Post by TimPig on Aug 29, 2018 20:21:32 GMT
Editor’s note: Your favorite frenemies with huge egos from the Central Division, Tim and JHB, have decided that in a league devoid of quality content, what everyone really needed was a long-winded discussion about the state of affairs in the league. We'll split the profit amongst ourselves. Enjoy.
TimPig: For my money, there isn’t a division in the league with better potential for success over the next five or so years than the Central. Long the laughing stock of the league, I think there are a few teams that can be looked at as legitimate contenders barring anything too crazy.
Starting with my own squad, a core of Ayton, Jamison, and Nick King should win a lot of games, and Herb Jones and Stan Haynes are excellent role players. Sarunas is above average for a point guard in a league that lacks a lot of them, and Mason is a good super sub.
The Hornets are the talk of the offseason after bringing back Shareef O’Neal and adding Seventh Woods. I’m not a huge fan of Woods, but he’s a major improvement over whatever dog shit they were running out at PG the past few seasons. Shareef isn’t an all-star, but the same thought applies. This team will be banking on Giannis and Yao becoming very good players, so there are question marks, but the massive amount of bucks he’s going to earn for his Dump troll video should help with player development.
I put the Hawks and Pacers in a similar category where neither look like championship contenders, but they’re obvious playoff teams. The Hammon retiring really hurts the Hawks, who are in cap trouble without him. Oladipo is going to need to make some huge strides quickly to catch up with Taurasi and give that team a real good 1-2 punch before Taurasi eventually starts to decline, but Heebs is a shrewd guy who is very good at finding hidden gems.
Finally, you have the Bucks, who Druce will run. Bamba, Godbolt, Fizer, and Jay Williams are an excellent core, and you know Druce has some inside knowledge. I don’t think he makes the Ayton trade if he doesn’t know something about Fizer and Guyton.
The Raptors have good wings and lots of picks too but I know Breauxcaine won’t read this so I won’t go too in-depth here.
JHB: I think you’re a little biased when determining which division is set up for the most success long-term.
Are we defining success by titles? Because I still pick the Jazz to win every year as long as most of this core group that Ank has is still together.
Are we talking about most talented group from top to bottom? I can buy that. With Druce taking the Bucks (and potentially actually having GMs run the Cavs and Pistons), the division definitely doesn’t have the same autopilot issue it has had with the teams at the bottom in the past. I trust Druce to lead the Bucks to more prominence than they had in the past, although he’s made it quite tough on himself by trading away a stud like Ayton.
Heebs will continue to reload and contend as he always does. The Bulls are quite good. That’s all the ballooning your already large head needs in this article. The Hawks are ready to move into the post-Benji phase and should be better on the strength of giving uber efficient wings Knox and Adel more opportunities while improving their defense, rebounding, and ball-handling with the move to Chiozza (this is the spin I’m going with folks, get on board).
Like you, I think Breauxcaine has had some tantalizing pieces he hasn’t quite capitalized on in the past. That’s been a little frustrating. There was a time where I felt like if he’d invested in his trio of Edwards, Mobley, and Bridges that he could’ve been a perennial playoff contender and had a nice little team. He didn’t really capitalize. Hopefully we can get him around more often to take that team to the next level. Cody Zeller looks like a nice role player. Big Cody Zeller fan IRL so I hope that he continues to improve.
The Pistons are fading with Jackie Moon leaving the prime of his career and no real other high octane pieces other than Shamorie Ponds. The next GM should look to retool and should get a fairly significant offer for Ponds as he’s looked good recently. Musa, Key, and Covington have flashed some intriguing tools as wing prospects but I’m not sure that any of them do enough things well to be full-time starters. Maybe one takes the next step along with Jackie having a resurgent age 34 season and they make some noise?
The Cavs are a mess. Someone get in there and get to fixing.
