#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Yeah, it's me, back from the dead. Comments are always welcome!

#1
James Galarza/"Julio De La Rosa", Wizards
No surprise that the Wizards made this pick - Purple potential is purple potential, after all - but I would be slightly surprised if De La Rosa's still a Wizard by the end of the offseason, or even the lotto The Arizona native's incredibly raw, and Purple potential draft picks have a history of losing their potential while they develop. Kobe Bryant's the biggest example and most similar to Julio now, but LeBron was another one who went through the same thing...and he started off blue! We have insurance now, but do the Wiz really want to set aside 40 points for a guy who will probably play in Spain for the next 2 years, and who can't be trained unless he isn't insured and gets hit? I'm not sure. Plus, given the sorry state of DC, the Wizards might prefer a more...tangible savior. Committing to De La Rosa means commiting to sucking for at 2-3 more years, and if he ultimately turns out like the Wizards' past picks...all I'm saying is that any success J2/Xist has had has come from trades. He didn't even draft the best player in recent Wizards history (Rashard Lewis). The Arizona kid's a great opportunity to deviate from the norm, but history dictates that a trade could be in the cards.

#2
Jan Allred/"Joffrey Baratheon", Raptors
So it's interesting that the two least ready talents in this draft went #1 & #2. This probably speaks more to the confidence GMs have in TC insurance than "lol, colors rule all." The success stories of Simmons and Duren are probably also major factors. Now onto the player himself. In a period where true PG potential seems to be scarce, Joffrey stands out as a surefire stud, think Van Exel, Billups, or Paul...without any defense. But with relatively one-dimensional talents like scorer Refugio Lozano and athletic Zack LaVine in the mix, Baratheon's talents are a perfect fit to help them maximize their own potential. This is a great selection by Sound, and honestly the best result they could've hoped for, as Baratheon has almost as much upside as De La Rosa, but also fewer downsides.

#3
Jamison Roberson/"Tyler Ulis", Celtics
We are now 3 for 3 in the "needs time in the oven" category of draft picks. If you need proof on how TC insurance has affected the league, look no further than this draft. Ulis is an interesting choice, as the Celtics have no shortage of guards, and relatively big ones at that. Compared to the likes of McCall, Russell, Fisher, and Payton, Ulis is little more than an undersized scorer with a fair amount of D. The thing is, if he reaches his potential, he'll be a really, really good undersized scorer with a fair amount of D. His athleticism is off the charts as well. This isn't a bad pick by any means, just a bit of a strange one in terms of fit. I shouldn't have as hard of a time seeing where a guy like this fits into a team's future plans as I'm having right now.

#4
James Gebhart, Jazz
This pick's the complete opposite of the previous one in every way, which is why I'm much higher on it than the last one. Gebhart's not only ready now (I'm slightly surprised Stephen Keitt wasn't picked here to continue the theme of high-potential projects being chosen), but also fits perfectly into the Jazz's rotation. Gebhart's a solid 6'4" SG who slots in nicely next to Neeley, while allowing one of Hawkins or Kight to come off the bench as a swingman. Given how good Kight was last season and how good Hawkins could turn out, that's a scary thought. Skill-wise, Gebhart's a bigger Robertson who trades some additional scoring ability and athleticism for defense and a better all-around skillset and potentials. Really, really solid pick for the skunk at #4.

#5
Darren Tabor/"Jayson Tatum", Trailblazers
This pick greatly amuses me, because the kind of player Tatum reminds me of is the same kind of player Ku took a chance on last year and it worked out - Lawrence Arbogast. Tatum is a sizeable, super-athletic scorer and absolutely nothing else. Still, we have recently seen guys like him survive, evolve, and thrive in this league, despite the naysayers. TJ Warren and Tobias Harris are two guys who immediately come to mind as players who managed to fill out their average potential in other areas to compliment their strengths. The aforementioned Arbogast is still young, but appeared to be on the same (though not equal) path as Warren/Harris last season. So there is hope for these kinds of guys, and I'm very interested to see how Tatum turns out.

#6
Stephen Keitt, Pistons
So what's scarier than a team having the second coming of Shawn Kemp at a time when post play and D is at an all-time low? That team managing to pick a solid running mate at #6. Yet another member of the orange lotto player club, Keitt's a lightning-quick PG with solid/spectacular scoring, defensive, and handling potential. Keitt looks to be able to hold his own defensively in any situation, and in the unlikely occasion that AD can't slaughter opponents on his own, Keitt should be capable of picking up the slack. I am slightly surprised that they didn't go with John Twigg, as his skillset fits far better with the "give AD the ball and get out of the way" strategy that the Pistons run, and he's a solid kick-out option in his own right. If Keitt gets a bit too cocky with having the ball touch his hands first, he could easily become a hinderance rather than an asset, no matter how good he becomes on his own.

#7
Beau Agustin, Warriors
The final low current, high potential player in this draft, Beau's pretty much a lesser version of Keitt - still quick/athletic and can score, but is an awful defender who won't get any better. Ever. I hate this pick, as he brings very little to the table that the Warriors don't already have in Stark. This is another spot where Twigg would've been a phenomenal choice.

Love this so far, keep it up!!

...Money and being productive is cool, but the time and energy work saps from you is a pain...sorry for the wait.

#8
Jamey Brown, Lakers
Our first green potential player...that means things are about to get ugly, huh. And speaking of ugly, I don't know what to think of this pick. Sure, Embiid's been a disappointment, and Cousins is practically a lock to leave, but drafting a 6'8" center here? Why? Brown has decent potential, but is rawer than sushi and will always be at a slight disadvantage due to his height. I just don't see how he fits in at all with LA.

Where’d you go ? I miss you so

I'm going to award 3 points unless you finish this article. At least get through the lotto brew!