Man oh
man is it a good time to be me. Patriots with a huge win, Red Sox in the ALCS,
Celtics starting tonight. Fantasy baseball championship, number one point
scoring team in fantasy football (can you imagine thinking my team wouldn’t
make the playoffs!) and now we are onto fantasy basketball. Admittedly, I am a
terrible fantasy basketball player (due to drafting guys I like more than guys
that I think are good) but I think I know a decent amount about real
basketball. That’s why these rankings will have nothing to do with fantasy, and
only to do with how each team would perform if they had to play together in
real life.
12. Corry – Cause I’m Mr Whiteside
PG – Jordan ClarksonSG – Jaylen Brown
SF – Carmelo Anthony
PF – Joel Embiid
C – Rudy Gobert
Bench: Julius Randle, Andrew Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, Caldwell Pope
Writeup: Corry’s team is case in point why this matters zero
for fantasy purposes… I’d put his team in fantasy among the top. While Taylor
has the team name “My Centers Got Centers”, Corry’s team is the direct
application of that. Embiid, Gobert, Drummond AND Whiteside!!! I contemplated
playing three of those four and having his team play a 2-3 zone and just crash
the boards. Honestly, when you see that other teams struggle at center you’ll
know why. Unfortunately and not surpringly… the other positions outside of his
bigs stink. Still would love to see this team in real life.
11. Dustin – Tricky Ricky
PG – Kyle LowrySG – Russell Westbrook
SF – Taurean Prince
PF – Dario Saric
C – Clint Capela
Bench: Ricky Rubio, Enes Kanter, Hollis-Jefferson, Dennis Smith
Writeup: Corry’s team is to Centers, as Dustin’s team is to
Point Guards. Watching Westbrook and Rubio co-exist on this team would be laugh
out loud funny. Lowry, Russ, Rubio and Dennis Smith leave a lack of depth on
the wings and elsewhere. This team vs Corry’s would be something that needs to
be tested in NBA 2K. However, the lack of shooting and wing depth leaves this
team at 11.
10. Sam – Believeland Miracles
PG – Damian Lillard
SG – Luca Doncic
SF – Ben Simmons
PF – Nikola Mirotic
C – Deandre Ayton
Bench: Collin Sexton, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Vucevic, Markelle Fultz, Tyreke Evans
Writeup: Sam has one of the most unique teams in the league
and if I wrote this in 2022 he may have the best. Unfortunately, there are too
many rookies on this team for my liking in a competitive game vs the other
squads. That being said… having Doncic and Simmons with their court vision and
passing IQ would be a blast to watch and if the rookies are as transcendent as
they could be, this team would rise drastically. Lillard and Mirotic would have
to play off ball and space the floor which they’d excel out. Offensively, I
think it works, but Simmons is the only average defender in this starting
lineup. Ayton was a beast in preseason and could be one of the best centers if
his career pans out as it should. For now, this team is limited defensively and
unproven.
9. Taylor Call – My Centers Got Centers
PG – Jrue HolidaySG – Paul George
SF – Otto Porter Jr
PF – Tobias Harris
C – Karl Anthony Towns
Bench: JJ Redick, Eric Bledsoe, Robert Covington, Steven Adams
Writeup: Taylor’s team is the one I go most back and forth
on. The reason I love it? Shooting, shooting, and more shooting. Towns may be
the best shooting center in the league, Porter is a dead eye, Paul George can
create his own shot. He even has Reddick and Covington on the bench? Why is he
ranked so low then? Well quite simply the lack of superstar power.
Unfortunately for Tay’s hypothetical team… they have no one I feel like is an
Alpha and will win you games in crunch time. Holiday is solid but defensive
minded, Paul George got stuffed into a locker by Joe Ingles last year, and
Towns couldn’t post up Jimmy Butler in practice the other day. I like the team
and the depth, the top talent is just not what would lead his team to victory.
Too many Betas.
