Arena The Fifth Basketball Draft (Winner: Point Given!)

Welcome Back to the Basketball Draft Game. Back by Popular* Demand.

(Popular in the sense that Anthony Bennett got All-Star Games votes and is therefore also popular)

This is your chance to create the team of your dreams (or nightmares) and show off your basketball IQ. You'll be tasked with putting together the best basketball team of all time. Other than the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers.



This is our Fifth Installment. For history check out:

The First Draft, won by @EmpireForever (Able to draft any player any time)
The Second Draft, won by @tom (Limited to only players from the 2012-13 NBA Season)
The Third Draft, won by @tom (Back to any player, any time)
The Fourth Draft, won by @PRENNTACULAR (auction style Franchise Acquisition)

Now, how do we play this game? Two types of participants are needed, and five phases are utilized.

The Participants:

1) The Commish - That's me. I'm going to keep the draft going by moving along the selection process (see below), posting games, posting results, and generally keeping the game moving forward.
2) The GMs - that's you. Four Or Six of you. You'll assemble your team, put together lineups, and respond to the ebbs and flows in your attempts to win

The Phases of the Game:

1) The Draft.

The GMs will be randomized into an order that will be slightly modified every round. This will continue for 12 rounds. The modification each round is due to the wrinkle we are throwing into the draft. The first pick in a round determines the Franchise from which every pick in that round must come from.

For the purposes of this draft, we will consider a Franchise to be continued through relocation, with two exceptions: The Oklahoma City Thunder and Seattle Supersonics are different franchises, and the New Orleans Pelicans/Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets are separate franchises.

During the draft, trades of players and future picks can be made. All parties must produce a private conversation and involve the Commish. The Commish has the ability to veto any trade.

You will also have the opportunity to name a "home arena" for your games. This can be done at any time during drafting, and need not be unique to your team (that is, two different GMs can pick the same Arena .. hell, every GM could). You should also feel free to designate a head coach, which will have no impact whatsoever on the game. But it's fun.

2) Free Agency Period

The GMs will be given 48 hours after the close of drafting to make add/drops to their team. Once they are done, they will post their final roster and team name. Trades can be done during this time, with the same rules as above. Once this phase is done, rosters are locked, and no trades or add/drops can be done until after the first round of games, where each GM can make up to two swaps.

Please note - you can only add a player from the same franchise you are dropping a player from.

3) Regular Season

Each team will play the other team four times, with each team being designated as "home" for two of the games. When the schedule is posted for the next set of games, each GM will have 24 hours to post their starting lineup. The GM will also post their first and second sub (and third, if desired) at each position, and target minutes for each player at each position.

Then, the games will be simulated at www.whatifsports.com. The Commish will provide the results and box scores, as well as any exciting/amusing acts from the simulation. All four games will be simulated back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and lineup changes will not be permitted during the four game series. Lineup changes will always be permitted between series.

4) The Playoffs

The Top Half of the League will Advance to the Playoffs. If we have four GMs, that means two teams, if we have six that means three. Any Playoff Series is a best-of-seven in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with each GM being the opportunity to change their line-up/target minutes.

In the case of a tie for determining who will advance to the playoffs (or to determine seed), the following tie-breakers will be used:

• Record in games involving tied teams
• Margin of victory in games involving tied teams
• Overall Margin of Victory
• One Game Playoff and/or Zydrunas Ilgauskas Trivia

5) The Championship Parade

The winner of the championship game will be given a parade in his honor, with the mayor blocking off much of downtown. Or, well, Game winner VIPship and colors for a week.

But, before we get to any of that, we need to finish the preliminary phase. Sign-ups!

Once We have our GMs set, we will being. To sign-up, just copy the list and add your name.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5) * If Necessary
6) * If Necessary

 

@heels1785 -- sign up so I can watch you lose.

