Post by Sarawak on Apr 25, 2016 21:36:01 GMT
Eurasian Preview Roundtable
With the season finally upon us, a round table was put together to get the views of some GMs on several different issues around the league.
Here is what we are going to do given that we hav 10 participant's
The 4 American gms and Moscow will do the Preview America's RT. Cairo and the remaining Eurasian GMs will do the Eurasian Preview RT.
Each team will get 150 pp for participating w TBD bonuses for placing in the top 3.
Thee top 3 from each rt will advance to the league wide midseason rt and the top 4 from that to the year end RT.
@minnesota is going to be the grader and not participate. For this he will receive 150 PP. Scoring will be 150 PP for Participating.
Round Bonuses: 75 bonus for first, 50 for 2nd, 25 for 3rd. Each answer is worth between 1 and 5 points and will be given credit by Minnesota.
First Round Answers are due by noon on Friday 4/22/16
The Participants: Eurasian Preview Roundtable
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
Both Round tables will answer the same set of questions, you will ONLY answer them for the conference that you are in a roundtable for!
The Questions:
In the long term, I think that aside from Bamberg (obviously, Wade and Darko!), Mikawa had the best offseason. While they didn't score one of the "elite" rookies in the top 5, he got Kristaps at #6 and then got a steal at #21 with David West. While he might not be the top choice to win immediately (first couple sims notwithstanding), he's building himself an extremely young and impressive base that should be destroying the Pacific division for years to come.
In the short term, I thought that Belgrade had the best offseason. After making two deep playoff runs, KK Partizan doubled down on his success by going for it all, trading away Joe Johnson and Andrew Bynum to Cairo for superstars John Stockton and Sam Jones. He stole Radivoj Korac in free agency, giving himself arguably one of the top 2 foursomes in the league. While I'd like to see a trade for depth before I buy into Belgrade's endless hyping, no one can doubt the strides that were made in turning this team into a championship contender.
Cairo
Long Term – Bamberg and Perth.
Bamberg added one of my favorite players in Dwayne Wade and while I think he is vastly overrated in real life, he looks like an absolute beast both skills wise and athletically in the game. Getting him at 5 was the steal of the draft as the 2nd best prospect on my board and Bamberg now has its franchise cornerstone. Wade and John Block should have the team back in contention in a year or two.
Perth needs to be given credit. They got a first round pick each for Otis Thorpe and Anatoly Myshkin, two players I thought they would be lucky to dump for expirings. In additional deals they cleared out additional long term cap in Jerome Kersey and Sam Bowie. Although I felt there were better talents at 17 than Kirk Hinrich, he has played solidly so far and looks like at least a rotational player moving forward. So they are in good shape with almost 55 million in capspace next off season and own 6 firsts in the next 3 drafts. A good setup long term, especially when factoring in they should get a top 6 pick this year.
Short Term – Belgrade
It may not be sustainable long-term, although Sam Jones offering to re-up for less than the max certainly helps. They may struggle this year with a lack of depth, but next year should be able to make a big run at a ring with the use of at least their MLE to add some needed depth. So in the next two to three years they should be in good shape as a core of Stockton, Jones, Korac and the Dream will be tough for anybody to matchup with.
Perth
The two teams that had the best long term offseasons were myself and Cairo. Cairo was able to turn the older Stockton into a beast anchor down low in Bynum and while Stockton is great, he wasn’t able to take Cairo to the next level. Cairo now has 2 younger building blocks in Joe Johnson (not dead from TC) and Bynum. Of course if they lose Bynum in free agency this is the backfire of the century, but for now I like the way they retooled. If they can get value out of Mel and maybe flip Minor for something a little younger they will be a constant contender.
Although my team likely won’t make a dent this season, I was able to change the outlook of the franchise down unda. I got good value at my pick with Kirk Hinrich and then proceeded to trade Myshkin and Otis Thorpe, a guy who was signed to be contract filler, for potentially valuable firsts. I also dumped Kersey’s two year deal. It may have been a step backwards for now, but its in the interests of taking two steps forwards as a franchise.
