Over in the "Ramblings Of A Sports Nerd Blog", we have the Ultimate Fantasy Draft taking place, where the greatest players in NBA history can be drafted. Which owner will be Red Aurebach? Which owner will be Ted Stepien?
I've decided to channel Mel Kiper and Stephen A. Smith and give you
ULTIMATE NBA FANTASY DRAFT ANALYSIS
Let's get this party started right away:
FIRST ROUND:
xphoenix87 - Michael Jordan.
Upside babybee! Live body, great at slashing to the hole, strong finisher. Deadly in the clutch...but don't you build titleson pivot men?
dehbashi -Tim Duncan
HUH?! with all of the talent on the board? At center alone, we have Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, Hakeem, Shaq...and dehbashi takes The Big Fundamental? What gives? Me and the fellas here at G-Report Central just don't get this one. You have 5 Top-50 big men, and he takes a healthy Sam Bowie?
joshQpublic - Bill Russell
The best defensive center in the history of the game goes off the board. Undefeated in Game 7's (10-0). "He couldn't hit a bull in the ####" as Tom Heinsohn fondly recalled to me. Very good passer and playmaker from the post, and the defense and rebounding seem to be there. Now, he'll need some offense.
genez13 - Magic Johnson
Interesting pick here. The only player on the board who could play all five positions, clearly we're looking at the triggerman for an explosive running game. Can score from almost anywhere, never misses an open man. Not as much a force on D, but no one will notice. We need to see who is paired with the Magic Man.
ricko - Larry Bird
Larry Legend can hit the 3, #### inside, pass as well as a point, and get you 10 boards a night. Probably the second best clutch shooter after Jordan. This pick will play great in New England.
GR8ONE54 - Wilt Chamberlain
Who thought that the Big Dipper would free-fall to 6? Seven time scoring champion, 11 time rebounding champ, and even led the league in dimes one year. Can play a devastating defense as well. Oh, his foul shooting stinks. Be ready for Hack-A-Wilt. Great value pick at 6. (Yes, I'm using value pick in the 1st round.)
Hoffman - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Captain Skyhook takes care of the post scoring and defense. Rebounding may be an issue. Who will Hoff get to feed Kareem?
AK47Spiderman - Oscar Robinson
The Big O is Magic before Magic. Better scorer, strong leader. AK follows this up with The Doctor. This will be the best fastbreak on the planet with O as the trigger, and Doc finishing. But who gets the ballboards?
I commented on the big fundamental myself, especially when someone said Duncan was better than Bird. Other than being 6'9", Bird had nothing going for him athletically. Talk about fundamentals. And work ethic.
And AK really ticked me off when he took the Big O. Guess I somehow thought he'd be there in rd. 2. Silly me.
Time out Ricko. It is silly to say that Bird had "nothing going for him athletically". There is more to athleticism than jumping high or straight line speed. Bird was ambidexrous out to 15 feet ( a skill many would kill for), and could #### inside, and was quick rather than fast. And his count sense was superb. All of that can make up for a guy who may not be able to jump out of building. Plus he was taller and stronger than many small forwards.
Dr. K-Let me clarify. I mean he wasn't much of a leaper, didn't have very good speed-though he was quick, as you say. I just meant he got by more with savvy and smarts than athleticism. Like the ambidextrous thing you mention, that was more of a learned skill than natural ability. See what I mean? Actually, I guess that's a matter of opinion as well.
Perhaps "nothing going for him athletically" was a bit overdone.
G.H. Brooks (aka "Dr. Midnight" to his loyal fan base) is a 2-time Next Great Sportswriter (NGS) Finalist. One would think that bringing game like that would net me *something* - a cool icon to mark my site, some love from Fox Sports, cash, but noooo... :-)
I'm broadcasting live from New York City after a hiatus from the blogging scene, takes on life, sports, and whatever passing thoughts are shooting through my head. The good and bad ..passionate, logical, and on point.
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