Post by Majic on Apr 17, 2020 19:28:21 GMT
We have only had 1 TC and 1 Preseason to judge the picks, but thats plenty of information to declare who won and lost the draft.
In this Round Table of sorts, we wanted to give out draft grades based on each teams selections in this last draft. They were able to use all of the information we have gotten to this point and gave a score between 0 and 100.
I then used those scores to assign a grade to each teams draft. Thank you to Druce, Tim and Delap for participating in this with me.
In addition to the grades each has provided commentary on why they gave their score.
Finally, we have some recap questions at the bottom along with some fun predictions.
Without further distraction, I present to you the 3036 Draft Recap
Blackhawks:
1.1 - Rudy Gay SF 6'9'' 222 19 B+ C, C, C, C, B, Connecticut
1.2 - J.J. Redick SG 6'4'' 190 21 C+ A- B, C+ D, C, Duke
2.5 - Joel Freeland PF 6'11'' 248 19 C+ C+ C- C+ C+ D, United Kingdom
3.1 - Boobie Gibson PG 6'3'' 189 19 C, B, B- C, D, C, Texas
Grades:
B-
F+
F
C
Comments:
- Rudy Gay was always going to be a risk/reward with a teen TC. Redick was probably a reach, but given the rest of this class it wasn’t stupid. I like the Freeland pick… and any 3rd Round flier is fine.
- No sure bets here, and I’d argue that both Gay and Redick have a better chance of being busts than real solid players. This was a team that needed at least one of these players to turn out good, and I’m not betting on that happening. One of the lower grades overall because of the draft position and the relative value gained with those picks. Boobie might end up being the best pick out of any of the four here.
- Like the Boobie pick. He full scouted a number of guys so I can only assume Redick and Gay were the right choices but I probably would have gone a different direction.
- BK seemed to do some scouting and picked the best of what was out there. Just seems that this draft may not have the biggest stars one would hope for when having 1.2 and 1.2
Spurs:
1.3. - Adam Morrison SF 6'9'' 205 21 B- B, C, C, C, B, Gonzaga
2.3. - Lior Eliyahu SF 6'9'' 226 20 C+ B- C, C, C, B, Israel
Grades:
F
C-
F-
D
Comments:
- Morrison’s handling, defense, and rebounding grades are a major red-flag. He also drafted a worse version of the same player in the 2nd round. No diversity at all.
- I think Morrison could end up a solid contributor with even a slight boost in TC. The volume appears to be decent enough and with +25 inside I could see him being a 20/7 small forward
- A couple pretty blah picks to me. Morrison becoming a top line scorer isn’t out of the question and probably the only thing that could salvage this draft.
- Morrison just doenst excite me very much and its awful value sitting there at 1.3. I think there are a number of other players I would have picked ahead of him
Mavericks:
1.4 - Brandon Roy SG 6'5'' 197 21 B- C, C, C+ C, C, Washington
1.9 - Andrea Bargnani PF 6'11'' 228 20 B- B, C, C, C+ B, Italy
1.16 - Mouhamed Sene C 7'0'' 232 19 C+ C- C- B+ C, F, Senegal
2.4 - J.J. Barea PG 5'9'' 172 22 C+ C+ B- C, C- C, Northeastern
2.11 - Maurice Ager SG 6'5'' 189 21 B- C+ C, C, C, F, Michigan
2.12 - Allan Ray SG 6'3'' 189 22 C+ B, C, C+ D+ C, Villanova
2.16 - Pops Mensah-Bonsu PF 6'9'' 237 23 C+ C, C- B, C+ C, George Washington
3.4 - Thabo Sefolosha SG 6'6'' 219 22 C, C+ C, B- C- C, Switzerland
Grades:
B-
F
B
C+
Comments:
- This guy here just flooded the market to find any potential stars. Roy was a pick based on name, but outside growth is good for SGs, so the grades weren’t too scary. Bargnani and Sene look like decent players and at least 1 (maybe 2!) of those 2nd/3rd rounders could be rotation pieces. No home runs for sure, but maybe a double and two singles.
- Woof. Three first round picks and eight in total and none of them look super promising. The most redeeming player is Bargnani, but even he has a ceiling as a third big.
- A lot of players I like here, Bargs, Barea could both develop into solid pieces. Intriguing lottery tickets in Ager and Pops
- I actually like the strategy here, the draft can be so random at times so having more shots at the board is a good thing. Roy seems like a name recognition pick. I actually liked the look of JJ so I am interested to see if he can get his TO’s down. Otherwise this is alot of shots at finding a player.
Oaks:
1.6 - Kyle Lowry PG 6'0'' 190 19 C+ C, A- B+ C- A, Villanova
1.12 - Shelden Williams PF 6'9'' 251 22 B- C, C, C+ A- C, Duke
Grades:
B
C+
F-
C
Comments:
- Given my draft boards he took the BPA both times. Lowry doesn’t look like he’ll pan out, but kujo probably made the right pick.
- Awful Lowry pick, very nice Williams pick. If Kujo nabs O’Bryant, Novak, Aldridge, Millsap, or Bargnani who were all available at 1.6 and then gets Williams later, he might get the best grade in the league.
- Just don’t like the Lowry pick, and I hate IRL Shelden Williams
- Lowry pick looks awful, he is not good. This grade is weighed heavily with how good Williams looks. You would like to see some more defense from him but theres alot to like there.
