ACTION: #1 - The San Antonio Spurs Draft Michael Jordan
REACTION:
The consensus No.1 pick, Jordan's the first (and might be the only) P/P draftee. With A potential in every offensive category, 96 QKN at 6’6”, and 100 JMP, Jordan will be the best scorer in the league within 3 seasons max. Starting off P/P means he's probably close to a finished project in terms of skillset, so I wouldn't get my hopes up for any of his C potentials to make the jump to B. If you had to hope for one, though, it'd be his HND. Having that jump to B would make Jordan an unparalleled offensive hub, able to draw in defenders at will and either score himself or kick it out for an easier shot. Even without the possibility of a HND boost, Jordan’s PAS adds an extra dimension to his offensive arsenal. You'd think that someone with this level of offensive talent would be fairly one-dimensional, but no, Jordan's a complete two-way superstar. 100 STL means he'll be among one of the league’s top thieves Day 1, and A potential in PRD means that he'll be a lockdown guard defender within a few seasons.
So, pure offensive dominance paired with an elite ability to shut down rivals and force turnovers? What's not to like? Well…while I have no issues with the player himself, I do have concerns with how he fits in the larger context of the league. This is currently a very post-heavy, grit-and-grind league. Despite the number of wing threats present, the game is currently played inside-out and won in the trenches. A lot of Jordan's soon-to-be contemporaries, like Calvin Natt, Bernard King, Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, etc. have the ability to hit the glass a little and grab some boards - an ability Jordan noticeably lacks. This is not a finesse league. This is a brutal, powerful game where teams will try to overwhelm you with size, speed, or force. Jordan has the skills to be an unrelenting force on the offensive end, but does he have the size and other intangibles to not just survive, but dominate?
The fit in San Antonio is...interesting, to say the least. Jordan's arrival makes Byron Scott irrelevant, and Eddie Johnson will probably find himself competing for 6MotY this season. The Spurs have no post presence worth mentioning, but they have more than enough cap space to fix that in free agency. The problem lies in the fact that there's only one ball, and that's a lot of scorers on one roster. And since all of them fall into the "okay" category of handling and passing, Isiah's going to have a lot of responsibility maintaining some kind of balance...and 61 HND means that there will probably be quite a few turnovers along the way. Aguirre and Johnson are mediocre at best defensively too, which doesn't blend well with Jordan and Isiah. There's an opportunity to go all-in defensively by trading Aguirre and Johnson for bigs and depth, moving Jordan to SF and starting Scott as SG...but that's a relatively tiny group. Like I've said before, I'm not sure if finesse will prevail over force in the future, and betting your future on it might not be the best gamble. Still, a P/P rookie is a P/P rookie, and I'm sure Eazy feels like any problems that Jordan has created are great problems to have.
TRADE ALERT!
The first big tax-related move in PBSL history, Darth and the Kings take a voluntary step back and trade the King to New York. While this draft doesn't have an overwhelming amount of talent, Darth has guaranteed himself a blue-potential player and a green-potential player for cheap, which helps the Kings with both their depth and their tax bill.NY_Magic_Garrett wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 2:25 pm Knicks send: 1984 #5 & #14
Kings send: Bernard King & 5 points
Knicks accept. Good luck with sweating the next few picks. Appreciate the negotiation
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The Knicks...I don't quite know if I like this for them. King is in his prime and is a win-now player...but the Knicks are not a win-now team, Darrell Griffith be damned. I understand the desire to capitalize on the opportunities a weaker Eastern Conference provides, but King alone will not make a 28-win team into a contender, and they don't have the cap space to make picking up another key piece easy. At least with #5 you'd have a solid talent to either build around or keep as a core talent, along with the possibility of trading Griffith for a premium haul for a full rebuild. As it is, you're now a middle-of-the-pack team hoping that team chemistry, a significant TC, and/or the rest of the East staying mid elevates you into serious contention.
ACTION: #2 - The Boston Celtics Draft Akeem Olajuwon (He's not officially Hakeem yet, dammit)
REACTION: Olajuwon is a perfect defensive specimen as a big man. A potential ratings in every relevant category (and a bonus one in STL), makes Olajuwon a force to be reckoned with, effortlessly controlling the paint and shutting down opposing bigs. Offensively, he's effective and efficient, but nothing special. While the Cs in JPS, HND, and PAS inspire hope, his low current in JPS kills that one on arrival. There's definitely some potential in HND/PAS, as his currents are more than serviceable, but given that he's a purple player, it's not up to AB whether or not that potential will be fully realized. Overall, Olajuwon is what he is, and nothing more: A generational post presence.
