All-Stars and Young Stars: Over / Under / Properly rated

[greepleairport]

Time for an article. We spent a week sitting on All Star results, so that’s all I really thought about for a sim-life eternity. I did a pick’em on 3 point and dunk contestants, but no one cares about that anymore (unless you coach Patrick Williams, who lost the dunk contest to Harold “Fuhgeddaboutit” Foley).

For each All star and each player that made the Sophomore and Rookie game, I’ll decide:

Are they Over / Properly / Under rated?
Do they belong on their current team?
If not, where should they go?

I’m basing this off of sim 8 and sometimes post sim 9 because of when I decided to write this ridiculous thing. Should rack up some words. Anyway, here goes:

Omega Conference


Paul Cassel (Wizards)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated. This guy has better PG skills than most PGs in the league, and he’s also a very defensively mind big man who’s also a top 5 rebounder in the league. Extremely consistent, he’s averaged 17-20ppg and almost 10 rebounds per game since 2036 when he still played for the Cavs. One of Xist’s untouchables that most of the league has always wanted to touch.

Stay on the current team?
No. While the Wizards are having a great year, and I don’t doubt Xist’s ability to shock us all and win, the great years of this build are winding down. Cassel is certainly the Wizards most valuable piece to get a young stud in return, but Ronnie Reynolds and Brandon Boston Jr. are Cassel’s primary supports, and they’re not getting any better.

What team would be better?
Any number of nearly title-competing teams, but perhaps specifically the Bucks and Clips.


Delmar Lopez (Thunder)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Come on, I’ll always think Delmar is underrated as he gets older. He’s my boy.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. While Delmar would be a great piece to push any team over the edge, his price tag is astounding. He’s not likely to go anywhere, but I’m sure if you have a prospect and an ability to match $77mil next year, he’ll still be a great asset..


Charles Hintz (Bucks)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated. Well-rounded, versatile player able to play most positions on the floor. He’s like a superior Bradley Connell.

Stay on the current team?
Yes… but I don’t think he will. Quailman loves building up and tearing down, and Hintz is probably one of his less valued players (compared to dunk contest loser P Will and Zaire Wade). If the Bucks don’t win it all this year, I think Quail gets a trigger finger and starts sending out a lot of good players like Hintz.


Killian Hayes (Kings)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated by most, underrated by his own GM.

Stay on the current team?
No. Absolutely not. God no. No. Nooooooooooooooooo!

What team would be better?
Most teams. Killian Hayes is an MVP level player and is carrying Sacramento’s winning record on his back with a little boosted support from James Addington. That’s it. As good as they are, they’re never getting past the semifinals, and it sucks, because both Addignton and Hayes could net SuperDog enough assets to build a better team for the future. Hayes should run the offense of a much better team.


Luguentz Dort (Magic)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated by GMs, underrated by simputer because he shouldn’t have lost his purple current.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. Orlando’s on the verge of a championship, and they have a solid supporting cast. Any team benefits from Lu Dort, but I don’t know that he fits better anywhere else right now. It’s high time Dort got himself a ring.


Evan Mobley (Raptors)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Maybe I’m talking to folks in the wrong circles, but no one is talking about Mobley. Unlike many of his recent Raptors teammates, Mobley accepted his supermax last year and did not find his way to brighter pastures, languishing in Toronto. Making the all-star game was the first time he had been properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Yes, actually. Brighter days are ahead in Toronto under new leadership. This team is bubbling over with young talent, and as they grow and develop and stay insured, the Raptors are a threat a few seasons down the road. Mobley is a centerpiece for this.


Patrick Williams (Bucks)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
To Harold Foley, he’s Overrated. Foley DUNKS on P Will.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. Bucks are a great team - a title threat, even. A lot of this is from the development of P Will himself. He grew up in Milwaukee and, as long as Quail has the strength not to trade him, he should spend most of his career where he is right now.


Alex Caruso (Pistons)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Overrated. P/P in color only. He’s not bad, but if Lu Dort is b/p and Caruso is b/p? Yeah, overrated.

