VP - As the start of a new NBA season arrives in full force, Bliss and I have returned to bring you this year’s Redraft column. Now if you need a refresher on what we’re talking about, this column will be a Simmons-style trade value column, except we will be “redrafting” the top 60 current NBA players, based on the players’ current levels and their potentials, to create 30 tandems to create our own “bizarro NBA.” Now, this is going to be a geography-independent (as you’ll see once you see the “teams” that are doing the drafting) and a completely biased endeavor, but we’re hoping to alleviate that last issue with our differing viewpoints and some statistical grounding.
MB - Let’s draft!
THE MAIN EVENT
MB - The Redraft Rule Book:
1. Any current NBA player is eligible. They must have either played last year or
clearly be playing this coming year.
2. Their current salary doesn’t matter. All the 1st round players would get max
level contracts under a similar CBA to what is in place now (say 14-17 million
based on slot). 2nd round players would get a star level contract not quite at the
first round level (9-13 million based on slot). The old contracts wouldn’t matter.
Technically, you could consider their motivation level based on past income, but
for the purposes of this column, we will not consider this factor much.
3. Assume you are getting the player for the next 5 years. The lesson of this is, of
course, that the age (and games logged) of the player matters.
4. We won’t count minor injuries, especially in the scope of 5 years. Kevin Love’s
hand injury won’t be a big consideration, though Dirk’s knee might be. Amare’s knee is in no way minor.
5. We will not considering offensive systems or anything like that. Assume that the
coaches who will work with these teams are smart enough to cater to the two starters that they immediately receive. Vinny Del Negro isn’t involved at all.
VP - For those of you keeping track at home, let’s get to the most glaring missed calls from last year first - both Bliss and I passed on LeBron in the top 5 for the Redraft/Value column and predicted a Thunder over Bulls finals matchup. Ouch. In our defense, Rose got hurt, but in all honesty, LBJ was probably not going to be stopped from grabbing his first ring this past season. Our Rose/Durant/Dwight/Deron picks are still pretty defensible despite the injuries, but Bliss reached with Melo and I definitely reached with Amare (can you tell that we’ve both lived in NY?). Chris Paul made us pay for doubting him by proving his worth in the short-term, although we were oddly prescient with our LeBron/Ray Allen pairing, so I’d say that’s a wash (whistles while changing the topic, Mike is death staring me now). Now without further ado, let’s start this year’s redraft odyssey!
1. VP - Seattle Supersonics take Kevin Durant.
MB - No argument. Perhaps the best talent, best character, and best “asset” a franchise can have right now. 23 years old. And I totally thought of the team name.
2. MB - Akron Integrity select LeBron James. I hate it, but the talent is there and he is in his prime. Hard to argue against it. And the second best team name I thought of.
VP - It’s the right pick, but I can still hate it. I’m just glad I didn’t have to make it.
3. VP - Bangor Moose take Dwight Howard.
MB - Ouch, ouch, ouch. Sorry, my back started hurting all of a sudden.
VP - The back injury worries me too, but it’s hard not to take the league’s best center at this spot.
4. MB - Key West Polar Bears take Kevin Love.
VP - Great rebounder + versatile scorer + deft passer = bona fide franchise cornerstone.
5. VP - Reno Rim Runners take Russell Westbrook
MB - RW has more value without Durant, so this is the right place for him.
VP - Finally free to be the alpha dog he is.
6. MB - Hawaii’n Punch take Rajon Rondo.
Honestly, I would have taken him over Westbrook. Rondo has proven to be a strong team leader, raise his game in the playoffs and run a variety of team styles. Oh, and Rondo would look awesome in like Black, grey, and Red highlights. That kind of uniform.
VP - Is that an alternate jersey you made in 2K?
MB - Um, no.....okay maybe.
VP - Team name was mine though.
MB - Credit due, and given.
7. VP - Montana Roam take Deron Williams.
MB - Montana will make sense later readers. And for Deron, I have always loved him and think this is the correct place for him. The last two years have been a little troubling, but overall he might be highest rated PG if you added values across all categories.
