The Golden Era | A Golden State Warriors Dynasty (NBA 2K20)

[marshdaddy]

2022 NBA Offseason - The Draft Class Part II

Over the next few posts, I’d like to further introduce some of the players in the 2022 NBA Draft Class. I’m going to copy and paste the Conference Championship results from JB’s thread, as well as the results and notes from the Sweet Sixteen on to better provide some info. I won’t be including JB’s notes for the Conference Tournament just because of the length and this is after all more world building for the reader than it is a blog about college hoops.

My goal for this is to give the reader a bit more info on who is coming in besides just the players I’m targeting. Would appreciate feedback if you feel like this approach works, or if you’d prefer shorter, player-only write ups on some of the players in the class.

Let’s get to it.

2022 NCAA Conference Championships

AAC
AAC Tournament Winner: Memphis over Cincinnati | MVP: Memphis Reed, SG - Memphis

ACC
ACC Tournament Winner: Duke over UNC | MVP: Jay Kingston, SF - Duke

Big 12
Big 12 Tournament Winner: Kansas over Texas | MVP: Porter Bosh, PG - Kansas

Big East
Big East Tournament Winner: Villanova over Xavier | MVP: J.J. Shepard, PG - Villanova

Big 10
Big 10 Tournament Winner: Michigan State over Michigan | MVP: Kyree Giles, SF – Michigan State

Mountain West
Mountain West Tournament Winner: Fresno State | MVP: Desmond Cooper, SG - Fresno State

PAC 12
Tournament Winner: UCLA over Oregon | MVP: Tre Hunter, PG - UCLA

SEC
Tournament Winner: Kentucky over South Carolina | MVP: Kareem Livingston, SF - Kentucky

WCC
Tournament Winner: Gonzaga | MVP: Myles Jackson, PG - Gonzaga

NCAA Tournament Results
Sweet 16
South Region

(4) South Carolina 71 – (1) Michigan State 61
South Carolina with the upset win over the #1 overall seeded Michigan State. Center Julius Walker finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

(2) Michigan 67 – (3) Xavier 64
Michigan moves onto the Elite 8 round with a narrow victory over Xavier. SF Lincoln Andrews finished with 15 points and 2 steals in the win.

West Region

(4) Fresno State 73 – (1) Gonzaga 70
Fresno State upsets Gonzaga to advance to the Elite 8 round. SG Desmond Cooper had another huge game for the Bulldogs—28 points and 4 assists.

(2) Kentucky 84 – (6) St. John’s 67
Kentucky is moving on after a big win over St. John’s. Kentucky center was able to shut down St. John’s PF Ibrahim Mobley—holding him to just 15 points on 6-14 shooting. Kentucky SF Kareem Livingston had a game high 22 points.

East Region

(1) Duke 84 – (5) Indiana 72
Duke puts an end to Indiana’s tournament run, thus, ending SG Colt Paxson career at Indiana as well. He had a good night (22 points 4-9 3pt) but it wasn’t enough to overcome the amount of talent on the Duke team.

(2) UCLA 82 – (11) Baylor 68
UCLA derails Baylor’s semi-Cinderella story. PF Paul Giddens had a game high 20 points. PG Tre Hunter ended with 12 points and 9 assists.

Mid-West Region

(4) Memphis 72 – (1) Kansas 71
Memphis moves on with an exciting last second win over Kansas thanks to Memphis Reed's game-winning assist to his younger brother, Franklin Reed.

(2) UNC 78 – (11) Florida 70
UNC knocks off Florida 78-70 to advance to the Elite 8. UNC PG Xavier Collier had 12 points and 9 assists and SF Dontay Hopson added 16 points in the win.

[marshdaddy]

2022 NBA Offseason - The Draft Class Part III

Elite 8

(4) South Carolina 68 – (2) Michigan 65
Another big day for center Julius Walker, who owned the paint against Michigan. He finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds.

