2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft - Picks and Discussion

[lethalweapon3]

On 7/30/2018 at 1:35 PM, lethalweapon3 said:

In the 5th Round, with the 57th Pick in the 2018 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, the Lethal Tender selects:

 

Thanks to Aaron Addison Gordon (Small Forward/Power Forward, 6'9", 220 lbs., Age 22) here, we can project a mostly sunny outlook in Lethalopolis. With his impressive vertical, he’ll be spending lots of his time up in our clouds, bringing occasional thunder and an improving chance of raining threes as times goes on.

And, now, here’s d*ck Vitale, with his Sports Minute!

 

Thanksss, Dickie.

 

Victor Oladipo’s former team had to learn, the hard way, what happens when you fail to properly nurture, and later abandon, your hard-earned lottery prospects. So there’s no surprise that, under a new regime, there is interest in committing to the growth of Aaron Gordon, the jumping-jack forward who reunites with Dipo on the Tender.

Despite four pro seasons of often languishing when he isn’t making waves with his dunking exploits on SportsCenter, Gordon precedes 2017-18 rookie Lauri Markkanen by just 18 months. AG is committed to becoming more than a dunker, and while his 2017-18 campaign left a lot to be desired, there were signs that he can, under consistent guidance, make big leaps (of a non-dunking nature) in the seasons to come.

Gordon’s last season was interrupted a lot by concussions and injury, as things fell apart swiftly for his team after a promising 8-4 start. Each time he returned, his team grew more mired in morass, and he became more inclined to carry them out of it on his own. Despite lousy shot selection (43.4 FG%), he managed to raise his three-point proportion to a career-high 39.5% of attempts, shooting over 30 percent (33.6 3FG%) for the first time in his career. Despite a predictable uptick in usage, his turnover rate remained solid at 10.0 TO%.

Aaron became less of a defensive liability in 2017-18, his per-36’s of 7.0 defensive rebounds and 1.1 steals career-highs. While he still has a long way to go on that end of the floor, he is still just turning 23 in a couple months. He was sorely needed to shift to power forward last year, on a team lacking options. But on the Tender, the nature of his evolving game will suit him better at the 3-spot alongside Markkanen. Having all-world defenders at the other starting positions greatly alleviates the need for Gordon and Markkanen to overextend themselves and offers ample time to grow into their roles.

On the Tender, with Paul’s steady leadership, Oladipo’s sudden brilliance, and Embiid’s magnetic persona, Gordon doesn’t have to be the face, for better or worse, of the franchise. But if he improves his efficiency on the floor, at the free throw line, and as a committed defender, there is no reason why he cannot be the 20-and-10 headliner he was once envisioned to become a couple years from now, if he so aspires. It won’t take much Magic to make it happen.

“Back to you, @Marvin24Williams!”

~lw3

updated!

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

30 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Like this one?  Write up will come later.

At #69, the Northcyde Ballers select ...

KYLE KUZMA

Scratching off my short list... nice pick!

You don’t follow rules and I like that!-G

[lethalweapon3]

19 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

In the 6th Round, with the 64th pick in the 2018 Hawksquawk Summer Dynasty Draft, the Lethal Tender select:

Nice Uncle Sam impressions, Quin Price Snyder (Head Coach, Age 51, 6'3", 180 give or take 5 pounds or so). But, no, here in Lethalopolis, WE WANT YOU!

Who did you predict to be the ESPYs winner for Breakthrough Athlete of 2018, not just in basketball but in all of sports? Probably no one that Quin Snyder was coaching. Certainly, not an incoming, mid-tiered rookie talent that was perhaps undersized in a shooting guard role and forced to replace an All-Star that left town for Greener pastures.

Yet here Quin is, at the Tender age of 52, further solidifying his already growing reputation (perhaps initially steeled in Atlanta) as a Breakthrough Coach after four pro seasons at the helm, an unlikely second-round entrant in the Western Conference Playoffs in each of his last two seasons, after replacing one emerging star with a new, exciting superstar.

Moving onto the Tenders, he gets to coach another Breakthrough Athlete finalist, one, in Oladipo, who also lacks ideal size but has long possessed the tenacity for world-class defense, which has become Snyder’s calling card.

Imagine Quin having veteran point guard play, in Paul, that doesn’t need months to get acclimated to any new environment in order to excel. Despite a slower-than-average pace of play, Snyder’s team finished sixth in passes per game, a commitment to ball movement that will translate well under his and Paul’s insistence.

Imagine the coach turning the hardware-hungry Joel Embiid from Defensive Player of the Year finalist to award winner, as was the case with his last protégé at the pivot.

Imagine replacing your former leading scorer with a 30-year-old veteran who only arrived stateside at age 27, starting him for over 80 games, and succeeding anyway. In place of a pair of forward starters looking at the backside of their pro careers, now Snyder has a dynamic young duo of upstarts ready to listen and grow as defenders.

