Ten Interesting Creation Draft Players Announced on Day 1
Aug 19, 2015 22:25:28 GMT
Minnesota, Mikawa, and 2 more like this
Post by Swoosh on Aug 19, 2015 22:25:28 GMT
With the first three classes of the creation draft announced (and several more classes yet to go), things are starting to take shape in the draft pool. Even with only a small portion of the total number of players revealed, it is never too early to pick out some of the most interesting players heading into the creation draft.
1. Julius Erving – Dr. J comes into the league in the prime of his playing career at 27 years old, meaning he has not only his best years presumably still ahead of him, but he also doesn’t have to worry about taking a hit when the first training camp comes around. Erving’s ratings suggest he will be a high pick in the draft, regardless of who is left to be announced.
2. George Mikan – Don’t look now, but for the first time in ABCA history, we actually get Mikan entering a creation draft at a reasonably young age. At age 25, Mikan comes in younger than most of the players on this list, and likely would be the #1 pick of top’s crop. It will be fascinating to see what we get out of George when he’s allowed to actually have a relatively full career in ABCA.
3. Bob McAdoo – Another 27 year old, McAdoo is coming in highly skilled on both ends of the court in the prime of his career. Much like Dr. J, McAdoo’s talent will likely outweigh the youthful benefits that later classes might provide, and he should be a lock for a first round pick.
4. Sergei Belov – Offensive weapon, defensive stud…mediocre passer…yep, Sergei Belov is back in ABCA! Belov looks like THE premier shooting guard announced on day 1, though it will be interesting to see how teams view him with his combination of size and relatively ineffective passing.
5. Radivoj Korac – Korac has always been an ABCA favorite, as his unique skillset and size draws you win. At 27, Korac is in the sweet spot of contributing immediately in his prime while not being too old to scare you away from picking him early.
6. Zoran Slavnic – Slavnic comes into the league at 26 years old and arguably some of the best skills announced at PG on day 1. It will be interesting to see how Zoran translates into Ultimate ABCA after being a superstar through multiple training camps in Legends…a luxury that time seems less likely to provide this time around.
7. Earl Monroe – I take it back; Earl Monroe might be THE premier SG announced on day 1. A year younger and an inch taller than Belov, Monroe has all the weapons to succeed immediately in the league.
8. Pee Wee Kirkland – Somewhere between Legends and Ultimate, Kirkland suddenly learned how to play defense! That means his value goes up dramatically over Legends, where he was a one way player, even if his age of 30 will drop him down many draft sheets.
9. Bobby McDermott – He can shoot the 3, he can pass with the best of them and he can play defense. What more can you ask of him? He was once voted the best basketball player of all time, though at a height of 5’11” and an age of 29, his appeal will be slightly lower in Ultimate.
10. Louie Dampier – Louie, where did you come from? With sick ratings across the boards offensively, the ABA standout could be a sneaky high pick for a win now team looking for a PG.
There you have it…keep in mind, as the draft classes get announced, each set of players will be younger (and presumably earlier in their development) than the previous class. So, how does this class look to you so far?
Oh yeah, this is eligible for bonus PP...nice.
1. Julius Erving – Dr. J comes into the league in the prime of his playing career at 27 years old, meaning he has not only his best years presumably still ahead of him, but he also doesn’t have to worry about taking a hit when the first training camp comes around. Erving’s ratings suggest he will be a high pick in the draft, regardless of who is left to be announced.
2. George Mikan – Don’t look now, but for the first time in ABCA history, we actually get Mikan entering a creation draft at a reasonably young age. At age 25, Mikan comes in younger than most of the players on this list, and likely would be the #1 pick of top’s crop. It will be fascinating to see what we get out of George when he’s allowed to actually have a relatively full career in ABCA.
3. Bob McAdoo – Another 27 year old, McAdoo is coming in highly skilled on both ends of the court in the prime of his career. Much like Dr. J, McAdoo’s talent will likely outweigh the youthful benefits that later classes might provide, and he should be a lock for a first round pick.
4. Sergei Belov – Offensive weapon, defensive stud…mediocre passer…yep, Sergei Belov is back in ABCA! Belov looks like THE premier shooting guard announced on day 1, though it will be interesting to see how teams view him with his combination of size and relatively ineffective passing.
5. Radivoj Korac – Korac has always been an ABCA favorite, as his unique skillset and size draws you win. At 27, Korac is in the sweet spot of contributing immediately in his prime while not being too old to scare you away from picking him early.
6. Zoran Slavnic – Slavnic comes into the league at 26 years old and arguably some of the best skills announced at PG on day 1. It will be interesting to see how Zoran translates into Ultimate ABCA after being a superstar through multiple training camps in Legends…a luxury that time seems less likely to provide this time around.
7. Earl Monroe – I take it back; Earl Monroe might be THE premier SG announced on day 1. A year younger and an inch taller than Belov, Monroe has all the weapons to succeed immediately in the league.
8. Pee Wee Kirkland – Somewhere between Legends and Ultimate, Kirkland suddenly learned how to play defense! That means his value goes up dramatically over Legends, where he was a one way player, even if his age of 30 will drop him down many draft sheets.
9. Bobby McDermott – He can shoot the 3, he can pass with the best of them and he can play defense. What more can you ask of him? He was once voted the best basketball player of all time, though at a height of 5’11” and an age of 29, his appeal will be slightly lower in Ultimate.
10. Louie Dampier – Louie, where did you come from? With sick ratings across the boards offensively, the ABA standout could be a sneaky high pick for a win now team looking for a PG.
There you have it…keep in mind, as the draft classes get announced, each set of players will be younger (and presumably earlier in their development) than the previous class. So, how does this class look to you so far?
Oh yeah, this is eligible for bonus PP...nice.
