IP Ranks Your 'Pick 2' Team By Division (All 6 Divs now in!)

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IP Ranks Your Teams By Division!

Atlantic

Boston:

PG: Rajon Rondo,
SG: Martell Webster
SF: Andre Kirelenko
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Robin Lopez

Sixth Men: Rodrique Beaubois (G), Ryan Gomes (F)
Role Players: Zydrunas Ilgauskus (C), Shannon Brown(G), Jason Maxiell(PF/C)
Bench Warmers: Kenyon Dooling(PG), Cartier Martin(G/F)

New York:

PG: Ridnour
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Danillo Gallinari
PF: Amar’e Stoudemire
C: Roy Hibbert

Sixth Men: Delonte West (G), Chase Budinger (F), Joel Anthony (F/C),
Role Players: Beano Udrih (G), Keith Bogans (G/F), Chris Wilcox (F/C),
Bench Warmer: Nikola Pekovic.(C)

Philadelphia:

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Marvin Williams
PF: Lamar “Khloe” Odom
C: Kwame Brown

Sixth Men: Tony Allen, Zaza Pachulia
Role Players: Evan Turner, Eric Maynor,  Ed Davis
Not Impacting This Season: Andersen Varejao, Eddy Curry’s Expiring Contract

New Jersey:

PG: Aaron Brooks
SG: Eric Gordon
SF: Shane Battier
PF: Derrick Favors
C: Brook Lopez

Sixth Men: Rudy Fernandez, Carl Landry, Kurt "Big Sexy" Thomas
Role Players: Nate Robinson, Brian Cardinal, Gary Forbes
Overseas: Ricky Rubio

Overall records
Atlantic:

1st: New York**
2nd: Boston**
3rd: New Jersey
4th: Philadelphia
**-Playoff team

Reasoning: New York and Boston to me were very close. Where New York excelled in scoring, Boston excelled in defensive potential. The problem was that Boston’s best scorer (Beaubois) is coming off the bench in the same position as their strongest player (Rondo). I think Boston and New York both make the playoffs, but Boston will sqweak in as a 5th seed or worse, while NY will win the division, although their records won’t be all that different.

I ranked New Jersey above Philadelphia because I feel better about trusting a starting five where the worst player in the lineup was unpredictable but exciting rookie Derrick Favors (with Carl Landry behind him) more than I liked a starting 5 with the worst player being Kwame Brown.

I also just don’t know how much I trust any lineup that features Tyreke Evans as the premier scorer and defacto leader. I think this Philadelphia team is going places, and could very well leapfrog both Boston and NJ after Varejao returns to anchor the defense, and Turner/Evans get their bearings/mature, but this season I think they’re biding time.


Pick 2 Success:
I define 'Pick 2 Success' as taking a team that is currently constituted, but then pushing it further along the direction that bests suits it. Obviously everyone's preference is to win now, but that's just not a possibility for everyone.

1) Philadelphia
2) New Jersey
3) New York
4) Boston

Reasoning: Philadelphia to me takes this honor home because they just completely committed to it. They had Andre Igouadala as their centerpiece, and a bloated contract in Elton Brand, that just wasn't working. Plus, their wings and back-court lacked direction, and they were starting Spencer Hawes. Philadelphia pretty much just blew it up. They kept Iggy and Holiday, but quickly turned Iggy into Reke, and also managed to pickup Evan Turner along the way. They went from a middling team that was probably a first round out without a true first option, to a rebuilding team that gets a lot better next year without any other improvements beyond Varejao coming back and Turner/Evans/Holiday getting better. On top of that, Philadephia also has Eddy Curry's contract, which as a savvy GM they would at least be able to turn into draft picks or useful players in a real NBA environment.

New Jersey is basically an improved version of their current squad. Eric Gordon is a clear and huge upgrade at the 2, while Carl Landry off the bench is at least as good or better than Kris Humphries. But, while Aaron Brooks is a good player, he is not a real facilitator on offense, and for my money, is a downgrade on Devin Harris who would've fit this squad's MO a little better. The good news though is that Aaron Brooks will be the scoring punch NJ will need to take some pressure off of Eric Gordon. I don't think they're a playoff team now, but I do think that with a pass first point guard, they might be..which they will get in Ricky Rubio in 2 or 3 years..realistically whenever they move to Brooklyn.

New York and Boston both faced a clear uphill battle. New York's road was a little less tough than Boston's, because the pick 2 draft rewards teams who have 1 or two elite players, as opposed to 4 excellent players, as Boston has.

Both teams tried to replicate their actual teams' MO's, with defense first in Boston, and scoring first in New York, but ultimately both teams fell a little short. Boston missed out on a premier scorer to replace Paul Pierce and/or Ray Allen, while NY missed out on an effective and versatile PG to replace Felton, and a versatile true swingman to score a bit and take the pressure off of Amar'e (for NY it is Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields. I love the Ray Allen pickup for New York, and I want to like Roy Hibbert too, but I don't think the two of them will have the dynamic effect Edgar is hoping for, because the defense will be very vulnerable. In Boston, I love pickups like Beaubois and AK-47, but without a premier scorer anywhere on the roster, or even really reliable shooters to space the paint, I think Boston will have some serious issues, and will fall the most from where it currently sits.