The best short term offseasons belong to Maccabi Tel Aviv and KK Partizan Belgrade. I’ll start with the easy one and that is Maccabi Tel Aviv. They have been on top of the conference for three years now and they did the major thing necessary to stay in that position, they brought back Big Ben Wallace. They paid a lot, but this post anchor is the defensive yin to Elgin Baylor’s offensive yang.
While they are off to a rough start, Belgrade is the other team here. They got lucky enough to steal Radivoj Korac away from Auckland and this lead to a domino effect for their offseason. Although they would’ve been a bigger winner if they traded one of their non-Bynum big man, they were able to rearrange their lineup to make more sense and shore up the key point guard position by bringing in Stockton and Sam Jones.
Piraeus
I don’t see a whole lot of teams that improved tremendously in the short term. In fact, I think America did much more this offseason than Eurasia. Moscow made a lot of changes, but I am not sure if they helped themselves as currently constructed. I’ll go with Mikawa. He nailed two picks in the first round in Porzingis and West both contributing over 17 PPG and he looks poised to leap back toward the top of the conference after one season in the lottery.
In the long term, I like what Bamberg did. He absolutely nailed grabbing Wade after he fell far too many picks (I would have taken him #2), and he also picked up John Block who looks like a clear starter after TC. This is about as good as you can do in one offseason. I’ll give a second shout out to myself for picking two defensive minded players in Brody/Sloan, and setting myself up to have 3 lottery picks this draft season.
Taipei
Long-term: Cairo, Mikawa
Short-term: Belgrade
Cairo
Like the big trade for them, but after seeing Johnson's first sim I'm liking it more. If he can maintain his all-star level play, they got two younger pieces that allow them another 3-4 year window to contend. The first sim was a little rough, but I expect them to bounce back and be a solid playoff contender.
Belgrade
They traded Joe Johnson and Andrew Bynum for Sam Jones and John Stockton. With Korac, Hakeem, Stockton and Jones, they have 4 potential all-stars and despite a slow start, may be considered a contender. They will have a tough time without a SF, but should be a tough playoff out as is. I expect they'll make one more trade for some depth or a better starter at the 3.
Mikawa
The addition of Kristaps and West look to be a formidable front court for the future. Kristaps was the #6 pick and West may be the steal of the draft at 21. Kristaps could end up pretty special.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
In an offseason where most teams in Eurasia at least held their ground if they didn't improve, Auckland once again took a major step back, letting a major FA go free and clear. Losing Korac for nothing has left the team an aging shell of its former shelf, as the GM has seen this squad slip from title contender to potential bottom feeder in just a couple seasons. While Barcelona's losing Mikan is just as painful and even more costly (they paid a hefty price for a half season of value), at least their GM seems to be out making the rounds, trying to improve his squad. Auckland seems satisfied to put things in cruise control and hoping it all works out in the end.
Cairo
Auckland – Another off season and another big time Free Agent leaves Auckland, costing the team in the standings and long term as they don’t even get the value of trading these guys. The Free Agency bug has struck pretty much every year so far in Ultimate and so it continues here with Auckland losing Korac to a conference rival in the opening sim of Free Agency.
Cairo - I made a necessary move to try to reconfigure my team in dealing Stockton and Jones for Bynum and Joe Johnson. One should never underestimate the importance of the PG position tho and you don’t just replace a player like John Stockton. While Bynum will help me a lot long term, this year armed without my first round pick, I may struggle some.
Yes, I am suffering from some buyers remorse as will be clear in my answer to question number 5.
Perth
The three most questionable offseasons in my mind were Auckland, CSKA Moscow and Zagreb KK Cibona.
Auckland is an easy one to me. They do not own their pick and did not make a serious attempt to retain the services of their best player in Korac. I get being wary of his age, but you have to at least bring him back whether you’re keeping him or flipping him for anything possible. Based off what certain players got back in trades, Korac would have been worth something of value.
CSKA Moscow made 1 too many moves in my mind. I think they could have been a contender in the conference without their second Spurs trade, but honestly I didn’t even want to put Derek here because he got a Spurs 1st in that deal and I’ve seen him flip from crap to good in one weekend of trading before. By the time this comes out he may make a couple more deals so I know he never stops and is good at DCing so I question this offseason less than the others.
