NBA has finally announced participants for
2012 Rising Star Challenge teams in
All Star Weekend.
These teams were drafted on the premise of playing just this game with the unusual aspects of the Rising Stars format (shorter time limit, faster pace, less defense, etc). It makes no statements about what players are better now, will be the best later, or anything else of that nature. The game is scheduled on February 24, 2012 according to
NBA All-Star Schedule 2012.
The draft was done snake-style and each pick has the rationale for making it.
Team 1, Pick 1: Blake Griffin
The best player on the board and a perfect fit for this game, especially since the point guards are so good. The fact that he stands head and shoulders over the rest of the players at his position in this game helps too.
Team 2, Pick 1: DeMarcus Cousins
With these back-to-back picks, the two basic questions were which of the two centers was a better fit and whether it would be worthwhile to take both Cousins and Monroe to deeply weaken the other team on the interior. In the end, I chose Cousins because he could end up dominating this game to make a statement and can make an impact in different phases of the game.
Team 2, Pick 2: Paul George
After deeply considering both Monroe and George here, the fact that this is always an up and down game makes using the top two picks on centers sort of an anchor on the team and the game. As such, Paul George makes complete since because he can play both swingman positions and be a force in transition.
Team 1, Pick 2: Greg Monroe
With Cousins off the board, Monroe was a must-pick with one of these two selections. Monroe’s passing ability should also work incredibly well in this game and I had Monroe over Cousins anyway, so it worked out nicely.
Team 1, Pick 3: Evan Turner
Considering the depth at point guard here, now seemed like the time to take a versatile swingman. Turner can score in different ways and guard a variety of different players, making him valuable in a game where each team has only nine players.
Team 2, Pick 3: Ricky Rubio
Considering it looked like Team 1 has been lining up to take one or possibly two of the top three PG’s, getting the one I wanted most was a necessity on this go-around. Rubio was born to play in exhibition games like this and will create fantastic opportunities for the rest of the team while defending the point of attack.
Team 2, Pick 4: Kawhi Leonard
Kyrie Irving definitely received serious consideration here, yet the possibility of grabbing the two best (and only two high-level) defensive swingmen in the game proved too tempting. Leonard also stands as one of the players who could try hard on both ends in this game to build some buzz and momentum.
Team 1, Pick 4: John Wall
With Rubio off the board, there was a clear need to take at least one point guard. John Wall should do well in a wide-open game like this one and having teammates like Blake and Greg would help him shine as a distributor and scorer.
Team 1, Pick 5: Kyrie Irving
Since PG play is always so important in these games, getting two that I would be incredibly happy with felt like the right strategy. Plus, Wall and Irving could play together for portions of the game.
Team 2, Pick 5: Landry Fields
Both the best player available and a perfect fit for what this team needed. Fields gives Team 2 a deep swingman rotation and perimeter shooting to off-set Leonard and Rubio getting pretty heavy minutes. He also works nicely on an uptempo team and should be able to show is all-around game in the format.
Team 2, Pick 6: Tristan Thompson
This proved to be a brutal decision between Thompson and Markieff Morris. Both fill different roles on a team like this and in the end Thompson’s two-way potential and nice fit for a game like this one, especially since he should carry the fire of getting too few minutes in Cleveland. As an added bonus, drafting him kept Thompson away from teammate Kyrie Irving on Team 1.
Team 1, Pick 6: Derrick Williams
Likely the best player available and a nice player to fit in at both SF and PF in an up-and-down game. Like Tristan Thompson, Williams should be looking to show his own team that he deserves more playing time than he has received thus far. Keeping Derrick apart from Rubio helps my team as well.
Team 1, Pick 7: Gordon Hayward
Gordon has impressed me this year with his scoring and ballhandling, giving him a place on this squad. His ability to play both SG and SF helps a ton in a game with limited perimeter depth and he fits properly with the rest of the talent on this team.
Team 2, Pick 7: Tiago Splitter
Again, it was time to choose between Markieff Morris and another big man. This time, Splitter won out because the team needs someone to play C when Cousins rests and Thompson has not played any meaningful minutes there this season. Splitter standing as the #2 player in the entire league in terms of FG% certainly does not hurt.
Team 2, Pick 8: Kemba Walker
Nearly took Morris again with this pick, but teams do not really have the need for four bigs in a game this short. Kemba should fit the tempo well and can play both on the ball and off the ball next to Mr. Rubio. A sleeper MVP pick in a game like this if he gets the playing time.
Team 1, Pick 8: Markieff Morris
Overjoyed that Morris fell down this far since I nearly took him last round over Hayward. A great talent who fits in with the offensive floor spacing the rest of the team has.
Team 1, Pick 9: Brandon Knight
It was a tough call between Knight and Brooks, but what won the day is that I feel Knight can do well on and off the ball in this game. He could play PG or next to either Wall or Irving while also playing some defense.
Team 2, Pick 9 MarShon Brooks
Considering I already have Rubio and Kemba, getting a SG to fill out my perimeter rotation is a godsend. Brooks has had an excellent year and allows my team to go super-uptempo with Leonard at PF when Griffin sits or moves to Center. Let’s see how Team 1 can defend some of the lineups I can throw at them now.
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