Trailblazers:
1.7 - Lamarcus Aldridge PF 6'11'' 240 20 C+ C, B- C, C+ B, Texas
2.7 - Josh Boone C 6'10'' 221 21 B, C- C- C, C+ C, Connecticut
Grades:
C
B-
C
C+
Comments:
- Good solid picks, nothing flashy.
- Nice little find for Majic to grab Aldridge, who slipped farther than expected. I think the grades could be misleading because, while they’re bad, Aldridge wasn’t completely awful in preseason. Boone’s points-per-36 were higher than I expected, but so are the turnovers and the defense is bad. He has an outside shot to stick around.
- Like both of these players. Aldridge is at worst a rotation big with potential to become a star, Boone is a solid lottery ticket.
- Aldridge at this pick is great value and already has some strong grades. Boone was scouted and then picked in the second, seems like he could be a potential player down the line.
Pistons:
1.8 - Rajon Rondo PG 6'2'' 174 19 C+ D+ A, B, C- B, Kentucky
Grades:
F
C
F
D
Comments:
- That outside grade and rebounding grade are just scary bad. PreSeason was not kind to him either.
- I didn’t expect the scoring or the turnovers to be as high as they are. I look at Rondo and might consider +25 into his handling so he can be one of those low volume, low turnover point guards. I don’t think +25 anywhere else makes him a stud, but the handling upgrade could at least make him playable.
- Could’ve done a lot worse in this spot. Should play defense and get boards. Hopefully he doesn’t shoot.
- Rondo was an interesting grade set and I am sure most are scared of that D+ outside. He shot OK in preaseason but his TO’s look rough.
Bullets:
1.10 - Paul Millsap PF 6'8'' 243 20 B, C- D+ C, A- B, Louisiana Tech
2.10 - Mardy Collins PG 6'6'' 204 21 C, B, B- C, D+ C, Temple
Grades:
C
B-
C
C+
Comments:
- Good picks, given their slot. Took a slight chance on Millsap and it has paid off so far.
- Millsap’s rebounding is special, and the scoring could be at least average if Kn ever upgraded him. He’ll be another player someone offers an MLE after his rookie contract expires, upgrades, and then turns into a fine player. Mardy was a great second round pick. Low turnovers, though based on his low preseason assist totals he was probably playing shooting guard. That also probably bumped up his rebounding numbers, but there might be something here.
- Like the Millsap selection, very good value at 1.10
- Millsap is outstanding value at 1.10, alot to of good things to build on from here. Collins doesnt look like a slouch either. If nothing else he looks to be a potential solid backup PG.
Hornets:
1.11 - Steve Novak SF 6'10'' 220 23 C+ B- D+ C+ C, B, Marquette
1.14 - Tyrus Thomas PF 6'9'' 221 19 B- C, C, C, C+ C, LSUfhornets
Grades:
C-
C+
C
B-
Comments:
- Novak was a good pick, Tyrus Thomas had a million red flags in his grades and strength.
- Novak looks good and Tyrus could have potential. Novak’s rebounding numbers were solid for a SF in preseason and his percentages weren’t bad either. +25 and he’s a solid small forward, though his height and positional inflexibility is disappointing. Thomas’ rebounds and turnovers were fine in preseason, but it’s too bad he didn’t have a great teen TC. With jumping as a strength and a lowish inside grade anyway, I am curious if the 1.06 pts/tsa is a fluke.
- Not a bad grade in that Novak set, and Tyrus that late in the first could end up a steal.
- Novak looks like a solid pick and good value. Thomas looks like he could have some potential
Hawks:
1.13 - Patrick O'Bryant C 7'0'' 250 19 C+ C- C- C+ C+ B, Bradley
Grades:
B-
B+
A-
C+
Comments:
- I know +6 yada yada yada… but it was a risk either way. The grade set is good, not great… but jhb took a risk and it was definitely not a slam dunk.
- Good pick based on the potential, which panned out during his first TC. Grades started off poor enough that he still doesn’t have the grades of the league’s great big men, but one more TC of +3 or so and some upgrades and we might have a player here.
- Obviously he went +6 so I assume this is a very good pick.
- I have the lowest grade on this as most seem to think this pick was outstanding. Sure POB had an oustanding TC by going +6, but I dont know how that has translated yet. His preseason numbers were just OK in my opinion. I think he needs another great TC and then I will nudge up the grade.
Bulls:
2.1 - P.J. Tucker PF 6'5'' 246 21 B, C, C- C+ C+ C, Texas
2.8 - Sergio Rodriguez PG 6'3'' 170 19 C, C+ B- C, D+ F, Spain
2.13 - Alexander Johnson PF 6'9'' 245 23 B, C, C- C+ C+ C, Florida State
3.2 - Yotam Halperin SG 6'5'' 200 21 C+ B, C, C, C- D,
Grades:
B-
C
F-
C
Comments:
- Great work in the 2nd round. Looks like he got at least 2 players that are intriguing going forward.
- Mostly junk, but the whole point for the cap-strapped Bulls was to draft seconds to fill out their roster. The only player who looks like they have any shot is Sergio Rodriguez, who went +4 in his rookie TC.
- All lotto tickets, Tucker and Johnson are intriguing. Don’t like D+ rebounding point guards and C- rebounding wings personally.
- Not a ton to judge as these were all lotto ticket picks.
