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Old Austin Tales: Forgotten Video Arcades of The 1970s & 80s
In the late 1980s and early 1990s when I was a young teen growing up in far North Austin, it was a popular custom for many boys in the neighborhood to assemble at the local Stop-N-Go after school on a regular basis for some Grand Champion level tournaments in Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. The collective insistence of our mothers and fathers to get out of the house, get some exercise, and refrain from playing NES or Sega on the television only led us to seek out more video games at the convenience store down the road. Much allowance and lunch money was spent as well as hours that should have been devoted to homework among the 8 or 9 regular boys in attendance, often challenging each other to 'Best of 5' matches. I myself played Dhalsim and SubZero, and not very well, so I rarely ever made it to the 5th match. The store workers frequently kicked us out for the day only to have us return when they weren't working the counter anymore if not the next day. There is something about that which has been lost in the present day. While people can today download the latest games on Steam or PSN or in the app store on your smartphone, you can't just find arcade games in stores and restaurants like you used to be able to. And so the fun of a spontaneous 8 or 10 person multiplayer video game tournament has been confined to places like bars, pool halls, Pinballz or Dave&Busters. But in truth it was that ubiquity of arcade video games, how you could find them in any old 7-11 or Laundromat, which is what killed the original arcades of the early 1980s before the Great Crash of 1983 when home video game consoles started to catch up to what you saw in the arcade. I was born in the mid 1970s so I missed out on Pong. I was kindergarten age when the Golden Age of Arcade Games took place in the early 1980s. There used to be a place called Skateworld on Anderson Mill Road that was primarily for roller skating but had a respectable arcade in its own right. It was there that I honed my skills on the original Tron, Pac Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Defender, and so many others. In the 1980s I remember visiting all the same mall arcades as others in my age group. There was Aladdin's Castle in Barton Creek Mall, The Gold Mine in Highland, and another Gold Mine in Northcross which was eventually renamed Tilt. Westgate Mall also had an arcade but being a north austin kid I never went there until later in the mid 1990s. There were also places like Malibu Grand Prix and Showbiz Pizza and Chuck-E-Cheeze, all of which had fairly large arcades for kids which were the secondary attraction. If you're of a certain age you will remember Einsteins and LeFun on the Drag. They were there for a few decades going back way before the Slacker era. Lesser known is that the UT Student Union basement used to have an arcade that was comparable to either or both of those places. Back in the pre-9/11 days it was much easier to sneak in if you even vaguely looked like you could be a UT student. But there was another place I was too young to have experienced called Smitty's up further north on 183 at Lake Creek in the early 1980s. I never got to go there but I always heard about it from older kids at the time. It was supposed to have been two stories of wall to wall games with a small snack bar. I guess at the time it served a mostly older teen crowd from Westwood High School and for that reason younger kids my age weren't having birthday parties there. It wasn't around very long, just a few years during the Golden Age of Arcades. It is with almost-forgotten early arcades like that in mind that I wanted to share with y'all some examples of places from The Golden Age of the Video Arcade in Austin using some old Statesman articles I've found. Maybe someone of a certain age on here will remember them. I was curious what they were like, having missed out by being slightly too young to have experienced most of them first hand. I also wanted to see the original reaction to them in the press. I had a feeling there was some pushback from school/parent/civic groups on these facilities showing up in neighborhood strip malls or next to schools, and I was right to suspect. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First let's list off some places of interest. Be sure to speak up if you remember going to any of these, even if it was just for some other kid's birthday party. Unfortunately some of the only mentions about a place are reports of a crime being committed there, such as our first few examples. Forgotten Arcade #1 Fun House/Play Time Arcade - 2820 Guadalupe June 15, 1975
ARCADE ENTHUSIASM A gang fight involving 20 30 people erupted early Saturday morning in front of an arcade on Guadalupe Street. The owner of the Fun House Arcade at 282J Guadalupe told police pool cues, lug wrenches, fists and a shotgun were displayed during the flurry. Police are unsure what started the fisticuffs, but one witness at the scene said it pitted Chicanos against Anglos. During the fight the owner of the arcade said a green car stopped at the side of the arcade and witnesses reported the barrel of a shotgun sticking out. The crowd wisely scattered and only a 23-year-old man was left lying on the ground. He told police he doesn't know what happened.
ARCADE ROBBED A former employee of Play Time Arcade, 2820 Guadalupe, was charged Tuesday in connection with the Tuesday afternoon robbery of his former business. Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Ronnie Magee, 22, of 1009 Aggie Lane, Apt. 306. Arcade attendant Sam Garner said he had played pool with the suspect an hour before the robbery. He told police the man had been fired from the business two weeks earlier. Police said a man walked in the arcade about 2:45 p m. with a blue steel pistol and took $180. Magee is charged with first degree aggravated robbery. Bond was set on the charge at $15,000.
First it was called Fun House and then renamed Play Time a year later. I'm not sure what kind of arcade games beyond Pong and maybe Asteroids they could have had at this place. The peak of the Pinball craze was supposed to be around 1979, so they might have had a few pinball machines as well. A quick search of youtube will show you a few examples of 1976 video games like Death Race. The location is next to Ken's Donuts where PokeBowl is today where the old Baskin Robbins location was for many years. Forgotten Arcade #2 Green Goth - 1121 Springdale Road May 15, 1984
A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to a January 1983 murder in East Austin and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jim Crowell Jr. of Austin admitted shooting 17-year-old Anthony Rodriguez in the chest with a shotgun after the two argued outside the Green Goth, a games arcade at 1121 Springdale Road, on Jan. 23, 1983. Crowell had argued with Rodriguez and a friend of Rodriguez at the arcade, police said. Crowell then went to his house, got a shotgun and returned to the arcade, witnesses said. When the two friends left the arcade, Rodriguez was shot Several weeks ago Crowell had reached a plea bargain with prosecutors for an eight-year prison term, but District Judge Bob Perkins would not accept the sentence, saying it was shorter than sentences in similar cases. After further plea bargaining, Crowell accepted the 15-year prison sentence.
I can't find anything else on Green Goth except reports about this incident with a murder there. There is at least one other report from 1983 around the time of Crowell's arrest that also refer to it as an arcade but reports the manager said the argument started over a game of pool. It's possible this place might have been more known for pool. Forgotten Arcades #3 & #4 Games, Etc. - 1302 S. First St Muther's Arcade - 2532 Guadalupe St August 23, 1983
Losing the magic touch - Video Arcades have trouble winning the money game It was going to be so easy for Lawrence Villegas, a video game junkie who thought he could make a fast buck by opening up an arcade where kids could plunk down an endless supply of quarters to play Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Asteroids. Villegas got together with a few friends, purchased about 30 video games and opened Games, Etc. at 1302 S. First St in 1980. .,--.... For a while, things, went great Kids waited in line to spend their money to drive race cars, slay dragons and save the universe. AT THE BEGINNING of 1982, however, the bottom fell out, and Villegas' revenues fell from $400 a week to $25. Today, Games, Etc. is vacant Villegas, 30, who is now working for his parents at Tony's Tortilla Factory, hasn't decided what he'll do with the building. "I was hooked on Asteroids, and I opened the business to get other people hooked, too," Villegas said. "But people started getting bored, and it wasn't worth keeping the place open. In the end, I sold some machines for so little it made me sick." VILLEGAS ISNT the only video game operator to experience hard times, video game manufacturers and distributors 'It used to be fairly common to get $300 a week from a machine. Now we rarely get more than $100 . Pac-Man's a lost cause. Six months ago, you could resell a Pac-Man machine for $1,600. Now, you're lucky to get $950 if you can find a buyer." Ronnie Roark says. In the past year, business has dropped 25 percent to 65 percent throughout the country, they say. Most predict business will get even worse before the market stabilizes. Video game manufacturers and operators say there are several reasons for the sharp and rapid decline: Many video games can now be played at home on television, so there's no reason to go to an arcade. The novelty of video games has worn off. It has been more than a decade since the first ones hit the market The decline can be traced directly to oversaturation or the market arcade owners say. The number of games in Austin has quadrupled since 1981, and it's not uncommon to see them in coin-operated laundries, convenience stores and restaurants. WITH SO MANY games to choose from, local operators say, Austinites be came bored. Arcades still take in thousands of dollars each week, but managers and owners say most of the money is going to a select group of newer games, while dozens of others sit idle. "After awhile, they all seem the same," said Dan Moyed, 22, as he relaxed at Muther's Arcade at 2532 Guadalupe St "You get to know what the game is going to do before it does. You can play without even thinking about it" Arcade owners say that that, in a nutshell, is why the market is stagnating. IN THE PAST 18 months, Ronnie Roark, owner of the Back Room at 2015 E. Riverside Drive, said his video business has dropped 65 to 75 percent Roark, . who supplied about 160 video games to several Austin bars and arcades, said the instant success of the games is what led to their demise. "The technology is not keeping up with people's demand for change," said Roark, who bought his first video game in 1972. "The average game is popular for two or three months. We're sending back games that are less than five months old." Roark said the market began dropping in March 1982 and has been declining steadily ever since. "The drop started before University of Texas students left for the summer in 1982," Roark said. "We expected a 25 percent drop in business, and we got that, and more. It's never really picked up since then. - "It used to be fairly common to get $300 a week from a machine. Now we rarely get more than $100. 1 was shocked when I looked over my books and saw how much things had dropped." TO COMBAT THE slump, Roark said, he and some arcade owners last year cut the price of playing. Even that didn't help, he said. Old favorites, such as Pac-Man, which once took in hundreds of dollars each week, he said, now make less than $3 each. "Pac-Man's a lost cause," he said. "Six months ago, you could resell a Pac-Man machine for $1,600. Now, you're lucky to get $950 if you can find a buyer." Hardest hit by the slump are the owners of the machines, who pay $3,500 to $5,000 for new products and split the proceeds with the businesses that house them. SALEM JOSEPH, owner of Austin Amusement and Vending Co., said his business is off 40 percent in the past year. Worse yet, some of his customers began returning their machines, and he's having a hard time putting them back in service. "Two years ago, a machine would generate enough money to pay for itself in six months,' said Joseph, who supplies about 250 games to arcades. "Now that same machine takes 18 months to pay for itself." As a result, Joseph said, he'll buy fewer than 15 new machines this year, down from the 30 to 50 he used to buy. And about 50 machines are sitting idle in his warehouse. "I get calls every day from people who want to sell me their machines," Joseph said. "But I can't buy them. The manufacturers won't buy them from me." ARCADE OWNERS and game manufacturers hope the advent of laser disc video games will buoy the market Don Osborne, vice president of marketing for Atari, one of the largest manufacturers of video games, said he expects laser disc games to bring a 25 percent increase in revenues next year. The new games are programmed to give players choices that may affect the outcome of the game, Os borne said. "Like the record and movie industries, the video game industry is dependent on products that stimulate the imagination," Osborne said "One of the reasons we're in a valley is that we weren't coming up with those kinds of products." THE FIRST of the laser dis games, Dragonslayer and Star Wan hit the market about two months ago. Noel Kerns, assistant manager of The Gold Mine Arcade in Northcross Mall, says the new games are responsible for a $l,000-a-week increase in revenues. Still, Kerns said, the Gold Mine' total sales are down 20 percent iron last summer. However, he remain optimistic about the future of the video game industry. "Where else can you come out of the rain and drive a Formula One race car or save the universe?" hi asked. Others aren't so optimistic. Roark predicted the slump will force half of all operators out of business and will last two more years. "Right now, we've got a great sup ply and almost no demand," Roark said. "That's going to have to change before things get- significantly better."
