#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

I remembered doing this before back early in our league's history (1991 draft class I believe) and really enjoyed doing it. Thought it would make sense to bring this back at a decade anniversary if that was the right draft class. There were guys I had up high that ended up being total busts and guys I had lower that ended up being future Hall of Famers. It goes to show that training camp can make a sure-thing player decimate before our eyes and projects become unsung heroes of the league. This 2001 draft is especially exciting because of the depth of talent at all the positions, instead of the usual top heaviness classes we have went through where one position was stacked and a PG or C was no where to be seen in the lotto.

To add even more excitement, the 76ers management has decided to listen to offers for the #1 pick. Although many of us don't think the pick will be moved except for maybe a spot or two back in this draft, it really speaks volume that there is no true #1 selection to choose from. 76ers are in a good spot to move down a few spots, dump salary, and perhaps even get the guy they wanted with their original #1 pick.

So how do I rank the prospects? I've listed them below in order I believe have the combination of talent, potential, and impact they will make in the league.



It's not a prediction of the who I think will be selected in particular order, but I think the ranking is how I would determine who I think is the better player. Some teams have different needs than others so we will see how teams value BPA-vs-Need.

If time allows, I can possibly even update this thread as the draft continues and give my thoughts on the selections once we get some selections through.

Enjoy.

Lol I should have just did an article about how 2 of the top 3 picks got traded

Time to do a rough run down of what happened in the draft:

WINNERS


Milwaukee Bucks

Hard to argue against what Quail did. At the beginning of the draft when it got rolling, the Bucks sent shocks to the league by trading Shaq for Horry, Manu, and the #6 pick. Horry comes back home to the Bucks and they secured a young developing asset in Ginobili. Instead of taking the pick at 6, he ended up trading that pick for 3 extra picks and only had to drop 2 spots to pick up an extra 2 picks at 15 & 16. They ended up with Troy Murphy, Chris Anderson, and Brendan Haywood, all who should develop into viable players. While none of those players screams ALPHA, together they will be a nice core to build around and have a stable of young talent.

We'll see what happens with Jalen Rose. Quail wants to make this a complete rebuild I've been told and Jalen can still make this team competitive. He still has Piatowski and Eisley as well.



Orlando Magic

I love what the Magic have done. I can't believe Richard Jefferson dropped down to the 5th pick, because I think he has as good a chance as anyone to become one of the top players in this draft with an all around game. His one weakness I saw was his lack of quickness at the SG spot, but with a few training camp improvements he can get all the way up to 83 in quickness if the Magic really invest in him.

To balance out the pick, coltsguy "reached" for Tyson Chandler it was said. I don't think it was a reach as others have said. Chandler will be a monster on the boards and is one of the strongest and explosive centers to come in as a rookie that I can remember since Shaq. He can't and won't be a creator on offense, but talk about a guy that can scrap for second chance points and defend. Interestingly enough, coltsguy also selected Eddy Curry, an all-offense and nothing else kind of center. It's a little odd to pair him and Chandler up, but as a sixth man it will definitely have teams on the ropes to go from Chandler to Curry.


ON THE FENCE


Seattle Supersonics

Talk about a team that made a lot of noise through the whole first day of the draft, and I can say that from first-hand experience. With the 2nd pick in a loaded class, the Sonics first trade Redd and multiple picks for the Knicks #3 pick without giving up #2 to drop back. It caused chaos, as the Grizz had also then traded for the #1 pick. The Sonics selected Arenas with the 2nd pick and Zach Randolph with the 3rd pick. A few think ZBo is a reach, but I compare him with a less OP Karl Malone (he wasn't OP, though). That's a hell of a draft already, but they then traded with the Kings 12 hours later and sent Arenas packing and welcomed Marcus Camby and multiple picks to reload. Sonics were publicly not excited about Arenas, and some feel that the 2003-04 season is when we can look back at these moves and grade the Sonics.

If the gamble works, the Sonics will have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the league and have multiple 2002 draft picks that can be of good value. Right now, I have to put the Sonics on the fence.


LOSERS


New York Knicks

I hate to use the term "Loser" here, because honestly Snug is taking big gambles with Darth over their trade. It was the moves after the trade that have me thinking "What is he thinking? Where is he going with this?"

Don't get me wrong, Jones is great. He is expiring, though, and will be 30 next offseason. Are the Knicks planning to keep him long-term? The Nuggets own the Knicks pick if I remember correctly, so added pressure could have played a part here. I just don't know what to think when a team has a top 3 pick in a draft like this, and could have selected Richard Jefferson or Tony Parker to add youth. Luckily, he gets the Bulls 02 and Sonics 03, and maybe Redd turns the corner and becomes more efficient. It's a gamble more for the Knicks than the Sonics I believe.



Philadelphia 76ers

Again, I don't know what happened here. The 76ers won the coveted #1 pick and had what I thought was an easy decision of taking either Pau or Arenas. Then hell broke loose when the owner put the pick on the block. Suddenly, the race for Pau was on. I think the 76ers rushed trading their pick. The draft didn't start until the next morning and could have fielded offers up to 11:50 comfortable I believe. The biggest tell was with the Sonics trade with the Knicks, where the owner publicly stated he would have accepted another offer if he knew it was available. Sonics responded by saying a lack of communication was the problem.

I get why the 76ers did it. They are already nearly $2 million over the cap, but instead of Phils they should have tried to dump Peeler more than anything. He is taking in more money and more years than Phils and is on a fast decline, especially in athleticism.

The positive is they got Baron Davis and Juwan Howard for the #1 pick, but was that all Pau Gasol was worth? Hopefully this doesn't bite the 76ers on the ass down the road, but they desperately need to cut salary in the worst way.

I approve this write-up

coltsguy510 wrote:I approve this write-up

What tits magee said

AWARDED 5pts! THANKS!