Finally, the Hornets suck. I’m sorry. There’s some nice pieces here but none of it works together. No defense on the wings. Rebounding doesn’t look to be all there. I don’t like it. Sixth Woods isn’t good enough to carry you at the point, especially not without several other elite players. I wouldn’t go so far as to call any of this cast of misfits elite. Will finish below the Hawks unless I decide I want to be lower than Fecta in the standings. But many think this is a team to watch. I agree. Popping my popcorn to watch this implosion.
Seventh Woods, who sucks (Photo: Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina)
I’m not sure any other division has that depth. In the Atlantic, the Knicks are very good and the Globetrotters are around the same tier as the Pacers/Hawks for me. But I think the Magic take a step back and the Heat and Wizards still don’t quite put it together. Celtics and Bullets are still probably lotto teams #FreeSimi.
Pacific is trash. Clippers have Fason who seems to be taking a more measured approach to rebuilding this time and appears to have a team that can be solidly in the playoffs. Warriors, Lakers, and Kings are never contenders. Sonics have some pieces but not enough elite scoring to make a real run. The Blazers are tearing down. I’d imagine the Grizz are likely to start tearing down soon with a new GM. Not great, Bob.
The Midwest would’ve always been my answer for best division long-term before this year. The Jazz, in my eyes, are the standard right now. Mavs and Suns are solid contenders. I think time has passed the Rockets and Timberwolves by for now. The Nuggets aren’t quite there but have the tools.
Is this the year that Ank not developing his team comes back to bite him? Does Delap finally grow a pair and get a good PG? Or does Andy Luck land another stroke of genius and we finally see someone overtake the Jazz in the Midwest? What’s your prognosis for that division?
TP: The Midwest is still an elite division and probably the best in terms of likelihood to win it all this year. Ank’s lack of player development has been a fun/frustrating troll to watch for the past few seasons, and while I don’t think it’d be enough to make a substantial difference in his prospects for this year, it certainly won’t help.
I personally think the Jazz, while once prohibitive favorites, are not the same team. Maten is still great and in his prime, but Withers and Bossert are both 32. Withers’ contract is up after this year and Ank will be forced to maneuver his cap intelligently in order to bring him back on a deal that doesn’t totally destroy his cap space.
Heron should be starting somewhere, and that may end up being Utah if anyone wants to trade Ank for Withers. Catfish is old. They got swept by the Mavericks last season without any injuries to speak of (though Druce did say this was a rarity in test re-sims).
The Timberwolves are in a tough spot after trading Sexton, which will give the Jazz, Suns, and Mavs some easy wins this year. Ian stocked up on first round draft picks in a draft that was incredibly top heavy. Stoudemire is the only one who looks like he has elite potential so that team has tons of rebuilding to do outside of him and Canaan.
I hope for Andy’s sake he doesn’t blow it up yet. Hakeem and Max are in their prime and Steph has shown no signs of slowing down. The wing situation is ugly with Butch falling off big time and no real small forward to speak of. Depth is also an issue. Andy will need to get creative with the two first round picks he has to try and find an upgrade at small forward.
Unfortunately for the Nuggets, their lottery picks haven’t really hit. Jordan is good and worthy of his max contract in my opinion, but he’s pretty one-dimensional. Other than that, Kenyon looks fine. Livio could be decent offensively but will need help to cover for his defensive deficiencies. Who knows what Trey Burke and Luis Scola are at this point.
JHB: I agree with you on the Suns. I hope they continue to try and compete. With some of Ank’s bigger name players potentially fading, do you think this is the year that it finally catches up to Ank that he’s using an average talent at PG even though his contract is an absolute bargain? That excess value doesn’t quite show up on the court for 30 minutes per game and Gravett still isn’t elite.
