NBA ReDraft Playoffs 1st Round: 1) Santa Monica vs. 8) Manhattan

[phlp_bj]

Welcome to the 2012 NBA ReDraft voting process. The redraft is exactly how it sounds. The rosters of every NBA team are cleared and then drafted again from scratch. Posters from the site draft full rosters under a salary cap and then there is a voting process to make the playoffs. We are now in the playoffs and the head to head matchups have begun. Please remember to vote for the roster and write-up you believe would win a 7 game series. Also remember that every player is considered as healthy for these playoffs. Thank you and enjoy the playoffs!

Santa Monica:
PG: Isiah Thomas/Jerryd Bayless
SG: Eric Gordon/Jordan Hamilton/Sundiata Gaines
SF: Tayshaun Prince/Luc Richard Mbah a Moute/Derrick Brown
PF: Dirk Nowitzki/Jared Jeffries
C: Joakim Noah/Aaron Gray

Manhattan:
PG: Ricky Rubio/Derek Fisher
SG: Kobe Bryant/Reggie Williams/Lance Stephenson
SF: Grant Hill/Wilson Chandler/Vladimir Radmanovic
PF: Anthony Davis/Lamar Odom
C: Nikola Pekovic/Jermaine O'Neal

Santa Monica Writeup

First off, we’d like to congratulate SI and Hawkeye for making the playoffs. Both Gm’s did an excellent job for their first game back after a few years of not playing. We wish them the best of luck.

Three facts we want you to know:
1. Isaiah Thomas’s numbers as a starter-
14.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal on 47% FG, 40% 3pt, 83% FT.
2. Tayshaun Prince is an above average defender:
He held opponents to a .81 PPP overall (ranked 128) on 35% FG. Also, his opponent PER was 11.4 last season which is well above average with his sample size of defensive opportunities.
3. Santa Monica’s superior balance-
We feel we’ve developed a starting 5 that’s perfectly suited to play off each individual’s strength. Eric Gordon thrives in the PnR and being a primary ball-handler as shown by his 1.21 PPP in PnR situations. With this in mind, we wanted a PG who could still create for others, but also thrive in off-the-ball situations to let Gordon maximize his talents. Isaiah Thomas’s ability to stretch the floor allows us for Gordon and Dirk to really thrive together in PnR situations. Not only that, but IT’s ability to create for himself as well as thrive in the PnR was absolutely fantastic. He ranked 24th, in ISO situations and 5th in PnR situations last season which gives us a very unique ability to turn to an IT-Dirk PnR game or an Eric Gordon-Dirk PnR game. It’s another facet that the Manhattan defense will have to account for.

The real strength of Santa Monica is our bigs duo, Dirk Nowitzki, and Joakim Noah. We confidently feel this is the strongest bigs duo in the redraft and their talents complement each other absolutely perfectly. Dirk will have the freedom of totally being focused on the offensive end with Noah’s ability to rebound at a high rate (18 TRB%) and be a quality defensive anchor. The very young and green bigs of Manhattan will have a difficult time in this series against two playoff tested veterans who are both coming off huge seasons.

Head-Head Match-ups:

PG Matchup: Isaiah Thomas | Jerryd Bayless VS Ricky Rubio | Derek Fisher
If you believe ESPN hype, then Rubio should win this match-up in a landslide. However, the stats say otherwise despite how much ESPN coverage Rubio got. Rubio, outside of his passing ability, was a flat out horrendous offensive player. His efficiency numbers were atrocious, (.47 TS%, 39 eFG%, 0.75 overall PPP on offense, ranked 391). Isaiah Thomas on the other hand was incredibly efficient for the entire year posint a .57 TS%, .52eFG% and a 0.98 PPP overall on offense, ranked 68th. Another important factor to consider is how Rubio operates with Kobe. Rubio’s elite ability to create for others is severely lessened playing with the most ball-dominant guard in the game. While we plan to operate in a similar manner with IT and Gordon, IT has shown the ability to remain incredibly effective in an off-the ball role.

