Now that you've read my One Man Mock Draft, here is a summary of my reasoning and analysis as I let you in on what I was thinking about while drafting and where each team stands as they are currently constructed.

TEAM 1

Overall Strategy
When you have the first pick going into the Draft, you essentially have four players to choose from:  LeBron James, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudamire, and Kobe Bryant.  I decided to go with the best player in the world – LeBron James.  There is only one category in which you can say that he doesn't contribute – free throw shooting.  In the second round, I made sure that I made up for this deficiency by drafting a 90.0 percent FT shooter in Steve Nash.  To go with my overall draft strategy, I took Carlos Boozer to make sure I drafted a top-ten big man.  From there, I filled out my scoring categories and made sure my bases were covered.  The pick of Antawn Jamison is a nice bonus pick, since offers 20 PPG and 10 RPG.  Joe Johnson as a fifth round pick is nice value for a guy who can really shoot the lights out from beyond the arc.  The next two picks in Emeka Okafor and Luol Deng are a couple of guys who are in the same boat.  They have the ability to move up our draft board, and I can see big years out of the both of them, especially Deng.  He had an “off” year in 2007-08, so this makes him a better value pick, because he is going to regain his line of stardom.  I, for one, am going to be targeting him this year.  In the next two picks, I needed to find another PG and a SG, so I took both Jason Terry and Richard Hamilton, who are solid late round picks.  You might be surprised about how much Terry will contribute this year, because I am not sold on Jason Kidd as an 82 game PG. The second best option that the Mavericks have at the point is Terry.  Finally, Jermaine O'Neal gives this team a bit of a bump in shot blocking production, though I'm not convinced he is ready to be an everyday productive Center.  For a tenth round pick, though, it's worth a shot.        

Strengths
This team has a great foundation, with the best player in the game in LeBron James, a top three PG in Steve Nash, and a great value-pick and dominant Power Forward/Center in Carlos Boozer.  I have a top scorer, an assist guy, a free throw shooter, a rebounder, and a shot blocker.  This team could improve a little in in certain categories, but on paper, they are solid from top-to-bottom. 

Weaknesses
There are a few minor problems with this team.  The best guy to cover the steals category is LBJ.  And he is only projected to snag 1.8 steals this year.  We could use another defensive specialist to shore up that category.  Secondly, this team needs a little depth at the Center position.  Emeka Okafor is a double-double guy who can block over two shots per game.  The other Center on this squad is Jermaine O'Neal.  He is a value pick at the tenth round...if healthy, but that's a big “if.”  There is no other Centers on this team, so a lot depends on his health.     

Landry's Look
This is a very well-built team, with three options at PF/C, hedging against the big gamble that is Jermaine O'Neal. Getting Nash next to LBJ is a coup, and those two players will anchor a front-running team in this league. 

TEAM 2

Overall Strategy
Again, going off of my overall draft strategy to build a foundation with a PG, a big man, and a scoring wing, I think Team 2 succeeded.  With Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, and Rashard Lewis, I have all scoring categories filled.  Of course, this is contingent on Duncan playing at a high level this season.  Since there may be a question mark around his production, I decided to pick up Andrew Bynum in the fourth round, who has tremendous upside for a young big.  After following that up with a few more 20-plus PPG scoring wings with deadly outside shots, my strategy was to take on a few upside value picks with Foye, Noah, and Kirilenko.    

Strengths
Three point shooting.  With Stephen Jackson, Michael Redd, Jamal Crawford, and Rashard Lewis, I have assembled a pretty deadly three point shooting team.  It also has tremendous upside in defensive categories. With Chris Paul as one of the league's top thieves, this roster offers four players with the ability to average over 1.5 blocks per game (Duncan, Noah, Bynum, and Kirilenko). 

Weaknesses
There are a few risky picks on this team.  Duncan can be considered a third rounder, while Bynum has never played a full season at this level.  I am also hoping that the late round picks of Foye, Noah, and Kirilenko can contribute to this team for 82 games.  A few high-risk/high-reward picks here.  Let's just hope they pan out.      

