2017 Dynasty Draft - Pick Selection and Discussion Thread

[HopefulHawksFan]

With my next pick, I select….

 

Tyler Ulis

 

At under 6 feet tall, Ulis may seem small, but he’s all quickness and basketball IQ.  Ulis can score, but he’s most concerned with ball movement and making quick decisions.  He has the promise of being a strong starter, but will be a premier back up. 

 

[lethalweapon3]

Taurean's selection has the Hawks joining 9 other NBA teams with 3 Summer Dynasty League draftees.

All but two NBA teams have at least two draftees. One team still has none.

 

NBA TEAMS WITH 5 PLAYERS DRAFTED

Celtics

Cavaliers

76ers

Clippers

Timberwolves

Suns

 

NBA TEAMS WITH 4 PLAYERS DRAFTED

Bucks

Warriors

Clippers

Lakers

 

~lw3

[AHF]

Jayson Tatum was our last pick adding another elite upside possibility to the fold and another young wing to the bench.  In a nice contrast to our prior pick Josh Jackson, Tatum is more offensively developed at this point in his career and has some similar longterm potential for stardom:

NBADraft.net profiles:

Quote

Tatum lived up to lofty expectations placed upon him in his freshman season at Duke, as a result of being heralded as a top-five high-school recruit by virtually every recruiting database .., Tatum developed into an absolute superstar by the end of the season for the Blue Devils, averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 boards, and 2.3 assists per game ... Tatum’s NBA potential begins with his prototypical physical profile for a wing player ... Standing at 6-8, with a 6-11 wingspan, he has an excellent frame that appears will fill out over time with broad shoulders and great hip mobility for his size Tatum’s most intriguing selling point, however, is his highly advanced offensive skillset in the half court, and his NBA ready scoring ability ... He is an exceptionally polished scorer for a 19 year old, having the ability to operate from all three levels.

His ability to play the stretch 4 in the NBA will give our roster some added versatility as well as we can shift Turner to center at times, Tatum to PF, and mix and match our bigs in small and large lineups.  Despite his tragically bad choice in college and bad luck of the draw in NBA team, we think Tatum will find a nice place off the bench for the U-Niques for years to come.

[AHF]

So with this pick, we are going for more certainty with some upside remaining with this 6'4'' veteran PG.  Should Paul run into any injury trouble, we'd like to have a steady vet coming off the bench to offer great game management skills and plus defense.  That brings us to the 26 year old Spanish phenom who hasn't ever quite taken that next step into stardom but who has been a consistent source of plus passing, ball handling and defense over his career.  

He put up a nice 11 point, 9 assists and 2 steals per game the last two seasons.  The advanced stats agree on his plus play with him posting a 17.2 PER, .119 WS/48 and 6 win shares per season the last two years.  His weakness has always been his shooting but that was the weakness of Boris Diaw before Pops got to work with him and with the array of offensive weapons on this team this young man won't need to blister the nets to be a success.  Indeed, steady defense and a steady hand at the helm makes him the perfect young veteran to add to our squad.  

He aptly demonstrated that the last two seasons by landing in the top 5 in assists (3rd time in his career) and top 10 in steals (4th time in his career).  We have no doubt this wizard with the ball will be putting the moves on opponents for years down the line.

So with our 12th pick of the draft, the U-Niques are excited to select:

Ricky Rubio

U-Niques

Coach:  Gregg Popovich

PG:  Chris Paul / Markelle Fultz / Ricky Rubio

SG:  James Harden / Josh Jackson

SF:  Kawhi Leonard / Jayson Tatum

PF:  Blake Griffin / Myles Turner

C:  Joel Embiid / Clint Capela

@capstone21 is on the clock

[capstone21]

Capstone's Crew selects:

D'Angelo Russell PG/SG 6'5 21 yrs old

15.6ppg 3.5rpg 4.8apg 2.1 3pg 1.4spg

Now the Nets are off the board @lethalweapon3 

Being given his own team this year (along with a couple years of experience) will result in this being the breakout year for Russell.

Probably more a hybrid guard then a point guard ... D'Angelo gives the Crew some versatility off the bench ... he will come and sub for pg or sg and provide some sweet instant offense ... He is a very willing passer and can also hit the 3 which is key in our spread the floor/keep the ball moving offense.  His D is a work in progress but with the amazing defenders we have surrounding him he can't help but learn from them.  At only 21 years old ... Russell is still growing/learning and we look forward to a microwave role for this future star

@Diesel you are up

[Diesel]

With the next pick of the draft,  The Atlanta Ganstaslappas select:

Seth Curry

Steph's Little Brother has finally made it.

After being bounced around the league and after being relegated to BU play.. On Jan 12, the Mavs. made him a starter.

Since the allstar break...