TP: I don’t think it “catches up” to him necessarily. I’m coming more to terms every season with the fact that a point guard who shoots 45% is essentially the new norm. I really like Gravett’s rebounding and, as you mentioned, the contract. Free throw percentage is nice and turnovers aren’t bad. I think this team has three really good starters this season in Maten, Withers, and Bossert, a decent one in Gravett, and a below average one in whoever ends up as their fifth starter. Heron will be a fine backup wing but depth is lacking elsewhere.
Hassani Gravett, who looks more like Blake Griffin than Blake Griffin does (Photo: Katie Dugan, 247Sports)
I have to ask about the Mavs. They had an impressive run last season, but Neon is bound to fall off soon. Can they make a real run for it this year? Point guard is still ugly for them but they once again have two firsts they can trade for someone not named Cecil Exum.
JHB: Before I answer your question, I have to ask...did you just make an observation based on field goal percentage? Do you even eFG% or pts/tsa, bro? COME ON.
But to answer your question, GET. IT. TOGETHER. DELAP. Trade for an actual point guard already. Do whatever it takes, but get one. There should probably even be some pretty decent ones coming to market if we get new GMs in Detroit and Vancouver. You are so close to running out of time with Neon being a really good big and Cam Reddish’s prime is getting impatient. That team is always my dark horse team because one really good acquisition at the point could get them over the hump in a really big way. I’m cheering for you, Delap. Make it happen.
What does concern me, though, is that Delap has made a lot of attempts to get point guards and has been pretty confident in many cases that he’s got an upgrade. I’ve never really seen it. It just speaks to the fact that even though we all have a pretty good idea how the software works thanks to Eric’s digging, we all have our different ways of evaluating players. What is your strategy when it comes to evaluating players in the league? What things do you look for and what things are red flags? Give us the TimPig cliffnotes on how to GM a TMBSL roster.
TP: That’s a lot to get into. I take it you want to know because I’ve consistently displayed my elite-level GMing abilities?
/bk
Honestly, I’m one of those “rubes” who pays a lot of attention to FG%. I probably put more stock into that than anything else. I also admittedly think a lot about potential, and while I’m getting better about not using shown potential to dictate my thoughts, I still rely pretty heavily on what a guy did IRL in conjunction with their starting grades. Write-up is also very significant, which is how I was able find some good prospects in Fizer and Mason.
From a team-building perspective, I like to accumulate a lot of draft picks as far out as possible. There’s a debate in every major trade how much firsts are worth, and I personally go back and forth. If I can get lots of picks in a deal, even if they’re from a good team, it’s usually pretty enticing. Firsts hold some trade value with most GMs, even if they’re coming from teams like the Knicks, Jazz, etc.
For me, the most consistent/reliable way to build a team has been to find one or two guys in the draft - Jamison, Perkins, Bamba and Ingram were good creation picks, I knew Daugherty had some major flaws so I traded him while value was high to Fecta (lol) - and then using whatever firsts I’ve accumulated to fill in around them, either with good late picks or by dealing them for complementary pieces.
Honestly, it’s tough to really put into words. I guess I have to say that luck plays a factor, but I think I’ve done a pretty damn good job of building a team out of what turned out to be a pretty terrible creation draft.
I’ve never trusted free agency and frankly put more stock into my ability to identify talent in the draft than I do into the RNG that is the free agency process. Perkins picking the Hornets in most test FA sims, Shareef taking the Hornets deal over the Blazers, stuff like that just solidifies my view that banking on max cap space isn’t the way to go.
With Odin coming back into the picture, how is that going to change team building from your perspective?
Odin (Prose Edda)
JHB: It doesn’t. I’ve always had the same strategy. I look for stats in a player’s stat line that give me indicators of what their underlying grade set may be and I look for players who are strong in the areas where growth in TC is unlikely. That gives you players with the most upside to grow in TC because the areas where they can grow in TC are the ones that need work.