Stay on the current team?
Yes, stay put. He’s still getting better, and he’s already an (overrated) All-star game MVP. Problem is, in LA, Caruso needed a better PG running offense and creating plays where Caruso could shine. This has been less of a problem in Detroit, but his strength in offense will languish on a team that doesn’t have a strong offensive build around it. Maybe less so as he gets older.

Maybe I’m just pissed I built a team around him too early and it didn’t f**&%$ing work. Whatever

What team would be better?
Hawks. Because I’m salty.


Zaire Wade (Bucks)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Wade is MVP caliber. It’s about time for him to earn that title.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. Bucks are a great squad, managed well, and a great supporting cast around him. This is a great player on a great team.


Cassius Winston (Cavaliers)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Cassius has died in more TC’s than Danny Campbell. He’s _still_ an all-star. How many g/g PGs have ever made the all-star game? That’s usually a big man’s role for a g/g all-star, but Cassius pulled it off.

Stay on the current team?
*Sigh* I don’t know how to answer this question. He’s underrated today yet also overpaid today. If his TC deaths continue at this pace, he will be the most overpaid y/y player of all time. And I really want to see some success out of Cleveland, but for the time being, the Cavs don’t have a tax problem and can afford to see Cassius around for at least one more season.

So yes, stay. No team in contention will move for a g/g PG getting paid $70mil next year, even if he is an all star.


Gerry Folse (Pistons)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Nowadays, properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Balls saw the value in Folse as soon as he arrived in Detroit, becoming immovable instantly (I know, I asked). Paired with Caruso (originally a pairing in Chicago and then LA on the Delmar deal), this duo cannot be messed with.

What team would be better?

Lakers :’(


James Addington (Kings)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated, overpaid.

Stay on the current team?
No.

What team would be better?
Magic. Financially, it doesn’t make sense, but the only hole in Orlando’s starting lineup is at center (Mitch Rob at C or PF is enough in the front court already, usually). Addington on a team like the Magic would make every other contender sell off their season. On a team like the Kings, he plays second fiddle to Killian Hayes, and


Damien Bailey (Timberwolves), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Like most young players that don’t have blue potential, you think, who the hell is this guy? But he’s quietly a contender for MIP this season. Someone else will probably get it though.

Stay on the current team?
He’ll never become the star player that gets JNR to buy back in to his TWolves, but he can hang there for now and build up his stats backing up the other blue potential bigs (putting up better numbers than one of them).


Leroy Johnston (Raptors), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated. Leroy is one of the reasons Toronto’s future is bright. Decent now, and very far from his potential, too. Future all-star for sure.

Stay on the current team?
With the new GM? Yeah, stay put.


Angelo Romero (Jazz), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Since he was drafted, he lived in the shadow of Charles Alleman. Similar styles, builds, both #3 picks… Now, with less experience than Alleman, he’s the decidedly better player with a higher ceiling (and current). They’re solid together, but digiskunk might want to move on from Alleman and pick up one of the point guards in this year’s draft.

Stay on the current team?
A hesitant yes. I’d love to see something happen in Utah during the not-offseason, but so long as digiskunk keeps these young studs insured, Romero can stay.

What team would be better?
Gotta look at the Pelicans and Raptors. Hungry new GMs might do well with a prospect like Romero.


Gerald Dixon (Hawks), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Who? Huh. Interesting. This guy’s underrated.

Stay on the current team?
Good LORD no.

What team would be better?
Literally any team. Lots of talent has been drafted into young deaths in ATL. Would love for that to not happen anymore.


Charles Richards (Jazz), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
As a y/y, properly rated. As a star sophomore? Sheesh, overrated.

Stay on the current team?
Doesn’t matter.

What team would be better?
This guy can be a solid role player off the bench defending and not letting the offense COMPLETELY fall apart. If his next TC pushes his potential a bit, he could be properly rated as a decent enough young player.


Reginald Fulford (76ers), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Overrated run of the mill bench big in his prime. Not a future star. But please, Mr. Fulford, change my mind!

Stay on the current team?
Whatever

What team would be better?
Vet min for sim life.


Ismael Jones (Kings), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated? I dunno. Kinda cool ratings but athleticism is kind of a problem. Set up to be a big man who slowly blocks 3’s and jumpers, haha, cool.

