Rookie Ladder - 3029 (250 views)

[delap]

PreSeason

For real this time. We back.

I expect some year-long jostling between #1 and #2... they are currently in a single tier well above the rest.

1. Alonzo Mourning - New York Knicks

In a new era of reduced shot blocking for bigs, Mourning stands out as the king of the class by a WIDE margin. Throw in the fact that this class seems to be weak on the boards all around and it makes him even more valuable. He's never going to be a mega-scorer, but he's efficient and doesn't have major TO problems.

2. Shaquille O'Neal - Denver Nuggets

The big Diesel needs some FT% love and needs to be a bit more careful with the ball... but other than that? He's pretty close to a complete player. He is the best rebounder of the group and his scoring should be massively improved with the FT bump that is surely coming.

3. LaPhonso Ellis - Pittsburgh Pipers

An efficient scoring PF... but really weak on the boards and defensively... Ellis can probably have one of those problems fixed, but not the other. BA has a choice to make.

4. Dell Demps - Indiana Pacers

The player I regretted not taking, of course. 1st in P/TSA, much higher steal rate than TO rate, and no real weaknesses. This guy could be a star in an outside offense, sooner rather than later.

5a. Chris King - Utah Jazz

5b. Harold Miner - Cleveland Cavaliers

One has TO problems (King) and the other could be a stronger rebounder (Miner)... but the two wings paired here are both decent scorers by volume and efficiency. Both should be growers AND showers, if you know what I mean.

7a. Lee Mayberry - Milwaukee Bucks

7b. Corey Williams - Portland Trail Blazers

Mayberry has a strong case to be higher on the list, because I really only see defense as a weakness. He's scoring well, doesn't have TO issues at all, and rebounds pretty well for a PG, too. So, sorry in advance if he ends up higher. Williams is very very efficient, but the volume isn't great. His TOs aren't bad for a rookie, but they aren't exemplary either.

9. Malik Sealy - Philadelphia 76ers

If you want a scoring wing project (especially for an inside offense), Sealy is the guy to take a flyer on. Strong rebounder for a SG, decent steals.  Just keep an eye on this one.

10. Melvin Robinson - Cleveland Cavaliers

He's Shaq... but without the POT or the high scoring upside... but rebounding and defensively? He's pretty close to Shaq. Is that an insane comp? Yeah probably. Sue me.

Honorable Mentions:

Points:

Duane Cooper - Texas Chaparrals

Shane Heal - Milwaukee Bucks

Wings:

Curtis Blair - San Antonio Spurs

Jim Jackson - Charlotte Hornets

Bryant Stith - Chicago Stags

Jo Jo English - Pittsburgh Pipers

Tracy Murray - Seattle SuperSonics

Bigs:

P.J. Brown - Texas Chaparrals

Tom Gugliotta - Washington Bullets

Darren Morningstar - Chicago Bulls

Popeye Jones - Syracuse Nationals

[20s]

Why do we think Melvin Robinson doesn’t have the potential of Shaq? He was a potential strength guy and Shaq was B potential.

[delap]

Day 50
Rookie Ladder? More like the Rookie Sapuladder! *lots of Cavs below*

1. Shaquille O'Neal - Denver Nuggets (previous: 2)
He's largely who he was in the preseason, so his jump to the top spot is more damning of Zo's fall in efficiency than it is praising Shaq's consistency. He's shooting 12% better from the line than he was then, which makes a big difference. He's #3 (ish) in rebounding, #2 in P/TSA, and the TOs are still bad... but not unplayable bad.



2. Alonzo Mourning - New York Knicks (previous: 1)
His P/TSA fell from good to awful, helped along by a 7% drop in FG%. That said... he's still a rebounding (#2) and defensive (#1 in blocks/stocks) monster. The race for the top spot is still open, given Shaq's imperfections from the line and his TO issue... but 'Zo has got to get back to somewhat respectable in P/TSA to make that a reality.



3. LaPhonso Ellis - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: 3)
Still rockin' the bronze podium, LaPhonso is clearly a cut above #s 4-10. He's efficient, he scores with volume, he's as strong as Shaq on the boards, and he doesn't turn it over. He's not a total zero on defense, but his shot blocking needs some TC love to get him to be a potential all-star in the future.



