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Basketball Prospectus | Redrafting the NBA
After Drew Cannon ranked the NCAA's top 100 players, we wanted to do the same for the NBA. In the interim, a host of player rankings popped up all over the Internet. So instead, we decided to try something different: Redrafting the NBA. Over the last three weeks, Basketball Prospectus' four NBA analysts have been drafting two teams apiece for a total of eight teams and 96 players. We will be selecting players strictly on the basis of expected performance during the 2011-12 season, giving our own ranking of sorts--though one affected by positional scarcity and other outside factors. Previous rounds: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 73. Dan B - DeAndre Jordan, C, L.A. Clippers I wanted another big, strong defensive center. I had hoped Marcin Gortat would fall, but Jordan comes close. 74. Bradford B - Brandon Jennings, PG, Milwaukee Bucks Needed a backup point guard to caddie for Deron Williams. Williams is big and quick, so I'll go with Jennings, who's slight and quick with plenty of upside. He can run the team alongside Williams for stretches as well. Jennings, I think, would become marginally more efficient if he weren't looked upon to be a primary scorer, which he certainly wouldn't be on this team. He's also underrated defensively. 75. Kevin B - Nick Collison, F/C, Oklahoma City Thunder A great partner for Serge Ibaka off the bench who can play with any of my three other big men, Collison finally got his due during last year's playoffs, especially in a feature by John Hollinger that pointed out that, measured by adjusted plus-minus, Collison is not just a valuable player but a superstar. 76. Sebastian B - J.J. Redick, SG, Orlando Magic For team B, I am going to go ahead and pick J.J. Redick. Redick has always been a good shooter and good moving <a href="http://www.jordanheelswomen.net/"><strong>Air Jordan Heels</strong></a> without the basketball, but what makes me comfortable picking him here is the fact that he has really improved his defense, and he is one of the best when it comes to defending shooters working off of screens. 77. Sebastian A - Thabo Sefolosha, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder For team A, I am going to go with a defensive stopper on the wing in Thabo Sefolosha. The logic behind the pick is being able to use Thabo or Jamal Crawford off the bench depending on the need. Need some scoring? Put Crawford in. Need some defense? That's Thabo's job. 78. Kevin A - Dorell Wright, F/G, Golden State Warriors In his first season as a starter, Wright established himself as a nice all-around wing. As compared to most guys who launch as many three-pointers as he does, Wright is an exceptional athlete, which helps him contribute his other areas. His length is a nice complement to Jared Dudley on my second team. 79. Bradford A - Wesley Matthews, SG, Portland Trail Blazers To be honest, I don't think the A1s need Matthews, but he's too good of a player to pass over for the others left on the board. He'll back up Ray Allen and split bench time with Tony Allen and Gerald Wallace. Ray-Ray is long in the tooth, of course, so having a starting-caliber reserve who is effective on both ends of the floor can't hurt. I'm just not too sure how happy Wesley is going to be about this arrangement. The biggest hypothetical challenge of this exercise is balancing talent with chemistry. 80. Dan A - Monta Ellis, SG, Golden State Warriors Ellis supporters love to say he could score much more efficiently if he had better offensive teammates to take some of the load off his shoulder. I don't really buy that. Ellis strikes me as a pure gunner. But at this point in the draft, I'm willing to chance it. If Ellis proves me wrong, he'll be a great backup shooting guard. If I'm right, Ellis will be glued to my bench. Complete draft order 1. Dan A - LeBron James, SF, Miami Heat 2. Bradford A - Dwight Howard, C, Orlando Magic 3. Kevin A - Dwyane Wade, SG, Miami Heat 4. Sebastian A - Chris Paul, PG, New Orleans Hornets 5. Sebastian B - Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks 6. Kevin B - Derrick Rose, PG, Chicago Bulls 7. Bradford B - Kevin Durant, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder 8. Dan B - Kobe Bryant, SG, L.A. Lakers 9. Dan B - Pau Gasol, F/C, L.A. Lakers 10. Bradford B - Deron Williams, PG, New Jersey Nets 11. Kevin B - Blake Griffin, PF, L.A. Clippers 