Please vote for the teams that you guys believe are the best teams. The leader of the division will be taken and put into the playoffs accordingly. The rest will be put with the rest of the league to determine the non-divison leader seeds in the playoffs. Please everyone participating in the GM Draft vote. This poll is not limited to the Pacific Division, everyone is free to vote here. I also ask that if you come on to vote, please vote in ALL of the divisions. Sacramento Kings - J_Ray: PG: Jarret Jack / Louis Williams SG: John Salmons / CJ Miles SF: Shane Battier / Marvin Williams / Dominic McGuire PF: Chris Bosh / Chuck Hayes C: Andrew Bogut / Spencer Hawes / Ian Mahinmi Los Angeles Lakers - huevonkiller: PG: Jose Calderon / Sergio Rodriguez SG: Trevor Ariza / Luther Head / Quentin Richardson SF: Peja Stojakovic / Thabo Sefolosha PF: Michael Beasley / Tyrus Thomas C: David Lee / Robin Lopez / Alonzo Mourning Los Angeles Clippers - cpawfan: PG: Brandon Roy / Earl Watson / Anthony Carter SG: Kevin Martin / Marco Belinelli SF: Bruce Bowen / Matt Harpring PF: Channing Frye / Amir Johnson / Brian Skinner C: Nene Hilario / Tony Battie Golden State Warriors - Accelerate: PG: Jason Kidd / Marcus Williams SG: Bonzi Wells / Jerry Stackhouse / Willie Green SF: Andres Nocioni / Al Harrington / Steve Novak PF: Hedo Turkoglu / Joey Dorsey C: Tim Duncan / DeAndre Jordan Phoenix Suns - Pabloeterovic: PG: Tony Parker / Stephon Marbury / Shaun Livingston SG: Sasha Vujacic / JJ Reddick SF: Boris Diaw / Devean George PF: Shawn Marion / Ike Diogu / Josh Powell C: Jermaine O'Neal / Brook Lopez
Accelerate has really picked a "win now, or nothing" team that lacks a bit of youth, so I could see them getting into trouble with the minutes some of these guys would have to play over 82 games. Nevertheless, these players have the X Factor of the know-how and the hunger (for some) to finally win a Championship, so the Warriors get the edge for me.
The Warriors have no PF, they have a pure wingman starting as a PF, and no big depth. I feel bad to Tim Duncan. J_Ray's team is the only one with a respectable frontline, and I don't hate that backcourt as long as Mr. Williams starts.
The Assembly of the Sacramento Kings: My goal coming into this draft was to get to great bigs that could have the offense run through them and help the team be efficient. So with my first pick, I took Bosh knowing that he has been the main guy in Toronto for sometime now and would be able to do such a task. Bosh is a big, athletic, PF that can compete with the best and will only improve throughout his career. In my next pick I took Andrew Bogut after seeing his great passing skills from college translate into the NBA, he had to be the perfect piece to my team. Last year he excelled in Milwaukee and is also only getting better with time as he picks up more tricks with experience. Both are very efficient post players, that what allows me to run the offense with such great precision, and it makes your team that much better when the biggest guys on the court are great passers. Next was to get a starting lineup to fit my scheme I was aiming to do. I wanted to get guys that would hustle all the time, cut to the hoop, or give them someone to dish the ball out too. That's why Battier, John Salmons, and Marvin Williams were perfect players in my eyes. All of them have "want to" and don't settle with just being good. Not only are they competitive, but they are also all great team players. They sacrifice themselves to do whatever it takes for their team to be the best. Just the effort alone makes people around them want to play, but it also makes everyone else on the team try just as hard. Filling the PG position, I wasn't quite as sure when I was picking, but then it hit me. Why not get 2 different kinds of PG's to make the team more versatile. That's why I took a big, physical guard in Jack that can guard the bigger PG's in the NBA, then a quicker, lightning like guard in Louis Williams that can orchestrate the fastbreak. Jack fits good with the starters with Bosh and Bogut since he's good at getting the offense started and can finish better around the hoop off a cut. While Jack is good with the starters, bringing in a change of pace PG like Louis Williams, this allow my team to run a bit more when either Bosh or Bogut are getting rest. Marvin Williams can easily play PF in a small lineup and be effective similar to the Sixers using Bad Thad (Thaddeus Young) towards the end of the year. His speed can cause match-up problems for other 4's and he's athletic enough to compete with them on the defensive end. So having 2 different kind of PG's makes my team that much more versatile IMO. Finally we get to my bench, one of the strongest points of my team in my mind. Having a great 6th man in Marvin Williams allows me to do so much more with my lineups. Marvin combines with Salmons and Battier, and makes a 3 man rotation for my swingmen spots. Either Salmons or Battier will always be in, so one of them will always guard the 2 guard, while Marvin would cover the SF. This would change nothing on the offensive end because they all are great off the ball players, and will be cutting similar to Jerry Sloan's offense. The rest of my bench isn't quite Marvin Williams but it's still a good bench. Spencer Hawes is very similar to Bogut on offense, so subbing him in for Bogut 10-12 minutes a game at most should allow my offense to drop off very little, if not stay on the same level. Hawes has always had great vision for a big passing wise, and has offensive moves that keeps him a threat scoring. Chuck Hayes is another great hustle guy off the bench that will bust his balls to play great defense and rebound the ball. Every team needs someone like him to come off the bench and do the dirty work. C.J. Miles is also another guy that busts his balls on every play. Learning from Jazz players through the years, Miles is a great effort player that knows the concept of team ball. On defense Miles is a pretty good defender and gets quite a few steals that turn into fastbreak points. Another asset Miles has is his deadly 3-pt shooting that can spark a team off the bench. Finally there are Ian Mahinmi and Dominic McGuire that are young players that have done pretty decent when given a chance. Mahinmi is a french volleyball player turned basketball player, so he was a bit raw at first but has shown great