4. Brent Price - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: NR)
#1 in P/TSA, scoring at a high clip, relatively low TOs (especially for a rookie PG)... Price looks fantastic after a lackluster preseason. On the flip side, his defense is matador-level bad. It's almost impossible for a PG to average .4 steals/36... and yet he has managed to do so. It could be a small sample either way (the offense or the defense)... but he's earned his spot so far.



5. Tim Breaux - Toronto Raptors (previous: NR)
5b. Walt Williams - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: NR)
Breaux is fully maxed out on uppies... but he still has A POT, so that's nice. 4th in P/TSA. No major strengths in the traditional categories, but no major weaknesses either. Rebounding was stronger in the preseason, so there is hope that he'll inch up to be a force there. Williams profiles a little worse at most things than Breaux, and just recently got his upgrades, but he could end up deadly shooting from the SG position in an outside system.




7. Harold Miner - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 5b)
Rebounding is still his bugaboo, but he's pretty efficient and profiles as a stronger-than-average stealer of the ball (and probably defender, too). He hasn't been upgraded yet, so there are many ways Sap could go with this in the future.



8a. Elmore Spencer - Toronto Raptors (previous: NR)
8b. Darren Morningstar - Chicago Bulls (previous: HM)
Spencer has limited minutes so far, and barring injury won't qualify for the next ladder update, but his efforts so far have been strong. Top rebounder in the class, 2nd in shot blocking, and he doesn't monopolize the ball by shooting. That said, his TOs are pretty high for a guy with limited touches. Sir Darren Morningstar, straight out of a DnD campaign name generator, is 3rd in the class in P/TSA, does everything pretty well... EXCEPT! He might be the worst rebounding center we've seen (from a limited sample)... he's averaging under 8 boards/36... which seems as impossible as Brent Price's steal rate.




10. Robert Horry - Philadelphia 76ers (previous: NR)
Big Shot Bob won't get the chance to take those shots on a GM-less squad... but he's filling the stat sheet quite well across the board despite no coach, GM, or training. Definitely worth a flyer in the next FA period.



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Duane Cooper - Texas Chaparrals
Lee Mayberry - Milwaukee Bucks

Wings:
Chris King - Utah Jazz
Malik Sealy - Philadelphia 76ers
Jim Jackson - Charlotte Hornets

Bigs:
Adam Keefe - Philadelphia 76ers
Melvin Robinson - Cleveland Cavaliers

[delap]

Day 80

Shaq holding on, not a lot of depth, and a 2nd non-GMed player makes the ladder.

1. Shaquille O'Neal - Denver Nuggets (previous: 1)
The Big Ore Deposit (I guess?) leads the class in P/TSA (big thank you to his FT shooting coach, who has put in a ton of work) and is 4th on the boards. He's only outscored by a couple of compu-players who are the only options on their respective teams. TOs are still an issue, but not terrible terrible. The lead over Mourning is growing.



2. Alonzo Mourning - New York Knicks (previous: 2)
Offense is still just bad, but less putrid than he was. 2nd in rebounding and a clear top blocker, 'Zo is looking to be the DPOTY king sooner rather than later, as the old guard begins to age out.



3. LaPhonso Ellis - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: 3)
Unchanged as the best of the rest, but Brent Price has probably crept up into Tier 2 along with 'Phonso. He's nothing to write home about on defense, and his rebounding is fine... but offensively he could be a real force with a little luck to get his usage up. TOs are low, so that's nice.



4. Brent Price - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 4)
Simply a fantastic scoring point, with a deadly jumper, Price is upgraded fully, so he is what he is... but what he is is already a very nice player. Great find/work by sap on this one.



5. Tim Breaux - Toronto Raptors (previous: 5a)
Fully upgraded, but still very high POT, Breaux doesn't have a weakness, really, but also doesn't have a major major strength. He'll rely on some TC growth to be a consistent starter, but the median outcome is that he should be a great 3rd wing for any team.



6. Jim Jackson - Charlotte Hornets (previous: HM)
The futures pick, Jackson looks pretty good for a guy with high POT and all of his remaining upgrades. The Hornets could improve him in a variety of ways to really maximize his drive to score.