8. Garret J – Kawhi me a River
PG – Gordan DragicSG – Lonzo Ball
SF – DeMar DeRozan
PF – Kevin Durant
C – Draymond Green
Bench: Kevin Knox, Lou Williams, Trae Young, Dwight Powell
Writeup: Love the team name but he doesn’t have Kawhi! He
needs to Knox it off (I’ll show myself out). Garrett gets a boost by having the
second best player in the league and one of the most versatile defenders in
Draymond Green (I’m having the small lineup be their go-to). Normally a team
with a serviceable center would be able to post up Draymond but Corry has all
of them. Shooting outside of Durant however is a huge issue, but I like the
defensive chops of this team and the ability to have players move the ball. I
just don’t like any of his players as great #2 scoring options and his bench is
weak so he settles in the middle of the pack.
7. Tyler – Pippen Ain’t Easy
PG –Jamal MurraySG – Brandon Ingram
SF – Giannis Antetokounmpo
PF – Kevin Love
C – Myles Turner
Bench: John Collins, D’Angelo Russell, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Jarrett Allen, Miles Bridges
Writeup: Honestly this team would be a terror to face.
Outside of Murray look at the size and wingspan of that team! They remind me of
a better version of the bucks in real life, but unfortunately the bucks in real
life a good but not great team. I think Ingram and Murray make the leap this
year, and Love will pad his stats without Lebron Blames in Cleveland (Leaving
again… SAD). John Collins and Myles Turner are interchangeable if I wanna be
more athletic and go smaller. However, when Giannis steps off the court this
team immediately goes down the drain and even I can’t play him 48 minutes. If
Murray, Collins and Ingram make the leap like I expect, I could see it rising.
Lack of great guard play (even though Giannis is my PG) hurts this team in a
fictional matchup.
6. Creighton – King James Version
PG – Mike ConleySG – Bradley Beal
SF – Lebron James
PF – Lamarcus Aldridge
C – Wendell Carter Jr
Bench: Jonas Valanciunas, Reggie Jackson, Rudy Gay, Willie Cauley Stein
Writeup: Two Words, Lebron James. Surround him with
shooters, a tale as old as time. Beal is used to being a #2 scoring option and
so is Aldridge. Team has guys who are usually on winning teams. HOWEVAH (Steven
A Smith Voice)… ZERO WING DEPTH. Lebron gonna guard every wing every day? NOPE.
Even Lebron can’t do that. Also, not sure how the fit is with Aldridge. My
brother’s friend went out to lunch with Danny Ainge’s son (who works for the
Celts) and he said Lebron is literally the equivalent of two superstars. He is
that good and that much better than anyone that I believe it. However, just
like real life, Lebron can’t do it all himself and can only take a team so far.
Great team name Creighton.
5. Alec – One and Done
PG – Steph CurrySG – Devin Booker
SF – Josh Richardson
PF – Paul Millsap
C – Marc Gasol
Bench: Kemba Walker, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Bell, Dennis Schroder, Malcolm Brogdon
Writeup: Maybe I’m in love with Devin Booker, but this team
reminds me of the pre-durant Warriors. Booker takes the Klay role, Richardson
in the Iguodala role, and Millsap as Draymond. Marc Gasol a clear upgrade, but
then add Kemba Walker on the bench! Brogdon another player who is way better in
real life than fantasy and Kuzma is a good bench scorer. Why isn’t this team
ranked higher than? I Don’t know, other teams are just really good. While Steph
and Booker can score, the wing depth may be a black hole offensively and
Millsap and Gasol are getting up there in age. If Millsap is still prime
Millsap and Gasol is prime Gasol, this team goes even higher. That’s the only
reason I’m skeptical.
4. Jordan Heeb – Philly Special
PG – John WallSG – CJ McCollum
SF – Jayson Tatum
PF – Al Horford
C – Nikola Jokic
Bench: TJ Warren, Gary Harris, Joe Ingles, Marvin Bagley, Mo Bamba
Writeup: Man oh man is this team fun. Horford, Jokic and
John Wall are three of the best passers in the league, Tatum and Mccollum can
just go get you buckets. Gary Harris and Joe Ingles are role players every team
needs. Honestly, I may bench Wall for Ingles and run the team through Horford
and the Joker, and have Wall dominate on the bench. Bamba offers intriguing
lineup possibilities as well. While McCollum and Tatum can get buckets, this is
a team that is not well off playing iso-ball. If they back cut, and if the
Joker playing style becomes contagious, this team would score score and score
and have good enough defense to win most games. No weaknesses shooting here
(outside of Wall) either. The wing depth is an issue (as it is for most teams)
but Horford is versatile enough to cover many of the bigger ones. A lot of
different lineups would lead this team to victory, just may not have enough
offense to get an isolation bucket when that is inevitably needed. If Tatum
becomes that guy year two though… watch out. Awful team name though and that’s
not because I’m a salty Patriots fan (It most definitely is because I’m a salty
Pats fan);.