Landry's Look
An all-or-nothing type of scenario is what we're looking at here. I'd have taken Boozer instead of Duncan, but given the solid free throw shooters that Tom assembled around him, his biggest deficiency is at least partially balanced out. Getting Chris Paul any time after the first pick would make Tommy a happy drafter in any league. Watch out for the DNP bug on this team, because several of these guys tend to miss at least a little time during the season.

TEAM 3

Overall Strategy
I decided to choose Kobe Bryant over Amare Stoudamire here.  I feel like Kobe is more of a lock, and I think we are going to see better assist numbers by him playing with three top-notch bigs.  After that, I followed that up with a huge upside pick in Danny Granger.  He has been one of the hottest names in fantasy hoops.  He has the potential to be a top-10 player this year, contributing across the board.  On the next pick, I strayed from my strategy because of one thing – value.  With no third round potential big man available (oft-inured Yao Ming aside), I decided to go with value and pick a premier scorer in Gilbert Arenas.  Now, I needed to fill out categories.  I'm not really a Chris Kaman fan, but he was the best Center available, with Bynum not much of a sure thing.  From there, I got what I think is a great value pick in David West and happily took Andre Miller in the seventh.  From that point, I drafted category guys and filled a few needs in Biedrins (blocks) and Brewer (steals).

Strengths
Scoring.  With Kobe and Gil, I have two of the top five scorers in the league.  I also have one of the best FG shooters in Biedrins, and with Kobe, Gil, Granger, Miller, Parker, and Brewer, this team should have no problems competing in the steals category each week.

Weaknesses
If this team were to play in a league where turnovers count as a negative category, I would be a little concerned.  Also, Gil has the ability to hurt a team's FG percentage all by himself.  Kobe and Gil are shooters without a conscience, so some weeks, we may see these guys put up 35.0-40.0 percent from the floor.  Team 3 has to be careful here.

Landry's Look
This draft went exceptionally well the first three rounds, and if Arenas is right, those picks could all challenge the top ten overall players. With that good of a foundation, you can trot nearly anyone out there to play. It's on record that I'm not a Kaman guy either, and I'd likely have gone with another position there. There were some excellent late values, and this looks like a very competitive team with a lot of upside overall.

TEAM 4

Overall Strategy
Started this team off with a consensus top-4 pick in Amare Stoudamire.  He is considered to be the top Center in the NBA.  After nabbing the best big in the league, I decided to get one of the league's top scoring point guards – Baron Davis.  Amare's FG% will help make up for Baron's less-than-stellar shooting prowess.  My next pick was to take Manu Ginobili, who is a great free throw shooter and contributes across the board.  He is injury-prone, as we've seen in the Olympics, but I believe that he still has another year or two as a top all-around player in the league.  Vince Carter bolsters up the scoring on this team, and Ron Artest fills out those other categories (defense) that Carter refuses to play on a nightly basis.  Rasheed Wallace is a step-out three point shooting big man.  I also love the fact that he is Center eligible.  Greg Oden is a big upside pick here.  He is slated to be the next David Robinson, but we'll see how soon it is before he turns into a star.  But, I still needed to add depth at the Center position.  I added David Lee to compensate for any rebounding deficiencies, and I picked T.J. Ford because this team had no true play-making PG.  Again, I like his upside, but I'm concerned about his injury history. 

Strengths
As far as interior players are concerned, this team has the ability to be one of the best.  Amare is the best big in the league, while Rasheed is the best perimeter big man and Greg Oden has the potential to be one of the league's top 7-footers.  Add David Lee's rebounding and field goal shooting, and you have a very good interior team.  Artest and Manu Ginobili are stat sheet fillers, doing “those little things,” while Vince Carter and Baron Davis provide the scoring. 