(2) Kentucky 88 – (4) Fresno State 73
Kentucky has too much talent for Fresno State’s lone star. SG Desmond Cooper did all he could to keep the Bulldogs in the game but it wasn’t enough. He finished with 25 points and 6 assists in the loss. SF Kareem Livingston led the way for the Wildcats with 19 points.

(2) UCLA 79 – (1) Duke 72
UCLA topples Duke to advance to the Final Four. PG Tre Hunter hit 5 of his 6 threes in the second half to erase an eight-point deficit. Duke SF Jay Kingston had 18 points for the Blue Devils in the loss.

(2) UNC 76 – (4) Memphis 75
Memphis Reed finished the game with a game high 22 points in the loss.


Final Four

(2) Kentucky 77 – (4) South Carolina 63
Kentucky center Elton Dawkins did a good job slowing down South Carolina center Julius Walker—holding him to 19 points. These two will continue to have these great battles next year in the NBA. SF Darian Chase led the Wildcats in scoring with 22 points.

(2) UCLA 81 – (2) UNC 76
UCLA PF Paul Giddens had 19 points and 9 rebounds and PG Tre Hunter had 18 points and 7 assists. For UNC, SF Dontay Hopson had 15 points, and PF Koby Alston finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds.

National Championship Game

(2) Kentucky 71 – (2) UCLA 67
Kentucky SF Kareem Livingston put the finishing touches on a tremendous freshman year. He finished with 21 points and five assists; center Elton Dawkins contributed 18 points and eight rebounds. It was a tough loss for UCLA. Hunter finished with 16 points and 5 assists; Giddens had 17 points and 7 rebounds.

NCAA Tournament MVP – Kareem Livingston, SF – Kentucky

[marshdaddy]

2022 NBA Offseason - The Draft Class Part IV

Below are the awards for the 2022 NCAA season. A quick recap of some of the players to watch for who haven’t previously been mentioned:


Memphis Reed, SG, Memphis
The oldest of three brothers (Franklin Reed, currently at Memphis; Brighton Reed, in high school), Reed is a talented defender. Shades of Marcus Smart, Reed could be a nice fit on a team that needs a defensive piece but also one with enough patience to let him develop.

Sasha Kasparov, C, Russia
The top international prospect in the draft, Kasparov has gotten comparisons to Marc Gasol. A talented pick and pop center, Kasparov still needs to develop an interior offensive and defensive game, but in the right system could be a talented piece.

Colt Paxson, SG, Indiana
Paxson, a senior shooting guard, set the school record for three’s at Indiana and could be a sleeper in the draft. He lacks defensive versatility which could hurt his draft stock. Currently projected to be a late-first round pick, Paxson’s stock will rise and fall based off how teams believe he can project long-term.

Kyree Giles, SG, Michigan State
Giles was a pivotal piece to the Spartans team. His ability to create for others could give him a chance to succeed in the NBA, but his ability to shoot will be what keeps him in the NBA. A streaky shooter, time will tell if his shot can be consistent enough at the next level.

2022 NCAA Basketball Awards
Award	Player	Pos	Team
John R Wooden Award	Desmond Cooper	SG	Fresno State, Jr.
Bob Cousey Award (Top PG)r	Memphis Reed	PG	Memphis, Sr.
Jerry West Award (Top SG)	Desmond Cooper	SG	Fresno State, Jr.
Julius Erving Award (Top SF)	Jay Kingston	SF	Duke, Sr.
Karl Malone Award (Top PF)	Ibraham Mobley	PF	St. John's, Fr.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Top C)	Julius Walker	C	South Carolina, So.
Defensive Player of the Year	Jarvis Owens	PF	Colorado, So.
Freshman of the Year	Ibraham Mobley	PF	St. John's, Fr.

