NBA 2014 Post Season Round 2 Predictions

ROUND TWO PREDICTIONS

Western Conference Playoff Prediction:

1. Spurs over 5. Blazers in 5 games

-Spurs are going in the right direction, and the Blazers are playing above their heads and beyond their years. The Spurs’ offense is going to buzzsaw them.

2. Thunder over 3. Clippers in 5 games

-There is no matchup for Westbrook, and that is pretty much the whole problem here. With Chris Paul nicked up, I have no idea how they hope to stop him. Barnes can take Durant a bit, but even that is a bad matchup. Serge can take Blake head to head, so the matchups are all there for the Thunder.

Easter Conference Playoff Prediction:

6. Wizards over 1. Pacers in 6 games

-This is about who is playing well right now. Wall is going to dominate George Hill, and Ariza can slow down George. Overall, this is bad time for Indiana to get such a balanced team. I will say, this is a better series for Hibbert to have an impact because Washington plays legitimate front lines. However, Wizard

2. HEAT over 6. Nets in 7 games

-I think the Nets push the Lebrons, I really do. But in the end, this isn’t a realistic end for them. The HEAT are going to be rusty though because they haven’t played impact basketball in a while. It may help Wade a little, but overall I actually think the time off is a negative. Bosh should have a big series here, as will Deron Williams.

Title Prediction:

Spurs are still the best team, but the Thunder are winning the West and the Finals. In the East, I can’t stand with my Pacers pick. It is more than likely that the HEAT get to a 4^th straight Finals.

NBA 2014 Post Season Round 1 Predictions

Okay, this is going to be fun. Well, in the Western Conference at least. Let’s do this:

Western Conference Playoff Prediction:

1. Spurs over 8. Mavs in 4.

-The Dallas defense is horrible. Leonard will neutralize Monta and it would take an awesome Dirk performance to even get a win in this series. Whatever the offensive efficiency record is for a series, I think the Spurs threaten it in this warmup.

2. Thunder over 7. Grizzlies in 5.

-I think the absence of Nick Calathes will hurt the Grizzlies more than most think. I have no idea who guards Durant. Or Westbrook actually (I like Mike Conley a lot….but not on Westbrook).

         

3. Clippers over 6. Warriors in 5.

-This is a depth issue more than anything. Oh, and Blake/Jordan are salivating knowing they are getting DLee/Draymond.

4. Rox over 5. Blazers in 5.

-Nice thought, no way. Harden and Dwight ensure a first round win. Blazers are MUCH better next year from the experience.

Easter Conference Playoff Prediction:

1. Pacers over 8. Hawks in 4.

-NBA TV! Respect to the Hawks’ coaching, but no way. The talent disparity is huge here.

2. HEAT over 7. Bobcats in 6.

-I actually like this matchup a bit because Kemba is feisty, Big Al has no counterpart on the other team, and the Bobcats play defense with viable wing defenders. That gets them to a sixth game, not much further.

6. Nets over 3. Raptors in 7.

-Great series. Wish I could pick the Raptors but I just cannot. The Nets have too much veteran acumen.

4. Bulls over 5. Wizards in 6.                  

-Reason number 1, Joakim Noah. Reason number 2, this is the Wizards first rodeo. Reason number 3, Thibs.

Title Prediction:

At this point, I think the Spurs are the best team, bar none. I have the Thunder winning the title because they are the one team the Spurs have a problem with. In the easy, I am going to stay on my preseason Pacers pick. 

2013-2014 NBA Season Predictions

I am really excited for the NBA season.

Don’t get me wrong, I am pretty much always into basketball. I love fantasy hoops: I consider it the best fantasy sport because it is longer than football, but retains the stat focus of baseball without being so insufferably long. Basketball itself is the most personal of sports, easily accessible to the common folk, affordable to go to in person, and decently good with advanced stats. So I love it very much.

But what is surprising is that I am even thinking about it on October 25th. Normally even though I love basketball, pro football is keeping me occupied. Even though I am not the biggest fan of college football, I probably have watched more of that in November the last few years than hoops. I don’t get into hoops fully until the turn of the new year (those Christmas games are my turnover point).But for this season I am locked in already, and cannot wait until tip off. I have drafts on Monday and am pumped. So, let’s do some predictions!

