#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Welcome to hell, people.

I should be making the first pick overall (or trading it?), but instead I'm doing this Liveblog of . . . nothing? No, it's something.

It's me!

Prepare to have me cover myself for at least 2 hours. You want the draft? I AM THE DRAFT!

Suffer.

This should be good

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Inside Info: I've heard there is a divide in Cleveland. There is a clear pick for them, but there are other players they would be happy to fall back to given the proper deal. Parting with the top pick is a tough thing to do, but Cleveland is bold.

Translation: Cleveland probably going to make their pick, then see about a deal afterwards once the players and teams settle down. 42 is Fryeing crazy.

The Cavs have their choice, but there seems to be a hold up in actually submitting the pick. The delegation is actually arguing with League officials and gesturing to his zipper.

Security has restrained the Cleveland delegation. This is fitting, since this is the exact scenario that led to their hiring, with a side benefit being subduing the Indiana delegation in case a Pepsi machine failed to give proper change.

Really? The whole Fryeing world knew this was the pick. Why were we made to suffer while we suffer waiting for NXT tickets in Dallas to go on sale? Why, God, Whhhyyyyyyy!?!!?!??!

Now that NXT Tickets have been acquired, to the pick.

Cleveland is a team that can go up spectacularly, but skepticism is justified after their first 3 seasons of rebuilt and the recent disaster of a season. Chris Paul is the prize of the draft and has a reasonable chance to the best point guard in League history if Cleveland doesn't botch this. They have Michael Redd, another first overall pick, under contract for 3 more season, and while Redd can't help how he was drafted, his a capable scorer. The Cavs have two young wing talents in Outlaw and Jones, but not much else with upside. With a ton of cap space, they can make a splash in FA or make some smaller moves to bolster their front court, a perennial weakness for the team except when they had Shawn Bradley.

This is the right pick for Cleveland if there is such a thing, but it's on management, not Chris Paul, to make this pick worthwhile.

Inside info: Here's a coded message from the cornfields of Indiana...

Inside info: Pauly is having trouble getting to a keyboard because a quarter of the League is after his pick, and the rest of them wish they were after his pick.

A biiig deal could be coming, people.

Things in Miami are only calmer because #2 is undecided. They party moves to South Beach when this is done.

Seattle already has 4 on the block, too.

Stay tuned.

Indiana had a few ways to go and chose Deron. Just a tinge more raw than Chris Paul, Deron Williams a sizable point guard that play some shooting guard given his athleticism and very even, strong offensive game.

It's a good pick for a team that is only drafting here because of injury. That, their cap room, and Pierce should scare the East pretty deeply.

The trade hounds are prowling, so beware. This could flip in second, especially with Seattle openly unhappy with their pick.

As predicted, Miami comes out with a message to the trade suitors that they need to up their game if they want to pry the guy they want somewhere to the north.

This is year 3 with LeBron James. The Heat set this season as an important one in their time with LeBron. Do they try to keep rebuilding, make a push? What to do with their assets?

This is a good problem to have, but it is a problem.

Darth is on the clock, take cover.

Miami takes Monta Ellis to rub point for LeBron in year 3. While not a classic point guard, elite passing and good passing may be comparable on this team with skilled scorers. Monte is a variable defender, and his scoring inside may be a nice addition to this burgeoning potent offense.

They still need to address the front court, and you can't address all that with one pick... without a trade.

3 picks, 3 point guards. Cleveland is again the trendsetter in the League, what all franchises aspire to be.

Not all teams can be so lucky as the Pacers and Heat because there are only so many point guards.

So, do we get a run on big men, going from the smallest to the largest, from initiators to finishers? Does Granger, a player ready for prime time continue to fall?

Darth selects Danny Granger, a ready-to-star that fits with the GM's fiery style. Now! Now! Now! Which I like.

Granger is a small forward, a position Darth is invest in with Kopono and Howard. Redundant you say? Why, yes! Yes it is! But, redundancy on the court is flexibility off of it. Darth has won titles in the League and may have won here in Seattle if things broke a little differently. His recent run was founded on a flurry of trades for players and future assets. While the performance on the court did not meet his expectation, he's sitting with 4 first round picks this season, two next season, and has what God gave him going forward.