Magic:
2.6 - Shawne Williams SF 6'9'' 229 19 C+ C, C- C+ C, B, Memphis
2.14 - Jordan Farmar PG 6'2'' 182 19 C, C+ A- C, D, B, UCLA
Grades:
C-
C-
F-
D
Comments:
- 2nd rounders are a crapshoot, but it doesn’t look like either was a great pick.
- Not much to be expected here with two mid- to late-second round picks. Williams was someone I considered taking a flier on since he’s only 19, but the 6’9” height and therefore ineligibility at shooting guard scared me away.
- I don’t see a lot here. Williams with the C rebounding hurts, and Farmar I imagine will struggle to score with C inside and D rebounding
- Not much to judge here as this was another lotto ticket group of picks.
Grizzlies:
3.3. Vancouver Grizzlies - Dee Brown PG 5'10'' 178 21 C, C+ C+ C+ C- A, Illinois
Grades:
N/A
C-
F-
N/A
Comments:
- Picking a single 3rd rounder doesn’t really lead to a grade. Druce just sat this one out.
- One third round pick. Meh. Not much to see here but the rebounds look nice for a point guard.
- Throw a dart at the wall here, liked the C- rebounding but he looks like ass so far.
- 3rd round picks are barely worth much but no reason to pass on it when you have no other picks.
1. Who was the biggest reach in the draft and why?
- Either Brandon Roy or Rajon Rondo. Neither benefited from a big TC to hide their flaws (Rondo’s TC boosted his strengths… but his flaws are still there) and both were drafted off name more than what we could see.
- Kyle Lowry. He looked straight up bad in preseason. If a point guard is averaging over four turnovers per 36, that’s 100% going to be a problem for their entire career. Even if you give him +25 handling, it’s still going to be an issue, and it’s not like he’s a particularly good scorer or defender. The profile indicated turnovers might be an issue, but I didn’t expect anything like this. Still, a shaky jumper and potential turnover problems combined with his athleticism making up most of his inside grade of C+ and you knew you were in for a player who was never going to be very good. Each of the next six players taken would’ve been better selections here. Fortunately, Kujo was able to nab Shelden Williams with his second pick, which could salvage some of this draft.
- Kyle Lowry for me. I assume what Bill shared were his actual attributes, and they stink out loud. I’d rather have the 3 guys drafted directly after him, and probably a few others as well.
- Lowry is the easy choice here. I dont fault Kujo for the pick as Lowry is a known name the IRL NBA. BK apparently shared his attributes before the draft and they were awful, this looks to be the case. Hard to pick up such a bad player with the 6th pick in the draft
2. Who was the best value pick in the draft and why?
- With hindsight it was clearly Patty O’B. +6 in the TC can work wonders and his PreSeason was solid too.
- I think the easy choice here is Patrick O’Bryant and that’s probably what everyone else will say. So instead, I’ll go with Shelden Williams, who was taken the pick before O’Bryant. He went -1 during TC, but that was in handling so who really cares? Averaging 20/12 per-36 during the preseason was nice and a bit unexpected. While he likely won’t grow much naturally, +25 inside gives you a solid 25/12 big man for years to come. Nothing wrong with that at the end of the first round.
- Toss up for me between Aldridge an Bargs. I wanted to trade up for Bargs, offered Mike AD for Bill Russell and the Pick, which I thought was pretty fair value, but I digress. I like them both and think they’ll be 2 of the better players in the draft if they grow how they can.
- Alot of love for POB, but as I mentioned above I am in a wait and see mode with him. Aldridge and Williams are the 2 that jump out to me. Aldridge had a solid preseason and is already up to a B+ inside. Williams had a great preseason and alot to build from, makes it even better to have gotten him at the end of the first round.
3. If you could redraft a single player for a single team, who would it be? The player you choose has to have been selected AFTER the pick you're re-picking.
- This is hard, because I think most teams could benefit from steady guard play and outside of Redick, there is nary a guard that impresses me in this class so far. With Redick going 2nd he isn’t even eligible for this question. The Oaks pick of Kyle Lowry is the one I would replace, as I had Aldridge, Bargnani, and Millsap all as better prospects and they were all available. Give one of them to kujo and he is probably much happier.
- Had I kept my original pick of 1.13, I would’ve taken O’Bryant as well. Fecta can attest to this. As a 19-year-old who could grow an inch and had a potential of strength, he was the choice for me, and I’m not sure there’s anyone I could’ve taken after 1.13 I would have switched with. But my actual first choice was 2.1, where I took P.J. Tucker. He seems like a nice jack of all trades in real life, but he probably doesn’t have much of a place in sim league. I might feel differently had he gone +1 or +2 in his first TC, but at this point he’s probably a lost cause. Not a big deal as he was only a second rounder and no one taken after him looks like a sure bet. If anyone, I probably would’ve taken Sergio Rodriguez (who I did draft later) or Boobie Gibson since they both went +4. At this point, since no second rounder looks great, I’ll take the bet that those two guys still have high potential and the chance to turn into something.
- I would say Aldridge to the Oaks at 6, but they’re a black hole where players go to die and he’d never be upgraded until he left in FA. I feel like Delap might’ve missed w/Roy at 4 but he did a player workout so he probably knows something I don’t there.
- Williams for me could fit with almost any team ahead of where he was picked. Having a guy that could push for a 20 and 10 right from the start would benefit almost any team. With the right upgrades he could be a monster.
4. Who will be the top 5 players from this draft coming off of their rookie contracts?
- Millsap, Bargnani, Redick, O’Bryant, and I’ll hold out the belief that Gay can get there.