Weaknesses
Greg Oden is a huge question mark this season, since we've yet to see him play in the NBA.  Plus, relying on Davis, Ford, and Bibby at the point scares me a bit.  T.J. Ford is a bit of a risk, and Bibby's best days might be behind him.  The team also has a laundry list of injuries.  They've done it all and had it all.  The injury to Ginobilli this summer is a bit worrisome.  Not to mention, can you imagine having to coach this team?  The attitudes!  Yikes! 

Landry's Look
Where to start - this team has all sorts of risk attached to it. I could never argue with Amare at the fourth pick, because I'd take him second. But it gets sketchy after that. Look at this littany of risks to miss time for injury or insanity reasons: Baron Davis, Manu Ginobili, Ron Artest, Greg Oden, T.J. Ford, and Vince Carter. Yikes! I also don't know what to think of David Lee this year, as he doesn't fit the system and could be traded...to where we have no idea. I can't see a team like this in contention down the stretch, although you never know with 100% certainty in fantasy sports.

TEAM 5 

Overall Strategy
I had to make the first “tough” decision here with the fifth pick.  Shawn Marion is a guy who contributes across the board.  Many are predicting a bit of a slide from Marion this year, but if there is one thing we know about Marion, it's that he looks out for “number one.”  And, what do you know, Marion is in a contract year and playing for the cash.  I'm not a Marion guy, but more often than not, he burns me when I pass him up year-after-year. I have to take his numbers here at pick five.  Outside of his free throw shooting, Marion is solid across the board.  I followed that pick up with a fringe top-tier Center who can shoot free throws in Chris Bosh.  In keeping up with my overall draft strategy, I then went with Billups, a PG who shoots the three ball really well and free throws extremely well.  From here, I needed to make up for the slight scoring deficiencies.  Paul Pierce, who may be on a bit of a decline, and Kevin Durant, who is on his way to super stardom, are exactly what I was looking for.  Tyson Chandler provides FG percentage, rebounding, and shot blocking at the Center position, and Mike Miller is very good value in the seventh round. Miller provides more outside shooting and FG/FT percentages for this team.  I now have two very good Centers and a group of shooters and scorers, so I need to focus on assists and steals. That's why I am happy to go after starting PG Raymond Felton, who has a high ceiling for assists, and John Salmons and Shane Battier, to collectively bolster my steals category. 

Strengths
Three point shooting. Marion, Billups, Pierce, Durant, and Miller are all good-to-very good shooters from beyond the arc.  Aside from Chandler, this team also has a group of very talented free throw shooters.

Weaknesses
There's a chance that this team has only two 20 PPG scorers on it (Bosh and Durant).  With that, only Durant may reach 25 PPG.  They need to improve on their scoring, a bit.  Also, Raymond Felton might be skating on thin ice in Charlotte with new coach Larry Brown, and D.J. Augustine may end up splitting time with Felton if he struggles early on.  This concerns me, since he is the only other play-maker on this team.

Landry's Look
I like Shawn Marion a lot, and I'd like him even more if he were to somehow end up playing under Marc D'Antoni again. I'm guessing that Tom thinks the trade is imminent, and that's a hard point to argue. My biggest concern is that the roster lacks backups at PF and C. Since most standard formats require a couple of Centers and a PF in your starting lineup, this team has exactly three options to fill three spots. Tough luck on days when those guys don't play. I like the strategy of stacking high-flying, multi-cat swing men, but I'd like this team a lot more with one more talented PF/C instead of a no-upside, dirty work guy like Shane Battier.