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Southeast

Miami:
PG: Jason Terry
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Lebron James
PF: Josh Smith
C: Boris Diaw

Sixth Men:  Ty Lawson, Timofey Mozgob
Role Players: Paul George, Austin Daye, Josh Howard
Bench Warmer: Trevor Booker

Orlando Magic:
PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Demar DeRozen
SF: Michael “SuperBees” Beasley
PF: Channing Frye
C: Dwight Howard

Sixth men: Dante Cunningham, Leandro Barbosa, Ramon Sessions,
Role Players: Travis Outlaw.  Al Thorton, Johan Petro

Atlanta:
PG: Devin Harris
SG:  Joe Johnson
SF: Corey Brewer
PF: Al Horford
C: Joel Przybilla

Sixth Men: Ben Gordon, Udonis Haslem
Role Players: Al'Farouq Aminu, Ryan Anderson,  James Andersen, Shaun Livingston
Bench Warmers: , Jamaal Magloire,

Charlotte:
PG: DJ Augustin
SG:  Carlos Delfino
SF: Gerald Wallace
PF: Big Al Jefferson
C: Larry Sanders

Sixth Man: Marcus Thornton
Role Players: Gilbert Arenas, Thaddeus Young, Troy Murphy
Bench Warmers: Leon Powe, Will Bynum,

Washington:
PG  Wall
SG  Harden
SF  Green
PF  Bosh
C   Humphries
 
Sixth Men: S Blake (G), F Garcia (G/F), G Monroe (F/C)
Role Players: Xavier Henry (G), Brandon Wright (F), Rasul Butler (G/F)

Injured
Greg Oden (C)

Overall Record:
1)   Miami $
2)   Orlando Magic **
3)   Atlanta **
4)   Charlotte
5)   Washington

**=Playoff Team
$=Cheeser Team Populated By Silly Nancy Losers That Still Will Have The Best Record In The League.

Thoughts: Honestly, after seeing Miami’s foibles and toibles and fauxpas’s and shauxpas’s, I think I like this  team better than the current incarnation. They’re deeper, they’ve got a more viabile rotation at PG and C, and the overall talent stepdown from Chris Bosh to Josh Smith to me is pretty small. Bosh is a more traditional 4, with a MUCH better midrange game, but if you’ve already got two of the top 3 or 4 scorers in the game in your starting lineup, wouldn’t you rather have the dominating defensive force? This Miami team started out with the best two keepers, plus through the addition of versatile role players Jason Terry, Paul George, Josh Howard, Austin Daye, and Boris Diaw, and the addition of All-Star talent Josh Smith, this is the best team in the league, and will remain so for a long time.

I feel strange saying this, but I also think Orlando’s team makes a little more sense now than it did in the real world. Orlando has tried seeing what happens when you surround Dwight Howard with mediocre scorers…and it turned out poorly. Beasley might be a lot of things, but he can score the basketball. I also love Channing Frye’s addition, and Barbosa’s sparkplug role off the bench. Sessions, Cunningham, Outlaw, and Thorton are also good guys to have on the end of your rotation.

Atlanta is very solid 1-4, and I’m counting reserves too. Just a solid team 1-4. Joel Pryzbilla is not a starting center though, and he shouldn’t be counted on in any fashion. Likewise for Jamaal Magloire. This is a playoff team, but if the goal Is to have Horford play the 4, its not working.

Charlotte and Washington just aren’t there yet. I think oddly enough though that they’ll both be in the low to mid 30’s in terms of wins, with Washington poised to make a big step forward next year. Not that either Charlotte or Wash are poorly constructed teams, but they’re both relying on poor options (Kris Humpries/Greg Monroe in WAS, and Larry Sanders/Troy Murphy in CHA) at center and neither team will end up scaring anyone out of the paint. They should both be exciting teams to watch and root for, but they’re not there yet.

Pick 2 Success
-I define 'Pick 2 Success' by how well you addressed the flaws left in your roster after your two keepers were selected, and if your team was constructed using a clear coherent plan for success.

1)   Washington
2)   Miami
3)   Orlando
4)   Charlotte
5)   Atlanta

Thoughts: Washington improved on its “real” roster the moment they selected JaVale McGee over Andray Blatche. Blatche is a cancer to that team, he’s taking the ship down with him, and you’ll know that Washington is serious about winning games the moment they trade him. Washington went from a team “pretending” to compete by starting Rashard Lewis and giving Josh Howard major minutes whenever he actually wants to show up to being a team that is going to actually compete every night. They’re going to get abused, used and discarded by the end of most nights because they have all the interior defensive presence of a cheap chocolate bunny on Easter, but they’ll be real fun to watch this season, and really hard to beat if Greg Oden or Greg Monroe turn into a starting caliber big next season, which I imagine one will. Chris Bosh is going to have to put up with one more season of his prime as the best player on the court on a bad team, but that will only last until John Wall takes a step forward.

Miami, you know my thoughts on.

Orlando I admired here because they took a real shot that made a lot of sense and has a good fit. You might want to point to Raymond Felton as the squad’s biggest addition, but I think honestly. Michael Beasley, for richer or poorer, completely changes the dynamic of this squad, and I think it is for the better. Beasley is a more effective scorer than anyone Orlando has had since Tracy McGrady was relevant. With Dwight Howard there to claim leadership of the team and clean up SuperBeas’s mistakes, and Raymond Felton there to make sure Beasley doesn’t overdose on poor shot selection, I think this can really be something special.

Charlotte I admired too, because they took a step out into the dark with some of their draft choices. Starting Larry Sanders is a poor choice. He Is not a center, and Gerald Wallace can only block so many shots. That said, this team is going to lose a lot of games, but because of solid “you can count on em” rotation players like Carlos Delfino and DJ Augustine, stars Gerald Wallace and Al Jefferson should be able to do some work.

