2015 Draft a Franchise (NBA): Discussion Thread

[allblackraven]

If anyone wants me to state my analysis/grading on their team, let me know. I believe a member participating in the 2014 All Time NBA Draft did it for that draft and it was insightful to get others perspective. Feel free to grade my team, too

You're more than welcome to grade my team. I wouldn't mind to hear other opinions, too.

[Inqui]

I'd been considering Embiid, but ultimately decided against him. The three worst injuries a big can have are with his knees, feet or back. And Embiid has all three. All the upside in the world is one thing, but I don't think he'll ever see the court in any meaningful way (could well be wrong, but for purposes of picking a team I decided I wouldn't touch him).

[Inqui]

If anyone wants me to state my analysis/grading on their team, let me know. I believe a member participating in the 2014 All Time NBA Draft did it for that draft and it was insightful to get others perspective. Feel free to grade my team, too

I'm always interested in honest opinions about my team. This time I didn't go as young as I did last year, and obviously I don't have the star power to touch the sides that have the likes of LeBron and Durant, so I might have to watch Jabari and Mario's careers with interest.

[Inqui]

[MoveThoseChains]

Cool, I'm out of town until this evening. For anyone who wants an analysis/grade, I can get them started tonight

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

Cool, I'm out of town until this evening. For anyone who wants an analysis/grade, I can get them started tonight

Hello

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

I can name three Power Forwards I would take over Blake Griffin

[BALTIMOREFLACCO]

If anyone wants me to state my analysis/grading on their team, let me know. I believe a member participating in the 2014 All Time NBA Draft did it for that draft and it was insightful to get others perspective. Feel free to grade my team, too

 

Grade away

[-Truth-]

loooool

 

it's mr. falcon vs. fight a stranger in the alps for greatest censored line of all time imo

 

You're on.

[MoveThoseChains]

I went up to NY for a couple of days and ended up staying here tonight - going to the O's game at Yankee stadium. Grades will start tomorrow

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

I went up to NY for a couple of days and ended up staying here tonight - going to the O's game at Yankee stadium. Grades will start tomorrow

booooo!

Have fun. First baseball game I ever went to was Yankees at Os.

[-Truth-]

So, I'll do the last two rounds. Don't know where I'm supposed to say that

 

You're up.

[Inqui]

Pick will be in shortly. Surprise surprise, he's a good three-point shooter.

[-Truth-]

Since we're at the end, I'll make a few selections on behalf of Ed_Reed20. I was holding out for a response, but it shouldn't be an issue given that I'm the last selection and I've been given the reigns to make some decisions for his squad.

Edited July 23, 2015 by -Truth-

[-Truth-]

Happy to land Rondae Hollis-Jefferson here. Had to stay true to the team name. The jumper is an obvious work in progress, but it was difficult not to appreciate his attitude, dedication and ferocious defensive ability. Though he needs to improve his ball-handling, he's an underrated passer who can certainly finish at the rim. Even if he never significantly improves offensively, a defensive specialist will always find room on the floor. I'd be surprised if he doesn't finish his career with a least one or two All-Defensive team nominations.

[-Truth-]

Also feel like I landed two pretty solid pieces for Ed_Reed20 in Donatas Motiejunas and Rodney Stuckey, especially since Stuckey considerably improved his three point shooting. I thought both were very draftable.

[MoveThoseChains]

AllBlackRaven's Team:

 

Depth Chart:

 

PG: Jeff Teague, Tony Wroten, Trey Burke

SG: Monta Ellis, JR Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic

SF: Tobias Harris, Julius Randle, Nemanja Bjelica

PF: Greg Monroe, Jordan Hill, Marreese Speights

 C: DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler, Boban Marjanovic

 

Your starting five is pretty solid. You have your three main scorers in Ellis, Harris, and Monroe. Each of those guys could drop 18+ on any given night. Teague is a nice point guard who could operate around those 3 players. With those guys getting shots, the defense could forget about Teague, and he could drop 20+. Or he could get 10+ assists. I think he's a nice fit on your squad. DeAndre is your anchor in the paint. DeAndre setting screens for Teague and Ellis would open up space for them to drive/shoot, or lob it up to him for a slam. Harris' game will continue to develop, as I believe he's pretty underrated. Monroe and Jordan is a nice front court pairing, as Monroe is gifted offensively and Jordan is a great defender. That front court would give problems to opposing teams. You have nice depth behind them, as well. 

