2017 Dynasty Draft - Pick Selection and Discussion Thread

[AHF]

35 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

I like the pick, took him as my 1st pick last season because he kept dropping. I did have a funny thought if him and Bron ended up on the same team. 

Scenario:

Twenty seconds to go in game seven of the finals with Bron and Harden's team down one. Bron brings the ball up the court and pounds another five seconds off the clock. Whole time he is thinking, I cannot take this shot, if I miss they will never consider me greater than MJ. He passes to Harden.

Harden at the top of the key dribbling and thinking I can't take this shot, I suck in the playoffs, so he then passes the ball back to Bron. Bron looks around at his teammates on the floor and then shouts to his bench " WTheF is Kyrie?"

Harden has actually been pretty good in the playoffs.  .590% TS% for his career (higher than Durant and LeBron among others) with 29, 6 and 9 on .583% TS% last season.  

I really wanted to take Anthony Davis but it was the combination of health issues (which I think remain a looming concern) and his total lack of big game experience in the pros in combination with the fact that Harden's production dwarfs his in recent years.  I think Davis has a lot more development left in him but just couldn't pass on Harden who I thought for sure would be gone when I was debating Kawhi, Harden and Davis with my first pick.

[capstone21]

52 minutes ago, Diesel said:

With the next pick in the draft, the Atlanta Ganstaslappas Select:

Paul George

 

Paul George is averaging 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists shooting—45.3 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from deep and 92.1 percent from the charity stripe.   Alongside Westbrook, his defense and shooting will create openness for West to work. 

I am a Paul George fan ... love his all around game 

[Buzzard]

14 minutes ago, AHF said:

Harden has actually been pretty good in the playoffs.  .590% TS% for his career (higher than Durant and LeBron among others) with 29, 6 and 9 on .583% TS% last season.  

Just cannot make a funny with you at all :)

All kidding aside, since being at Houston, where he gets to start and is clearly the man, his career TS% is .579 in the playoffs, it is .607 in the regular season with Houston.

Cannot pass up top five MVP talent this late in the draft which is exactly why last year I took him somewhere around 13 and I was shocked he dropped to me.

Edited August 3, 2017 by Buzzard

[Buzzard]

LW3 said he would be back after dinner. I will try and get my pick in tonight if possibe.

[lethalweapon3]

((burp...))

With what probably should be the 15^th pick in the 2017 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, the Lethal Flexibility selects:

 

Nah, not you, tatted one. I’m gonna go with your doughier little brother over there. Hey, Nikola Jokic (Center / Power Forward, 6’10”, 250 lbs., Age 22 as of 10/1/2017), we’re gonna have to change that diet of yours. You like Rocky Mountain Oysters?

Nikola has shaped his game as fantastically as he has shaped his frame, and he stands today as one of the top young big men in the Summer Dynasty League. Coming off an All-Rookie 1^st Team selection in 2016, he spent the start of last season having his chain jerked by his coaching staff, at times coming off the bench, at times playing outside of his customary center position. But once things settled down, Jokic took those glimpses of splendid passing, clever rebounding, and sweet interior shooting, and put them on full display.

Mostly from late December through the end of the year, Jokic was granted 30-plus minutes in 31 games. In those games alone, he compiled averages of 22.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 6.2 APG. According to FanRag Sports, who was the last NBA player to put up numbers like that for an entire season? A man who was well known for racking up numbers of all kinds, Wilt Chamberlain.

While the 22-year-old center “only” shot 32.4 percent from three-point range, on under two attempts per game, there are precious few players who can make well over half his two-point attempts virtually everywhere across the floor. His accuracy last season, according to Basketball-Reference: 67.4 FG% at-rim, 62.4% from 3-10 feet, 53.0% from 10-16 feet, 55.2% from 16 feet to the 3-point line. He is a high-post player whose low-post maneuvering won’t need much more seasoning. Tack on free throw shooting well above-average for centers (82.5 FT%) and you don’t have many wasted possessions with the ball in Jokic’s hands.

That’s also because of his prodigious passing skills. Often with a fearless dash of highlight-reel flair, Jokic delivered 8.3 dimes per 100 possessions to teammates. That eclipsed every other center (min. 100 minutes played) in the league, including many who have been at this thing for quite some time. Improving the complements around this talent, like L-Flex deadeye gunner Stephen Curry, will only make the best better when it comes to passing the ball.