Well there is a lot to take from that long article, among other things, that the author confused "Dragonslayer" with "Dragon's Lair". I lol'd. Anyone who has been to Emo's East, formerly known as The Back Room, knows they have arcade games and pool, but it's mostly closed when there isn't a show. That shouldn't count as an arcade, even though the former owner Ronnie Roark was apparently one of the top suppliers of cabinet games to the area during the Golden Era. Any pool hall probably had a few arcade games at the time, too, but that's not the same as being an arcade. We also learn from the same article of two forgotten arcades: Muthers at 2522 Guadalupe where today there is a Mediterranean food restaurant, and another called Games, Etc. at 1302 S.First that today is the site of an El Mercado restaurant. But the article is mostly about showing us how bad the effects were from the crash at the end of the Golden Era. It was very hard for the early arcades to survive with increasing competition from home game consoles and personal computers, and the proliferation of the games into stores and restaurants. Forgotten Arcades #5 #6 & #7 Computer Madness - 2414 S. Lamar Blvd. Electronic Encounters - 1701 W Ben White Blvd (Southwood Mall) The Outer Limits Amusements Center - 1409 W. Oltorf March 4, 1982
'Quartermania' stalks South Austin School officials, parents worried about effects of video games A fear Is haunting the video game business. "We call it 'quartermania.' That's fear of running out of quarters," said Steve Stackable, co-owner of Computer Madness, a video game and foosball arcade at 2414 S. Lamar Blvd. The "quartermania" fear extends to South Austin households and schools, as well. There it's a fear of students running out of lunch money and classes to play the games. Local school officials and Austin police are monitoring the craze. They're concerned that computer hotspots could become undesirable "hangouts" for students, or that truancy could increase because students (high-school age and younger) will skip school to defend their galaxies against The Tempest. So far police fears have not been substantiated. Department spokesmen say that although more than half the burglaries in the city are committed by juveniles during the daytime, they know of no connection between the break-ins and kids trying to feed their video habit But school and parental worries about misspent time and money continue. The public outcry in September 1980 against proposals to put electronic game arcades near two South Austin schools helped persuade city officials to reject the applications. One proposed location was near Barton Hills Elementary School. The other was South Ridge Plaza at William Cannon Drive and South First Street across from Bedlchek Junior High School. Bedichek principal B.G. Henry said he spoke against the arcade because "of the potential attraction it had for our kids. I personally feel kids are so drawn to these things, that It might encourage them to leave the school building and play hookey. Those things have so much compulsion, kids are drawn to them like a magnet Kids can get addicted to them and throw away money, maybe their lunch money. I'm not against the video games. They may be beneficial with eye-hand coordination or even with mathematics, but when you mix the video games during school hours and near school buildings, you might be asking for problems you don't need." A contingent from nearby Pleasant Hill Elementary School joined Bedichek in the fight back in 1980, although principal Kay Beyer said she received her first formal call about the games last Week from a mother complaining that her child was spending lunch money on them. Beyer added that no truancy problems have been related to video game-playing at a nearby 7-11 store. Allen Poehl, amusement game coordinator for Austin's 7-11 stores, said company policy rules out any game-playing by school-age youth during school hours. Fulmore Junior High principal Bill Armentrout said he is working closely with operators of a nearby 7-1 1 store to make sure their policy is enforced. The convenience store itself, and not necessarily the video games, is a drawing card for older students and drop-outs, Armentrout said. Porter Junior High principal Marjorie Ball said that while video games aren't a big cause of truancy, "the money (spent on the games) is a big factor." Ball said she has made arrangements with nearby businesses to call the school it students are playing the games during school hours. "My concern is that kids are basically unsupervised, especially at the 24-hour grocery stores. That's a late hour for kids to be out. I would like to see them (games) unplugged at 10 p.m.," adds Joslin Elementary principal Wayne Rider. Several proprietors of video game hot-spots say they sympathize with the concerns of parents and school officials. No one under 18 is admitted without a parent to Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre at 4211 S. Lamar. That rule, says night manager David Dunagan, "keeps it from being a high school hangout. This is a family place." Jerry Zollar, owner of J.J. Subs in West Wood Shopping Center on Bee Cave Road, rewards the A's on the report cards of Eanes school district students with free video games. "It's kind of a community thing we do in a different way. I've heard from both teachers and parents . . . they thought this was a good idea," said Zollar. Electronic Encounters in Southwood Mall last year was renovated into a brightly lit arcade. "We're trying to get away from the dark, barroom-type place. We want this to be a place for family entertainment We won't let kids stay here during school hours without a written note from their parents, and we're pretty strict about that," said manager Kelly Roberts. Joyce Houston, who manages The Outer Limits amusements center at 1409 W. Oltorf St. along with her husband, said, "I wouldn't let my children go into some of the arcades I've visited. I'm a concerned parent, too. We wanted a place where the whole family could come and enjoy themselves."
Well you can see which way the tone of all these articles is going. There were some crimes committed at some arcades but all of them tended to have a negative reputation for various reasons. Parents and teachers were very skeptical of the arcades being in the neighborhoods to the point of petitioning the City Government to restrict them. Three arcades are mentioned besides Chuck-E-Cheese. Electronic Encounters in Southwood Mall, The Outer Limits amusements center at 1409 W. Oltorf, and Computer Madness, a "video game and foosball arcade" at 2414 S. Lamar Blvd. Forgotten Arcade #8 Smitty's Galaxy of Games - Lake Creek Parkway February 25, 1982
Arcades fighting negative image Video games have swept across America, and Williamson and Travis counties have not been immune. In a two-part series, Neighbor examines the effects the coin-operated machines have had on suburban and small-town life. Cities have outlawed them, religious leaders have denounced them and distraught mothers have lost countless children to their voracious appetites. And still they march on, stronger and more numerous than before. A new disease? Maybe. A wave of invading aliens from outer space? On occasion. A new type of addiction? Certainly. The culprit? Video games. Although the electronic game explosion has been mushrooming throughout the nation's urban areas for the past few years, its rippling effects have just recently been felt in the suburban fringes of North Austin and Williamson County. In the past year, at least seven arcades armed with dozens of neon quarter-snatchers have sprung up to lure teens with thundering noises and thousands of flashing seek-and-destroy commands. Critics say arcades are dens of iniquity where children fall prey to the evils of gambling. But arcade owners say something entirely different. "Everybody fights them (arcades), they think they are a haven for drug addicts. It's just not true," said Larry Grant of Austin, who opened Eagle's Nest Fun and Games on North Austin Avenue in Georgetown last September. "These kids are great" Grant said the gameroom "gives teenagers a place to come. Some only play the games and some only talk. In Georgetown, if you're from the high school, this is it." He said he's had very few disturbances, and asks "undesirables" to leave. "We've had a couple of rowdies. That's why I don't have any pool tables they tend to attract that type of crowd," Grant said. Providing a place for teens to congregate was also the reason behind Ron and Carol Smith's decision to open Smitty's Galaxy of Games on Lake Creek Parkway at the entrance to Anderson Mill. "We have three teenage sons, and as soon as the oldest could drive, it became immediately apparent that there was no place to go around here," said Ron, an IBM employee who lives in Spicewood at Balcones. "This prompted us to want to open something." The business, which opened in August, has been a huge success with both parents and youngsters. "Hundreds of parents have come to check out our establishment before allowing their children to come, and what they see is a clean, safe environment managed by adults and parents," Ron said. "We've developed an outstanding rapport with the community." Video arcades "have a reputation that we have to fight," said Carol. Kathy McCoy of Georgetown, who last October opened Krazy Korner on Willis Street in Leander, agrees. "We've got a real good group of kids," she said. "There's no violence, no nothing. Parents can always find their kids at Krazy Korner." While all the arcade owners contacted reported that business is healthy, if not necessarily lucrative, it's not as easy for video entrepreneurs to turn a profit as one might imagine. A sizeable investment is required. Ron Smith paid between $2,800 and $5,000 for each of the 30 electronic diversions at his gameroom. Grant said his average video game grosses about $50 a week, and his "absolute worst" game, Armor Attack, only $20 a week. The top machines (Defender and Pac-Man) can suck in an easy $125 a week. That's a lot of quarters, 500 to be exact but the Eagle's Nest and Krazy Korner pass half of them on to Neelley Vending Company of Austin which rents them their machines. "At 25 cents a shot, it takes an awful lot of people to pay the bills," said Tom Hatfield, district manager for Neelley. He added that an owner's personality and the arcade's location can make or break the venture. The game parlor must be run "by an understanding person, someone with patience," Hatfield said. "They cannot be too demanding on the kids, yet they can't let them run all over them." And they must be located in a spot "with lots of foot traffic," such as a shopping center or near a good restaurant, he said. "And being close to a school really helps." "Video games are going to be here permanently, but we're going to see some operations not going because of the competition," which includes machines in virtually every convenience store and supermarket, Hatfield said.
This article talks about three arcades. One in Georgetown called Eagles Nest, another in Leander called Krazy Korner, and a third called Smitty's Galaxy of Games on Lake Creek Parkway "on the fringes of North Austin". This is the one I remember the older kids talking about when I was a little kid. There was once a movie theater across the street from the Westwood High School football stadium and behind that was Smitty's. Today I think the building was bulldozed long ago and the space is part of the expanded onramp to 183 today. Eventually another unrelated arcade was built next to the theater that became Alamo Lakeline. It was another site of some unrecorded epic Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat tournaments in the 90s. But the article written before the end of the Golden Era tell us much about the pushback I was talking about earlier. Early arcades were seen as "dirty" places in some circles, and the owners of the arcades in Williamson County had to stress how "clean" their establishments were. This other article from a couple of weeks later tells of how area school officials weren't worried about video games and tells us more arcades in Round Rock and Cedar Park. Apparently the end of the golden age lasted a bit longer than usual in this area. At some point in the next few years the bubble burst, and places like Smitty's were gone by the late 80s. But the distributors quoted earlier were right that arcade games weren't going completely away. In the mid 1980s LeFun opened up next in the Scientology building at 2200 Guadalupe on the drag. Down a few doors past what used be a coffee shop and a CVS was Einsteins Arcade. Both of those survived into the 21st century. I remember the last time I was at Einsteins I got my ass beat in Tekken by a kid half my age. heheh That's all for today. There were no Bonus Pics in the UT archive of arcades (other than the classical architectural definition). I wanted to pass on some Bonus newspaper articles (remember to click and zoom in with the buttons on the right to read) about Austin arcades anyway but first a small story. I mentioned earlier the secret of the UT Student Union. I have no idea what it looks like now but in the 90s there was a sizable arcade in with the bowling alley in the basement. Back in 1994 when I used to sneak in, they featured this bizarre early attempt at virtual reality games. I found an old Michael Barnes Statesman article about it dated February 11, 1994. Some highlights:
Hundreds of students and curiosity-seekers lined up at the University of Texas Union to play three to five minutes of Dactyl Nightmare, Flying Aces or V-Tol, three-dimensional games from Kramer Entertainment. Nasty weather delayed the unloading of four huge trunks containing the machines, which resemble low pulpits. Still, players waited intently for a chance to shoot down a fighter jet, operate a tilt-wing Harrier or tangle with a pterodactyl. Today, tickets will go on sale in the Texas Union lobby at 11:30 a.m. for playing slots between noon and 6 p.m. Players, fitted with full helmets, throttles and power packs, stood on shiny gray and yellow platforms surrounded by a circular guard rail. Seen behind the helmet's goggles were computer simulated landscapes, not unlike the most sophisticated video games, with controls and enemies viewed in deep space. "You're on a platform waiting to fight a human figure," said Jeff Vaughn, 19, of Dactyl Nightmare. "A pterodactyl swoops down and tries to pick you up. You have to fight it off. You are in the space and can see your own body and all around you. But if you try to walk, you have to use that joy stick to get around." "I let the pterodactyl carry me away so I could look down and scan the board," said Tom Bowen of the same game. "That was the way I found out where the other player was." "Yeah, it's cool just to stand there and not do anything," Vaughn said. The mostly young, mostly male crowd included the usual gaming fanatics, looking haggard and tense behind glasses and beards. A smattering of women and children also pressed forward in a line that snaked past the lobby and into the Union's retail shops. "I don't know why more women don't play. Maybe because the games are so violent," said Jennifer Webb, 24, a psychology major whose poor eyesight kept her from becoming a fighter pilot in real life. "If the Air Force won't take me, virtual reality will." "They use stereo optics moving at something like 60 frames a second," said computer science major Alex Aquila, 19. "The images are still pretty blocky. But once you play it, you'll want to play it again and again." With such demand for virtual reality, some gamesters wondered why an Austin video arcade has not invested in at least one machine.