Atlanta I ranked last, not because they’re a bad team, but because I think they ended up right back in the same trap the Hawks are currently in, and didn’t give themselves a real way out. In terms of overall talent including reserves, they’re the most balanced and most talented group 1-4 in the division. But, they completely dropped the ball when it came to the center position. The real Hawks are at their best when they’re starting Horford at the 4, Smith at the 3, and Johnson at the two..and that should’ve been the plan here. The thing is, neither Pryzbilla or Magloire are capable of playing significant time at the 5 right now. Horford will log 70% of his overall minutes at the 5, and he’ll play next to Ryan Andersen or Udonis Haslem. That’s not a terrible thing in and of itself, but when you figure that there isn’t a Josh Smith in the rest of the lineup, the Hawks gets significantly worse, even if Devin Harris is starting (which is a huge deal I cannot overstate. Mike Bibby is just terrible right now), and the reserves are one of the best benches in the league. A young guy like Timofey Mozgov, or an established vet like Brendan Haywood…or even a Zydrunas Ilgauskus would make this team a heck of a lot better. 

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Central

Chicago:
Derrick Rose
Marco Belinelli
Mike Miller
Carlos Boozer
Marcin Gortat

Sixth Men: Jamal Crawford, Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf
Role Players: Tracy McGrady, Francisco Elson
Bench Warmers: Michael Redd, Brian Scalabrine,

Milwaukee:
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Landry Fields
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Serge Ibaka
C: A Bogut

Sixth Men: Reggie Williams, Jerryd Bayless, Tyler Hansbrough
Role Players: Drew Gooden, DeShawn Stevenson
Bench Warmers: Omer Asik, Shawne Williams

Indiana:
PG: George Hill
SG: Shawn Marion
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Tyrus Thomas
C: Andrew Bynum

Sixth Men: Marcus Camby, Goran Dragic, Mickael Pietrus
Role players: Jared Dudley, Erick Dampier
Bench Warmers: Lance Stephenson, Joey Dorsey

Detroit:
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Rodney Stuckey
SF: Dorell Wright
PF: Kevin Love
C: Darko Milicic

Sixth Men: Daniel Gibson, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Amir Johnson
Role Players: Reggie Evans, Semih Erden
Bench Warmers: Sebastian Telfair. Christian Eyenga

Overall Rankings
1) Chicago**
2) Milwaukee**
3) Indiana**
4) Detroit
**-Playoff team

Thoughts: Chicago is a flawed team in a lot of ways. Their defense is going to be atrocious..just absolutely bad. Their offense is less versatile on the Pick 2 team than it is in reality,  and without Joakim Noah, they’re significantly worse as a team defensive unit. But, they’ve still got the best low post scorer in the conference, and the best player/point guard in the conference, and they’ve surrounded him with shooters and scorers off the bench.   

Milwaukee I think is just an inspired tough team that is going to give everyone fits and make you the fan reconsider what words like “beauty” and “rainbows” mean.  I think their defense is the toughest in the league, and the grind it out games they’ll play will allow their scorers time to figure things out.

Indiana Is a team that I’m having trouble figuring out. I really like Danny Granger and I’m a fan of a lot of Indiana’s rotation players (Hill, Dragic, Dudley, Camby), and in a league (as in the pick 2) that seems like it is continuously trying to pass off power forwards as centers without repercussion, Andrew Bynum and Camby will present real matchup problems, while workers like Jared Dudley make every team continue to work, even while the starters rest. The thing that worries me though is that I don’t like any of their distributors. George Hill is 60th out of 64 ranked PG’s in terms of assist ratio (% of made assists while on the floor), while Goran Dragic is 42nd. Danny Granger isn’t any better, so what worries me is that without a real facilitator on offense, Indiana won’t be able to take advantage of their real options on offense.

Detroit just isn’t with the rest of the division, talent wise. I think they’ve got a really good base with Kevin Love as the centerpiece, but they need a better scorer (or even scoring prospect), because Love while a gifted rebounder isn’t a guy you want being your primary scorer. Rodney Stuckey is one of my least favorite players in the league too, because the guy can’t really shoot, but he can’t really pass, and while he can score, he’s not the guy you want right behind Kevin Love (or even ahead of him). I think this team is a real leader and scorer away from a playoff spot, but at presently constituted, they’re waiting for next year.

Pick 2 Draft Success
-I define 'Pick 2 Success' by how well you addressed the flaws left in your roster after your two keepers were selected, and if your team was constructed using a clear coherent plan for success.

1) Milwaukee
2) Indiana
3) Detroit
4) Chicago

Thoughts: Milwaukee’s current emotional leader is Brandon Jennings. They’re a defense-first team littered with poor defenders. I think Milwaukee’s acquisition of Serge Ibaka and Landry Fields immediately improved that situation, and set the tone early with putting defense first and foremost. Milwaukee got younger and older at the same time too, because while beyond Fields and Ibaka they also added a 24 yr old pass first starting pg, and a few key rotation players that are all around 22-24 years old. On top of that, they’re my team, so if I think I did the best job, and you disagree, write your own darn writeup.

Indiana, although I don’t like their choices for points of swingman rotations, has made Indiana one or two players away from a real exciting team, possibly a contender in a year or two. They’ve got the bench, they’ve got the big man, they’ve got the scoerer…they’ve got everything they need except for the right wing and point. Good team, but maybe a little ambitious in the ‘outside the box’ construction.

Detroit to me had the toughest job of anyone in this draft. They’re stuck with keeping role players past their time, or young players with a low ceiling. None of it looked to be too great. They managed to get Kevin Love, who looks like he is not only a perennial All-Star in the making, but he is also a guy who can remain passionate in a rebuilding situation, instilling the right kind of tone for a team that will take a year or two of maturing to come together. They also picked up solid role players in Mike Conley Jr, Dorrell Wright, and LRMAM. They still need more, but that right there is a good place to start.