Zagreb Cibona is on here for 1 move and 1 move only: trading a 1st to me for Otis Thorpe. Not only was it a 1st, but a future one after Thorpe’s expiring contract is up. Not the help Jason Kidd needs to take this team next level.
Piraeus
I think CSKA has to be on here after their 4-9 start. I like Christie, DD, and some of the other players they got, but the team feels weirdly light after holding the trio of Mikan/Sabonis/Embiid early in free agency. Personally, I don’t trust Embiid and I would have traded him and kept Mikan, or two of those 3 bigs. I think they’ll make it work and develop a ferocious defense, but it’s not there yet, so it’s still questionable. EDIT: Since I wrote this, they went ahead and rectified the situation by grabbing Sabonis and Rose for Embiid and Oakley. I think this move is in the right direction, but didn't like the DD/Perkins for Malone move at all. Malone is averaging 3.9 fouls in 28 mpg and has struggled with them his entire career. Trust me, I know. Until they turn their record around this is a disappointing team.
Secondly, I’d say Milan. Primarily for the lack of any action to improve upon a solid team last year. Their division improved and I’m not sure they are a playoff team right now. Finally, Newcastle has been disappointing. I like Bosh and he’ll be good, but David West is not too different, and went much later. Jerian Grant seems like he jumped in TC but probably shouldn’t be starting at SG despite his strong start. Meanwhile, Billy Cunningham would have been a much better fit next to McDyess than Bosh is currently.
Taipei
Belgrade
As I mentioned above, the made the pick move to add two older star caliber players in Stockton and Jones. It's definitely a short-term move as Stockton probably only has 2-3 years of superstar caliber basketball. At 30 his value will only go down. The big problem for Belgrade is the lack of a legitimate starting SF and very little depth. If they move their 07 1st for something better than TJ Warren.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
For division winners, I'll go with Taipei out of the the Pacific, Moscow out of the EuroWest and Tel Aviv out of the Mediterranean. Taipei has a interesting squad built around the youth of Isiah and Draymond, and I think they squeak out a division win over Mikawa. In the disaster that is the EuroWest, eventually someone will have to win this mess. When that happens, I'll always take Moscow's experience and ability over lesser GMs like Milan and Barcelona who might have more talented stars but don't know how to use them properly. And in the Mediterranean, Belgrade might have made huge strides to make himself a run for the title, but until he deals for a bench, he isn't toppling Tel Aviv.
1. Tel Aviv - The top team in the conference - again.
2. Belgrade - They are adjusting to the new players, but talent should push this team to #2 by season's end.
3. Moscow - They've had a slow start, but they are making moves, and they always seem to make things happen.
4. Taipei - They have the talent...now it's a matter of if they can stay healthy
5. Mikawa - They are already very talented, but they are also very young...the only thing keeping them from being higher
6. REAL - Initially overlooked, Madrid might have something this season with Dumars taking his game to the next level
7. Barcelona - McHale is Barkley good, and that alone should make the playoffs
8. Cairo - Unless Cairo goes through with a trade to dump everyone, he's just too good of a GM to not make the playoffs with this talent against lesser GMs.
Cairo
Division Winners
Pacific: Taipei. When in doubt pick the team with the best PG which would be Taipei with Zeke. Couple him with Draymond Green, Westphal, Zidek and some guy named McAdoo and this is a team with a sneaky strong roster.
EuroWest: REAL. I dislike every team in this division for various reasons but REAL has a really good backcourt and the pieces fit together the best so why not? Dumars, Belov, X-Man, Jarrett Jack and Jerry Lucas are a solid starting 5, although the team doesn’t have inspiring depth outside of that. Then again you may not need depth in a division where only one team might finish above .500.
Mediterranean: Tel Aviv. Another year, another Maccabbi Division Title. Elgin Baylor, Big Ben Wallace, Dr. J and friends form a deep and proven roster that should cost to the division title despite being in a loaded division that could see 4 playoff teams.
