2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft - Picks and Discussion

[TheNorthCydeRises]

To make our 2nd selection, the Northcyde Ballers will call on the greatest Ball of them all . . Lucille Ball.

With the 21st pick in the Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft . . . the Northcyde Ballers select . . .

 

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS

 

Despite his season being derailed by an ACL tear, Kristaps was starting to become a true high level star in the NBA.  With Carmelo Anthony gone, KP6 raised his scoring average to 22.7 ppg.  But more impressive, he became a much better rim protector, averaging 2.4 blocks per game.

At a towering 7-3 and 245 lbs, the Unicorn will become the most lethal offensive weapon in the NBA in a few short years.  Yes, we would DEFINITELY like him to become a better playmaker, seeing that he's only averaging 1.2 assists per game.  That is an area of his game that a Hall of Famer like Lebron can teach him, to turn him into a legit MVP candidate.

 

[Buzzard]

3 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

To make our 2nd selection, the Northcyde Ballers will call on the greatest Ball of them all . . Lucille Ball.

With the 21st pick in the Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft . . . the Northcyde Ballers select . . .

 

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS

 

Despite his season being derailed by an ACL tear, Kristaps was starting to become a true high level star in the NBA.  With Carmelo Anthony gone, KP6 raised his scoring average to 22.7 ppg.  But more impressive, he became a much better rim protector, averaging 2.4 blocks per game.

At a towering 7-3 and 245 lbs, the Unicorn will become the most lethal offensive weapon in the NBA in a few short years.  Yes, we would DEFINITELY like him to become a better playmaker, seeing that he's only averaging 1.2 assists per game.  That is an area of his game that a Hall of Famer like Lebron can teach him, to turn him into a legit MVP candidate.

 

He was one of my six blanks. True superstar potential and I love me some Lucille Ball!

[AHF]

So about those overdue writeups....

So entering the draft this year, our front office had the 6th pick in the draft and we have come in with a goal to develop a well-rounded group of players.  We want elite talent, we want special skills and the draft could take us many different directions but at the end of the day Ashley and I are looking for balance.

We need to see scorers, defenders, players willing to move the ball...each thing in its own measure.  So two rounds in, we feel pretty good about the draft so far.  Our opening pick brings elite scoring and playmaking from that position where you can never have enough depth:  the wing.

James Harden

At 28, he is in his prime with a long future ahead of him given the high skills focus of his game.  He is the only player in the league to hit that mark the last 2 years.

The basic stats and awards are fantastic:

• Harden was this year's MVP and runner-up two of the last three seasons. 
• He has led the league in scoring twice and finished second twice all over the last 4 years.
• During that time he has scored with amazing efficiency (~.609% TS% over the last 4 years, .619% last season).
• He led the league in assists two seasons ago and was #4 last season.
• He has been top 10 in steals 2 of the last 4 years (#8 last season).

The advanced metrics love him:

• Win Shares - He is the only player in the league to have 15 or more win shares in 3 of the last 4 seasons and actually owns 3 of the grand total of 6 such seasons over those 4 years. 
• BPM - He owns 2 of the total of 5 BPM seasons of 10+ over the last four years (only one at that level last season).
• VORP - Over the last 4 years there have been a total of 8 VORP seasons of 7.8+ and Harden has 3 of them (the only one with 3 such seasons).

Perhaps more importantly, he rocks some serious style to go with the League's most iconic beard:

 

The Yin to Hardne's Yang is our second choice:

Rudy Gobert

Just as Harden kills it on all things offense, Rudy is the league's highest impact defender.  It seems almost unfair to pair the 2018 MVP with the 2018 DPOY but we are excited to do it!

This 25 year old has been a star on the rise.  He led the league in blocks and was All-NBA two seasons ago and then followed that up promptly with his first (likely of many) Defensive Player of the Year awards.  

Better than his individual success to demonstrate his importance is his impact on his team.  Gobert suffered an early season injury last year that left the Jazz scuffling along at 18-26 when he returned - a 41% winning %.  The rest of the way the Jazz went 30-8 behind his brick wall defense - an impressive 79% winning %.  After beating Mr. Westbrook and Mr. George in the playoffs, Gobert bowed out against his now teammate and the Rockets.

Indeed, after Gobert’s late January return, the Jazz posted the second-best record in the NBA (30-8), the best defensive rating in the NBA (97.5), the best net rating (10.8), the lowest opponent scoring average (97.4) and were tied for the lowest opponent field goal percentage during that stretch (.431).  The 7-1 center averaged the most contested shots per game (15.0) on the year and had the second-most blocked shots in the NBA after the All-Star break (55).  Led by Gobert, the Jazz had a top-five defense for the second-straight season with a defensive rating of 101.6, the second-best rating in the NBA and had the fifth-best net rating in the NBA (4.6) in 2017-18.

 At 7'1'' and with exception foot speed and quickness to match, Gobert is going to be shutting down opponents for years to come.

Two rounds in, it is so far, so good for the roster.

