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).
PG: Isiah Thomas 89' - 15.3 SG: Michael Cooper 86' - 7.4 SF: James Worthy 86' - 14.5 PF: Larry Bird 86' - 19.6 C: Artis Gilmore 81' - 10.0
Bench: Reggie Miller 89' - 11.2 Bench: Danny Green 17' - 6.6 Bench: George Johnson 82' - 3.0
87.6/88
PG: Isiah Thomas 38 / Michael Cooper 10 SG: Michael Cooper 22 / Reggie Miller 26 SF: James Worthy 28 / Danny Green 20 PF: Larry Bird 38 / James Worthy 10 C: Artis Gilmore 38 / George Johnson 10
Matchup - Defensive assignments: Thomas vs Price, Cooper vs Moncrief, Worthy vs Anunoby, Bird vs McHale, Gilmore vs Moses. - We match up nicely here. We are pretty versatile, having both Bird and Worthy as good options against McHale, while McHale needs to guard a more dynamic wing. Also, Green/Cooper/Worthy/Isiah can all rotate against the Price/Moncrief duo - while Thomas' relative defensive limitation is in his size, that won't bother him against Price, and he'll also be fine against Moncrief for bursts. Gilmore is a great option against Moses. - Bird is the best player in the matchup, with Isiah-Worthy-Gilmore-Reggie providing great depth and offensive versatility that matches up pretty well against Moncreif-McHale-Price. Bird-Reggie duo provides us with two reliable historical-level spacers, and Reggie is the best sixth man as a near-All Star impact. - Good luck Fade.
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 go with Price on Coop, Moncrief/McMillan on Isiah, McHale on Worthy, OG on Bird, and Moses on Gilmore. McHale frequently defended wings due to Bird's lack of lateral quickness, so he won't be out of his element against Worthy here. - Defensively, we have a pretty solid advantage across the board with two All-Defensive First Teamers in the paint, the best wing pairing in the draft in OG and Sid, and McMillan and Horry coming off the bench. Considering we have comparable firepower (especially in the backcourt), I feel like our ability to get consistent stops puts us over the top. - Reggie has the bigger name, but I'd argue Ingles at least matches him as a sixth man given the chosen seasons, especially once you start to factor in elements like playmaking and defense.