And now on to the breakdown (I decided to leave the previous comments in smaller type)...
xphoenix87 New Picks - Wes Unseld, Bruce Bowen, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, John Stockton
Wesley Unseld. 6-7... by 6-7... went 270, and could set a pick on Mount Rushmore. And put Rushmore on the IR. While he may not finish like Karl Malone, you may actually see John Stockton grin in anticipation. With this the question becomes, does KG move to the 3, with Moses at the 4? This may mean LeBron off the bench. Enviable. Now with the 7th round pick...
BRUCE BOWEN? Remember that Sesame Street song, "One of these things just doesn't belong here..."?
As someone put it, it is a sign of a diluted NBA. Bruce is a pitbull defender that Michael Vick would love. Dirty sometimes for sure, but can guard 3 positions. But he is an offensive near-zero, who once shot better from 3 point range than from the foul line. For an entire season. Michael Cooper was just as good a defender and better offensive player. Not feeling that pick, which took a tad bit off of a well balanced, physical lineup.
Question to the GM: What do you plan to do with LBJ? And why Bowen?
dehbashi - Jason Kidd, Jerry Lucas, Paul Arizin, George Gervin, Tim Duncan, Nate Thurmond, Clyde Drexler
'Bashi went and got one of the few players in the history of the game who can dominate and only take 3 shots in Jason Kidd. Of course, you may want to call him "Ason Kidd" with that poor excuse for a jumper. Still, Kidd is clutch and his defense gives this team three lockdown defenders. The next pick netted another underrated baller in Jerry Lucas. One of 4 men NBA history to have a 40 rebound game. Two Area Code shooting range. Could play the 4 or 5. This team will rate as an interesting chemistry experiement. Kidd and Clyde on the break, with Nate and Duncan on the glass. Ice providing creative scoring. This team is still a bit light on 3 point shooting (don't be surprised if Lucas is his team's best 3 point shooter), but should be pretty good on defense. And I wonder against some of the better inside teams if this crew can get post scoring from someone other than Duncan.
Deh-bash looked to fill a need for pure shooting by getting the late, great (RIP) "Pitchin Paul", one of the first great jumper shooters in the NBA, and sweet as sugar on the break pulling up. Tough, but may be a tad slow in certain matchups. I love giving props to the Old School, but you can get P.A. at least two rounds later.
In the 5th round... cue up Queen (or Vanilla Ice, if you're under 30)...doo doo do doo doo do...Ice Ice Ice baby... Nice pick here in getting one of the most dynamic scorers ever. Bar none. Ice can score from inside, outside, finger rolls, bank shots, jumpers, runners...but defense? I guess if you score 40, as long as your man doesn't get 35, you're ok. I guess...
Of course, it is permissible to ask - where in the hell is the point guard? Clyde The Glide can hold it down in spots, but a purer ball handler is needed. And Arizin would have kept - some good point guards were there for the taking. Three shooting guards? Er....um....
joshQpublic -Dave DeBusschere, Nate Archibald, Elgin Baylor, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Bill Russell,Jerry West, Kevin McHale.
Dave D. was considered one of the greatest defensive power forwards ever, and it means that there will be no defensive dropoff when Russ or Mchale need a breather. I'm not sure where Tiny fits on a team where Frazier and West get the burn. But the only man to lead the league in assists and points in the same season will make a spot, and can also turbocharge the fast break. In fact, this team can start five All-League defenders in Russell, West, Frazier, McHale, and DeBusschere if it so desired. Tight...
G-Central Question to the GM: Who starts up front? How do you work Baylor into the offense?
He was once described as "the Father" in the Father/Son/Holy Ghost Trinity of Hang Time. Elgin Baylor goes 30th - at least 15 spots lower than he should have. How???
Now Josh gets a guy who averaged 35ppg twice, and averaged 15 boards a game regularly. There may be a problem with defense here, but Baylor already has experience working with West. Will McHale be able to move out of the post to give Elgin some operating room?
In the 5th, Josh nabs Clyde, merely the greatest defensive guard of his era. In fact the West-Frazier backcourt is the best defensive backcourt in this field. This team should be able to run all night with Russell triggering the break to Clyde and The Logo, and then Baylor and McHale can deal in the half-court. Tough crew. He's making it hard for me to be too critical.
genez13 - Pete Maravich, Patrick Ewing, Rick Barry, Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson,Shaq, Karl Malone
Huh. Genez certainly doesn't believe in karma. The controversial Pistol Pete finally goes off the board, and now you have three guards who need the ball in Magic, Iverson, and Maravich. You thought Marbury and Francis would be a hassle! He adds Patrick Ewing, the star-crossed Knicks center who Never Won The Big One. Nice backup for this crew. Of course, the real question is this- Will the combined 10 rings of Magic, Shaq, and Barry overcome the baggage of Ewing, Maravich, AI, and Malone? This team may be the most likely to scoe 160 points in a game. And if I'm a tabloid writer, this is where I want to be. Maybe The Four Letter Network will produce a show about this locker room called "When Genez Is Burning".
