By: Mike Patt
Original Date: 10/18/22
Hello sports fans, and welcome back to the IE Sports Radio Blog. The 2022-23 NBA regular season kicks off in just a few days. To celebrate this event, we at IESR decided to do something fun. We wanted to see what would happen if we wiped the slate clean, and tried to come up with our best all-star teams. A group of us got together and drafted players from the entire pool of the NBA, fantasy sports style. I must say, the results did not disappoint. Davidson Crooks, Adam Karnik, Teran Rodriguez, Larry B, and myself were the participants. Let’s take a look at how we did:
Davidson:
Starting Five – Giannis, Kevin Durant, Darius Garland, Jaylen Brown, Bradley Beal
Bench – Lamelo Ball, Scottie Barnes
Our Fast Break host had the first pick, and made the logical selection of Giannis. He managed to land KD in round two, and layered on all-stars and complimentary players the rest of the way. This is a team that can defend at every level, score at every level, and move the ball with ease. There is a nice mix of veteran talent and young players with upside. Good athleticism as well. Davidson’s squad is built for the modern NBA, and would be a definite title favorite.
Adam:
Starting Five – Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson
Bench – Pascal Siakam, Zach Lavine
The host of Chi-Town Weekly and The Neutral Zone made a reasonable selection of Steph Curry at #2. He could not pass up the value of Luka in round two, and made great picks the rest of the way. Adam went all in on the small ball approach, as not one of the top seven is taller than 6’8. They have a nice blend of defense, scoring, and shooting range. Playoff experience is a strong suit, especially with Steph, Kawhi, and Butler. If Zion can stay healthy, this is an amazing group.
Teran:
Starting Five – Nikola Jokic, Trae Young, Karl Anthony-Towns, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards
Bench – Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham
You can never go wrong with taking a multiple time MVP with your first pick. Teran did just that by grabbing Jokic, and followed him with plenty of exciting talent. The offensive potential is sky high, and their youth and upside matches that of any of the teams in this draft. I am a little worried about the defensive capabilities, but the starting five could easily put up 120 points a night. Mobley and Cunningham might be the most intriguing bench duo of the five.
Mike:
Starting Five – Lebron James, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Paul George
Bench – DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis
I was critical of my selections originally, but as I sat on it I began to warm up. What could be wrong with grabbing an all-time GOAT, a low post juggernaut, and two rising superstars with your first four picks. The amount of production from all players will take pressure off on the offensive end, allowing guys like Tatum and George to be more two-way players. The size is great, and there is versatility to use a variety of line-ups. My big concern is the lack of three point shooting.
Larry:
Starting Five – Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell
Bench – Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green
Larry B is banking on a healthy AD, which explains his first selection. Grabbing two excellent guards with the next two picks, as well as Mitchell later on, creates an excellent back court. Gobert, Green, and Bam form an excellent defensive group and a deep rotation of big men that offers injury insurance and keeps legs fresh late in the season. The rotations are going to be interesting, as the team lacks a true small forward. There may be fights from this group as well.
And there you have it folks! Leave a comment letting us know who you think did the best, and who absolutely stunk. The NBA kicks off it’s season on October 18th with the Philadelphia 76ers taking on the Boston Celtics, and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Golden State Warriors. We will certainly be watching opening night. Here’s to an exciting NBA season that does not contain too much drama (even though we know it will). That will do it for this post. Thank you all for reading, and we will see you next time on IE Sports Radio; you’re direct feed for ALL that is sports.
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