Snyder is famously fiery, competitive, and committed, much like his new floor general on the Tenders. He has proven that it won’t take too long to get starters and not-yet-drafted reserves on the same page. With an influx of talent yet to come, indicators “point” toward a Tender squad that will be of one accord, when it matters the most, at playoff time.

 

We have @Spud2nique with his next prime-time pick!

~lw3

Updated! Like Usher, I'm Caught Up! Back to Dream-watching!

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

17 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Updated! Like Usher, I'm Caught Up! Back to Dream-watching!

~lw3

It’s ur lw3gaze that has Kent worried ?...

Soulful ?’s like Mamie Eisenhower

[Buzzard]

1 hour ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Like this one?  Write up will come later.

At #69, the Northcyde Ballers select ...

KYLE KUZMA

This late a solid young player with potential. A lot of people consider him the steal of last years draft.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

 

MY BOY!!  ON THE NORTHCYDE BALLERS!!   I TOLD YOU IT WOULD HAPPEN!!  DIDN'T I TELL YOU IT WOULD HAPPEN??

 

And he's playing with the 2nd greatest player in the NBA, Lebron James. 

Cause you know MY SON is the GREATEST!!

Look at what LONZO BALL did last year.  He averaged 33 points ( 10.2 ) - 21 assists ( 7.2 ) - 15 rebounds ( 6.9 ) - 8 steals ( 1.7 ) - and only .3 turnovers per game ( 2.6 ) .  The greatest rookie year of ALL TIME ( 2nd team All-Rookie ). 

And the shooting?  Boy, Larry Bard can't even shoot like my son.  People said Lonzo can't shoot . .

shoot . .

shoot . .

shoot . .

 

 

Who in the NBA shoots 65% from 3 point range ( 30.5% ) like he did?   And with Lebron, Demarcus, KP, and Kuz by his side, the Ballers will be unstoppable.   LIKE ME!!   

He's the best passing PG of ALL TIME!!  Better than Stockton.  Better than Lebron.  Better than Magic.  Just look at these passes.

 

 

Look at those passes!!  Who passes like that . . . EVER??

 

And now he that he has his punching bag, KYLE KUZMA, by his side ( the #69 pick for the Northcyde Ballers ), you know it's going DOWNNNN!!  

Kuzma can't shoot like my boy can ( 45% FG - 36% 3FG - 16.1 ppg - 6.3 rebs ), but he can knock them down when they count.   He can play.  He can play, he can play.  But not as good as my boy.  Not as good as NONE of my boys.  But he can play.

 

 

Now, if I can just become the coach of the Ballers . . 

You know I can do it. 

Because I've . . . NEVER LOST!!

[JayBirdHawk]

I'm not sure why this thread (just this one) all of a sudden is not loading on my phone, so I lost my entire write up or my pick would have already been in.  Anyway....

 

With the 3rd Selection in the 2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft The Lady JayBurds select Jarrett 'JaFro' Allen.

At just 20 years old, Allen is about 6-foot-11, or 7-foot-2 counting his impressive afro. With his headband and mustache (which appears to be the result of Allen’s inability to grow the requisite connecting facial hair for a goatee), he’d fit comfortably in the long-haired ABA, some 40-plus years ago. Allen also jams like those former ABA flyers, soaring high enough last season to clear Chicago’s 7-footer Lauri Markkanen for a Dunk of the Year candidate.

 

 

 

Allen has the makings of a dominant shot-blocker, and though the modern NBA demands more than that from its centers, Allen has a chance to be more. Defensively, Allen believes he'll one day be capable of switching onto guards, allowing the Nets to oppose small-ball lineups with a legit 6'11" center.

On offense, Allen makes his money moving within the paint. The Nets, says head coach Kenny Atkinson, "all love playing with him because he's gonna sprint into a screen, hit somebody and roll." Allen finishes lobs emphatically. Otherwise, he likes to hang by the rim while ball-handlers do their thing, and if a bounce pass or wraparound handoff comes his way, Allen will collect with soft hands and dunk it home.

 

@turnermx is up and will be PM'd

[Buzzard]

On 7/31/2018 at 8:50 PM, JayBirdHawk said:

I'm not sure why this thread (just this one) all of a sudden is not loading on my phone, so I lost my entire write up or my pick would have already been in.  Anyway....

 

With the 3rd Selection in the 2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft The Lady JayBurds select Jarrett 'JaFro' Allen.

At just 20 years old, Allen is about 6-foot-11, or 7-foot-2 counting his impressive afro. With his headband and mustache (which appears to be the result of Allen’s inability to grow the requisite connecting facial hair for a goatee), he’d fit comfortably in the long-haired ABA, some 40-plus years ago. Allen also jams like those former ABA flyers, soaring high enough last season to clear Chicago’s 7-footer Lauri Markkanen for a Dunk of the Year candidate.

