#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

ACTION: The Suns jump up and win the lottery, the Blazers also jump, and the Magic slide to fourth.

REACTION: As a dispassionate observer (one without a pick), I can say I was stunned by the jump and feel bad for the Magic. They finally get out of taxpaying hell (incurred by going all in to take a stab at a ring) and this is what they get? As a biased owner whose team resides in the East, I can say #SendThemWest.

ACTION: The Suns select Kevin Love with the #1 overall pick.

REACTION: Even though the Suns shopped this pick a bit before making it, I think Kevin Love was always the play here. Can score from anywhere, is a fantastic rebounder, and next to a sure-to-be-resigned Biendrins gives the Suns a monster frontcourt with Ilyasova, Haslem, and Moon already on board. You just know all the Suns free agent money is going to be aimed at guards now.

ACTION: The Spurs select Russell Westbrook with the #2 overall pick.

REACTION: I don't think anyone was surprised by this pick. Westbrook is a freak athlete and has the potential to become a truly dominant scoring threat. His floor is probably Gilbert Arenas. In a league where everyone is looking for a PG, the Spurs just locked up their PG spot for years to come.

ACTION: The Blazers select Derrick Rose with the #3 overall pick.

REACTION: Almost as good as Westbrook and has similar scary scoring potential. Hopefully the game doesn't know that Rose's bones are more brittle than peanuts. Rose is the most developed scorer among the rookies right now and could easily win the Rookie of the Year award. It will be interesting to see how the Blazers are able to build around him.

ACTION: The Magic select PG Goran Dragic with the #4 overall pick (simmed).

REACTION: This is, like, the most important Magic offseason in the past three seasons and they let this pick get autosimmed? That in and of itself is shocking. Dragic, though, isn't a bad fit on a Magic team that has Greg Oden - he's an excellent athlete and his scoring potentials aren't jaw-dropping like Rose and Westbrook but still very good all around and his perimeter defense looks pretty good as well. It's not a catastrophic pick, but you wonder if it's the pick the Magic would have made if it wasn't simmed. It's also going to be interesting to see if Dragic blossoms into a superstar - the three picks ahead of him seem destined for it, but the Magic will have to hope he wants to be their next Penny Hardaway.

ACTION: The Warriors trade Jared Dudley and the #7 pick to the Heat for the #5 pick.

REACTION: Dudley is a guy who gets GMs fired. Lots of potential but you wonder if he'll ever live up to it. Still, he averaged 15 ppg last season despite an underdeveloped offensive game, so maybe there's hope for him. How he develops will really determine whether or not the Warriors overpaid for this two-spot jump. Presumably they're chasing Deandre Jordan, who looks like he could be this generation's Ben Wallace. With a couple of bigs still on the board (Asik, Hibbert, Mozgov) the thought here is the Heat don't think there's a big drop between Jordan and the rest of the top bigs and they can pick up a big and Dudley. It'll be hard to measure this trade right away... I'll need a few years to see who "won" the trade - I dunno, I just get the feeling SOMEONE got fleeced here, but I'm not sure which team it was.

ACTION: The Warriors select C Deandre Jordan with the #5 pick.

REACTION: I think consensus was the Warriors were chasing Jordan, and sure enough, they take him. The last great Warrior dynasty was built on a dominant big man - the problem is, Jordan is no Kemp. He's half a Kemp (the defensive half). The Warriors' smaller players are all three-point chuckers with little defense, so maybe they're hoping Jordan can become their defensive backstop while they rain threes down on the offensive end. I don't think this is the "end game" for the Warriors, but I do think Jordan is a piece they intend to build around... but it will take free agency at least, and probably a couple more seasons before we see Ben's full plan to build this team play out.

WigNosy wrote:ACTION: The Warriors trade Jared Dudley and the #7 pick to the Heat for the #5 pick.

