Garbageman's Contraction Draft Top 8 Presented by MySpace
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:05 pm
It's going to be a season of elections and decision-making, but right now, there are a couple things we know for sure. The league is contracting (unless we get a handful of referrals to beat the buzzer), and when it does, we'll have a contraction draft. Another thing for certain? A lot of people are going to be unhappy with the way the contraction draft goes down. Whether we decide the contraction draft order by record (thus letting Gary get the #1 pick in the actual draft and a g/p) or random order (which could land Andy a 4th purple dude and 40 more years of championship sweeps), only a handful of teams are going to benefit, and the rest of them will be grumbling (since nobody liked the points based idea wherein the team that gets the top pick is going to have to give up something substantial for it).
In any case, before we put our debating gloves on, let's take a look at the top 8 players (in my opinion) that people will be drafting. After all, who the heck knows what the post-Chad Bobcats roster looked like? Who the heck knows what it looked like when he was here, trading his team away 3 sims in every season?
8. Hollis Wiley
CURRENT TEAM: Charlotte Bobcats
2032 CONTRACT: $16,019,019
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $17,544,639 (2034)
After his rookie contract expired in Philadelphia, new GM KeepIt100 declined the right to exercise Hollis Wiley in RFA. Despite high potential, the 6'6 wing still had a ways to go when the Bobcats picked him up on a contract worth just over 65mm. A former 28th pick, Wiley's potentials improved a couple of times during his rookie contract, and he's having his most productive and efficient season yet, putting in 18 points a game. His ability to score is his biggest strength, and his defense is serviceable. He has good athleticism for his size. His game could benefit more from an improved three point shooting game, and he coughs the ball up a lot. He does have a little time to keep improving, but he'll be 27 when next season starts, so he's probably close to peak productivity.
7. Christopher Fortunato
CURRENT TEAM: Charlotte Bobcats
2032 CONTRACT: $16,613,539
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $18,195,781 (2034)
Christopher Fortunato is an efficient 7'2" big man on a pretty reasonable contract that'll take him through his peak years. He's an efficient scorer and can rebound and defend well (without fouling) anywhere on the court. His scoring took a dip from last year, where he averaged over 20 points per game on the Spurs, but perhaps that's an artifact of being in a recommended lineup for a stewarded team stocked with bigs. His athleticism is fine (he's strong as an ox, but he's also slow as an ox), and the only part of his game that really doesn't live up to what you'd want from a C is his blocking ability. He averages just .3 a game (both this season and over his career). You figure a guy that tall just needs to put his hands in the air, but maybe they don't have early 90s hip hop in Layton, Utah.
6. Ronald Haile
CURRENT TEAM: Golden State Warriors
2032 CONTRACT: $6,524,691
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $8,111,778 (2034 - Rookie Option)
Rookie Ronald Haile was drafted 6th before this season began, and the Warriors are playing him a heavy 38 minutes per game. Despite the fact that his skillset is similar to Hollis Wiley, the Dubs have him at point for lack of a better option. While Wiley's scoring is a lot better than Haile's, Haile's youth and athleticism vault him into the top spot. His vertical predicts dunk contest championships in his future. Plus, Haile has a lot of years left to either improve naturally or be trained. At 21, he's not the player with the highest ceiling, but he's definitely a solid pick for any team if he's available, especially since many of the established options have contracts that would likely scare away teams without the cap space to take them on.
5. Jack Fredericks
CURRENT TEAM: Vancouver Grizzlies
2032 CONTRACT: $4,664,916
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: 5,191,600 (2033 - Rookie Option)
Jack Fredericks could be the most unknown (worthwhile) player in this contraction draft, so this might be as high up as he gets. With two years left on his rookie contract after this season, Fredericks hasn't played much, but he has a solid ceiling for a PF. He does everything at least well, and has a knack for defending stretch 4s (he might end up being a better perimeter defender than a post defender). Without much to go by, his inside scoring and defensive rebounding abilities look incredibly promising, and while he's still a risk, he's also still a very young player who could be a nice stash for a competing team or a solid piece on any team that's just starting a rebuild.
4. Ernest Long
CURRENT TEAM: Golden State Warriors
2032 CONTRACT: $30,800,000
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $33,600,000 (2034 - Player Option)
Speak of the devil, Ernest Long is currently in the 2nd year of a supermax with a player option--one of C-Prej's last acts as Warriors GM. While the supermax coming out of RFA is a lot more palatable than, say, paying 40-50 mil for a guy like DeAndre Ayton or Ronald Small on their third contracts, A $30mm price tag should scare enough teams away to where Long wouldn't be higher on this list. He's 24 (going on 25), and is already showing massive upside on scoring, defense, and blocking--he's tied for 2nd in the league with another contraction draft player we'll get to later. Long still looks like there are areas where he isn't done growing and reminds me a little bit of a rough version of Wanderlei Silva. He definitely has the same foul problem that Silva did before a training or two, but depending on how the votes go and how the draft order goes, I could see him sneaking up a spot or two.