 

1) Point Given
2) DLOTE
3)
4)
5)*If Necessary
6)*If Necessary

 

1) Point Given
2) DLOTE
3) Heels
4) tom
5)*If Necessary
6)*If Necessary

 

Forgot three things in the OP. two I will dictate, the other i will leave up to popular vote

1) The Standard Wilt Chamberlain Rule is in effect. he's capped at 30 minutes per game for target minutes
2) No Repeating Franchises in a multiple Round. I.E., if the Lakers are the round one team, that's it - no more Lakers to be drafted. you can't put them back up in Round 5.
2) Guys who changed franchises. I'm okay if we let the same GM (or different GMs) pick different versions of the same player. I.E., you can draft both Cleveland Anthony Bennett, Minnesota Anthony Bennett, and then later Toronto Anthony Bennett. But, if the GMs want it so that once Lakers Shaq is drafted, you can't take any other Shaq, I will defer to popular vote.

And, @Point Given - that added layer of strategy is my favorite part of this wrinkle, too.

 

I will play your game.

 

I vote for being able to draft different versions of the same player.

 

1) Point Given
2) DLOTE
3) Heels
4) tom
5) a star war
6) Wang

Because why not?

 

I'll get draft order up here soon

@heels1785 @a star war @tom @Wang Chi - need preference on having the same player drafted multiple times with different franchises.

 

i am in favor of allowing it.

 

Sorta torn. There is the ol' fuddy-duddy part of me that would prefer to imagine these games as realistically a possible, and watching Lakers Shaq go head to head with Suns Shaq in one match while Heat Shaq and Magic Shaq face off at the same time in another while Celtics Shaq and Cavs Shaq yell at eacother while riding the pine in YET ANOTHER match at the same time is just... too awesome. Let's do it.

 

That's a consensus. Multiple iterations of the same player are approved.

And here's a draft order. I've balanced it out. Everyone will pick 1st twice, 2nd twice, 3rd twice, 4th twice, 5 twice, and 6th twice. And everyone will have back-to-back picks once.

Round 1

1. @tom - On The Clock
2. a star war
3. heels1785
4. Dark Lord of the Empire
5. Wang Chi
6. Point Given

Round 2

1. Point Given
2. Wang Chi
3. Dark Lord of the Empire
4. heels1785
5. a star war
6. tom

Round 3

1. a star war
2. heels1785
3. tom
4. Wang Chi
5. Point Given
6. Dark Lord of the Empire

Round 4

1. Dark Lord of the Empire
2. Point Given
3. Wang Chi
4. tom
5. heels1785
6. a star war

Round 5

1. heels1785
2. tom
3. a star war
4. Point Given
5. Dark Lord of the Empire
6. Wang Chi

Round 6

1. Wang Chi
2. Dark Lord of the Empire
3. Point Given
4. a star war
5. tom
6. heels1785

Round 7

1. Wang Chi
2. Dark Lord of the Empire
3. Point Given
4. a star war
5. tom
6. heels1785

Round 8

1. heels1785
2. tom
3. a star war
4. Point Given
5. Dark Lord of the Empire
6. Wang Chi

Round 9

1. Dark Lord of the Empire
2. Point Given
3. Wang Chi
4. tom
5. heels1785
6. a star war

Round 10

1. a star war
2. heels1785
3. tom
4. Wang Chi
5. Point Given
6. Dark Lord of the Empire

Round 11

1. Point Given
2. Wang Chi
3. Dark Lord of the Empire
4. heels1785
5. a star war
6. tom

Round 12

1. tom
2. a star war
3. heels1785
4. Dark Lord of the Empire
5. Wang Chi
6. Point Given

 

i have a feeling this is strategically unwise but **** it...

steph curry (golden state warriors) '15-'16

@a star war

 

I want to say no on allowing multiple iterations, if only because some players have been in their peak on multiple teams, and put up similar numbers. But whatever it's not a dealbreaker. It's just a small draft and that makes the actual variety of players even smaller.

 

@DarthIntegral just checking but are we considering a franchise the complete history of a franchise (in this case, would the Philadelphia Warriors also be in play), or do those count as separate franchises?

 

Sorry, I skimmed. My bad.

Anyway let's just do it since this draft is a little weird and I am not sure how my team is going to turn out anyway. I'll take the handicap.

Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) 1961-1962

@heels1785