The gameplay looked like this. Bonus Article #1 - "Video fans play for own reasons" (Malibu Grand Prix) - March 11, 1982 Bonus Article #2 - "Pac-Man Cartridge Piques Interest" - April 13, 1982 Bonus Article #3 - "Video Games Fail Consumer" - January 29, 1984 Bonus Article #4 - "Nintendoholics/Modems Unite" - January 25, 1989 Bonus Article #5 and pt 2 "Two girls missing for a night found at arcade" (truly dedicated young gamers) - August 7, 2003
[Model Observer] [Opinion] Long Live the Queen: A rebuttal to the Lincolnshire Leninist
https://preview.redd.it/30lh79vhqte61.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=7081903f55e5310226f42afcd4548eb3c091a2aa The other day, the “Lincolnshire Leninist” (an extremely niche publication for people who are both Lincolnshireans and ardent revolutionary socialists) published an article titled “Long Live the Republic”, commemorating the Siege of Lincoln during the English Civil War. A particularly odd thing to do. Today, I am here to dispel the myths and legends behind the Parliamentarian cause that the Leninist fetishises in this article and expose the lies of republicanism. To understand the English Civil War, we have to go back to 1215 when King John signed the Magna Carta, which ushered in the beginnings of our constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The point of the Charter was to limit the power of the king and give more power to the barons and knights of the realm following many controversial decisions made by the aforementioned King John, not to mention a weak economy caused by failed harvests and a failed war in France. Nevertheless, whilst the first Charter ultimately failed, leading to the First Barons’ War and John’s death, later charters were signed and became the basis for our Constitution. Anyway, flash forward 410 years to the coronation of King Charles I. Charles took a pretty dim view of Parliament, especially the Commons, who often opposed the King’s proposal to raise levies and taxes in order to pay for his ever greater spending. So, 9 years into his rule, Charles dissolved Parliament indefinitely and for 11 years ruled by royal prerogative. Eventually, with war erupting across the Three Kingdoms (England, Scotland and Ireland), Charles was forced to recall Parliament which went about re-establishing its power. This lasted a whole two years until Charles attempted to arrest five members of the House of Commons - John Hampden, MP for Buckinghamshire, Sir Arthur Haselrig, MP for Leicestershire, Denzil Holles, MP for Dorchester, John Pym, MP for Tavistock and William Strode, MP for Bere Alston. Charles entered Parliament with an armed escort who subsequently barged down the doors of the Commons (leading to the tradition of the Black Rod) and attempted to arrest the men. This was to be the second to last time that Charles stepped foot in London. Soon after, the Civil War began with the Royalists (also known as Cavaliers) led by His Majesty The King and his nephew, Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland and the Parliamentarians (also known as Roundheads) led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell. By now, we know the story. The Roundheads were triumphant, Charles was brought to Westminster Hall where he faced a show trial and was executed. A Commonwealth was established with Cromwell as Lord Protector, which was absolutely nothing like the monarchy except the fact that it was his and his only and was to be passed down by male primogeniture. Totally not like a monarchy! The Privy Council was abolished and replaced by the Council of State which was absolutely nothing like the Privy Council except that its job was to issue Orders in Council and advise the Lord Protector. Totally not the Privy Council! The third thing to happen was the abolition of the House of Lords, though later Cromwell replaced it with the House of Peers which was absolutely nothing like the House of Lords except that is was filled with Cromwell’s friends and allies (many of whom were former members of the House of Lords) and not to mention his two surviving sons - Richard and Henry. Totally not like the House of Lords! Anyway, yadda yadda yadda, Cromwell dies, his son Richard takes the throne, I mean, Protectorship. Charles I’s son, Charles, Prince of Wales returns from France, the Third Civil War begins ending in a Royalist victory and the Restoration of the Monarchy with Charles crowned as Charles II in 1660. The question is, if this Commonwealth was so fair and just and perfect, why did Charles feel compelled to return to England and fight to reinstate the monarchy. The fact is that the Commonwealth was a dire place to live. All the Civil War did was replace a tyrannical, unelected monarch with a tyrannical, unelected protector. The rule of the Commonwealth was not conducted by Parliament, but by Cromwell himself through the Council of State, just as Charles I had done during what some historians call the “Eleven Years’ Tyranny”. However, Cromwell’s primary goal was not to govern the Commonwealth as effectively as possible, but instead to impose his strict Presbyterian, commonly called “Puritan” beliefs on his subjects. He banned, amongst other things, sports, plays, gambling and Christmas. Puritans believed that celebration or any kind of frivolous act was simply attempting to stray man away from the light of God, and so when Cromwell got his chance, he sought to create a nation in his image. He was a tyrant. Another thing he banned was Catholicism. Puritanism was a denomination of Presbyterianism, itself a denomination of Protestantism and therefore, Cromwell hated Catholics with a passion, especially the Irish, who were and still are majority Roman Catholics. He waged war in Ireland from 1649 to 1653, using his New Model Army to crush the Catholic Confederation (which still recognised the monarchy). The war was successful, though Cromwell’s war on Ireland was not done yet. He enacted Penal Laws in order to convert Irish Catholics and Protestant dissenters to the Protestant Church of Ireland and throughout his rule, he continued to take land from the native Irish. In 1652, he signed the Act of Settlement, which forced Irish Catholics out of their homes and forced them to settle in the west of Ireland and if they resisted, they were to be killed. “To Hell or to Connacht” is supposedly the phrase that Cromwell used. Cromwell then allowed English and Scottish Protestants to move into the vacated lands, especially in Ulster, which we are still seeing the ramifications of today. Enough about the past; onwards to the present day. For many on the radical left, the Republic is the ideal form of government. No hierarchies, no titles, just democracy all the way down. Sounds great, right? In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, democracy is a great thing. It is the measure of a free society. The freer the democracy, the freer the people. But let me ask you - in real terms, what would we gain from becoming a republic? The answer is nothing, and in fact, we would lose a lot. The monarchy may seem like a relic of the past to those on the radical left, but to me, and a majority of Britons, they symbolise our history. Her Majesty The Queen can trace her bloodline directly back almost a millenia to William the Conqueror. The symbols of the monarchy - the Crown Jewels have origins stepped in history. The Crown can be dated back to the coronation of King Henry III in 1220, the Orb was first used during the coronation of King Henry VIII in 1509 and the Sceptre can be dated back to the 11th century. Each one is adorned with diamonds and other precious stones and are rich in the tradition and power of the monarchy and they provide a direct link from the past to the present. When Her Majesty was coronated in 1953, she wore the same crown her father, King George VI did in 1937, as his father, King George V did in in 1911, as his father, King Edward VII did in 1902, as his mother, Queen Victoria did in 1838 and so on. The longevity of the monarchy is what makes it so inspiring. It is a symbol of our ancient past, but also of where we are today and when the Princes of Wales adorns it at his coronation and the Duke of Cambridge adorns at his coronation and Prince George adorns it at his coronation, it will symbolise the continuation of the monarchy on this green and pleasant land. The statement “Long Live the Queen” isn’t directly referencing Her Majesty, long may she live, it references the Crown itself, as the enduring symbol of monarchy. The Queen may be in possession of it, but the Crown is eternal and whether you view it as a symbol of the monarch’s God-given right to rule or as the symbol of the continuation of our institutions as I do, it will eventually pass on to its next owner by hereditary right. This is what a republic lacks - tradition. Republics take away tradition and attempt to replace it with ideas of equality and fairness. Republics are sterile environments, wiped clean of what the radical left deams to be impure. “This isn’t democracy” they cry, despite living in one of the longest-lasting democracies on the planet. This is a country that when more democracy is demanded, we have delivered it. Yes, it is not a pure democracy, but is that so bad? The radical left is so concerned with its own ideas of ideological purity and superiority that it cannot look past that and view what we have as a shining beacon of democracy. Yes, there are reforms to be made. I, for one, am a fan of having elected peers introduced into the House of Lords in order to introduce greater democracy to Parliament. The time will come when this will happen. When there is pressure for it, we will deliver, and right now, there is no pressure for abolishing the monarchy. The dissenting voices seem the loudest, only because they are the ones screaming in the crowd. The rest of us are standing content with it all. A Solidarity created republic would be chaos and right now, we do not need chaos. We are on the edge of the biggest change this country has faced in a generation. We need stability, not anarchy. Every time in recent history when a new republic has been formed, it has quickly descended into chaos. Germany went through years of strife following their transition to a republic following World War I, with factions literally fighting each other in the streets of Berlin, and all it took was one man - Adolf Hitler using the Weimar system to get into power and then completely unraveling it in less than a year. Russia deposed its monarchy before World War I even ended. In its place, a weak provisional state which required the backing of Soviets to maintain power, which eventually backfired, leading to a revolution where the Bolsheviks seized power, waged a years long civil war during which they executed the Romanovs and once the war was over, they purged anyone who wasn’t strictly in line with Lenin. And what came after Lenin wasn’t pretty either. We tend to think of the French Revolution as one thing - when the people of France deposed and executed the king and queen and created a republic. But that’s not what happened. What happened was the Reign of Terror, as the ironically named Committee of Public Safety, led by Maximilian Robespierre, executed almost 17,000 people in less than a year until Robespierre himself was executed. And much like in Germany 134 years later, all it took was one man - Napoléon Bonaparte seizing power to completely unravel the French Republic and five years later, declared himself Emperor of France and waged a decade-long conflict against every other nation in Europe before being deposed and exiled and the Bourbon monarchy restored, only for Napoléon to return, fight one last battle at Waterloo before being deposed and exiled again and the Bourbon monarchy restored once again. This only lasted 15 years until Louis Philippe I seized power and reigned for 18 more years until another revolution deposed him and declared a second Republic which only lasted 4 years before Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte declared himself Emperor Napoléon III, ruled for 18 years before being deposed himself and a third republic declared which lasted until our friend from earlier - Hitler, invaded France in 1940. In 1931, Spain declared its Second Republic and immediately faced threats from all sides of the political spectrum. Communists, Anarchists, Monarchists and Fascists all sought power. Inside 5 years, Spain was in the midst of a civil war with the left (supported by the Soviets) and the right (supported by Nazi Germany) fought for supremacy, eventually leading to a victory for the Fascists and Franscisco Franco becoming Head of State and ruling over Spain until his death in 1975, upon which it re-established democracy and the monarchy with Juan Carlos de Borbón becoming King Juan Carlos I. Not to mention the countless governments that Italy has had since its transition to a republic, or how Vladimir Putin has exploited a democratised Russia into becoming his own personal fiefdom and how Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has essentially done the same in Turkey. Also how the various republics in Africa and Asia have faced constant instability, dictatorships and military coups, even yesterday with the Burmese military seizing control from the civilian government. Republics. Do. Not. Work. Too much of anything can be bad for you, democracy included. As far as I am concerned, Solidarity should focus more on fixing the real issues in this country such as the growing racial, gender and class divisions in our society, tackling mega-rich corporations and preparing Britain for life outside the EU instead of squabbling over their own ideological purity. There are real issues in this country and the monarchy is not one of them. God Save the Queen, long may she reign. SomeBritishDude26, Chief Editor, The Observer Jerusalem by William Blake And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green? And was the holy Lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen? And did the Countenance Divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic mills? Bring me my bow of burning gold: Bring me my arrows of desire: Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire. I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand Till we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land.
[OC] The Overly-Long and Probably-Wrong list of the Top Draft Prospects
As a basketball fan, it's always fun to speculate on the NBA Draft prospects. That said, I'd stress the speculate part of that statement. As an outsider with no real access to these players, it's hard to be arrogant and steadfast in our opinions. We're working with about 10% as much information as actual NBA teams. If you feel confident in your analysis based on some highlight tapes of James Wiseman dunking on South Carolina State or LaMelo Ball jacking up shots in the Australian League, god bless you. And if you want to read my amateur analysis, god bless you too. But before you do, remember to check your sodium levels and take these picks with a grain of salt.