I look at FT rate to get an idea of their strength, FT% to get an idea of jumper, usage rate (fg attempts per 36) to get an idea of jumping, FG% to get a general idea of their inside scoring, and 3pt shot rate to get an idea of the 3pt rating. I’m always looking to make sure that the players I aquire are good at defense, rebounding, and possessing the ball without turning it over...but it isn’t a disqualifier if the scoring that they give you is elite. That’s why someone like Benji stuck with the Hawks for so long. But I look for the guys where the rebounds and defense will hold without having to be upgraded so I can focus on the scoring. That’s why I’ve pursued guys like Deng Adel, Isaac Bonga, Kevin Knox, and Chiozza in FA/trades. And when I get bigs, I want guys that will defend and rebound and shoot as little/efficient as possible. That’s why you see guys like Desean Murray and Etan Thomas as acquisitions.
TP: So if you do all that research and know so much about the important attributes, why did you sign Mitchell Robinson to a max contract? Boom roasted.
JHB: Blocks are a premium right now, and I expected him to get better at rebounding to the point it may be passable with A potential. He was providing passable scoring efficiency but that took a step back last year unfortunately. I’m still bullish on Mitchell’s future for now. I’m not really all that worried about the cap situation right now as I will find a bargain solution for starting center and big/wing depth as I always do.
Why don’t you have as many wins, division titles or playoff wins/appearances as me? Boom roasted.
TP: I’ve won more games in Conference Championship series than you have which is the real goal as we all know.
Real talk though as this is getting pretty long. Last question: Majic is clearly selling his team off. So far, in exchange for Malcolm Moore and Andre Turner, two players who are pretty darn good in their respective positional hierarchies (Turner was 3rd in PG WS last year, Moore 9th among SGs), he’s received seven first round picks (all from playoff teams - the Bucks will be a playoff team), expiring contracts, Caron Butler, and Drew Gooden.
Is the the start of a decent rebuild? I’m going to go with a no. If I’m getting bleh picks, I want real prospects. I’m asking the Spurs for Jason Williams at least, and I’m asking the Bucks for Marcus Fizer or Jay Williams. You? Also, if you’re in Majic’s position, is Isaac Bonga untouchable? We haven’t seen Butler or Gooden yet and both have grades in some areas that are kind of scary. Would you have waited until preseason to evaluate them?
JHB: I’m a big Jason Williams fan. I would have started any conversation by seeing what RW would have given me with that wealth of picks and no wings he could viably start on his roster. Not sure why Moore wasn’t discussed at the same time Turner was. I will hold off my evaluation of where he is in terms of kicking off a rebuild until we can see what Caron Butler is capable of in the preseason. I never like to trade for a rookie who we haven’t actually seen in action yet because grades and profile write-ups are pretty worthless indicators of actual talent. That’s why I don’t build through the draft.
And yes. Bonga is untouchable. But Bonga will always be a pet cat of mine and dear to my heart as I had him pegged as a huge sleeper from the get go and tried to get SPL to trade him to me in 2000.
Quick hitters. Give a couple word answer on these.
JHB: Player you’d most like to add to your current roster.
TP: Brain.
JHB: Simi or Bamba
TP: Best contract in the league.
JHB: Gravett (that dread bowl-cut albino looking fucker)
TP: Heron (and omg I had never seen what Gravett looked like)
JHB: GM you’d most like to see return and take over a squad.
TP: 20s. No learning curve, didn’t leave the league on a sour note, and is a great guy.
JHB: Patface. Quality content creator.
TP: Most overrated player in the league.
JHB: Cam Reddish. Scoring efficiency hasn’t been as elite as I’d like.
TP: Vince Carter. I know lots of people don’t like him but enough do that I feel he’s an acceptable answer.
JHB: Worst active GM in the league so far in 5.0?
TP: Fecta.
JHB: Don’t see how you can’t say Fecta.
The worst GM in the league (Associated Press)
TP: Will the Hornets finish over .500?
JHB: I say right at .500 and out of the playoffs.
TP: Yes, but barely.
JHB: Without the benefit of the end of FA, TC, and the preseason, who wins it all in 2006?