Nikola is among nine players to finish 2016-17 among the Top 15 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentages. But he is by no means a rim-protecting block-chaser, and he’ll need players with more of a defensive aptitude going forward to lessen the load for him in the paint. 63.9 percent of defended FGs within 6 feet of the basket went in anyway, the second-highest percentage among starters in the league, behind only Curry’s starting center. Jokic averages just over one steal and one block per-36, and those values should increase in the coming years with the right personnel and staff around him.

Jokic’s addition gives the L-Flex two of the Summer Dynasty League’s top-ten returning players in per-48 Win Shares, Box Plus/Minus, Value Over Replacement Player, and Real Plus-Minus. While these aren’t the league’s most physically imposing or impressive players, the duo’s offensive efficiencies are reflective of Jokic’s mindset, as he put it: “I believe the only muscles you need in basketball are the ones in your brain.”

THE LETHAL FLEXIBILITY

PG: Wardell Stephen Curry II

SG: 

SF: 

PF: 

C: Никола Јокић 

@Buzzard takes the floor with the next selection!

~lw3

[Buzzard]

With the 16th pick the Flocking Buzzards select Gordon Hayward. This was an extremely tough choice as there are many all-star players still out there to choose from; but we feel the NBA is a game of mismatches and versatility. Gordon is truly a special talent at the Small Forward position, who also has the ability to play a big Shooting Guard if need be. Gordon has improved every season and we expect nothing less from our new sharp shooter.

Welcome to the Flock Gordon Hayward:

 

@pimp is up next!

Edited August 4, 2017 by Buzzard

[Buzzard]

I did PM Pimp

[LucastheThird]

I like the pace of the draft so far

[Buzzard]

6 minutes ago, LucastheThird said:

I like the pace of the draft so far

It is about to hit a small wall. According to the rules, JY has 2 hours to make their selections. So doing the math, Pimp has eight hours which will be around 2:45PM tomorrow. Then JY will have two hours for each pick, putting us at 6:45PM. If Pimp gets theirs in before 7:00AM, the wait on JY will end at 11:00AM tomorrow.

I hate this is turning into a 8 player draft so far; but nothing we can do about it.

[pimp]

I'm not at home right now, so i can't do i write up, but i will do my write up in the morning.

i just want to make sure JY's clock start  early this morning 

ok 

With the next pick in the draft the Atl Air Force selects " Demarcus Cousins" 

[pimp]

Atl Air force select Demarcus Cousins


27ppg - 11rpg - 4.6 apg - 1.5 spg - 1.1 bpg -
10 in scoring and rebounding.
3x all-star , 2x All NBA 2nd team

Paring Cousins and Kevin Durant gives our team a devastatingly explosive offensive combination.
He has amazing footwork in the post and a nice touch around the basket, while also being able to step out and shoot the 3  
  (131 made 3s on 36% shooting in 16/17).

Cousins has top 10 talent, the only thing holding him back was his attitude, while on a losing team.
We think that putting him in a situation with Kevin Durant, where he has a chance to compete for a championship will, bring the best out of Cousins. 



@jy23 
Cousins' skill level operating with his back to the basket is still as impressive as ever. He boasts extremely high levels of coordination, mobility, and footwork, a dangerous combination when paired with his physical attributes. - 

Edited August 4, 2017 by pimp

[lethalweapon3]

As @Buzzard aptly noted, @jy23's egg-timer goes off in just under 40 minutes from now.

That'll bring us formally into the third round, and @pimp, Buzz, Yours Truly (already? Yikes!), @LucastheThird, and @Diesel will be the next five on the docket!

~lw3

[capstone21]

2 hours ago, pimp said:

Atl Air force select Demarcus Cousins


27ppg - 11rpg - 4.6 apg - 1.5 spg - 1.1 bpg -
10 in scoring and rebounding.
3x all-star , 2x All NBA 2nd team

Paring Cousins and Kevin Durant gives our team a devastatingly explosive offensive combination.
He has amazing footwork in the post and a nice touch around the basket, while also being able to step out and shoot the 3  
  (131 made 3s on 36% shooting in 16/17).