BEST PROSPECTS in the 2019-20 NBA DRAFT
(1) SG Anthony Edwards, Georgia Based on pure stats, Anthony Edwards would be one of the least impressive # 1 picks of all time. We're talking about a player who just averaged 19-5-3 on bad shooting splits (40-29-77) on a bad Georgia team. In fact, the Bulldogs didn't even crack .500 (finishing 16-16). All things considered, this isn't the resume of a top overall pick. It's like a kid with a 2.9 GPA applying to Harvard Law. Still, the "eye test" helps Edwards' case in the same way it helped proud Harvard alum Elle Woods. Edwards has a powerful frame (strong and long with a 6'9" wingspan) and a scorer's mentality. He's going to be a handful for NBA wings to contend with, especially when he's going downhill. And while he hasn't shown to be a knockdown shooter, his form looks better than the results suggest. I'd project that he can become an average (35-36%) three-point shooter in time. It may be unfair to label Edwards with the "best case scenario" comparison -- Dwyane Wade, for example -- but it may be just as unfair to liken him to "worst case scenario" comps like Dion Waiters as well. One of the reasons that Waiters is such an inefficient scorer in the NBA is that he's allergic to the free-throw line; he averages 3.1 FTA per 36 minutes. Edwards didn't live at the FT line, but he did get there 5.3 times per game. With more encouragement from an analytical front office or coaching staff, Edwards has the potential to get to the line 7-8 times a game and raise his ceiling in terms of efficiency. The key for Edwards' career is going to be his work ethic and basketball character. As a prospect, he reminds me of Donovan Mitchell; in fact, he's ahead of where Mitchell was at the same age. That said, Mitchell is a natural leader who made a concerted effort to improve his body and his overall game. If Edwards can do the same, he has true All-Star potential. If he walks into the building thinking he's already a superstar, then he may never become one. best fits Anthony Edwards has some bust potential, but he also has true star potential. Given that, it'd be great to see him go to a team that's willing to feature him. Chances are he won't last this long, but he'd be a great fit for Charlotte (#3). The Hornets desperately need a signature star, and Edwards has the chance to be a 20 PPG scorer within a year or two. worst fits If Edwards falls in the draft, he may end up clashing with the talent on the teams in the 4-5 range. Chicago (#4) already has a scoring guard in Zach LaVine. Meanwhile, Cleveland (#5) has already doubled up on scoring guards with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Adding a third would be a potential headache, both offensively and defensively. (2) C James Wiseman, Memphis A true center? Gross! What is this, 1970? Traditional big men tend to get treated that way these days. In some ways, they've become the "running backs" of the NBA. They once ruled the draft, but now they have to scrape and claw to climb into the top 5. Still, let's no go overboard here. Even if centers aren't as valuable as they used to be, there's still some value here. Some of the best centers in the game (Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid, etc) have helped make their teams staples in the playoffs. Wiseman can potentially impact a team in the same way, especially on the defensive end. He can get beat on switches now and then, but he's about as agile as you can expect out of a kid who's 7'1" with a 7'6" wingspan. Offensively, he has an improving face-up game in addition to being a devastating lob threat. Another reason that I'm comfortable with Wiseman in the top 3 is because he appears to be a smart kid with the will to improve his game. He intends to keep stretching out his range towards three point territory. Even if he can be a passable three-point shooter (in the 33% range), that should help make him a consistent 18-12 player and a fringe All-Star. And if not, then he'll still be a viable starting center. best fits We mentioned Charlotte (#3) as a great fit for Anthony Edwards, and I'd say the same for Wiseman here. His game complements the more dynamic P.J. Washington well; between the two of them, they'd have the 4-5 spot locked up for years. While Wiseman's best chance to be a star may come in Charlotte, we don't know if he truly has that type of aggressive upside. The more likely scenario is him being a pretty good starting center with an emphasis on defense. In that case, he makes some sense in Golden State (#2) and Atlanta (#6). worst fits Apparently James Wiseman doesn't want to go to Minnesota (#1), which makes sense given the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns. If he slips, Chicago (#4) may also be an odd fit. Wiseman is a better prospect than Wendell Carter Jr., but they're not terribly dissimilar. The new Bulls administration didn't select Carter, but it still feels too early to give up on a recent # 7 pick. (3) PF/C Onyeka Okongwu, USC (HIGHER than most expert rankings) Another big man? I may be showing my age here. Still, I'm going to stick to my guns and suggest Onyeka Okongwu is a top 3 prospect in the class for some of the same reasons we ranked James Wiseman so highly. In fact, Okongwu is arguably an even better defensive prospect than Wiseman. While he doesn't have the same size (6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan), he's more switchable. He projects as a prowling, shot-blocking panther, not dissimilar to Bam Adebayo on Miami. Offensively, he flashes some solid skill here and there, although it's unlikely he'd get to Adebayo's level as a playmaker. Another aspect that should help Okongwu is his selflessness. In high school, he played for Chino Hills alongside stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. While there, he blended in and did the dirty work for the LaVar Traveling Circus. It's likely that Okongwu will play a similar role in the NBA, complementing a star perimeter player. While Okongwu may not have All-Star upside, I don't see much downside here. I'd be surprised if he's not a long-time starter at the center position (with the potential to play some PF if his shooting range improves.) best fits The most natural fits for Onyeka Okongwu mirror the best fits for James Wiseman. There’s a chance he may slip further than Wiseman too. Washington (#9) should be salivating if that’s the case. worst fits As a low-usage player, there aren't a lot of terrible fits for Okongwu on the board. However, Detroit (#7) already has Blake Griffin on a long-term deal and may re-sign Christian Wood as well. Given that, there wouldn't be much room for Okongwu barring a Griffin trade. (4) PG LaMelo Ball, U.S./Australia. (LOWER than most expect rankings) Every draft pick is an inherent gamble, but there's a difference between gambling in blackjack and gambling in Roulette. To me, LaMelo Ball is more of the latter. No doubt, there's a chance that you may get lucky and "win big" with LaMelo Ball. He has great height for the position at 6'6"/6'7", and he makes some exceptional passes that illustrate a rare court vision. ESPN's Draft Express team ranks him as the # 1 prospect overall, and I take that seriously. Those guys were way ahead of the curve on calling Luka Doncic a transcendent talent at a time when most others were still skeptical. At the same time, I'd say there is a sizable downside here as well. In fact, I'd estimate that there's a greater than 50/50 chance that Ball is a "bust" based on his current draft status. LaMelo Ball put up good raw numbers this past season in the NBL -- 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists -- but he was in a situation specifically designed for him to put up good numbers. The efficiency tells a different story, as his shooting splits (38-25-72) look worrisome. Yes, height helps on defense, but it doesn't matter much if you're not locked in on that end. And yes, highlight-reel passes and super-deep threes are fun to watch, but they're not a path to consistency on offense. As Ball makes the jump to the NBA, he may smack hard into a wall and crash into the water like was on Wipeout. There's a chance he'll be among the worst players (from an advanced stats perspective) as a rookie. So what? We expect most rookies to struggle, right? That's true, but I'd be nervous about how LaMelo Ball and his camp would respond to those initial struggles. Again, I've never met the kid and have no real basis for this, but media interviews make him seem a little immature. That's totally understandable for a 19 year old, but it's not ideal for a 19 year old who's about to get handed the keys to an NBA franchise. If he struggles out of the gates, will he start to lose confidence? Will LaVar Ball start to make waves? Will the media gleefully tear him to shreds? No clue. And if I'm picking in the top 3, I'd prefer to have more confidence than question marks. best fits If we treat LaMelo Ball as a developmental project, then I'd prefer he land with a team like Chicago (#4). New coach Billy Donovan is a former PG himself, and spent decades working with young kids at the college level. If they slow play Ball's development, we may see the best of him down the road. Detroit (#7) also makes sense. Coach Dwane Casey has a pretty good reputation in player development himself, and he has a solid bridge PG in Derrick Rose to help buy Ball some time. worst fits Cleveland (#5) is an obviously wonky fit based on the current roster. I'd also assert that Charlotte (#3) is a poor fit as well. While the team desperately needs a signature star, they don't have the type of supporting cast that would be conducive to him right now. And if he struggles as a rookie, then coach James Borrego and the whole front office may be cleaned out. If that happens, a new administration would be inheriting a franchise player that they didn't pick in the first place. (5) SF/PF Deni Avdija, Israel The NBA tends to be reactionary when it comes to the draft, which can be particularly impactful for international prospects. Their stock tends to swing up and down more violently than a ride at Action Park. There was a ton of skepticism about Euros when Dirk Nowitzki came along. When he hit, the NBA got so excited they drafted Darko Milicic at # 2. Eventually that excitement wore off as the busts started to pile up again. But when Latvian Kristaps Porzingis looked like the real deal, it helped reverse that narrative and helped Dragan Bender go # 4 the following year. In terms of that up-and-down timing, Deni Avdija stands to benefit. He's coming into the NBA on the heels of an incredible sophomore campaign from Luka Doncic. No one thinks that Avdija can be a superstar like Doncic, but teams aren't as wary of international wings (specifically white wings) these days. Avdija should go somewhere in the top 10 if not the top 5. In my mind, that's justified. He's 6'9", which should allow him to play either the SF or PF positions. He hasn't shown to be an excellent shooter yet, but he should eventually be solid there. He's better suited as a playmaker and passer, and he can also use his size and skill to convert on slashes around the rim. I've seen some comparisons to Lamar Odom before, although that may be optimistic. More likely, he'll be a 4th or 5th starter. His experience as a pro should help toward that end, as he's used to working hard and fitting in on a team of vets. best fits If you project Deni Avdija to just "fit in" and be a solid starter, then he'd make sense on a team like Golden State (#2). He could effectively play the role of Harrison Barnes or old Andre Iguodala for them. If the intention is to make him more of a featured player, then the Knicks (#8) would be interesting. In that market, he has real star potential. worst fits I don't love the fit for Avdija in Charlotte (#3), where he may duplicate some of P.J. Washington's talents. Atlanta (#6) and Phoenix (#10) have also invested in young SF-PFs recently, so Avdija may find himself scraping for time there. (6) SG/SF Devin Vassell, Florida State (HIGHER than most expert rankings) Every single NBA team needs 3+D wings. They thirst for them like a dying man in the desert. And then, when a legitimate 3+D wing comes along, they often ignore them in favor of splashier players at other positions. Part of the issue is that low-usage 3+D wings aren't going to put up monster stats. That's certainly true of Devin Vassell, who averaged a modest 12.7 points this past year. Still, you have to go deeper than the pure numbers alone and consider the context. Florida State had a stacked and balanced team. In fact, Vassell's 12.7 PPG was the highest on the roster (and came in only 28.8 minutes.) There's more in the tank here than we've seen so far. He can hit the three (42% and 42% from deep in his two years), and he shows a good feel for the game (2:1 assist/turnover ratio.) Vassell shows even more potential on the defensive end. He's currently listed at 6'7" with a 6'10" wingspan, but he looks even longer than that to my eye. He's tenacious and disruptive (1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks) without being out of control. Presumably, he should be a good defender at either the SG or SF spot. In a sense, Vassell's the prototype for a 3+D wing. To be fair, I don't anticipate him being a great shooter at the next level. His FT% was iffy, and he's apparently been tweaking his shot during the draft process. Still, if he can be a viable shooting threat in the way that Josh Richardson is (an inconsistent shooter who averages around 36%), then he should be a solid starter for an NBA team. That may not sound like something worthy of a top 5 pick, but the high "floor" helps him in this case. He also appears to have a strong character and work ethic, making him feel like an even safer bet. best fits Devin Vassell's skill set would fit on virtually any NBA roster -- but his perceived lack of upside may keep him from going as high as my personal ranking. If he does, then Cleveland (#5) would be a nice fit given their lack of big wings and their lack of defense. Defensive-challenged Washington (#9) would also make sense; Vassell tends to be listed as a SG but he should have enough size to play the SF for them. worst fits You can never have too many 3+D wings, but it may be a duplication to put Devin Vassell on the same team with Mikal Bridges in Phoenix (#10). (7) PG Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State One of the reasons I'd have to be specific about a fit with a player like LaMelo Ball is that he needs the ball in his hands to maximize his potential. That's true for most lead guards. Given that, it's a nice change of pace to see a prospect like Tyrese Haliburton come along. He's listed as a PG and he can perform those duties. This past season, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.5 assists per game. But he ALSO can operate as an off-the-ball player. As a freshman, he did exactly that, effectively working as a wing player and a glue guy on offense. His three-point shot looks wonky, but he converted 43% as a freshman and 42% as a sophomore. If that translates, he can be an effective spacer as well. Haliburton's versatility also extends to the defensive end. He's 6'5" with an incredible 7'0" wingspan, allowing him to guard either PG or SGs. Like Devin Vassell, he also puts those tools to good use. Either one is an incredible athlete, but they're disruptive and locked in on that end. I'd expect Haliburton to be one of the better guard defenders in the NBA. All in all, you may ask: why isn't this guy ranked HIGHER? The skill set would justify that. At the end of the day I don't see elite upside here (maybe George Hill?) because he may have some trouble getting his shot off in a halfcourt offense. Still, he's one of the safer prospects overall and a kid that you'd feel good betting on. best fits The New York Knicks (#8) may bring in a big-name guard like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, but