Stay on the current team?
Sure!

What team would be better?
Vet min boi!


Antonio Blakeney (Thunder), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Originally underrated, now properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Of any sophomore / rookie, this is the guy that can change a team’s future. AB is wise to keep him, but he’d be a blessing on any roster.


Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (76ers), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
As a #7 pick, I can’t say he’s underrated, but I do think he is overlooked. Any TC boost could make him a functional PG on lots of rosters.

Stay on the current team?
No.

What team would be better?
I like Geronimo in Dallas! They’ve needed a PG for years, and Geronimo is ready to go now. Would have been nice to have him this year, but I don’t think LPH is active enough to scout talent like Geronimo.


Carlos Jose (76ers), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated y/y vet min for life.

Stay on the current team?
Whatever

What team would be better?
Hawks.



Terrance Lewis-Weeks (Jazz), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Paired with a serviceable PG? Yeah, stay! Jazz should be high enough in the draft to grab one.



James Dotson (Timberwolves), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Who the…? What the…? See, because guys like me coddle a young player like Darius Garland and red shirt him until he’s ready, guys like this make the rookie game, maybe an all rookie team. Pretty frustrating actually when I put it that way…

Stay on the current team?
Whatever

What team would be better?
Vet min boi


Stuart Snelling (Pistons), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
For a 2nd rounder? Definitely underrated. For a starting PG on a title contending team? Way overrated. It’s pretty cool that Balls has a team where a guy like Snelling can fit into the starting 5 because he probably has no business there. He’s not unsuccessful though, so…properly rated? I dunno, weird. Not a great player but damn fine enough in the right places.

Stay on the current team?
Yes, but these guys need a real starting PG.


Emoni Bates (Pistons), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Overrated - now anyway. He looks good; don’t get me wrong. But last year he looked great. Now he looks like a #10 pick, not a #1 pick.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. He’s Balls’s project to grow or die. Will be interesting to see how he is valued in RFA.

What team would be better?
I dunno- who’s got the cap to bid?




Alpha Conference


Douglas Haun (Knicks)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated. Hard to argue with a big man who can shoot the three and handle the ball and defend. Solid two-way player who spreads the floor. Would be even better if DrK trained his fouls but…whatever.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. Good contract for the output at such a young age, but I fully expect he will be a big target for lots of GMs when he hits free agency. DrK will have a hard time not maxing him though (see Michael Evan supermax)


Makur Maker (Nuggets)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated. Before the DC days in LA, we definitely had our sights set on getting Makur if we could. Unlike Haun, Maker can stay on the floor for full starter minutes, staying out of foul trouble while remaining an offensive and defensive threat. Solid playmaker too.

Stay on the current team?
He’s not going anywhere. Excellent player for under $60mil in the final year of his contract next year. An outsider looks at these Nuggets and sees a thin lineup, but he is in a trio of superstars with Bey and Hor (wow, Maker Bey Hor), and they are a problem for anyone when they are all healthy, not to mention 6th man ace in the hole Cornett.

What team would be better?
Mine.


Fang Shuo (Nets)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Woof. The Nets have been on quite a slide. Before the all-star break even. Even though it sucks to see this happen with a guy like Fang on the roster, I don’t think any GM in their right mind would trade Fang yet. His story in Brooklyn is not over as long as Kostas stays next to him, even if the team as a whole is just falling short.

What team would be better?
My team. Definitely my team.


Michael Sneed (Bulls)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Of course.

What team would be better?
Lakers.


Dorian Whitley (Spurs)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated, even as he gets older.

Stay on the current team?
No. Dorian’s value will only decrease moving forward, and that’s a big contract to move the older he gets. Someone looking to win now would give a lot to acquire Whitley now, but not as much later.

What team would be better?
Uhhhhhhhhhhh Clippers? Knicks? Kings? Not that they all have pieces for Whitley, but he’d take any of those teams into contention within another season or two.


Kenneth Heard (Clippers)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated, but I’m probably biased. Heard’s a glue guy. Might not always put up the biggest numbers, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue showing up at all-star games, even if he’s not playing on teams contending for gold.