 

 

 

Allen has the makings of a dominant shot-blocker, and though the modern NBA demands more than that from its centers, Allen has a chance to be more. Defensively, Allen believes he'll one day be capable of switching onto guards, allowing the Nets to oppose small-ball lineups with a legit 6'11" center.

On offense, Allen makes his money moving within the paint. The Nets, says head coach Kenny Atkinson, "all love playing with him because he's gonna sprint into a screen, hit somebody and roll." Allen finishes lobs emphatically. Otherwise, he likes to hang by the rim while ball-handlers do their thing, and if a bounce pass or wraparound handoff comes his way, Allen will collect with soft hands and dunk it home.

 

@turnermx is up and will be PM'd

I read a article on up and coming young players he was near the top of the list. Just like Collins and Kuzma he will probably out perform most all of this years rookies. Nice pick!

[lethalweapon3]

Not a fan of that Dunk! Not at all! :-)

With Allen off the board, there is ONE NBA team that has yet to have a Dynasty Draft pick.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

On 7/29/2018 at 1:57 PM, lethalweapon3 said:

Top 50 so far.

East vs. West

First 10 -- West 8, East 2

First 20 -- West 13, East 7

First 30 -- West, 16, East 14

First 40 -- West 21, East 19

First 50 -- West 28, East 22

 

Rookies: zero (gotta be a 1st, right?)

 

~lw3

Top 70 so far.

First 60 -- West 34, East 26

First 70 -- West 40, East 30

Rookies: 5

Coaches: 1

~lw3

[capstone21]

I'm not sure why this thread (just this one) all of a sudden is not loading on my phone, so I lost my entire write up or my pick would have already been in.  Anyway....

 

With the 3rd Selection in the 2018 Hawksquawk Dynasty Draft The Lady JayBurds select Jarett 'JaFro' Allen.

At just 20 years old, Allen is about 6-foot-11, or 7-foot-2 counting his impressive afro. With his headband and mustache (which appears to be the result of Allen’s inability to grow the requisite connecting facial hair for a goatee), he’d fit comfortably in the long-haired ABA, some 40-plus years ago. Allen also jams like those former ABA flyers, soaring high enough last season to clear Chicago’s 7-footer Lauri Markkanen for a Dunk of the Year candidate.

 

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Allen has the makings of a dominant shot-blocker, and though the modern NBA demands more than that from its centers, Allen has a chance to be more. Defensively, Allen believes he'll one day be capable of switching onto guards, allowing the Nets to oppose small-ball lineups with a legit 6'11" center.

On offense, Allen makes his money moving within the paint. The Nets, says head coach Kenny Atkinson, "all love playing with him because he's gonna sprint into a screen, hit somebody and roll." Allen finishes lobs emphatically. Otherwise, he likes to hang by the rim while ball-handlers do their thing, and if a bounce pass or wraparound handoff comes his way, Allen will collect with soft hands and dunk it home.

 

@turnermx is up and will be PM'd

I like this pick ... he will be a nice up and coming big

 

 

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[Buzzard]

I am going to watch some Netflix, Queen of the South, and try to hang around for my picks if @turnermx gets back soon. If not, I will have to get them in tomorrow at work.

[JayBirdHawk]

30 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Not a fan of that Dunk! Not at all! :-)

With Allen off the board, there is ONE NBA team that has yet to have a Dynasty Draft pick.

~lw3

You took my guy Lauri so.....

[turnermx]

Pick coming after movie with my sons in a couple hours!

 

 

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[Spud2nique]

1 minute ago, turnermx said:

Pick coming after movie with my sons in a couple hours!

 

 

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? ? time!

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Because I've . . . NEVER LOST!!

? u really feelin urself today huh?

HOMER NICK MARKAKIS!!!!

3-0 Braves!

[Buzzard]

I will get mine in tomorrow. I will try and do it early as possible.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Let me do this write-up before I go to bed. 

Surely no one is picking the dude I have in mind, so all I have to do tomorrow is click ( Submit Reply ).

[lethalweapon3]

On 7/31/2018 at 9:17 PM, lethalweapon3 said:

Top 70 so far.

First 60 -- West 34, East 26

First 70 -- West 40, East 30

Rookies: 5

Coaches: 1

~lw3

CORRECTIONS:

First 50 -- West 28, East 22

First 60 -- West 33, East 27

First 70 -- West 39, East 31

 

By Division:

Northwest 15

Atlantic 13

Pacific 12

Southwest 12

Central 9

Southeast 9

 

~lw3

[AHF]

31 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Let me do this write-up before I go to bed. 

Surely no one is picking the dude I have in mind, so all I have to do tomorrow is click ( Submit Reply ).

This is where Jason Collins gets picked!!!