Western Conference Playoff Prediction:

1. Spurs over 8. Wolves          

2. Thunder over 7. Mavs         

6. Grizz over 3. Clippers         

4. Dubs over 5. Rockets         

1. Spurs over 4. Dubs             

2. Thunder over 6. Grizz         

1. Spurs over 2. Thunder, -Leonard makes the LEAP and shuts down Durant. 

Easter Conference Playoff Prediction:  

1. Bulls over 8. Pistons           

2. HEAT over 7. Wizards       

3. Pacers over 6. Cavs             

4. Nets over 5. Knicks                        

1. Bulls over 4. Nets               

3. Pacers over 2. HEAT          

3. Pacers over 1. Bulls, -If Thibs manages his minutes, he can win this. So the Pacers win. 

NBA Finals: Spurs over Pacers in 5

-Leonard dominates, limiting Paul George. Parker will be awesome as well, Duncan only has to play Hibbert to a stalemate. The Spurs benefit from the new Finals format (Finally a 2-2-1-1-1). Duncan and probably Pop walk off into the sunset. Ginobili limps off. Pacers are disappointed, but will be viable for the next half decade as it is clear Paul George is a dominant player. 

All NBA Teams:

1. CP3, Harden, Lebron, Durant, Dwight

2. Parker, Rose, Paul George, Love, Marc Gasol

3. Rubio, Curry, Melo, Blake, Dirk

D. Avery Bradley, Tony Allen, Paul George, Lebron, Ibaka

R. Oladipo, McLemore, Anthony Bennett, Zeller, Olynyk

20 Proclamations and Predictions:

1. Bulls will lead the league in wins, just slightly over the Spurs. And everyone will marvel at the two of them doing so. The HEAT are declining, and the Thunder won’t be at full strength for a while, so this was actually easy. The Bulls continue to grind out wins, costing them health in the playoffs.

2. The Pacers’ bench makes the difference in the Eastern Finals, as the big difference from what happened last year. The math on the previous round versus the HEAT was pretty easily actually: Wade/Allen are declining, and Shane Battier probably goes off a cliff. Paul George got better, and they get contributions from Granger and Luis Scola when they didn’t before. So, go Pacers, go!

3. Pau Gasol has a really efficient and productive year, finally in an offensive system with him at center than features his ability to pass, be creative near the rim, and hit longer jumpers. Just no 3s Pau, please.  

4. Kevin Love leads the league in boards, and has over 4 offensive rebounds a game. Rubio leads it in assists, as a combination of minutes/opportunities/game flow. Heck, he’ll lead it in steals as well (that’s not as out there, look at the numbers).

5. Wade finally regresses to a point where we cannot ignore it and Bosh is CLEARLY their second best player, without argument. 

6. Victor Oladipo or Kelly Olynyk wins the Rookie of the Year. Probably VO, but Olynyk could have one weird statline. 

7. The Lakers hit a ton of threes. Not only do they now have time with D’Antoni and Nash to run this thing, but ANYONE shooting over Metta is better, so Nick Young and Xavier Henry fill it up, even if it isn’t crazy efficient. Oh, but the Lakers divebomb and win 30 games because their defensive finishes dead last. You heard me. Nash/Kobe on one leg/Nick Young/person X at PF/old Pau. Holy crap are people going to score on them.

8. The Nets look good but not elite all year, and never really turn it on in the playoffs. However, it is injuries not to “injury prone” Brook Lopez or “old” Pierce and Garnett that do them in, but Deron Williams.

9. Dirk has a career capping season, dropping something like 23.5 PPG, 8 RPG on a 50-40-90 shooting season and the Mavs are a really efficient offensive team behind Jose Calderon.

10. Durant wins the MVP due to voter fatigue, a slightly better record than the HEAT, and his “stepping up when Westbrook was gone”. Lebron deserves it by all stats, but Durant will get it.

11. Serge Ibaka wins Defensive Player of the Year, not just for the blocks, but some increased positional defense and time at center.

12. Rick Adelman wins Coach of the Year, even though we already knew he was great.

13. The Wizards are good, watchable, and give someone a scare in the first round.

14. The Cavs look good on paper, but overall crash due to injuries and ill fits. This team looks drastically different 12 months from now.

15. None of us will know what to do with Andre Drummond. He is a combination of young Shaq/Andries Biedrins/Javale McGee/Andre Blatche/DeMarcus Cousins. For those wondering if that is a compliment or insult….yes.

