Post by kobe on May 25, 2020 1:28:39 GMT -8
The Houston Rockets are sitting pretty for the #1 projected pick and probably already have it locked up. It would really suck if they were to fall in the lottery since there is a big drop off from the first pick to the others. Because unlike the 2001 draft, we have a clear #1 overall pick in the 2002 draft in Yao Ming out of China. He would be the clear overall #1 pick no matter which team lands the #1 spot and certainly the Rockets who are completely devoid of talent besides Shawn Marion will be happy to have him. Not a huge fan of Yao's starting ratings since he comes in kind of old at 22, but he should have really high potential and his actual ratings should be really nice. Yao should easily become a 20, 10 and 2 type big man with the potential to become one of the best players in the league.
2. Philadelphia 76ers - Dimitris Diamantidis SG 6'5'' 195 22 B- B C+ C C B
After a whirlwind of a first season, Philly has had a nice smooth tanking season here and set themselves up nicely for a chance at Yao. But if they don't end up with the #1 pick, there will be a lot of different ways they can go here. I know Amare Stoudemire will probably be obvious pick here as the commish's avatar but I'm not really a fan of his at all. To me Amare is a worse version of Eddy Curry. So I would go with the high scoring Euro guard Dimitris Diamantidis here if I had the pick. Dimitris comes in to the league as a good scorer already and would just need camps to be a starting SG. Not hard to see B B+ after camps so would just need to go +1 outside in TC to be really special. Good rebounder at SG and defense should be fine after a few TCs.
3. Indiana Pacers - Amar'e Stoudemire PF 6'10'' 245 20 B+ D+ D+ C C A
Once again, I'm not a huge fan of Amare but this draft is pretty thin at the top so he definitely won't make it past this pick. The Pacers have 3 really good wings so they will be looking for a big here anyway. Stoudemire is a very exciting player on offense with his jumping ability but doesn't really bring much else besides that. Not really sure his game translates to FBB, especially the way Spence has appeared to have made him and even suggesting himsef that Amare will be a SF. Really high jumping, bad jump shot, bad handles, no defense and no rebounding. Not a very good combination, but Amare should have really high potential so he should improve a good bit over the next few TCs. And with camps he should be able to become a starter but he's just not my kind of player.
4. Atlanta Hawks - Carlos Boozer PF 6'9'' 258 21 B C- D+ C B B
This will be a big draft and off-season for the Hawks as they might be one of the teams in trouble of getting cy'd if they don't have a good TC coming up. So this pick will be huge for them and I think they should go with more of a sure thing that can help them right away over a developmental type player. And Carlos Boozer will definitely be that guy here. I love his game a lot he looks like ZBO from last draft who everyone loves. Boozer has high inside and strength and high rebounding so he already has a lot to work with. He just needs a decent TC and all of his camps and he will be a really good starter. And he should be a really good fit with the Hawks and be able to slide in to the starting PF spot next to Dalembert.
5. Milwaukee Bucks - Caron Butler SF 6'7'' 228 22 B- C+ C+ C C A
The Bucks won't have as much pressure as the Hawks in this draft since they had a freebie year last season but they will definitely be trying to redeem themselves after the debacle they had last draft. A ton of different ways they could go here once again but they should pick whoever they think is the best prospect available. I'm not super high on any of the guys left so I'm just gonna guess that Caron Butler has pretty high potential and he starts with B- inside for a SG. C+ outside to start at 22 for a wing is a little worrisome to me but I think that's a good sign for his potential being high somehow lol. And outside usually always goes up in TC for young wings so as long as his handles aren't bad and you have nothing else to camp his outside should get to A-.
6. Phoenix Suns - Mike Dunleavy SF 6'9'' 230 22 C+ B C C+ C A
The Suns coming off getting lucky in the lotto last year and landing the #1 pick will be looking to add another starter to their core here with this pick. Dunleavy is probably the best mix of talent+upside left on the board here so he should be the pick but I can see if the Suns were to go after another big man or maybe more help on defense with this pick. But I think Dunleavy has a chance to be a really nice all around player if he's developed correctly. I liked his notes said that he has high handles and good perimeter defense so he will be a great as a big SG imo. He just needs to have solid potential which I think he should and if he has one good TC to his scoring then he can be camped in to a really nice SG in a season or two.
