Nkycat17 - Demarcus Cousins, Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Eric Bledsoe, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Tobias Harris, Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, Jonathan Simmons, Nikola Mirotic, Jordan Clarkson
Alright well let me make my case. First of all, I'd like to say this was a blast. Wish I would've been able to join from round 1, so I'm looking forward to doing it again next year. I'll do my best to defend Franks first 5 picks. Here it goes:
Starting 5:
1- Kyle Lowry- don't know if he was a second round pick, but he's a top 10 pg in a guard-heavy league. Averaged 22,5,and 7 last year on 46.4% and 41.2% from 3. Also averages about 1.5 steaks per game for his career. He is 31 though, so I assume he'll only start for about 4 or 5 more seasons. So eventually Bledsoe or Clarkson will slide here when he gives out.
2-Eric Bledsoe- he is definitely more of a one,but I feel as if he can start here, especially since he's matching up with McCollum. Past two seasons has averaged over 22 points per 36 minutes on about 45% and 35% from three, to go along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. And about 2 steals per 36. Still pretty young, and Keeps getting better and better every season. Very underrated player who will slide to the 1 when Lowry goes out.
3- Tobias Harris- I know he went to UT, but I hope everybody can look past that and realize he has a bunch of potential. Can play the 3 or 4 and the past couple seasons has been good for 19 and 7 per 36 on 48% and 36% from 3. He keeps getting better and he's only 25. He's a big dude and matches up well against some of the other big wings in the league.
4- Serge Ibaka- a little questionable in the 3rd round. But Serge is still a solid starting 4. He's almost 28, so he'll probably only start here for another 3-4 seasons depending on injury. But I think he'll be productive in those seasons. Past couple years he's averaged 17 and 8 per 36 on 48% shooting. And he even can step out and hit the 3 at about 37%. He's also a solid free throw shooter at 77%. And dude has averaged about 3 blocks per 36 for his career. I hope Gordon will eventually move here once Serge loses his touch.
5- DeMarcus Cousins. I'm glad Frank grabbed him with his first pick, as Boogie is one of my favorite players of the Cal era. Will never forget that buzzer beater to go into O.T. against Miss. St. And earlier in the year at Miss. St. when he dunked over their whole team, looked at the student section and said call me. He was probably our best true center since Cal has been here, and is one of, if not the best centers in the league. He just turned 27 yesterday, so I think he has at least 7 more solid seasons. Past couple seasons he's been good for about 31 and 13 per 36, on about 46% and has really improved his 3 point game and is hitting them at about 35%. Also averages about 5 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal per 36. Which is beyond impressive. He'll be our go-to guy on offense and think he's a great guy to build a team around. He can score from anywhere, and is a rebounding machine. I love the matchup against KAT, as I think they are the two best centers in the league at the moment.
Bench:
Aaron Gordon: Dude is a freak athlete who can jump out of the gym. He's only about to turn 22, and I think he'll develop into a great player over the next 7 seasons. I also think his jumper will eventually develop. He's averaged about 15 and 8 per 36 on 46% shooting and 30% from deep, which is solid for a guy that young.
Victor Oladipo: I know he's an IU guy, and I don't fully trust anybody that committed to play for Tom Crean, but oh well. I didn't pick him. But he's not a bad back up guard. He's a great defender, and plays hard. And he's only 25. His stats aren't bad at 17, 5, and 5 per 36 on 43% and 35% from deep. He's also averaged over a steal a game in each of his first 4 seasons. He'll come in and play good defense and provide solid offense.
Rodney Hood: he's a dukie, but I can't hold it against him. At 6-8 he can come in and play the 2 or 3. Plus he's only 24. He has a bunch of potential as tall athletic wings that can shoot seem to be the wave in the league these days. Over his first 3 seasons he's averaged about 17 points per 36 minutes on 40% shooting and 37% from deep. I'd like to think he'll grow into a 3 and D kinda guy.
Tristan Thompson: I was really happy to tran him here. At 6-9 he can play the 4, or 5 if I want to go small. He did fine at center this year for the Cavs. He's only 26, so he has 7 years in him. He's averaged about 12 and 12 per 36 on about 55% over the past few seasons. He's mostly a great rebound and defense kinda guy. He's good for about a block a game, but he plays great defense on the inside.
Jonathon Simmons: I was super excited to snag him here. He's 27, which is still pretty young, but has only played 2 seasons in the NBA. So his stats won't wow you at all. But the Spurs and Pop have a way of finding talent. He played great when Kawhi went down in the playoffs, averaging about 17 a game with a couple 20 point games. And was at times the Spurs best option. At 6-6 he can play the 2 or 3. I think he has a bunch of bright side, and could develop into a great player in the right situation.
Nikola Mirotic: He's only 26, and he's only been in the league three years, but I really like this guy. I think he has potential to be a great stretch big, which is so coveted In the league today. He can play the 4 or 5, and averages 16 and 8 per 36, on 40% shooting and 35% from deep. Hell come in and stretch the defense and provide solid rebounding.
Jordan Clarkson: He's only 25, and I think he has a bunch of potential has a combo guard. He's 6-5 so he can guard the 1 or the 2. I like him as my last pick, as I think he has a lot of upside. Per 36 he has averaged about 18, 5, and 3 in his first 3 seasons on 44% shooting and 34% from deep. I think he'll come in and add nice offense, especially as Lowry gets older.
Overall, I like my team. Kinda mad I didn't get to pick the first 5 rounds, as I think I I would've picked it different. But oh well. I think my team is very versatile, most of my players can play 2-3 positions, and very young. But I think we have a bunch of potential. This team could definitely be a contender in a few years. Everyone on my team hits the three at a respectable rate other than Thompson. And I could throw out a whole bunch of different lineups depending on who I'm playing. We might not be a threat the first couple years, but years 3-7 I think we could be dangerous.
As for how we much up against gossie, I think he probably got us rounds 1-5 but I think my bench is much more impressive. His team is a lot older than mine, and I don't think he has as much potential years 3-7. KAT is a great player, but so is Boogie. Also, he has no back up point guard at all. Who is going to back up Conley at the 1? He's about to be 30, so he has no point guard for at least 2-3 seasons. I think that's his biggest issue, as none of his other guards can play the 1 at a high level. And since this is based on a 7 year period I don't think he has a shot after the first couple years. Every team needs a point guard, and he only has 1 for 4-5 years tops. And without a backup, you would have to assume he will give out even quicker. No one can play point guard for 36+ minutes a game at 30 for 7 more years and expect to be healthy.
Well, that's my rant. Either way, this was a lot of fun and I hope to do it again next year. Any way to sign up early lol? I don't want to miss out again. I really like my team, and I think we will be very dangerous over the next 7 years. Also I just did per 36 minutes on all the stats just because I feel it's the most fair and standard way to compare players. Sometimes, players don't get as many minutes as others depending on their current team. So I didn't do it to inflate their stats, just thought it was easier to compare that way.
Warning: There's probably a bunch of grammatical errors in there as I'm writing this up at about 1:30 in the morning lol. So save your engergy with the grammar police replies.
![[eyeroll]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/rolleye/rolleye0011.r191677.gif "Eye roll [eyeroll]")
