Rookie Ladder - 3032 (242 views)

[delap]

PreSeason

Lots of hype around this class and at least a few of them delivered. The gulf between #1 and the rest is gigantic at this time. That said... I really like everyone in the Top 10 and there were multiple HM players that would make the ladder until normal circumstances, so the class is looking deep. At the extreme end, though, the class leader in P/TSA only reached 1.12... so the scoring punch may be a little weaker in the first year or two for the group.

1. Bill Walton - Indiana Pacers

Easy pick here for the top. He averaged an insane 15.6 boards/36 in the early going, was 3rd in P/TSA, and his stocks almost equal his TOs (3.1 v. 3.5). Looks very similar to a young Kareem, with slightly better boards and slightly worse blocks. Can't wait for Heebs to bench him for years 2 and 3 in hopes of everyone forgetting about him and getting him on a cheap 2nd contract. Not this time, pal!

2. Ernie DiGregorio - Carolina Cougars

Scout 20x20x20x20 went back to Owner/GM 20s and told him this guy was a steal who was used wrong in college... and man was he correct. He looks like a fantastic PG in the finesse system in Carolina and could have the inside track at ROTY in the software.

3. Darryl Dawkins - Denver Nuggets

Betting on potential here. Chocolate Thunder needs some love to get to the mountain-top, but the building blocks look solid and he should end up top-notch in at least scoring and blocking, though it may come at the expense of rebounding prowess. I'm still betting on his upside.

4. World B. Free - Carolina Cougars

He wasn't built for every fit... but he might've been built for the aforementioned Carolina ecosystem. He's a decent defender and rebounder for a small SG and should see his scoring jump significantly (to match his athletic skills) with the right improvements. He fell too far in the draft, plain and simple.

5. Bobby C. Jones - Boston Celtics

You're telling me there is a gritty, hardscrabble, white guy that is named "Bobby Jones" and he went to the Celtics? Sounds like a match made in heaven. Is he Thybulle 2.0? Or even better? I'd be cautiously optimistic that he will be. Great player.

6. Lionel Hollins - Carolina Cougars

Notice a theme yet? He honestly looks almost as good as DiGregorio right now and has amazing POT. I may have put the Cougs points in the wrong order... but we'll take a look when the real lights turn on.

7. Jamaal Wilkes - Milwaukee Bucks

Efficient, likes to shoot enough, no real deficiencies... lots of things to like here from the young man out of UCLA. With the right improvements he'll be pushing Bobby Jones for 1st Team All-Rookie at SF.

8. Truck Robinson - Denver Nuggets

The other half of the Nuggets baby-big duo... Truck led the class in P/TSA and only has one weakness: the boards. Between he and Dawkins, both of them really need to get some rebound-coaching to reach their potential.

9. Brian Winters - Los Angeles Lakers

Another high POT player who looks decent already, Winters wants to shoot... he just isn't terribly efficient. Put him further away from the basket and give him some more jumpers and that'll get fixed right up, though. Rebounding is weak, but not woeful.

10. Len Elmore - Pittsburgh Pipers

Not a sexy pick, but Elmore put up solid 20/10 stats in the preseason without any noticeable deficiencies. He's never gonna be a star, but should be a solid player for a while.

Honorable Mentions:

Points:

Frank Oleynick - Philadelphia 76ers

Mike D'Antoni - Sacramento Kings

Kevin Joyce - Portland Trail Blazers

Wings:

David Thompson - Toronto Raptors

Ricky Sobers - Syracuse Nationals

Kevin Grevey - Portland Trail Blazers

John Drew - Indiana Pacers

John Brown - Chicago Stags

Bigs:

Kevin Kunnert - Cleveland Cavaliers

Cliff Pondexter - Atlanta Hawks

Swen Nater - Vancouver Grizzlies

Steve Downing - New Orleans Jazz

[delap]

Day 40
Big shifts after #2, especially with B. Free, Hollins, Truck, and Dawkins barely playing (if at all)... this ladder should still see some fluidity at the next update.

1. Bill Walton - Indiana Pacers (previous: 1)
Efficiency is merely average, but the TOs are down and the rebounds and shot blocking are both real and SPECTACULAR. He is still a cut above the rest and doesn't look to have a real challenger on the horizon.



2. Ernie DiGregorio - Carolina Cougars (previous: 2)
2nd in P/TSA, scoring with volume, not turning it over. Rebounding is weak, even for a PG and I'm pretty sure he's a sieve on defense, but the offensive package is quite nice.