 

JR and Tyson are nice options off the bench. When Ellis is having an off game which he sometimes does, you can bring JR in who's one of the better 6th men in the league. He, like Ellis, can be hot or cold, which could hurt your team if both guys can't find their jumper. Randle has potential to be a solid power forward. I haven't seen his game all that much, so I don't know if he could be utilized as a small forward. You may know better than I on that. Hill and Speights provide veteran depth, as I like both those guys. Wroten put up solid stats before getting hurt last year, and I think he has nice potential. I'm not sure he's a natural point guard who can operate a team consistently however. His percentages were pretty bad (40% fg, 26% 3pfg, 67% free throw) with 3.8 turnovers per game. Burke is a decent 3rd point guard. He's undersized and doesn't have the real explosiveness to get by defenders consistently, which are knacks. Bojan is a fine shooter off the bench. I honestly don't know who Bjelica or Boban are. I'm not a big fan of international players, but that's my biased opinion, so you are better off judging those selections than I am. 

 

Overall Grade: B-Minus I personally think you missed a chance to grab a better player than DeAndre at your pick. I like him, but not in the top 7. Your depth at small forward is a little shaky, your guards can be inconsistent, and I'm not a big fan of the international players. 

 

I really like your front court depth though, as I count Randle as more of a power forward. Also, I can envision Teague, Ellis, and Harris jelling nicely, with Monroe and DeAndre having no problem using their strengths in their game to round out a nice starting five. You don't need to rely on one player to have to score 22+ points in order to win. Your starting five is balanced, which is a plus. Also, All of those guys are below the age of 30 (Ellis being 29), so theirs a nice future as well as a win-now opportunity.

 

I could see your team competing with the top teams, but falling short. Tyson has had plenty of playoff experience, as well as a championship. JR, Speights, Jordan, Ellis, and Teague all have recently made the playoffs and made runs, which are pluses (Speights contributing to a championship this past year). But I still think your missing a player or two who could take your team over the top. Without a true superstar, it will be hard for your team to beat teams with a superstar on it. 

Edited July 23, 2015 by MoveThoseChains

[Geving]

That's a bad team with a bunch of role players.

[allblackraven]

 

AllBlackRaven's Team:

 

Depth Chart:

 

PG: Jeff Teague, Tony Wroten, Trey Burke

SG: Monta Ellis, JR Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic

SF: Tobias Harris, Julius Randle, Nemanja Bjelica

PF: Greg Monroe, Jordan Hill, Marreese Speights

 C: DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler, Boban Marjanovic

 

Your starting five is pretty solid. You have your three main scorers in Ellis, Harris, and Monroe. Each of those guys could drop 18+ on any given night. Teague is a nice point guard who could operate around those 3 players. With those guys getting shots, the defense could forget about Teague, and he could drop 20+. Or he could get 10+ assists. I think he's a nice fit on your squad. DeAndre is your anchor in the paint. DeAndre setting screens for Teague and Ellis would open up space for them to drive/shoot, or lob it up to him for a slam. Harris' game will continue to develop, as I believe he's pretty underrated. Monroe and Jordan is a nice front court pairing, as Monroe is gifted offensively and Jordan is a great defender. That front court would give problems to opposing teams. You have nice depth behind them, as well. 

 

JR and Tyson are nice options off the bench. When Ellis is having an off game which he sometimes does, you can bring JR in who's one of the better 6th men in the league. He, like Ellis, can be hot or cold, which could hurt your team if both guys can't find their jumper. Randle has potential to be a solid power forward. I haven't seen his game all that much, so I don't know if he could be utilized as a small forward. You may know better than I on that. Hill and Speights provide veteran depth, as I like both those guys. Wroten put up solid stats before getting hurt last year, and I think he has nice potential. I'm not sure he's a natural point guard who can operate a team consistently however. His percentages were pretty bad (40% fg, 26% 3pfg, 67% free throw) with 3.8 turnovers per game. Burke is a decent 3rd point guard. He's undersized and doesn't have the real explosiveness to get by defenders consistently, which are knacks. Bojan is a fine shooter off the bench. I honestly don't know who Bjelica or Boban are. I'm not a big fan of international players, but that's my biased opinion, so you are better off judging those selections than I am. 

 

Overall Grade: B-Minus I personally think you missed a chance to grab a better player than DeAndre at your pick. I like him, but not in the top 7. Your depth at small forward is a little shaky, your guards can be inconsistent, and I'm not a big fan of the international players. 

