Known Unknowns- week 1.

So far it looks to me like this is the roster for next year:

Point Guard: Irving, Sessions

Shooting Guard: ?, Gibson

Small Forward: ?, Casspi

Power Forward: Varejao, ?

Center: T. Thompson, Samuels.

I'm unhappy with Casspi so far. He doesn't look like a starter on a good team to me. Sure, he'll probably get better as the season goes along, but as of now he's a bench player.

Boobie's problem has always been defense...until this year. Now he's guarding shooting guards and looking good doing it. That, combined with deadly three point shooting, makes him a valuable member of the rotation. Even so, I don't think he's a starter on a good team- he can't create his own shot, and I'm not eager to see him go against an All Star.

Why do I have Varejao and Tigger switched? Varejao has a lot of trouble guarding 7 footers. He can't jump much (or at all right now thanks to his ankle), and his jump shot isn't as bad as people claim. Tristan doesn't look tall enough to play center, but his mad hops more than makes up for it. When he puts on some muscle (which I guarantee he will do in the offseason), he'll be the ideal center: stopping big guys, moving over to help with the smaller guys, and slam dunks and putbacks on the other side of the floor.

When I look at this, the obvious draft pick would be for another power forward. Ideally, you need 3 big men playing 30 minutes each with a fourth guy to take up the remainder and back up in case somebody gets hurt. Centers don't translate well to the NBA: they're a crap shoot. A college center may never have guarded a 7-footer, and it's very unlikely he guarded a guy like Hibbert. In addition, the NBA game is 100 games in 200 days if you make it far into the playoffs. It's tough to know if a college center can take that kind of abuse. On the other hand, Power Forwards are already playing against guys who are 6'8", and the season isn't as wearing on them as it is for the really tall guys. I don't like spending lottery picks on centers, except the occasional guy from Europe who has had experience against big guys.

Well, you say, why not shooting guard or small forward? Unless there's a guy like He Who Shall Not Be Named in the draft, I'd rather get those in free agency. There's always a pile of them, and they tend not to get max contracts like the point guards and centers. Obviously, if there's a very good one of those where we pick, we should take one.

As far as WHICH Power Forward, I'll give you a hint: he goes to Ohio State. Here's a list of the likely 1st round draft picks:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2012mock_draft

And here's a list of the 2012 free agents. I still hope the Cavaliers put in a good bid for Wilson Chandler this year: he's a restricted free agent, but we should be able to make him an offer that's bigger than Atlanta's. Then he'd have a couple of months to work with the team.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-nba-free-agents/

Who would you pick up?