TEAM 6

Overall Strategy
The decision now comes down to Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett.  I think Dirk has more to prove this year, and I would give him the slight edge here over KG.  From there, my strategy could not have worked any better.  I was able to grab Marcus Camby and Jose Calderon, who are perfect compliments to Dirk.  Camby's 12 rebounds and over three blocks per game makes up for the fact that Dirk does not play defense or battle for rebounds well for a player his size, while Dirk makes up for what Camby lacks in FT% and threes.  Calderon is another efficient shooter from the filed and the charity stripe, and he provides steals and assists.  I have built a foundation here.  Kevin Martin, in the fourth, is a sweet scoring wing who shoots well over 80.0 percent from the free throw line.  I was looking for a little help in the assists category, so I found Brandon Roy, another wing who is a solid contributor across the board, one that will provide me with about six assists per game.  Looking for another big man, I went with Mehmet Okur, who prefers to play the perimeter.  Now, I need to keep in mind that interior play and assists are crucial for me.  BUT, first I had to make a splash and pick Tracy McGrady.  It's strictly an upside pick.  If he plays 70+ games and scores 22 PPG, this is a fantastic pick.  If not, no harm, no foul in the seventh round.  I might lean toward the latter, but it's worth a shot.  The last three picks for Team 6 are are very good value picks in my mind.  I'm a huge fan of both Horford and Scola.  They give this team more interior rebounding and a plus in field goal shooting percentage.  Nelson is another PG to compliment Calderon. 

Strengths
Free throw shooting.  Calderon, Martin, and Dirk all shoot over 86.0 percent from the line.  I have five players on this team that will average over eight rebounds per game.  That's a strong interior team.  FG% is also very strong here. 

Weaknesses
PG play.  If Jameer Nelson does not improve this season, then this team (as constructed) is in trouble.  Steals and assists could use a little work, but the base of this team is off to a very good start. 

Landry's Look
This team sports an outstanding mix of cross-category contribution among its top players. Sure, guys like Roy and T-Mac come with some injury risk, and Jameer Nelson has been a huge disappointment so far in his career. But the great thing is that each of them can outperform where they were picked. There's no reason to think this team can't claw its way into being the top three or four in the league.

TEAM 7

Overall Strategy
This team had the easiest decision to make with Kevin Garnett sitting there available at number seven.  In following with my overall draft strategy, I went ahead and chose the second best PG in league in Deron Williams, and one of the most exciting young scorers in the league in Monta Ellis, who unfortunately is likely to miss time early on.  In order to shore up my interior play I drafted a talented young big, Al Jefferson, who will deliver 22 and 11 down low with 50.0 percent shooting and 1.5 blocks.  It was now time to sure up some of those defensive categories, steals especially.  I went with Lamar Odom, a guy who yearly contributes across the board, with one exception – FT shooting – and another guy who, if healthy, has the ability to be one of the league's most dominant defenders – Gerald Wallace.  Again, there is quite a bit of risk/reward here, and now this team needs to drastically improve it's FT shooting.  Well, here comes the help!  Corey Maggette (81.9 percent career), Ray Allen (88.9 percent career), and Chris Quinn (86.7 percent last season) all provide help at the FT line, while Maggette gives me another 20 PPG scorer; Allen gives me 2.4 threes per game; and Quinn can average around 6 assists per game this season.  Finally, Zydrunus Illguaskus gives this team another quality big down low and a second Center. 

Strengths
Well, if I listen to my esteemed colleague, Tommy Landry, then I may have gotten a steal in Chris Quinn and also first round talent in my second round selection, Deron Williams.  This team's PG play has the ability to surpass expectations.  Also, the anchors of this team in Garnett, Williams, and Ellis provides a terrific foundation.

Weaknesses
Free throw shooting needs to improve.  Also, Gerald Wallace needs to play 82 games this year in order to make that value pick work out, and Lamar Odom has to NOT be the odd man out in battle for rebounds, shots, and blocks down low for the Lakers.  Plus, I need to monitor Ellis' injury.  Just how many games is he going to miss?

Landry's Look>
If Monta Ellis hadn't gone down to an ankle injury, this team would look likely to win the whole darn thing. My biggest concern is a lack of a third option at center. But hey...Big Z has never missed time, right? I kid...I kid. But seriously, a young, improving PF/C would look mighty fine balling with this group of all-around performers. Love the value on the PGs he picked up, with Calderon, who I absolutely covet this season, and Quinn, who no one gives enough credit for what he can do.