- Top 5:
Patrick O’Bryant
Shelden Williams
Adam Morrison
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andrea Bargnani
It’s a rough draft class overall and I’d be really excited to do this RT another season when the prospects are stronger. That said, I’ll go with the big potential first. I don’t see anyone out of the gate who looks like they’ll be a max-contract type of guy, but with another big TC plus upgrades, O’Bryant has an outside shot of getting there, I guess? Shelden’s case was made above - he looks like he will be a good but not great contributor for the next decade and a solid big making mid-level money his entire career. I think Morrison could be sneaky good. He didn’t do anything in TC, but averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per-36 during preseason. The jumper is already there, and as a small forward he can get a full +25 inside, which probably gets him into the B+ range. The volume isn’t super low and the rebounds are playable. Most importantly, the turnovers are non-existent. Aldridge averaged 15/10 per-36 in preseason, so he could be another Shelden Williams, though the ceiling is probably higher since he has a better jumper. Easy +25 inside recipient. I like Bargnani as well, and he could be another 20/10 type of guy for his entire career but since he was built as a power forward, it seems like his ceiling is that of a third big.
- Reddick, Novak, Aldridge, Millsap, Bargs is my best guess at this point. This class could be a dud, and looking at Delap’s rookie ladder that seems very likely. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, obviously there have to be at least a few good players here, and it could end up that someone unexpected takes a leap
- My 5 would go like this:
Reddick
Williams
Aldridge
Bargnani
Millsap
All 5 already look to be fringe starters/roation players. With the right upgrades I think each could be high quality starters at minimum.
2036 Season Questions:
To complete this, make 1 bold prediction for the 2036 season. This could be related to anything; player, team, GM, standings
- The title will be won by a non-Bulls/Globetrotters team.
- Both the Hornets and Bullets will be good. And by that, I mean both will not only make the playoffs, but I could see them nabbing the 4th and 5th seeds in the Eastern Conference. It might be too easy to say that either GM has had a revival, but both drafted, sent FA bids, and have set depth charts, which is the first step. They each also grabbed a really nice player in the contraction draft.
- I’ll go out on a limb and say the Grizz make the finals. I like that team a lot, barring injuries I think it could have happened last season except AD sucks total dick in the playoffs.
- Hornets finish in the top half of the league and push for the finals.
Name 1 under the radar player you think makes a leap
- Gonna cheat and pick 2… I like both backup PGs in Portland (Exum, Payton) and I think both end up being better than Kidd this year, forcing him to the 3rd string.
- Does Christian Laettner count? I would have let him go for a late first last season, which I was shocked no one would bite on. Instead I had to use his salary for trading purposes to snag Walt Williams. 20 and 10 with a good jumper and already shooting about .500 from the field, plus about 2 bleals per game with +25 remaining - how do people not see this? He got his upgrades and will be extended, and should be a very good third big who could start for a lot of teams.
- Nikola Jokic on the Spurs is a guy I’ve had my eye on for like 3 seasons and newguy and I just about had a deal in place for him before he faded into bolivian, so I will go with him assuming he gets consistent minutes with the Spurs
- Haywood - I am not sure this is a fair answer but I think he is going to be a stud now that he has a GM thats at the very least playing him. Loved his underlying numbers when he was riding the bench as the 3rd/4th big, now that he can be the focal point I expect him to jump to elite status.
Most overrated player?
- Shaq
- This is a tough one because I think we’re in a pretty equal place regarding evaluating players, so no one is egregiously overrated. I do think there are a couple of guys that people have invested a lot into that, while nice to have, I certainly wouldn’t trade the farm for them.
Bill Cartwright - Cartwright’s best attributes are his elite rebounding and low turnovers. I think his scoring is overrated though. A career 1.145 pts/tsa for a big is good but not great and his ceiling isn’t much higher due to the poor jump shot. His defense is also below average for a big. Would I take him on my team? In a heartbeat. If he were a free agent tomorrow and I had space, would I offer him a max? No chance. Emeka Okafor had a 1.135 pts/tsa for his career, averaged more rebounds, played slightly better defense, and had slightly more turnovers and he spent a lot of time on benches and getting paid sub-max dollars. The cost - a 1.3 this coming offseason and a 1.5 the year after - was large considering in particular the strength and depth of those two upcoming classes.
Terry Cummings - Cummings exploded last year as the focal point of the Magic offense, which was great for Skrouse since he needed some way to obtain a real solid asset and most of his other trading chips weren’t bringing that. He was able to flip Cummings for a 1.2 that should turn into either Chris Paul or Andrew Bynum who, based on profiles, look really really good. Cummings has a career 1.126 pts/tsa, even lower than the guys mentioned above, has averaged less than 10 rebounds-per-36 in his career, and only plays decent defense with decent turnovers. Last year he played out of his mind in every aspect, but we’ll see if that keeps up and if it was worth the 1.2.
- I feel like we’re overrating Jabari Parker a bit. He’s a very good player and all, that’s undeniable, but I’m not sure he’s a top tier guy like a lot of people think he is. He doesn’t rebound as well as I’d like out of a max guy, and who knows if he can be a 20 ppg scorer.
- Parker is a good choice, although my feelings are probably skewed by the contract. Not sure I want to max a big thats not getting double digit rebounds even if he is next to LBJ. Conley is someone that I think could qualify here as well. Puts up great stats but it has never been enough to lift a team to contention.
