2019 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft - Picks and Discussion

[Buzzard]

10 minutes ago, pimp said:

I was not expecting him to make it to me; but understand why you did being only 4 picks away from grabbing him.

[LucastheThird]

I think I need more defense. I'll go ahead and take a perennial All-Defense Team member, a former Defense POY, All-Star, NBA Champ, etc.

 

DRAYMOND GREEN

 

I like my team so far.

 

PG:

SG: Klay Thompson

SF: Paul George

PF: Draymond Green

C :Nikola Jokic

 

@AHF is up next

 

Edited July 22, 2019 by LucastheThird

[pimp]

3 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

I was not expecting him to make it to me; but understand why you did being only 4 picks away from grabbing him.

He was my number 1 option, but i didn’t that he would make it to me.

Draymond Green was my 3rd option, now he’s gone. I did think he would last until my pick.

[LucastheThird]

3 minutes ago, pimp said:

He was my number 1 option, but i didn’t that he would make it to me.

Draymond Green was my 3rd option, now he’s gone. I did think he would last until my pick.

I was thinking about taking Draymond earlier but took a risk that nobody would take him before my 4th pick. It opened me up to get PG and Klay.

[AHF]

When we made our last pick of LeBron James, there was one player we almost took that we figured would be gone by the time our next pick rolled around.  We made a contingency board with 6 other names on it and say there would be good value still with guys like Dramond Green, Ja Morant, Victor Oladipo and others on the list.  But sometimes it pays to be lucky.

Sometimes you sit there poker faced and try not to smile as that targeted player falls on the board.  All you can do is try not to break as you wait for those last picks to come in and then just raise an eyebrow as you find that special player still on the board.

Only when the last pick has come in and you are free to pull the trigger do you truly get to rejoice that your young stud is coming on board.  This young man could be described as Ja Morant -- after Ja is actually a proven breakout star in the NBA.  In his age 21 season last year, he put up 17.3 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while showing major improvement in his 3pt shot - increasing both in volume to roughly 3 attempts per game and percentage to over 37% from range.  

He had the 4th most assists in the league and got after it on D finishing 6th in the league in steals.  He has an elite vertical and may be the league fasted player but looks to set up his teammates first, unlike some guards with similar athleticism like Russell Westbrook.  Best of all, he is well known for his ferocious work ethic and team focus which we think will translate nicely given the all-world wings he has to work with.  

With the 34th pick of the draft, the U-NJiques are thrilled to select:

De'Aaron Fox

(While this is a highlight reel worth watching, we are especially in love with play #2 on that list.) 

Ashley and I are very confident the best is yet to come for De'Aaron Fox.

U-Niques

PG: De'Aaron Fox

SG: James Harden

SF: LeBron James

C.: Rody Gobert

@pimpis on the board

[LucastheThird]

Just now, AHF said:

When we made our last pick of LeBron James, there was one player we almost took that we figured would be gone by the time our next pick rolled around.  We made a contingency board with 6 other names on it and say there would be good value still with guys like Dramond Green, Ja Morant, Victor Oladipo and others on the list.  But sometimes it pays to be lucky.

Sometimes you sit there poker faced and try not to smile as that targeted player falls on the board.  All you can do is try not to break as you wait for those last picks to come in and then just raise an eyebrow as you find that special player still on the board.

Only when the last pick has come in and you are free to pull the trigger do you truly get to rejoice that your young stud is coming on board.  This young man could be described as Ja Morant -- after Ja is actually a proven breakout star in the NBA.  In his age 21 season last year, he put up 17.3 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while showing major improvement in his 3pt shot - increasing both in volume to roughly 3 attempts per game and percentage to over 37% from range.  

He had the 4th most assists in the league and got after it on D finishing 6th in the league in steals.  He has an elite vertical and may be the league fasted player but looks to set up his teammates first, unlike some guards with similar athleticism like Russell Westbrook.  Best of all, he is well known for his ferocious work ethic and team focus which we think will translate nicely given the all-world wings he has to work with.  

With the 34th pick of the draft, the U-NJiques are thrilled to select:

De'Aaron Fox

We are confident the best is yet to come.

U-Niques

PG: De'Aaron Fox

SG: James Harden

SF: LeBron James

C.: Rody Gobert

@pimpis on the board

I gambled that he would still be there for me next round. There's always backup plans.

