Wes is trolling....
Throughout the process, the toughest teams to draft against were Spycam's and Hack's, followed by Whiskey a bit behind, and I had a strategy for matching up with them. Numberica was doing a great job counterpunching given his late draft position, but he lost me when he took Mutombo, Marion and Sloan. Franklin also did very well from a late-pick position, but lost me at Ron Artest, since I don't think Artest can stop players at this level. That said, if you buy in on Havlicek and Thurmond, he has one of the top teams, given his first 2 picks. I'm not a big Carmello fan, since I haven't seen him really win much. There are a number of players who are good at many things, but not great at any one thing.
This is just my perspective based on how I envisioned these teams actually playing against one another. If I had to play the same cards again, I would probably make the exact same picks. That's just how I see these players and how I would build a team in the Team USA strategy.
I was intrigued with Wilt, but probably would have taken Hakeem over him, simply because he's a more modern player and used to the modern game. But Hakeem was gone in the first round. I want a big who can run the floor and compete all game without getting tired, so, practically speaking, I needed Hakeem, Wilt or Duncan. That said, I would probably still have taken Shaq if he were on the board. He's just a dominant player.
I might have taken Karl Malone over Garnett, especially on this board, but that was really close for me, and I actually like KG's versatility. I was so impressed by what I saw from KG in 2004, that I think KG was better than Malone at his peak, even though Malone had a legendary career.
I would have taken Pippen and Durant in that order ahead of Dominique Wilkins, because I wanted an explosive scorer in the backcourt with size. I would have slotted both at SG. I didn't think of Drexler or Pippen as go-to shooters when the chips are down, but Pippen is such a versatile player and defender with all the intangibles, that you have to take him if he's there.
I was looking for Penny/Nique in the 3rd and 4th rounds and debated which to take first. I guessed that Penny was more under the radar, and it seems that played out. Penny was my choice after Magic, and once Robertson was off the board, I didn't think there was anyone else to really consider for what I wanted to do. I had seen Penny destroy opposing SGs and SFs, and I'd seen what Penny had done to Stockton and Payton. The only PGs who can guard him in a meaningful way are Lebron and probably Robertson, although Payton and Magic (to a lesser extent) can probably slow him down in the half court. Meanwhile, Penny can defend opposing 2-guards out on the wing, letting Nique use his size against traditional PGs.
When I picked Amare, I was also looking at Kemp and to a lesser extent Rasheed. I needed a big who could compete with David Robinson, take him outside and use his speed. Sheed and Kemp both play more defense, but Sheed's shooting percentages weren't great, and Kemp never became as polished as Amar'e. Amar'e won me over with his steady jumper as well as explosion at the rim.
I didn't think much about Yao Ming. He was the best center on the board, and Northeast and I just took him. He might not play much, but still, he draws a double team since he can just turn and shoot over other players.
I would have taken Rondo at back-up PG, but when he was taken, I was happy to find that I had overlooked Tim Hardaway. I like Tony Parker as a player, but I think he calls his own number too much, and isn't the versatile passer needed to blend these talented players. I actually took a serious look at Ricky Rubio, but didn't think he was ready. I didn't go for Billups because his game is predicated on being stronger than opposing players, and that's not going to be the case here.
I wanted a stretch shooter to play off of Wilt and KG in the post. Kukoc fit that bill. Again, I looked at Sheed, but wanted a more sure stroke and higher shooting percentages.
I regretted the Kukoc pick a bit when I remembered about Latrell Sprewell, but Latrell stayed on the board through the next 16 picks....
That's basically it. The final pick was to add an athletic shot blocker and ultimately it came down to Davis and one other guy. I took Davis because he's faster and can play out on the floor as well as run out. I think Bosh is a good face-up PF who can stretch the floor, but I didn't really need that, since I had those roles covered with Amare and Kukoc.
You don't have to like it, but that's a competitive team that can match up with anyone here.
fus.