In this Round Table of sorts, we wanted to give out draft grades based on each teams selections in this last draft. They were able to use all of the information we have gotten to this point and gave a score between 0 and 100.
I then used those scores to assign a grade to each teams draft. Thank you to Druce, Tim and Delap for participating in this with me.
In addition to the grades each has provided commentary on why they gave their score.
Finally, we have some recap questions at the bottom along with some fun predictions.
Without further distraction, I present to you the 3036 Draft Recap
Blackhawks:
1.1 - Rudy Gay SF 6'9'' 222 19 B+ C, C, C, C, B, Connecticut
1.2 - J.J. Redick SG 6'4'' 190 21 C+ A- B, C+ D, C, Duke
2.5 - Joel Freeland PF 6'11'' 248 19 C+ C+ C- C+ C+ D, United Kingdom
3.1 - Boobie Gibson PG 6'3'' 189 19 C, B, B- C, D, C, Texas
Grades:
B-
F+
F
C
Comments:
- Rudy Gay was always going to be a risk/reward with a teen TC. Redick was probably a reach, but given the rest of this class it wasn’t stupid. I like the Freeland pick… and any 3rd Round flier is fine.
- No sure bets here, and I’d argue that both Gay and Redick have a better chance of being busts than real solid players. This was a team that needed at least one of these players to turn out good, and I’m not betting on that happening. One of the lower grades overall because of the draft position and the relative value gained with those picks. Boobie might end up being the best pick out of any of the four here.
- Like the Boobie pick. He full scouted a number of guys so I can only assume Redick and Gay were the right choices but I probably would have gone a different direction.
- BK seemed to do some scouting and picked the best of what was out there. Just seems that this draft may not have the biggest stars one would hope for when having 1.2 and 1.2
Spurs:
1.3. - Adam Morrison SF 6'9'' 205 21 B- B, C, C, C, B, Gonzaga
2.3. - Lior Eliyahu SF 6'9'' 226 20 C+ B- C, C, C, B, Israel
Grades:
F
C-
F-
D
Comments:
- Morrison’s handling, defense, and rebounding grades are a major red-flag. He also drafted a worse version of the same player in the 2nd round. No diversity at all.
- I think Morrison could end up a solid contributor with even a slight boost in TC. The volume appears to be decent enough and with +25 inside I could see him being a 20/7 small forward
- A couple pretty blah picks to me. Morrison becoming a top line scorer isn’t out of the question and probably the only thing that could salvage this draft.
- Morrison just doenst excite me very much and its awful value sitting there at 1.3. I think there are a number of other players I would have picked ahead of him
Mavericks:
1.4 - Brandon Roy SG 6'5'' 197 21 B- C, C, C+ C, C, Washington
1.9 - Andrea Bargnani PF 6'11'' 228 20 B- B, C, C, C+ B, Italy
1.16 - Mouhamed Sene C 7'0'' 232 19 C+ C- C- B+ C, F, Senegal
2.4 - J.J. Barea PG 5'9'' 172 22 C+ C+ B- C, C- C, Northeastern
2.11 - Maurice Ager SG 6'5'' 189 21 B- C+ C, C, C, F, Michigan
2.12 - Allan Ray SG 6'3'' 189 22 C+ B, C, C+ D+ C, Villanova
2.16 - Pops Mensah-Bonsu PF 6'9'' 237 23 C+ C, C- B, C+ C, George Washington
3.4 - Thabo Sefolosha SG 6'6'' 219 22 C, C+ C, B- C- C, Switzerland
Grades:
B-
F
B
C+
Comments:
- This guy here just flooded the market to find any potential stars. Roy was a pick based on name, but outside growth is good for SGs, so the grades weren’t too scary. Bargnani and Sene look like decent players and at least 1 (maybe 2!) of those 2nd/3rd rounders could be rotation pieces. No home runs for sure, but maybe a double and two singles.
- Woof. Three first round picks and eight in total and none of them look super promising. The most redeeming player is Bargnani, but even he has a ceiling as a third big.
- A lot of players I like here, Bargs, Barea could both develop into solid pieces. Intriguing lottery tickets in Ager and Pops
- I actually like the strategy here, the draft can be so random at times so having more shots at the board is a good thing. Roy seems like a name recognition pick. I actually liked the look of JJ so I am interested to see if he can get his TO’s down. Otherwise this is alot of shots at finding a player.
Oaks:
1.6 - Kyle Lowry PG 6'0'' 190 19 C+ C, A- B+ C- A, Villanova
1.12 - Shelden Williams PF 6'9'' 251 22 B- C, C, C+ A- C, Duke
Grades:
B
C+
F-
C
Comments:
- Given my draft boards he took the BPA both times. Lowry doesn’t look like he’ll pan out, but kujo probably made the right pick.
- Awful Lowry pick, very nice Williams pick. If Kujo nabs O’Bryant, Novak, Aldridge, Millsap, or Bargnani who were all available at 1.6 and then gets Williams later, he might get the best grade in the league.
- Just don’t like the Lowry pick, and I hate IRL Shelden Williams
- Lowry pick looks awful, he is not good. This grade is weighed heavily with how good Williams looks. You would like to see some more defense from him but theres alot to like there.