TP: The Bulls. Lost no one of importance and added Nick King.
JHB: Gotta be the Jazz until someone shows me something different.
TimPig: For my money, there isn’t a division in the league with better potential for success over the next five or so years than the Central. Long the laughing stock of the league, I think there are a few teams that can be looked at as legitimate contenders barring anything too crazy.
Starting with my own squad, a core of Ayton, Jamison, and Nick King should win a lot of games, and Herb Jones and Stan Haynes are excellent role players. Sarunas is above average for a point guard in a league that lacks a lot of them, and Mason is a good super sub.
The Hornets are the talk of the offseason after bringing back Shareef O’Neal and adding Seventh Woods. I’m not a huge fan of Woods, but he’s a major improvement over whatever dog shit they were running out at PG the past few seasons. Shareef isn’t an all-star, but the same thought applies. This team will be banking on Giannis and Yao becoming very good players, so there are question marks, but the massive amount of bucks he’s going to earn for his Dump troll video should help with player development.
I put the Hawks and Pacers in a similar category where neither look like championship contenders, but they’re obvious playoff teams. The Hammon retiring really hurts the Hawks, who are in cap trouble without him. Oladipo is going to need to make some huge strides quickly to catch up with Taurasi and give that team a real good 1-2 punch before Taurasi eventually starts to decline, but Heebs is a shrewd guy who is very good at finding hidden gems.
Finally, you have the Bucks, who Druce will run. Bamba, Godbolt, Fizer, and Jay Williams are an excellent core, and you know Druce has some inside knowledge. I don’t think he makes the Ayton trade if he doesn’t know something about Fizer and Guyton.
The Raptors have good wings and lots of picks too but I know Breauxcaine won’t read this so I won’t go too in-depth here.
JHB: I think you’re a little biased when determining which division is set up for the most success long-term.
Are we defining success by titles? Because I still pick the Jazz to win every year as long as most of this core group that Ank has is still together.
Are we talking about most talented group from top to bottom? I can buy that. With Druce taking the Bucks (and potentially actually having GMs run the Cavs and Pistons), the division definitely doesn’t have the same autopilot issue it has had with the teams at the bottom in the past. I trust Druce to lead the Bucks to more prominence than they had in the past, although he’s made it quite tough on himself by trading away a stud like Ayton.
Heebs will continue to reload and contend as he always does. The Bulls are quite good. That’s all the ballooning your already large head needs in this article. The Hawks are ready to move into the post-Benji phase and should be better on the strength of giving uber efficient wings Knox and Adel more opportunities while improving their defense, rebounding, and ball-handling with the move to Chiozza (this is the spin I’m going with folks, get on board).
Like you, I think Breauxcaine has had some tantalizing pieces he hasn’t quite capitalized on in the past. That’s been a little frustrating. There was a time where I felt like if he’d invested in his trio of Edwards, Mobley, and Bridges that he could’ve been a perennial playoff contender and had a nice little team. He didn’t really capitalize. Hopefully we can get him around more often to take that team to the next level. Cody Zeller looks like a nice role player. Big Cody Zeller fan IRL so I hope that he continues to improve.
The Pistons are fading with Jackie Moon leaving the prime of his career and no real other high octane pieces other than Shamorie Ponds. The next GM should look to retool and should get a fairly significant offer for Ponds as he’s looked good recently. Musa, Key, and Covington have flashed some intriguing tools as wing prospects but I’m not sure that any of them do enough things well to be full-time starters. Maybe one takes the next step along with Jackie having a resurgent age 34 season and they make some noise?
The Cavs are a mess. Someone get in there and get to fixing.
Finally, the Hornets suck. I’m sorry. There’s some nice pieces here but none of it works together. No defense on the wings. Rebounding doesn’t look to be all there. I don’t like it. Sixth Woods isn’t good enough to carry you at the point, especially not without several other elite players. I wouldn’t go so far as to call any of this cast of misfits elite. Will finish below the Hawks unless I decide I want to be lower than Fecta in the standings. But many think this is a team to watch. I agree. Popping my popcorn to watch this implosion.
