Round 1 - Review - Part I

[Sydney]

Well, after a whopping 5 hours 10mins and 27 seconds, the first round of ABCA Legends Creation draft was completed. Ok, alright it didn’t
take nearly that long but it sure seemed like the longest even in the history of drafts. Anyway, rant aside and now that the dust has cleared, it’s time to evaluate who made the surprise picks, who got a steal and well who simply shat the bed.

 
Let’s begin by going pick by pick.


1. Toronto – Wilt Chamberlain: I think it's fairly certain to say this was a no brainer of a pick. The blind leading the blind still would have made this pick. Toronto's franchise is now set-up for the foreseeable future with not only a super-star but one that is young enough that should call Toronto his home for at least the next 8-10 years. Grade: A+

2. Cairo - Bill Russell: This pick to most was a toss-up between either Cousy or Russell and depending upon how you set your team up, there was no right or wrong choice. Bill will be the anchor of a dominant front line and will play an integral role in Cairo's quest for a championship. With the influx of big-men, this team is now set-up to deal with anyone for many years to come. Grade: A+

3. San Antonio - Bob Cousy: Well this pick was going to be whomever was left after Cairo selected. With it being Bob Cousy, I'm sure he has to be ecstatic to land a player of this caliber. Although this was a relatively deep draft, it had 3 surefire superstars and with Bob filling up the stat sheet night after night, it's safe to say Toronto, Cairo and San Antonio are primed for contention no matter who they put next to these guys. Grade: A+

4. Tokyo - George Mikan: Now is when the draft started to take some turns. With the consensus top 3 off the board, everyone's decisions are now coming in to play. Do you draft to win now or for the future? Is the guy too old for this early of a pick? So many different factors now need to be taken into consideration. By drafting George Mikan, Tokyo is making the statement that they wish to compete now. You can't fault the pick, especially with the majority of the top players being big men. I believe Mikan has a few more peak years and will age well, so I think this was a great choice, however I preferred the next guy. Grade: A

5. Lagos - Bob Pettit: Another great big man comes off the board here and although this may sound repetitive, it was necessary. You can flip flop Mikan and Pettit, which is why I believe Lagos has to be very happy he fell to 5. The age difference just sets them apart for me personally, even with my belief in Mikan aging well. Pettit is going to be an instant impact and a great centerpiece to build around. This right here was the next cliff of talent, and the next 10 picks are all similar in value to me. Love this pick. Grade: A+

6. New York - Dolph Schayes: This pick right here was not my favorite, I had a few players ranked ahead of Dolph as I have a great fear of centers weight 220lbs breaking down in this big man league. Dolph has good skills and at 6, it's definitely a worthy pick, however I felt it was a reach. I know I just said that the next 10 guys for me were all similiar in value, however, Dolph for me was near the back end of the pack. I was expecting him to fall towards 10 so this just seems like a reach to me. Grade: B

7. Atlanta (Originally Chicago) - Walt Bellamy: Love me some Walt Bellamy, however, the price paid to acquire Walt seems a bit exorbitant if you ask me. To move up 10 slots, ATL lost his second round pick so I think it's safe to say he is banking on Bellamy's potential and his youth. This may be a rebuild but in a year or two, Bellamy may be carrying this team on his back and no one will care about this trade. Anyway, due to the 2nd round pick given up to acquire him, I have to say ATL overpaid even though I love Walt. Grade: B-

8. Mexico City - Maurice Stokes: Well this was definitely the first shocker of the draft. I had Maurice Stokes listed at 14 on my list, so to see him grabbed here was quite a surprise. I certainly liked Maurice but felt this was a tad bit of a reach, especially with Elgin Baylor, Bob Boozer and Gennadi Volnov still there for the taking. With that being said, Maurice is still a good young player and will definitely be a good building block. My personal preference was one of the aforementioned three but to each our own. Grade: B-

9. Boston - Elgin Baylor:  To say I'm shocked to see Corey pickup the steal of the draft would be a complete boldface lie. He always seems to have a good eye for talent and when it drops, he was right there to pick it up. Although this is a big man league, Elgin Baylor is going to fit right in and will grow to become a scoring machine. He is just too athletic for this league and given his youth and skill set, I expect to see him challenge Wilt for scoring titles soon. Grade: A+

10. London - Bob Boozer: Of course John draws up a mock draft and has Boozer in the late teens, so no one thinks he actually wants him. I'm a huge fan of this pick, even with his size, Bob is going to be a beast on the boards and on defense. John has his Wilt/Bill/Walt/Dolph/George/Bob kryptonite and he has to be happy to get him at 10. I was hoping he would fall based on his size but unfortunately, John wisely scooped him up. Grade: A


Unfortunately, I'm leaving work as we speak and there is no save function. I will be finishing this up with Part I and hopefully Part III tonight.

Feel free to throw your two cents in as well!

[Royale]

good read bro, hopefully you get in time to finish the rest

[Tyler]

Yeah I was thinking the same. Good read other then the fact that you only had time for 10 when Im 13!!!!

[London]

Here, let me..

MOSCOW - Grade F. Missed on Bob Boozer.

That'll be 100 PP please.

[majorrajor]

Am I the only one who doesn't love Elgin Baylor? I mean, his intangibles are pretty great, and he looks like he'll be a solid inside scoring threat, but other than that, he looks pretty pedestrian. I don't think I had him on my draft list (and I picked 14th).

I know it's really too early to judge, I just wanted to hear what others thought.

[London]

I wanted him but it was mostly name

[Royale]

Gene Conley, will he be Dirk or Bargnani

[Tyler]

A lot of the draft is kind of going on name. Its harder to know this era inside an out because there just isn't as much information on these guys. The stars will likely be stars though otherwise the league will be rather underwhelming at first. Id draft names all day, I had Radivoj Korac 13 on my list

[Mexico City]

While I like Baylor like washington i wasnt in love with him at pick 8.. Same goes with Bob Boozer who has always been great in ABCA leagues but his career numbers of 14.8ppg and 8 rpg are solid but to me are not hall of fame type numbers to be picked over some of the guys in this draft. Still that said its safe to assume Boozer will be a stud again here as always. As for Stokes being my selection, he fits what we do to a tee, post defense , rebounding, good inside play, it wont really be until the rest of the draft plays out though will we know if this was a good pick or not for us at 8

[Drew]

Its hard to separate reality from simulation when it comes to legends like Baylor. That being said, I agree w/ Sydney here. Corey got the steal of the 1st round.