if they stick with the rebuild then Tyrese Haliburton makes loads of sense. He can share playmaking duties with R.J. Barrett, and he can help Tom Thibodeau establish a defensive culture. He'd also make sense for Detroit (#7) and even Atlanta (#6). While the Hawks have Trae Young locked in at PG, Haliburton can play enough SG to justify 30+ overall minutes. worst fits Obviously any team that doesn't have room for a PG OR SG would be a problem here. Cleveland (#5) and Washington (#9) are the clearest examples of that. While Haliburton could theoretically guard some SFs, it's not the best use of his talent. (8) PG Killian Hayes, France If NBA centers are like NFL running backs, then point guards / lead playmakers may be like quarterbacks. There's positive and negatives to that comparison. Obviously, a good lead guard can immediately boost your team. At the same time, you don't really need more than one. And if you're not "the guy," then your impact is going to be limited. Given that, there's a high bar to being a starting PG in the NBA. You have to be really, really friggin' good. According to many experts, Killian Hayes is exactly that. Physically he's what you want in the position, with a 6'5" frame. He averaged 16.8 points and 7.8 assists per 36 playing in Germany this year for a team that had a few former pros like Zoran Dragic. The Ringer has him # 1 overall. Personally, I haven't completely bought into that hype yet. I can't claim to have season tickets to Ratiopharm Ulm, but when I watch highlights I don't really see ELITE traits here. He's not incredibly explosive, he's not a great shooter, he's over-reliant on his left hand. I have no doubt that he has the upside to be a good starter, but I don't think we've seen enough (or at least, I haven't) to make me confident in that projection. best fits Chicago (#4) and Detroit (#7) appear to be the most obvious fits for a potential star guard like Killian Hayes. And while the Knicks may have been underwhelmed by a French PG before, he would make sense for them at #8 as well. worst fits Teams with lead guards locked in -- Golden State (#2), Cleveland (#5), for example -- would be obviously problematic fits for Hayes. While he has the size to play some shooting guard defensively, he has a ways to go before he's a sharpshooting spacer. (9) SG/SF Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt (HIGHER than most expert rankings) Back when I was single, I dated a girl who presumably viewed me as a "developmental prospect." She'd always tell me how cool I'd look if I got some new jeans. How hot I'd be if I lost some weight. After a while, reality set in. It ain't happening, honey. What you see is what you get. The whole transformation idea may have worked with Chris Pratt, but it's not going to work with schlubby ol' Zandrick Ellison. Sometimes it feels like NBA teams view prospects in the same delusional way. Josh Jackson can be a superstar -- if he develops his shot! Isaac Okoro can be a great pick -- if he becomes a great shooter! IF IF IF. We tend to forget that it's not that easy for a leopard to change his spots or for a player to suddenly develop a shooting stroke. It may have worked with Kawhi Leonard, but it's not working with most players. Given that, we should value players who already have developed that skill. Aaron Nesmith is one of the best shooters in the draft -- right here, right now. He shot 52% from three and 83% from the line this past season. There's a sample size issue there (he only played 14 games prior to injury), but his shooting form looks fluid and suggests that he should be a legitimate 38-40% shooter from deep. While Nesmith isn't a great athlete or defender, his 7'0" wingspan should help him hang at either the SG or SF spots. All in all, we're talking about a player who should be a starter, or at the very least a high-level rotational player. best fits Aaron Nesmith isn't going to put a team on his back, but he can help carry the load offensively given his shooting ability. That should make him a good fit for a team like New Orleans (#13) as they look to replace J.J. Redick down the road. He'd also be an excellent fit with Orlando (#16) as they eye more shooters/scorers. worst fits It's hard to find a bad fit for a good shooting wing, but there are a few teams that may not have starting positions available. Phoenix (#10) already has Devin Booker and a few solid young SFs. Sacramento (#12) already has Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic (presuming they retain them.) (10) PG/SG R.J. Hampton, U.S/N.Z. (HIGHER than most expert rankings) After that rant about delusions of grandeur with development prospects, let me try and talk you into a raw developmental prospect. Like LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton went to play in the NBL during his gap year after high school. They were both top 10 prospects going in, but their stocks diverged from there. LaMelo Ball put up big numbers and locked himself into top 3 status. Hampton didn't showcase much (8.8 points per game on 41-30-68 shooting splits) and may drop out of the lottery altogether. But again, I'd caution us to consider context here. LaMelo Ball went to a bad team where he could jack up shots. Hampton played on a contending team that didn't spoon-feed him minutes. Given that limited sample, I'm falling back on the "eye test" here. No doubt, Hampton's shot is a problem. He's a poor shooter now, and it may be 2-3 years before he straightens it out. At the same time, his size and explosion jumps out at you, particularly when he's attacking the basket. He also appears to be a mature and charismatic young man. That combo -- physical talent + basketball character -- tends to be a winning formula. There's some chance Hampton turns out to be a genuine star as a scoring lead guard. There's also a sizable chance he busts. Still, it's the type of gamble that teams in the late lottery should be considering. best fits In a PG-rich class, it'd be bold for Detroit (#8) to reach on R.J. Hampton. Still, he would fit there, as the team could groom him behind Derrick Rose for another year or two until he's ready to take over for major minutes. Any team that can afford him the luxury of patience would be a nice landing spot, even if it means going later in the draft to places like Boston (#14, #26) or Utah (#23.) worst fits I'd be less bullish on R.J. Hampton in situations where he may have to play early and take his lumps. The N.Y. Knicks (#8) have struggled to develop point guards Frank Ntilkina and Dennis Smith already, and a new coaching staff doesn't make those concerns go away. Hampton would also have lower upside on teams that already have scoring guards locked in, like Sacramento (#12) or Portland (#16). (11) PF Obi Toppin, Dayton (LOWER than most expert rankings) When Obi Toppin sees the list of names ahead of him, he should be stewing with rage. He's arguably the most productive player on the entire board. This past season at Dayton, he averaged 20.0 points on 63% shooting from the field. He's a good athlete and dunker, and he even hit 39% of his threes. At 6'9", he's a natural PF but he could theoretically play some SF or C too if need be. What else does a guy need to do to go in the top 5?? But while Toppin checks all the boxes on paper, I'm a little more skeptical. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Arizona PF Derrick Williams, who went # 2 in the 2011 draft. Many pundits thought Williams was the best player in the class, fresh on the heels of an awesome sophomore season that saw him average 19.5 points per game on 60% shooting and 57% (!) from three. The trouble is: Williams benefited from a small sample size from 3 that year (74 total). And while he was athletic in the dunking sense, he didn't have the hip movement to guard 3s or 4s effectively. We see some of the same traits play out here with Toppin. He dominated this past season as a (22 year old) sophomore. Still, I'm doubtful that his three-point shooting is as good as the numbers suggest. I'm doubtful that his run-and-dunk athleticism translates to the defensive end, where he often looks stiff when changing direction. I can see a scenario where Toppin is a scoring big in the mold of a John Collins, but it's more likely to me that he'll be a scorer off the bench instead. best fits While I'm cool on Obi Toppin myself, I fully admit that I could be wrong and he may just end up being Rookie of the Year. That may happen if he plays on a team like Washington (#9) where his guards will be able to take a lot of pressure off and give him good opportunities to score. Cleveland (#5) would also make some sense if they trade Kevin Love. worst fits If Toppin's defense is going to be bad, then he'd be a poor fit with Atlanta (#6). I also don't see much of a fit with Sacramento (#12) given the presence of Marvin Bagley III. In the long run, both may end up being smallball 5s. (12) SF Isaac Okoro, Auburn (LOWER than most expert rankings) We've all had this experience before. You'll go see a movie that you hear everyone rave about and you come away... underwhelmed. It's fine. It's OK. But you just don't get all the fuss about it. Right out of that Silver Linings Playbook comes Isaac Okoro. His stats don't jump off the page: 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks. He's allegedly a great defensive player, but his dimensions (6'6" with a 6'8" wingspan) don't suggest "stopper." Worse yet, he's a poor shooter from distance (29% from three, 67% from the line.) The last time I got this sense of "meh-ness" was Jarrett Culver last year. I didn't understand how he went in the top 5, and I'm not going to understand how Okoro goes in the top 10 this year. To be clear, I don't think Okoro (or Culver) is a BAD prospect, just that they're both overrated by the community. Okoro is definitely a strong kid who is active around the rim. He's a live body. He could theoretically improve his shooting and become a starter. Still, "potential starter" is not something that I want in a top 10 pick. best fits While I don't love Isaac Okoro myself, I can see some good fits on the board. Washington (#9) could use some thicker wings who can play solid defense. Portland (#16) is incredibly desperate for capable wings themselves. worst fits With Okoro, I don't necessarily think the worst fits are a matter of skill set as much as expectation. If he goes as high as Chicago (#4) or Cleveland (#5), I suspect he'll disappoint in terms of the returns and garner some resentment from the fan base. (13) SG/SF Josh Green, Arizona As oddly overrated as Isaac Okoro is (in my mind), Josh Green is oddly underrated. Okoro tends to go about 10 spots higher in mock drafts, but they seem nearly identical in terms of a head-to-head comparison. In fact, I had to go back and forth about which I'd rank higher. They're both good athletes for their position and should be backend starters at the next level. Okoro is thicker and better around the rim, while Green is further along as a shooter. Overall I leaned to Okoro because he had the size to match up with bigger SFs and has a little more of a bullying scorer gene in him, but it was a close race. In fact, you can argue that Josh Green's selflessness will actually benefit him in the NBA. He's a "team guy," with an underrated passing ability and basketball IQ. The stats don't jump off the pages in that regard (2.6 assists, 1.6 turnovers), but he was also playing with a good college PG in Nico Mannion. As he moves to the NBA, he's unlikely to have the ball much either, but he projects to be an all-around glue guy who can help on both ends. best fits As with Isaac Okoro, Portland (#16) could be a nice landing spot for a solid wing player. And while New Orleans (#13) has a lot of athleticism already, it never hurts to have another viable wing. They tended to play small at the SG-SF spot, which hurt their defense overall. Playing Green could help them when they slide Brandon Ingram over to the 4 and Zion Williamson at the 5. worst fits I don't see many "bad" fits for Josh Green on the board, but you'd prefer that he went to a team that intended to make him a part of the future. Minnesota (#17) may not be able to do that if they already have Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie. Brooklyn (#19) may not be looking for long-term projects since they're in a "win now" mode. (14) PG Tyrell Terry, Stanford Tyrell Terry is rocketing up draft boards on account of his stellar shooting ability (41% from 3, 89% from the line) and his better-than-expected measurement of 6'3". It's only natural that pundits would start comparing him to stud shooters like Steph Curry. That said, not every stud shooter is Steph Curry. Some are Seth Curry. Some are Quinn Cook. There's a slight chance Terry breaks out as a good starter, but there's a better than average chance he peaks as a rotational player instead. Still, he should be an asset to a team as a spacer, particularly if they run their offense through a playmaking forward (like a LeBron James). And in case you're wondering, no he is NOT related to Jason Terry, although some of their skill sets do overlap as scoring guards with deep range. best fits If we presume that Tyrell Terry can be a Seth (not Steph) type player, then adding him to Dallas (#18) makes sense. He can develop behind Seth for a year or two as he gains weight, and then help complement Luka Doncic as a spacer after that. Similarly, he makes sense for Philadelphia (#21) as well. We'd still lock Ben Simmons into the starting PG role, but Terry could play alongside him in lineups or be used as a sparkplug off the bench. worst fits Teams that may be eyeing Tyrell Terry as a surefire starter will have to be careful. For example, Phoenix (#10) needs an heir apparent for Ricky Rubio, but a Terry + Devin Booker combo may be problematic on the defensive end. Some other teams -- Brooklyn (#19) and Denver (#22) -- already have sharpshooter guards, so they don't have as strong of a need for this type of player. (15) PF Aleksej Pokusevski, Serbia We mentioned that LaMelo Ball may be the biggest boom/bust prospect in the class, likening him to gambling on Roulette. Enter Aleksej Pokusevski. "Gambling" may not even be doing it justice. This is like risking your family fortune on a bag of magic beans. But hey, that worked for Jack, and it could work for an NBA team as well. I have a friend who works in coaching who raved about Pokusevski and considers him a top 10 prospect overall. After all, this is a legit 7'0" player with true perimeter skills. Playing for Olympiacos' development team, he averaged 16.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes. He hasn't even turned 19 years old yet, giving him an enormous amount of upside. Still, he scares the hell out of me. He's listed at 7'0" and 200 pounds, with narrow shoulders that make you doubt how much weight he'll be able to carry in the long term. His body type doesn't remind you of any current NBA forwards; it reminds you of two kids wearing a trenchcoat. All in all, Pokusevski seems like a great prospect to invest in, presuming you don't have to withdraw from the bank until 2023 or 2024. To that end, teams should only consider them if they feel confident in their long-term job security. best fits If the goal is to send Aleksej Pokusevski to a good, stable organization, then you can't do much better than San Antonio (#11). Even if Gregg Popovich retires from coaching, R.C. Buford should be around to help the next coach (Becky Hammon? Will Hardy? R.C.'s son Chase?). And if the goal is to find a good stable GM, Sam Presti and Oklahoma City (#25) would be a great home as they prepare for a long-term rebuild. worst fits Orlando (#15) always values length, but they have limited space left in the frontcourt and limited leg room left on that poor charter plane. I wasn't kidding when I said this post was "overly" long. The rest of the top 20 got cut off because of a length limit. I'll try to include them in the comment section.