Stay on the current team?
No, Heard is on a different timeline than the Clippers.

What team would be better?
Spurs, Magic, Nuggets, Mavericks. Spurs and Magic and Mavs are missing top talent at Center, and the Nuggets could use one more elite player on their team.


Danny Campbell (Lakers)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Only one decent trade discussion that ultimately fizzled. DC beats up most 4’s in the league easily.

Stay on the current team?
No, sad face.

What team would be better?
Honestly any team on the fringe of success. Any team ranked 3-6. He’s the missing piece that makes any team a problem. Imagine if, say, Addington and Hayes had that third star to help carry the team’s load?


Barrett Kuykendall (Mavericks)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated, because I usually forget about him, but he’s an excellent scoring threat.

Stay on the current team?
Yeah. Mavs w/l record finally matches their roster’s perceived talent that STILL needs a PG.


Genaro Montoya (Spurs)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Dare I say underrated? Imagine if he didn’t have to share the ball with a guy like Whitley? Or if he actually hit all his potentials? Guy’s a monster!

Stay on the current team?
Definitely


He Hor (Nuggets)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Overrated. Maybe just because I remember him before his uninsured TC hit years ago in Miami. He’s a good PG, but in a league void of good PG’s, he defaults to one of the best.

Stay on the current team?
Yes, obviously makes any team better, no need to move him.

What team would be better?
Would love to see him on the Mavs, though.


Kostas Antetokounmpo (Nets)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Solid vet on a sophomore contract. Properly rated.

Stay on the current team?
Yes. If the Nets are threatening anyone, Kostas is part of it.


Daniel Yandell (Bulls)

Over / Under / Properly rated?
For 33 yrs old? Underrated. Still an absolute beast that makes the Bulls perennially dangerous even without Sneed. TC Deaths have not been too unkind to Dan Yan.

Stay on the current team?
Yes, unless gman is ready to cash him in for an asset, in which case...

What team would be better?
Mavs.


Alex Bailey (Trailblazers), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated back-up big

Stay on the current team?
No one should stay on this team, not as they are currently managed anyway.

What team would be better?
Raptors. Pelicans.


Joshua Owens (Knicks), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated by everyone except DrK.

Stay on the current team?
Owens is one of many players that makes up an underrated Knicks team. Not sure too many other GMs will see value in a player like Owens, but in a lineup of mostly decent players, he’s perfect.


Larry Veloz (Pelicans), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Overrated at PG; properly rated as a wing.

Stay on the current team?
So far the Pels seem competently managed, so Veloz has a good home in New Orleans.


Francis Fontaine (Lakers), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. He doesn’t look that good, but his productivity is pretty good for someone who doesn’t look very good.

Stay on the current team?
Probably.


Newton Robb (Nets), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Properly rated. I don’t think anyone expected too much from a #10 pick of a rotten draft class. Capable of some bench offense. Neat.

Stay on the current team?
Trade fodder to match salaries, but otherwise, sure, stay.


Simi Shittu (Trailblazers), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated. Drafted red/blue, he’s now one solid TC away from playing decent to solid ball.

Stay on the current team?
No one should stay on the Blazers and the league at large is lucky this team didn’t die like the logpmess Heat.

What team would be better?
Any team that does the bare minimum in the offseason.


Justin Alcantar (Thunder), sophomore

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Underrated, possibly. Could play PF or SF, which is neat.

Stay on the current team?
Might as well.


Lloyd Parsons (Rockets), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
On a team with lots of mid-level bigs? I guess underrated at age 21.

Stay on the current team?
Yeah, for now he’s getting a ton of experience in Houston.


Clemente Raya (Knicks), rookie

Over / Under / Properly rated?
Basically the same player as Joshua Owens. Huh. Properly rated?

Stay on the current team?
He’s getting love here, so might as well stick around for a hot TC or two. You never know!


Well this was a much larger undertaking than I expected, but boy do I feel accomplished having shared thoughts on around 50 players in S56 PBSL. Hopefully you had a player on here and enjoyed my hot take on them. Cheers!

[greepleairport]

~3400 words, +10

[digiskunk]

Angelo Romero is the next Axl Rose of the PBSL