[Buzzard]

24 minutes ago, AHF said:

When we made our last pick of LeBron James, there was one player we almost took that we figured would be gone by the time our next pick rolled around.  We made a contingency board with 6 other names on it and say there would be good value still with guys like Dramond Green, Ja Morant, Victor Oladipo and others on the list.  But sometimes it pays to be lucky.

Sometimes you sit there poker faced and try not to smile as that targeted player falls on the board.  All you can do is try not to break as you wait for those last picks to come in and then just raise an eyebrow as you find that special player still on the board.

Only when the last pick has come in and you are free to pull the trigger do you truly get to rejoice that your young stud is coming on board.  This young man could be described as Ja Morant -- after Ja is actually a proven breakout star in the NBA.  In his age 21 season last year, he put up 17.3 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game while showing major improvement in his 3pt shot - increasing both in volume to roughly 3 attempts per game and percentage to over 37% from range.  

He had the 4th most assists in the league and got after it on D finishing 6th in the league in steals.  He has an elite vertical and may be the league fasted player but looks to set up his teammates first, unlike some guards with similar athleticism like Russell Westbrook.  Best of all, he is well known for his ferocious work ethic and team focus which we think will translate nicely given the all-world wings he has to work with.  

With the 34th pick of the draft, the U-NJiques are thrilled to select:

De'Aaron Fox

(While this is a highlight reel worth watching, we are especially in love with play #2 on that list.) 

Ashley and I are very confident the best is yet to come for De'Aaron Fox.

U-Niques

PG: De'Aaron Fox

SG: James Harden

SF: LeBron James

C.: Rody Gobert

@pimpis on the board

He is for sure the best PG left on the two boards I am using as guides. Your team is looking stout and that last picture of Ashley looks like a dream for this old man also

Edited July 22, 2019 by Buzzard

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

Team In Absentia sees a big value sitting on the board but unlike Klay Thompson who carries the big injury red flag after just hurting himself, this stud coming off his age 26 season will be fully rehabbed and ready to go for the 2019-20 season.  With elite athleticism, rebounding, and passing skills he is a true multiple tool talent.  How many other players have averaged more than 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals per game in a season?

Here is the list:

• Michael Jordan
• Steph Curry
• Larry Bird
• James Harden
• Dwyane Wade
• LeBron James
• Russell Westbrook
• David Robinson
• Julius Erving
• Clyde Drexler 
• Rick Barry
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Chris Mullin
• Paul George
• Lou Hudson

Notice anything about that list?  Every single player (other than PG) is in the HOF.  Ms. Bird sees the same upside for TIA's 4th pick who put up a nice 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game in 2017-18 (and actually increased the rebounding and assists to 5.6 and 5.2 respectively before getting injured last year):

Victor Oladipo

Like many of the players on this list, Oladipo also comes with an impressive 6'9'' wingspan which translates into a killer tool for him on the defensive end of the court.  Time to make room for Oladipo in TIA!

@LucastheThird is on the clock

That was why it took me so long..we’ll like an hour. Going back n forth between Vic and Ja. Only reason I didn’t pick Vic was Ja fit my timeline better. Vic was also in consideration when I made the Tatum pick. Solid pick by Bird, why isn’t she playing again? Too good for us...I see.  

[Spud2nique]

I had Fox and Draymond on my list too. Good picks.

[AHF]

5 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

That was why it took me so long..we’ll like an hour. Going back n forth between Vic and Ja. Only reason I didn’t pick Vic was Ja fit my timeline better. Vic was also in consideration when I made the Tatum pick. Solid pick by Bird, why isn’t she playing again? Too good for us...I see.  

Bird is in now.  She won't be doing the write-ups but will continue making the picks.

Yeah, I was actually working on a write-up for Ja earlier this morning when you were deliberating figuring that Fox would be gone but Morant would be there and his upside was almost identical to Fox.  Not sure about the age thing, though.  They are only 1.5 years apart!  Fox and Tatum are close enough that they could plan a sweet 22 birthday trip together early next year.

I like the Ja pick for you but couldn't have passed on Fox for either of us.  Fox definitely fits my team better, though, since his growing pains are already out of the way.