...But that's why I don't like this pick. I know I harped on the physicality of the league when talking about Jordan, but there's another side to that. The league is currently physical, yes, but there's also a counterculture growing - the desire to blend physicality with athleticism. This manifests itself not only in guards and wings getting taller, but also in post players getting faster. And therein lies the problem: Olajuwon will be playing the 4. At 28 QKN. This is already a stretch even at this point, because the standard QKN for a 4 in this league is probably around 30-40. If the standard goes up to 35-45, or even 40-50? Olajuwon will need to muster every bit of that defensive skill to avoid getting dragged all over the floor by speedy bruisers and stretch 4s. This will expose Olajuwon's one true weakness as a defender - PRD.
Allow me to reference real life for a second. Much has been made about the decline of Ralph Sampson and the many drug-related incidents that prematurely ended the budding dynasty of the future in Houston. But I'd like to offer a counterpoint: The Twin Towers, even fully healthy, had a short window to dominate due to their place in time. The mid-80s was the last gasp of the traditional, center-driven, ground-and-pound era of basketball. Larry Bird's ability to play PF when the Chief was resting had already started the trend, and by 1990, the likes of James Worthy had completely transformed the nature of post play, moving it in a more fast-paced, athletic direction. And while the 90s and beyond continued to feature slow, lumbering, physical centers, power forwards were now required to have an element of athleticsm to them. Malone, Barkley, Webber, Kemp, Duncan, Garnett, etc., the list is noticeable and numerous. While Olajuwon (and Sampson) always had the skill to successfully play the 4, athletically they just couldn't hang. The Celtics exposed that in the Finals, and while I do think the Rockets would've been able to get their lick back eventually, depending on matchup, Sampson/Olajuwon would soon become an untenable pairing after that, and thus would've been split up.
In our league, the revolution has already been televised, the radio star is dying. AB has made his gamble, but he did not bet on force. If the league trends towards finesse, then Olajuwon and Sampson will dominate the paint and shut down guard-focused offenses. But if the league trends towards force, then the 5 will become the only position where a slow player can flourish, as anything 6'10+ and over 30 QKN will be looked as a candidate to train to 40 and combat the flood of offensively skilled 50 QKN 4s with bruisers meant to match their speed and force them into the paint defensively. And since Olajuwon's a purple...that QKN cannot be trained. The least likely athletic rating to get a TC boost will determine Olajuwon's long-term viability at the position AB needs him to play. This is one case where I see sim life mirroring real life...which then begs the question: In this timeline, will Ralph still be the one to go?
TRADE ALERT!
This is a simple and straightforward move. The Pacers already have their leader in JBC (who's 25), and they have cap space. They don't need a developmental piece, they need depth (the picks) and more players 25 and up (Woodson). The Pistons have their future in Terry Cummings (who's 23) and cap space. They don't need depth to help their aging star Richardson, they need a young running mate for Cummings. This is a win-win trade, and an early contender for TotY because of just how smart it is for both teams, and how balanced. Hopefully the season further validates this trade.PaulyP wrote: Wed Jul 23, 2025 12:19 pm Pistons Receive:
#7 Overall Pick
Pacers Receive:
#12 Overall Pick
#15 Overall Pick
G Mike Woodson
Pacers accept, thanks for the easy negotiations tbone!
ACTION: #3 - The Atlanta Hawks Draft Charles Barkley
REACTION: Spoiler for the next pick here: Since Olajuwon was picked up by Boston, Barkley is the only one out of the Big 4 who I have no concerns about whatsoever. Barkley is an unreal athletic specimen - at 6'6", he has 61 QKN, 90 STR, 100 JMP, and 85 STA. His physical abilities negate any limitations his height may present. He will not be outmuscled in the post, and his vertical will even up the height differential. Skill-wise, he's a weaker and less polished Olajuwon, but he traded the losses in PSD (B potential) and BLK (C potential) to max out his starting point in STL (A potential with a 77 current rating). It's not all good, though...until 3pt shooting becomes standard in the league (and it's not like Barkley's exceptional at that, C potenial with 40 current is middling at best), Barkley will be one of the most one-dimensional scorers in the league, because bro really has no offensive bag beyond being a cannonball (D potential in JPS, 17 current). He'll also need some time to cook, as he only has a 51 current rating in INS (A potential of course).
