work his ass off every minute he is on the court to make this team hum. I mean, if there was ever anyone up for the challenge, he is it. What could I have done to improve? The only players I considered with my first pick were Kobe and Pippen. I think 9 times out of 10 you have to take Kobe because you need that alpha-dog guy who wont back down from a challenge and a guy you can trust in critical moments. However a Pippen/Kobe swap would work well on this team. Another hindsight move; if I knew I was getting Prime Price, I would have taken Payton over Stockton; however I was shocked Price was still on the board as late as he was and had no intention of selecting him... I went with BPA.

[fatlever]

Everyone should post their biggest flaw about their team and what they could have done to improve it, thats my Q+A. We could do this Survivor style, lol.

I think my biggest flaw is the lack of a big man who can legitimately space the floor. We're all in love with the current 4 out 1 in offense, but there just aren't that many superstar stretch bigs that are worth taking over guys like Karl Malone, Moses Malone and Larry Johnson. I can get by with having Karl who is a solid mid-range shooter, Magic who can at least make 3s while playing as the oversized PG/point forward and Larry who didn't shoot many 3s as a rookie, but its not completely outside of his range.

However, I don't believe that every team should play like the 2016 Warriors, especially not when we are considering players from the past 40 years, where only a few years of that included the now fashionable stretch bigs. Some of us are still going to have the advantage of punishing teams in the paint at the expense of using bigs to stretch the floor.

Side concern is I might have some difficulty defending the best SFs in the game. Cooper is more of a SG defender who can also cover PGs and SFs. If he is covering the starting PG on defense, that means either Magic or Ray will start out on guys like Lebron/Kobe. My hope is that Magic can hold his own, then do more damage on the other end of the floor as he creates nightmare matchups for the opposing defense. I do have the option of playing Roberson as a defensive SF at times, so I did at least try to address this weakness.

[Diop]

Fat's pretty much nailed all the concerns I had, I was trying to patch them up at the end.
Although in regards to the extra big, as pointed out. Bird can easily play 4 and Bosh 5, so there is a fair bit of flexibility there.

Also wade played a lot of point guard at the start of his career, if Paul is overwhelmed.

[Braggins]

Here is my best of the rest team...

POS - Player - H/W - Year - Category
ppg/rpg/apg/spg/bpg - FG%(FGA)/3pt%(3PA)/FT%(FTA)

TEAM - "BETTER BENCH THAN TEAM FLIP"

PG - Kevin Johnson - 6'1"/180 - 1989/1990 - Stone Hands
22.5/3.6/11.4/1.3/0.2 - 49.9(15.7)/19.5(0.6)/83.8(8.1)
SG - Isaiah Rider - 6'5"/215 - 1997/1998 - Stop Shooting
19.7/4.7/3.1/0.7/0.3 - 42.3(17.6)/32.1(5.7)/82.8(3.6)
SF - Glenn Robinson - 6'7"/225 - 1999/2000 - Hoosier
20.9/6.0/2.4/1.0/0.5 - 47.2(18.0)/36.3(2.9)/80.2(3.5)
PF - Charles Barkley - 6'6"/252 - 1992/1993 - All NBA
25.6/12.2/5.1/1.6/1.0 - 52.0(18.1)/30.5(2.9)/76.5(7.7)
C - Bob Lanier - 6'11"/250 - 1976/1977 - Southpaw
25.3/11.6/3.3/1.1/2.0 - 53.4(19.8)/0.0(0.0)/81.8(5.0)

R1/C - Patrick Ewing - 7'0"/240 - 1985/1986 - Rookie
20.0/9.0/2.0/1.1/2.1 - 47.4(16.3)/0.0(0.1)/73.9(6.1)
R2/PG - Calvin Murphy - 5'9"/165 - 1978/1979 - Closer
20.2/2.1/4.3/1.4/0.1 - 49.6(17.4)/0.0(0.0)/92.8(3.2)
R3/W - Eddie Johnson - 6'7"/215 - 1984/1985 - Forgotten
22.9/5.0/3.3/1.0/0.3 - 49.1(19.1)/24.1(0.7)/87.1(4.5)
R4/G - Sam Cassell - 6'3"/185 - 1994/1995 - Champ Bench
9.5/2.6/4.9/1.1/0.2 - 42.7(7.2)/33.0(2.3)/84.2(3.1)
R5/PF - Christian Laettner - 6'11"/235 - 2000/2001 - Big White Stiff
9.3/4.7/1.6/0.9/0.6 - 50.3(7.1)/30.8(0.2)/83.3(2.6)