REACTION: Dudley is a guy who gets GMs fired. Lots of potential but you wonder if he'll ever live up to it. Still, he averaged 15 ppg last season despite an underdeveloped offensive game, so maybe there's hope for him. How he develops will really determine whether or not the Warriors overpaid for this two-spot jump. Presumably they're chasing Deandre Jordan, who looks like he could be this generation's Ben Wallace. With a couple of bigs still on the board (Asik, Hibbert, Mozgov) the thought here is the Heat don't think there's a big drop between Jordan and the rest of the top bigs and they can pick up a big and Dudley. It'll be hard to measure this trade right away... I'll need a few years to see who "won" the trade - I dunno, I just get the feeling SOMEONE got fleeced here, but I'm not sure which team it was.

I know who.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

ACTION: The Rockets select C Omer Asik with pick 6.

REACTION: Another team emerging from the tax wilderness, the Rockets are probably as disappointed as anyone that the Suns and Blazers jumped in the draft as they got bumped from "impact player" to "decent starter." Asik is a defensive minded big with little offensive potential. He could be a nice 4th or 5th starter some day, but is not really a franchise cornerstone type.

ACTION: The Rockets trade Asik to the Sonics for Al Horford.

REACTION: Darth trade Marc Gasol for Horford and now, having tired of Horford, trades him for Asik. When did the Sonics move to New Orleans?

In all seriousness, the Sonics have plenty of scoring and needed a defensive anchor in the middle. Horford wasn't that. Asik may turn into that, so I see why this move was made for the Sonics. And Asik is already an excellent rebounder which only makes him more attractive short term.

For the Rockets, this is a great flip. Horford can be a legitimate two way threat and is a cornerstone type player. The Rockets can be patient waiting for his offense to come along.

Bottom line: the talent is better for the Rockets and the fit is better for the Sonics. I think this is one of those "helps both teams" deals.

ACTION: The Heat select Serge Ibaka with the 7th pick.

REACTION: This adds some clarity to the Jordan trade. Ibaka is another big that specializes in rebounding (not as high a ceiling as Jordan) and rim protection (better than Jordan already and has a higher ceiling too). In addition, he has a shooting touch. I might be crazy, but is it possible 5 years down the road Serge winds up considered the better player?

Beginning to think the Heat are crazy like a fox.

ACTION: The Mavs select Brook Lopez with pick 8.

REACTION: Another team coming out of tax induced pain, the Mavs got themselves a center with a decent offensive game. He will block some shots but is a little weak on the defensive boards. With Camby on the squad, this signals me the Mavs are looking to really start their rebuild as they clearly drafted a guy for potential and not need. Lopez should be a passable starting C in time even if he doesn't make a great fit bow, which tells me Camby and Carter should rent, not buy because the Mavs are likely to shop them sooner rather than later.

ACTION: The Bulls select Danilo Galinari with pick number 9.

REACTION: Galinari gets a bit of a bad rap for being a soft euro I think. He will never be a rugged defender but he has the offensive potential to score from all over the court. You could do worse than that at a 9th pick. He could wind up being a decent third wheel on a quality team. The Bulls with Bibby, Swaggy, Manu, and Danilo at the 1-4 spots look like a fun team that will score 100 a game and give up 115. They will definitely be angling for a defensive C in free agency.

ACTION: The Spurs select Nicolas Batum with the 10th pick.

REACTION: Batum looks to be a poor man's Richard Jefferson or Andre Iguodala - that is, he could be either of those guys but without the scoring. He projects as a nice glue guy offensively but his defense is a bit suspect. Still, he should round into a nice 4th or 5th starter in time, and the Spurs don't need a lot of scoring from him since they grabbed Westbrook and one assumes RFA Josh Smith will be back.

ACTION: The Raptors select George Hill with pick 11.

REACTION: I really like this pick for the Raptors. They have needed a PG since Billups was traded away and Hill may never be the dominating force Rose and Westbrook are but what he will be is super solid and a legitimate offensive threat once he matures. The classic "may not win the game for you but will never lose a game for you" PG. May wind up more quietly productive than several guys picked in front of him when all is said and done.