2022 NCAA Basketball Awards
Award	Player	Pos	Team
ACC Player of the Year	Jay Kingston	SF	Duke, Sr.
AAC Player of the Year	Memphis Reed	PG	Memphis, Sr.
Big 12 Player of the Year	Porter Bosh	PG	Kansas, Sr.
Big East Player of the Year	Ibraham Mobley	PF	St. Johns, Fr.
Big 10 Player of the Year	Kyree Giles	SG	Michigan St., Sr.
Pac 12 Player of the Year	Tre Hunter	PG	UCLA, Fr.
SEC Player of the Year	Julius Walker	C	South Carolina, So.
WCC Player of the Year	Myles Jackson	PG	Gonzaga, Sr.

2022 All Americans
Award	Player	Pos	Team
1st Team All American
1st Team All American	Memphis Reed	PG	Memphis, Sr
	Desmond Cooper	SG	Fresno State, Jr.
	Jay Kingston	SF	Duke, Sr.
	Ibraham Mobley	PF	St. John's, Fr.
	Julius Walker	C	South Carolina, So.
2nd Team All American
2nd Team All American	Myles Jackson	PG	Gonzaga, Sr.
	Kyree Giles	SG	Michigan St., Sr.
	Kareem Livingston	SF	Kentucky, Fr.
	Koby Alston	PF	UNC, Jr.
	Elton Dawkins	C	Kentucky, Fr.
3rd Team All American
3rd Team All American	Tre Hunter	PG	UCLA, Fr.
	Colt Paxson	SG	Indiana, Sr.
	Ayden Slay	SF	Illinois, So.
	Paul Giddens	PF	UCLA, Fr.
	Lamont Jerrells	C	Louisville, So.

[trekfan]

UGH, Florida lost again in the tournament -- and to UNC too. I like the college recaps a lot, I hardly ever mention what happens in college in my various dynasties; not surprised to see Kentucky win it all, but UCLA really got good fast after years of missing out.



Walker looked good in postseason play, I expect he'll look just as good in the NBA.

[marshdaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

UGH, Florida lost again in the tournament -- and to UNC too. I like the college recaps a lot, I hardly ever mention what happens in college in my various dynasties; not surprised to see Kentucky win it all, but UCLA really got good fast after years of missing out. Walker looked good in postseason play, I expect he'll look just as good in the NBA.

Walker’s stock definitely didn’t fall in the tournament. If he’s on the board at 2 it’ll be tough to turn him down.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[marshdaddy]

2022 NBA Offseason - The NBA Draft

Time for an exciting NBA Draft. The Pistons enter with a chance to snag the third piece of their young core to play alongside LaMelo Ball and Evan Mobley. After finishing nine games out of the playoffs, the Pistons are doing what they can to slowly develop their talent.

Meanwhile, the Warriors lurk at no. 2 with a chance to grab another excellent piece to their already loaded stockpile of assets.

Full draft results below, story to come first.

For weeks, all signs pointed to the Pistons taking Ibraham Mobley with the top selection. The consensus top overall pick seemed like an ideal pairing alongside Ball and Evan Mobley. When the Pistons got on the clock, they kicked the night off with a bang.

Desmond Cooper, shooting guard, Fresno State.

The pick was shocking. Cooper is a great player, but at 21 scouts fear that his upside may come sooner than other players available, most notably Mobley who was college’s best power forward and Freshman of the Year. Cooper does however provide a shooting punch that the Pistons are lacking. A deadly deep threat, Cooper and Ball are a backcourt that should be able to score in bunches. However, it will also likely be a backcourt that gets scored on in bunches as neither posses the defensive acumen of a top-flight stopper. A risky roll but one the Pistons are banking on pulling off.

Luck favors the fortunate apparently, and with Cooper off the board, the Warriors waste little time in taking Ibraham Mobley. Scouts within the organization said they saw Mobley developing into a Chris Bosh-esque player with an ability to defend inside and outside and be a knock down shooter from the perimeter. Considered the best player in the draft by many, Mobley is an absolute steal at two.

The Rockets, looking to build one last contender out of the Russ-Harden pairing, jump for Kareem Livingston. The NCAA Tournament MVP, Livingston should slot in as a day one starter at the three for a Rockets team still looking to generate shots from the perimeter. Livingston will be allowed to contribute right away but won’t be lead on heavily, which should benefit him in the long run.