8. MB - Alaskan Wilderness take Kyrie Irving. Draws your eye on every single play. Intangibles and tangibles are off the charts. Love him so much. And I want it on record VP wanted to kill me after this pick. That’s a good sign you are doing something right.
VP - Uncle Drew will be taking all these youngbloods, with their rappity-hippity-hop and flashy shoes, to school for years to come.
9. VP - Kansas City BBQ take DeMarcus Cousins.
MB - Editorial note, this was the name for the previous team, but once VP uttered the horrible words “Demarcus Cousins”, I knew BBQ needed to be reassigned.
VP - His talent level, if harnessed by the right coach, could make his team monstrous.
10. MB - Springfield Loggers take Derrick Rose.
MB - Injury aside, he is talented and has the drive. Adrian Peterson was ripping off 60 yard TD runs, 8 months after an ACL tear. Rose will be balling hard by February and for years to come.
VP - Editorial note: MB originally picked “Derek” Rose. Here is our unedited gchat exchange:
“VP: uh, Derek?
MB: I can’t spell.
VP: No, I think that was a Freudian slip. You miss the Captain.
MB: Oh shove off.”
11. VP - Bristol Kia Shootaround select Blake Griffin.
MB - Don’t like the low post game, but the excitement level is undeniable. He will print tickets. And totally my team name.
12. MB - Woodbury Walking Dead select Lamarcus Aldridge.
MB - The best possible name for a team, amuses me incredibly. Geeking out a little too much.
VP - Safe cornerstone to build around.
13. VP - Princeton-Plainsboro Offense select Andrew Bynum.
VP - Nothing ominous about that being pick #13 at all.
MB - Not at all. Also, what happens when the Offense’s Offensive Production is Offensive? Sorry to go on offense with this commentary, but the Offense made that offense more likely.
14. MB - Nebraska Cornholers take Marc Gasol.
MB - More consistent, less liable for injury than Bynum. Also, currently playing. I would have taken him over Bynum
15. VP - Savannah Long Grass take CP3.
VP - Immediate title window, then tanking for a number 1 pick.
MB - Yup and yup. Don’t know what else to say. That knee is giving. Just is.
16. MB - Montpelier Saps take Josh Smith.
MB - 2nd banana, but still hasn’t hit his prime and made strides last year.
17. VP - Hartford Whalers take Rudy Gay.
MB - As talented as Durant perhaps, but just doesn’t care every other game. I’ll believe it when I see it. The team is so perhaps he would play better closer to home.
18. MB - Tucson Fire Eaters select James Harden.
MB - More than talented enough for this. But he can’t be the lead guy. I’ll match him with someone in the next round that can be the alpha guy. If that makes sense.
19. VP - Baja Peninsula Fresh Fruit selects Ricky Rubio.
VP - It was time to reach and make a bit of a crowd-pleasing move. You’re welcome ladies.
MB - Screw you, a**hole. That was my pick. Oh, sorry. Calmer now.
20. MB - Albuquerque Rough Riders selects Carmelo Anthony.
MB - See how it feels? Huh?! See how it feels VP??? Okay, seriously though, too much talent to ignore. Will sell tickets and score a ton of points. Still has a chance to mature.
VP - Mike, you know I hated him coming to the Knicks from day one. I would never pick him to be the foundation of my franchise. And as a bitter Knicks fan, I can confidently say that he will never mature.
MB - Don’t be repetitive VP. “Bitter” is an unnecessary modifier to “Knicks fan”. Also, Carmelo would love Albuquerque, right?
21. VP - Kentucky Riflemen take Anthony Davis. Fire up the hype machine folks - the Brow is coming back to town!
MB - Fundamentally he needs a lot of work. As a franchise builder, I have no problem with it. I think he becomes more Tyson Chandler than Blake Griffin. That isn’t all a bad thing however.
22. MB - NH Freedom take Greg Monroe. Consistent, would fit well in New Hampshire, very reliable.
23. VP - Delaware Knights take DWade.
MB - I’ll wait to comment until I see his teammate. Not necessarily upset about this.
24. MB - Topeka Twisters take Al Horford. 20-10, 50%, no fuss. Sign me up.
25. VP - Alabama Ironsides take Al Jefferson.
MB - See above. Though I firmly think Horford has a higher ceiling. Won two championships in college. Consistent in the playoffs. Jefferson has neither.
