Two Man Draft – Round 6

I’m loving this. Even if I stuff everything up, it’s only half my fault. Two men mock drafts, the way of the future. In Round 5, Jason really started to lay some solid direction with a couple of teams. I’ll see what I can do to erase that and make him earn his hard earned blogosphere dollars. If you have just popped in, here is Round 1 and you can follow the links for the rest. Also, if you have been waiting, sorry about the delay. Holidays called.

Further, let me have some pre-emptive defense. Round 6 is where it actually gets hard. It’s like trying to score 100 points when you run the entire offensive through Ron Artest. Let’s kick it off.

61. Brandon Jennings (D. Lee, S. Nash, C. Boozer, S. Jackson, J. Green): A point guard was  a necessity here as you can’t build a big man team on the back of David Lee and Carlos Boozer. Despite the inevitable rookie slide into oblivion last season, Jennings still averaged over 15 points per and nearly 6 assists. More help has arrived at the Bucks this year but that just means good things for his passing game. It is a pure passing game as well, so that transition to facilitator shouldn’t be an issue. In fact, Jennings could be a massive steal at this spot. Talking of steals, he could threaten 2+ per game as he defense gets better against better teams. There were two occasions when he had a streak of at least 1 steal over 8 games. Then again, he could implode. 37.1% from the field is nothing to rave about. But this just means more three’s in my book. He will be underrated as people reach for other, unproven guards such as John Wall and Evan Turner. I just don’t understand how you can walk past a guy who calls himself Young Money.

62. John Wall (G. Wallace, D. Howard, M. Ginobili, R. Westbrook, A. Blatche): I know I just managed to pre-slag myself about two sentences ago when I said people will reach for unproven rookies. Sue me. This team is built upon the very solid PG/PF strategy, but kind of upgraded because of the addition of Howard. Sure, you are throwing away ft% with this pick (could’ve tried to save it when a Yao Ming crapshot) but Wall is a good fit here. His guaranteed terrible FG% will be offset by the gluttony of bigs. The three’s will help out as it was lacking to date. The street-cred has just jumped through the roof (you know Gerald Wallace ain’t getting it done after the last dunk contest). Plus, if the owner is taking Blatche and Manu, they like to live on the edge a little already. I’m big on the Wizards letting Wall play 35+ minutes a night for at least 30-40 games. He will hit a wall (oh fun times) but by then you will have traded him to some chump who thinks they are onto a bargain. Wait for that 35+ point, 13+ assist game and remember, his value will never be higher. Rookies are the easiest players to do this with as they attract serious attention on the web and owners go crazy for headlines. Still a good fit for this team regardless.

63. LaMarcus Aldridge (D. Wade, A. Stoudemire, A. Bargnani, B. Davis, A. Randolph): A lot of people would question this pick. But something stood out to me as I was pouring over his stats. He has hit 7.4 field goals per season for the past 3 seasons. I don’t know why this is important, but I feel it is. Furthermore, we’re set for three’s so LaMarcus and his lack thereof doesn’t hurt. He is a lock for 18/8 every night at about 50% from the field. This team is really starting to evolve into a beast but still with room to play going a bit smaller with some late picks. I also think that is Aldridge is ever going to make a fantasy leap, this is his year. If you look closely, his TO’s have been falling every season while his assists rise (2.1:1.3 last year). These things might not matter to your average lay fantasy man, but when you are building an elite team which can mix it with the big boys, it all counts. Wade and Davis will rack up 14+ assists a night between them, but if Amar’e/Bargs/AntRand and LaMarcus can add another 10, it will make a difference (and yes, I did just pencil Randolph in for 3+ per night thank you for asking).  Sure it needs some work, but the gambler not so deep within me loves this team.

64. Kevin Garnett (S. Curry, C. Anthony, T. Duncan, A. Bogut, D. Harris): Looking at this team, I really felt that insurance was a must with Duncan and Bogut waiting to brake some bone I’ve never heard of. And do you know why this pick reflects the worst of the NBA? Because the other options were Andrew Bynum or Yao Ming. This KG is not the KG of old to be sure. But who do you want in your corner when the going gets tough? This bad mofo. Still good for 14/7/2.5 with 2+ combo steal/block, Garnett is the angriest, bad mouthed asshole in the game. I like him in team because of his every improving FG% and ability to add boards without further eroding FT%. The only reason he is still alive is to play defense (and hate on Baby Davis) and with Curry and Melo, this team needs anything but scoring. I’m not as pumped as he is for this team (he would be pumped even if he was traded to the LA Sparks) but I don’t think they’ll be the worst bunch of players ever assembled as long as David Kahn is still managing a team come October.