It’s also important to note that Isaiah Thomas excelled defending ISO and PnR Ball Handler situations last season, which accounted for 50% of Rubio’s offensive plays last season. Isaiah should have an advantage in this match-up with his superior play last season as well as Rubio's 1 elite talent being stiffened playing with Kobe. Off the bench, we have the option of bringing in PG Jerryd Bayless, who quiety had a great year last year. Bayless can score and easily hold down the fort when Thomas is out. Fisher on the other hand, is extremely old and provides little to nothing on defense and only shooting on offense. The advantage off the bench combined with the close matchup of the starters makes this one an advantage for us.
Advantage: Draw

SG Matchup: Eric Gordon | Jordan Hamilton VS Kobe Bryant | Reggie Williams
Don’t let the big names fool you, this is closer than it seems. Simply put, Kobe Bryant is not what he used to be. This year, he turned into a huge chucker, with his poor 52.7% TS%. Kobe needs the ball in his hands at all times and just isn’t a good team player anymore, as evidenced by their disappointment of a season. Kobe put up his lowest WS total since 1998 and settles for 5 threes a game and makes them at a terrible 30% clip. Gordon, although coming off an injury, is a great sidekick to Dirk. He can slash, run the pick and roll with Dirk (1.21 PPP on Pick and Rolls), and he can spot up (career 37% 3PT%). Gordon will get his points in this matchup, as Kobe’s defense is no longer elite and Gordon can score in a variety of ways. Defensively, we’ll be putting Prince on Kobe and Gordon on Hill. Prince has the ability to give Bryant a rough time with his length and above average defense. Though some believe he’s digressed, Prince put up good synergy numbers on defense once again and we trust his veteran self to play Kobe tough and smart. Off the bench, we both have two relatively inexperienced but talented 2-guards, so the bench matchup would be fairly even.
Advantage: Manhattan

SF Matchup: Tayshaun Prince | Luc Richard Mbah A Moute VS Grant Hill | Wilson Chandler
Santa Monica has the advantage here. Tayshaun can still hit the three at a solid rate and he’s a veteran player that knows what it takes to win. Hill is also a veteran, but his production has gone down a bit compared to last year. Hill shot an atrocious 26% from deep which adds to the awful floor spacing of Manhattan (Rubio 34%, Kobe 30%, Hill 26%). We have confidence that Gordon can stay on Hill, as Hill isn’t quick and isn’t a huge threat on offense. We also can bring Luc Richard Mbah a Moute off the bench to guard either Kobe or Hill. Luc provides fantastic defense and energy off the bench, and his length and quickness can give Kobe a rough time as well. Chandler on the other hand looked awful after he came back to the states, with a 44.5% TS% and -.3 WS.
Advantage: Santa Monica


PF Matchup: Dirk Nowitzki | Jared Jeffries VS Anthony Davis | Lamar Odom
This is the difference maker of the series. Dirk Nowitzki is still only one year removed from putting together a ridiculous playoff run to lead his team to the championship. He can score in literally any way possible, whether it be spotting up, posting up, taking someone off the dribble, or running the pick and roll. Synergy has Dirk averaging 0.97 PPP on isos (13th in the NBA), 0.93 PPP on Post ups (33rd in the NBA), 0.9 PPP on Pick and Rolls (84th in the NBA), 1.01 PPP on spot ups (110th in the NBA) and 1.12 PPP off screens (7th in the NBA). Dirk can still score from anywhere on the court and him going up against an inexperienced player like Davis is a recipe for disaster for Manhattan. Dirk’s one of the most nifty and savvy offensive players out there, and though Anthony Davis has raw skills, we have absolutely no idea how his play will translate to the NBA. There’s no Dirk Nowitzki in college that he’s ever faced. Dirk has a huge advantage in this series over Davis. On defense, Dirk won’t have much to worry about, as Davis is again very raw and not very talented down low. Off the bench, we can bring in Jared Jeffries, who is known to be a great hustle player that plays strong defense, and does the little things to help his teams win.
Huge Advantage: Santa Monica