26. MB - Little Rock Gingersnaps take John Wall. Don’t love him but he was a number 1 pick two years ago and has played well. This will be a determining year for him.
VP - Yeah, he fell way too far. Probably a good place for him.
27. VP - Montreal Illuminati takes Tony Parker. I have a near-MVP argument for him actually (shameless plug: http://sportsworldbliss.blogspot.com/2012/10/2012-2013-nba-season-predictions-mb-vs.html)
MB - Parker is simply a leader and a winner. Probably would quietly seethe about being selected behind Wall actually, but take it out in a ridiculously efficient season.
28. MB - Vancouver Ospreys take Pau Gasol. Would be fine as the primary guy.
VP - If this was 3 years ago.
29. VP - Durham Basilisks take Kobe Bryant. Being drafted after Pau will fuel him.
MB - Taking credit for this team name too. Mamba and Duke references.
30. MB - Wyoming Pride takes Andre Iguodala. Defense, leadership, intangibles. And on the flip...
VP - Chief Blocka is a great pick, but he needs an alpha-dog scorer to flourish.
31. MB - Wyoming Pride takes Dirk Nowitzki to partner Iggy. The Pride will be coached by Don Nelson.
VP - A resounding yes. This team would be so much fun to watch.
32. VP - Durham Basilisks take Chris Bosh to pair with Kobe Bryant. They will be coached by Coach K and will hope to recapture some Team USA magic.
MB - Kobe will only attempt to kill Bosh a few times. Probably a good pairing actually.
33. MB - Vancouver Ospreys take Ty Lawson to pair with Pau Gasol. They will be coached by Mike D’Antoni and score 120 points a game.
34. VP - Montreal Illuminati take Serge Ibaka to pair with Tony Parker. They will be coached by Gregg Popovich, of course.
35. MB - Little Rock Gingersnaps take Danny Granger to pair with John Wall. They will be coached by Tony Kornheiser.
36. VP - Alabama Ironsides take Steph Curry to pair with Al Jefferson. They will be coached by Kevin McHale and will try to see if Kobe will sell them some ankle insurance (he will not).
37. MB - Topeka Twisters take Kyle Lowry to pair with Al Horford. They will be coached by Scotty Brooks. Seems about right in terms of temperaments for those players. This team will be a plus team in rebounding and field goal percentage.
38. VP - Delaware Knights take Tyson Chandler to go with DWade. They will be coached by Rick Carlisle on their way to either a ring or a trip to the DL.
MB - Maybe more than any other team, this one will be looking for a young star in the next round to become THE guy in two years. Paul George like. Well, maybe not him exactly because…
39. MB - NH Freedom take Paul George to go with Greg Monroe. They will be coached by Larry Bird. Seems right.
40. VP - Kentucky Riflemen take Steve Nash to go with Anthony Davis. They will be coached by...oh screw it Steve Nash would be the coach anyways.
MB - I don’t hate it: just don’t think it works for the future. And I claim credit for that coach.
41. MB - Albuquerque Rough Riders selects Joakim Noah to pair with Carmelo Anthony. They will be coached by Mike Brown.
VP - (Carmelo screams)
MB - Muhuhuhuhahaha.
42. VP - Baja Peninsula Fresh Fruit selects Klay Thompson to pair with Ricky Rubio. They will be coached by Jason Kidd.
MB – Nice! Like New Jersey after the Vince Carter trade. That didn’t turn out well though.
43. MB - Tucson Fire Eaters selects Kevin Garnett to pair with James Harden. They will be coached by Derek Fisher. Mainly because KG is too hard for most people to handle and Harden should probably be allowed to talk to himself most of the time.
44. VP - Hartford Whalers take Roy Hibbert to pair with Rudy Gay. They will be coached by Hubie Brown.
MB – Absolutely. And a good pairing in terms of usage. Strong defensive team.
45. MB - Montpelier Saps take Brandon Jennings to pair with Josh Smith. They will be coached by Avery Johnson. The crazy team who will force a ton of turnovers, and also commit a ton of turnovers.