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IP Rates Your Division! Northwest

Oklahoma City:
PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Vince Carter
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: DaJuan Blair

Sixth Men: Anthony Morrow, Josh McRoberts
Role Players: Sonny Weems, TJ Ford, Randy Foye, Cole Aldrich
Bench Warmers: Craig Smith, Gordon Hayward

Denver:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Stephen Jackson
SF: Grant Hill
PF: Elton Brand
C: Ben Wallace

Sixth Men: Derek Fisher, James Posey, Glen Davis
Role Players: J Flynn, Andray Blatche, Willie Green

Utah:
PG: Jameer Nelson
SG: Jason Richardson
SF: Caron Butler
PF: Zach Randolph
C: Joakim Noah

Sixth Men: JR Smith, Nenad Kristic
Role Players: Matt Barnes, Mike Bibby, Ike Diogu
Bench Warmers: Pooh Jeter, Tony Battie

Portland:
PG: Mo Williams
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Tayshaun Prince
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Kendrick Perkins

Sixth Men: Jodie Meeks, Ersan Ilyasova, JJ Barea
Role Players: Jason Smith, Jeff Foster, Eddie House
Bench Warmers: Chris Douglas Roberts 

Minnesota:
PG: Deron Williams
SG: John Salmons
SF: Rashard Lewis
PF: Paul Millsap
C: JJ Hickson

Sixth Men: Nick Collison, Ron Artest, Shaq
Role Players: Jordan Farmar, Raja Bell
Bench Warmer: Jermaine O’Neal

Overall Record:
1)   Portland**
2)   Oklahoma City **
3)   Minnesota **
4)   Denver
5)   Utah

Thoughts: I think that if 100% healthy, all of these teams are possible playoff candidates in the modern NBA East. But, as constituted, Portland has the best combination of talent, health, and balance to really churn out regular season wins. While they will miss time from Mo Williams and Kendrick Perkins, they’ve got perfectly capable place holders in JJ Barea and Jeff Foster, and while they’re certainly better with the starters on the floor, they’re not so significantly worse that I think they’d be exposed. The other thing that Portland has going for them is that they have an amazing bench. Barea, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jodie Meeks are all experienced NBA starters at this point, but they’re also all players that can come off the bench. Meeks and Ilyasova in particular are the versatile multipositonal players that you want on your bench, because their skill set (Meeks, a scorer, and Ilyasova a stretch 4) makes them natural change of pace players.

Minnesota and Okalahoma City are both just a strong, consistent, defensive bench presence away from really jumping up into the next tier, but as presently constituted they’re both 5-8 range playoff seeds. Oklahoma City probably has the most talent of any 1-4 rotation of anyone in the West, but they don’t have a feasible option at center. Minnesota has got real impact players at the 1, 2, 4, and even 5 against weaker centers, but out West you’re going to need size, and I get the feeling that Minnesota will be a .700 team with a healthy Shaq, and a .450 team without him.

Denver has a very good team that could make this conference capable of sending 4 teams to the playoffs, but it is really going to hinge on how effective Ben Wallace can still be (I think the answer is ‘not very’, and how Stephen Curry adapts as his first time as a NBA teams’ best player. There are a lot of vets on this squad though, so if as a group they came into the season with a good vibe and a jaunty step, they could very well leapfrog either Minny or OKC. I just think there isn’t enough gas in the tanks of Wallace, Hill, Brand, or Jackson to carry them very far, and I hate Andray Blatche on this team.

Utah should also be in the playoff conversation, but because of injuries they’ll end up with one of the worst defenses in the league. Caron Butler, Matt Barnes and Joakim Noah will all miss significant time, and I’m afraid that they’ll just never recover..which is a shame because with Noah and Butler healthy, this team is nearly as good and balanced as Portland.

Pick 2 Success:
-I define 'Pick 2 Success' by how well you addressed the flaws left in your roster after your two keepers were selected, and if your team was constructed using a clear coherent plan for success.

1)   Minnesota
2)   Portland
3)   Utah
4)   Denver
5)   Oklahoma City

Thoughts: Minnesota was in one of the best positions in the draft, and although for my money they got a little trade-crazy, they managed to for the most part capitalize on it. Minny had a high draft position, and Michael Beasley and Kevin Love are both now legitimate keepers because of the “great numbers, bad teams” phenomena, and Minnesota wisely got rid of both of them. Not that Love and Beasley aren’t both very good players..they’re just not guys you want to be the best or second best players on a contending team.

While I don’t like Minnesota’s notions of starting Hickson at the 5 or Rashard Lewis at the 3 (I think both guys are going to end up being ineffective on a ‘good’ team in those roles), I do think that they’ve got talent at every position on their roster, and a legitimate superstar-allstar combo in Deron Williams and Paul Millsap. Plus they have solid role players like Nick Collison, Ron Artest, and Jordan Farmar to sprinkle around the lineup. Real completely roster overhaul and I think it went pretty well.

Portland’s position might not have been as dire as seemed when Nick took the reigns. Lamarcus Aldridge is now officially a legitimate franchise cornerstone, and Wes Matthews is not a legitimate best player on your wing. After wisely keeping them (when this whole thing started 2 weeks ago, Portland was barely keeping their head above board as a playoff squad..now, they’re on pace to win 50 games) because their value might have been a little low, Portland surrounded them with able bodied players to fill clear defined roles on the roster. Scoring point that can pass a little: Some guy. Defensive stopper on the wing with needed vet experience: Tayshaun Prince. Gritty post defender: Perkins….then Portland filled the bench with viable starting talents…JJ Barea, Ersan Ilyasova, Jeff Foster..just a very well-rounded team.

IF Joakim Noah and Caron Butler hadn’t missed so many games, Utah should have challenged for the division. Solid wing play in Jason Richardson, Butler, and JR Smith, solid leadership at the point from Jameer Nelson, and a solid reliable defensive anchor in Joakim Noah. The problem I have with them is that nobody on their bench can possibly step into the roles Noah and Butler filled. Matt Barnes would be an okay replacement for Butler, but he’s been hurt most of the year too. They’d be starting J-Rich and JR Smith on the wings, and Nenad Kristic backed by Ike Diagu at the 5..it would just be a pretty poor 2010-2011 season, although the future looks solid for the next 3 years or so.