3. James Kirkendall
CURRENT TEAM: Charlotte Bobcats
2032 CONTRACT: $17,307,146
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $18,955,445 (2034)
James Kirkendall was a player a lot of teams slept on in free agency (probably because he was coming off a corpse of a Grizzlies team), and he's the Bobcats bona-fide star. Ranking 15th in the league in scoring and 2nd in blocks, Kirkendall is a ready now player that is in his prime contract. He's good enough at his contract price where a rebuilding team could probably pick him up and trade for assets, but if the worst record vote wins, I could definitely see him slipping back. I do think that Long might be the better pick-up for most teams, but the contract value for Kirkendall (not to mention his ability to stay on the court without getting in foul trouble) really maximize Kirkendall's worth.
2. Norris Turney
CURRENT TEAM: Boston Celtics
2032 CONTRACT: $9,816,457
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $12,204,244 (2034 - Rookie Option)
Norris Turney was the 2nd pick in this draft, but I liked him as my number one. With high projections in terms of creating his own shot and drilling from beyond the arc, along with high potential on the defensive end and excellent quickness for his size, Turney is my ideal future shooting guard. Coming off of a training camp where he made incredible progress for a rookie, Turney is definitely a rookie of the year candidate (especially coming off of an absolutely breakout month of January), and whatever team is lucky enough to grab him will enjoy contributions right away. There are areas of his athleticism that could use some bulking up, but they're well worth the cost to do so.
1. Jordan Johnson
CURRENT TEAM: Golden State Warriors
2032 CONTRACT: $12,617,591
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: See above (although he'll have RFA rights)
There are some people out there who say having a young purple player is a curse, and I'd be happy to trade for those purple players with any of them. While it's true that Johnson might be a handful of seasons away from reaching his peak, he'll do so in his 2nd contract--undoubtedly a supermax--where he'll be a revelation on offense. At 6'9, with the athleticism and skillset to play anywhere from point guard to power forward, Johnson projects to be analagous to Bjorn Ironside. In the hands of any capable GM, Johnson should be seeing PBSL Finals action and should end his career with a ring...so long as the league doesn't contract to nothing. The Warriors have him at SF right now, but I'd love to see prime Johnson in the hands of a capable GM who will move him around and find out where he's the best fit. He'll definitely be a fun player to manage once he's on a team that hits the playoffs...which could happen sooner than later depending on how the votes go...hell, soon enough, PBSL could be on rec league rules, where every team makes the playoffs!
In any case, before we put our debating gloves on, let's take a look at the top 8 players (in my opinion) that people will be drafting. After all, who the heck knows what the post-Chad Bobcats roster looked like? Who the heck knows what it looked like when he was here, trading his team away 3 sims in every season?
8. Hollis Wiley
CURRENT TEAM: Charlotte Bobcats
2032 CONTRACT: $16,019,019
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $17,544,639 (2034)
After his rookie contract expired in Philadelphia, new GM KeepIt100 declined the right to exercise Hollis Wiley in RFA. Despite high potential, the 6'6 wing still had a ways to go when the Bobcats picked him up on a contract worth just over 65mm. A former 28th pick, Wiley's potentials improved a couple of times during his rookie contract, and he's having his most productive and efficient season yet, putting in 18 points a game. His ability to score is his biggest strength, and his defense is serviceable. He has good athleticism for his size. His game could benefit more from an improved three point shooting game, and he coughs the ball up a lot. He does have a little time to keep improving, but he'll be 27 when next season starts, so he's probably close to peak productivity.
7. Christopher Fortunato
CURRENT TEAM: Charlotte Bobcats
2032 CONTRACT: $16,613,539
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $18,195,781 (2034)
Christopher Fortunato is an efficient 7'2" big man on a pretty reasonable contract that'll take him through his peak years. He's an efficient scorer and can rebound and defend well (without fouling) anywhere on the court. His scoring took a dip from last year, where he averaged over 20 points per game on the Spurs, but perhaps that's an artifact of being in a recommended lineup for a stewarded team stocked with bigs. His athleticism is fine (he's strong as an ox, but he's also slow as an ox), and the only part of his game that really doesn't live up to what you'd want from a C is his blocking ability. He averages just .3 a game (both this season and over his career). You figure a guy that tall just needs to put his hands in the air, but maybe they don't have early 90s hip hop in Layton, Utah.