Welcome to the U-Niques, Mr. Harden and Mr. Gobert.  We are thrilled to have you aboard!

 

[capstone21]

9 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

To make our 2nd selection, the Northcyde Ballers will call on the greatest Ball of them all . . Lucille Ball.

With the 21st pick in the Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft . . . the Northcyde Ballers select . . .

 

KRISTAPS PORZINGIS

 

Despite his season being derailed by an ACL tear, Kristaps was starting to become a true high level star in the NBA.  With Carmelo Anthony gone, KP6 raised his scoring average to 22.7 ppg.  But more impressive, he became a much better rim protector, averaging 2.4 blocks per game.

At a towering 7-3 and 245 lbs, the Unicorn will become the most lethal offensive weapon in the NBA in a few short years.  Yes, we would DEFINITELY like him to become a better playmaker, seeing that he's only averaging 1.2 assists per game.  That is an area of his game that a Hall of Famer like Lebron can teach him, to turn him into a legit MVP candidate.

 

I really considered him hard and he has superstar written all over him but he has never been healthy ... that is what scared me away from him.  He is awesome though

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Just now, capstone21 said:

I really considered him hard and he has superstar written all over him but he has never been healthy ... that is what scared me away from him.  He is awesome though

My initial pick at this spot was Olidipo, because I thought people would forget about him.  Hopefully, KP has used this injury time to become much stronger.  He needs to be strong, to keep that 7-3 frame sturdy.  When healthy, he has the total package, outside of making everyone around him better.

 

[capstone21]

Just now, TheNorthCydeRises said:

My initial pick at this spot was Olidipo, because I thought people would forget about him.  Hopefully, KP has used this injury time to become much stronger.  He needs to be strong, to keep that 7-3 frame sturdy.  When healthy, he has the total package, outside of making everyone around him better.

 

He wouldn't have lasted to you as he was my next pick after Durant :)

[capstone21]

With the 20th pick, Capstone's Crew selects:

JOHN WALL 6'4 PG 27 years old

The CREW loves playmakers and willing passers.  This is what our offense is based on ... ball movement!!  You don't get many better playmakers then John Wall.  At 6'4, Wall is the total package at the point guard position....He is a nightly double - double and a potential all defensive player too!  He brings quickness, bbiq, leadership and heart.   He can get to the basket with ease or hit a clutch three in your face.  We love that he can shut down with his awesome D opposing team's point guards and (with his size) shooting guards.   Although he can score with the best of them, its the passing that we love most!  Teammates are going love playing with this guy ... finding the open man in the right spot is what he does best and everyone is going to benefit!  Welcome to the Crew J-Wow!

 

[JayBirdHawk]

With the 22nd Selection in the 2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft The Lady JayBurds select 22 year old DEVIN ARMANI BOOKER.

Giannis needs shooters around him and boy can Devin shoot it.  He can also put the ball on the floor if needed to score for himself or create for others. I'm using the D.P.S. model here to build my team.

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

@turnermx has been PM'd.

[Spud2nique]

1 minute ago, JayBirdHawk said:

With the 22nd Selection in the 2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft The Lady JayBurds select 22 year old DEVIN ARMANI BOOKER.

Giannis needs shooters around him and boy can Devin shoot it.  He can also put the ball on the floor if needed to score for himself or create for others. I'm using the D.P.S. model here to build my team.

 

 

Nice pick almost took him instead of Mitchell at 17.

[AHF]

Pick #	Team	Selection
1	Buzzard	Karl Anthony-Towns
2	turnermx	Anthony Davis
3	JayBirdHawk	Giannis Antetokounmpo
4	TheNorthCydeRises	LeBron James
5	capstone21	Kevin Durant
6	AHF	James Harden
7	HopefulHawksFan	Russell Westbrook
8	Spud2Nique	Steph Curry
9	lethalweapon3	Joel Embiid
10	Marvin24Williams	Nikola Jokic
11	pimp	Kawhi Leonard
12	LucastheThird	Ben Simmons
13	LucastheThird	Klay Thompson
14	pimp	Kyrie Irving
15	Marvin24Williams	Jimmy Butler
16	lethalweapon3	Victor Oladipo
17	Spud2Nique	Donovan Mitchell
18	HopefulHawksFan	Paul George
19	AHF	Rudy Gobert
20	capstone21	John Wall
21	TheNorthCydeRises	Kristaps Porzingas
22	JayBirdHawk	Devin Booker

 

Love seeing our fourth Wildcat picked in the first two rounds (with two pick still to come....)

[turnermx]

With the 23^rd selection in the 2018 Dynasty Draft the turnermx Make it Drizzle select Damian Lillard. Known as a bigtime scorer for the Blazers, he is getting better on defense to the point where he is solid there and doing this without sacrificing offense.

