RE-DRAFT PART 3: BEST TEAMS

After drafting we stood back and took a look at our teams and there were some definite successes and there were some utter failures.
To start with the successes, we (Jon and I) picked the three teams that we were most proud of drafting. I’ll start with Jon’s.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Starting Line-up: Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer, Danny Granger, Vince Carter, Mo Williams
Reserves: Shane Battier, Wesley Matthews, Channing Frye, Glen Davis, Steve Blake, Grant Hill, Eddie House
Jon’s Comments: This is my most skilled, balanced team. They show all the qualities that a championship team should have. There is no big ego’s on this team and they should continue to be contenders for years if healthy. By having the best starting line-up in the league (Mo Williams, Vince Carter, Danny Granger, Carlos Boozer, Yao Ming) along with a good backup core group (Steve Blake, Wesley Matthews, Shane Battier, Grant Hill, Glen Davis, Channing Frye) it will keep the defense honest and also will show a great defensive force. This group of guys also shows quickness, toughness and height. Another huge asset they have is their three-point shooting. Mo, Vince, Danny, Steve, Wesley, Shane, Grant, and Channing all are great three point shooters and shouldn’t have a problem running up the score board. Overall, this is an elite team.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Starting Line-up: Greg Oden, David West, Stephen Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Jose Calderon
Reserves: Louis Williams, Marcus Thornton, Taj Gibson, Jonas Jerebko, Anthony Parker, Hilton Armstrong, Terrence Williams
Jon’s Comments: This team is also skilled like my Dallas team with a strong starting lineup. With Kobe Bryant leading the way, you always have a chance to be the best team in the league. But if you add Stephen Jackson, Jose Calderon, David West and Greg Oden to the mix… that’s deadly. This team isn’t quite the shooting team like my Mavericks team but they do however show more athleticism and have a bigger lineup. The bench is solid with young talent (Lou Williams, Anthony Parker, Marcus Thornton, Terrence Williams, Taj Gibson, Jonas Jerebko and Hilton Armstrong). This team should continue to become better over the years even with a declining and aging Kobe. The Thunder also show qualities for making a championship run when healthy.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
Starting Line-up: Chris Anderson, Kenyon Martin, Gerald Wallace, J.R. Smith, Monta Ellis
Reserves: Al Harrington, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Deshawn Stevenson, Eddy Curry, Larry Hughes
Jon’s Comments: This is a very unique team that I tried to experiment with. This is considered my “Jail” Blazers squad. I have tried to come up with a team with the mix of some of the worst thugs in the league with some decent talent still left in them. I guess you could say it’s also a mix of the Golden State Warriors type of play style with some Denver Nuggets. I have tried to create this team to be the highest scoring in the league as well… but with high scoring usually comes no defense. Luckily the video game doesn’t keep track of off the court issues or else this team could have some serious problems. I also feel bad for the GM’s/owners of this team because they have to deal with a $124 Million dollar payroll which would well put them over the luxury tax along with major loyalty problems. Monta Ellis & Allen Iverson lead the point guard spot. They will always continue to run and gun. Some other high-flyers they are able to play with are All-Star Gerald Wallace, old scoring champion Tracy McGrady, with role players such as J.R. Smith, Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin, Chris Anderson, Rasheed Wallace, DeShawn Stevenson, Larry Hughes and Eddy Curry. In real life, this team should and would fail. Too many ego’s… too much selfishness. Luckily they will be playing on a video game simulation and should be able to score, score and score some more!

Now we are on to my teams:
UTAH JAZZ
Starting Line-Up: Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Trevor Ariza, Kevin Durrant, Ty Lawson
Reserves: Robin Lopez, J.J. Hickson, J.J. Redick, Chris Duhon, Darren Collison, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic
My Comments: Terribly Young Team with a ton of potential. They have great rebounders who give a ton of effort each and every night and aren’t slouches on offense either. Durrant and Ariza will provide great length that will give opposing teams nightmares. Durrant still hasn’t reached his full potential and already could be a scoring champion. Ty Lawson is speedy and hopefully develops into a great point guard. Their weaknesses could be their bench. They don’t have a lot of depth in their backcourt and their guards are really small. When facing a larger backcourt, they could be bullied. Overall, I like the type of team that I have drafted and I think that the players will mesh well and lead to continued success.

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Starting Line-Up: Emeka Okafor, LaMarcus Aldridge, Wilson Chandler, Eric Gordon, Deron Williams
Reserves: Boris Diaw, Marcin Gortat, Brandon Bass, Nick Young, Eric Maynor, Jrue Holiday, Sasha Pavlovic
Taylor’s Comments: Great blend of defense and offense on the front court. The offense of the other players will take pressure off Okafor and allow him to do what he does best. Aldridge will get plenty of opportunities to score with D-Will feeding him the ball. Eric Gordan, although small can produce big numbers. There are plenty of different options off the bench and there is a good blend of veteran presence and young developing talent. This truly might be the deepest team that I have.
* * * *
For my last team I really struggled. I have two teams that are very evenly matched and probably would produce one heck of a 7 game series. One team is even all around, but doesn’t really have a breakout star that seemingly could take over a close game and ensure a victory. The other is a little weaker on the bench but has that it-guy who they could give the ball to in the clutch and he can take over the loan.
So now, I am going to leave it up to the readers. Which would you rather have? Here are the rosters and submit your comments to which you would choose.

Denver Nuggets
Starting Line-Up: Roy Hibbert, Al Jefferson, Michael Beasley, Andre Iguodala, Russell Westbrook
Reserves: Anderson Varejao, Shawn Marion, Shannon Brown, Delonte West, Chase Buddinger, Josh Boone, Ronnie Price.

Boston Celtics
Starting Line-up: Spencer Hawes, Al Horford, Rashard Lewis, Dwyane Wade, Jameer Nelson
Reserves: Troy Murphy, George Hill, Andres Nocioni, Jose Barea, Brandon Rush, Darko Milicic, Amir Johnson