7. Indiana Pacers(Lakers first) - Luis Scola PF 6'9'' 240 22 B- B- D+ C C+ B
The Pacers come in at the 7th slot with their 2nd pick of the draft and I could see them taking another big man since they are pretty much set on the wing and there aren't any great PGs in this draft. I'm really intrigued by Luis Scola. I think he could be the Mehmet Okur of this year's draft with his outside shooting. If Scola has a good first TC like Okur did then he could really turn in to a stud. I would probably move him to SF after the first TC if he doesn't have a huge jump in defense and rebounding. His perimeter defense probably not good to start is the only issue with him being a SF but after a few TCs there his defense should be respectable. Great draft notes from spence indicating that he should have high handles too which I love.
8. Seattle Supersonics - Arvydas Macijauskas SG 6'4'' 215 22 B- B C C D+ B
The Sonics are next up and after taking Chandler in last year's draft will probably be looking to add some scoring on the wing. And I think Arvydas is a perfect fit for them and tbh I have him a little higher on my board but I could see him slipping a bit based on teams drafting for need. Like Dimitris he has that B- B scoring to start which making him easy to camp in to a really good scorer immediately and if he has any improvement in TC will be a 20+ ppg guy right away. His rebounding and defense is a bit of a concern but as long as he doesn't have any turnover issues I think this kid will be great. And should be a really good fit on this Sonics team next to Miller and Pierce going forward.
9. New Orleans Hornets(Twolves first) - Jay Williams PG 6'2'' 195 21 C+ C+ C+ C+ C- A
The Hornets made a great trade to acquire the Twolves first earlier in the season and can afford to take a developmental type player here since they appear to be heading toward a multi-season rebuild. I think they should take a chance on Jay Williams since really he is the only guy left that could potentially be a star. There are a few safer options here but if Jay has high potential and has that good first PG TC then he will be a really good starting PG. It's hard to really say much else about this pick since it's a total boom/bust type pick but I think it's a pretty safe chance that Jay could be pretty good since he's one of the only decent PG's in this draft. Surely there has to be at least one good PG to come out of this draft, right?
10. Orlando Magic - Tayshaun Prince SF 6'9'' 212 22 C B C- B+ C B
Coming off a great 2001 draft, the Magic will look to capitalize on another lotto pick in this draft and if they nail this pick they could really be on their way. Since the Magic are closer to winning I think they should be targeting someone that can help them right away. And for me, Tayshaun Prince is that guy. He is a great compliment to Joe Johnson and Antoine Walker on the wing with his defense. And he should also grow in to a pretty decent scorer. I was high on Battier in the last draft and I think Prince can be even better potentially since he starts as a better rebounder and I think he should start with more scoring potential as well. If Prince has a decent first TC to his scoring and then gets all of his camps he could be a big contributor right away for the young Magic.
11. Portland Trailblazers - Milos Vujanic PG 6'3'' 187 22 C+ B+ C C D+ C
Portland is another team that will really need to nail this draft as they are getting closer to their CY as well. But I think 11 is a good pick to have in this draft because pretty much after Yao everyone is kinda even. I'm really high on Milos Vujanic just simply because of his ratings really and he was great overseas irl. C scouted potential will scare off some GMs but it doesn't bother me since he's a PG and they tend to have at least one or two decent TC's regardless of potential. And with his starting ratings he really just needs camps to be a better scoring PG than most PGs in the league currently. Turnovers will be a slight issue, I think he will be around 3 but nothing you can't manage. Milos could end up being a real steal here and if not there isn't much risk involved with the 11th pick.
12. Milwaukee Bucks(Hornets pick) - Nene Hilario C 6'11'' 250 20 B- C- D C+ C+ B
The Bucks with their 2nd lotto pick of the draft should just be looking to take the best prospect available on their board again. And even though I'm not super high on Nene, I think he will probably go lotto just based off of Spencer's notes alone. I think Spence was a little generous in his description of Nene if he made him based on real life stats because Nene wasn't really a shot blocker at all. And he's not a better scoring+rebounding prospect than guys like Drew Gooden or Chris Wilcox so I don't think I would reach on him in the lotto personally. But someone definitely will after those impressive draft notes from Spence. And he should have higher potential than Gooden or Wilcox or most of the other bigs left but it's just hard to guess potentials.
