I know some GMs won't be happy with this article because it may give others ideas on how to place their bids but.....OH WELL!!! I've had a draft pick pretty high in the last few drafts and EVERY DAMN DRAFT someone(Wig, Tani, Scott, I'm looking at you) writes an article about the top prospects and ruins any chance of someone making a really stupid pick. And don't worry guys, I finally have monies and am ready to wreck your teams anyway
So let's get this thing going."THEY ARE INEVITABLE" Group - These guys are gonna get super-maxes without a doubt. Throw them the auto-max in case Doug is kidnapped and can't get to a computer.
Kyle Kuzma - GIVE HIM A MAX EVEN THOUGH HE'LL PROBABLY BE SUPER-MAXED!!! Wig likes to try his best to get players on the cheap. I can't see him not super-maxing this guy but send him a max anyway just in case. You should always send every super-max player a max deal because you never know. Yeah I know they can just match and keep them no matter what but don't forget....someone may kidnap Doug. Kyle is an offensive stud putting up about 1.5 pps and a .600 TS%. While Wig is rebuilding and Kuz really doesn't fit the current no-competing trajectory of the Hawks, I have no doubt Wig will pull something out of his cat ass.
Pete Maravich - Is a God. This seems like it could be the last true great PG. The draft has produced shit when it comes to point guards and they are drying up like Tani's mom's vagina. Pete has it all. And though he's not quite arrived yet, he's not far off. The Thunder have 2 blue potential RFAs and may have to make some important decisions in a few days. Should be interesting!
Boban Marjanovic - I need this guy's IRL picture to be used int he index. Because his ratings/potentials are so pretty, I need his ugly mug in the index. Before writing this article I went and calculated how many points Andy has put into Boban. The answer is that he has roughly put 2,198 points into Boban give or take 2,000. This guy is Frankenstein, built by Andy himself. He's gotta be a point or 2 away from purple potential. And I'm sure Andy knew exactly when to stop pumping him full of juice. He'll def be in Orlando for some time. Throw him a max for shits and giggles, but he'll be shittin and gigglin with Mickey for a while.
RJ Barrett - This RFA class is LOADED with talent. I'm too lazy to look but this has got to be the most talented RFA class ever. Maybe one of those statisticians Ku or garbageman can look into that. Geoff sent a nice haul for RJ and pounced upon Doug's need to keep his boys fresh. The Bucks stashed this guy away as their diamond in the rough only to trade him away just as he began maturing. Doug does tend to trade his guys away just as their facial hair starts coming in....hmmm. Anyways, it'll be a Thriller in Toronto to see how RJ's Ignition gets turned on. Either way he's staying in the North.
"CAPTAIN MARVEL" Group - These guys definitely don't deserve the limelight or max contracts...but they'll probably get em anyway.
Clifford Paugh - He's a one way player. A REALLY good one-way player. An offensive star who can score in a bevy of ways and can do it pretty efficiently too. Does he truly deserve a max? Probably not. I like my maxes to at least be able to do more than one thing. But it doesn't always work out how you like and guys like this nearly always end up getting paid. Not to mention he's 22 years old, so he'll only be 26 at his next deal and there's PLENTY of time to put points into him and make him into a 2 way player. There's a good chance Doug supers Paugh depending on his plans. But you never know, so send him a max anyway. Doug could fall into a manhole and not find his way out until right after RFA ends. NEVER KNOW.
Phil Brooks - See above...but even worse. I say worse but Brooks and Paugh are pretty close in talent. Brooks is a year older but has a bunch of C potentials which makes turning him into a multi-faceted player much cheaper and easier than Paugh. They are putting up nearly the same amount of ppg but Brooks has played 40 mpg pretty consistently. But there wasn't a ton of offense in Clipperland the last few years so take those points with a grain of salt. While I do think the Clips match any offer for Brooks, they are in a pretty grave salary pickle. 10 mil over the cap before resigning Brooks. And the 2 largest contracts are not pretty. I know we say there's no such thing as an immovable contract...maybe they haven't met Zach Lavine yet. So I could see a path for grabbing Brooks even if it's in a S&T.
Roland Pettit - He has some problems in his game, mostly being he likes to foul. He did average 36 mpg so it doesn't seem like it kept him out of games but he's close to 4 fouls per game and that's something I'd want to put some points into. He's not the most efficient guy out there and his FT% is really suspect. He's not fully matured yet but he's getting there. B potentials tend to move along much slower than As and his entire offensive game are a bunch of Bs. But this guy does a lot. He can guard nearly every position. Not to mention he's good for at least 5 rebounds per game. I can see him playing the 2 guard position as well which is really valuable come playoff time. He may be supered by LHamilton, but even if not I don't see him going anywhere.
James Shaffer - Who is James Shaffer you ask? He's only the best value gotten in that draft class. Picked at #27, the Kings found their diamond(TC helped ofc). When you look at him nothing jumps out at you as WOW. But he's solid and versatile. A 6'4" shooting guard who actually has the speed to play the point and a B in Passing. He can defend and should be able to average about 15 ppg. Although Tani kept his minutes relatively low and we don't know exactly what to expect from him I think it's safe to say that he'll be a solid player and someone possibly worth overpaying for. Don't tell Tani though
"30 SECONDS OF WOMAN MAGIC" Group - This group is solid. Not great and may take time to develop. But their forced down your throat anyway and YOU'RE GONNA ENJOY IT!
Simon Pheonix - This one will be fun to watch. The first thing I see when I look at Simon is that at his current athletic ability I'd never want to play him at the 4 due to his quickness. He has the quickness of a Center but the height of a Forward. Considering Doug's height training keeps getting shot down, I'm guessing I'd want to target his quickness and get some points into that immediately so I could play him at the 4. He didn't play much last year but year before that he averaged 13 and 8 and has improved since then. He has the right potentials in the right spots that you want in your big man. He's just not there yet and may take another 3-4 years to get there. Also add in the fact that he's 24 years old. He'll probably be one of these guys who is 28 before they hit their stride. No way I max this guy or overpay him. Not sure what the sweet spot is though, it all depends on how much time you have to wait. I'm guessing he stays in Brooklyn on a matched less than max deal.
Josh Hart - Oh Joshy. I had such high hopes for you. Your athleticism is fantastic and those offensive As are pretty. But you've yet to do a damn thing in the league. You've proved nothing. But I still have faith. I can see you getting to about 18 inefficient ppg. If someone wants to love you a bit, they can make you much better. But I don't see that happening. You've been tossed around the league like Tani's mum on a hot day. I'm not sure what you're worth but I foresee someone overpaying and the Thunder ultimately being forced to let you walk. Which always sucks but it's better than destroying the next 4 years of your cap.
Nathan Thompson - America's Ass.