3. Bobby C. Jones - Boston Celtics (previous: 5)
The Chairman of Defense is living up to the hype in Beantown. He's neck and neck with Thybulle in the glue/grit categories and really only needs to clean up the turnovers a bit.



4. Kermit Washington - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: NR)
Here at Ladder, Inc. we are not big on more than 4 TO/36... but we'll look past it for now for Mr. The Frog. 1st in P/TSA, 1st in scoring, 2nd in rebounding... not bad. He'll never be a good defender, but he could end up as the best offensive big in the league within a few years. That's not bad.



5a. Al Eberhard - Milwaukee Bucks (previous: NR)
5b. Jamaal Wilkes - Milwaukee Bucks (previous: 7)
The Wings of Milwaukee are both performing at admirable levels so far... Wilkes is the leader in most counting stats, but Eberhard doesn't turn it over, is a little more efficient, and likely has more natural growth remaining. It's a good problem to have multiple young wings with hope, so the Milwaukee GM should be satisfied with where they are sitting right now.




7. George McGinnis - Charlotte Hornets (previous: NR)
Playing a lot like a Kermit-lite, McGinnis has solid potential and could even turn out to be an OK defender for a PF. TOs need to come down, but there is some promise here.



8a. Swen Nater - Vancouver Grizzlies (previous: HM)
8b. Steve Downing - New Orleans Jazz (previous: HM)
A pair of lower-POT bigs, neither are great shakes on offense, but should deliver on a single elite skill. Nater is an elite rebounder and Downing looks to have the defensive chops to be a stalwart there. More data will separate these two down the line, but they both have hope for specialized roles.




10. Ed Ratleff - New York Knicks (previous: NR)
POT is in the garbage, even as a rookie, but he's a great shooter and is careful with the rock. He's here based on performance, not the future. Maybe he'll be gone by the next update, but he surely won't be higher than this.




Honorable Mentions

Points:
Mike D'Antoni - Sacramento Kings
Frank Oleynick - Philadelphia 76ers

Wings:
Ricky Sobers - Syracuse Nationals
George Gervin - Vancouver Grizzlies
Brian Winters - Los Angeles Lakers
David Thompson - Toronto Raptors

Bigs:
Mike Sojourner - Philadelphia 76ers
Kevin Kunnert - Cleveland Cavaliers
Mike Green - Syracuse Nationals
Len Elmore - Pittsburgh Pipers

[Sapular]

1st in PTSA, scoring and 2nd rebounding but ranked 4th? Interesting

[delap]

Day 90
Some shuffling, but many of the same characters. Still really want to see more of Free and Dawkins, but alas.

1. Bill Walton - Indiana Pacers (previous: 1)
Efficiency has ticked up a bit, TOs have too, though. Doesn't really matter, though. He's still pretty close to faultless. Maybe if you were really critical you would want him to shoot more, which I suspect will increase over time.



2. Ernie DiGregorio - Carolina Cougars (previous: 2)
Efficiency has dipped, but defensive stats have improved. Still looking like a major find by the scouting group for the Cougs.



3. Kermit Washington - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 4)
Kermit moves up a spot because his TOs have improved somewhat. 2nd in P/TSA and Top 5 in rebounding, he's a potential star if the TOs can ever get down under 3/36.



4. Bobby C. Jones - Boston Celtics (previous: 3)
The original "Bobby Jones Special" is still looking pretty special. 3rd in blocks, 1st in stealing, and a decent rebounder.



5. George McGinnis - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 7)
Joining the "Solid Top 5" fray is McGinnis, who is #2 on the glass and has gained steadily over the season in efficiency and turned it over a little less. Like K-Dub above, his ceiling will be capped until he can get the TOs under control.



6a. David Thompson - Toronto Raptors (previous: HM)
6b. Al Eberhard - Milwaukee Bucks (previous: 5a)
Thompson steadily improved over the season after a disastrous training camp. Maybe he'll actually take the off-season seriously in the future? He's strong enough on D and his scoring percentages are solid. He's shown that a shift to an inside offense could be a boon for him in the future. His lack of 3pt game limits his versatility, though. Eberhard continues his fantasticly steady play, coming in 4th in P/TSA and still under 1 TO/36. He may not ever be a lead man, but he's a solid piece for sure. His rebounding is rather positionally weak... which is really the only major knock on him.