13. New York Knicks(Bulls first) - Udonis Haslem PF 6'8'' 235 22 C+ C C- B- B B
If the Bulls pick stays lotto and skillz doesn't trade the pick, I'm sure the Knicks will be looking for best player available here. And for me that is Udonis Haslem. Skillz probably won't be a fan of this pick at all and I know most GMs won't be high on Haslem since he's not a sexy pick but I like Udonis Haslem a lot and he can help the Knicks win right away. With the scarcity of good bigs in this league, someone like Haslem should hold a lot of value. Even though he isn't gonna be a shot blocker, he is everything else you want in big man. He should be a top rebounder with amazing all around defense and will be efficient and won't take away shots from good players on offense. As long as he gets 1 spg and 1 bpg with low turnovers and great post defense, then no shot blocking is fine.
Other draftees I'm high on:
John Salmons SF 6'7'' 210 23 B- B- C+ C C B
I'll always take a chance on a young SG with B- B- scoring and C rebounding. As long as he doesn't have a turnover issue, then I'm a big fan of Salmons. He already has the B- inside that so many people want their low volume wings to have and B- outside means he should be able to get to A- outside pretty easily with camps and a TC or two. Defense could be a little worrisome but at the point in the draft he will be drafted, you have to sacrifice something. Just as long as his turnovers aren't bad and his potential isn't shot, he could be a steal.
D.J. Mbenga C 7'0'' 255 22 C+ F+ D- B C+ C
DJ Mbenga is sadly the best defensive big in this draft! He didn't play a ton in the NBA but in his short time he was an amazing shot blocker per 36 mpg at 3.2 bpg per 36 for his career. B defense and Spence usually goes by real life stats for the most part so he should be 2+ bpg guy at least so with any TC luck and some camps he could be a 3 bpg guy. C+ rebounding is a good start since he really just needs to get to B- rebounding then can be camped to B rebounding. Mbenga doesn't have high potential obviously but he has a pretty good starting base if his shot blocking is high like it should be.
Matt Barnes SF 6'7'' 226 22 C+ C+ C- B C B
I'm a big fan of Matt Barnes and I think he could end up being just as good if not better than Tayshaun Prince. Love his starting ratings and if he has good handling then all you will need to focus on is getting his outside up to A-. Once that happens then he will be a really good player. If Barnes was made correctly then he could be a 1 spg and 1 bpg with great man defense as well. Good rebounder for a wing. C+ inside should be pretty easy to get to B- inside for him since he should be pretty athletic. Just need a little help in TC to get his outside up then scoring camps and he will be a good player.
Draftees that I'm not high on:
Nikoloz Tskitishvili PF 7'0'' 225 19 C+ C+ D+ C C A
This guy went 5th overall irl and always goes pretty high in these FBB leagues for some reason. Don't think I've ever seen him work out in one league. He has great size and his skill set makes him extremely intriguing as a SF potentially but he is just so raw and has too far to go to become a good player. I don't think Nikoloz will end up going very high in this draft but I wouldn't be surprised if someone took a chance on him mid first just because he went high irl and might have really high potential.
Dajuan Wagner SG 6'2'' 200 19 C C+ C+ C D+ A
Super disappointed with how Wagner ended up in this file. Even if Spence made him a bit of an undercover stud with high potential, he still has a long way to go. And since he can't play PG and get those PG TC's and Spence mentioned he had a turnover issue. Those are the final nails in his coffin for me. Spence made him sound really intriguing at first in the draft notes and if Wagner was a PG I would consider taking him mid first range but with those ratings at SG you can't touch this guy at all with an early pick.
Nenad Krstic C 7'0'' 240 19 B- C- D+ C C B
This guy just looks like a total scrub and I usually hate taking chances on really raw guys that might have good potential because even if they do have good potential then it's still a long shot that they will be any good. He was the 2nd guy Spence mentioned in his notes so that will probably drive him up some people's draft boards but I'm just not a fan at all really. He is just the worse version of Kwame Brown in this draft basically and I wouldn't touch him at all unless it was really late first round.
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