Offseason Blueprint: It may feel like the sky is falling for the Milwaukee Bucks, but they're still in rare air right now
The playoffs continue to rage on, but there are 25 teams sitting at home with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, tinker with their fantasy football teams, and wait for next season to start. For their sake, we wanted to look ahead with the next edition of the OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each, we'll preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way. Today, we're looking at the Milwaukee Bucks. step one: plug your ears and get back to work There's no getting around it: the 2019-20 playoffs were a disaster for the Milwaukee Bucks. This was a team that had been # 1 all year in terms of win record, SRS, defensive rating, etc. Consider this. Their +10.1 point differential in the regular season was the best in the entire NBA by a margin of 3.7 (next best was +6.4). That means their point differential was 58% better than the next closest team. Based on all that, losing 4-1 in the second round feels like an abject failure, regardless of whether Giannis Antetokounmpo was hobbled or not, and regardless of whether the Miami Heat were a "tough matchup" or not. Championship teams need to leap past those hurdles on their way to the finish line. What's more concerning from Bucks' fans perspective is how familiar this all must feel. Forget Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who won the title before his exit), because younger fans won't remember that period anyway. However, all of us can look around at recent history and feel some sense of deja vu. Primarily, I'm thinking about LeBron James' first stint in Cleveland. The superstar landed on a small market, and lifted them into high-profile and contender status. In 2006-07, 22-year-old James led the Cavs all the way to the Finals, only to get swept 4-0 by the veteran San Antonio Spurs. After that, we naturally presumed that James and the Cavs would get better and better and eventually reach the promised land. And they did -- in the regular season. By 2008-09, LeBron James had become the league MVP, leading the Cavs to finish with a 66-16 record (best in the NBA.) That season, they lost a tough Conference Finals. The next season, James won MVP again, and the Cavs finished with the best record in the league again. Only this time, they got bounced in round TWO. The Bucks are on that exact same trend. Giannis has won two MVPs in a row -- the Bucks have grabbed the # 1 seed two years in a row -- and they've disappointed in the playoffs two years in a row. We all remember what happened after the Cavs' hit that roadblock -- LeBron James left the following year. Giannis isn't a free agent yet, but he theoretically could push for a trade, or he could simply wait until next offseason to fly the coop. We've already started to hear the whispers. Miami. Toronto. Golden State. If he wants to mimic LeBron James' career arc, he may be eyeing the Dallas Mavericks, their cap space, and their young international stars. It can be their own version of a super team: the Big III. If you're a Bucks fan or executive, that fear should keep you up at night. That paranoia may be real. But still, you can't live in the fear. You need to keep pushing forward, ignoring all the gossip, all the media rumors, all the instagram tea leaves. Even if some of it's real, you need to block it out. You have a job to do. Win. Championship-caliber teams and title chances don't come along very often in a league with 30 teams. Even if they just run it back, the Bucks have a chance to win the championship. Even if it's just for one more year, even if it's your own Last Dance, you strap on your dancing shoes and go for it. After all, there's no Giannis trade that's going to make sense from a basketball perspective. If you lose Giannis (via trade or via free agency), you may never be in this position ever again. This is it. This is your chance. Be grateful that you even get one, because most front offices and coaching staffs don't. step two: build a title machine, not a title team When you're scared that your superstar may leave, there's a tendency to get desperate with "win now!" moves. The Cleveland Cavaliers did the same with LeBron James, adding players like old Ben Wallace and old Shaq. Didn't work. There may be some temptation to do the same here, with names like Chris Paul already being thrown around. Presumably, the logic goes that if the Bucks win in 2021, then Giannis won't leave. But we also have recent history to suggest that's not true either. The Toronto Raptors acquired Kawhi Leonard, won the championship, and still lost him in free agency. Players don't base their decisions around the past; they base decisions about what's best for their FUTURE. By those standards, the Bucks need to be concerned. They've built the roster around Giannis, but it's a fairly old roster. Khris Middleton is still in his prime, but Eric Bledsoe is already 30 (and under contract for 3 more years.) Brook Lopez is 32 (and under contract for 3 more years.) Wes Matthews is 33, and George Hill is 34. This is a supporting cast that may have peaked, and may get worse and worse over time. Would Giannis want to sign a long-term contract with a team with diminishing returns around him? With that in mind, the Bucks should only make a major trade if it yields a star in his 20s. No Chris Paul, no Al Horford. The ideal acquisitions for this team would be players like Bradley Beal (27 years old) or C.J. McCollum (28). Both of them can space the floor for Giannis, but also create their own scoring as well. Better yet, their skill sets should age well and keep them valuable for the next 4-5 years. If Giannis gave the greenlight (and signed on the dotted line), the Bucks could make a Clippers-PG3 esque move and mortgage their future drafts to acquire a star like that. Realistically, that may be too high of a bar. They're the template, but they're likely out of the Bucks' price range in terms of assets. Other candidates that have been floated on the market include Buddy Hield (a super fit as a shooter), and Otto Porter (injury prone and expensive, but still effective as a 3+D player when healthy.) Jrue Holiday may be an intriguing option, although he'd technically break our rule because he just turned "30" in June. Still, Holiday is a great guy and a versatile defender, so he may be worth betraying our bolded mandate. step three: no weak links allowed in the machine We've been taught through history lessons and Michael Jordan mythology that the best player in the NBA is supposed to win the title, no matter what. Alas, it's nearly impossible in today's climate for a superstar to win a championship without a great supporting cast. Either you need a superstar teammate, or an incredibly balanced roster around you. The Bucks have a very good supporting cast, but it's probably a little shy of title worthy. The shooting guard position is a potential weak link. Current starter Wes Matthews is a tough dude who fits the 3+D profile, but his 3 and his D ain't quite what it used to be. He still fights admirably, but he's approaching 34 and saddled with a lot of mileage and injury history. This season, he struggled to find his rhythm offensively, registering a 54.7% true shooting. That's actually not a bad number on its own, but it was the lowest among the Bucks' top 10 rotation players. With Matthews aging, the hope is that 23-year-old Donte DiVicenzo can step up and grab hold of that mantle. That's still up in the air. DiVicenzo has virtues: good athleticism, good energy, solid defense, but he's still developing his shot and learning to play under control. It may be a leap of faith to presume that he'd be ready to start for a title team next season. Meanwhile, Pat Connaughton is OK, but he's a free agent and wouldn't be any great shakes himself. Presuming we don't land a great trade, what do we do here? The options may be limited, given the lack of cap space and movable trade assets. The Bucks may need to find a place-holder again until they're confident that DiVicenzo can play 25-30 minutes a night. You may be able to find a decent stopgap in the trade market: someone like Terrence Ross (ORL), or Reggie Bullock (NYK), or Jeremy Lamb (IND). The New Orleans Pelicans would intrigue me as potential trade partner, given their abundance of riches (and question marks) at the guard position. They'll have Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball under contract, as well as promising combo guards like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Josh Hart. Those latter two may be great options for the Bucks' long-term approach. If "short term" is the goal, then you'd have to consider J.J. Redick as well. The defense and age are issues, but Redick still lit it up to the tune of 45% shooting from 3 this year. Platooning Redick and DiVincenzo isn't a terrible option. And hell, let's throw one more Pelican into the mix. If I ran the Bucks, I'd try to sign free agent E'Twaun Moore, an underrated 3+D player who got lost in the shuffle this season. Moore has enough length to play the 2 or 3, and could soak up 25 minutes for the team. Adding more competent wings would also give the team some flexibility in their lineups and rotations to go big or small as they please. step four: if all else fails, embrace organic farming Let's say the Milwaukee Bucks don't acquire a third star. Let's say they don't land an upgrade on the margins either. Let's say they have to enter 2020-21 with this exact same roster. If that's the case, they're still likely going to win 50+ games, still likely going to be a threat to make the Finals. It's not the end of the world by any stretch. However, if the Bucks can't shake up or tweak their roster, then they're going to have to rely more on internal improvements. We already mentioned Donte DiVincenzo as a major piece of the future and a potential starter down the road. It'd be great if we could see that trajectory for PF D.J. Wilson as well. After doing nothing as a rookie, he started to find some footing as a sophomore (playing 18.4 minutes a night.) But instead of improve again, he took a sizable step back. If Wilson can shake it off and get back on schedule, it would be very helpful for the team. PF Marvin Williams is retiring, and PF Ersan Ilyasova is 33 years old himself. It's imperative that the Bucks find a capable stretch PF for the future, not only to back up Giannis at the 4 but also to play alongside him when he slides over to the 5. This draft may also represent an opportunity to add a rotation player. The Bucks will have Indiana's draft pick -- # 24 overall. It's not likely to yield a star, but they should be able to find a contributor. Let's take a look at some names to file away. Tyrell Terry (Stanford) is a smaller guard, but he's an elite shooter (41% from 3, 89% from the FT line.) Perhaps he can be our C.J. McCollum -- or at least, our Seth (not Steph) Curry off the bench. Terry's ranked in the 20s, but some sites like The Ringer have him a lot higher (# 9 for them.) Speaking of potential sleepers, I'd be intrigued by PF/C Killian Tillie (Gonzaga). He's also a top notch shooter for his position. He's limited in terms of defense and durability, but playing next to Giannis can cure a lot of problems. I also like SF Robert Woodard II (Mississippi State), a 6'7" wing with 3+D potential. Regardless of who the Bucks take, they need to show that they can develop him well. As we've mentioned numerous times, this is an older supporting cast that will slowly decay. Replacing those talents with competent rotational players will be key to sustaining the team's success. step five: have a Plan B, C, D and E in your back pocket Coach Mike Budenholzer has gotten a lot of flak for his playoff performance, and there's validity to that criticism. Throughout his career, Bud has done a lot better in the regular season than the postseason. He's gotten spanked too many times, losing 3-4 games in a row in a fashion that shouldn't happen for a high-level coach. At times, he appears to be a step slow to adjust, freezes, and watches the train roll over him. In some ways, I wonder if the Bucks were a victim of their own success here. They've been SO GOOD in the regular season that they've never seemed to need a Plan B. They can lock you down on D, use those transition opportunities to score at will, and dominate the game so easily that Giannis can check out and eat gyros by the 4th quarter. However, we can see the pitfalls of that when teams slow down their typical gameplan, and cause the Bucks to scramble for new looks. Does this team have the ability to counter-punch? One potential wrinkle I'd be curious to see is whether they'd be more effective in playoff games with Eric Bledsoe coming off the bench. While George Hill is old, he's still a good 3+D player who can hold the fort at PG. In fact, he's a better shooter and spacer than Bledsoe. For his part, Bledsoe is more of a playmaker and wrecking ball who could theoretically have more freedom and more impact in leading a second unit. Is that the answer? Is going small the answer? Is playing Giannis closer to 40 minutes (in the playoffs) the answer? I dunno. But I'm not paid to know. And I'm not expecting Coach Bud to have all the answers right now. But from what we've seen, the team needs to be more willing to throw some potential solutions at the wall and see what sticks rather than allowing themselves to get stomped out of another playoff series. Because if this happens again, they may as well call up United Airlines and get the blond flight attendants ready, because Giannis will be flying out of here. previous offseason blueprints CHA, CHI, IND, GS, MIN, NYK, POR, SA, SAC, UTA
[OC] What would rosters look like if you took the top 950+ players in WS/48 and put them on teams they grew up near?
If this seems familiar, I actually did a version with 700 players and minimum 15000 minutes played. I dropped the minutes requirement to 10000 to include players who spent most/all of their career in the ABA and players who burned bright but had injury troubles (Brandon Roy and Doug Collins). If you're not a fan of reading a lot of text, here's the imgur link to rosters, although you should know I added 25 new teams! There is a TL;DR at the bottom!
Inspiration
Ever since LeBron went back to Cleveland, it's always fascinated me on what rosters would look like if everyone went home. I did this during the shutdown for the current rosters (all 514 players that played a game in 2019-2020 before the shutdown plus Jusuf Nurkic, who would have returned had the season continued normally)!
Player Pool and Team Pool
I used the top 957 players who have at least 10000 minutes played in their career. Why 10000 minutes played? Because that's the lower standard set by Basketball-Reference to get on their ABA career leaderboard (15000 MP for NBA). I added George Mikan, because even though he hasn't played enough minutes, he's featured in All-Time ESPN NBARank and Bill Simmons Hall of Fame Pyramid. I started off with the current 30 teams. To split up the Lakers and Clippers, I gave the Clippers their proposed Inglewood site. As I looked at the map of player hometowns, I realized that there were:
some areas that had a lot of players, but few close NBA teams.
conversely, some areas that had bloated rosters with too many players
Based off city population and arena size, I added 25 new teams. I relaxed my arena restrictions (minimum capacity before was 10000).