65. Blake Griffin (D. Williams, B. Lopez, D. West, D. Gallinari, H. Turkoglu): I don’t understand how a rookie can go backwards in fantasy ranking when he hasn’t even played a game and the team he plays for has not moved forward. But that is the case with Griffin. From a very quick scan it seems he is predicted to be a 80-ish pick. Well, screw you Mr Well Informed. Am I concerned about drafting potential? No. Is this owner in a solid position at about the half way mark? Heck yes. Jason gave this group of players an A- before my pick. I’ll go out on a limb and say it I just improved it. Griffin is going to be a STUD. He will be the most athletic rookie in the league this season despite his knee. He will give John Wall a thumping in the ROY (early prediction). He will eat other Clippers for breakfast if they don’t do what he says and he should be saying “give me the ball”. This squad might be lite on guards, but the more I think about it, the more I see Turk inserting himself into the middle of the Suns offense (sorry Steve Nash and that #13 pick). The more I see a thunderstorm or points, boards and extras. Hot damn. Blake Griffin. I’m excited and it’s 10.18pm on a Tuesday night in the first week of August. 16/9 with 1.5 blocks and minimum 2 breathtaking ESPN ‘plays of the week’ highlights where you can turn to your friend and say “that’s why I drafted him at 65″.

66. O.J. Mayo (P. Gasol, R. Rondo, T. Murphy, Z. Randolph, K. Martin): Some people will get all up in your face when you take Mayo and point out little ‘facts’ like his scoring went down while his minutes went up in his second season, or that his playing time decreased despite the fact Mike Conley is a chump. Here are some words for that person. Sit down son. Mayo is in a delicately poised position. He is stuck in a shitty rotation. Can work effectively when given the chance, but somehow Z-Bo managed not to stuff it up and eats up a lot of possession. But there is hidden benefit in this as well. He is going to become super efficient. While some people don’t get excited for that, I get giddy. 2+ three’s per game on 47% FG? You won’t find that many places, especially when you put it next to 3+ assists, <2 TOs and nearly 4+ boards. This is what dreams are made of from the shooting guard spot. Forget Ray Allen (well don’t, because he is visiting the station shortly), Mayo is the best available option here. One can only hope Mike Conley disappears before training camp and this becomes a legit 5th round pick.

67. Jamal Crawford (D. Granger, J. Smith, N. Hilario, D. Rose, J. Richardson): I always got J-Rich and Crawford mixed up, so it is fitting that they are bundled next to each other. Did I mention how this team just became nigh unbeatable? Oh. Focus. This is no traditional team. Granger/Smith/Nene are all multi-cat specials which nearly rules out any type of small ball. But Rose brings it back from the edge, while J-Rich consolidates. The reason I like Crawford and not some like Eric Gordon is that Crawford plays a lot of PG and that’s worth something. He is not going to average 5+ assists per game but unlike most 2 guards, he will give you something to build on (a lot like O.J Mayo). Undoubtedly the best thing about his move to the ATL has been his uptick in FG% while no negative effect on distance shooting. He is not going to set the world on fire this season, but he doesn’t have to either. He adds nice points to the mix. While steals might be tough to win every week with this group, there is a real shot at each of the other categories.

68. Luis Scola (K. Bryant, A. Jefferson, M. Ellis, M. Gasol, R. Felton): I didn’t want to pick Scola. I always thought he was like Carlos Boozer but without the fun. However you can’t argue with 16/8 at this spot with excellent FG%. In fact, it isn’t available in anyone else except some serious accompanying risk. Jefferson and Gasol give this team it’s grunt while Kobe holds everything else together (LOVE the Felton pick btw). Scola doesn’t really put anything over the top, instead trying to extend what good is already there. There is the risk of Yao’s return but considering I haven’t even thought about Mr Ming yet means this owner doesn’t think he is going to be much of an impact. In fact, even if he does stay, it only attracts the double team which opens it up for Scola to work his magic. Nothing terribly exciting going on here except a mix of quality fantasy players who should produce consistently.

