An Equally Unresearched Big Board for the 1999 Draft

[Joe]

An Equally Unresearched Big Board for the 1999 Draft

Ohhhh it’s that time of year again…we’ve crowned a new champion (congrats Ralph) and the most exciting (and perhaps scariest) phase of sim basketball is upon us – the offseason. I love the smell of REWARD CAMPS in the morning!

Anyhoo, I made a comment on Tyler’s mock draft so I figured I should back it up with the second iteration of my Big Board. This will be a bit different than what our friend from Phoenix put together, as this is a true big board, not based on any team need but on pure player quality and potential and my peanut-sized brain. I again have not researched this particularly well, but instead took a peek at Jesse’s RP Excel and realized that another season of camping a million teenagers in Boston is going to have me eating at the SLN soup kitchen. Somebody take all my draft picks and trade me a star that already fully cooked! These boys in green need some more time in the air fryer.

With that said, here we go.


1. Manu Ginobili SG 6'6'' 205 22 B- B C C+ C A

You should know I literally want to fucking throw up writing this stupid blurb first. But I’m trying to be objective, and the opinion of everyone here (including our dear Lord Commissioner) seems to be that this 6’6” center midfielder is going to be the kitty’s titties. I don’t know what kind of credit you get in FBB for calling for an ambulance every time someone sets a screen on you, but I do know that in 1999 they didn’t call techs for flopping so I guess Manu’s game is gonna play. In all seriousness, his draft notes are spectacular and his stipulation allows for a free season (or more) of certain tanking AFTER you’ve already gotten the #1 pick! What a deal. He’s still a humongous bitch though.


2. Shawn Marion SF 6'7'' 220 21 B- C+ D+ B+ B A

There isn't an obvious #2, but Marion’s real-life pedigree and extremely solid draft notes suggest to me he should own this spot. Good strength, steals AND blocks from a SF is fantastic, and the versatility to play multiple positions is attractive. Another thing I notice is that his ding is three point shooting but if he’s already a good free throw shooter then he has to have high jumpshot, so I don’t think he’s going to be a lost cause in an outside offense as one might think. If you juice his 3PT and inside in camps (and perhaps a little quickness) I think his weaknesses get mitigated pretty quick. I got the feeling this guy is gonna end up an A- rebounder playing the 3 and is going to be completely OP at that position, something in the Grant Hill mold with more stocks and less scoring.


3. Elton Brand PF 6'9'' 275 20 B C- C- B B+ B

It’s pretty tough to justify taking a guy with less than A potential 3rd overall, and more than likely the team that’s drafting here is going to select for need (I’m having an awfully tough time actually deciding who the best available is right now), but Brand seems like a surefire star. Being super strong as a big man is of paramount importance, as it impacts how often you get into foul trouble on defense against opposing scoring bigs (I think). On top of that, bigs that get steals are the white whale of sim basketball – fucking Cherokee Parks looks like Optimus Prime out there. If Brand's getting over a steal a game to go along with a couple blocks, exceptional rebounding and high efficiency scoring, there’s no reason to think he couldn’t end up Alonzo-lite.


4. Andrei Kirilenko SF 6'9'' 220 18 C+ C C+ A C+ A

Good heavens, what the shit am I supposed to do with this guy. His draft notes are as weird as his body type, but hearing that a SF could challenge for DPOY is downright pornographic. Is he going to average 2 steals and 3 blocks a game like Hakeem? At the fucking 3?? Could you imagine playing against him…he’s literally made of 100% elbows. Based on these notes, he’s gotta have close to 99 potential, meaning that a few camps in the right direction and his offensive game will be serviceable…or, you could camp his existing strengths (or try to, with flat A defense I have to believe things are already at 85) and make him a legitimate freakshow. I can’t believe I’m putting him this high, but I have a really hard time justifying putting him lower if he’s going to be game-changing talent. And what about this hidden stipulation? This mystery box must contain something juicy. Or is the box just full of more elbows?? Who knows.


5. Steve Francis PG 6'3'' 195 22 B C+ C+ B- C A

I really wanted to put Baron here because he was one of my favorites to watch growing up, but knowing our beloved sim czar is a Rockets fan has me re-thinking. I love that he’s going to get a bunch of steals on defense, and as I read the profile it sounds like he’s going to be one of these PGs who’s really best suited at the 2, where his TOs will come down and his strength and rebounding will allow him to compete on defense. I don’t mind that he doesn’t look to pass much – keeping those assists down is a good way to control turnovers too, and further suggests he’s going to be well suited at the 2. Remember when Francis and Cat Mobley were traded for TMac and Juwan Howard in real life? Methinks this Celtics GM is not so easily bamboozled.


6. Baron Davis PG 6'3'' 209 20 C+ C+ B- B C A

If Franchise never played for the Rockets, B-Diddy would easily hop him on this list for my money. They’ve got very similar rating profiles (and draft notes, for that matter), but Davis is a little better on defense and a little worse on offense. On second thought Davis might be a LOT better on defense – he’s the all-time leader in playoff steals average and that B is bordering on B+ in the draft file. One thing that’s worth noting is Davis is two years younger, so I expect a hair more development runway for him. The choice between Francis and Davis will depend on the team taking them, as well – Davis will likely need more time to develop, but the fact that he’s a “shoot too much” guy right now tells me his volume is way juiced AND he’ll be an effective tank commander until he reaches his peak.