Seeding
1. Tel Aviv and it isn’t really close
2. Taipei best PG in the league? If not he is in the convo and that and a deadly starting 5 will lift them to 50+ wins
3. Mikawa gut call here but I really like their roster and think they will find a way to pull of a deal or two. Watch out for this team Kristaps, Sparky Wade and others give their deadly wing duo of Finley and Crash Wallace a needed boost.
4. REAL is a defensive juggernaut and will end up a top 4 seed imo. Dumars/Belov/Jack OH MY.
5. Istanbul is not an amazing roster, especially in terms of depth but with a dew teams taking a step back I think they have enough to make things interesting as the 5 seed.
6. Southern Tigers are a team I cannot figure out, but they won games last year so no reason to think they won’t find their way to the post season again this off season.
7. Beijing – They quietly had a good off season and have a pretty complete roster. They won’t be a serious contender this year but the pieces are in place to have a steady climb up the standings the next few years.
8. Belgrade will find a way and be a really tough out despite basically no depth
. If they don't make it I think my Cairo squad will so come on injuries!
Perth
The division winners will be Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Moscow and Taipei Fubon Braves.
Maccabi will win because they were and remain the best team in the entire conference. Especially with this slow start for Belgrade I see Maccabi winning this division easily en route to a #1 seed. Big Ben, Baylor and Dr. J are a lethal trio.
I know I put them as a questionable offseason, but like I said CSKA can turn his entire team around in a second. This one is almost won by default though as I don’t think any of the teams are that strong and think Derek could almost gameplan this division win no matter who is on his team. I don’t trust the other teams to beat him out.
Mikawa is back from tanking for a year, but I still think Taipei is the best team in this division. They have an extremely well rounded starting lineup with a couple of studs in McAdoo and Isiah, the player not the GM. I think Mikawa’s hot start is fueled by 6 home games in the first sim and as they come back down to earth a bit Taipei will pull away.
1. Maccabi – Explained that one already
2. Taipei – I think they’re more well rounded and deeper than some of the teams behind them
3. Belgrade – A lot of high level talent, needs some sort of depth
4. CSKA – Wins his division, lands at 4
5. Mikawa – We all know he secretly created the game so clearly he knows all the tricks and he’s not tanking for porzingis this year
6. Cairo – I think as long as he keeps the team together as is, Bynum, Minor and Johnson will make up for the bad sim 1
7. Madrid – All his key players seem to be PGs and PFs which is weird, but Dumars leads a pesky squad
8. Guangdong – In a chinese battle between them and Beijing for the final spot, I give it to Seer based off overall depth of talent
Piraeus
Pacific's: Taipei Fubon Braves
Eurasian: Real Madrid
Mediterranean: Tel Aviv Maccabi
I trust Mikawa to game plan more than Fubon; however, their talent will prove to be too much for the upstart Seahorses in the end. Real Madrid constantly gets overlooked and no one outside of CSKA convinces me they’ll be able to compete effectively. But can Moscow craft a cohesive team in time? Tel Aviv went to the finals again and incrementally improved. Cairo dropped off, Belgrade is too thin, and Istanbul is too young.
1. Tel Aviv – Conference champs with cohesion get the top spot
2. Taipei – Second most talent on paper, will be here if they stay healthy
3. Real – The long bright spot in a disappointing division
4. Mikawa – GM wizard gets a home court series
5. Belgrade – The top 4 are too talented to fall further
6. Istanbul – Surprise team led by LeBron and upstarts Beal and Jokic
7. Beijing – Sheed and Bing have a solid supporting cast
8. Guangdong – Sneaks in after a period of stability with the roster
Taipei
Pacific- Fubon Braves
Mikawa is the other team that has a shot. Hopefully we can win the conference again this year.
EuroWest- CSKA
Despite the slow start I think they take the division. Best defensive team in the league. Madrid has a shot as well. This division is a little wide open.
Mediterranean-
Maccabi
Still one of the elite teams in the league, Belgrade needs to make a move at SF to be considered.