69. Michael Beasley (D. Nowitzki, J. Kidd, A. Iguodala, A. Jamison, A. Brooks): This is where you come for excitement. Be-Easy didn’t make many friends for himself down on South Beach. Luckily the Wolves will take anyone they can put their filthy little hands on these days, so the former #2 pick takes his talents to the cold of Minnesota. And I for one am excited. It’s hardly he was given much of a chance at the Heat. He played only 29 minutes per game last season despite being the clear 2nd best option. Dwyane Wade considered him a ‘too hard’ case and Beasley had to do everything to fit into Wade’s plans. Sorry for going against the grain, but you don’t draft a number two pick and say “go do your thing”. The Heat never once tried to structure any type of play around Beasley. I’ve only ever seen 7 NBA games live, but on Christmas Day 2009, Beasley performed the best basketball move I’ve ever seen (a fake from the baseline, drive and dunk which had the Knicks crowd gasping). The kid has talent. Oodles of it and in Minny, he is going to shine. I give him 16/7, 2+ blocks/steals and a brand new attitude on life. Oh and he fits in fine here. Wave goodbye to blocks, but everything else is looking tasty.

70. Chris Kaman (C. Paul, C. Bosh, J. Johnson, R. Gay, M. Williams): Instead of team 3, this team shall now be known as just ‘Chris’. Kaman would’ve gone earlier if Griffin wasn’t around, but he is. So don’t expect 18 and 9 every night. Maybe he slips back into a more defensive, Marcus Camby-type role (see 2007-08). Not sure. To tell you the truth, this team needed a big man and I didn’t want to pick Roy Hibbert. Pretty simple. He was the best left on the board and while he doesn’t excite me in the slightest, I think it’ll work out fine. Mo Williams will do enough exciting for the two of them.

71. Luol Deng (L. James, B. Roy, C. Billups, J. Noah, K. Love) This is where things get juicy. If you somehow end up with a collection of vastly superior players to everyone else -exactly what I am classifying this team as- you go and grab the best available player on the board. Not according to position, but overall. Luol Deng might not be a superstar, he might have taken a hit in value thanks to C-Booz but he can still ball. Last season I predicted he would be a 20 and 8 player. He disappointed me with rather pedestrian 17.6 points and 7.3 boards per game and still missed 12 games. This season, he probably won’t even manage that. Yet he will go near to being a 1-1-1 player and doesn’t kill you with his TOs or percentages. As Biggie Smalls says, it’s all good baby baby.

72. Jason Terry (K. Durant, T. Evans, A. Horford, P. Pierce, M. Camby): I feel that I could have picked Aaron Gray here and this team would still manage to win the majority of it’s games. It’s almost unfair on paper. Horford/Camby are the perfect big men to surround Durant/Evans while Pierce mops up. Terry has taken a bit of a hit in recent seasons, but he is still one of the best threats from deep around and he gives plenty of dimes to shore up a potential weakness here. Steals? Tick. FT%? Tick. And while his FG% is in free fall, the rest of the team should more than make up for that.

Well, that wraps up Round 6. Make sure you hit up fBasketballBlog soon to continue this epic, now August journey. To quickly re-cap (and I leave Jason for the grades as I would just be giving out a whole bunch of A’s)

Team 1: K. Durant, T. Evans, A. Horford, P. Pierce, M. Camby, J. Terry
Team 2: L. James, B. Roy, C. Billups, J. Noah, K. Love, L. Deng
Team 3: C. Paul, C. Bosh, J. Johnson, R. Gay, M. Williams, C. Kaman
Team 4: D. Nowitzki, J. Kidd, A. Iguodala, A. Jamison, A. Brooks, M. Beasley
Team 5: K. Bryant, A. Jefferson, M. Ellis, M. Gasol, R. Felton, L. Scola
Team 6: D. Granger, J. Smith, N. Hilario, D. Rose, J. Richardson, J. Crawford
Team 7: P. Gasol, R. Rondo, T. Murphy, Z. Randolph, K. Martin, O.J Mayo
Team 8: D. Williams, B. Lopez, D. West, D. Gallinari, H. Turkoglu, B. Griffin
Team 9: S. Curry, C. Anthony, T. Duncan, A. Bogut, D. Harris, K. Garnett
Team 10: D. Wade, A. Stoudemire, A. Bargnani, B. Davis, A. Randolph, L. Aldridge
Team 11: G. Wallace, D. Howard, M. Ginobili, R. Westbrook, A. Blatche, J. Wall
Team 12: D. Lee, S. Nash, C. Boozer, S. Jackson, J. Green, B Jennings

Until Round 8…