Trailblazers:
1.7 - Lamarcus Aldridge PF 6'11'' 240 20 C+ C, B- C, C+ B, Texas
2.7 - Josh Boone C 6'10'' 221 21 B, C- C- C, C+ C, Connecticut
Grades:
C
B-
C
C+
Comments:
- Good solid picks, nothing flashy.
- Nice little find for Majic to grab Aldridge, who slipped farther than expected. I think the grades could be misleading because, while they’re bad, Aldridge wasn’t completely awful in preseason. Boone’s points-per-36 were higher than I expected, but so are the turnovers and the defense is bad. He has an outside shot to stick around.
- Like both of these players. Aldridge is at worst a rotation big with potential to become a star, Boone is a solid lottery ticket.
- Aldridge at this pick is great value and already has some strong grades. Boone was scouted and then picked in the second, seems like he could be a potential player down the line.
Pistons:
1.8 - Rajon Rondo PG 6'2'' 174 19 C+ D+ A, B, C- B, Kentucky
Grades:
F
C
F
D
Comments:
- That outside grade and rebounding grade are just scary bad. PreSeason was not kind to him either.
- I didn’t expect the scoring or the turnovers to be as high as they are. I look at Rondo and might consider +25 into his handling so he can be one of those low volume, low turnover point guards. I don’t think +25 anywhere else makes him a stud, but the handling upgrade could at least make him playable.
- Could’ve done a lot worse in this spot. Should play defense and get boards. Hopefully he doesn’t shoot.
- Rondo was an interesting grade set and I am sure most are scared of that D+ outside. He shot OK in preaseason but his TO’s look rough.
Bullets:
1.10 - Paul Millsap PF 6'8'' 243 20 B, C- D+ C, A- B, Louisiana Tech
2.10 - Mardy Collins PG 6'6'' 204 21 C, B, B- C, D+ C, Temple
Grades:
C
B-
C
C+
Comments:
- Good picks, given their slot. Took a slight chance on Millsap and it has paid off so far.
- Millsap’s rebounding is special, and the scoring could be at least average if Kn ever upgraded him. He’ll be another player someone offers an MLE after his rookie contract expires, upgrades, and then turns into a fine player. Mardy was a great second round pick. Low turnovers, though based on his low preseason assist totals he was probably playing shooting guard. That also probably bumped up his rebounding numbers, but there might be something here.
- Like the Millsap selection, very good value at 1.10
- Millsap is outstanding value at 1.10, alot to of good things to build on from here. Collins doesnt look like a slouch either. If nothing else he looks to be a potential solid backup PG.
Hornets:
1.11 - Steve Novak SF 6'10'' 220 23 C+ B- D+ C+ C, B, Marquette
1.14 - Tyrus Thomas PF 6'9'' 221 19 B- C, C, C, C+ C, LSUfhornets
Grades:
C-
C+
C
B-
Comments:
- Novak was a good pick, Tyrus Thomas had a million red flags in his grades and strength.
- Novak looks good and Tyrus could have potential. Novak’s rebounding numbers were solid for a SF in preseason and his percentages weren’t bad either. +25 and he’s a solid small forward, though his height and positional inflexibility is disappointing. Thomas’ rebounds and turnovers were fine in preseason, but it’s too bad he didn’t have a great teen TC. With jumping as a strength and a lowish inside grade anyway, I am curious if the 1.06 pts/tsa is a fluke.
- Not a bad grade in that Novak set, and Tyrus that late in the first could end up a steal.
- Novak looks like a solid pick and good value. Thomas looks like he could have some potential
Hawks:
1.13 - Patrick O'Bryant C 7'0'' 250 19 C+ C- C- C+ C+ B, Bradley
Grades:
B-
B+
A-
C+
Comments:
- I know +6 yada yada yada… but it was a risk either way. The grade set is good, not great… but jhb took a risk and it was definitely not a slam dunk.
- Good pick based on the potential, which panned out during his first TC. Grades started off poor enough that he still doesn’t have the grades of the league’s great big men, but one more TC of +3 or so and some upgrades and we might have a player here.
- Obviously he went +6 so I assume this is a very good pick.
- I have the lowest grade on this as most seem to think this pick was outstanding. Sure POB had an oustanding TC by going +6, but I dont know how that has translated yet. His preseason numbers were just OK in my opinion. I think he needs another great TC and then I will nudge up the grade.
Bulls:
2.1 - P.J. Tucker PF 6'5'' 246 21 B, C, C- C+ C+ C, Texas
2.8 - Sergio Rodriguez PG 6'3'' 170 19 C, C+ B- C, D+ F, Spain
2.13 - Alexander Johnson PF 6'9'' 245 23 B, C, C- C+ C+ C, Florida State
3.2 - Yotam Halperin SG 6'5'' 200 21 C+ B, C, C, C- D,
Grades:
B-
C
F-
C
Comments:
- Great work in the 2nd round. Looks like he got at least 2 players that are intriguing going forward.
- Mostly junk, but the whole point for the cap-strapped Bulls was to draft seconds to fill out their roster. The only player who looks like they have any shot is Sergio Rodriguez, who went +4 in his rookie TC.
- All lotto tickets, Tucker and Johnson are intriguing. Don’t like D+ rebounding point guards and C- rebounding wings personally.
- Not a ton to judge as these were all lotto ticket picks.
Magic:
2.6 - Shawne Williams SF 6'9'' 229 19 C+ C, C- C+ C, B, Memphis
2.14 - Jordan Farmar PG 6'2'' 182 19 C, C+ A- C, D, B, UCLA
Grades:
C-
C-
F-
D
Comments:
- 2nd rounders are a crapshoot, but it doesn’t look like either was a great pick.