Playoffs
(1) Maccabi - Still the best of the conference
(2) Fubon Braves- Probably wishful thinking
(3) CSKA- Assuming they take the division. Tough matchup in the playoffs because of the defense
(4) KK Partizan- Regardless of the SF situation, they still have four legitimately good players. Should be a tough playoff out.
(5) Beijing- Like the front court and Loughery looks legit.
(6) Mikawa- The rookies are looking pretty good, think they'll slow down a bit though.
(7) Guangdong- Gasol is gonna look great on Fubon next year.
(8) Regal FC- McHale and Barry should carry this team into the playoffs.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
Bamberg
C - Marc Gasol
PF - Kevin McHale
SF - Elgin Baylor
SG - Dwyane Wade
PG - John Stockton
My All-Conference team would be built for youth, speed and inside scoring, with an extra focus on shot blocking. Gasol and McHale are the perfect complimentary pieces on the inside with what I like to do...they score efficiently, they grab everything that comes their way and they block the ball. Baylor has quickly become one of the league's best players (all that extra time spent at training camp will do that) and he still has room to grow. Wade is the required rookie on the team, as it was going to come down to him or LeBron, but I wanted Baylor at SF, so Wade was the obvious fit here. Stockton is the lone outlier in the scheme, as he's not a young inside scoring shot blocker...but he's still miles ahead of everyone else (sorry Isiah) in the conference at the PG position, so he was a must have.
Cairo
Center
- Shaq (Rookie Deal)
Power Forward
- Kevin McHale (Rookie Deal)
Small Forward
- Elgin Baylor (Rookie Deal)
Shooting Guard
- Dwayne Wade (Rookie Year)
Point Guard -
Isiah Thomas (Rookie Deal)
Well I went and done did it. In looking around I realized I could put an entire team together out of the Eurasian Conference that would give any other starting 5 in the league and with which the pieces fit together pretty nicely. So I did! Shaq was a close call over my favorite young big, Andrew Bynum because he is just a monster and gives us an anchor that is truly an immovable object. McHale is in fact a Black Hole but he is also versatile with his rebounding, shot blocking and jump shooting abilities, which allow the team to play hi-low if they want. Elgin Baylor is simply the best player on the best team in the league. What a STUD! Dwayne Wade gives me my rookie and while he doesn't shoot as well as I would like, he is really going to be fun to watch relying on his elite athletic ability to career through the lane like a bowling ball. Isiah has really stepped his game up this year and gives the team a deadly all around player who can run the team, wreck havoc defensively and score early and often, while keeping his teamates in the game.
Perth
C - Ben Wallace
PF – Kevin McHale (Rookie Deal)
SF – Lebron James (Rookie)
SG – Elgin Baylor (Unnecessary extra rookie deal)
PG – John Stockton
I knew first and foremost that my point guard would be John Stockton. Not only does he run a team as well as anybody in the league, but he is a Defensive Player of the Year. The guy may very well be the best offensive and defensive player in the league. He made it so easy to pick that I barely even gave Jason Kidd a look, the same Jason Kidd who averaged almost 19/12/6 last year.
The next guy I knew was going to be on my team was Kevin McHale. He has absolutely torn onto the scene averaging 30 ppg as a sophomore and averaging 34 through his first 8 games of his third season. True to his real life counterpart, he has the post moves to make you quiver. He is also a strong rebounder and defender. This guy is no joke and looks like a future league MVP, just needs more talent around him.
For my rookie it came down to Wade and LeBron, but besides the fact that there was a better shooting guard option than Wade, LeBron is an absolute freakazoid. The guy is a point forward with the athleticism that makes his game well rounded and makes him play above his current skill level. He fits right into the middle of this team so well as a utility man.
For my last two spots I had to go to the champions. Elgin Baylor is what we call an absolutely cold blooded killer. The guy has been to the finals every year of his career and seems like he is getting even better. Combined with McHale on this team he would be unstoppable. For the center spot I could have went with any of a number of beastly centers, but I decided to go with the best defensive player of them all. The scoring could be taken care of by McHale and Baylor primarily with LeBron and Stockton as a helluva 3 and 4 option, so why not take the guy who has anchored a championship team, won defensive player of the year, and steals balls at a rate that is absolute bananas for a center. Big Ben Wallace is the heart and soul of this team.