6. Ronald Haile
CURRENT TEAM: Golden State Warriors
2032 CONTRACT: $6,524,691
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $8,111,778 (2034 - Rookie Option)
Rookie Ronald Haile was drafted 6th before this season began, and the Warriors are playing him a heavy 38 minutes per game. Despite the fact that his skillset is similar to Hollis Wiley, the Dubs have him at point for lack of a better option. While Wiley's scoring is a lot better than Haile's, Haile's youth and athleticism vault him into the top spot. His vertical predicts dunk contest championships in his future. Plus, Haile has a lot of years left to either improve naturally or be trained. At 21, he's not the player with the highest ceiling, but he's definitely a solid pick for any team if he's available, especially since many of the established options have contracts that would likely scare away teams without the cap space to take them on.
5. Jack Fredericks
CURRENT TEAM: Vancouver Grizzlies
2032 CONTRACT: $4,664,916
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: 5,191,600 (2033 - Rookie Option)
Jack Fredericks could be the most unknown (worthwhile) player in this contraction draft, so this might be as high up as he gets. With two years left on his rookie contract after this season, Fredericks hasn't played much, but he has a solid ceiling for a PF. He does everything at least well, and has a knack for defending stretch 4s (he might end up being a better perimeter defender than a post defender). Without much to go by, his inside scoring and defensive rebounding abilities look incredibly promising, and while he's still a risk, he's also still a very young player who could be a nice stash for a competing team or a solid piece on any team that's just starting a rebuild.
4. Ernest Long
CURRENT TEAM: Golden State Warriors
2032 CONTRACT: $30,800,000
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $33,600,000 (2034 - Player Option)
Speak of the devil, Ernest Long is currently in the 2nd year of a supermax with a player option--one of C-Prej's last acts as Warriors GM. While the supermax coming out of RFA is a lot more palatable than, say, paying 40-50 mil for a guy like DeAndre Ayton or Ronald Small on their third contracts, A $30mm price tag should scare enough teams away to where Long wouldn't be higher on this list. He's 24 (going on 25), and is already showing massive upside on scoring, defense, and blocking--he's tied for 2nd in the league with another contraction draft player we'll get to later. Long still looks like there are areas where he isn't done growing and reminds me a little bit of a rough version of Wanderlei Silva. He definitely has the same foul problem that Silva did before a training or two, but depending on how the votes go and how the draft order goes, I could see him sneaking up a spot or two.
3. James Kirkendall
CURRENT TEAM: Charlotte Bobcats
2032 CONTRACT: $17,307,146
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $18,955,445 (2034)
James Kirkendall was a player a lot of teams slept on in free agency (probably because he was coming off a corpse of a Grizzlies team), and he's the Bobcats bona-fide star. Ranking 15th in the league in scoring and 2nd in blocks, Kirkendall is a ready now player that is in his prime contract. He's good enough at his contract price where a rebuilding team could probably pick him up and trade for assets, but if the worst record vote wins, I could definitely see him slipping back. I do think that Long might be the better pick-up for most teams, but the contract value for Kirkendall (not to mention his ability to stay on the court without getting in foul trouble) really maximize Kirkendall's worth.
2. Norris Turney
CURRENT TEAM: Boston Celtics
2032 CONTRACT: $9,816,457
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: $12,204,244 (2034 - Rookie Option)
Norris Turney was the 2nd pick in this draft, but I liked him as my number one. With high projections in terms of creating his own shot and drilling from beyond the arc, along with high potential on the defensive end and excellent quickness for his size, Turney is my ideal future shooting guard. Coming off of a training camp where he made incredible progress for a rookie, Turney is definitely a rookie of the year candidate (especially coming off of an absolutely breakout month of January), and whatever team is lucky enough to grab him will enjoy contributions right away. There are areas of his athleticism that could use some bulking up, but they're well worth the cost to do so.
1. Jordan Johnson
CURRENT TEAM: Golden State Warriors
2032 CONTRACT: $12,617,591
LAST YEAR OF CONTRACT: See above (although he'll have RFA rights)
There are some people out there who say having a young purple player is a curse, and I'd be happy to trade for those purple players with any of them. While it's true that Johnson might be a handful of seasons away from reaching his peak, he'll do so in his 2nd contract--undoubtedly a supermax--where he'll be a revelation on offense. At 6'9, with the athleticism and skillset to play anywhere from point guard to power forward, Johnson projects to be analagous to Bjorn Ironside. In the hands of any capable GM, Johnson should be seeing PBSL Finals action and should end his career with a ring...so long as the league doesn't contract to nothing. The Warriors have him at SF right now, but I'd love to see prime Johnson in the hands of a capable GM who will move him around and find out where he's the best fit. He'll definitely be a fun player to manage once he's on a team that hits the playoffs...which could happen sooner than later depending on how the votes go...hell, soon enough, PBSL could be on rec league rules, where every team makes the playoffs!