 

I really like your front court depth though, as I count Randle as more of a power forward. Also, I can envision Teague, Ellis, and Harris jelling nicely, with Monroe and DeAndre having no problem using their strengths in their game to round out a nice starting five. You don't need to rely on one player to have to score 22+ points in order to win. Your starting five is balanced, which is a plus. Also, All of those guys are below the age of 30 (Ellis being 29), so theirs a nice future as well as a win-now opportunity.

 

I could see your team competing with the top teams, but falling short. Tyson has had plenty of playoff experience, as well as a championship. JR, Speights, Jordan, Ellis, and Teague all have recently made the playoffs and made runs, which are pluses (Speights contributing to a championship this past year). But I still think your missing a player or two who could take your team over the top. Without a true superstar, it will be hard for your team to beat teams with a superstar on it. 

 

 

Thank you sir - that's pretty comprehensive assessment and I agree with it.

 

Re internationals - both Bjelica and Marjanovic are really homer picks as they come from my favorite club (Red Star Belgrade). Bjelica has 4-5 years extra experience playing in Spain and Turkey and top European comp. He was last season MVP of the European top16. Guy is very versatile, can play multiple positions and score from everywhere. Also good at running the ball and distributing. Little bit shaky defensively but compensates as a competent rebounder and blocker. Attacks the rim in a sneaky fashion. He got 3 year deal from Wolves - I'm hopeful he can play in the NBA.

 

Boban is tall - 7'4" and knows how to use his height and long arms to his advantage. I'm not too confident he can cut it (not too athletic/strong) but I couldn't pass on him with my last pick.

[allblackraven]

That's a bad team with a bunch of role players.

A bunch of good role players can be tough to beat when they play their roles well.

[-Truth-]

I didn't expect for DeAndre Jordan to be selected as high, but I wouldn't call it a bad team. That's a little rough.

Edited July 23, 2015 by -Truth-

[Geving]

A bunch of good role players can be tough to beat when they play their roles well.

Yeah, think you have a problem there buddy.

[allblackraven]

Yeah, think you have a problem there buddy.

 

 

I don't but whatever.

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

The team lacks a definitive superstar. You chose to go the route of DeAndre over a better player.... Overall it's solid.

[MoveThoseChains]

Thank you sir - that's pretty comprehensive assessment and I agree with it.

 

Re internationals - both Bjelica and Marjanovic are really homer picks as they come from my favorite club (Red Star Belgrade). Bjelica has 4-5 years extra experience playing in Spain and Turkey and top European comp. He was last season MVP of the European top16. Guy is very versatile, can play multiple positions and score from everywhere. Also good at running the ball and distributing. Little bit shaky defensively but compensates as a competent rebounder and blocker. Attacks the rim in a sneaky fashion. He got 3 year deal from Wolves - I'm hopeful he can play in the NBA.

 

Boban is tall - 7'4" and knows how to use his height and long arms to his advantage. I'm not too confident he can cut it (not too athletic/strong) but I couldn't pass on him with my last pick.

 

I don't follow the international game at all really, but it sounds like you know what your talking about. Nothing wrong with homer picks - that's why I took Oubre. I would ignore the guy who said it was a bad team. 

[MoveThoseChains]

Inqui's Team

 

Depth Chart

PG: Lillard - Mills - Williams
SG: Afflalo - Fournier - McLemore
SF: Parker - Ariza - Hezonja
PF: Favors - Anderson - Stoudemire
C: Horford - Jones - Adams

 

Another team that lacks a superstar, but still a solid starting five. Lillard is a tier or two down from being a so-called superstar, as he's clearly one of the best young point guards in the NBA. With Portland "rebuilding," I believe his usage rate will be very high this upcoming year and will post career best numbers in a few categories. Jabari is a year removed from being the #2 pick and coming off an injury. Before being hurt, you could tell he was going to make the Rookie of the Year race between him and Wiggins close. He should bounce back nicely this year and continue his development towards his high potential. Favors and Horford is a solid front court. Favors is still young, and these upcoming years should be his prime. Horford is back to being an All Star. Like the Monroe/DeAndre front court, this one is solid as well. I'm not a big Afflalo fan, but he looks like the fifth option in your starting lineup, which is fine. He's a veteran and could post sneaky numbers this year depending on how the Knicks utilize him/play as a team. I envision your starting five playing well together. 