But honestly, needing time to cook is one of Barkley's biggest strengths. Unlike Jordan, Olajuwon, and Stockton, Barkley does not have purple potential. Which means he can be trained if he doesn't pop purple in TC. Which also means that Barkley has the potential to be turned into more than just a genetic anomaly at the 4. Boosting his PSD from C to B and his QKN from 61 to 66 unlocks the potential to have Barkley as a wing, which is...terrifying, quite honestly. The double Cs in HND/PAS are...not great, but the idea of a virtual freight train barrelling towards the paint with a full head of steam, trampling weaker opposing 3s and putting massive pressure on rim protectors is not an idea that that other teams would like to think about. Heaven forbid he somehow gets to 40/40 or higher in HND/PAS and holds off the purple just long enough to get to 71 QKN, because then the option of playing him at the 2 emerges. And that's just not fair.
I haven't talked about the fit yet, because it doesn't matter. With all due respect to Clark Kellogg (who is himself a bit of an anomaly with a lot of potential to menace teams outside of his expected position), Barkley is the man in Atlanta now. Syndicate doesn't have to worry about a single thing this offseason aside from waiting to see if Sir Charles gets his purple heart in TC. If he doesn't, then Syndicate needs to sink every point he has into him.
ACTION: #4 - The Phoenix Suns Draft John Stockton
REACTION: And here we are, the last of the Big 4. And as I alluded to earlier, I have concerns. Now while I'm not going to go as far as Darth and call Stockton a fake purple (I'm also not convinced that it all wasn't an elaborate psy-op to make sure he got what he wanted at #5), I do think there's a few things that makes him a shaky prospect. Now let me be the first to say that it has nothing to do with his actual talent and skills. Stockton is as pure a PG as Olajuwon is a C. Passing, defense, shooting...Stockton has it all, with only one B potential in sight (PRD). Going back to his shooting, though...that's my first concern. As of now, 3pt-shooting ability is a complete non-factor in this league, and none of us have any idea of when that's going to change. It's not a matter of skill - there are already a number of players with the ability to shoot threes - but a matter of generational sliders. Right now players just don't attempt to shoot threes at all, regardless of how good they are at it or the gameplan, thus rendering that skill functionally useless. As stated earlier, we don't know when players are going to start deciding to shoot threes more. One would assume it'll start in the 90s, but that would mean that there's a minimum of 6 years before Stockton will be able to utilize arguably his best scoring skill. Until then, he'll be a middy merchant, which isn't necessarily a bad thing...unless you're a pass-first PG. As we've seen from Brad Davis - another elite floor general restricted to the midrange - such a playstyle tops out at 18 ppg, which is elite for a pass-first PG, but awful for a No.1 option and go-to guy.
That, in essence, is the problem with John Stockton as a franchise centerpiece. As we saw with the Lakers with Davis and before Magic, just being able to get guys in position to score isn't enough if they're not legitimate impact players on their own. At some point, somebody has to take the reins and get a bucket when times get hard. So the Suns now have to go out and find that guy. The problem is, they might not be able to do that via the draft. Elite floor generals are often elite floor raisers, who will get the absolute most out of their teammates offensively. Look for Brewer, Johnson, and Smith to have career years scoring. Any player you put around Stockton will have their offensive capabilities raised to the max, which will max out the amount of possible wins...but their other deficiencies place a hard cap on their ability to take the next step and go farther. This is the perfect recipe for a 6th seed contender, whose highest aspirations going into the season is to take two games off the 3rd seed before getting bounced in the 1st round. This kind of team lives in the 8-14 range in the draft, which puts a lot of pressure on Dr. K to make smart selections and find steals at the end of the lotto. Sniping free agents will probably be easier than drafting stars, but relying on the volitility of free agency to build your team and take them to the next level is a high-risk endeavor. At the end of the day, I'm not sold on Stockton as the first step towards a brand-new era. Truthfully, I would've liked to see him go 2nd to Boston, who already had a young co-star in place.
At least he's too short to be played out of position.
TRADE ALERT!
