Post by repole ಠ_ಠ on Jun 16, 2012 11:48:57 GMT -5
10. George Gervin SG 26 6'7'' 180 A- A C A- C B
I toyed with the idea of putting Gervin ahead of Bingo, but I just couldn't do it. Gervin's a great scorer and a solid defender, and at 26 he's sure to maintain his value for a while. He doesn't have any real flaws, but outside of being one of the best scorers in the league, nothing else really stands out. If his rebounding were a bit better he might jump into that upper echelon of valuable players, but he's not quite there.
9. John Mengelt PG 29 6'2'' 185 C+ A+ C+ A- C- C
An awesome scoring point guard, Mengelt saved Jay's job last season. He shoots great percentages, keeps his turnovers relatively under control, does a solid job on defense, and isn't a liability on the glass. He was in the argument for best PG in the league last year, and this season he'll likely be in the conversation again. He is 29 though and only locked up for two years, so his value is likely to take a pretty big hit come next season.
8. Bobby Jones SF 26 6'9'' 210 B C+ C- A B C
The ultimate role player. Great percentages, steals, blocks, rebounds, he really does it all. The scoring is mediocre, but even so, it's hard to deny how valuable he is to a team. Bingo without the volume offense essentially, and six years younger.
7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 31 7'2'' 225 A C C- A- A D
Kareem's getting old, but his production is still outstanding, and quite frankly I think someone other than GAME would get a bit more out of him. He is expiring though, and his age deducts some value from him, but he's still elite production wise. Most of the guys behind him aren't true franchise players (yet), so I just couldn't stomache putting him over KAJ, but I could be making a mistake with that.
6. Julius Erving SF 28 6'6'' 200 A- A+ B+ A B- B
It took longer than it should have, but Dr. J has finally become the dominant player everyone expected. He's a less shot blocking happy version of Bingo, and four years younger, so it shouldn't be too surprisng to see him ranked this highly. I still don't entirely trust that he'll produce at an elite level, and thus I can't stomache putting him ahead of Bingo.
5. Bingo Smith SF 32 6'5'' 195 B+ A C B B- C
Just a season ago, Bingo Smith was completely and utterly untouchable, and while his status as the GOAT is intact, suddenly a few signs of wear and tear are beginning to show. I don't think there's any questioning that for a single game, this season, he's still the guy you pick 1st, but at 32, with an expiring contract, and coming off a TC where he took quite a big bump, his value just isn't what it was last offseason. Still, Bingo should age relatively gracefully with his skillset, and certainly has at least three more seasons of elite level production remaining. What that's worth is really dependent on the evaluating GM's roster.
4. Derrek Dickey PF 27 6'7'' 218 B C C- A- A B
One could argue Dickey over Bird, and I wouldn't blame them, but Bird's age/contract/hype make him a more valuable trade chip. I think a lot of the league would be split on Dickey vs the new and improved Dr. J, but I think Dickey has more value for now. Dickey is elite on the defensive side of things, blocking every shot that comes his way and rebounding, while being a quality offensive player as well. He's the core of a team that won more games than Bingo's Bucks last year, so it's hard to really oversell just how valuable he is.
3. Larry Bird SF 21 6'9'' 220 A- A- A- B- A- A
After a +4 TC there are a few grumblings about Bird being a more valuable player than Magic. Regardless, it's hard not to be impressed with Bird's skillset, as guys who rebound the ball and shoot with such ability are virtually nonexistant (sorry Bos). Like Magic his preseason was a bit lackluster, but seeing as he's A- inside and surely not much of an athlete, I'd expect those percentages to turn around come regular season time. Eventually he'll be an elite scorer who can rebound and isn't a liability on defense, Dan Issel with a three point shot on steroids essentially, and that's pretty scary to imagine.
2. Eric Money PG 23 6'0'' 170 B+ A A A- C B
Prior to preseason, I would have put Magic #1 without any hesitation, just because of all the hype. But if you take the time to look past the hype, and look at actual production, there's just no way you can't consider Money. He's well on his way to becoming one of the most efficient and prolific scoers in the league, he keeps his turnovers in check, gets steals, and rebounds the ball well at PG. He really doesn't have a weakness at this point it seems, and that comes with some pretty impressive strengths. If his preseason stats aren't a mirage, he's #1 on this list. But he'll need to do it during the regular season to convince people he's more valuable than Magic.
1. Magic Johnson PG 19 6'8'' 215 A- C+ A B- A- A
So we don't know a ton about Magic yet, all we have are some draft notes, 18 games of mediocre preseason play, and the knowledge that his inside and midrange are above 85. With that information, we're led to believe that Magic is going to become one of the best players in the league, sooner rather than later. But he's not there yet. He shot the ball poorly in preseason, the turnovers and steals were average, and the shot blocking isn't what was expected. The rebounding at PG alone and the promise of future alone makes his value elite though, and ultimately I don't think anyone would hesitate to trade one of the guys behind him (with the exception of Money perhaps) for a shot at Magic.