C Matchup: Joakim Noah | Aaron Gray vs. Nikola Pekovic | Jermaine O’Neal
This is a close matchup, but the more experienced center has the advantage here. Noah is a great player for any team to have on both ends, as Bulls fans know. He can set great picks, handle the ball at the free throw line and make good passes (2.5 APG), rebound with the best of them (18.0 TRB%), and be a great anchor downlow on defense (1.4 BPG). Pekovic had an impressive year this year on a rough Minnesota team, but he no longer has the luxury of playing with a top 2 PF and great floor spacer in Kevin Love. In addition, Pekovic has a very poor RAPM (Regularized Adjusted +/-) of -1.6 while Noah sports a +1.0 RAPM meaning that Noah made a larger impact on the court than Pekovic did. In addition, Noah can hit the mid range shot and is a threat to score on offense (56.1 TS%, ranked 80th in the Pick and Roll, 84th in the post up, 68th cutting, and 33rd in transition). The guy is a jack of all trades center that is a perfect fit with Dirk. As for the bench, this is another advantage for Santa Monica as Jermaine O’Neal provides little to nothing in any aspect of the game at this point while Gray started for the Raptors this year, and provides good defense and rebounding.
Advantage: Santa Monica

Manhattan does not have enough to overcome a superior Santa Monica ball-club. Between 2 extremely young and inexperienced bigs in Anthony Davis, and Nikola Pekovic, a highly questionable back-court fit of Rubio and Kobe, and a lesser amount of talent puts them too far behind to win this series. Santa Monica wins this series on having 2 top tier offensive options (Dirk, Gordon), defensive role players who don’t need shots on offense, (Prince, Noah) and a PG with the ability to be a highly capable #3 option and spread the floor at an elite level. Santa Monica takes this in 5 or 6 games.

Manhattan Writeup

First off, congrats to Santa Monica on getting a top seed. I look at this as a favorable matchup for Manhattan at the 8th seed.

Offense: We plan to employ a high number of pick and rolls, with Pekovic being the pick setter, and Kobe being put on that side of the floor. Rubio is excellent at reading direction of defenders to use the pick. The defense will be forced to make a decision. They can let Rubio go down the lane, in which case a rolling Pekovic or slashing Hill and Davis are there. They can choose to push Rubio out, putting Noah in a terrible position of having to stop an isolated, much stronger Pekovic on a deep catch, and synergy numbers show that Noah is actually not good in isolations, instead being given credit as a great defender due to a system. If they send help from the strong side, we have Kobe Bryant, the leagues best shooter when open and an elite isolation player, being given the ball with no help in sight. Hill/Odom/Chandler will simply be asked to utilize cuts and backdoors, and get out on the break. Davis will be used as a cleanup man on offense, attacking the offense glass and trying to slip behind the defense for easy Rubio alley-oops. Fisher is championship pedigree who can still hit open 3's when put into the game, when our offense becomes more traditional, and we go to motion. Expect a lot of shots at the rim for our bigs, and Kobe getting a lot of midrange looks with minimal help on his side of the floor.

Essentially, we are going to punish their smallish PG with Pekovic picks, forcing Thomas to duck under or chase, which sets the offense in motion. Kobe will be given the task of taking the smaller Gordon into the midrange post, where Kobe will have no problem getting easy looks, which he converts at a high level. Pekovic has the physical strength to bury Noah deep under the rim, with the ultimate passing PG waiting to get him the ball. Our second unit is for more offensively versatile, and shouldn't have a problem getting the ball in the paint with ball handlers in Fisher, Chandler, and Odom.

Defense: Our team is simply elite. Rubio was top 5 in steals and charges taken rate. Kobe is a perennial all defensive team member. Grant Hill a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions, same with Chandler off the bench. Davis had the best block rate in college, had the steal rate of a guard, and is just the type of defender that slows Dirk down, with length, and the ability to get inside Dirk's dribble settup area that he covets. Fisher, while aged, is still savvy and takes charges, and our bench has willing defenders and Odom who can slide in at different positions. Pekovic/O'Neal will simply be asked to keep Noah off the offensive glass, since he won't be used much on offense.

