The Real X-Factor

Somehow, the many of many nicknames has managed to keep a relatively low profile on the court despite constantly being in the PCTI (German) spotlight. I'm here to make a point that some people appear to be missing...

Sure, not a single one of Hops on court skills are redeeming on paper.  Think about it.  Is he known for his shooting?  No (I actually will debate this with anyone since I spent three years at UT with him, all of which he didn't miss a jumper).  Is he known for his rebounding?  No.  Is he known for his passing?  No.  Is he known for his defense?  Well, yes (but I think it's the worst part of his game).

So yeah, Hops is not known for anything outside of being a glue guy.  Because of that, people have forgotten that he is the only guy in PCTI history that in my eyes has single handily won two games for his team (PCTI2 Game 2 and PCTI3 Game 2).  He seems to make shots at all the right times.  The rebounds he gets are difficult ones and mostly offensive, not the easy defensive boards that people pad stats with.  He sets fantastic screens with his huge ass.  He draws the defense with his methodical drives to the hoop.  He keeps people focused, even when he could barely drag himself on the court for his PCTI 1 and 2 Sunday games. 

Everyone has always known Hops is a world class role player.  What you can't measure is his statistical production in key moments, something that should be comparable to the most important stat in baseball, batting average with runners in scoring position. 

It will be interesting to see if the captain's start recognizing the big game (David) flair that comes with Anthony Hopkins.

Big Shot Bob.  Big Shot Hop.

RUMOR: Ben Wilson's Draft Stock Plummeting

Ben Wilson, one of the more popular social figures in PCTI, is finally showing signs he is no longer bullet proof.  Fellow athletes are finally starting to question whether Wilson, a two time PCTI all tournament teamer, can still play at the same level he once did.  Inconsistent is a word starting to attach itself to Ben Wilson, replacing the overused basketball phrase of "Explosive Scorer."  He has made no secret of the fact that improving any facet of his game, on ZZ top of his refusal to show interest on the other end of the basket is not even in his head.  The latest whisper around camp is that many are saying the biggest issue with Wilson actually is not his lack of effort, but that it's actually a lack of good character.

Whether or not he actually falls in the draft remains to be seen.  The age old draft mantra when speculating a nosedive in a is "It only takes one team," so maybe it will work out for Ben.  The bigger question will be if he decides under new leadership that he wants to be a positive influence on his team, or if he will revert back to dragging his teammates down along with him.

If he chooses the latter, look for 0-4 being attached to his name in the record column.

Player Draft Stock Part 2-PCTI IV

I was not bored for ten minutes.  That's over so let me begin with my second batch of draft evaluations.

Scott Donley; Trending Up

Donley is probably the only guy who's positive performance in PCTI III is helping pushing his draft stock up.  If you look at everyone's stock across the board, the only reason anyone is moving up the board is because the guys picked at the top last year did not play well. I'm not sure if we should be giving Donley love for his performance or ridiculing the rest of TLFK, but for the sake of this evaluation, let's give him credit.  He played hard and excelled defensively, showing he could be a utility player for his squad.  SD didn't go low in the draft so he won't shoot up a board per se, but expect him to go slightly earlier, to whom I honestly have no idea.

Michael Orr; Trending Down

Like I said, every member of TLFK will be falling, and every single person played their part in contributing to the worst team in PCTI history.  I can almost guarantee Thompson is looking at this as an opportunity to flaunt the apparent "Best Friend" relationship he has with Smo, selecting him slightly later than where he was picked last year.  His reputation as PCTI's top rim protector (something I swore by in PCTI2) has fallen by the wayside, being replaced as PCTI's most frequent fouler due to his overconfidence in his length to bail him out of any defensive situation.  Spending the last three months living with Dawson Huff should take his coolness factor down a couple thousand notches, so Smo will have a lot to prove coming into PCTI4 in a lot of different ways.