12. Sebastian B - Manu Ginobili, SG, San Antonio Spurs 13. Sebastian A - Tim Duncan, F/C, San Antonio Spurs 14. Kevin A - LaMarcus Aldridge, F/C, Portland Trail Blazers 15. Bradford A - Kevin Love, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves 16. Dan A - Steve Nash, PG, Phoenix Suns 17. Dan A - Zach Randolph, PF, Memphis Grizzlies 18. Bradford A - Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston Celtics 19. Kevin A - Paul Pierce, SF, Boston Celtics 20. Sebastian A - Russell Westbrook, G, Oklahoma City Thunder 21. Sebastian B - Jason Kidd, PG, Dallas Mavericks 22. Kevin B - Carmelo Anthony, SF, New York Knicks 23. Bradford B - Joakim Noah, C, Chicago Bulls 24. Dan B - Kevin Garnett, PF, Boston Celtics 25. Dan B - Amar'e Stoudemire, F/C, New York Knicks 26. Bradford B - Al Horford, F/C, Atlanta Hawks 27. Kevin B - Nene, C, Denver Nuggets 28. Sebastian B - Hedo Turkoglu, <a href="http://www.jordanheelswomen.net/"><strong>jordan women heels</strong></a> SF, Orlando Magic 29. Sebastian A - Tyson Chandler, C, Dallas Mavericks 30. Kevin A - Josh Smith, F, Atlanta Hawks 31. Bradford A - Luol Deng, SF, Chicago Bulls 32. Dan A - Chris Bosh, PF, Miami Heat 33. Dan A - Andrew Bynum, C, L.A. Lakers 34. Bradford A - Ray Allen, SG, Boston Celtics 35. Kevin A - Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors 36. Sebastian A - Brook Lopez, C, New Jersey Nets 37. Sebastian B - Eric Gordon, SG, L.A. Clippers 38. Kevin B - Andre Iguodala, G/F, Philadelphia 76ers 39. Bradford B - Lamar Odom, F, L.A. Lakers 40. Dan B - Tony Parker, PG, San Antonio Spurs 41. Dan B - Rudy Gay, SF, Memphis Grizzlies 42. Bradford B - Jason Terry, SG, Dallas Mavericks 43. Kevin B - Serge Ibaka, F/C, Oklahoma City Thunder 44. Sebastian B - David West, PF, New Orleans Hornets 45. Sebastian A - Jamal Crawford, G, Atlanta Hawks 46. Kevin A - Andrew Bogut, C, Milwaukee Bucks 47. Bradford A - Tony Allen, G/F, Memphis Grizzlies 48. Dan A - Kevin Martin, SG, Houston Rockets 49. Dan A - Marc Gasol, C, Memphis Grizzlies 50. Bradford A - Gerald Wallace, SF, Portland Trail Blazers 51. Kevin A - Chauncey Billups, PG, New York Knicks 52. Sebastian A - Devin Harris, PG, Utah Jazz 53. Sebastian B - Tyreke Evans, G, Sacramento Kings 54. Kevin B - James Harden, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder 55. Bradford B - Arron Afflalo, SG, Denver Nuggets 56. Dan B - Danny Granger, SF, Indiana Pacers 57. Dan B - Joe Johnson, SG, Atlanta Hawks 58. Bradford B - Danilo Gallinari, SF, Denver Nuggets 59. Kevin B - Nicolas Batum, SF, Portland Trail Blazers 60. Sebastian B - Jason Richardson, G/F, Orlando Magic 61. Sebastian A - Marcus Camby, C, Portland Trail Blazers 62. Kevin A - Jared Dudley, SF, Phoenix Suns 63. Bradford A - Emeka Okafor, C, New Orleans Hornets 64. Dan A - John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards 65. Dan A - Anderson Varejao, C, Cleveland Cavaliers 66. Bradford A - Ty Lawson, PG, Denver Nuggets 67. Kevin A - Elton Brand, F/C, Philadelphia 76ers 68. Sebastian A - Paul Millsap, PF, Utah Jazz 69. Sebastian B - Kendrick Perkins, C, Oklahoma City Thunder 70. Kevin B - Kyle Lowry, PG, Houston Rockets 71. Bradford B - Marcin Gortat, C, Phoenix Suns 72. Dan B - Luis Scola, PF, Houston Rockets 73. Dan B - DeAndre Jordan, C, L.A. Clippers 74. Bradford B - Brandon Jennings, PG, Milwaukee Bucks 75. Kevin B - Nick Collison, F/C, Oklahoma City Thunder 76. Sebastian B - J.J. Redick, SG, Orlando Magic 77. Sebastian A - Thabo Sefolosha, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder 78. Kevin A - Dorell Wright, F/G, Golden State Warriors 79. Bradford A - Wesley Matthews, SG, Portland Trail Blazers 80. Dan A - Monta Ellis, SG, Golden State Warriors Complete rosters Dan A - Nash/K. Martin/James/Bosh/Z. Randolph/Wall/Ellis/M. Gasol/Bynum/Varejao Bradford A - Rondo/R. Allen/Deng/Love/Howard/Lawson/T. Allen/Matthews/G. Wallace/Okafor Kevin A - Curry/Wade/Pierce/J. Smith/Aldridge/Billups/D. Wright/Dudley/Brand/Bogut Sebastian A - Paul/Westbrook/Turkoglu/Duncan/Lopez/Harris/Crawford/Sefolosha/Millsap/Camby Sebastian B - Kidd/Gordon/Ginobili/Nowitzki/Chandler/T. Evans/Redick/Richardson/Da. West/Perkins Kevin B - Rose/Harden/Anthony/Griffin/Nene/Lowry/Batum/Iguodala/Ibaka/Collison Bradford B - D. Williams/Afflalo/Durant/Horford/Noah/Jennings/Terry/Gallinari/Odom/Gortat Dan B - T. Parker/Bryant/Gay/Garnett/P. Gasol/Johnson/Granger/Scola/Stoudemire/D. 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