[pimp]

With the 35th pick in the draft , the ATL Air Force selects
 Kristaps Porzingis 

 

2017- 2018
22.pts - 6.6rpg - 1.2ast - 2.4 blks

Born: August 2, 1995 (Age: 23-354d) in Liepaja, Latvia lv

Draft: New York Knicks, 1st round (4th pick, 4th overall), 2015 NBA Draft

NBA Debut: October 28, 2015

Experience: 3 years
He missed the 2018-2019 season due to injury.
Porzingis should be ready to play when the season starts. He was already practicing 5 on 5 with the mavs back in March, but the team held him out (tanking)
Instead of saying what i think about KP. I'll let his new teammate Kevin Durant tell you about him.

 

"When they made the pick, I texted [Knicks head coach and former Thunder teammate DF immediately and I said I liked the pick. A lot of people were down on him, but he can play. I've seen it, you've seen it ... he's a skilled guy.

I think we've gotten away from enjoying the skilled players in this league. We've got so many guys that are athletic, and big and strong, but he's a skilled player. He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he's a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the three-point line. That's rare. And block shots ... that's, like, a unicorn in this league. You've got to respect what he's doing. This being New York City, everything is under a microscope, but he's progressing at a high rate pretty fast, and he's gonna be a force."

lillard
Durant
Leonard
Porzingis

@IheartVolt 

• 4

 

 

[AHF]

If people can get healthy that team is coming along really nicely, @pimp!

(He was the next guy in my queue.  When Lucas was on the clock, it was going to be Fox if he wasn't picked then Porzingis if I was convinced he would be healthy.  Saw he was practicing at the end of last season which seems pretty promising.)

[pimp]

Just now, AHF said:

If people can get healthy that team is coming along really nicely, @pimp!

that's what i'm counting on  

[Buzzard]

20 minutes ago, pimp said:

With the 35th pick in the draft , the ATL Air Force selects
 Kristaps Porzingis 

 

2017- 2018
22.pts - 6.6rpg - 1.2ast - 2.4 blks

Born: August 2, 1995 (Age: 23-354d) in Liepaja, Latvia lv

Draft: New York Knicks, 1st round (4th pick, 4th overall), 2015 NBA Draft

NBA Debut: October 28, 2015

Experience: 3 years
He missed the 2018-2019 season due to injury.
Porzingis should be ready to play when the season starts. He was already practicing 5 on 5 with the mavs back in March, but the team held him out (tanking)
Instead of saying what i think about KP. I'll let his new teammate Kevin Durant tell you about him.

 

"When they made the pick, I texted [Knicks head coach and former Thunder teammate DF immediately and I said I liked the pick. A lot of people were down on him, but he can play. I've seen it, you've seen it ... he's a skilled guy.

I think we've gotten away from enjoying the skilled players in this league. We've got so many guys that are athletic, and big and strong, but he's a skilled player. He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he's a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the three-point line. That's rare. And block shots ... that's, like, a unicorn in this league. You've got to respect what he's doing. This being New York City, everything is under a microscope, but he's progressing at a high rate pretty fast, and he's gonna be a force."

lillard
Durant
Leonard
Porzingis

@IheartVolt 

• 4

 

 

I was honestly thinking of taking him despite my team needs. He was the highest ranked player left on one of my boards. I am kind of glad I don't have to make that decision. Great pick!

Edited July 22, 2019 by Buzzard

[IheartVolt]

With the 36th selection The Flaming Flamingo's select two time coach of the year Mike Buddenferry.. Budenholzer

Sorry for the short post

[AHF]

That seems really early for a coach but maybe Bud will win his first ring with iheartvolt!  

@lethalweapon3 is on the clock

[lethalweapon3]

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You, The Rhythm is Gonna GetHUH-OH-WUT?

My turn to pick, eh? Great, just a moment, let's see what I pull out of this grab bag here...

 

~lw3

[AHF]

6 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You, The Rhythm is Gonna GetHUH-OH-WUT?

My turn to pick, eh? Great, just a moment, let's see what I pull out of this grab bag here...

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

"Nothing up my sleeve... Presto!" lol

With the 37th Pick in the Fourth Round of the 2019 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, Lethal Nas X selects:

 

Developmental League Championship and Finals MVP, Big League Most Improved Player, and Larry O’Brien trophies, all crowded together on his bookshelf already. And yet, Pascal Siakam (Power Forward, 6’9”, 230 lbs., Age 25 as of 10/1/2019) still hasn’t grasped the simple concept of “Setting the Pick”. The shame of it all!

