Expansion League discussion thread

[hans moleman]

Thought I'd create a new thread to make it easier to see the picks amongst all the draft talk.

...plus, being something of a fantasy nba nerd, I thought I may as well give a run down of each round of the draft.

The guys in the first round are usually on an even level, so it's just a matter of personal preference. But anyways, here's how I see 'em:

Kenny_01 - 1.01 LeBron James
No surprises here. LeBron is probably the consensus #1 pick. Improved a heck of lot numbers-wise last season so it'll be interesting to see just how much more he can do this time around considering the Cavs management didn't give him a boatload of help this offseason. If anything, ft% is a concern. Otherwise, good pick.

sirjames - 1.02 Kevin Garnett
This guy has been #1 for the last few seasons and he's still getting it done. Sure, he doesn't score as much as the other top picks, but you've got to love everything else. A few new faces in Minnesota so Garnett should still have the fire to keep producing.

X_Box_X - 1.03 Kobe Bryant
Will Kobe keep up his crazy scoring ways or will he revert to more team-oriented play as per the Phoenix Suns series? In any case, Kobe helps you everywhere and has quietly become one of the best provider of 3's. No weaknesses besides the fact that he's Kobe Bryant and almost everyone hates him, and hates to draft him. Nice pick.

morpheus - 1.04 Dirk Nowitzki
Coming off a career year where he shot the ball like a madman. Always good to get good 3's and ft% from a big guy, but you'd quietly hope he picks up the steals & blocks a little.

GeeCat - 1.05 Shawn Marion
To me, this is a bit of a steal - I had Marion as a top 3 pick but to each their own. Besides shot attempts, everything Marion gets is through his hustle during the course of a game, so I think the only area where Amare's return might hurt are points. I like this pick.

Showbag - 1.06 Dwyane Wade
The current darling of the NBA. With Shaq's steady decline, Wade will continue to put up the impressive no's. Almost every statistical category has slowly improved over the years. It'd be nice if he hit some 3's, but his effectiveness on offense means he really doesn't need to.

voodoo_86 - 1.07 Gilbert Arenas
Now here's a guy who stepped it up last year to become a legitimate 1st-rounder. Arenas mentioned he'd be practicing his ft's this offseason after he botched those 2 against the Cavs, so you might see an increase there. Nice pick.

Borgsta - 1.08 Allen Iverson
Philadelphia management have done **** all to improve the team and there have been a lot of rumours about trading Iverson. Doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for success, but you can bet that Iverson will play with all his heart again this season. He's a decent pick here, especially if he can keep that fg% around 44-45%.

Colonel Matrix - 1.09 Chris Paul
The next great NBA point guard. Provided a surprising amount of rebs and stls last season. Perhaps a bit of a surprise pick with some established stars still available, but if he continues his rapid improvement like everyone expects, he'll be worth it here.

DBAH0 - 1.10 Elton Brand
Another guy I feel who perhaps slipped a little, so a great pickup at #10 for DBAH0. This guy has been a consistent 20/10 guy for a while now, but the presence of Cassell helped him to raise his game that little bit extra last season. No doubt he'll provide solid no's again this time.

Falchoon - 1.11 Chris Bosh
I like this kid's game, good in the post and solid now with the mid-range jumper. Again, great %'s for a big man though you'd hope his blocks don't slip any further than they did last season. The fact that he qualifies at C makes him just that little bit more valuable. Solid pick.

hans moleman - 1.12 Yao Ming
Falchoon said he wanted Bosh and Yao as the foundation for his team, but the problem is - so did I! So while I was a bit disappointed to see Bosh taken, I'm still happy to pick up Yao. Health & fitness will be the key here. A question is whether he still has much room for improvement.


Best pick - hard to say since each owner has their own strategy for building their team, but Brand is a guy I'd take a few places higher so I'll go with him.
Worst pick - again, as this is the 1st rd - hard to knock any of these players, but I'll say Kobe because, well, I'd rather be silently cheering for Nowitzki or Marion during games.

 

[Kenny_01]

Good work.

I was close to picking Marion at #1

 

[Falchoon]

After pick 8 I was mulling over Paul, Brand, Yao, Bosh and another player with slight injury concerns.

I was actually hoping Brand would already be gone because blocks aside he, Yao and Bosh are pretty even, but C eligibility is handy with early picks. So my thinking was take Paul and have one of Yao or Bosh handy for my next pick,

so lucky that didn't work out then

 

[Borgsta]

I was very close to picking Brand, in fact I actually wrote his name down before doing a last 2nd change after seeing some of the PF/C's that would be available for my 2nd pick. For me it was down to Brand and AI but thinking about my 2nd round no gun player at PG would be available.

I think the next best would have been Kidd, but I'd rather have the choice of Yao, Duncan or J. O'Neal than be forced into picking Kidd. AI gives me instant points, steals and assists. The low FG% is something I'm willing to give up.

 

[Colonel Matrix]

With Maggette healthy I expect Brands numbers to dip a little, I've taken a risk with Paul & Stoudemire as my first two picks but if they explode, well look out.