- Not much to be expected here with two mid- to late-second round picks. Williams was someone I considered taking a flier on since he’s only 19, but the 6’9” height and therefore ineligibility at shooting guard scared me away.
- I don’t see a lot here. Williams with the C rebounding hurts, and Farmar I imagine will struggle to score with C inside and D rebounding
- Not much to judge here as this was another lotto ticket group of picks.
Grizzlies:
3.3. Vancouver Grizzlies - Dee Brown PG 5'10'' 178 21 C, C+ C+ C+ C- A, Illinois
Grades:
N/A
C-
F-
N/A
Comments:
- Picking a single 3rd rounder doesn’t really lead to a grade. Druce just sat this one out.
- One third round pick. Meh. Not much to see here but the rebounds look nice for a point guard.
- Throw a dart at the wall here, liked the C- rebounding but he looks like ass so far.
- 3rd round picks are barely worth much but no reason to pass on it when you have no other picks.
1. Who was the biggest reach in the draft and why?
- Either Brandon Roy or Rajon Rondo. Neither benefited from a big TC to hide their flaws (Rondo’s TC boosted his strengths… but his flaws are still there) and both were drafted off name more than what we could see.
- Kyle Lowry. He looked straight up bad in preseason. If a point guard is averaging over four turnovers per 36, that’s 100% going to be a problem for their entire career. Even if you give him +25 handling, it’s still going to be an issue, and it’s not like he’s a particularly good scorer or defender. The profile indicated turnovers might be an issue, but I didn’t expect anything like this. Still, a shaky jumper and potential turnover problems combined with his athleticism making up most of his inside grade of C+ and you knew you were in for a player who was never going to be very good. Each of the next six players taken would’ve been better selections here. Fortunately, Kujo was able to nab Shelden Williams with his second pick, which could salvage some of this draft.
- Kyle Lowry for me. I assume what Bill shared were his actual attributes, and they stink out loud. I’d rather have the 3 guys drafted directly after him, and probably a few others as well.
- Lowry is the easy choice here. I dont fault Kujo for the pick as Lowry is a known name the IRL NBA. BK apparently shared his attributes before the draft and they were awful, this looks to be the case. Hard to pick up such a bad player with the 6th pick in the draft
2. Who was the best value pick in the draft and why?
- With hindsight it was clearly Patty O’B. +6 in the TC can work wonders and his PreSeason was solid too.
- I think the easy choice here is Patrick O’Bryant and that’s probably what everyone else will say. So instead, I’ll go with Shelden Williams, who was taken the pick before O’Bryant. He went -1 during TC, but that was in handling so who really cares? Averaging 20/12 per-36 during the preseason was nice and a bit unexpected. While he likely won’t grow much naturally, +25 inside gives you a solid 25/12 big man for years to come. Nothing wrong with that at the end of the first round.
- Toss up for me between Aldridge an Bargs. I wanted to trade up for Bargs, offered Mike AD for Bill Russell and the Pick, which I thought was pretty fair value, but I digress. I like them both and think they’ll be 2 of the better players in the draft if they grow how they can.
- Alot of love for POB, but as I mentioned above I am in a wait and see mode with him. Aldridge and Williams are the 2 that jump out to me. Aldridge had a solid preseason and is already up to a B+ inside. Williams had a great preseason and alot to build from, makes it even better to have gotten him at the end of the first round.
3. If you could redraft a single player for a single team, who would it be? The player you choose has to have been selected AFTER the pick you're re-picking.
- This is hard, because I think most teams could benefit from steady guard play and outside of Redick, there is nary a guard that impresses me in this class so far. With Redick going 2nd he isn’t even eligible for this question. The Oaks pick of Kyle Lowry is the one I would replace, as I had Aldridge, Bargnani, and Millsap all as better prospects and they were all available. Give one of them to kujo and he is probably much happier.
- Had I kept my original pick of 1.13, I would’ve taken O’Bryant as well. Fecta can attest to this. As a 19-year-old who could grow an inch and had a potential of strength, he was the choice for me, and I’m not sure there’s anyone I could’ve taken after 1.13 I would have switched with. But my actual first choice was 2.1, where I took P.J. Tucker. He seems like a nice jack of all trades in real life, but he probably doesn’t have much of a place in sim league. I might feel differently had he gone +1 or +2 in his first TC, but at this point he’s probably a lost cause. Not a big deal as he was only a second rounder and no one taken after him looks like a sure bet. If anyone, I probably would’ve taken Sergio Rodriguez (who I did draft later) or Boobie Gibson since they both went +4. At this point, since no second rounder looks great, I’ll take the bet that those two guys still have high potential and the chance to turn into something.
- I would say Aldridge to the Oaks at 6, but they’re a black hole where players go to die and he’d never be upgraded until he left in FA. I feel like Delap might’ve missed w/Roy at 4 but he did a player workout so he probably knows something I don’t there.
- Williams for me could fit with almost any team ahead of where he was picked. Having a guy that could push for a 20 and 10 right from the start would benefit almost any team. With the right upgrades he could be a monster.
4. Who will be the top 5 players from this draft coming off of their rookie contracts?
- Millsap, Bargnani, Redick, O’Bryant, and I’ll hold out the belief that Gay can get there.