Brent Carney; Neutral

I can't imagine any scenario where Big Brent drops much from where he has been trending the last few years.  No matter how bad he plays, he will always put up 10 and 6 with a decent shooting percentage and defense at a minimum, so dropping out of the second round would not make sense.  A low risk pick in a league where production is hard to come by, look for Big to go early to his boy Thompson, who as a duo claim they have never lost together.  Word out of the Carney camp this offseason has stated that he will be dedicating himself to living in the gym, with the apparent end game being a physical specimen in PCTI4.  No one really knows what that will mean for his game, but look forward to some entertaining thoughts of him working on his world renowned hips and quads (if you have never seen his quad muscle, make sure you ask him for a flex in IV) for the next six months.

Wes Murray; Neutral

I said everyone hold McKinney would be trending up, but as I get deeper into my thoughts I stand corrected.  It appears there is always some sort of personality clash between the GM's and the last pick overall, which has helped Murray keep his position in each draft since he is a (relatively) likable guy.  After his state of PCTI address, it's difficult to (Justin) gauge whether there is any substance or just pointless jargon.  As an aspiring party guy and world traveler, PCTI the weekend is still important to him.  At no point can anyone feel like Murray likes the game of basketball, so there is really no reason to think he will go much higher.  Skillz was the man responsible for bringing Wes Murray to the PCTI table, so there might be some thought process that he can revive the inner basketball player in Murray, something that seems as resonable as Steve Spurrier bringing in Danny Wuerffel and giving him the reigns of the Redskins offense.

Jeff Sabin; Trending Down

Despite one of the best individual performance's in PCTI history, Sabin is confident he will be the last pick in the draft.  As far as breaking this down, my only thought is getting someone that can shoot a high percentage, rebound and defend at the end of the draft will be significant value.  It will be really interesting to see where he ends up going, that's all I care to say.

Michael Beasley; Trending Up

The most exciting part of this upcoming season for me is the one sided budding rivalry between Brent Carney and Michael Beasley.  In my opinion, Beas the basketball player isn't being overhyped.  His performance in III might be, but the talent is there.  He is a high energy athlete that can shoot, handle, and defend, all of which he does with maximum effort.  He has no problem Ferdinand Ma(gelling) with any teammates, so is won't matter what team he is on.  I expect him to go about four picks earlier than he did last year, seeing as how no one had seen him play for six years, and reinforcing his position as one of the most talented players in PCTI.  He has a longstanding history with Thompson, but came highly regarded from Skillz coming into PCTI3.  It will be a tough decision in the early couple rounds with guys like Beasley, Donley, Wilson and BC on the board. 

Josh Stephen; Trending Up

For a guy with such a decorated PCTI career, this might be Abe's first opportunity to go in the first round.  A guy that had a reputation as a me first guy, everyone has finally come to grips with the fact that life could be a lot worse than a 6'4" athletic guy that plays his butt off, wears down defenses, shoots and rebounds effectively.  When games are tough and people are tired, you need guys that put the ball in the hole.  That's what Abe does, and he is finally generating the credit he deserves.  I fully expect for him to be the first pick, unless Thompson decides he wants to square off and break the undefeated streak between the two, which would set the table for the nurse to quit PCTI claiming to be the only undefeated player in history if he pulls off a victory.


 

Player Draft Stock Part 1-PCTI IV

After a considerable amount of time off from PCTI to focus on less important things, I thought now would be a good time to begin pre-draft chatter with a variety of posts.  Let's begin the first of a two part post breaking down each player's stock in comparison to last year as the draft rapidly approaches.

Ben Wilson; Trending Down

Wilson has the fortune of having one of "His guy's" in Brian Eskildsen as one of the captains.  Obsessing over Ben Wilson the basketball player is something that comes naturally to anyone in PCTI that attended the University of Tennessee, so there is a chance I end up standing corrected.  However, neither Thompson nor Skillz have ever been the type to show love to the mainstream, so until Wilson proves he has not lost a step, look for his first drop out of the second round.  I project Wilson going off the board in the third round, which is good value for a guy that can still explode offensively at any point.  One could say that the addition of the photographer exposed a few weaknesses in Big Ben, so look for him to be a little more attentive defensively in IV.