Denver, while I think they lost a little focus, at least gave it a solid shot. They made the decision early on that they were going to move Carmelo Anthony, and they wanted Stephen Curry back. They also decided that since they were going to move forward with Curry as their franchise player, they would surround him with capable veterans to keep the ship tight. While personally I don’t believe that Ben Wallace and Elton Brand can get it done in the post, to be honest I might be really underrating this team. If Big Ben has a bit of a last hurrah season and even manages to reign in Andray Blatche (with the help of Grant Hill), this team could be a significant player this season, and in years to come.
Oklahoma City to me was a bit rudderless too. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are arguably the 2 best keepers (but you’d lose..LBJ and Wade win that one) in the league..but after that OKC dropped the ball a bit. They went after Dajuan Blair to anchor their middle, and while I love Antawn Jamison here, I don’t think that this team will stop anyone, let alone slow them down. They’ll probably make the playoffs on the backs of Westbrook and Durant alone, but the current OKC team has players down low like Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka, and they’re still coming up short defensively a lot of nights. Now, with needing Cole Alrich to be a real contributor (a player the real OKC actually has, but who doesn’t crack the rotation), I think this defense is going to need a lot of work until it is effective.

[indeedproceed]

Pacific Division

Folsom Prison:
PG: Chauncey Billups 
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Nicolas Batum
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Brendan Haywood

Sixth Men: JJ Redick, Anthony Randolph
Role Players: Brandon Rush, James Jones, Anthony Tolliver, Chuck Hayes
Bench Warmers: CJ Watson

Phoenix:
PG: Steve Nash
SG: Arron Afflalo
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: Antonio McDyess
C:  Nene
 
Sixth Men: OJ Mayo, DeAndre Jordan
Role Players: Mario Chalmers, Omri Casspi, Charlie Villanueva
Deep Bench: Earl Clark, Donte Greene

Golden State:
PG: Monta Ellis
SG: Ronnie Brewer
SF: CJ Miles
PF: David Lee
C: Samuel Dalambert

Sixth Men: Darren Collison, Gary Neal, Josh Powell
Bench Warmers: Spencer Hawes, Quincy Poindexter, Von Wafer

LA Clippers:
PG: Baron Davis
SG: Mike Dunleavy Jr.
SF: Hedo Turkoglu
PF: Blake Griffin
C: Emeka Okafor

Sixth Men: Earl Watson, Thabo Sefolosha, Kenyon Martin
Role Players: Jeff Teague, Ekpe Udoh, Jordan Hill
Bench Warmers: Sam Young

Funkcity Groove
PG: Kirk Hinrich
SG: Andre Iguodala
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Taj Gibson
C: Ms. Demarcus Cousins

Sixth Men: Andre Bargnani, Toney Douglas
Role Players: Kyle Korver, Patrick Patterson
Bench Warmers: Quinton Ross, Hasheem Thabeet

Injured: Yao Ming

Overall Records:
1)   LA Lakers**
2)   Phoenix**
3)   Sacramento Kings (HA!) **
4)   LA Clippers
5)   Golden State

Thoughts: Well, this was pretty hard to figure. Since we know that a Kobe-Gasol-Phil Jackson triumvate can win a championship, I’m ranking them first. However I see Phoenix/FunkCity/LA is pretty close. This will be a Division that is in question well into March.

In Folsom, I love Billups in the triangle, and I like the thought that this season was an anomaly for Nicholas Batum, and playing him at the 3 next to Kobe in that offensive system might really turn him around. Brendan Haywood is not as gifted as Andrew Bynum is, but I think he’s a better defender, and I like the fit here a lot. JJ Redick is a natural fit here as well, and if Anthony Randolph can’t make it work taking Lamar Odom’s old minutes, then he never will.

Phoenix is going to look to the world like they’re perennial over-achievers, but I’m telling you that this team is lethal. Charlie Villenuava is going to slide way up the depth chart before the end of the year, and he might take Antonio McDyess’s starting spot in the rotation. But, that aside, Nene and McDyess in the middle with DeAndre Jordan coming off the bench makes this squad just a much, much better defensive unit. If you factor in Affalo and Ariza on the wings, and it is one of the better defensive units out West. Sure, Steve Nash will still get torched all the time, but it’ll be more than Channing Frye sitting around waiting for guys now.

In Sacramento, I have said before and I will say again, I don’t really like Iggy as the 2 guard, because he can’t shoot and Melo will dominate the ball. But, once you get past that DeMarcus Cousins’ immaturity is the biggest thing standing in their way. They’ve got a great fit for melo at the point in Kirk “Fundamentally Adequate” Hinrich and good pieces off the bench in Kyle Korver, Andrea Bargnani (gross), and Toney Douglas. Good young team that is going to really evolve in the next season.

Both Golden State and the Clippers are up and coming teams to me that aren’t quite there yet. They ought to be in the 10-13 range of the lottery, but they’ll finish outside of the playoff picture. Both teams are going to beat “better” squads on a regular basis, but they’ll be exposed by teams that are ‘worse’ often too. They’ll be up and down and fun to watch, but won’t quite get to the post season..at least this year.

Pick 2 Success
-I define ‘Pick 2 Success’ by how well you met the challenge of building a team around two pre-arranged cornerstones, also factoring in direction, clear organization, and crap like that.