Recently, Rick Barry said that he could teach Shaq to shoot underhand and turn him into a 75% foul shooter. Shaq said, in effect that it wasn't manly to shoot underhand, and he couldn't do it.. Sigh...
On court, this team has everything - in theory. Magic can allow AI to be a shooting guard, which he is despite his 5-11 frame. Slick Rick can bomb from outside to ease any double-team pressure, and watching Barry and Magic move the ball will be breathtaking.
It's the part above the neck that you have to worry about with this crew. Few players could set off a ref - or a teammate - forget an opponent - the way Rick Barry could. The Answer is known in some parts for The Question - as in: "PRACTICE? We're talking about PRACTICE..." Karl Malone had his diva moments, and Shaq's ego was a big reason why he couldn't finish his career as a Laker.
Magic will have his hands full with this crew if they have a losing streak. Yet, show me a player EVER who has the heart of AI, or the will of Magic. This is the most volatile team in the field. Moreover, Shaq is an indifferent defender on pick and rolls, Magic is an OK at best defender, and Barry and Iverson are better at playing the passing lanes. This five can be exploited on occasion.
Hmm, I can see an opponent bodily picking up Barry and using him to commit Hack-A-Shaq. In fact, I'd pay to see that...
ricko -Alex English, Joe Dumars, Steve Nash, David Robinson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Elvin Hayes
Two understated, underrated guys go to ricko. Quick, who scored more points than anyone in the 1980s? More than Jordan, Wilkins, Kareem, Issel, Malone? That's right, Mr, Smooth, Sir Alex English. Of course, on a team with so many scorers, I'm not sure quite where he fits. Joe D makes more sense. Perennial All-Defensive selection will make up for Nash's shortcomings, and he can play both guard spots and knock down jumpers.
This team has varied scoring, but again, chemistry and the absence of a true bruiser on the glass may be a problem. Hayes needed Unseld, Robinson needed Duncan. Now both men have each other. Hmmm...
Ricko grabs the real Stevie Franchise in the fourth, followed by The Admiral in the 5th. Nice pick this deep, but the pressure will be on David to prove that he has the steel to play in THIS league.
Question: Can Larry Bird learn to live with Nash controlling the ball as much as he does? Can Kobe? There will be some adjustments (sorry Kobe, but I don't think they'll run the triangle here), but it will come down to two factors: 1. Can Robinson and Hayes #### enough when they need to? Maybe. 2. Can Kobe and The Big E keep from slugging each other in the locker room?
Probably not. You also have two very good defenders in Kobe and Robinson, and three guys who can get torched. Hell, Bird and Nash couldn't guard ME - and I can't go to my left very well...This team may want to play some zone now and then...
The NBA's answer to Gale Sayers gets nabbed by GR8. Bob Ryan once said that if he had to play one basketball game for planetary supremacy, he'd pick Bill Walton, even over Bill Russell. (Ryan was always prone to bouts of irrationality.)
Trouble is, Walton would probably trip over the foul line, break a bone, and I'd have to learn to speak Klingon-ese.
Having said that, Walton is a great pick here. He would HAVE to start at power forward next to Wilt, and could take care of any dirty work that Wilt couldn't do. Interior defense just got a major upgrade. D-Wade is pretty good value here despite his youth. He'd have to upgrade his defense, and this team only has Reggie Miller as a proven consistent 3 point threat. But Wade is already a transcendant talent.
Reggie Miller?
Ahead of Elgin Baylor (who could play the 3 or the 4)? Ahead of Scottie Pippen for that matter? Ahead of Rick Barry (who you could put at the two)? I realize character concerns (or was it the salary cap?) that probably caused some guys to drop pretty far, but
[my inner Stephen A....is...fighting...to ...get ...out]
THAT IS UN-ACCEPTABLE! THIS WAS NOT A GOOD PICK!
Sorry.
Reggie is a great jumper shooter who stopped driving to the basket in the late 80s and couldn't lock down his sister Cheryl on defense. Nice niche player. And he'll may double-teams pay. He'd better. Now this was followed with the incredibly underrated Human Highlight Film. Of course, he plays the same position as Pippen. It is possible we may see a team that has Wilt dominate the glass and kicks it out to Cousy who feeds Pippen and Wilkins for some Posterizing/YouTubing of some poor schmoe... but there is still a hole at PF, and Miller is the only truly consistent outside shooter.