At four, the Spurs do the most Spursy thing possible, taking Sasha Kasparov out of Russia. The top international prospect in the draft, Kasparov should be a nice fit alongside Dejounte Murray and Cole Anthony, the Spurs’ young guards.

Atlanta has to be happy. After sliding back from the first overall pick to the fifth, the Hawks snatch up Julius Walker. The South Carolina bigman gets to stay home in the South and provides a unique attack for Atlanta. The Hawks have built their roster on shooters, and this should allow Walker to not only start right away, but also compliment the rest of the roster well. The big question mark for the Hawks now is the impending restricted free agency of Trae Young.

Other notables from the draft: Tre Hunter is taken eighth overall by the Magic. The Magic just drafted Jalen Green with the top pick a year ago and have shown a commitment to Markelle Fultz, so the Hunter selection is a bit of a head scratcher. If he develops a shot, the Magic could go the route of a three-guard lineup, and since the Magic feel they are deep with defenders, a pure scorer might be just what they need.

Memphis Reed falls to 12 and is taken by the Nuggets. A nice fit for their roster, Reed will be given time to develop and won’t be leaned on right away to produce.

The Cavs take Emanuel Barkley (PG) and Nico Claver (PF) with the sixth and seventh picks. Cleveland needs these picks to pay off. The Cavs took Onyeka Okongu two years ago before trading away their first last year, but after making the playoffs in 2021, they won 21 fewer games last year and appear to be trending in the wrong direction.

NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1 (6)	Detroit Pistons	Desmond Cooper	SG
2 (9)	Golden State Warriors (via CHA)	Ibraham Mobley	PF
3 (5)	Houston Rockets	Kareem Livingston	SF
4 (3)	San Antonio Spurs	Sasha Kasparov	C
5 (1)	Atlanta Hawks	Julius Walker	C
6 (2)	Cleveland Cavaliers	Emanuel Barkley	PG
7 (4)	Cleveland Cavaliers (via NYK)	Nico Claver	PF
8 (7)	Orlando Magic	Tre Hunter	PG
9 (8)	Phoenix Suns	Raul Acy	PG
10	Washington Wizards	Dontay Hopson	SF
11	Sacramento Kings	Dexter Jenkins	SG
12	Denver Nuggets	Memphis Reed	PG
13	New Orleans Pelicans	Ivan Gates	SG
14	Atlanta Hawks (via OKC)	Kyree Gils	SG
15	Chicago Bulls	Stanley Hawkins	PG
16	Indiana Pacers	Elton Dawkins	C
17	Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC)	Ayden Slay	PF
18	Phoenix Suns (via MIN)	Shamar Hayward	SF
19	Memphis Grizzlies	Koby Alston	PF
20	Brooklyn Nets	Paul Giddens	PF
21	Philadelphia 76ers	Calvin Brand	PG
22	Toronto Raptors	Jay Kingston	SF
23	Cleveland Cavaliers (via MIL)	Oliver Carson	PF
24	Dallas Mavericks	Haden Best	PG
25	Miami Heat	Darius Miller	PG
26	Boston Celtics	Ethan Bowden	PG
27	Memphis Grizzlies (via UTA)	Viktor Pressey	C
28	Portland Trail Blazers	Kaden Dickerson	SG
29	New Orleans Pelicans	Marcel Adams	PG
30	Charlotte Hornets (via GSW)	Mike Gray	SG

[trekfan]

Wow, Pistons make a shocking pick there and once more the Warriors reap the benefits of another team's questionable choice. Mobley is a HUGE get for Golden State.

[marshdaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Wow, Pistons make a shocking pick there and once more the Warriors reap the benefits of another team's questionable choice. Mobley is a HUGE get for Golden State.

Didn’t expect him there. Was prepping for Walker and then got lucky. That’s part of the reason why I don’t do 30 team control for the draft. I would have 100% taken Mobley for the Pistons but sometimes teams make bad decisions. The Cooper-Ball fit will be interesting though. A lot of scoring but no defense.


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