Seventh Woods, who sucks (Photo: Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina)
I’m not sure any other division has that depth. In the Atlantic, the Knicks are very good and the Globetrotters are around the same tier as the Pacers/Hawks for me. But I think the Magic take a step back and the Heat and Wizards still don’t quite put it together. Celtics and Bullets are still probably lotto teams #FreeSimi.
Pacific is trash. Clippers have Fason who seems to be taking a more measured approach to rebuilding this time and appears to have a team that can be solidly in the playoffs. Warriors, Lakers, and Kings are never contenders. Sonics have some pieces but not enough elite scoring to make a real run. The Blazers are tearing down. I’d imagine the Grizz are likely to start tearing down soon with a new GM. Not great, Bob.
The Midwest would’ve always been my answer for best division long-term before this year. The Jazz, in my eyes, are the standard right now. Mavs and Suns are solid contenders. I think time has passed the Rockets and Timberwolves by for now. The Nuggets aren’t quite there but have the tools.
Is this the year that Ank not developing his team comes back to bite him? Does Delap finally grow a pair and get a good PG? Or does Andy Luck land another stroke of genius and we finally see someone overtake the Jazz in the Midwest? What’s your prognosis for that division?
TP: The Midwest is still an elite division and probably the best in terms of likelihood to win it all this year. Ank’s lack of player development has been a fun/frustrating troll to watch for the past few seasons, and while I don’t think it’d be enough to make a substantial difference in his prospects for this year, it certainly won’t help.
I personally think the Jazz, while once prohibitive favorites, are not the same team. Maten is still great and in his prime, but Withers and Bossert are both 32. Withers’ contract is up after this year and Ank will be forced to maneuver his cap intelligently in order to bring him back on a deal that doesn’t totally destroy his cap space.
Heron should be starting somewhere, and that may end up being Utah if anyone wants to trade Ank for Withers. Catfish is old. They got swept by the Mavericks last season without any injuries to speak of (though Druce did say this was a rarity in test re-sims).
The Timberwolves are in a tough spot after trading Sexton, which will give the Jazz, Suns, and Mavs some easy wins this year. Ian stocked up on first round draft picks in a draft that was incredibly top heavy. Stoudemire is the only one who looks like he has elite potential so that team has tons of rebuilding to do outside of him and Canaan.
I hope for Andy’s sake he doesn’t blow it up yet. Hakeem and Max are in their prime and Steph has shown no signs of slowing down. The wing situation is ugly with Butch falling off big time and no real small forward to speak of. Depth is also an issue. Andy will need to get creative with the two first round picks he has to try and find an upgrade at small forward.
Unfortunately for the Nuggets, their lottery picks haven’t really hit. Jordan is good and worthy of his max contract in my opinion, but he’s pretty one-dimensional. Other than that, Kenyon looks fine. Livio could be decent offensively but will need help to cover for his defensive deficiencies. Who knows what Trey Burke and Luis Scola are at this point.
JHB: I agree with you on the Suns. I hope they continue to try and compete. With some of Ank’s bigger name players potentially fading, do you think this is the year that it finally catches up to Ank that he’s using an average talent at PG even though his contract is an absolute bargain? That excess value doesn’t quite show up on the court for 30 minutes per game and Gravett still isn’t elite.
TP: I don’t think it “catches up” to him necessarily. I’m coming more to terms every season with the fact that a point guard who shoots 45% is essentially the new norm. I really like Gravett’s rebounding and, as you mentioned, the contract. Free throw percentage is nice and turnovers aren’t bad. I think this team has three really good starters this season in Maten, Withers, and Bossert, a decent one in Gravett, and a below average one in whoever ends up as their fifth starter. Heron will be a fine backup wing but depth is lacking elsewhere.