Seth Curry has hit for 16.2 ppg and has shot a blistering 45.3% from 3 pt land.  It's not something in the water, it's something in the genes...

@LucastheThird is next.

[capstone21]

6 hours ago, AHF said:

So with this pick, we are going for more certainty with some upside remaining with this 6'4'' veteran PG.  Should Paul run into any injury trouble, we'd like to have a steady vet coming off the bench to offer great game management skills and plus defense.  That brings us to the 26 year old Spanish phenom who hasn't ever quite taken that next step into stardom but who has been a consistent source of plus passing, ball handling and defense over his career.  

He put up a nice 11 point, 9 assists and 2 steals per game the last two seasons.  The advanced stats agree on his plus play with him posting a 17.2 PER, .119 WS/48 and 6 win shares per season the last two years.  His weakness has always been his shooting but that was the weakness of Boris Diaw before Pops got to work with him and with the array of offensive weapons on this team this young man won't need to blister the nets to be a success.  Indeed, steady defense and a steady hand at the helm makes him the perfect young veteran to add to our squad.  

He aptly demonstrated that the last two seasons by landing in the top 5 in assists (3rd time in his career) and top 10 in steals (4th time in his career).  We have no doubt this wizard with the ball will be putting the moves on opponents for years down the line.

So with our 12th pick of the draft, the U-Niques are excited to select:

Ricky Rubio

U-Niques

Coach:  Gregg Popovich

PG:  Chris Paul / Markelle Fultz / Ricky Rubio

SG:  James Harden / Josh Jackson

SF:  Kawhi Leonard / Jayson Tatum

PF:  Blake Griffin / Myles Turner

C:  Joel Embiid / Clint Capela

@capstone21 is on the clock

I always thought he would be a star if he ever learned how to make a jump shot ... he has all the tools

[AHF]

15 minutes ago, capstone21 said:

I always thought he would be a star if he ever learned how to make a jump shot ... he has all the tools

I agree.  He just hasn't come close to even Jason Kidd levels of improvement.  Otherwise, he has everything he needs.  As it is, he has to be in the right situation like Rondo does.  He isn't a plug and play PG on any team due to his shooting.

[LucastheThird]

Let's move this along:

DEWAYNE DEDMON

 

Dude is a defensive freak at the Center position. Also allows Al to not have to play all of his minutes at C, gives my front court more depth and different lineups to throw at you all.

@lethalweapon3 is up next

[Buzzard]

I was just about to post this:

"A few good players and prospects off the board these last two days; but man I cannot believe how slow the draft is moving now. My last pick was around 10:15 AM on Saturday; and it may be 10:15 tomorrow morning when I get to pick. If I am lucky, 10:15 tonight lol."

Maybe now I will get to pick before 10:15 PM.

[Buzzard]

4 minutes ago, LucastheThird said:

Let's move this along:

DEWAYNE DEDMON

 

Dude is a defensive freak at the Center position. Also allows Al to not have to play all of his minutes at C, gives my front court more depth and different lineups to throw at you all.

@lethalweapon3 is up next

Nothing wrong with reaching for the stars this late in the draft. 1/3 of the picks this round are draft prospects so I can for sure see taking a flyer on this rebounding beast!

Nice pick!

[lethalweapon3]

With the 105^th pick of the 2017 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, the Lethal Flexibility selects:

 

Is there any way I can get an insurance waiver before picking you, Robert Covington (Small Forward, 6’9”, 215 lbs., Age 26 as of 10/1/2017)? You know, jusssssssssssst in case…

In writing up about Nik Vucevic, I noted there were only ten players who finished last season averaging at least 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game (Vooch just missing the cut). Draymond Green is one. The L-Flexer is joined on that shortlist by his new teammate, Robert Covington.

Along with his 1.0 BPG, Covington averaged 1.9 SPG, 4th in the entire league. What's more, his 4.2 deflections per game was #1 in the league. Who ranked #2, you ask? Draymond. Green was the #1 power forward in Defensive RPM, while Covington was the top small forward in that category, each covering opponents best wings and forwards nightly.

Also consider that Steph Curry was 2nd in the league in loose-ball recoveries, and you'll realize that not since Moon Pies has there ever been this good a potential grouping with an RC.

His team's D-Rating of 105.9 when Covington was on-court ballooned to 113.4 as he watched from the bench. There's no doubt that's why he stood out among a stacked field to finish 4th in Defensive Player of the Year balloting last season, 5th in voting among frontcourt players not making a NBA All-Defensive squad.

Not coincidentally, his long-suffering team (inclusive of his fellow L-Flexer Dario Saric) enjoyed its best season since 2013, its win tally matching that of its prior two seasons despite the injury absence of future stars like new teammate Ben Simmons.

He also contributed from long-range last season with 2.0 threes per game, his third-straight season sinking at least two per contest. But, about that...

