Post by Stevie B on Jun 18, 2020 14:24:03 GMT -8
2003 Lotto TC Edition
With the much anticipated 2003 draft class spear headed by King James, D-Wade, Bosh, and Melo...I wanted to give an overview on how the lottery picks performed in their very first TC in BBS! Disclaimer: Typically when I do this article it will only account for the TC sim...this will also include the most recent sim as well (Opening Day).
***Age in parenthesis***
***Bold = Positive; RED = Negative***
1. Utah Jazz: SF LeBron James (19)
| Pre-TC | B+ | B- | C+ | C+ | C+ | A |
| Post-TC | A- | B- | B- | C+ | C+ | A |
Verdict: The phenom LeBron James was a +2...he worked on his inside scoring as well as continued to work on his handles as it’s been rumored that he will eventually become the PG for Utah Jazz when the time is right. He will become a really good player day 1, but he might not be as great as we thought right away. Perhaps he’s not even the rookie of the year. For Jr this all fine and dandy as he doesn’t want to be competitive in year 1 of LeBron. Good, solid camp that sets the foundation for a monster camp in year 2.
2. Dallas Mavericks: SG Dwyane Wade (21)
| Pre-TC | B | C+ | C+ | C+ | C | A |
| Post-TC | B+ | C+ | B- | B- | C+ | A |
Verdict: Dwyane Wade with maybe the best camp of the big 4? We’ll get to Melo and Bosh soon enough, but D-Wade was simply engaged during TC under the tutelage of Mr. Haberman. Wade worked on nearly every facet of his game besides his long range shooting. The inside scoring, the handles, the defense, and the rebounding all improved and is giving the Dallas fan-base a truly exciting piece to build around for years to come.
Also, he looked incredible in his first games donning the Mavs uniform.
Also, he looked incredible in his first games donning the Mavs uniform.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: PF Chris Bosh (19)
| Pre-TC | B | C | C- | C+ | C+ | A |
| Post-TC | B+ | C | D+ | B | C+ | A |
Verdict: Bosh went overall a +2, but he went up in some pretty important categories. He worked on his post game quite a bit during TC as well as working on the other side of the ball with his defense. He showed incredible growth there. He did have problems with handling the basketball which did cause some concern for Jeb and Lums...but they seemed overall please with the camp Mr. Bosh had in Minnesota.
4. Denver Nuggets: SF Carmelo Anthony (19)
| Pre-TC | B | B+ | C | C- | C+ | A |
| Post-TC | B | B+ | C | D+ | C+ | A |
Verdict: Melo did not have the best camp as he went a -1. The scoring will be there, no doubts about that...but his defense took a hit and for scouts that was the biggest thing going in. Would he be able to defend at just a decent level? I think we are finding out quickly that he won’t be able to...and that Bosh over him was completely the right call. If I’m Covid, this wasn’t the ideal TC and I would be somewhat concerned about how he will help this team win games with such a glaring weakness...BUT let me just say this...Melo looked incredibly gifted on the offensive side in his first 4 games as a professional, and was quite efficient in doing so.
5. New York Knicks: PF David West (23)
| Pre-TC | B- | C | C | B | B- | B |
| Post-TC | B- | C | C | B+ | B | A |
Verdict: A +3 camp for Mr. West who showed Skillz the willingness to improve his defensive abilities while also enhancing his ability to also protect the glass. Many scouts thought West would turn into a fine starter. However, they are now seeing even bigger things for the young forward (B to A potential) as he continues to want to learn under Skillz’ leadership. Little does he know...he, like many others before him in New York, will be traded!
6. Golden State Warriors: PG Kirk Hinrich (22)
| Pre-TC | C | B | C+ | B- | D+ | B |
| Post-TC | C | B | C+ | B- | C- | B |
Verdict: Kirk only went up with his rebounding (+1), and many thought he would be the best player not including the big 4. As we know, Manas has made it clear that he wants to see the losses pile up so I’m sure he’s more concerned with Kirk in years 2 and 3...however, I probably would’ve wanted to see a little bit more improvement during this TC. Kirk should be fine, and he’s looking okay after his first 7 games in BBS.