7. Ron Artest SF 6'7'' 260 20 B- C+ C A- C A

Serial name-changer, hair-dyer, violent assaulter and in-game pantser Metta Sandiford Artest joins our list at #7. Somehow the Bucks have to trade up for this guy and pair him with Sheed so they can strike fear into the hearts of every referee dumb enough to T them up. If I’ve got AK-47 up that high, I gotta get my man Ron up here as well. A- defense to start is outstanding, and when I read the words “extremely strong, will get a TON of steals” I felt it move a little bit. Artest should be a possession monster and probably be playable as a rookie because of his defensive prowess, which is saying a lot when we look back at the recent star SFs drafted (c’mon, McGrady…do something cool already).


8. Rip Hamilton SG 6'6'' 185 21 B B C C C- B

We’re kinda getting down into the next tier of guys at this point. The Man in the Iron Plastic Mask is another one of these fellas with B potential, which gives me a little pause, but when I read his draft notes I kinda get the feeling of a Costco-Brand Voshon Lenard more than the upside of an all-offense guy like Isaiah Rider. Perimeter defense is listed as a strength for him, so I doubt that C will remain a C forever even if he’s not perfect on D, and the fact that his jumpshooting is already polished means the RPs can be safely dumped into his volume and 3PT shot, and he’s already got the highest inside in the draft. If he can become an A outside guy through camps, he could end up filling it up at an incredible rate.


9. Jason Terry SG 6'2'' 185 22 C+ B B C D+ A

The Jet 2.0 has that similar chance of pairing a strong Inside rating with A (or even A+) Outside down the road and randomly jump up to be a 30ppg scorer, which would be quite the boon – those A outside guys continue to pop in a special way, and Terry is already on the cusp of B+ before camps. I think you get the most of them at the 2 rather than the 1, and combining that with his handling problems make the choice easy in my eyes. What concerns me here is that C Defense / D+ rebounding at the 2…he’s going to get decidedly buttfucked in pretty much every matchup against elite wings, and those possessions lost are may offset his scoring boost. He may actually profile as a multi-positional 6th man who can play 30 minutes against second units and have his way with them.


10. Chris Andersen C 6'11'' 245 21 B- C- D+ B C+ B

Rounding out the top 10 we find the Birdman himself, aka Cherokee Parks’ long lost little brother. Look up a picture of Parks, it makes sense. Chrissy is really good at a few things and that’s it – rebounding, blocking shots, and shooting up heroin in the parking lot. But when he’s sober, Andersen profiles as a phenomenal FBB big. He ain’t gonna turn it over and he’s going to do the dirty work down low. He’s certainly not the high upside pick that a lot of these other guys are, but if you’re drafting for need and you need a reliable starting big, his floor seems pretty *high* to me


11. Lamar Odom SF 6'10'' 220 20 C+ C+ B C+ C+ A

I’ve really been putting off adding this guy to the list, but I think I’ve run out of players to put ahead of him. Look, he was awesome to watch and a matchup nightmare by every measure, but there’s a limit to how versatile you want a guy to be. If he can play every position, can he really play any of them well? I sure hope so. He’s going to be a really cool player, but I don’t know if I can justify taking a guy who probably is never going to start for me in the top 10 when his ratings aren’t exactly jumping off the page either. He’s 20 with A potential though, so if he has a monster first camp you can go ahead and dump this paragraph of analysis right in the trash. I’ll refrain from the Skittles, crack and hookers joke here as well out of respect for what Tyler said, but you should know that I had a whole bunch in the chamber. Jokes, that is, not Skittles and hookers. Yet.


12. James Posey SF 6'8'' 215 23 C B C- B C A

Ah yes, the sneaky random A potential guy hiding out among the mortals in the middle of the draft file. I would have given this guy my first born son as a gift after what he did for Boston during our 08 championship run, so you better believe he’s making my Big Board. The only concern for Posey seems to be the volume, so he seems well suited for a team with some established scorers who need a reliable guy to eat 32 minutes a game at the 3 playing hard defense and hitting open shots from the outside. He’s definitely a high-floor, low-ceiling type but when you’re picking in the late lotto, that might be just what you need.


13. Corey Maggette SG 6'6'' 218 20 B C+ C C C A

The prototypical stat stuffer on absolutely garbage Clippers teams, there’s always a time and a place for a guy like Corey Maggette, and that place is as a 6th-man assassin. I love that his draft notes suggest he’s equally well-suited at the 2 or the 3, because you better believe if I draft him I’m having him backup at least 2 positions and fully cook the second unit of whoever I’m playing. That C defense will matter a lot less in a bench role, but if he pops with that A potential, he could absolutely start on a team with some good defenders around him, and can likely fit into either an inside or outside offense. He’s got the fourth highest inside rating in the draft, so you better believe he’s going to be Magettin’ some buckets out there.


I probably got some of these right and many of these wrong, but either way I expect all the guys who did scouting to blast this post with Kremlin-level disinformation to try to ensure that the guys they like fall a couple spots. Trust no one! All hope is lost! Let chaos reign this offseason! Happy holidays!