1)   Phoenix
2)   Sacramentos (funkcity)
3)   LA Lakers (Folsom)
4)   LA Clippers
5)   Golden State

Thoughts: Usually my pick 2 rankings for a division are the inverse (or close to it) of the anticipated record rankings. Not the case here, and there are some fundamental reasons why. #1, Phoenix did a fantastic job. The current Suns are rudderless and the future doesn’t look that much better either. Lucky even had to keep Vince Carter as a keeper, because there wasn’t a significant second star to put next to Steve Nash. He turned a mediocre drafting position and a Nash/Carter pairing into a balanced group of talents that mix skills with athleticism and all fit to a very clear role. Heck, he even managed to bring some real defense to Phoenix. Just a great job, and keeping Nash was obviously the right move now. Great job.

#2, this division is pretty stacked. The whole west has looked pretty stacked so far. This led me to rank the Clippers and Golden State a little lower, although I think they’ll be fine teams. Golden State’s biggest flaw seems to be that Monta Ellis, while not a true point and not a true 2 is so darned good they can’t keep the ball out of his hands. But, the problem is that Monta Ellis doesn’t play defense in a team context, he doesn’t manage a game particularly well, and he doesn’t seem to be much of a leader. This Golden State team falls victim to a lot of the same trappings as the real Golden State. The Clippers’ biggest problem is that they just couldn’t replace Eric Gordon’s production, and didn’t end up really blowing me away with any other their other selections. Once again, not to say that this is a poorly constructed team..its not. But, Vinny Del Negro was just saying that they rely too much on Blake Griffin in real life without Eric Gordon, and I see this team having the same problem.

#3 Both Folsom and Funkcity approached this draft with real zeal, and made some very interesting moves. For LA, it was acquiring Chauncey Billups. While I’m not crazy about Folsom’s bench in general, I think considering that they’re picking in the latter part of each round they knocked out of the part assembling their 7 man rotation. Funkcity amassed some serious talent, and while I don’t really know how it will all fit together, I can’t really discount them anything. Sure, Cousins is a spoiled brat, and sure, Iggy can’t shoot from outside..but that starting 5 is dangerous.

[indeedproceed]

Southwest

San Antonio:
PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Manu Ginobili
SF: Rip Hamilton
PF: Chris Kaman
C: Tim Duncan

Sixth men: Al Harrington, Hakim Warrick,
Role Players: Brad Miller, Carlos Arroyo, Andres Nocioni,
Injured: Marquis Daniels, DeSagana Diop

Dallas:
PG: Jarret Jack
SG: Josh Childress
SF: Richard Jefferson
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tyson Chandler

Sixth Man: Brandon Roy, Chris Andersen
Role Players: Tiago Splitter, Wes Johnson, Chris Duhon
Bench Warmers: Vladomir Radmonovic, Grevis Vasquez

New Orleans:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Nick Young
SF: Wilson Chandler
PF: David West
C: Andris Biedrins

Sixth Men: Nazr Mohammed, Lou Williams, Anthony Parker
Role Players: Shelden Williams, Matt Bonner
Bench Warmers: Jamario Moon
Injured: Linas Kleiza

Memphis:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Luol Deng
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Brandon Bass
C:Marc Gasol

Sixth Men: Eric Bledsoe, Courtney Lee, JaVale McGee
Role Players: Terrance Williams, Darrell Arthur
Bench Warmers: Louis Amindson

Houston :
PG: Tony Parker
SG: Kevin Martin
SF: Jonas Jerebko
PF: Luis Scola
C: Jason Thompson

Sixth Men: Brandon Jennings, Mehmet Okur (when healthy)
Role Players: Yi Jianlian, Sasha Vujacic, Andre Miller, Gerald Henderson
Injured: Kelenna Azubuike

Overall Record:
1)   San Antonio**
2)   Dallas**
3)   Memphis
4)   New Orleans
5)   Houston

Sigh…Memphis, NO, and Houston are going to kill me for this one, and they’re right. One of the three of them should be in the playoffs, but I already picked 6 teams, so I only get to pick 2 here. I’d love to see a battle royal between Minnesota, Memphis, Houston and New Orleans. They’re all good teams that deserve a shot.

Well, anyways. I had Dallas ranked first, but without Brandon Roy for significant (most) of the season, I don’t know how good they really are. They’re a middling 4 or 5 seed without Roy to provide the leadership, toughness, and grittiness he is capable of, and who knows just what he’s really gonna be giving for the rest of the season. Because of that, I went with the sure thing, despite not liking a lot of the guys on San Antonio’s squad. I don’t like Harrington, Warrick, or Nocioni at all in these roles. Look at the guys who succeed in San Antonio…DaJuan Blair, Matt Bonner, Robert Horry, Antonio McDyess…what do they all share? Stretch 4’s who are good team defenders that do not dominate the ball..with the exception of Blair, who is just a beast. None of San An’s bench or Kamans match that description..and Chris Kaman will miss half the season before its all said and done anyways. But, Tim Duncan led squads have not missed the playoffs in 13 straight seasons so…yeah. I’m not betting against them. Plus, with Manu Ginobli reprising his role, Jason Kidd adding a different (but for my money, effective) flavor, and Rip Hamilton going for a career resurgence..I just can’t say no to them.

Memphis to me is the most talented team in the division. They deserve a 4 seed in the East, and they ought to get a 6th seed or so in the West. I’m luke-warm on Calderon, and skeptical about Luol Deng, because I just have never really liked the guy as a player..but it works. Deng is capable of defending 3 positions, and so Is Rudy Gay..Jose Calderon I hope has enough left in the tank to make the right passes to take advantage of all of Memphis’s weapons.