Hassani Gravett, who looks more like Blake Griffin than Blake Griffin does (Photo: Katie Dugan, 247Sports)
I have to ask about the Mavs. They had an impressive run last season, but Neon is bound to fall off soon. Can they make a real run for it this year? Point guard is still ugly for them but they once again have two firsts they can trade for someone not named Cecil Exum.
JHB: Before I answer your question, I have to ask...did you just make an observation based on field goal percentage? Do you even eFG% or pts/tsa, bro? COME ON.
But to answer your question, GET. IT. TOGETHER. DELAP. Trade for an actual point guard already. Do whatever it takes, but get one. There should probably even be some pretty decent ones coming to market if we get new GMs in Detroit and Vancouver. You are so close to running out of time with Neon being a really good big and Cam Reddish’s prime is getting impatient. That team is always my dark horse team because one really good acquisition at the point could get them over the hump in a really big way. I’m cheering for you, Delap. Make it happen.
What does concern me, though, is that Delap has made a lot of attempts to get point guards and has been pretty confident in many cases that he’s got an upgrade. I’ve never really seen it. It just speaks to the fact that even though we all have a pretty good idea how the software works thanks to Eric’s digging, we all have our different ways of evaluating players. What is your strategy when it comes to evaluating players in the league? What things do you look for and what things are red flags? Give us the TimPig cliffnotes on how to GM a TMBSL roster.
TP: That’s a lot to get into. I take it you want to know because I’ve consistently displayed my elite-level GMing abilities?
/bk
Honestly, I’m one of those “rubes” who pays a lot of attention to FG%. I probably put more stock into that than anything else. I also admittedly think a lot about potential, and while I’m getting better about not using shown potential to dictate my thoughts, I still rely pretty heavily on what a guy did IRL in conjunction with their starting grades. Write-up is also very significant, which is how I was able find some good prospects in Fizer and Mason.
From a team-building perspective, I like to accumulate a lot of draft picks as far out as possible. There’s a debate in every major trade how much firsts are worth, and I personally go back and forth. If I can get lots of picks in a deal, even if they’re from a good team, it’s usually pretty enticing. Firsts hold some trade value with most GMs, even if they’re coming from teams like the Knicks, Jazz, etc.
For me, the most consistent/reliable way to build a team has been to find one or two guys in the draft - Jamison, Perkins, Bamba and Ingram were good creation picks, I knew Daugherty had some major flaws so I traded him while value was high to Fecta (lol) - and then using whatever firsts I’ve accumulated to fill in around them, either with good late picks or by dealing them for complementary pieces.
Honestly, it’s tough to really put into words. I guess I have to say that luck plays a factor, but I think I’ve done a pretty damn good job of building a team out of what turned out to be a pretty terrible creation draft.
I’ve never trusted free agency and frankly put more stock into my ability to identify talent in the draft than I do into the RNG that is the free agency process. Perkins picking the Hornets in most test FA sims, Shareef taking the Hornets deal over the Blazers, stuff like that just solidifies my view that banking on max cap space isn’t the way to go.
With Odin coming back into the picture, how is that going to change team building from your perspective?
Odin (Prose Edda)
JHB: It doesn’t. I’ve always had the same strategy. I look for stats in a player’s stat line that give me indicators of what their underlying grade set may be and I look for players who are strong in the areas where growth in TC is unlikely. That gives you players with the most upside to grow in TC because the areas where they can grow in TC are the ones that need work.