- Top 5:
Patrick O’Bryant
Shelden Williams
Adam Morrison
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andrea Bargnani
It’s a rough draft class overall and I’d be really excited to do this RT another season when the prospects are stronger. That said, I’ll go with the big potential first. I don’t see anyone out of the gate who looks like they’ll be a max-contract type of guy, but with another big TC plus upgrades, O’Bryant has an outside shot of getting there, I guess? Shelden’s case was made above - he looks like he will be a good but not great contributor for the next decade and a solid big making mid-level money his entire career. I think Morrison could be sneaky good. He didn’t do anything in TC, but averaged 16 points and 6 rebounds per-36 during preseason. The jumper is already there, and as a small forward he can get a full +25 inside, which probably gets him into the B+ range. The volume isn’t super low and the rebounds are playable. Most importantly, the turnovers are non-existent. Aldridge averaged 15/10 per-36 in preseason, so he could be another Shelden Williams, though the ceiling is probably higher since he has a better jumper. Easy +25 inside recipient. I like Bargnani as well, and he could be another 20/10 type of guy for his entire career but since he was built as a power forward, it seems like his ceiling is that of a third big.
- Reddick, Novak, Aldridge, Millsap, Bargs is my best guess at this point. This class could be a dud, and looking at Delap’s rookie ladder that seems very likely. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, obviously there have to be at least a few good players here, and it could end up that someone unexpected takes a leap
- My 5 would go like this:
Reddick
Williams
Aldridge
Bargnani
Millsap
All 5 already look to be fringe starters/roation players. With the right upgrades I think each could be high quality starters at minimum.
2036 Season Questions:
To complete this, make 1 bold prediction for the 2036 season. This could be related to anything; player, team, GM, standings
- The title will be won by a non-Bulls/Globetrotters team.
- Both the Hornets and Bullets will be good. And by that, I mean both will not only make the playoffs, but I could see them nabbing the 4th and 5th seeds in the Eastern Conference. It might be too easy to say that either GM has had a revival, but both drafted, sent FA bids, and have set depth charts, which is the first step. They each also grabbed a really nice player in the contraction draft.
- I’ll go out on a limb and say the Grizz make the finals. I like that team a lot, barring injuries I think it could have happened last season except AD sucks total dick in the playoffs.
- Hornets finish in the top half of the league and push for the finals.
Name 1 under the radar player you think makes a leap
- Gonna cheat and pick 2… I like both backup PGs in Portland (Exum, Payton) and I think both end up being better than Kidd this year, forcing him to the 3rd string.
- Does Christian Laettner count? I would have let him go for a late first last season, which I was shocked no one would bite on. Instead I had to use his salary for trading purposes to snag Walt Williams. 20 and 10 with a good jumper and already shooting about .500 from the field, plus about 2 bleals per game with +25 remaining - how do people not see this? He got his upgrades and will be extended, and should be a very good third big who could start for a lot of teams.
- Nikola Jokic on the Spurs is a guy I’ve had my eye on for like 3 seasons and newguy and I just about had a deal in place for him before he faded into bolivian, so I will go with him assuming he gets consistent minutes with the Spurs
- Haywood - I am not sure this is a fair answer but I think he is going to be a stud now that he has a GM thats at the very least playing him. Loved his underlying numbers when he was riding the bench as the 3rd/4th big, now that he can be the focal point I expect him to jump to elite status.
Most overrated player?
- Shaq
- This is a tough one because I think we’re in a pretty equal place regarding evaluating players, so no one is egregiously overrated. I do think there are a couple of guys that people have invested a lot into that, while nice to have, I certainly wouldn’t trade the farm for them.
Bill Cartwright - Cartwright’s best attributes are his elite rebounding and low turnovers. I think his scoring is overrated though. A career 1.145 pts/tsa for a big is good but not great and his ceiling isn’t much higher due to the poor jump shot. His defense is also below average for a big. Would I take him on my team? In a heartbeat. If he were a free agent tomorrow and I had space, would I offer him a max? No chance. Emeka Okafor had a 1.135 pts/tsa for his career, averaged more rebounds, played slightly better defense, and had slightly more turnovers and he spent a lot of time on benches and getting paid sub-max dollars. The cost - a 1.3 this coming offseason and a 1.5 the year after - was large considering in particular the strength and depth of those two upcoming classes.
Terry Cummings - Cummings exploded last year as the focal point of the Magic offense, which was great for Skrouse since he needed some way to obtain a real solid asset and most of his other trading chips weren’t bringing that. He was able to flip Cummings for a 1.2 that should turn into either Chris Paul or Andrew Bynum who, based on profiles, look really really good. Cummings has a career 1.126 pts/tsa, even lower than the guys mentioned above, has averaged less than 10 rebounds-per-36 in his career, and only plays decent defense with decent turnovers. Last year he played out of his mind in every aspect, but we’ll see if that keeps up and if it was worth the 1.2.
- I feel like we’re overrating Jabari Parker a bit. He’s a very good player and all, that’s undeniable, but I’m not sure he’s a top tier guy like a lot of people think he is. He doesn’t rebound as well as I’d like out of a max guy, and who knows if he can be a 20 ppg scorer.
- Parker is a good choice, although my feelings are probably skewed by the contract. Not sure I want to max a big thats not getting double digit rebounds even if he is next to LBJ. Conley is someone that I think could qualify here as well. Puts up great stats but it has never been enough to lift a team to contention.