We plan to stick at home on Gordon with Kobe, so he isn't getting high percentage looks, and may even switch Rubio on him in certain cases. We like Davis for exactly the reason we have him here. To guard Dirk Nowitzki. Davis has the size and speed to bother him, with ELITE timing and long arms to get up and bother a shot deemed by most unblockable. Rubio's task will be to keep Thomas out of the lane with his quickness, which Rubio has shown the ability to do, while forcing loose balls which waste precious time off the clock. Pekovic will be asked to take up space in the lane, and keep Noah from getting easy putbacks.

Once our bench meets theirs, we create separation. With Fisher, Chandler, and Odom, we feature three players that can start for 2/3 of the NBA. The rest of our bench is shooters and defenders.

Our backcourt and wing play are simply better, and we believe we have the type of defender that can slow Dirk down some, as well as a better bench with versatility amongst it. We have better rebounding, defense, and depth to go with that stronger backcourt, as well as a center who can score efficiently right at the rim. Gordon will be hammered by Kobe, Thomas pestered by Rubio, Davis has the ability to guard anyone, and our depth is too much.

[KB-Pau-DH2012]

Simply put, Kobe Bryant is not what he used to be. This year, he turned into a huge chucker, with his poor 52.7% TS%. Kobe needs the ball in his hands at all times and just isn’t a good team player anymore, as evidenced by their disappointment of a season.

As Kobe himself would say, some people are just very very DUMB!

[JOhnnyTHaJet]

Howd Manhattan end up with the 8th seed? Theyre a very good team.

[roshan3ai]

Kobe does need the ball in his hands. If Manhattan is making Kobe off the ball good luck. The guy spots up less than Joakim Noah and scores 36.6% of the time on spot ups.

[Avenged24]

Manhattan an 8th seed? Damn, these teams must be stacked.

[roshan3ai]

Does Manhattan being an 8 seed and not having Home Court make them a better team now or something?

[Corey]

#KobeSystem in full force

[PocketKings]

Santa Monica in 5.

[B'sCeltsPatsSox]

I'm still kinda shocked Manhattan made the playoffs. Imagine how ****** the chemistry would be in a Rubio-Bryant back court? Rubio is essentially useless and the only other piece worth giving a **** on Manhattan is Pekovic(AD is a rookie, not going to count him.)

[Hawkeye15]

Kobe does need the ball in his hands. If Manhattan is making Kobe off the ball good luck. The guy spots up less than Joakim Noah and scores 36.6% of the time on spot ups.

Kobe will get the ball in his hands plenty. Fact is, we are not running the triangle with Rubio's strengths and weaknesses utilized and hidden. Nor does our roster fit the triangle and its strengths, instead utilizing a PnR system on the strong side.

[Hawkeye15]

I'm still kinda shocked Manhattan made the playoffs. Imagine how ****** the chemistry would be in a Rubio-Bryant back court? Rubio is essentially useless and the only other piece worth giving a **** on Manhattan is Pekovic(AD is a rookie, not going to count him.)

we will not be utilizing the triangle at all. There is no need. I am fairly certain a top 10 player of all time can fit another format...

[xxplayerxx23]

A lot closer then i first thought. Going to have to think before a little bit. Ill vote soon.

[Avenged24]

I'm still kinda shocked Manhattan made the playoffs. Imagine how ****** the chemistry would be in a Rubio-Bryant back court? Rubio is essentially useless and the only other piece worth giving a **** on Manhattan is Pekovic(AD is a rookie, not going to count him.)

Why wouldn't Rubio and Kobe work?

[Corey]

Why wouldn't Rubio and Kobe work?

Because you'd be neutralizing Rubio. Taking the ball out of his hands takes away his biggest strength.

Kobe commands the ball. Rubio isn't a good player to have play off the ball. Cant shoot well enough. If he's not controlling the offense, setting up shooters, running the break, he's pretty much just a defender.

[Raidaz4Life]

I'm not sure why people think Kobe CAN'T play off the ball. Just because he usually hasn't, doesn't mean he is incapable of it. I think this past olympics showed he is perfectly capable of playing off an elite ball handler.