I obviously had to give Seattle their team back
Birmingham, North Little Rock and Shreveport helped to split up the South
Pittsburgh and St. Louis were big cities without teams
Berkeley added to siphon off San Francisco
if I add Oakland, it takes away too many players
Anaheim and Westwood added in Southern California (Clippers & Lakers)
Winston-Salem and Raleigh to pare down Charlotte
Lansing to prune Detroit
2nd Atlanta team in suburb of College Park
2nd Washington team and Baltimore
2 more teams in Chicago (Rosemont and South Side) + a team in Gary
2nd Indiana team + Louisville & Lexington
2nd Philadelphia team in suburb of Wynnewood
3 more teams in the New York Area (Newark, Queens and Long Island)
New Teams:
Team
Arena (Capacity)
Notables
Anaheim Amigos
Honda Center (18336)
Kawhi Leonard, Reggie Miller, Bill Walton
Baltimore Bullets
Royal Farms Arena (12289)
Dominique Wilkins, Carmelo Anthony, Sam Cassell
Berkeley Bears
Haas Pavilion (11858)
Bill Russell, Damian Lillard, Paul Pierce
Birmingham Barons
Legacy Arena (17654)
Charles Barkley, Eric Bledsoe, Artis Gilmore
Capital City Go-Go
Entertainment and Sports Arena (4200)
Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, Moses Malone
College Park Skyhawks
Gateway Center Arena (3500)
Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Norm Nixon
Gary Steelheads
Genesis Convention Center (6500)
Shawn Kemp, Jack Sikma, Glenn Robinson
Indianapolis Jaguars
Indiana Farmers Coliseum (6800)
Jerry Lucas, Zach Randolph, John Paxson
Lansing Spartans
Breslin Student Events Center (14759)
Magic Johnson, Devin Booker, Draymond Green
Lexington Wildcats
Rupp Arena (20545)
Hal Greer, Neil Johnston, Dave Cowens
Long Island Knights
Nassau Coliseum (14500)
Julius Erving, Tobias Harris, Calvin Murphy
Louisville Colonels
KFC Yum Center (22090)
Larry Bird, Rajon Rondo, Wes Unseld
Newark Americans
Prudential Center (18711)
Kyrie Irving, Rick Barry, Shaquille O'Neal
North Little Rock RimRockers
Simmons Bank Arena (18000)
Scottie Pippen, Sidney Moncrief, Joe Johnson
Pittsburgh Ironmen
PPG Paints Arena (19100)
Pete Maravich, John Havlicek, Maurice Lucas
Queens Red Storm
Carnesecca Arena (5602)
Bob Cousy, Kemba Walker, Anthony Mason
Raleigh Cougars
PNC Arena (19722)
Michael Jordan, John Wall, Sam Jones
Rosemont Rush
Allstate Arena (17500)
Dan Issel, Shawn Marion, Bill Laimbeer
Seattle SuperSonics
KeyArena (18600)
John Stockton, Steve Nash, Detlef Schrempf
Shreveport Storm
CenturyLink Center (13000)
Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, Willis Reed
South Side Sky
Wintrust Arena (10387)
Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis
Spirits of St. Louis
Enterprise Center (22000)
Bradley Beal, Andre Iguodala, Harry Gallatin
Westwood Bruins
Pauley Pavilion (13800)
Gilbert Arenas, Gail Goodrich, Jrue Holiday
Winston-Salem Demon Deacons
Lawrence Joel Coliseum (14665)
Jerry West, Chris Paul, Bob McAdoo
Wynnewood Hawks
Hagan Arena (4200)
Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kyle Lowry
The Process
I started off gathering hometowns due to this fantastic database by Reuben Fischer-Baum (original article source here). But I wanted to get more granular, and try to pinpoint neighborhoods. Basically, I searched up "[player name] grew up neighbourhood" and variations of that, which is how I found out that:
Kyle Lowry grew up at 20th and Lehigh
Wilt Chamberlain grew up at 401 N Salford Street
Julius Erving grew up at 90 Pleasant Ave
big shoutout to Ted Silary's site, which was a godsend to divide Philly
Next, I used the haversine formula to find which arena a player is closest to
one exception was in Connecticut where the distance formula would go over Long Island Sound (a body of water), so all players east of Hartford were given to Boston
I created rotations to the best of my ability, but I am not proclaiming these as the be-all, end-all
I took a glance at stats (lean modern if stats are close) and playing reputation
I moved positions around to maximize talent, but tried to keep it realistic
Next phase was to add international players
I assigned them to their American “hometown" which was a combination of biggest impact (most win shares accumulated) and most memorable stop
These usually agreed w/each other, a few exceptions covered below
Dikembe, Divac were some borderline cases
Gave Dikembe to Atlanta over Denver (iconic upset against Seattle when in Denver, won 2 of his 4 DPOYS + had best per-minute impact in ATL)
Divac- Kings over Lakers (but he’s more known as a component of the fun early 2000s kings teams w/C-Webb, Peja, White Chocolate)
Don’t really see people talk about his stint as the bridge between Kareem and Shaq
And with that, here are the all-time hometown rosters including internationals in italics! (If you're more of a visual person, here's the imgur link where I also included regular season stats and career accolades)
Anaheim Amigos
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
darren collison
reggie miller
george yardley
kawhi leonard
bill walton
greg anthony
jim barnett
greg ballard
cliff levingston
mark eaton
paul neumann
jared dudley
bryon russell
keith van horn
bob rule
cj watson
adam keefe
steve johnson
scott williams
coby dietrick
Atlanta Hawks
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
walt frazier
dale ellis
shareef abdur-rahim
larry nance
dikembe mutombo
sedale threatt
lou williams
mike mitchell
horace grant
al horford
matt harpring
chris morris
harvey grant
dale davis
jeremy lamb
willie anderson
al-farouq aminu
jim fox
shandon anderson
alvin scott
jj hickson
kelvin cato
jodie meeks
zaza pachulia
Baltimore Bullets
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
sam cassell
reggie lewis
carmelo anthony
dominique wilkins
marvin webster
muggsy bogues
will barton
rudy gay
billy owens
gene shue
dudley bradley
reggie williams
dave twardzik
Berkeley Bears
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
gary payton
damian lillard
jason kidd
paul pierce
bill russell
lester conner
phil chenier
bruce bowen
paul silas
antonio davis
jon barry
brent barry
drew gooden
brook lopez
nate williams
cliff robinson
robin lopez
bison dele
Birmingham Barons
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
eric bledsoe
andrew toney
john drew
charles barkley
artis gilmore
wesley person
robert horry
antonio mcdyess
ben wallace
tr dunn
gerald wallace
larry kenon
theo ratliff
derrick mckey
clarence weatherspoon
leon douglas
reggie king
demarre carroll
buck johnson
Boston Celtics
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
dana barros
vinny del negro
vin baker
andre drummond
michael adams
rick mahorn
marcus camby
travis best
matt bonner
johnny egan
Brooklyn Nets
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
lenny wilkens
chris mullin
bernard king
connie hawkins
ray felix
stephon marbury
world b free
billy cunningham
rudy larusso
zaid abdul-aziz
carl braun
rolando blackman
roger brown
taj gibson
len elmore
mark jackson
vinnie johnson
doug moe
john salley
george thompson
jr smith
jim mcmillian
john roche
bob verga
walter simon
Capital City Go-Go
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
allen iverson
paul pressey
bob dandridge
kevin durant
moses malone
ty lawson
victor oladipo
walt williams
joe smith
alonzo mourning
gerald henderson
delonte west
allan bristow
ed davis
mark west
jarrett jack
dante cunningham
jr reid
Charlotte Hornets
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
stephen curry
ray allen
james worthy
kevin garnett
brad daugherty
darrell armstrong
david thompson
alex english
bobby jones
jermaine o'neal
sleepy floyd
walter davis
khris middleton
antawn jamison
hassan whiteside
jim cleamons
anthony morrow
xavier mcdaniel
trevor booker
clifford ray
anthony johnson
tyrone corbin
mikki moore
pervis ellison
bismack biyombo
Chicago Bulls
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
isiah thomas
jeff hornacek
mark aguirre
terry cummings
george mikan
doc rivers
hersey hawkins
luol deng
toni kukoc
joakim noah
patrick beverley
michael finley
andres nocioni
mickey johnson
nazr mohammed
corey maggette
jim brewer
luc longley
Cleveland Cavaliers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
cj mccollum
michael redd
lebron james
charles oakley
nate thurmond
larry jones
kevin martin
james posey
gus johnson
zydrunas ilgauskas
antonio daniels
alvin robertson
ruben patterson
anderson varejao
eric snow
dick snyder
phil hubbard
tom boerwinkle
earl boykins
larry siegfried
kosta koufos
College Park Skyhawks
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
norm nixon
jeff malone
sam mitchell
josh smith
dwight howard
charlie ward
kentavious caldwell-pope
jae crowder
derrick favors
tree rollins
lloyd neal
elmore smith
wayne cooper
joe meriweather
Dallas Mavericks
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
deron williams
ricky pierce
dennis rodman
dirk nowitzki
chris bosh
mookie blaylock
marcus smart
willie naulls
larry johnson
lamarcus aldridge
micheal williams
damon jones
cj miles
kenyon martin
tony battie
spud webb
dave stallworth
julius randle
alton lister
jj barea
kurt thomas
greg ostertag
oliver miller
Denver Nuggets
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
chauncey billups
micheal ray richardson
danilo gallinari
paul millsap
nikola jokic
chuck williams
reggie jackson
scott wedman
james johnson
nene hilario
eric piatkowski
eduardo najera
pat garrity
Detroit Pistons
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
archie clark
steve smith
george gervin
chris webber
mel daniels
bj armstrong
ralph simpson
shane battier
dave debusschere
dan roundfield
paul seymour
jalen rose
campy russell
rudy tomjanovich
kevin willis
kelvin ransey
voshon lenard
steve mix
grant long
derrick coleman
johnny davis
terry tyler
terry mills
tim mccormick
jonas jerebko
Gary Steelheads
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
scott skiles
dick barnett
chet walker
shawn kemp
jack sikma
quinn buckner
kendall gill
glenn robinson
mason plumlee
craig hodges
junior bridgeman
eddy curry
rod higgins
Golden State Warriors
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
kc jones
phil smith
willie wise
kenny sears
rich kelley
jeremy lin
mickael pietrus
aaron gordon
red rocha
eddie house
tom meschery
darnell hillman
kurt rambis
andris biedrins
kevin restani
dennis awtrey
Houston Rockets
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
slater martin
clyde drexler
jimmy butler
hakeem olajuwon
yao ming
joe caldwell
rashard lewis
luis scola
deandre jordan
dwight jones
zelmo beaty
emeka okafor
kendrick perkins
chris andersen
Indiana Pacers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
oscar robertson
dick van arsdale
gordon hayward
george mcginnis
clyde lovellette
louie dampier
kevin grevey
terry dischinger
alan henderson
rik smits
mike conley
jon mcglocklin
bojan bogdanovic
ian mahinmi
jeff teague
mike woodson
larry steele
jim price
courtney lee
randy wittman
bill keller
jerry sichting
Indianapolis Jaguars
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
john paxson
jim paxson
bonzi wells
jerry lucas
wayne embry
george hill
gary harris
zach randolph
kent benson
allen leavell
eric gordon
johnny green
jim davis
kyle macy
ron harper
goose ligon
john mengelt
Lansing Spartans
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
magic johnson
devin booker
morris peterson
draymond green
brad miller
dan majerle
jason richardson
loy vaught
javale mcgee
trent tucker
jay vincent
ben poquette
Lexington Wildcats
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
glen combs
hal greer
louis orr
neil johnston
dave cowens
freddie lewis
clem haskins
barry clemens
brian grant
arnie risen
george king
tyrone hill
dave robisch
jack coleman
chuck share
patrick patterson
lasalle thompson
Long Island Knights
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
calvin murphy
wally szczerbiak
julius erving
tobias harris
jeff ruland
foots walker
randy smith
charles smith
tom gugliotta
mike gminski
mike james
john williamson
danny green
frank brickowski
Los Angeles Clippers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
russell westbrook
james harden
demar derozan
dave greenwood
swen nater
dennis johnson
bill sharman
tayshaun prince
curtis rowe
elden campbell
mack calvin
paul westphal
bob gross
andre miller
byron scott
josh childress
reggie theus
kyle korver
jan van breda kolff
brandon jennings
jay humphries
arron afflalo
Los Angeles Lakers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
baron davis
michael cooper
paul george
sidney wicks
pau gasol
darwin cook
stacey augmon
marques johnson
mel hutchins
john block
lucious harris
cedric ceballos
amir johnson
darrall imhoff
tracy murray
trevor ariza
john williams
rick fox
dorell wright
Louisville Colonels
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
rajon rondo
frank ramsey
cliff hagan
larry bird
wes unseld
don buse
darel carrier
allan houston
les hunter
clyde lee
ted mcclain
derek anderson
greg smith
felton spencer
butch beard
greg buckner
chris whitney
Memphis Grizzlies
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
anfernee hardaway
adrian smith
corliss williamson
bailey howell
spencer haywood
tony delk
bingo smith
otto porter
michael cage
marc gasol
thaddeus young
sam lacey
terry catledge
lorenzen wright
popeye jones
Miami Heat
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