...Hm. This is interesting. Looks like Darth may have been attempting a psy-op to reuinite with Stockton after all. While I love what Darth has done with his cap with these two moves, I'm not sold on King, Toney, Johnson, #5, #14, and 10 points for Lister and Ford. Ford's solid, but they already have Leavell (and on a longer contract to boot). Lister's good, but is an awkward fit next to Gminski (who didn't really begin to assert himself as a star until former running mate Jack Sikma was traded). Again, having a healthier cap situation is worth a lot, but I feel like what's done with the cap space will ultimately determine how successful this trade was for Darth.Darth Vegito wrote: Thu Jul 24, 2025 7:33 am Bucks send:
Lister
Ford
Kings send:
1984 #5 overall
1984 #14 overall
Toney
Vinnie
5 points
Points Link
viewtopic.php?p=123885#p123885
For Quail and the Bucks, this is a pretty damn good move to avoid having to become the Kings in the future. Paying Cooper is now completely optional with Toney and Johnson now in the fold. While losing Lister stings a bit, McHale is so damn good that you really don't need an overwhelming amount of talent to have next to him in the post. And really, that's where the picks come in. This is a really clever pivot to create more flexibility, both on and off the court.
ACTION: #5 - The Milwaukee Bucks Draft Alvin Robertson
REACTION: So I think the fact that this pick was traded twice clearly shows the difference in perception between the Big 4 and the other draft prospects. Despite Robertson consistently being ranked as on par with Barkley and Stockton, the name value and purple potential of both elevated the value of those two over him. It seems like the hope was that either the Hawks or the Suns would've taken the bait and let Barkley or Stockton slip. The Knicks didn't even think that was a possibility, and the Kings ultimately didn't think that Robertson was good enough of a consolation prize to keep the pick, making the Bucks the beneficiaries of hype.
There's a lot to like about Robertson, both as a player and for the Bucks as a team. Sleepy Floyd is still too raw of a talent to trust as the floor leader of the team with Ford gone. Robertson is just as raw, but it's nice to have backup and not need to rely wholly on the TC development of one or the other. Where Robertson really stands out is his NBA-ready defense (B/A potential in PRD/STL, 72/88 current ratings) and his physical profile. At 6'4", the hope is that he'll eventually become a quality all-around PG. But if his HND/PAS skills come along slowly (or not at all), the potential for Quail to capitalize on his B/A/B/C scoring potential spread, move him to SG, and form a speedy dynamic duo with the 6'3" Floyd (which would then conveniently make the newly acquired Toney expendable near the end of his contract) is a nice backup plan. We also can't forget 6'4" Jeff Malone here, meaning that if all 3 pan out, Quail has a 3-man rotation that will take him into the future, with Malone as the scoring SG to Floyd's passing PG, and Robertson coming off the bench as the perfect hybrid of the two. I'm really looking forward to seeing if the computer knew something about Robinson that the rest of us overlooked. If so, then it could be an interesting look behind the code, revealing more about how mock drafts are structured beyond "BPA + Team Need".
ACTION: #6 - The Dallas Mavericks Draft Sam Bowie
REACTION: This is gonna be a quick one. Bowie's a traditional big who does traditional big things. There's only one A potential on him, and it's in BLK (77 current). That's probably going to be his primary role coming in, even though he's NBA-ready as a post scorer. I would imagine that the play is to pay Laimbeer and move him back to PF alongside Bowie. Not sure how that's going to work - Laimbeer is actually a bit slower than Bowie - but it at least replaces what they lost in Tree Rollins. At 23, Bowie's on the same timeline as Vincent (25) and McGee (24), meaning they can quite realistically look to be more competitive this season while Doc Rivers (22) continues to develop.
ACTION: #7 - The Detroit Pistons Draft Kevin Willis
REACTION: Alright, time for the Pistons' side of the Pacers trade. Willis is a really interesting frontcourt partner for Cummings, because he specializes in grabbing rebounds. Willis enters the league with a ridiculous 93 current rating in ORB, and double A potential in both rebounding stats. Cummings himself has 95 in ORB, which means that the Pistons are now in a position to make some clever deals and pick up undervalued, inefficient "chuckers" on the cheap. Opposing defenses are going to have a hell of a time securing the possession, so why not shoot away? This is pretty much the main reason why Willis is a great fit alongside Cummings, and a pick worthy of the price of the trade. There's another bonus...outside of a few Cs in place of Bs, Willis' areas for development perfectly match Cummings', so Tbone has the opportunity to create the perfect complimentary frontcourt duo.