 

[voodoo_86]

I like the Brand pick too.. Kenny and I were talking about it yesterday that I probably would have been better off picking Brand as a 1st pick and grabbing one of the decent PGs left in the 2nd round which in hindsight were available. In my 2 seasons of fantasy NBA though i've been burned at the PG position so had tunnel vision just a tad.

 

[Borgsta]

Ive been in the same situation voodoo. Been burned by lack of assists and steals in previous seasons rather badly. Also points to a certain extent. I also didnt think Nash would fall so far.

 

[hans moleman]

Interesting to see that you guys (voodoo_86, Borgsta & Colonel Matrix) all went with PG's in round 1 then all went the other way in round 2 by picking Centres.
This is understandable since it's always good to have quality players at those shallow positions (PG & C), but I'm still a bit surprised that no-one took a punt on enhancing their 'small-ball' categories with Nash, then trying to grab suitable big men further along the draft.
That said, this could mean that you'll be content on picking the 'next-best player' for a few rounds yet, while the rest of us will start reaching for PG's & C's.

 

[Borgsta]

Showbag has gone that route. Nash really does 3 things. Assists, points and FT%. Duncan has more to his game and will add more for me (I Hope!)

 

[voodoo_86]

Funny you should say that hans, JO was not a confident choice for me - debated on choosing 1 of 2 other guards with that pick before I settled. Logic behind it was I could see a few more decent PGs slipping to rounds 4 and 5, where as aside from the first few rounds you really start running out of decent C's to pick from. It was basically a fear of being too weak in the front court rather than a strategic category winning selection.

 

[Showbag]

I am willing to trade Nash and a further pick for a good centre/PF and a lower pick. Let me know if anyone is willing to talk.

 

[X_box_X]

I was extremely close to choosing Marion at three. The only reason I didn't go with him is I thought his numbers could decline ever so slightly with Stoudemire's return, but he is a genius in every stat still.

With Kobe in your team, you are always going to do well in points, steals and 3PTM. Considering the shots he puts up, his accuracy is quite good too. Also a solid contributor in assists and rebounds when he wants to be.

 

[Showbag]

If fit, Kirilenko will be the pick of the draft. His numbers projected over 82 games are almost as good as Marion. Even better, if you consider AK47's dominance in the block category.

 

[Colonel Matrix]

If fit, Kirilenko will be the pick of the draft. His numbers projected over 82 games are almost as good as Marion. Even better, if you consider AK47's dominance in the block category.

Yes but like Amare, they both have shoddy knees... Risky, but could pay off big time.. When he's healthy he (AK-47) is as good as Marion.

 

[Kenny_01]

Guys, please be aware of the rule changes, namely;

* Drafting is not enforced until Sunday, 1st October from 8pm AEST. From there after, each manager has 24 hours to make their selection.

* If the manager does not make it in that time, the draft will continue and they can take their pick when they return online. If 5 more picks have been taken from the pick that was missed, then the draft will be halted and next highest O-ranked player will be assigned to that manager, and the draft will again continue.

* Managers have to be aware when a pick before them is missed because if their pick is more than 5 picks ahead of the missed pick and the missed pick has not been assigned a player by the commisioner, all subsequent picks will be null and void.

* If it looks like we might run out of time, the time to select your player MAY be reduced to 12 hours as of October 15, 8pm AEST. If so, managers will be notified.

* Trading of draft picks and players during the draft period ARE ALLOWED.

 

[boppa]

Re: Fantasy NBA - Expansion League Draft Thread

I'm not in this league but i think that GeeCat has done the best drafting so far.

 

[X_box_X]

KOBE BRYANT

The quick, skillful and deadly Shooting Guard will offer four main stats this season. Points, 3PTM, Steals, and FT%. He is better than the average player in rebounding and assists, and he is on par with most league players in field accuracy. However, Kobe will continue to turn the ball over a lot, and don't expect him to dominate the "Blocks" category.

TRACY MCGRADY

The athletic, strong and talented Guard-Forward will hopefully enjoy an injury-free season. His main attribute is his shooting, and Coach X_Box_X tips T-Mac to be amoung the league's top five players in points this season. McGrady does a little bit of everything else. He can rebound, assist, steal, and block. Not the most accurate shooter, but that's because he puts up a lot of shots outside of twenty feet.

JOE JOHNSON

The speedy and quick-thinking Guard will be looking to continue his impressive run of playing 82 games a season as he leads an Atlanta side destined to be outside of the playoffs once again. A solid point-scorer, Johnson is slightly above average in shooting accuracy and doesn't mind shooting from down town, either. A solid rebounder, and last year one of the best assisters, Johnson will continue to get plenty of turnovers and very little blocks. He will be good for a steal or two a game, though.

OVERALL:
There is no denying the quality shooters currently in the side of Tim Slam Duncan. No big men as yet, but it is already looking as if we are going to be amoung the strongest teams in points, 3PTM and steals. Average in assists and boards, slightly above average in FT% and slightly below average in FG%. We are the masters at turning the ball over and we absolutely suck at blocking. Hopefully we can do something about that in the next couple of rounds.

 

[Kenny_01]

lol I love that pic of Tmac.