16. Sixth Man of the Year is a somewhat underwhelming race, but Reggie Jackson gets it because he gets a lot of counting stats while Westbrook is gone.

17. There will be multiple trades in the middle of the season, much more exciting than last year. These will heavily include the Blazers and Hawk among others, because the pieces for both those teams are just so tradable.

18. The Knicks kind of fall apart, and Melo definitively leaves. Next year they win 20 games behind a core of Felton/Iman/JR Smith/Bargnani/Tyson as four of those guys are really declining by then.

19. Asik is traded to the Pelicans as their season crashes due to problems at the swing and defense by Ryan Anderson. Anderson going to Houston makes the Rockets fun to watch and makes Harden excel. Asik lets Anthony Davis dominate at the 4.

20. Harden finishes out of the top 5 in real life MVP votes, but is the number 1 fantasy player with one of the more balanced efficiency/usage combinations in recent history. I am thinking a 24.5/5.5/8/45-40-88 with 2 steals, lower TOs, and a ton of FT makes at a scarce position.

Happy NBA Season everyone!

2013 NBA Playoffs Round 3

The first few rounds are relatively easy: 1 vs 8 SHOULD be an simple call 99% of the time. The second round gets a little harder but normally you see something in round 1 that shows you something about each team, however small or large. The Spurs were going to beat the Dubs because Mark Jackson's team couldn't execute, especially late in games. The Bulls were too beat up to win. The Pacers were a more solid bunch than the Knicks' newly embraced ISO ugly offense. And the Thunder lost Westbrook.

But these Conference Finals have trimmed the excess and are only bringing the best to play. I am going to use this piece to logic myself to some conclusions. We will have to see if they make sense.

W2. Spurs versus W4. Grizzlies
This is extremely tough, and should be fantastic series. I am hoping for a long and healthy one, as the matchup has several juicy potential points. These teams are very different. The Spurs are efficient, quick, sabermetric, well rounded, have a deep bench, and have all the experience in the world. They have three stars who have done this year after year, and a young stud ready to make his name known.

The Grizz are what San Antonio used to be: Grit and Grind, slow it down, two big guys and a point guard, with an erratic but fiery backup guard off the bench. They even have the starting wing player no one likes (Tony Allen) similar to what Spurs had (Bruce Bowen).

Funny enough, both teams excel at long series, but for differing reasons. San Antonio makes adjustments so well. We saw it in the last round: the Spurs were lucky get a split in the first two games but then schemed around what Curry and Klay were doing and thoroughly dominated them over the next 4 games.

The Grizz love long series because of their Grit and Grind mentality. They wear you down, and by games 4-6 they have bruised you physically and struck mentally as well. See Clippers, Blake Griffin.

So how does one determine this series? Tony Parker and Marc Gasol are pretty much making the "best player in the series wins it" theory a jump ball. Home court isn't going to be crazy important here either. Pop is better than Hollins sure, but this isn't a Pop versus Vinny del Negro or Scottie Brooks type situation.

It came down to this: I think Parker dominates Conley more than any Memphis big can dominate a matchup with Splitter, who if healthy is going to be competent there. But more jmportantly, Manu is going to rock Bayless in this. I have zero trust in Bay less being consistent, especially defensively. Spurs win in 7, on the strength on their superior execution, bench play, and strength on the wings. I'll take Manu/Leonard/Green/Neal over Bayless/Prince/Allen.



E1. HEAT versus E3. Pacers

-There is a legit case to be made that the Pacers can do this. They match up well, with talent across the board. I trust Lance, George, and Hill to rotate through Wade and Lebron. David West and Roy Hibbert may literally eat Bosh for lunch.

But, the HEAT will play a stretch four enough to negate some of the inside strength of the Pacers, and the HEAT's bench will vastly outproduce Gerald Green, DJA, and Psycho T.

Sadly, HEAT in 6. Tyler Hansborough terrifies me. He's entering Kendrick Perkins area. But more than anything else, the Pacers' tendency for turnovers and not scoring for stretches makes this a win for Miami. Ugh, I feel dirty.



I guess I still have a HEAT over Spurs Finals, though begrudgingly. The Spurs could win that, but if they survive Memphis it will be with bumps and bruises. A lot would depend on health at that point, for Wade too.

2012 NBA Redraft Odyssey: MB vs VP

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