ACTION: #8 - The Philadelphia 76ers Draft Jay Humphries
REACTION: So this is pretty much a replacement pick - Henderson out, Humphries in. Offensively, it's a define downgrade. Humphries is basically a discount version of Stockton - which might not be the worst thing in the world, given that that makes training an option. Like Stockton, Humphries is borderline useless offensively outside of his jumper. But like Willis, he does have an elite skill from Day 1: Ball security. 93 current in HND is crazy, and will definitely keep him playable until his PAS builds up to a quality (and not just serviceable) level.
ACTION: #9 - The Houston Rockets Draft Vern Fleming
REACTION: With Larry Bird's decision looming, Houston has a problem and needs all the help they can get. Fortunately, Fleming is a good prospect, if a raw one that won't really sway Bird one way or the other. Think of Fleming as a raw version of Robertson, only an inch taller (6'5") and with a surprising 60 current rating in INS. As the Frank Johnson experiment continues, 78 might do well to let Fleming start out as an SG while his HND/PAS develops. If it does, then the Rockets may have their PG of the future. If not, then I still see Fleming developing into an impactful role player and reliable 3rd option.
ACTION: #10 - The Detroit Pistons Draft Danny Young
REACTION: The Pistons still had another pick in this draft, and with Willis secured, they could afford to do whatever. In Young, they chose to go for a possible Richardson replacement. Another midrange merchant, Young's lack of potential in the passing department (56 current, C potential) will probably make him a long-term project. Fortunately, Sherod can hold down the backup PG/Richardson replacement role until Young's been trained enough to take over. At 6'4", Young can comfortably slot in as an SG until then. I do have to wonder where Pressey fits into things though. He already is what Young might be, so one would think that it might be a better idea to invest a little more in him and maybe take a chance on Tony Campbell instead? I can definitely see a future where Sherod, Young, and Pressey form a high-octane and defensively sound guard/wing unit with excellent ball movement to pair with Cummings/Willis. Perhaps that's the vision.
ACTION: #11 - The San Diego Clippers select Otis Thorpe
REACTION: The Clippers were in dire need of a PF last season, so I'm not surprised to see them take Thorpe. I'm really interested to see how Thorpe turns out, because he should end up as a great value pick if Darth's formulas were correct. If so, then I'm curious as to how Thorpe will develop, because he's an odd duck. Thorpe does the bare minimum as a big defensively, sporting Bs in ORB, DRB, and PSD, with absolutely no intangibles (Ds in STL and BLK). He does have 84 STR, but overall he's nothing but a body to put up against people. Offensively though, he sports Cs in JPS, FTS, HND, and PAS, and a B in INS. Pair that with an insane 93 JMP at 6'10", and there's legitimate potential for Thorpe to become an offensive savant capable of both initiating and finishing plays with ease. Problem is, not only will that take a while, but I'm not sure that it's what the Clippers need right now, let alone in the future. They're already a team that heavily favors offense, and using Edwards as your defensive anchor just doesn't work due to him not exactly being a strong force on that end. Thorpe honestly might end up being the lynchpin of whatever JNR chooses to do after this current incarnation of the team, because I don't really see him being able to contribute positively to anything they're doing now.
ACTION: #12 - The Indiana Pacers Draft Michael Cage
REACTION: We finish off the lotto portion of the draft with this. Kersey is the definition of a "blank slate", having only one potential rated lower than C (3PS, D). He's one of those guys who always feel like they're one training camp away from popping off, and I expect him to randomly jump from y/g to g/b one day. That day probably won't be anytime soon without training though, because Kersey is 6'7" with 54 QKN. His only standout skills are ORB (61, A) and STL (65, A). Both PSD and PRD are Cs, meaning that he's really just a hustle guy at the moment. Still, this is a good "stash" pick. Obviously, the plan is to stick to JBC's timeline as much as possible, but if that runs it's course sooner rather than later, Kersey is a good talent to have cooking in the background. There's a lot of room to creatively train him into whatever Pauly wants/needs him to be, which is about as good as you can ask for with an end-of-the-lotto pick.
-Fin-