 

Your bench is pretty solid. Ariza is a great veteran off the bench, Lou Williams just won Sixth Man of the Year. Mclemore still has potential as I believe his game will continue to grow, and Adams is a solid backup center. Opposing players hate playing against him because he gets in their head and plays hard. Anderson is a nice shooting stretch 4, which are always tough to play against. Mills is a firecracker off the bench, as he can heat up quickly and score in bunches, even in a limited role on the Spurs. I believe Terrence Jones will bounce back nicely from injury, and with Smoove gone, he should see more minutes like in the '13-'14 season. He's a solid young player. Fournier is a good shooter off the bench. To be honest, I haven't seen Fournier play much, so I can't give much insight on him. He's only 22 though so he will still develop his game. Stoudemire as one of your last players isn't bad at all. Henjoza has potential, it'll be interesting to see how his game translates in the NBA. I haven't seen him play much, but he was drafted top 5 for a reason. As I mentioned in AllBlackRaven's team review, I'm not a huge fan of international players, but it would be unfair to use that reason to knock a guy who hasn't played an NBA game yet. I'm sure you know his game better than I do. 

 

Grade: Solid B  This team is a borderline B-Plus team, so I'll go in the middle and give it a grade in between a B and B-Plus. I like your young nucleus of Lillard, Parker, and Favors. Add a nice center in Al Horford to that, and that's a solid four (for lacking a superstar). 

 

Your bench complements your starters pretty nicely. Even though Ariza is a natural SF, I think it's possible he could play the two and even start depending on the matchup. I'm a fan of him, as well as Mills, Jones, and Adams. I like Lou Will, but he can be inconsistent at times and his defense isn't that good. He is on your team to score, though. Fournier and Mclemore isn't too great backup shooting guard situation, but still not bad. Add the fact that I could envision Ariza playing the two and it works out better. Both Fournier and Mclemore are young, so their games should grow. You have plenty of young guys with potential, including Fournier, Mclemore, Hezonja, Jones, and Adams. Add those names to Lillard, Parker, and Favors, and your future is looking bright if all goes as you plan. That's 8 guys under the age of 25. 

 

Ariza and Mills bring championship experience to your roster. Lillard, Horford, Williams, Jones, Adams, Anderson, Stoudemire, Afflalo have all played in the playoffs which is a plus. You combined young players with some veterans who have playoff experience, which is a pretty good recipe in my book. Your teams peak is most likely a few years down the road, when the 8 players I mentioned are entering their prime age (besides Lillard - he's the one 25 year old who is basically in his prime and will still be there in a couple of years). The veterans you have should still be able to play solid basketball at that point too, besides probably Amar'e.

 

Like AllBlackRaven's team, you may have trouble winning right now against the teams that have a superstar, but I could see a so-called "upset" against a team with a superstar. In a couple of years though, you should have one of the best point guards, a top ten SF who will keep climbing towards the top 5 SF category, and still a formidable front court. If your shooting guards develop, Afflalo will go the bench which I envision him being more a solid backup then decent starter. Given your current roster situation and the potential of your young players, I think it's fair to give a Solid B as a grade. Your team's prime may be a couple years down the road (which is fine), but you can also win now and give teams trouble. 

[Inqui]

Inqui's Team

 

Depth Chart

PG: Lillard - Mills - Williams

SG: Afflalo - Fournier - McLemore

SF: Parker - Ariza - Hezonja

PF: Favors - Anderson - Stoudemire

C: Horford - Jones - Adams

 

Another team that lacks a superstar, but still a solid starting five. Lillard is a tier or two down from being a so-called superstar, as he's clearly one of the best young point guards in the NBA. With Portland "rebuilding," I believe his usage rate will be very high this upcoming year and will post career best numbers in a few categories. Jabari is a year removed from being the #2 pick and coming off an injury. Before being hurt, you could tell he was going to make the Rookie of the Year race between him and Wiggins close. He should bounce back nicely this year and continue his development towards his high potential. Favors and Horford is a solid front court. Favors is still young, and these upcoming years should be his prime. Horford is back to being an All Star. Like the Monroe/DeAndre front court, this one is solid as well. I'm not a big Afflalo fan, but he looks like the fifth option in your starting lineup, which is fine. He's a veteran and could post sneaky numbers this year depending on how the Knicks utilize him/play as a team. I envision your starting five playing well together. 