3. Dane – Kyrie on my Hayward Son
PG – Kyrie IrvingSG – James Harden
SF – Gordon Hayward
PF -Harrison Barnes
C – Blake Griffin
Bench: Donovan Mitchell, Jusuf Nurkic, Jabari Parker, Jeff Teague
Writeup: First, Dane has the best team name in the league
and I’m 90% sure his love for this team name influenced his draft decisions.
While I’m not sure if Dane understands just how good Nikola Jokic is, this
squad here would be an intriguing real life dynamo. Hayward and Barnes are
solid complimentary wings who know their role, and a Kyrie-Harden back court
features arguably the two best iso scorer in the leagues. Donovan Mitchell
comes in off the bench to provide some bench energy and put on his defensive
beast cap, and Blake as small ball center gives them shooting at every position
(with four good to very good passers in the starting lineup). Nurkic could
handle the bigger centers. The Kyrie/Harden combo may not have the most natural
chemistry, but this team would be an offensive force.
2. Sean – Mars Blackmon’s Best
PG – Victor OladipoSG – Khris Middleton
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Lauri Markkanen
C – Deandre Jordan
Bench: D’Aaron Fox, Kyle Anderson, Will Barton, Montrezl Harrell, Tim Hardaway Jr
Writeup: Sean has a type, and his type is athletic two way
players which bodes well for this exercise. The only knock on his squad is
point guard play but if Oladipo can accept more of a facilitator role this team
would be insane. Easily the best defensive team on this list, Oladipo was first
team all defense and Kawhi a former DPOY. Middleton is one o the most
underrated players in today’s game, a player who scores without demanding the
ball and forms a terrifying backcourt. Markannen stretches the floor and should
see year two improvement, and Jordan rim runs and protects the paint. The bench
isn’t exactly overflowing with talent (nobody really has a great bench) but
Fox, Anderson, Barton, Harrell, and Hardaway Jr are five energy guys who could
fill in at a moments notice. The main reason they aren’t ranked one? Is Oladipo
as good as he was last year, and will the MVP candidate Kawhi return? Until
these questions are figured out, the honor of being the best fictional real
life team belongs to none other than Papa Bear Austin Jones.
1 Austin J – The Process
PG – Chris PaulSG – Klay Thompson
SF – Jimmy Butler
PF – Aaron Gordon
C – Anthony Davis
Bench: Zach Lavine, Josh Jackson, Dwight Howard, Danilo Gallinari, Josh Hart
Writeup: This team would be insane. Klay Thompson (and
probably Kris Middleton) are two players who are significantly better in real
life than they are in fantasy, and it’s no surprise their owners have the top
two spots. Everyone on this starting lineup can shoot respectably from deep, score
and play defense. The starting five defensively is an absolute terror (I know I
said Sean’s was the best… this team is the best defense) and you have five guys
who can score 16 or more a game. You have alpha males, complimentary teammates,
and even bench guys who could come in and give teams a different look. Paul and
Anthony Davis don’t have the best injury history, but this exercise doesn’t
predict injuries (good for those two and Gallo on the bench) and would be an
absolute dynamo. The only knock is a lack of playmaking for others outside of
Chris Paul, but I think this team would make it work if Butler and Aaron Gordon
accepted roles as beast defenders with AD, Paul and Thompson carrying the load
of the offense. So congrats to Austin J! No idea if this team will work for
fantasy, but the process is complete for the fictional best real life team in
the Crapstone fantasy league.
There it is folks, most likely I’ll win because I’m on an
absolute streak right now, but you guys can have this!
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