U1/W - Brent Barry - 6'6"/185 - 2004/2005 - Invisible
7.4/2.3/2.2/0.5/0.2 - 42.3(5.7)/35.7(3.5)/83.7(1.7)
U2/F - Antoine Carr - 6'9"/225 - 1987/1988 - hack
8.8/3.6/1.3/0.5/1.0 - 54.4(6.5)/0.0(0.1)/78.0(2.3)
U3/G - Rex Chapman - 6'4"/185 - 1988/1999 - Expansion
16.9/2.5/2.3/0.9/0.3 - 41.4(16.9)/31.4(2.5)/79.5(2.6)

So, this might be the weakest team if it were in this league, but I think there is definitely enough talent/versatility to be competitive and win some games. I think I did a good job balancing the team. The most difficult part was finding quality spacing, but I think I got just enough to make it work. I feel like if this team were in the league they would be one of those teams that struggles to stay above .500, but would be a tough draw in the first round of the playoffs if they snuck in due to playing with tons of heart/energy and having a lot of firepower.

This team will look to avoid the half court to someone mitigate less than ideal spacing and potentially exploitable defense. The team offense is focused around the combo of Barkley/KJ/Robinson and playing at an extremely high pace. Lanier and Rider both have great size and strength and can get buckets. When the starters are forced to play half-court offense, the plan is to use lots of KJ pick and roll/pops and post ups with Barkley/Lanier/Glenn to get the defense rotating or force doubles. This team should be able to punish teams for switching with so many guys who are exceptionally strong and can post up. KJ, Barkley, Lanier, and Ewing, should also be able to get tons of free throw opportunities. Hopefully there is just enough spacing to keep defense from being able to overload or double safely. Despite having two excellent centers, I plan on playing some small ball with KJ/Rider/EJ/Robinson/Charles.

Ewing off the bench is a huge plus that keeps the pressure on opposing front courts and fits with the theme overall versatility. Calvin Murphy provides a nice one/two scoring punch with Ewing in the second unit and should be able to keep the pace of the first unit going. I think I have decent depth considering what I had to work with, but my starters are going to play plenty of minutes and most nights I'm not going deeper than nine guys. I like young Cassell as a combo guard option that I can use at PG when Murphy's size is an issue or at either guard spot when I need more spacing. Eddie Johnson is a nice wing option who probably won't get the minutes he deserves due to not being the best floor spacer, but he can hit the 3 and has great size and strength for his position. Laettner is meh, but can function as a stretch PF and has the offensive skill to be a decent glue guy in limited minutes.

The x-factor with this team will be getting everyone to buy into the team concept. This squad isn't the most talented, so it will take lots of playing matchups, unorthodox strategies, and inconsistent rotations. Lanier and Ewing will have to be ok with having nights where they only play 15 minutes and playing more as role players than they were normally used to. Calvin Murphy will have to be ok with not playing at all some games. Glenn Robinson and Rider are going to have to give consistent defensive effort and be ok with with being a third/fourth options. The only real constants on this team will be the KJ/Barkley attack.

I might have the best free throw shooting team and my guys definitely have more collective street cred than Flip Murray's team, so that has to be worth something. Feel free to discuss or not discuss. I had a lot of fun making this team and I'm still kicking myself for not staying in for the real thing.

[Diop]

I might regret not taking KJ as my starting point guard, it was between him and Wade for my team.

I took Wade as he was pretty dominating that year.

[LamarMatic7]

Lamar
Likes: The Hakeem/Payton duo is the best defensive duo in this mini league. I can't imagine trying to run an offense vs those two on the court together.The passing and playmaking from every position is impressive. Bench featuring two crazy good scoring options and a solid backup center.

Dislikes: Does this team need another true PG? Free and Terry both more SGs trapped in a PGs body. It probably works due to the plethora of playmaking forwards on the roster. I didn't really understand the Robert Reid pick. He wasn't very good that first year in Charlotte, despite how versatile he was in Houston a few years earlier. His shot selection was brutal. Felt like there were better options available. (was that a drunk pick?). McGinnis, Kukoc, Sikma, all guys more finesse than power. Outside of Hakeem, this team might struggle a bit against some of the more physical frontlines.

1) I admittedly was searching for a back-up point guard before opting not to draft one because of the talent pool available and the possible alternatives. Like you said, I have a plethora of playmakers. Moreover, Free was capable enough (World B. Free (26pts/8asts/3stls) vs. Lakers (1980) at youtube) at passing the ball that you can trust him for a lowly 14 minutes.