 

Your bench is pretty solid. Ariza is a great veteran off the bench, Lou Williams just won Sixth Man of the Year. Mclemore still has potential as I believe his game will continue to grow, and Adams is a solid backup center. Opposing players hate playing against him because he gets in their head and plays hard. Anderson is a nice shooting stretch 4, which are always tough to play against. Mills is a firecracker off the bench, as he can heat up quickly and score in bunches, even in a limited role on the Spurs. I believe Terrence Jones will bounce back nicely from injury, and with Smoove gone, he should see more minutes like in the '13-'14 season. He's a solid young player. Fournier is a good shooter off the bench. To be honest, I haven't seen Fournier play much, so I can't give much insight on him. He's only 22 though so he will still develop his game. Stoudemire as one of your last players isn't bad at all. Henjoza has potential, it'll be interesting to see how his game translates in the NBA. I haven't seen him play much, but he was drafted top 5 for a reason. As I mentioned in AllBlackRaven's team review, I'm not a huge fan of international players, but it would be unfair to use that reason to knock a guy who hasn't played an NBA game yet. I'm sure you know his game better than I do. 

 

Grade: Solid B  This team is a borderline B-Plus team, so I'll go in the middle and give it a grade in between a B and B-Plus. I like your young nucleus of Lillard, Parker, and Favors. Add a nice center in Al Horford to that, and that's a solid four (for lacking a superstar). 

 

Your bench complements your starters pretty nicely. Even though Ariza is a natural SF, I think it's possible he could play the two and even start depending on the matchup. I'm a fan of him, as well as Mills, Jones, and Adams. I like Lou Will, but he can be inconsistent at times and his defense isn't that good. He is on your team to score, though. Fournier and Mclemore isn't too great backup shooting guard situation, but still not bad. Add the fact that I could envision Ariza playing the two and it works out better. Both Fournier and Mclemore are young, so their games should grow. You have plenty of young guys with potential, including Fournier, Mclemore, Hezonja, Jones, and Adams. Add those names to Lillard, Parker, and Favors, and your future is looking bright if all goes as you plan. That's 8 guys under the age of 25. 

 

Ariza and Mills bring championship experience to your roster. Lillard, Horford, Williams, Jones, Adams, Anderson, Stoudemire, Afflalo have all played in the playoffs which is a plus. You combined young players with some veterans who have playoff experience, which is a pretty good recipe in my book. Your teams peak is most likely a few years down the road, when the 8 players I mentioned are entering their prime age (besides Lillard - he's the one 25 year old who is basically in his prime and will still be there in a couple of years). The veterans you have should still be able to play solid basketball at that point too, besides probably Amar'e.

 

Like AllBlackRaven's team, you may have trouble winning right now against the teams that have a superstar, but I could see a so-called "upset" against a team with a superstar. In a couple of years though, you should have one of the best point guards, a top ten SF who will keep climbing towards the top 5 SF category, and still a formidable front court. If your shooting guards develop, Afflalo will go the bench which I envision him being more a solid backup then decent starter. Given your current roster situation and the potential of your young players, I think it's fair to give a Solid B as a grade. Your team's prime may be a couple years down the road (which is fine), but you can also win now and give teams trouble. 

Appreciate the insights. It's tough to land a superstar when drafting at the back of the order, but I feel my championship hopes are more or less hitched to Jabari and Hezonja. I think Jabari will be fine when he comes back, and Mario will be a star - the Magic have been scouting him for about four years now and I really rate Rob Hennigan as a talent evaluator so I have high hopes. Lillard I'd want to hang onto as a key glue guy once my younger guys get better, even if he doesn't become a full-blown superstar.

 

I agree about Afflalo, I think he's best as a dominant player on the second unit (which is basically what happened in Orlando since the Magic basically were a second unit when he was with us). On the go-around where I took him and Ariza I'd considered taking Afflalo and Redick - so I could give Afflalo exactly that role. I think not doing that was one of my bigger mistakes, along with deciding to let one of Kawhi or Paul George slide to my second pick.

 

Thanks again for the feedback. I appreciate your taking the time to do that.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Inqui

[Sons_of_Eli]

pick me pick me

[MoveThoseChains]

pick me pick me

Doing Lost_in_Translation, BaltimoreFlacco, then I got you. I'll do them today.

Anyone else? I may just keep going and do all the teams

[Gordo52]

I'd appreciate a review haha