8a. Steve Downing - New Orleans Jazz (previous: 8b)
8b. Cliff Pondexter - Atlanta Hawks (previous: NR)
Downing and Pondexter are both above-average in one of the D/R skills and have some hope of completing the set in the future. Downing has the shot blocking, the more important component and is decently efficient and doesn't really turn it over. Pondexter is very efficient, is a strong rebounder... but could use some defensive growth. I love the look of his letter grades, so he could get a real boost over the next 2 TCs.




10. Ed Ratleff - New York Knicks (previous: 10)
Still holding down the 10th spot, still awful prospects for growth... but he's a solid SG in an outside world. If his GM ever puts him in the right spot to succeed or upgrades him... watch out (for the near term).



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Mike D'Antoni - Sacramento Kings
Frank Oleynick - Philadelphia 76ers

Wings:
Jamaal Wilkes - Milwaukee Bucks
Brian Winters - Los Angeles Lakers
Ricky Sobers - Syracuse Nationals

Bigs:
Swan Nater - Vancouver Grizzlies
Truck Robinson - Denver Nuggets
Len Elmore - Pittsburgh Pipers
Kevin Kunnert - Cleveland Cavaliers

[Trofie]

Bobby Jones is being Wildly overhyped.

[delap]

Sept 9, 2022 7:40:31 GMT -5 Trofie said:

Bobby Jones is being Wildly overhyped.

but what about Bobby C. Jones?

[TinyTimPig]

Stop looking at me Swan (Nater)!

[delap]

Day 120 - Final Standings
In a mostly foregone conclusion... Herby New Year! gets the money. TinyTimPig , please transfer 1k from me to the Indiana GM. After the Big Ginger, DiGregorio has #2 locked up. Players like Nater, Dawkins, B. Free, Collins, and Truck Robinson could all show out in future years, but we just don't have enough data on them yet.

1. Bill Walton - Indiana Pacers (previous: 1)
Virtually unchanged since the last update. Just a menace on the glass and should continue to get buffed in that area along with defensive stats. If his scoring ever inches up he'll be an MVP candidate regularly.



2. Ernie DiGregorio - Carolina Cougars (previous: 2)
Ernest of Gregory didn't lead the Cougs to the playoffs... but he showed out as a rookie. He could really be an offensive force (he's already #1 in P/TSA) with a touch of luck. Despite a high usage rate, he really takes care of the ball.



3. Kermit Washington - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 3)
Barely holds onto the #3 spot, because his TOs inched just down a little more... 4th in P/TSA... decent, not great, rebounding.



4. Bobby C. Jones - Boston Celtics (previous: 4)
Gluey gluey gluey. Rebounding is a big plus, too.

5. George McGinnis - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 5)
Washington with better boards, better handling... but less POT. He remains the one that could jump up the furthest with the right combo of luck.



6a. Al Eberhard - Milwaukee Bucks (previous: 6b)
6b. David Thompson - Toronto Raptors (previous: 6a)
Eberhard scores well (2nd in P/TSA) and absolutely does not turn it over... but he's also a major disappointment on the glass. He still has some room for growth. Thompson really blossomed after the shift to an inside offense, with scoring volume and efficiency both moving up. He could be a decent defender, too.




8a. Steve Downing - New Orleans Jazz (previous: 8a)
8b. Cliff Pondexter - Atlanta Hawks (previous: 8b)
Downing remains a strong defender with decent upside in his efficiency and rebounding. Pondexter is a fantastic rebounder and could really move up the ranks with a TC or two of strong blocking growth.




10. Brian Winters - Los Angeles Lakers (previous: HM)
Winters has great upside (POT) and has shown at least some skill over the course of a long, grueling season in La La Land. Give him some upgrades and he's probably a player.



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Frank Oleynick - Philadelphia 76ers

Wings:
Jamaal Wilkes - Milwaukee Bucks
Ed Ratleff - New York Knicks
George Gervin - Vancouver Grizzlies
Ricky Sobers - Syracuse Nationals

Bigs:
Kevin Kunnert - Cleveland Cavaliers
Marvin Webster - Syracuse Nationals
Len Elmore - Pittsburgh Pipers

[delap]

bump for pity money

[Fason]

90k

[20s]

100k

[TinyTimPig]

95,000

[Sapular]

100k

[20s]

Didn’t even hold a grudge despite the obvious Cougars bias continuing.

[20s]

Ernie 11.1 WS
Walton 7.3 WS