Hoffman -David Skywalker, Chris "Moon" Mullin, James "He's Not" Worthy, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas
Somebody at The Barbershop asked me once who was better at 23 - Kobe or MJ? My answer was David Thompson. I got some looks, to put it nicely. But anyone who saw Thompson his first 4-5 years knows what I'm talking about. He was Jordan before Jordan. MJ was taller, but Thompson had a better jumper. Wow. Chirs Mullin will drop that lefty J from the deep corners all night to open the middle for the Muslim Connection inside. Slow afoot? Perhaps, but one slower guy can be compensated for considering the defense they have inside. I wonder how much offense would the two big men give up to allow Thomas, Thompson, and Monroe to take it to the rack?
Questions to the GM: Who starts with Thomas, Thompson or Monroe? How do you plan to funnel the offense, through Kareem or Hakeem?
Big Game James takes over at the three to swoop to the basket, play nasty wing defense, and stick the mid-range jumper. It helps that he played with Kareem. Isiah will be glad to be on the same side as a guy who put up 36-10-10 in a Game 7 against his Pistons.
Having said all of these nice things, I think Worthy could have been had a few picks later. Barry or Baylor would have been better picks at this spot - Barry because of his phenomenal range, and Baylor because he could do everything Worthy could, and was a better rebounder.
The 5th round featured a mild surprise with the selection of Black Jesus. Kareem loved him from the Rucker Park days, and probably influenced this pick. Isiah had better not try to pull a Dantley on The Pearl and get him traded. Besides, Earl showed that he could blend his Divine Game with Clyde Frazier, a mature Thomas will be looking forward to this.
Alas, this backcourt can be exploited somewhat on defense. And 3 point shooting may be questionable.
AK47Spiderman - George "99" Mikan, Dikembe Mutumbo, Bob Pettit , Charles Barkley, Oscar Robinson, Julius Erving, John Havlicek
I have to have a soft spot for the first great pivot man in NBA history. I assume we can pass Mikan through a processor that would upgrade him to play in the 21st century? Mikan did not adjust well to the shot clock in 1955 - what happens in 2007? I'll tell you, you have a poor man's Illgasukas. He takes up room, will block shots, and can play physical. So can Deke. A great defender in his prime, I still think he takes a back seat to Willis Reed or Artis Gilmore. Heck, I'd even consider Zelmo Beatty, Bob Lanier, or Dave Cowins. None of them were quite as good on D, but all of them could score and board.
Question to the GM - Why two slow centers?
This team had some major issues on the front line, and clearly drafted solidly for need. Pettit the first great power forward in the league, could also play some center (but not for long against some of these front lines!), Bob will draw fouls and clear the glass (he, Lucas and Wilt are the only players to average 20-20 for a season). Then the next pick was Sir Charles...now there were fewer more awe-inspiring sites than The Breadtruck in his prime on the break going coast to coast...yes, especially impressive in those little shorts.
But AK drafted TWO power forwards? Or is that 3 small forwards? Or do I count Barkley 1.5 times? If AK47 really wants to channel Don Nelson and play smallball, you put Pettit at C, Barkley at the 4. But we're now talking a front line that is 6-7, 6-4, and 6-9. Lord help you in a half-court game. Wilt won't... :-)
Best Value Picks - Thompson, Walton, Mullin, Lucas
OK Value Pick - Mikan, Archibald
HUH?! Pick - Bowen, Mutumbo, Ewing
(Some Of The) Best players on still on board: Dennis Rodman, Bob McAdoo, Dave Bing, Sidney Moncrief, Alvin Robinson, Dirk Nowitski, Gus Johnson, Dolph Schayes
First, three shooting guards? Arizin is a forward. I only have 2 shooting in Clyde and Iceman. Is the huh pick because of picking him early than you thought? Ok I admit the only reason I haven't picked up a PG left is because I am stuck between 2 people. If it wasn't for that then I would have picked him at Arizin's place true.
Defense? At least I've got a couple who can play it. I see a few lineups who have less. Not too worried about Bird's D, I don't remember him getting lit up very often. Plus, his man may get quite worn down at the other end. Larry's one of the few who can light it up from anywhere.
Just took Alex English in rd. 6. I noticed I needed a little more speed on the break.
I'm not sold on old school Cs like Unseld, Cowens, Nellie, etc. They're all small forwards in today's league. Same reason why Corliss Williamson had to completely rework his game when he went pro (same for Sean May if he can put away the Twinkies).
I thought about selecting Barry or Baylor but decided to take Big Game because my intent was to draft a TEAM. Not take the best player available.
Worthy has played with a dominant C and a dominant PG.