derek harper
mitch richmond
eddie jones
otis thorpe
rony seikaly
goran dragic
tim hardaway jr
raja bell
udonis haslem
neal walk
james jones
otto moore
Milwaukee Bucks
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
terry porter
fred brown
latrell sprewell
giannis antetokounmpo
andrew bogut
devin harris
wesley matthews
caron butler
ersan ilyasova
jim chones
nick van exel
carlos delfino
don kojis
carl landry
kevin kunnert
bill hanzlik
paul griffin
kurt nimphius
luc mbah a moute
Minnesota Timberwolves
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
ricky rubio
ron boone
harrison barnes
vern mikkelsen
kevin mchale
kirk hinrich
dick garmaker
mike miller
bob boozer
gorgui dieng
devean george
mark olberding
raef lafrentz
kris humphries
randy breuer
nick collison
joel przybilla
New Orleans Pelicans
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
dj augustin
kerry kittles
danny granger
bob pettit
demarcus cousins
mo williams
don chaney
purvis short
hot rod williams
al jefferson
avery johnson
mahmoud abdul-rauf
cincinnatus powell
brandon bass
greg monroe
chris duhon
bobby phills
reggie evans
george johnson
marcus thornton
glen davis
mike green
othella harrington
erick dampier
cornell warner
harvey catchings
New York Knicks
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
tiny archibald
charlie scott
metta world peace
dolph schayes
kareem abdul-jabbar
rod strickland
jeff mullins
tom sanders
tom heinsohn
patrick ewing
bobby wanzer
mario elie
jamal mashburn
elton brand
sam perkins
vern fleming
david west
billy paultz
olden polynice
Newark Americans
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
kyrie irving
bob weiss
rick barry
troy murphy
shaquille o'neal
brian taylor
kelly tripucka
al harrington
karl-anthony towns
larry brown
eric williams
tim thomas
andrew bynum
al attles
kenneth faried
chris gatling
brevin knight
nenad krstic
mark bryant
eric murdock
North Little Rock RimRockers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
derek fisher
sidney moncrief
scottie pippen
larry smith
caldwell jones
joe johnson
glen rice
wil jones
joe barry carroll
eddie miles
ronnie brewer
anthony tolliver
andrew lang
fred jones
charles jones
Oklahoma City Thunder
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
mark price
john starks
thabo sefolosha
blake griffin
alvan adams
darnell valentine
craig ehlo
maurice evans
serge ibaka
steven adams
jim king
wayman tisdale
enes kanter
antoine carr
Orlando Magic
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
dee brown
tracy mcgrady
vince carter
amare stoudemire
darryl dawkins
chucky atkins
otis birdsong
hedo turkoglu
truck robinson
nikola vucevic
eddie johnson (78-87)
evan fournier
chandler parsons
red robbins
matt geiger
carlos arroyo
marreese speights
will perdue
kwame brown
clemon johnson
Philadelphia 76ers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
jameer nelson
earl monroe
paul arizin
larry foust
samuel dalembert
bill melchionni
geoff petrie
tyreke evans
warren davis
chris dudley
chris ford
michael kidd-gilchrist
jim washington
jason thompson
matt guokas
ollie johnson
ray scott
malik rose
Phoenix Suns
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
fat lever
leandro barbosa
richard jefferson
sean elliott
channing frye
mike bibby
jerryd bayless
arthur becker
kenny thomas
Pittsburgh Ironmen
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
norm van lier
pete maravich
john havlicek
armen gilliam
maurice lucas
brad davis
billy knight
jack twyman
len chappell
pat cummings
johnny moore
stu lantz
jack marin
ron williams
george king
Portland Trail Blazers
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
terrell brandon
klay thompson
nicolas batum
kevin love
arvydas sabonis
damon stoudamire
danny ainge
mike dunleavy jr
ac green
mychal thompson
steve jones
terrence ross
mel counts
mike newlin
dave gambee
Queens Red Storm
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
bob cousy
richie guerin
lamar odom
anthony mason
leroy ellis
kemba walker
gus williams
mike riordan
ed pinckney
tom owens
dick mcguire
ben gordon
rodney mccray
bob kauffman
kenny anderson
brian winters
malik sealy
charlie villanueva
kenny smith
ray williams
maurice harkless
rafer alston
ernie grunfeld
Raleigh Cougars
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
john wall
michael jordan
cedric maxwell
buck williams
walt bellamy
nate mcmillan
sam jones
jerome kersey
pj tucker
randy denton
phil ford
bryant stith
jerry stackhouse
chris wilcox
john lucas
ml carr
chucky brown
ramon sessions
rodney rogers
henry bibby
Rosemont Rush
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
flynn robinson
nick anderson
shawn marion
dan issel
bill laimbeer
shaun livingston
anthony parker
robert covington
bob netolicky
dave corzine
don nelson
aaron williams
Sacramento Kings
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
kevin johnson
matt barnes
omri casspi
peja stojakovic
vlade divac
beno udrih
francisco garcia
ryan anderson
bill cartwright
jim eakins
james donaldson
chuck hayes
San Antonio Spurs
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
tony parker
manu ginobili
robert reid
tim duncan
rasho nesterovic
david wesley
marco belinelli
bo outlaw
boris diaw
luke jackson
patty mills
bill bridges
jeff foster
Seattle SuperSonics
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
john stockton
steve nash
detlef schrempf
carlos boozer
byron beck
isaiah thomas
brandon roy
doug christie
marvin williams
james edwards
nate robinson
jason terry
martell webster
vladimir radmanovic
steve hawes
mario chalmers
jamal crawford
mike lewis
luke ridnour
rodney stuckey
blair rasmussen
Shreveport Storm
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
jimmy jones
joe dumars
calvin natt
karl malone
willis reed
james silas
orlando woolridge
elvin hayes
robert parish
bob love
benoit benjamin
john beasley
pj brown
stromile swift
ervin johnson
South Side Sky
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
derrick rose
dwyane wade
cazzie russell
juwan howard
anthony davis
maurice cheeks
tony allen
eddie johnson(81-99)
bill robinzine
red kerr
tim hardaway
quentin richardson
ron anderson
jason maxiell
rickey green
sonny parker
bobby simmons
kevin porter
darrell walker
Spirits of St. Louis
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
jo jo white
bradley beal
andre iguodala
harry gallatin
ed macauley
lucius allen
donnie freeman
jerry sloan
david lee
gene moore
andy phillip
warren jabali
bill bradley
laphonso ellis
steve stipanovich
tyronn lue
doug collins
alec burks
jon koncak
anthony peeler
kevin gamble
bob ferry
john brown
Toronto Raptors
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
larry costello
george carter
clifford robinson
tristan thompson
bob lanier
jose calderon
cory joseph
christian laettner
jonas valanciunas
kelly olynyk
jamaal magloire
andray blatche
danny schayes
walter dukes
Utah Jazz
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
joe ingles
andrei kirilenko
tom chambers
rudy gobert
fred roberts
mehmet okur
phil jackson
shawn bradley
Washington Wizards
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
steve francis
adrian dantley
grant hill
elgin baylor
david robinson
sherman douglas
dave bing
dennis scott
thurl bailey
ralph sampson
gene littles
austin carr
jerome williams
kenny carr
roy hibbert
johnny dawkins
dell curry
danny ferry
kermit washington
marcin gortat
hubert davis
jeff green
jerami grant
curtis perry
john battle
michael smith
john tresvant
Westwood Bruins
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
gilbert arenas
gail goodrich
chris mills
kiki vandeweghe
tyson chandler
jrue holiday
steve kerr
jamaal wilkes
lonnie shelton
chris childs
austin croshere
Winston-Salem Demon Deacons
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
chris paul
jerry west
josh howard
happy hairston
bob mcadoo
jason williams
lou hudson
johnny newman
danny manning
brendan haywood
bobby jackson
jj redick
george lynch
jimmy walker
rod thorn
Wynnewood Hawks
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
kyle lowry
kobe bryant
richard hamilton
rasheed wallace
wilt chamberlain
walt hazzard
aaron mckie
tom gola
donyell marshall
sam bowie
alvin williams
cuttino mobley
roy hinson
marcus morris
tom mcmillen
bob sura
mike bantom
markieff morris
mike gale
gene banks
trooper washington
hakim warrick
Best Positional Groups (in my opinion)
(in reverse alphabetical order) Best Guards: Winston-Salem, South Side, Seattle, Queens, LA Clippers, Indiana Best Wings: Washington, North Little Rock, Long Island, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Charlotte Best Bigs: Shreveport, Portland, New York, Houston, Detroit, Dallas, Birmingham
TL;DR
What did you do?
Created all-time hometown/territorial rosters
Why did you do it?
always been fascinated with it ever since Bron came home
Who did you use?
player pool was top 957 in career ws/48 (min 10000 mp) from basketball-reference, plus George Mikan (listed in ESPN's AllTime NBARank and Bill Simmons Basketball Pyramid but didn't meet the minutes requirement)
team pool was originally 30 teams, added more teams where there were an abundance of players
New Teams:
Team
Notables
Anaheim Amigos
Kawhi, Reggie, Bill Walton
Baltimore Bullets
Dominique, Melo
Berkeley Bears
Bill Russell, Dame, Paul Pierce
Birmingham Barons
Barkley, Eric Bledsoe, Artis Gilmore
Capital City Go-Go
AI, KD, Moses
College Park Skyhawks
Dwight Howard, Josh Smith
Gary Steelheads
Shawn Kemp, Sikma
Indianapolis Jaguars
Jerry Lucas, Zach Randolph
Lansing Spartans
Magic, D-Book, Draymond
Lexington Wildcats
Hal Greer, Cowens
Long Island Knights
Dr J, Tobias Harris
Louisville Colonels
Bird, Rondo, Unseld
Newark Americans
Kyrie, Rick Barry, Shaq
North Little Rock RimRockers
Pippen, Sidney Moncrief, Iso Joe
Pittsburgh Ironmen
Pistol Pete, Havlicek
Queens Red Storm
Cousy, Kemba
Raleigh Cougars
Michael Jordan, John Wall
Rosemont Rush
Shawn Marion, Laimbeer
Seattle SuperSonics
Stockton, Steve Nash, Schrempf
Shreveport Storm
Mailman, Dumars, Willis Reed
South Side Sky
Dwyane Wade, D-Rose, Anthony Davis
Spirits of St. Louis
Beal, Iguodala
Westwood Bruins
Arenas, Jrue
Winston-Salem Demon Deacons
Logo, CP3
Wynnewood Hawks
Kobe, Wilt, Lowry
How did you do it?
Googled "[player name] grew up neighbourhood" and variations of that
William Hill is a betting and gaming company, which employs approximately 16,000 people. William Hill was founded in London in 1934 as a telephone bookmaking business and created its first licensed betting offices in 1966. In June 2002, William Hill was floated on the London Stock Exchange. In 2005, it acquired Stanley Leisure plc’s licensed […] In the state of Iowa, William Hill customers can self-exclude from further wagering for a minimum of twelve (12) months from the date of acknowledgement of enrollment if they feel at risk of developing gambling-related problems. Patrons may exclude directly through a sports book or by mailing in a William Hill Self-Exclusion form found here. William Hill is operated by WHG (International) Limited, a company registered in Gibraltar. WHG (International) Limited is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 39225 for customers in Great Britain and further licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner. House Rules . ... Bet With Your Head, Not Over It. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. William Hill is committed to supporting Responsible Gaming. Underage gambling is an offense. Cookie Notice: William Hill Sports Book uses cookies to help improve your experience whilst visiting our site, ... William Hill Sports Betting online. Sign up for William Hill - America's #1 Sportsbook operator. Bet online on basketball, football, more. notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this agreement, william hill may terminate this agreement with or without notice if illinois executive order 2020-41 expires, is terminated, ended or withdrawn, or held invalid. William Hill is operated by WHG (International) Limited, a company registered in Gibraltar. WHG (International) Limited is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 39225 for customers in Great Britain and further licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner. About William Hill Founded by William Hill himself, William Hill betting shops were born in the UK and have offered sports fans a superior betting experience for over 87 years. Hill was a self-starter who bet it all on himself, and this mindset has carried over for nearly a century as the betting and gaming company has become a leader in its industry around the world. The love for gambling of all forms in the UK led quickly to creating a huge online presence. Many of the traditional betting shops opened up websites, accepting deposits online and opening the William Hill Casino Bonus Rules door for players to play William Hill Casino Bonus Rules real money games including poker, casino, and bingo. William Hill is operated by WHG (International) Limited, a company registered in Gibraltar. WHG (International) Limited is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 39225 for customers in Great Britain and further licensed by the Government of Gibraltar and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.
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