Covington has long been a gunner with spotty shot selection, his 33.3 3FG% last season the lowest in his last three seasons. To be fair, he has been attacking more inside (within ten feet, a career-high 39 percent of shot attempts taken), and raised his 2FG% to a career-best 48.4% last season.

But more to the point, you can look at the limited healthy options he and Saric have had to play with, and you could see how he'd be tempted to loft 6.1 attempts from three-point range per game, no matter the efficiency.

That will no longer be a problem on a team where players as talented as Curry, Jokic, and Simmons control the ball. As his usage significantly declines, look for Covington to spend more time with rebounding and sinking his teeth into opposing offenses, while becoming a sharper shooter from the corners, a three-point shot he rarely attempts. He can also afford to cut down on his 3.0 personal fouls per game and use his solid 82.2 FT% to be a net-positive from the free throw line.

If he does those things, and contributes better as a passer, it will be hard to keep Covington off the L-Flex floor. The O-D tandem of Simmons and Green at the forward spots will be capably supported by Covington and Saric off the bench.

 

Let’s keep this Draft flying with @Buzzard!

THE LETHAL FLEXIBILITY

PG: Wardell Stephen Curry II, Lonzo Anderson Ball

SG: James Khristian Middleton, Gary Harris, Bogdan Bogdanovic

SF: Benjamin Simmons, Robert Covington

PF: Draymond Jamal Green, Dario Saric

C: Nikola Jokic, Nikola Vucevic

COACH: Jason Frederick Kidd

 

~lw3

[Buzzard]

1 minute ago, lethalweapon3 said:

With the 105^th pick of the 2017 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, the Lethal Flexibility selects:

 

Is there any way I can get an insurance waiver before picking you, Robert Covington (Small Forward, 6’9”, 215 lbs., Age 26 as of 10/1/2017)? You know, jusssssssssssst in case…

More on the slithery shutdown defender in this space later on down the road. Let’s keep this Draft flying with @Buzzard!

~lw3

From a purely basketball standpoint, I think you got a steal here LW3. 

[Buzzard]

With the 106th pick in the Dynasty Draft the Flocking Buzzards select another under 30 player. This guy is really the definition of a tweener and should be able to help my team out when needed at either guard spot. He may not fit in as a NBA starting point guard but I think he would be a gem of a 6th man. Please welcome to the Flock Mr. Reggie Jackson!

@pimp is on the closck.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2017 by Buzzard

[pimp]

im not able to make a write up at the moment. I'll do that  tomorrow morning .

So , to keep the Draft moving ...

Atl Air force selects :

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

23 years old

pm sent 

Edited August 14, 2017 by pimp

[Buzzard]

1 minute ago, pimp said:

im not able to make a write up at the moment. I'll do that  tomorrow morning .

So , to keep the Draft moving ...

Atl Air force selects :

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

23 years old

pm sent 

When he can stay on the floor, he is a very solid player. I took him last season and he stayed healthy!

[TheNorthCydeRises]

9 hours ago, AHF said:

Jayson Tatum was our last pick adding another elite upside possibility to the fold and another young wing to the bench.  In a nice contrast to our prior pick Josh Jackson, Tatum is more offensively developed at this point in his career and has some similar longterm potential for stardom:

NBADraft.net profiles:

His ability to play the stretch 4 in the NBA will give our roster some added versatility as well as we can shift Turner to center at times, Tatum to PF, and mix and match our bigs in small and large lineups.  Despite his tragically bad choice in college and bad luck of the draw in NBA team, we think Tatum will find a nice place off the bench for the U-Niques for years to come.

Unbelievable that he lasted this long.   Good pick.

[Buzzard]

4 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Unbelievable that he lasted this long.   Good pick.

I could use either a 3rd PG or 3rd SF. I would have taken him if he would have made it to me. He didn't so I took what I think is the best I could get at PG..

[capstone21]

With the 105^th pick of the 2017 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, the Lethal Flexibility selects:

 

Is there any way I can get an insurance waiver before picking you, Robert Covington (Small Forward, 6’9”, 215 lbs., Age 26 as of 10/1/2017)? You know, jusssssssssssst in case…

More on the slithery shutdown defender in this space later on down the road. Let’s keep this Draft flying with @Buzzard!

THE LETHAL FLEXIBILITY

PG: Wardell Stephen Curry II, Lonzo Anderson Ball

SG: James Khristian Middleton, Gary Harris, Bogdan Bogdanovic

SF: Benjamin Simmons, Robert Covington

PF: Draymond Jamal Green, Dario Saric

C: Nikola Jokic, Nikola Vucevic

COACH: Jason Frederick Kidd

 

~lw3

One of the most underrated players in the league ... was my next pick

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Buzzard]

8 hours ago, capstone21 said:

One of the most underrated players in the league ... was my next pick

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The mini run on small forwards was a bummer!