2) I actually don't remember if that was a drunk pick, but.. I like Robert Reid. I think he was very good and that he is a good fit. Should the shot selection in Charlotte work against him? That seems more of a result of surroundings than his own abilities. His role was to make everyone around him better, not carry the team. He needed to do too much scoring for the Hornets where the guys who attempted more shots (Tripucka and Chapman) were players who didn't really create for others.

3) That's something I'm more than willing to take. We're a passing finesse team. No doubt about it.

[EwingSweatsALot]

ESAL
Likes: Great balance of shooters, defenders and big men. That trio of Leonard, Rodman and Robinson would be hellish to score against. That's just about as scary as Lamar's duo. Not sure many teams have more legit 3pt shooters on the roster. Pierce works as the guy who you give the ball to in crunchtime and say "get me a bucket".

Dislikes: I'm not buying Cummings as a small forward. The footspeed of that 2nd unit would be a concern - Korver, Cummings at SF, Randolph. They have to play big to win, no chance to play against faster units. Would like to see a 3rd PG on the roster, but that's not a huge issue.

Cummings at SF is not ideal for me. I really wanted Bowen or Battier as my backup by they got taken a handful of picks before me. At that point in time, the talent at SF was really poor. Cummings played the 3 early in his career(this is his rookie year). He was quicker than people remember him. Mostly because just a few years into his career he had some devastating injuries that really derailed his athleticism and abilities. It's not ideal to have him at the 3, but I do think it can work with some rotation manipulation. Rodman will probably be my first sub out so that I can decide whether to go big or small. Then I can bring him back in with Cummings and Rodman can guard the 3s like he did so often and allow Cummings to handle the 4s. Not ideal, but it is possible.

I'm also not a big fan of playing all backups at once. I know it will happen at times, but teams now(including the Hornets) like to run significant minutes with the entire 2nd team. I don't like that. I also don't think that would make my team successful. So I don't see too many minutes with Korver, Cummings, and Randolph all on the floor at the same time. It will happen, but not often enough during a 48 minute game that it's going to dwarf my chances at winning. I've also considered at times that I would have Rodman come off the bench to help some of these issues as well.

My biggest what if would probably be Randolph over George Hill. I seriously contemplated Hill to get a 3rd PG and a defensive PG, but I just didn't know how often I would use him.I've got plenty enough minutes at the PG position that it shoudln't matter. It would just be able to give me another look.

[EwingSweatsALot]

To Coolio's biggest flaw request.

PG defense is probably my biggest question mark. I can't hide my PGs all game. They are small in stature and at best are above average defenders. They play passing lanes well so if they can float off their man it will work, but how often is that actually going to work in this format? Both are extremely talented offensively so I do think they are both well above a net positive for what I will ask them to do. So overall it will be a plus position for me, but on the defensive end it could take some magic to get them onto a guy they can hide on.

Fats brought up a decent point about Cummings, but I believe I can manage that pretty well with my roster construct. The issue with my point guards will be a little more difficult.

[yosemiteben]

Yosemite
Likes: Obviously FAT LEVER! But really, he's a good fit next to Lebron. You really thought about this team and how to get the best lineup out there to make Lebron at his best. I love that you put Lebron at PF and surrounded him with shooters and a combo guard who can defend and be the 2nd playmaker. Bowen off the bench to defend anyone is a great luxury.

Dislikes: Bench could have used another shooter in place of either Mason or Griffin, but both were great players in those years so hard to pass them up. Drew feels a little forgotten as the 3rd guard behind Mills, but I guess that is the price paid for needed a better shooter with the bench. (side note: is it really fair to knock the 3pt shooting of guys that played in an era before the 3pt shot was common?) Eaton can be painfully slow and hard to play against any center that isn't as slow as him. I probably would have preferred Eaton as a situational big off the bench rather than a starter. His minutes will be very limited (as YB suggested).

As for the bench shooting comment, I had a few things to consider. First, I see LeBron playing a ton of minutes, and in order for Blake, Mason, and Miller to be effective off the bench they are going to need the ball in their hands. Given that, I was ok with Bowen and Mills just being knock down shooters and pesky defenders and allowing the heavy lifting on offense to fall on LeBron / Blake / Mason / Miller. I figured since we'll have at least three 40% three point shooters on the floor at all times, spacing should never be an issue.

If more raw offense is needed, Larry Drew is a very viable option as you pointed out.

I think the biggest weakness for my team is Eaton as a starter, I was very close to pulling the trigger on DeAndre Jordan instead but I think his paint D is a bit overrated and with lots of teams starting traditional old school centers I wanted better paint protection. I like Miller as a PNR defender and also really like Mason as a small ball C like Draymond, so I figure Eaton can be used situationally against the Shaqs, Kareems, and Malones of the world.