7a. Darren Morningstar - Chicago Bulls (previous: 8b)
7b. Elmore Spencer - Toronto Raptors (previous: 8a)
Morningstar continues his hilarious commitment to the "I'll score but never rebound at all" bit. 2nd in the class in P/TSA and just absurdly bad on the boards. He should get some natural growth there, but uppies would certainly help. Spencer remains on the opposite end of the spectrum, leading the class in boards, 2nd in blocks... but really really loose with the ball. His TOs are incredibly bad for such a low usage-rate player.




9a. Popeye Jones - Syracuse Nationals (previous: NR)
9b. Robert Horry - Philadelphia 76ers (previous: 10)
Double dip for the non-GMed ranks. Popeye leads the class in scoring, but his P/TSA is bad. 4th in PER though! If he had a GM give him some attention he could possibly end up being a solid 3rd big... but he needs that love for sure (especially on the TO front). Horry remains a fantasy stat stuffer, doing a bit of everything. A boost to his rebounding skills would do wonders for his game.




Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Shane Heal - Milwaukee Bucks

Wings:
Walt Williams - Cleveland Cavaliers
Harold Miner - Cleveland Cavaliers
Jo Jo English - Pittsburgh Pipers
Malik Sealy - Philadelphia 76ers

Bigs:
Melvin Robinson - Cleveland Cavaliers

[delap]

Final Standings

Congrats to Fason and Mr. Shaquille O'Neal. 1k to him from my bank, thanks TinyTimPig

Not overly excited about this class. The 2nd half of the ladder would normally be lucky to make a ladder in most years.

1. Shaquille O'Neal - Denver Nuggets (previous: 1)
Slam dunk choice, despite the defensive greatness from Mourning. Shaq isn't a total 0 on defense and his TO issues are not unplayable. He's an offensive force and strong rebounder... and should only get better in the next few seasons.



2. Alonzo Mourning - New York Knicks (previous: 2)
The next great defender in the post, Mourning does just enough on offense to not be awful on that end... though we should hope for improved FG% (FT isn't bad!).



3. Brent Price - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 4)
Leap-frogging LaPhonso is Price, due to positional scarcity/importance. If he can increase his volume at all in the next few seasons, he could be an all-star.



4. LaPhonso Ellis - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: 3)
Tied with Shaq for #1 in P/TSA, an offensive stud... but no real defense and little chance that he grows in that regard. That said, he's still a 3rd big at worst going forward, and likely could start on a top-tier team with the right group around him.



5a. Tim Breaux - Toronto Raptors (previous: 5)
5b. Walt Williams - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: HM)
Walt keeps coming back in and out of the ladder, much like his tall socks have come in and out of style. Breaux is a steady jack of all trades, master of none... but his POT is still very high. Williams' only real deficiency is rebounding, so maybe he can get some growth there to bolster his long-term prospects.




7a. Jim Jackson - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 6)
7b. Jo Jo English - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: HM)
A newly re-imagined Jim Jackson could put on a show in Charlotte. His scoring attributes and growth indicate that he could end up as a stud on offense, but he isn't bringing much else to the table. Jo Jo's main value is that he simply does not turn the ball over. If he can get the right combo of upgrades and avoid awful TCs (his POT isn't good), then he could have a short run as a 3rd wing.




9. Darren Morningstar - Chicago Bulls (previous: 7a)
The great rebound-less wonder! What center averages 8.0/36 on the glass? For real. The rest of his game is fantastic... so he just needs some GM love and some TC luck to get to average on the glass and he could be a good player.



10. Chris King - New Orleans Jazz (previous: NR)
The final spot is a futures play, where King has great shown POT and didn't get his upgrades until very late in the season. His TOs are a slight issue, but mostly we want to see his efficiency early next year to see how the upgrades have helped.



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Shane Heal - Milwaukee Bucks

Wings:
Bryant Stith - Chicago Stags
Harold Miner - Cleveland Cavaliers
Malik Sealy - Philadelphia 76ers

Bigs:
Robert Horry - Philadelphia 76ers
Melvin Robinson - Cleveland Cavaliers
Elmore Spencer - Toronto Raptors

[Sapular]

100K

[20s]

80k

[Fason]

85k