46. VP - Savannah Long Grass take Marcin Gortat to pair with CP3. They will be coached by Alvin Gentry.
MB - Just run all the sets they had for Nash and Gortat. Which, you know, wasn’t incredible but was decent.
47. MB - Nebraska Cornholers take Eric Gordon to pair with Marc Gasol. They will be coached by Phoenix’s knee doctor.
48. VP - Princeton-Plainsboro Offense select Jrue Holiday to pair with Andrew Bynum. They will be coached by Doug Collins. Real life, meet bizarro NBA. Bizarro NBA, meet real life.
49. MB - Woodbury Walking Dead select Joe Johnson to pair with Lamarcus Aldridge. They will be coached by Ernie Johnson. Mainly due to temperament.
50. VP - Bristol Kia Shootaround select Monta Ellis to pair with Blake Griffin. They will be coached by Larry Brown, who will quit midseason.
51. MB - Springfield Loggers take Jonas Valanciunas to pair with Derrick Rose. They will be coached by Michael Wilbon, because of the Chicago connections.
52. VP - Kansas City BBQ take Danilo Gallinari to pair with Demarcus Cousins.
MB - They will be coached by a translator. Or something, I don’t know.
53. MB - Alaskan Wilderness take Paul Millsap to go with Kyrie Irving. They will be coached by Kenny the Jet Smith. Just a solid team, guys I think Alaska would love having. Need a shooting guard to add to this, and would be awesome.
54. VP - Montana Roam take Brook Lopez to go with Deron Williams. They will be coached by Jerry Sloan, of course, who already lives in Montana. Deron screams.
MB - I claim credit for that coach selection, there is the Montana connection everyone. It is effing perfect. Gerald Wallace ironically is a great fit for this team coming back around.
55. MB - Hawaii’n Punch take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to pair with Rajon Rondo. They will be coached by Doc Rivers. I would love to get Kevin Martin or David Lee coming back with this team if we went to three rounds. Or Pierce of course.
56. VP - Reno Rim Runners take Andrew Bogut to pair with Russell Westbrook. They will be coached by Tom Thibodeau.
MB - What a nightmare to defend Westbrook, what a bigger nightmare to try to score on them at all. Add like Thabo, Gerald Wallace, Reggie Evans and this is a monster team.
57. MB - Key West Polar Bears take Mike Conley to go with Kevin Love. They will be coached by Rick Adelman. That clearly worked out for Love last season, so why change a good thing up?
58. VP - Bangor Moose takes Goran Dragic to pair with Dwight Howard. They will be coached by Shaq, of course.
MB - No complaints. Add a couple of shooters, basically the 2008-2009 Magic all over again. That isn’t a bad thing, they did go to the Finals.
VP - Exactly. This could just as easily have been Brandon Knight (who would’ve been perfect with Kevin Love), but I think Goran’s scoring is a better match.
59. MB - Akron Integrity take Andrea Bargnani to pair with Lebron James. They will be coached by Dan Gilbert. Getting a little silly, but Lebron should have to fight with everyone in his organization, on the court and off it. And someone like Bradley Beal coming around again in the third round, that works out really well for this team.
60. VP - Seattle Supersonics take Evan Turner to pair with Kevin Durant. They will be coached by Phil Jackson.
MB – Love it and totally agree. Kind of a Jordan/Pippen like division of responsibilities on this team (ie one scorer who dominates the ball and the other guy is second but more cleans up on defense, rebounds well, and facilitates from a 2-4 position). Let’s project just one more pick. Who would it be?
VP - Probably Duncan. Good right now and room to grow. Duncan can be like David Robinson going forward.
MB - Was thinking Pierce or Knight, but that works. Might be my team to beat considering that third round pick. The Parker/Ibaka/Pop team would be really good too though. They could add Varejao pretty easily in the middle of the third, that would be a dangerous group.
MB – Okay everyone, thanks for tagging along with the VP and myself on this redraft odyssey. We had a lot of fun, and appreciate you hanging with us. Have a great year. Even if, you know, your favorite player is traded two nights before the season starts.
-Mike Bliss and Vishal Patel
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