Spotlight; Trending Up

The man they call Spotlight is going into his first career PCTI draft, so evaluating him in comparison to last year is not possible.  Because of that, you must consider a few factors when trying to lock down where he will go and where his production suggests he should go.  Spot Stick is a net positive player that shoots a good percentage, sees the floor nicely, keeps the offense moving, and crushes bad defensive players with his world renowned back cuts.  Long story short, Spot is a solid role player that will help any team he plays on.  The reason I think he is ultimately trending up is because two of his biggest fans are the one's playing the role as captains.  No one has "His Guy's" more than Thompson, so I would think he will go out of his way to bring the emotional leader of Breaking Bad onto his squad, but Skillz love for him might say otherwise.  Look for Spot to ultimately end up with Thompson, and look for him to rededicate himself to improving his rebounding in the offseason.

Ian Van Horne; Trending Down

The Bruiser was picked by one of his biggest fans early in round two in PCTI III.  I expect Bruise, along with every one of his teammates from LFTK (Hold McKinney) to drop significantly going into IV.  One of the biggest question marks going into this year's draft is where the two captain's have Van Horne on their big board, as he has very little experience playing alongside either.  Bruise's best PCTI (II) was playing on the Skillz lead squad, so maybe that's where the future will lie.  However, I'm guessing he ends up with Thompson, going a few rounds later but being named team co-captain, in a move by the nurse to try to motivate the Bruise coming into IV looking like he did in year two, and also hoping that he can regain the once decorated friendship between him and IVH.

Bryan McKinney; Trending Up

McKinney's last three performances have been all over the place as far as what he has done well and not so well, yet all three have netted him almost identical statistics.  What B. Mac has going for him is the fact that his two biggest fans are both the captains.  The budding friendship between Thompson and B. Mac is out of left field, but it appears to be one that is here to stay.  Something about McKinney caught the eye of Skillz after year one, and he has not been shying expressing his affinity for what BM brings to the table.  I expect him to go four picks earlier than he did last year, and in a leadership role as host, look for him to finally break out after three years as the breakout candidate.

Josh Pitto; Trending Up

Unfortunately, it appears to be the end of Pitto going the last pick in the draft.  It's no secret that Skillz is a huge supporter, and now that Pitto and Thompson are no longer are arch enemies, it can't be guaranteed that he will fall into Skillz lap at the end of the draft anymore.  Where he goes is a huge question mark as pure shooters are hard to come by.  Look for Pitto to go anywhere from 7-10 picks earlier than last year stemming off his defensive efforts.  I know that Thompson does not like sharing his guy's with anyone else, so I can't imagine him trying to snag the only player that is truly a Skilly guy. 

Danny Krow; Trending Way Down

No one outside of Jeff Sabin would ever put that high of a value on the man they call Ca$h, so expect a drop of anywhere from 4-8 picks lower than last year.  With two captain's that like guys that put the ball in the hole, don't expect either to jump at the opportunity to scoop up PCTI's lowest scorer by average three years running.  Despite coming off a 3-on-3 championship with both Skillz and Thompson, don't expect that to factor into either's draft ratings. 

Anthony Hopkins; Neutral

Everyone expected Hops boy Abe to jump three rounds earlier than necessary to grab him, completely underestimating the best drafter in PCTI history.  Hops is a guy that gives you the exact same stuff every year; overrated but passionate defense, perfectly timed jumps on rebounds, and the uncanny ability to break the oppositions back.  His high hoops IQ leads to very few negative plays, and finding a guy with good on court leadership and an obsession with playing his role perfectly is always valuable, so look for a similar draft position as last year, with similar results for whatever team he plays for.  Look for him to go to Thompson's team because he is Joe's biggest on court basketball fan. 

More to come later... Or maybe tonight if I'm bored.

Ian Van Horne Playing Card

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