TEAM 8

Overall Strategy
Team 8 made a huge make-or-break pick here at number eight.  We have Dwight Howard ranked number 77 in our projections, and I took him eighth?  This low ranking is clearly due to his poor free throw shooting.  However, I decided to build this team's draft around his ability to dominate the glass (14.7 RPG last season), to shoot extremely well from the floor (59.9 percent last season), and to continue improving in the blocks on the defensive end (2.1 blocks per game in 2007-08).  His one major shortcoming is his free throw shooting percentage.  He has been called a young Shaq and, yes, many teams have hoisted a championship ring in fantasy basketball with a young Shaquille O'Neal anchoring their team.  Howard has not missed a single game in his first four years in the league.  I took his tremendous upside and decided to build around him.  How did I do drafting eight?  Well, the next thing I needed was a guard who can shoot the ball well and provide the free throw shooting, assists, and steals that Howard lacks. That line of thinking led me straight to Allen Iverson.  He is a great complement to Howard's deficiencies. Next, I added Andre Iguodala to the mix. He also shoots well from beyond the arc and averaged 2.1 steals per game last season.  The AI2 pick was followed up by one of the best second half players last season – Jason Richardson.  He too provides scoring, threes, steals, and a plus in FT shooting.  If he plays the way he did last February and March, we are talking about a steal in the fourth round.  With Iverson not being a “true” point, I took the old man and the knees, Jason Kidd.  Kidd is a very good free throw shooter and, as we all know, an all-time great play-maker.  Time is running out for Kidd, but one more season is all this team asks of him.  Next was a need pick.  Peja Stojakovic shot 92.0 percent from the free throw line last season and made 231 three pointers.  Sure, this doesn't solve the free throw shooting woes of Howard, but it's a step in the right direction.  The interior play of LeMarcus Aldridge and exterior play of big man Troy Murphy anchors the back end of this draft.  Rafer Alston is a great insurance pick when drafting a guy like Kidd.             

Strengths
Three point shooting.  Iverson, Iguodala, and Jason Kidd are OK from beyond the arc, while Richardson, Stojakovic, Murphy (for his position), and Alston excel in three point shooting. 

Weaknesses
Of course, free throw shooting is a worry when your first pick might struggle to shoot 60.0 percent from the line.  I'd keep an eye on that throughout the season.  I would also monitor Kidd, since I am not convinced that he is going to play at a high-level for much more than 60 games this season.  Alston is a nice back-up, but a terrible shooter from the floor.   

Landry's Look
Even with all the jockeying and rationalization, this team will struggle in FT%. Rafer Alston is as good a bet to finish around 68 percent as he is to top 72 percent, so he won't provide any help. Don't be fooled by Jason Richardson's 75.2 percent from the line last year, as it was his first time hitting over 69.3 percent since the 2002-03 season. I can't advocate taking a category killer like Howard in round one either, regardless of the domination he provides in those key categories, especially if I could have had a guy like Elton Brand or Dwyane Wade there. I'd be interested in seeing how this pans out, but this is a team built for nothing other than H2H success. And that's no lock. I'd rather start elsewhere personally.

TEAM 9

Overall Strategy
Center-eligible Elton Brand makes the most sense here at number nine.  He's a great anchor for any team, especially if he can stay healthy and give you his typical 21 and 10 with 2.1 blocks and 50.0+ percent shooting from the floor.  I followed that up with a hot name in fantasy hoops and a contributor across the board, Caron Butler.  I'm starting to get a little worried about the DNPs here from Brand and Butler, which is why I went a little nuts and took Yao Ming at number three.  Well, it seems like I've strayed from my overall strategy, but the the upside here can be tremendous.  All three players have first round abilities with one major issue – DNPs.  So, my next picks are to make sure that I can look for guys without much of an injury history.  The fourth pick may be one of my favorite picks in the draft – Rudy Gay.  Gay is a future superstar in both aspects of the game; fantasy and reality.  He may be a bit of a Butler-lite, but that's a good thing.  I might have reached a bit with Michael Beasley, the next pick, but he has a really nice foundation and is a nice back-up to Brand should anything happen to him.  Mike Dunleavy had a great year last season, and he makes sense here for his all-around contribution.  In dire need of a PG, Team 9 was able to grab Mo Williams late in the draft.  He has potential to surpass his assist projections playing alongside Lebron James.  The Dalembert pick was to make sure I have a quality back-up in case something happens to Yao.  Ben Gordon and Leandro Barbosa help this team with their outside shooting deficiencies. 