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 26.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocks

2017-18 Advanced Metrics: 25.2 PER, 5.24 RPM, 359.64 TPA

With AD he should be able to get that assist total up easily :D  @Buzzard is next and has been PM’d

[Buzzard]

With the 24th selection the Flocking Buzzards select Bradley Beal. When Bradley came into the league I absolutely could not stand his game. I considered him to be a selfish chucker and a little small for a shooting guard. Boy was I wrong. Not only is he a good distributor ( 4.5 AST ) but his efficiency is right is up there with some of the best high scoring shooting guards in the league.

Bradley also brings to the table four years of  playoff experience and no one can blame last years 1st round loss on him. His playoff averages in these categories would have been career highs for any season he has played: 3pt shooting ( .467 ), eFG ( .551 ), FT ( .860 ) and scoring average ( 23.2 ). My opinion on his game has done a complete 180 and I think he is a gamer; if the Wizards can come up with some moxey to add along with him; they could do some damage in the East.

Welcome to the Flock: Mr Bradley Beal

I am busy right now and will get to my next pick as soon as possible. Beal was easy, this next one not so much.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, turnermx said:

With the 23^rd selection in the 2018 Dynasty Draft the turnermx Make it Drizzle select Damian Lillard. Known as a bigtime scorer for the Blazers, he is getting better on defense to the point where he is solid there and doing this without sacrificing offense.

2017-18 Per-Game Stats: 26.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocks

2017-18 Advanced Metrics: 25.2 PER, 5.24 RPM, 359.64 TPA

With AD he should be able to get that assist total up easily :D  @Buzzard is next and has been PM’d

For Lillard to last to 23rd pick is a crime. Nice pick ? 

[Spud2nique]

6 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

With the 24th selection the Flocking Buzzards select Bradley Beal. When Bradley came into the league I absolutely could not stand his game. I considered him to be a selfish chucker and a little small for a shooting guard. Boy was I wrong. Not only is he a good distributor ( 4.5 AST ) but his efficiency is right is up there with some of the best high scoring shooting guards in the league.

Bradley also brings to the table four years of  playoff experience and no one can blame last years 1st round loss on him. His playoff averages in these categories would have been career highs for any season he has played: 3pt shooting ( .467 ), eFG ( .551 ), FT ( .860 ) and scoring average ( 23.2 ). My opinion on his game has done a complete 180 and I think he is a gamer; if the Wizards can come up with some moxey to add along with him; they could do some damage in the East.

Welcome to the Flock: Mr Bradley Beal

I am busy right now and will get to my next pick as soon as possible. Beal was easy, this next one not so much.

Did you PM yourself....

 

[Spud2nique]

1. Karl Anthony Towns -Buzzard
2. Anthony Davis- Turnermx
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo-Jaybird
4. Lebron James- Northcyde
5. Kevin Durant- Capstone
6. James Harden- AHF
7. Russell Westbrook HopefulHawksfan
8. Stephen Curry- Spud
9. Joel Embiid-Lethalweapon
10. Nikola Jokic-Marvin24Williams
11. Kawhi Leonard-Pimp
12. Ben Simmons-Lucasthethird
13. Klay Thompson-Lucasthethird
14. Kyrie Irving-Pimp
15. Jimmy Butler-Marvin24Williams
16. Victor Oladipo- Lethalweapon
17. Donovan Mitchell - Spud
18. Paul George- HopefulHawksfan
19. Rudy Gobert-AHF
20. John Wall-Capstone
21. Kristaps Porzingis-Northcyde
22. Devin Booker-Jaybird
23. Damian Lillard-Turnermx
24. Bradley Beal-Buzzard
25.  

Updated to see where we stand...

[Buzzard]

With the 25th selection in the Dynasty draft the Flocking Buzzards select Myles Turner. I think Myles is the prototype NBA Big man. He hits the boards, the threes, his free throws, and helps on defense with his athletic ability and wing span. Reports are he is in the weight room this off season and working on his strength in a big way.

Myles suffered a bit of a sophomore slump last season; some of that due to nagging injuries. I fully expect him to bounce back in a big way this season and the sky is the limit for this young man. Welcome to the Flock Myles Turner.

@turnermx is up and is being PMd.

[Buzzard]

54 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

For Lillard to last to 23rd pick is a crime. Nice pick ? 

I agree. I thought I was missing something when every time I looked and he was still available. In a regular fantasy draft he is top 15 99.9% of the time. I am guessing age ( 28 ) scared some off of him; but he would have been gone at 24 if not at 23.

[Buzzard]

The Flocking Buzzards select Bradley Beal 24th and Myles Turner 25th. Bold text selections.

[Buzzard]

Just now, turnermx said:

With the 26^th selection in the 2018 Dynasty Draft the turnermx Make it Drizzle select SG Victor Oladipo! To a few. selecting him at this spot may seem a reach but he quietly had an outstanding season in 2017-2018.  He is a scorer but also a defender as well a nice compliment for Lillard in the Drizzle backcourt. Advanced stats love him, Real Plus-Minus at 5.91 and RPM Wins at 14.77.  JayBirdHawk is next and has been PM’d.

 

 

He is long gone at pick 16.