I have both.
James is also one of the biggest playoff performers of all time. I'm glad you took notice of that.
Earl The Pearl and Isiah will compliment each other perfectly.
In Thompson, I have one of the greatest scorers in the history of the game and a player who has the athleticim to defend any perimeter player in the legends draft.
Showtime, I think you should reconsider. I thought about that, but you see Dennis Rodman win 7 straight rebounding titles at 6-8, when Charles Barkley at 6-4 1/2" wins rebounding titles, then you can't rule out a 6-7 Wes Unseld in today's game. Especially since he played well enough against Wilt, Reed, and Co., and today's crop of centers are in a word - pathetic. Cowens may be more of a F today, but his skill set could translate ok. Don Nelson was a forward, not a center.
The 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers are considered by most to be one of the greatest teams of all-time but it wasn't until Baylor was injured that they went on to win 33 straight games and an NBA championship.
Elgin, was a great player but he monopolized the basketball too much.
He never won a championship and West and Chamberlain couldn't make it work with him on the squad.
I felt as though Isiah, Hakeem, and Kareem would have the same problem.
Hoff that's the exact reason why I didn't pick Baylor up as well. I mean how can a guy be great if the only way for his team to win a championship is for him to go down.
Hoffman, you are being grossly unfair to Baylor. In 1965(?) Baylor had a devastating knee injury (the patella was almost split in half) that made doctors question whether or not he would even walk normally again. He somehow came back and was productive for another 5 years, then had another knee injury in 1971, which basically ended his career.
Fact is, a better coach could have integrated Wilt, West, and Baylor, especially in 1969. I think he was simply too old, and his knee was too worn out to adjust to Bill Sharman's demands. A younger Baylor could have IMO. And remember, people made the same charge (ball-hogging) towards Isiah for years until he broke through.
Hoff...this "league" is FULL of guys who dominate the ball... :-)
Baylor and West were great together. And they should have beaten the C's in 1969 with Wilt. I understand where you are coming from, but Elgin in his prime never played with a good third option...
GR8, you think I hate you and/or your team...nothing like that. Just calling it as I see it. None of your guys are stiffs, it's just that in this rare air, I think some weaknesses can be exploited that lesser talent couldn't exploit. You have some explosive talent, but there is (IMO) a key ingrieident missing. But it isn't too late...
Having been a big fan of the Lakers since the '60's, I concurr with the good Dr. EB got the ball so much cuz he was Logo's go-to guy. By the time Wilt came along Elgins athleticism, which was his game, was pretty much gone. If you go in search for a reason the '60's lakers couldn't ever win the big one, it was cuz they didn't have a big'n to hang with either Russel or Wilt. It's not like Jerry didn't have his hands on the ball, deciding where it went. Baylor did what he had to do, and yes he was the father of hang time.
thanks for the baylor comments. does my team have the most combined rings? i have to think so. evrybody on this squad has at least one except elgin. thats what we do here. we win championships.
Last edited by JoshQPublic on July 17th at 3:39 PM.
By the way, I didn't see many drafting the "enforcers" strictly for their Bill Lambeer (sp?) like qualities. Always good to have a guy like that, expendable, but good players coming off the bench. Worm Rodman would make a good such guy with his defensive and rebounding skills, yet you could put him in the "bad boy" role, and if he gets tossed just make sure he takes the other teams Larry Bird with him. Why the heck you think the Lakers kept Curt Rambiss around all those years.
Lots of good comments here. My opinion on Elgin Baylor-it didn't work out for him. Plain and simple. The timing wasn't right, he was on his last legs already when he got injured early in the 71-72 season, and so on. But he never kept a team from winning. Great player, no doubt. I always looked at him a one small notch below the Big O.
AK-Who cares about # of titles? (See previous comment). Was Steve Kerr better than Jerry West? Bill Cartwright better than Patrick Ewing? Come on, now.
edclinch-I wanted Isiah, but he was gone, so I had to settle for Nash. But come on, we all know you're a HUGE Hoosier fan, so we'll consider the source. ; )
dehbashi & Josh-Malone never delivered a title, true. (See Baylor comment above). But who did in the Jordan era?
I wasn't talking about the rings. I was making fun of edclinchsaint. For the lineup of Shaq, Magic, and Karl will win anytime. I was making fun of Karl and those 2 bricks just because of Scottie.
Whoops Genez watch out GR8ONE will win because he has Scottie LOL just messin' around.
dehbashi & Josh-Malone never delivered a title, true. (See Baylor comment above). But who did in the Jordan era?
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isiah thomas and co. det is the only team who had a winning record vs mj
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.
It's a G Thing.... you can look me up at newjack1@eart hlink.net