ACTION: The Magic select Eric Gordon at 12.

REACTION: Coltsguy makes lemonade out of lemons. Goran plus Gordon instantly gives the Magic backcourt some really nice offensive potential and Eric's leaping ability will make it hard to keep him out of the paint. It will take a couple seasons before he is ready for the big time, but this is a solid pickup for the Magic.

ACTION: The Cavs select Ryan Anderson with pick 13.

REACTION: The Cavs have two future cornerstones in Cp3 and Gasol, a star for now in Paul Pierce, and have a decent future 2 guard with Foye. This pick checks a lot of boxes - it gives them a stretch 4 off the bench behind Marshall now and gives a nice complementary piece in the future to keep defenses from sagging when Gasol posts up or Paul drives. Not a bad find at the end of the lotto.

ACTION: The Pistons select Anthony Morrow with pick #14.

REACTION: The Pistons are about to pay Dwight Howard and Kevin Martin. They probably can't afford to bring back Maggette too. Morrow will be asked to play hired gun and bomb from outside - something needed on a team that is loaded with post players and slashers. He's one-dimensional, but when that one dimension is shooting, and the team needs it, he's a nice pickup.

ACTION: The Nets select Timofey Mozgov with the #15 pick.

REACTION: The Nets are bringing back Jameer Nelson for sure now - if George Hill was still around they might have been tempted to pick him and look elsewhere. Mozgov gives the Nets another big white guy behind Kaman. He's a rebounder whose offensive game is a long way away yet, but he can give six fouls.

ACTION: The Hawks trade AK47, 10 points, and a 2010 pick for Tim Duncan.

REACTION:I believe I speak for the entire league when I say... "the cat is back."

WigNosy wrote:ACTION: The Hawks trade AK47, 10 points, and a 2010 pick for Tim Duncan.

REACTION:I believe I speak for the entire league when I say... "the cat is back."

glmao

ACTION: The Knicks select SG Courtney Lee with pick 16.

REACTION: The Knicks continue to accumulate a nice stable of younger talent, but with Elton Brand up for a raise this year as a UFA, you have to wonder if they're going to be able to pay all of them. Nate Robinson is up for a big contract next year. Yao's contract expires next year if he declines his player option. The Knicks need to decide if they're trying to compete now and move some of their unproven young assets for talent... or compete later and unload some of their talent for picks. Right now they're trying to have it both ways and it's not really working. All that said, Lee kind of fills a need as Chandler is not much of a sharpshooter and would be better suited as a backup SF/SG, so the pick makes sense. What's interesting to me is that O.J. Mayo is crashing downward at an incredible rate. The pundits (computer) had him as the "next pick" all the way back at 11 so that he's still on the board is something of a shock.

ACTION: The Hornets take C Nikola Pekovic with pick 17

REACTION: The Hornets are certain to bring back Iguodala in RFA, but they're a three-player team with him. Pekovic makes it 4 and gives them a natural Center. I imagine they'd rather not play Iggy at PG again this season, but at this point on the board, you have passable Centers and no passable PGs, so they made the right pick.

ACTION: The Timberwolves select C Javale McGee with pick 18

REACTION: Mayo keeps on sliding. The Wolves are looking for pieces to reset around Bosh with and McGee does fill a position of need. Wish his defensive rebounding potential looked better, though. I expect his ceiling is probably Bynum-esque.

ACTION: The Clippers select Roy Hibbert with pick 19.

REACTION: The Clippers have been playing small ball with Dirk at C and Durant at PF. The pickup of Hibbert suggests maybe now they're going to try to push Dirk back down to PF and Durant to SF (where their skill sets are more natural fits) and go really big. Hibbert is really raw, though, and will take a while to grow into his potential, so this is more of a long-term project than a win-now move. Durant is still young so they have plenty of time to see the project through.