improvement during his time in the US, and was a D-League all-star. During summer league, he showed off his improved talent and will only get better as time goes on. McGuire was also very raw coming out of college, but he has showcased his defensive talent last year with blocked shots, steals and still has sheer athleticism. With a little more seasoning, he has the potential to become a Battier/Bowen like defender with some tutoring from Battier. I don't expect Mahinmi or McGuire to be big contributors in the games, but they will be great practice players that will improve during the year, which is why I took a chance on them. Most nights I plan on only going 9 deep (not using Miles, McGuire, Mahinmi), but if my players get in foul trouble, I don't mind using Miles at the 2 or 3, and McGuire at the 3 or 4 spots. Or when the team gets lackluster and need a shake-up, Miles or McGuire are good spark plugs with their excitement and energy they bring. Miles is also another shooter off the bench that will get minutes if the teams pack their defense in. My Lineups: Starters: PG- Jarrett Jack/Louis Williams (Depends who is hotter @ end of the game) SG- John Salmons SF- Shane Battier PF- Chris Bosh C - Andrew Bogut Potential Bench: PG- Louis Williams SG- John Salmons SF- Shane Battier PF- Marvin Williams C - Chris Bosh ------ PG- Louis Williams/Jarret Jack SG- Shane Battier/John Salmons SF- Marvin Williams PF- Chuck Hayes C - Andrew Bogut ------ PG- Louis Williams/Jarret Jack SG- John Salmons/Shane Battier SF- Marvin Williams PF- Chris Bosh C - Spencer Hawes
It's not about who starts the game @ PG IMO, it's all about who finishes the game I would personally play Louis Williams more than Jack but it should be about the same until the 4th quarter when my team goes with the hot player.
That Golden State team looks nice now, but what about later? Well my goal is not simply a "win now or lose" team, I was thinking more on the lines of a 3 year plan while trying to run people out of gyms. My core is extremely young except for Peja, though he is a shooter so his athleticism deteriorating does not concern me. Even my backups are potential stars/starters in the near future. I don't think about the GM Draft in terms of merely a year.
This is for playoffs for this upcoming year, not for 3 years down the road And unless your players grow height-wise, your frontline is still short as hell.....
My rebounding is in no trouble and I have athletic shot blockers. I added Zo to have a vet presence for that first year.
Your rebounding is in trouble when you have no one over 6'9" that will play significant minutes. Lee is only 6'9" at best, while Beasley and Tyrus Thomas are both in the 6'7"-6'8" range. If you take away Robin Lopez's from, he's only about 6'10" also, while Alonzo Mourning is pretty much done after that bad injury last year. You do realize that was pretty much career ending and he'll never be the same...especially at near age 40. Athletic shot blockers also do nothing when they have to cover someone 3-5 inches taller than them, they can't come over from the weakside to block the shot. Louis Williams did the same thing in Philly this last year and I want him to do with my team. I only said that my team would push the ball a bit more when Bogut is out. John Salmon is also a great ball handler and has shown he can play PG if needed, so having a ball handler like that @ SG is also a plus. Louis Williams and Jarrett Jack are fine PG's, and I don't expect them to be Chris Paul like but they will do the job just fine.
It's all about height? That sounds pretty silly to me. David Lee will have some defensive problems, the rebounds will be quite alright though. That's why I picked up Lopez, and am not trying to rely on a one year sort of thing. Also, Tyrus Thomas and Beasley fit in perfectly as PFs on my team. And how do you know Zo's career is over? Alonzo is 38, a third stringer, and will play ten minutes a night. Whatever really. Personally I recognize that my frontline is undersized and that those two starters have an edge on me (though Bosh is a finesse big man). That said, I am quite unimpressed with your PG. Jarret Jack didn't even outperform his competition on offense last year; 14.0 per vs 17. You don't have anything on me there, and I plan to exploit my opponents with pace and Calderon's savvy play.
Hmmmm....sounds pretty silly to you then you agree that Lee will have defensive problems.....the only post player that you have that can score is a rookie and might convert into a SF in the NBA in order to succeed. There is no way your team can go 82 games in a year with your smaller players taking a beating night in, night out by bigger post players. You know how tiring that is in one game, let alone a whole season of 82 games? You are probably a worse version of this year's warriors, almost like their team when Beans went out....except smaller Calderon isn't going to be scoring 20 PPG, he's a playmaker with little to no scorers around him. He isn't Chris Paul or Deron Williams, he's a lesser Steve Nash with no one around him to score. I guarantee that 2-3 of his 8 assists last year were passes to Chris Bosh
David Lee is one of the best per minute rebounders in the game. I'm sorry if I fail to see how Bosh is going to pound me into a pulp at PF. He's (Edit- Meaning Lee, KC) not getting 30+ minutes a night either. Eventually I'd like to see Lopez take care more of the load. Further, Tyrus Thomas is quite adequate at spelling MB. Obviously Calderon is a playmaker, that's why I keep throwing those allusions out there about pace. No scorers? Michael Beasley can score inside, outside, however a PF needs to. Peja stretches the court and runs it decently (he's the best shooter in the game...), and my SG situation is just fine.
Hey you know what, I'll keep it real people... I'm not the best team in the Pacific, I messed up on the Lee pick since I thought some other Centers would fall to me later on. Just a lack of organization really on my part, I hope to correct this in that future All-NBA draft. Jose's not Deron/Paul either and Robin Lopez can not carry that position alone. This "discussion" is pretty much BS, I can't defend my team with a straight face anymore. :] Clearly my center blows compared to most of the other GM teams. Ideally I'd like to shift Beasley and Lee down a position but my planning was not right. Tough luck for me.