If you don't see this as dangerous, you're Fryeing stupid.

One of you is going to make this team better . . . at least one . . . and picking Granger allows him let you, because he is ready to stop playing the lotto game (so my inside info indicates) and is ready to start playing each and every one of you. And Simbasketball.

Inside info: The Nets are on the clock and are torn between a few players available. They had a pick, but some players falling have shredded that plan. Granger getting scooped up was a blow. They did not expect him to fall to 5, but they also did not expect him to fall to 4. Nets personnel have been lighting up the phones, driving to people's houses, wining and dining agents for weeks leading up to this draft. Word has it the team rented a theater to see the recently released "Revenge of the Sith" to improve their Jedi mind trick capability. The Nets are all in on this one.

Inside Info: With just 3 players under contract, it's no surprise that all 3 Lakers players have been inquired about for trades. Additionally, the team has 4 first round picks this season, 2 next season, and 3 in 2007. That's 10 picks in 4 drafts. The treasure horde has attracted attention, and the Lakers are having trouble even processing the combinations of deals. We've been privvy to some negotiations, and there are two very interesting deals in place that have high potential for all 3 teams involved. If executed, the Lakers would likely return to the playoffs and more while not making a single draft pick this season

Where was this enthusiasm in Detroit. Either way, with BallSoHard officially ensconced in Philadelphia, the Lakers are officially Tray's, and he did a great job of assembling draft picks to help him build the Lakers in his own image, which is funny-looking but successful.

The Nets settle on a pick in Andrew Bynum, the young Center coming straight from high school. Bynum has the potential to be a great big man, with the size and weight to dominate near the rim given his defensive talent. His offensive game will catch up in time, and his rebounding will make him even more valued in the New Jersey.

What's interesting here is that the Nets already have Kaman on a rookie contract for 2 more seasons. Shrewdly, the Nets can share the burden of Center between these two players for a season, then shift Kaman off for a another asset once he has proven his worth to the League. In the meantime, the Nets can consider the rim protected this season and focus on other areas to compete in the increasingly wide open East.

Inside Info: All calls to the Knicks' offices have not been answered. With Wig barely in communication, it's unclear if this team will even make the selection Wig wants them to make.

Inside Info: After a series of long waits between picks, the Nets' decisive choice seems to have woken up teams who are now targeting Memphis pick at number 8. Perceived as a value pick considering the CAVALIER way that franchise handles picks, teams do not want to be left out on the cold since this pick will be made before the next moratorium. There is no negotiating with a cool head. The heat is on.

It's a copycat league, and Center follows Center here. I had a strange feeling that Bynum somehow "should" have ended up in LA, but Bogut fills much of the same purposes for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bogut is better on offense today, Bynum better on defense. The Lakers need some of everything, but starting shooting guard is not one today, so Bogut is the best available for them. Good pick, and we'll see what they do with their next one.

Aaaaand the first thing to make us go hmmmm . . .



The Knicks have Eric Snow under contract for one more season, but at age 32, picking up a point guard is reasonable, especially since Cleveland picked a point guard. However, of the 3 best point guards remaining, the Knicks (so, Troll Lord and Wig) decided to pick Nate Robinson. Someone had to pick him, but why the Knicks and why here at 7 with his 8th post?

Calderon and Felton are better passers, and Felton is as good a defender and inside scorer as Nate. The big differences lie in athleticism and 3 point shooting. A point guard with some ability to score inside and shoot from the arc is useful. Carmelo and Wright shoot 3's well, and Yao can clean up the boards.

With one shot in the draft, you can't look at how much players are valuable to other teams when you have a specific need that you can fill with a guy that is on the board. You only mess around with trades if you know you can pry your guy away later, but that's one tough thing to know, especially in the League where have the people are crazy.

Where have we seen this kind of team before?

Inside Info: Those shooting guards are about to stop plummeting soon.