7. Milwaukee Bucks: C Chris Kaman (21)
| Pre-TC | B- | C- | D+ | C+ | B- | B |
| Post-TC | B | C- | D+ | C+ | B | C |
Verdict: Chris Kaman worked on quite a few different things, but many scouts think the upside is limited with him (B to C potential). Basically...what you see is what you get out of the big fella. He worked on his rebounding and inside scoring...which saw some nice improvements. The commish thinks highly of the young fella as he believes that he should be starting for Chipper’s squad. Kaman looked alright in limited fashion, and should turn into a fine starting center in BBS.
8. Toronto Raptors: SF Josh Howard (23)
| Pre-TC | B- | B- | C- | B | C | C |
| Post-TC | B | A- | C | B | C+ | C |
Verdict: Josh Howard came to WORK everybody! He went a +6 and really worked on numerous facets of his game. The offense was certainly the priority, and he didn’t let the team down as he got better with his finishing ability and mid-range game. The 3-ball will need some work, but if that can become respectable...this could be a really nice pick for Game. Josh Howard should hopefully be a nice player going forward alongside Tony Parker. As far as how he looked on the court...Howard is showing potential even though most scouts think he won’t get too much better. Interesting development here for pick 8.
9. Orlando Magic: PG Leandro Barbosa (21)
| Pre-TC | C | B+ | C | C | D+ | B |
| Post-TC | C+ | A- | C | C+ | D+ | C |
Verdict: This was my original pick, but then I traded this pick among others for C-Webb. Pistons traded out of this selection, and the Magic took Barbosa and I really liked this pick a ton. If I was picking and David West was gone, then I was eyeing up Barbosa. Let’s talk about the player now. Barbosa went a +3 improving his inside and outside scoring a notch as well as working on his defense, too. Right now he is getting minutes as the primary backup combo guard...and I think that’s fine for now. I do think he’s better than Cassell and it might only be a matter of time before he becomes the starting PG...but he dropped 20 points in 31 minutes per game...which is pretty pretty pretty efficient.
10. Miami Heat: PG Jose Calderon (22)
| Pre-TC | C | B+ | B- | C | D+ | B |
| Post-TC | C+ | A- | C+ | C | D+ | B |
Verdict: Calderon went a +1 overall where he saw his inside/outside scoring take a nice bump (+2), but his handles weren’t as expected (down to a C+). I think Calderon is going to be a solid PG in this league that will eventually be a guy who can take care of the ball and shoot at an efficient rate. Kobe made it a point to go get him as he traded for this selection. At the time of the pick, he definitely seemed like the obvious and best option available. It’s early, but he’s shooting at an exceptional rate early on.
11. Seattle Supersonics: PG Mo Williams (21)
| Pre-TC | C | B | C+ | C+ | C | B |
| Post-TC | C | B | C+ | C+ | C- | B |
Verdict: This wasn’t a particularly riveting camp for Mo Williams...he actually was a -1 overall for this camp as his rebounding took a hit. The GM in Seattle is in the hot seat among a couple other GMs, but this is a big season for him...and it looks like Mo Williams won’t make too much of an impact in his rookie campaign as he will be slotted to play behind the jet Jason Terry.
12. New Orleans Hornets: C Darko Milicic (18)
| Pre-TC | C+ | C- | C- | C+ | C+ | A |
| Post-TC | C+ | C- | C- | C+ | C+ | B |
Verdict: Darko, among MANY other assets, eventually was traded for Zydrunas. God, that deal was terrible for Pig. Just a bad usage of assets. Anyway, let’s talk about Darko. He, um, didn’t show up to training camp. Many scouts were up in the air on if the potential was high or just a dream...the early returns aren’t promising as many think he will be a bust. He’s super young, but it will be interesting to see how he bounces back from just a poor showing. He didn’t look so hot in his first games as a professional either.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves: SF Boris Diaw (21)
| Pre-TC | C+ | C | B+ | C | C+ | B |
| Post-TC | C | C+ | B | C | C+ | B |
Verdict: Diaw had quite the bizarre training camp as his inside scoring and handles got worse, but his outside got better which overall netted him a -1 TC. Diaw is a guy that is well balanced, but he’s not particularly great at anything...and he’s obviously a guy that will be a super-sub to some degree...that will be his ceiling. I just feel like he has a long ways to go before he becomes a productive BBS basketball player.
In future years, I hope to do this before the first sim of the regular season to get a true gauge on who has more natural improvements through TC. I hope you all enjoyed this piece as it gives us a nice look on who improved and who frankly didn’t show up to TC. I will hopefully be able to do these every season for your enjoyment. Thanks for reading!