New Orleans has the best point guard in the game…most nights. Lately, Chris Paul has been looking more and more ordinary..and without Paul, this team is pretty weak on both sides of the ball. Andris Biedrins and David West, or any combination of players really that patrol the post are not real defensive stalwarts, and if you can keep New Orleans in a half-court set without letting Paul dominate, they’re going to lose a fair amount of games. However, that road can go the other way too..if Paul is on his game, and his players are hitting their jumpers..Nick Young and Wilson Chandler are better offensive complements than Paul has had in years at the wing. Add in a stretch 4/5 in Matt Bonner to further clear the lane for CP3 and Wilson Chandler to work..and this team should surprise some good squads.

Houston doesn’t have a legitimate healthy center on its roster. That’s gotta be the starting point here. A heathy Mehmet Okur from a year and a half ago makes this team substantially different..it makes them a real dangerous team. But, while Jason Thompson is an okay stop measure for a poor team at the 5..for a team that wants to really do some damage I don’t think Thompson can anchor a defense. After the depressing situation in the paint though, things pick up.  Kevin Martin is a proven scorer (I tried to pry him loose from Houston myself, and it didn’t work out), Tony Parker is a winner and leader, and Luis Scola can only really be described as a ‘beast’.  However, Jonas Jerbko is not an option yet..(he’s out until at least March this season), and it looks like Houston would need to start Sasha Vujacic in some capacity when Jerbko is out.

Pick 2 Success
-I define Pick 2 Success as a strange mixture of how you compare to your original team, mixed with future outlook, and just how much I like how it fits together.

1)   Memphis
2)   Dallas
3)   New Orleans
4)   San Antonio
5)   Houston

Thoughts: Memphis replaced Mike Conley Jr with Jose Calderon (significant downgrade), Tony Allen with Luol Deng (significant upgrade), and Zach Randolph with Brandon Bass (a downgrade..but I wonder how much it will matter). That’s 2 downs to one up in the starting 5. The thing is, the keepers and Luol Deng have incredible potential. The way Marc Gasol is used now is the equivalent of using a BMW as a commuter car. Sure, its not a Rolls Royce or a Lamborghini..but its still a darn BMW! Marc Gasol can comfortably become a 16 or 17 ppg scorer without drastically changing the offense. Then, on the bench, they have a very solid 8 man rotation rounded out by Eric Bledsoe (change of pace guard), Courtney Lee (defensive 2 guard, which is good because both Deng/Gay can play the 3 or 2, so either one can rest), and improving young defensive presence JaVale McGee. This is a significant step forward because Memphis’s current bench is absolute garbage.

Dallas gets an A+ in my book too, because they took the biggest flaw in Dallas’s current roster (starting Shawn Marion at the 3 where Caron Butler once was) and puts an efficient, effective, true small forward next to Dirk. Jarret Jack is a different look than Jason Kidd, and probably a significantly worse one, but Richard Jefferson and the chance that Brandon Roy might be the greatest sixth man ever aside from Kevin McHale, that’s gotta mean something.

New Orleans I’m 50/50 on. I like 50% of the roster and I don’t so much like 50% of the roster. I like CP3, Wilson Chandler, and David West as starters, and I like Lou Williams, Nazr Mo, Matt Bonner, and Anthony Parker off the bench. Everyone else, I don’t like so much. In the starting rotation, Nick Young and Andris Biedrins get no love from me. Both players earlier in their careers looked like they might someday move forward into complete players, but ultimately it looks like that’s not going to be the case. I think both players will help in certain roles, but Nick Young is a black hole on offense and a sieve on defense while Andris Biedrins has been in the league 6 years, and still only manages to get 25 mins a night, where he’s achieving 4 fouls and 1 free throw attempted, despite being 7 feet tall and surrounded by shooters. The guy should have a free pass in the paint in Golden State (and if you’re wondering what centers can do there..look at guys like Anthony Tolliver or Anthony Randolph..there are inflated stats to be had). Off the bench, I don’t think Shelden Williams is not truly gifted enough to take advantage of CP3’s perks, and Nazr Mohammed is a good player on a bad team kinda guy. This team needs a more consistent big to anchor the defense if they’re next to David West, and they don’t got right now.

San Antonio tried to get back some of what they lost in Tony Parker, and Kidd is as good as they’re going to do, picking number 30 I guess (although I think they should’ve used their first round pick on a pg..perhaps Aaron Brooks? Kyle Lowry? Someone faster and younger than Kidd?). Can’t say I’m a fan of Chris Kaman as their 1st round pick, when guys like Ty Thomas, Serge Ibaka, even Jeff Green or Ryan Anderson make more sense next to Duncan. However, the foundation is sound the they didn’t really deviate from the plan..if 0 is average, -2 is bad and 2 is awesome, they get a .3…under the circumstances I think they stayed as close to the actual Spurs paradigm as you’re going to get.

Houston came close to something great here, and don’t let that thought slip by you. They started out with a core of Tony Parker, Kevin Martin, and Luis Scola. That’s a JaVale McGee or some other 7ft defensive menace away from sure fire playoff status. But, they kept going BPA, and didn’t like any of the deals they got their hands on. Brandon Jennings for 2(12) or whatever…definitely better than anything on the board, but he already had Tony Parker. Next, round, Andre Miller was the BPA, and rather than pass on Andre Miller, he took him and wanted to flip him later. Unfortunately, like a realtor in 2009, (too soon?) Champ got stuck with a bunch of assets he didn’t want or need, and a team with huge holes. Jerebko is out for the year nearly after a pre-seaosn injury (and he’s better as a 4 anyways) and lo and behold, he’s starting Gerald Hendersen or Sasha Vujacic.

[Lucky17]

You're too kind, IP. Thanks.

[mgent]

I don't know if you're doing the Southwest but I think my team could easily beat the Spurs.