 

We’ve got our share of All-Stars here at LNX, our All-League players, our top-tier talents. What we don’t have, to this point, is somebody with a Ring. Not even a Conference Finals appearance.

To fix that, and bring to the roster a championship pedigree, we’ll introduce a 25-year-old entering his fourth pro season of Summer Dynasty League action, a fella just two years removed from playing his tail off in Mississauga for a developmental league team. No, before you ask, weed isn’t completely legal here in Georgia yet.

Siakam isn’t the singular reason his prior squad has a new shiny golden-ball trophy in its trophy case. But it’s hard to imagine his team’s magical carpet ride to the 2019 championship could have gone any smoother without the commitment to development and maturation that made Siakam the league’s reigning Most Improved Player award winner.

While many eyes were on his team’s other big gamble, in the fateful summer of 2018, his squad had been placing their bets on him for quite some time. Their general manager’s discerning eye had been fixated upon Pascal since the latter was a raw, energetic and nearly clueless 18-year-old prospect at a Basketball Without Borders camp. Long-crafted plans to become a priest were placed on hold, as Siakam was relocated to The States to study hoops instead.

Coming out of a breakout season at New Mexico State, he had never attended a professional game. Not until he started in one, as a rookie, in his team’s season opener, mere months after being taken with a low first-round pick, just over four years removed from that fateful camp in Africa. There was no surprise he had a ways to go, yet he proved quite useful for a veteran team that began the season 24-10 with him in a starting role, as more seasoned prospects and vets were getting healthy.

Getting sent to the Developmental League didn’t damage his ego, and certainly didn’t stunt his growth, as he found himself winning the D-League Finals title and MVP. A full season with the big club as a reserve, working his way past longer-tenured players up the conference leaders’ depth chart, didn’t hurt much, either.

But emerging to become his contending team’s second-leading scorer, and third-leading rebounder, while starting 79 games, was a development few people could have anticipated this soon. Pascal’s name was engraved on the 2019 Most Improved Player trophy (an honor Jimmy Butler won just four years ago) well before he bookended the reigning champs with a stunning 32 and 26 points in the Finals.

In the distant Republic of Cameroon, Siakam and Joel Embiid were born just 17 days, and 150 miles, apart. Fate, will, and particularly height, have brought these two together as a towering tandem here in North America. The fellow countrymen had become athletic frenemies, a relationship steeled by their jousts during the Eastern Conference semifinals, as Butler himself can attest. Siakam and Embiid can now sharpen each other’s iron in practice, rather than as toe-to-toe competitors.

It’s often best for a young big to establish his defensive prowess, first, then let the offense come along, rather than vice versa. This past season, Siakam (7^th among PFs) joined Embiid (4^th among Cs) and Butler (1^st among SGs) among the top-10 by position in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus metric. Even without eye-popping counting stats, he passed eye tests for his abilities to adequately cover, switch, and board. Pascal still finished 6^th among forwards in All-Defensive Team votes. Wedged between Butler and Embiid, he’ll also help make things easier on that end of the floor for Kemba Walker and others.

Among Pascal’s many improvements was as a spot-up shooter out of the left corner, a key factor in his career-best 34.0 3FG% last season. Where he struggled during the playoffs was in hitting shots outside the paint when opposing bigs would switch and sag on him, while his forays toward the rim from outside were adventurous, to say the least.

The proportion of assisted-makes among his two-point baskets dropped from 68.8%, as a second-string cog in 2017-18, to 49.3%, in deference to the experienced star power on his 2018-19 roster. His usage is likely to bounce upwards on his reconstituted roster, and with that it’s hoped he’ll prove to be even better with his shot range and his ball-handling skill (3.1 APG, 1.9 TOs/game). Already raising his free throw percentage from 62 to almost 79 percent is a hint that there’s still room to perfect his jump-shot mechanics, too.

In many countries, at many levels, Siakam has already proven himself a winner. Earning an even more featured leadership role going forward with LNX, he will have a great chance to demonstrate why. He’ll probably never win another Most Improved Player award. But if he does, we are all in trouble.

 

It’s time for us all to tip our Cap! @capstone21 has been PM’d and will soon bestow the next great pick!

~lw3

[IheartVolt]

18 minutes ago, AHF said:

That seems really early for a coach but maybe Bud will win his first ring with iheartvolt!  

@lethalweapon3 is on the clock

Ah well.. Just here for kicks man