1 | Guru
ID: 330592710 Fri, Apr 18, 2003, 09:38
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Although I had a few valuable free agent pickups along the way, my draft was generally responsible for the overall success. Here's a round-by-round recap, along with a retrospective assessment:
Round 1 (pick #1) - Tim Duncan Duncan ended up as the 5th rated player in the ESPN fantasy player ratings, behind Kobe, Garnett, Dirk, and Marion. But I've got no complaints. He did what was expected.
Round 2 (pick #24) - Peja Stojakovic He ended up rated only 32nd in total stats, but that is partly because he missed a few weeks. Based on per-game averages, he ranked 27th. Again, I got pretty much what I paid for - scoring, good percentages, and lots of 3s.
Round 3 (pick #25) - Jason Terry At the time, this was a somewhat controversial pick, based on feedback at this forum. But it turns out to have been one of my better ones, as Terry was ranked #11 overall, ahead of such guards as Iverson, Nash, and Payton.
Round 4 (pick #48) - Andrei Kirilenko Kirilenko seldom stands out, but his final rating was #23, evidence that he finds ways to contribute across the board. Another great pick for the end of round 4, since his stats woudl have supported 2nd round status.
Round 5 (pick #49) - Kurt Thomas In many respects, Thomas had a disappointing year. But his final ranking was #43, and with center eligibility, this pick worked out just fine.
Round 6 (pick #72) - Chauncey Billups Billups really came on strong in the second half, and finished ranked #51.
Round 7 (pick #73) - Doug Christie Christie is another one of those players that doesn't attract attention, but contributes in so many different categories. His final ranking was #26, which is pretty much the norm for him. In an "experts" league, there is no reason that he should have slipped this deep.
Round 8 (pick #96) - Eric Snow Solid throughout, with several peaks and no valleys. Final ranking: #36. Not bad for the 96th pick!
Round 9 (pick #97) - Keon Clark Probably one of my weaker selections, and I had reservations at the time, too. I was hoping that he could ably fill my second center slot. He did have some solid periods, especially when Webber was injured. Divac stayed relatively healthy this year, though, which hurt Clark's potential playing time. His final ranking of #107 suggests that he was a respectable choice at this stage of the draft, but certainly not an inspired pick.
Round 10 (pick #120) - Mike Miller An aggravating player to own because of his perpetual aches and pains. He probably led my team in active DNPs. But he ended up ranked #97, so he was certainly a reasonable choice at this level. And I was able to keep him on the bench for a fair number of his DNPs, so I think his net value to my team was greater than his overall ranking indicates.
Round 11 (pick #121) - Vladimir Radmanovic Another pick with mixed results. He spent a lot of time on my bench, partly due to injury, partly due to having better options. His final ranking was #135, so this pick wasn't totally off base, however. But I'd have done just fine without him.
Round 12 (pick #144) - Bobby Jackson Ka-ching! Jackson's final ranking of #106 doesn't tell the story. For the first 2 months, he was probably a top 25 player. Once Bibby returned, Jackson was pretty much relegated to collecting splinters, but for those first 2 months, he produced way above expectations for a 12th round pick. Consider some of the players who were drafted prior to him: Chris Whitney, Redd, Kukoc, Derek Anderson, Trenton Hassell, Pat Garrity... Jackson's contributions, even for 2 months, greatly outstripped these guys.
Round 13 (pick #145) - DaJuan Wagner Another pick that paid big dividends for awhile. I ended up releasing Wagner before the year ended, but for a few months, he was a very solid guard, especially helpful as a replacement during Peja's down time.
Round 14 (pick #168) - Chucky Atkins When I took him, I said it was Billups insurance. Billups didn't need it. This pick was a bust, and Atkins was dropped early in the season.
Round 15 (pick #169) - Adonal Foyle At the time, I figured that Foyle would spend all year on my bench if I didn't release him first. But I actually did activate him off and on, paricularly during February and March, and he is is part of the reason I led in blocks, and finished 2nd in rebounds. Believe it or not, his final ranking was #80! Who knew!
Round 16 (pick #192) - Tom Gugliotta For a few weeks, Gugs looked like a useful final pick. But then he got injured, and all was lost.
Key free agent pickups: Christian Laettner (final ranking #86) Dale Davis (#116) Kenny Thomas (#133)
All three of these guys played quite a bit, filling up either center or forward slots depending on schedule. They all made valuable contributions. Thomas was particularly valuable after his trade to Philly. That's about the time I added him. And over the final month of the season, he was the #49 ranked player.
As you can see, the roster wasn't laden with star power. But most players produced above their draft level, and many were useful contributors in many categories. All told, the team chemistry was superb!
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