Chris Paul >>>>>>>>>> Jason Kidd
Nick Young < Ginobli
Wilson Chandler > Rip at the 3??
David West >>>>>>>>>> Hakim Warrick/Al Harrington
Andris Biedrins < Duncan

Basically losing Parker hurts and Blair's rebounding is replaced by Warrick and Harrington.  Also a pretty big downgrade defensively from Richard Jefferson to Hamilton (although in my opinion defense is no longer a stregth for the Spurs).  And Paul will turn Kidd into a 3rd degree burn victim.

Not at all worried about Dallas and Memphis and I have no clue what Houston's roster looks like.

[RebusRankin]

Golden State cries foul, we're being IPed. We keep losing close games due to the refs. 

[Fafnir]

I don't know if you're doing the Southwest but I think my team could easily beat the Spurs.

Chris Paul >>>>>>>>>> Jason Kidd
Nick Young < Ginobli
Wilson Chandler > Rip at the 3??
David West >>>>>>>>>> Hakim Warrick/Al Harrington
Andris Biedrins < Duncan
Basically losing Parker hurts and Blair's rebounding is replaced by Warrick and Harrington.  Also a pretty big downgrade defensively from Richard Jefferson to Hamilton (although in my opinion defense is no longer a stregth for the Spurs).  And Paul will turn Kidd into a 3rd degree burn victim.

Not at all worried about Dallas and Memphis and I have no clue what Houston's roster looks like.

I think your little window vastly understates those two match ups. If CP3 is ">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>" better than Kidd, then Manu deserves even more over Nick Young. Same thing with Duncan/Biedrins.

[Roy H.]

Is this the place where Folsom City complains about the criminal disrespect being shown to their bench?  Every guy on the bench outside of Redick is an above-average defender, and Redick, Jones, Rush, Tolliver, and Watson are all shooting above 39% from three.

I'm a little surprised by that particular criticism, as I'd rank Folsom City's bench as one of the best in the NBA.  It's not full of big names, but it is full of guys who defend, shoot well, and fit into a team concept.

[mgent]

I don't know if you're doing the Southwest but I think my team could easily beat the Spurs.

Chris Paul >>>>>>>>>> Jason Kidd
Nick Young < Ginobli
Wilson Chandler > Rip at the 3??
David West >>>>>>>>>> Hakim Warrick/Al Harrington
Andris Biedrins < Duncan
Basically losing Parker hurts and Blair's rebounding is replaced by Warrick and Harrington.  Also a pretty big downgrade defensively from Richard Jefferson to Hamilton (although in my opinion defense is no longer a stregth for the Spurs).  And Paul will turn Kidd into a 3rd degree burn victim.

Not at all worried about Dallas and Memphis and I have no clue what Houston's roster looks like.

I think your little window vastly understates those two match ups. If CP3 is ">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>" better than Kidd, then Manu deserves even more over Nick Young. Same thing with Duncan/Biedrins.

Well from a stats perspective:

Nick Young: 17.6ppg on 45% shooting 39% from 3
Ginobli: 17.9ppg on 43% shooting 35% from 3

Biedrins: 5.7ppg on 55% shooting 8.2rpg
Duncan 13.4ppg on 48% shooting 9.2rpg

Chris Paul:  16.2ppg on 48% shooting 44% from 3, 9.6apg
Jason Kidd:  8.6ppg on 37% shooting 36% from 3, 8.1apg

Chris Paul is the best PG in the league, Kidd isn't even close to him.

[Fafnir]

I don't know if you're doing the Southwest but I think my team could easily beat the Spurs.

Chris Paul >>>>>>>>>> Jason Kidd
Nick Young < Ginobli
Wilson Chandler > Rip at the 3??
David West >>>>>>>>>> Hakim Warrick/Al Harrington
Andris Biedrins < Duncan
Basically losing Parker hurts and Blair's rebounding is replaced by Warrick and Harrington.  Also a pretty big downgrade defensively from Richard Jefferson to Hamilton (although in my opinion defense is no longer a stregth for the Spurs).  And Paul will turn Kidd into a 3rd degree burn victim.

Not at all worried about Dallas and Memphis and I have no clue what Houston's roster looks like.

I think your little window vastly understates those two match ups. If CP3 is ">>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>" better than Kidd, then Manu deserves even more over Nick Young. Same thing with Duncan/Biedrins.

Well from a stats perspective:

Nick Young: 17.6ppg on 45% shooting 39% from 3
Ginobli: 17.9ppg on 43% shooting 35% from 3

Biedrins: 5.7ppg on 55% shooting 8.2rpg
Duncan 13.4ppg on 48% shooting 9.2rpg

Chris Paul:  16.2ppg on 48% shooting 44% from 3, 9.6apg
Jason Kidd:  8.6ppg on 37% shooting 36% from 3, 8.1apg

Chris Paul is the best PG in the league, Kidd isn't even close to him.

Nick Young is a one dimensional chucker who doesn't get to the line, get assists, or defend well. Manu is one of the best all around SGs in the league, especially when it comes to handling the ball. Manu also out rebounds him by a healthy clip.

Even in scoring Manu is more efficient, with a TS% of .580 to .548.

Biedrins is similarly one dimensional except he just rebounds. Offensively he's a disaster, his raw FG% obscures his poor FT% and turnover problems. There is a reason he only get s 5.7 PPG in 25 minutes. Defensively the comparison to Duncan only gets worse.

[Roy H.]

I worry about defense off of FunkCity's bench, but I think their starting lineup and scoring depth gives them the edge over Phoenix.  I do think there's a little bit of separation at the top of the division between Folsom City and the other teams, but overall this is a very, very strong division.

[Who]

I do think there's a little bit of separation at the top of the division between Folsom City and the other teams, but overall this is a very, very strong division.

Correction: A large degree of separation between LA and the trailing pack.