Cousins has top 10 talent, the only thing holding him back was his attitude, while on a losing team.
We think that putting him in a situation with Kevin Durant, where he has a chance to compete for a championship will, bring the best out of Cousins. 



@jy23 
Cousins' skill level operating with his back to the basket is still as impressive as ever. He boasts extremely high levels of coordination, mobility, and footwork, a dangerous combination when paired with his physical attributes. - 

Cousins is an ahole who I don't like but you can't deny his talent ... he is a beast on the court

[lethalweapon3]

9 minutes ago, capstone21 said:

Cousins is an ahole who I don't like but you can't deny his talent ... he is a beast on the court

Since I mentioned the Stilt in my write-up of Jokic, I'll note from the same FanRag Sports article that, even with all the shifting sands around him, Boogie's 27.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game last season were met-or-exceeded in previous seasons only by Wilt, Kareem, Elgin, and The Big O. That's good company. And while that HOF quartet got their tallies by averaging over 40 minutes per game, Cousins' came in just 34.2 minutes per contest.

https://www.fanragsports.com/nba/settling-nba-twitter-debates-demarcus-cousins-vs-nikola-jokic/

~lw3

[capstone21]

6 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Since I mentioned the Stilt in my write-up of Jokic, I'll note from the same FanRag Sports article that, even with all the shifting sands around him, Boogie's 27.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game last season were met-or-exceeded in previous seasons only by Wilt, Kareem, Elgin, and The Big O. That's good company. And while that HOF quartet got their tallies by averaging over 40 minutes per game, Cousins' came in just 34.2 minutes per contest.

https://www.fanragsports.com/nba/settling-nba-twitter-debates-demarcus-cousins-vs-nikola-jokic/

~lw3

Jokic is such an awesome passer for a man his size ... 

[AHF]

Cousins has always been off the charts productive on a per minute basis.  He has a very nice feel for scoring and rebounding and even is a pretty decent passer.  His only liabilities are mediocre defense and an inconsistent mental engagement.  Those aren't insignificant but if he overcomes the latter he could be the best big man in the league for a window of time.

[Buzzard]

3 hours ago, pimp said:

Atl Air force select Demarcus Cousins


27ppg - 11rpg - 4.6 apg - 1.5 spg - 1.1 bpg -
10 in scoring and rebounding.
3x all-star , 2x All NBA 2nd team

Paring Cousins and Kevin Durant gives our team a devastatingly explosive offensive combination.
He has amazing footwork in the post and a nice touch around the basket, while also being able to step out and shoot the 3  
  (131 made 3s on 36% shooting in 16/17).

Cousins has top 10 talent, the only thing holding him back was his attitude, while on a losing team.
We think that putting him in a situation with Kevin Durant, where he has a chance to compete for a championship will, bring the best out of Cousins. 



@jy23 
Cousins' skill level operating with his back to the basket is still as impressive as ever. He boasts extremely high levels of coordination, mobility, and footwork, a dangerous combination when paired with his physical attributes. - 

Cousins was one of the many All-Stars I was looking at 16. If I did not already have one All-Star caliber big, I think he would have been a no brainer for me.

[capstone21]

52 minutes ago, AHF said:

Cousins has always been off the charts productive on a per minute basis.  He has a very nice feel for scoring and rebounding and even is a pretty decent passer.  His only liabilities are mediocre defense and an inconsistent mental engagement.  Those aren't insignificant but if he overcomes the latter he could be the best big man in the league for a window of time.

The big thing that has always held him back is his temper/maturity.  He is off the charts talent but the other side of the coin is what keeps him from being that elite big ... I am intrigued to see how he and Davis pair together for a full season.

[AHF]

30 minutes ago, capstone21 said:

 I am intrigued to see how he and Davis pair together for a full season.

Me too.  I think they will need more than the worst wings in the league like last year.  Do you know which of their wings is projected to start this year?  I had hoped they might take on (EDIT: No way his name matters for this draft, but we can't mention undrafted players! ~lw3)'s contract or even be desperate enough to give some value for him.

[Buzzard]

I just PMd @pimp

Looks like JY is still a no show and time expired at 11:00am by my math on picks 18&19.