Strengths
This team started off the draft with four big time fantasy players.  They may not all be the sexiest names out there, but remember, you need to fill out your categories and choose fantasy players.  If Brand, Butler, Ming, and Gay aren't crippled by DNPs, this team has drafted a very good foundation.  The interior play can be very high here, too.  Brand, Ming, Beasley, and Dalembert offer up different styles and fill out the categories quite well as a combination. 

Weaknesses
PG play is weak.  With Mo Williams as the only true PG, the team has to make a move for another play-making point.  This assists are very poor as a whole, too.  Also, there is concern about last season's DNPs for the first three picks.  That's a little worrisome for any team's foundation.              

Landry's Look
I love the strategy Tom backed into here, because it's the all-upside team. This could be the best team in the league...or the worst. I'd take this team to battle in a 10 team league without question, risk be damned! A seemingly irresponsible but courageous draft like this one is the thing of which fantasy championships are often made.

TEAM 10

Overall Strategy
I love Dwyane Wade and have complete confidence that he is a first round pick.  Over 82 games, he has the ability to get drafted in the top-seven.  Next, Josh Smith is one of the most exciting players and a complementary pick to D-Wade.  Smith is one of the three best all-around defenders in the league.  His combinations of both blocks and steals puts him at a level that, when matched with Wade, makes him a great pick here.  Coming back in the third round, Team 10 grabbed one of the best scorers in the league with Carmelo Anthony.  It's now time to start getting a little concerned about free throw shooting.  Pau Gasol is an anchor pick here on a team looking for some more rebounding.  Then the Most Improved Player from last season, Hedo Turkoglu, provides free throw and three point shooting help.  Still lacking a PG, I took a kid who I think will be in the running for this season's MIP, Devin Harris.  He gives this team a much needed bump in the assists category.  I expect a big year from Harris.  Brad Miller, Al Harrington, and Andrew Bogut are need picks for a team with only one true low-post presence.  They all provide adequate scoring with a nice bump in overall rebounding.  The caboose of this team is another very good value pick – Rajon Rondo.  He'll help Harris as an assist man and provide a big boost in steals with his large hands. 

Strengths
This team has some very good thieves on the roster with Wade, Smith, Harris, and Rondo.  Overall scoring is also pretty strong, with Melo and Hedo providing some three point shooting. 

Weaknesses
The PG play is contingent on the development of both Harris and Rondo.  They both have high ceilings, but they need to reach those ceilings this year for this team to succeed.  I would also keep an eye on both field and free throw shooting percentages.  There are a few high ceiling guys here in both categories, but also a few deficient guys as well.   

Landry's Look
This is another team that I'd lock in as a top five competitor from the start. No fears on D-Wade, and Josh Smith is helpful across the board. Great value on Gasol and Turkoglu, and as a former owner of Devin Harris in 2007-08, Tom is right about him. He's the real deal. Bogut is still improving, and Harrington should get a slight uptick in scoring filling in for Baron Davis' departure. And the "Caboose" looked stud-like when KG went down last year, so I expect him to take a nice step forward starting now. Think of him as a young Tony Parker, because they look eerily similar to me, although Rondo has more upside in steals, while Parker is more of a true scorer.

Disagree with Tom Lorenzo's assessment?  Well, that's what e-mail was created for, wasn't it?  You can e-mail Tom at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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