I look at FT rate to get an idea of their strength, FT% to get an idea of jumper, usage rate (fg attempts per 36) to get an idea of jumping, FG% to get a general idea of their inside scoring, and 3pt shot rate to get an idea of the 3pt rating. I’m always looking to make sure that the players I aquire are good at defense, rebounding, and possessing the ball without turning it over...but it isn’t a disqualifier if the scoring that they give you is elite. That’s why someone like Benji stuck with the Hawks for so long. But I look for the guys where the rebounds and defense will hold without having to be upgraded so I can focus on the scoring. That’s why I’ve pursued guys like Deng Adel, Isaac Bonga, Kevin Knox, and Chiozza in FA/trades. And when I get bigs, I want guys that will defend and rebound and shoot as little/efficient as possible. That’s why you see guys like Desean Murray and Etan Thomas as acquisitions.
TP: So if you do all that research and know so much about the important attributes, why did you sign Mitchell Robinson to a max contract? Boom roasted.
JHB: Blocks are a premium right now, and I expected him to get better at rebounding to the point it may be passable with A potential. He was providing passable scoring efficiency but that took a step back last year unfortunately. I’m still bullish on Mitchell’s future for now. I’m not really all that worried about the cap situation right now as I will find a bargain solution for starting center and big/wing depth as I always do.
Why don’t you have as many wins, division titles or playoff wins/appearances as me? Boom roasted.
TP: I’ve won more games in Conference Championship series than you have which is the real goal as we all know.
Real talk though as this is getting pretty long. Last question: Majic is clearly selling his team off. So far, in exchange for Malcolm Moore and Andre Turner, two players who are pretty darn good in their respective positional hierarchies (Turner was 3rd in PG WS last year, Moore 9th among SGs), he’s received seven first round picks (all from playoff teams - the Bucks will be a playoff team), expiring contracts, Caron Butler, and Drew Gooden.
Is the the start of a decent rebuild? I’m going to go with a no. If I’m getting bleh picks, I want real prospects. I’m asking the Spurs for Jason Williams at least, and I’m asking the Bucks for Marcus Fizer or Jay Williams. You? Also, if you’re in Majic’s position, is Isaac Bonga untouchable? We haven’t seen Butler or Gooden yet and both have grades in some areas that are kind of scary. Would you have waited until preseason to evaluate them?
JHB: I’m a big Jason Williams fan. I would have started any conversation by seeing what RW would have given me with that wealth of picks and no wings he could viably start on his roster. Not sure why Moore wasn’t discussed at the same time Turner was. I will hold off my evaluation of where he is in terms of kicking off a rebuild until we can see what Caron Butler is capable of in the preseason. I never like to trade for a rookie who we haven’t actually seen in action yet because grades and profile write-ups are pretty worthless indicators of actual talent. That’s why I don’t build through the draft.
And yes. Bonga is untouchable. But Bonga will always be a pet cat of mine and dear to my heart as I had him pegged as a huge sleeper from the get go and tried to get SPL to trade him to me in 2000.
Quick hitters. Give a couple word answer on these.
JHB: Player you’d most like to add to your current roster.
TP: Brain.
JHB: Simi or Bamba
TP: Best contract in the league.
JHB: Gravett (that dread bowl-cut albino looking fucker)
TP: Heron (and omg I had never seen what Gravett looked like)
JHB: GM you’d most like to see return and take over a squad.
TP: 20s. No learning curve, didn’t leave the league on a sour note, and is a great guy.
JHB: Patface. Quality content creator.
TP: Most overrated player in the league.
JHB: Cam Reddish. Scoring efficiency hasn’t been as elite as I’d like.
TP: Vince Carter. I know lots of people don’t like him but enough do that I feel he’s an acceptable answer.
JHB: Worst active GM in the league so far in 5.0?
TP: Fecta.
JHB: Don’t see how you can’t say Fecta.
The worst GM in the league (Associated Press)
TP: Will the Hornets finish over .500?
JHB: I say right at .500 and out of the playoffs.
TP: Yes, but barely.
JHB: Without the benefit of the end of FA, TC, and the preseason, who wins it all in 2006?
TP: The Bulls. Lost no one of importance and added Nick King.
JHB: Gotta be the Jazz until someone shows me something different.