 

[hans moleman]

Good to see the draft moving along quickly.

Here are my thoughts on round 2:

2.01 hans moleman - Ray Allen
I had a hard time deciding between Allen & Pierce here but I settled on the 3-point specialist. You know what you're going to get with Allen and while his rebounding & assists aren't as impressive as Pierce, I still think he's a good choice here.

2.02 Falchoon - Andrei Kirilenko
If you picked Kirilenko in the 1st rd in the previous couple of seasons, no-one would've batted an eyelid. However, with his injuries he's now a medium risk at this point. When he first returned from injury last season he was in a shooting slump for a long time so you'd hope he's recovered his shooting touch. I don't think his injuries are a recurring thing so Falchoon should be able to sit back and enjoy those nights where he goes steal & block crazy.

2.03 DBAH0 - Paul Pierce
Being out in no-mans land (Boston), means Pierce is somewhat overlooked, but a good player on a bad team = big numbers. I really like this pick - I think Pierce is a justifiable 1st rounder and with a young team, he's gonna have to carry the load again.

2.04 Colonel Matrix - Amare Stoudemire
The biggest risk of the draft so far. This is what Amare said a couple days ago after a workout: "I had my explosiveness, my ability to run, jump and play defense...I’m feeling great. I've been working on the strength and power in my legs and it’s paid off. My skills will come, but my condition is just average."
I don't know if those words will ease anyone's concerns. Will this risk pay of for the Colonel? I won't even try to predict what will happen here.

2.05 Borgsta - Tim Duncan
The numbers have slowly decreased over the last few years. But is the main cause of Duncan's career lows in scoring & rebounding due to the improved play of his teammates (specifically Parker), or the ongoing foot problems. I think it's more the latter, so expect Duncan to bounce back - he showed in the Dallas series that he's still capable of putting up big no's. Someone just needs to tell him to put some arc on those free throws. Good pick.

2.06 voodoo_86 - Jermaine O'Neal
Another slight injury risk & another who could do with some improvement in ft%. I think he'll get back to 20/10 this season. Add the outstanding blocks & C eligibilty and you've got a nice pick here

2.07 Showbag - Steve Nash
Most people seem to think he slipped a bit and I agree. Yeah, he's getting old, but you can't imagine those amazing %'s & assists no's to go down by much (if any). If he can keep the 3's and points up, then Showbag's got an outstanding backcourt to build on.

2.08 GeeCat - Vince Carter
The only surprise with Vince being picked here is that he was picked by a Raptor fan - it shows that a good owner won't let personal feelings get in the way of making the right pick (unless GeeCat is that rare breed of Raptor & Carter fan). Those injury questions which dogged him in past years seem to have let up and he provides comparable value to Pierce, who was taken a few picks earlier.

2.09 morpheus - Chauncey Billups
morpheus may not have wanted Billups, but I think he matches up well with Dirk. The 3's & ft% will be fantastic and Chauncey is now one of the league's top assists men as well. I hate how Chauncey exaggerates the contact & flails his body when he gets brushed on a jumpshot, but I have no problems with him being picked here.

2.10 X_Box_X - Tracy McGrady
Not much to write given that X_Box_X already gave a good rundown of McGrady. Obviously, health is the key and only a couple of days ago Tracy insisted he was the healthiest he'd ever been. Unlike X_Box_X, I'm not sure if the Rockets need McGrady to be a top 5 scorer anymore, but we know the guy is capable of providing almost everything on the court and his partnership with Kobe is probably the most dangerous of the first 2 rounds.

2.11 sirjames - Michael Redd
At first I thought this was perhaps too early for Redd, but after looking at his no's, he's a decent pick here. No longer just a 3-pt gunner but the main focus of the team (to the detriment of Bogut's development perhaps?). Fantastic %'s, one of the best scorers in the league now, and even the steals are good. He's someone you can depend on for a good night-in, night-out performance.


2.12 Kenny_01 - Jason Kidd
Perhaps a bit surprising to see him slip this far but his lack of points & poor fg% probably put people off somewhat. His assists no's are down from the near double-digits of years past (due to Vince coming in and handling the ball a lot?) but thankfully he's t/o's have come down too. An all-round threat who when paired with LeBron, puts Kenny well on the way to dominating rebounds, assists & steals.


Best pick (even though Showbag wants to trade him) - Steve Nash.
Worst pick - Amare Stoudemire due to the risk involved. Will he end up missing the odd game without warning (similar to Kenyon Martin last season). Could be a source of frustration for Colonel Matrix.

 

[voodoo_86]

Loving the analysis hans keep em coming

 

[Kenny_01]

I was hoping to get the Kidd/McGrady combo at 24/25.

 

[voodoo_86]

I thought McGrady was too injury prone and wouldn't play alot? Cheeky

 

[Kenny_01]

I thought McGrady was too injury prone and wouldn't play alot? Cheeky

Haha, that's what I thought. But there was an article yesterday saying he was as healthy as ever, as hans pointed out.

 

[Colonel Matrix]

I predict a lot of the normal Amare again this year (see pic)

 

[voodoo_86]

Lets hope so, the man's a machine

Hope he can recapture his form