Piraeus
C: Marc Gasol
PF: Rasheed Wallace
SF: Elgin Baylor (rookie deal)
SG: Dwayne Wade (rookie deal, rookie year)
PG: Isiah Thomas (rookie deal)
Gasol has developed into one of the most dominant big men on both ends of the court. Baylor was recently boosted and the inside combination of him and Wade attacking the basket would be lethal. Thomas adds shooting and world class defense, and Rasheed was selected over McHale because on this team he’d better help space the floor. Besides McHale, Dumars, Stockton, and Kidd were the toughest omissions but Isiah’s defense (3.0 steals), passing (10 assists) and offensive production (38% 3pt) are unmatched by any of those 3 PG right now.
Taipei
C- Marc Gasol
PF- Kevin McHale
SF- LeBron James
SG-Elgin Baylor
PG- Isiah Thomas
Did this pretty quick, so I may have missed someone. A lot of good front court players, but I think most of the superstars are in the other division tbh. McHale and Gasol are scary good.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
Bamberg
Every team has a guy that would hurt them more than anyone else, but I'll go with Kevin McHale in Barcelona. Now, I'm not sure that this GM can spin anything out of this squad even with McHale turning into Barkley 2.0 this season, but if he goes down to an injury, Barry and the rest of that squad win 16 games this year. In sim 1, McHale put up 42 points and 23 rebounds against the T-Wolves...that's the defending champions who are actually better this year than last. Gasol is important to Guangdong...Shaq is more important to Milano...McHale IS Barcelona.
Cairo
Call me biased but to me this one is an obvious answer in John Stockton for maybe less than obvious reasons. The obvious reasons is he remains arguably the best PG in the game, despite playing in a system that doesn't seem particularly tailored to his strengths. Despite that he can take over any game and if he goes down you are looking at either Troy Hudson starting or hoping Sam Jones holds up at PG full time which seems like a stretch. The team is within sniffing distance of the playoffs despite the Dream being out for sometime and remaining injured. Where I see the real results in Stockton's value is look at Cairo without him. They are really struggling at 7-13 of this writing despite having a good collection of talent and a solid starting PG in Modestas Paulauskas. But they do not have a top 5 PG, a guy who runs the whole show on both ends and makes it easier for everybody else around him. Cairo has gone from among the best in assists all the way down to 19th. As a team they are averaging just over 7 steals a game and last year Stockton averaged 3.1. So he is a true difference maker at the most important position in the game and without him almost any team will struggle.
Perth
This could be pretty much every team in the entire conference I decided to limit this to only the teams I predicted above to make the playoffs as they are more vulnerable to big drops, sorry Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, and Zelmo Beatty. When I look at the playoff teams I see one team with one position that an injury would lead to a perfect storm that would destroy their team and that is John Stockton in Belgrade. Belgrade’s weakness is already that they are completely lacking in depth across the board, but this is especially true at Point Guard. Cory Alexander or Troy Hudson would completely destroy a team if they had to start for extended periods of time and moving Sam Jones to PG would kill his effectiveness. A point guard injury is a tough one to recover from no matter the team, but when it’s John Stockton and those are the backups watch out. (This is in no way influenced by the fact that I have his pick and want this to happen)
Piraeus
Originally I thought Kevin McHale but Barcelona is really struggling. Then it occurred to me that it’s Joe Dumars. He’s 1st in the conference in estimated wins added, and is putting up Lebron-esque numbers of 25, 8 and 6. He shoots the 3 at an incredible clip and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Belov isn’t what he used to be at 13 ppg and Xavier McDaniel is good, but not build to carry an offense. I am not sure who would be leading that division if Joe wasn’t on this team but it wouldn’t be pretty.
Taipei
Belgrade. If he loses any of those 4 guys for any considerable amount of time he might struggle to make the playoffs. Guangdong would be in the top 5 in the lotto if Gasol went down. He's a potential MVP.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
With the season finally upon us, a round table was put together to get the views of some GMs on several different issues around the league.
Here is what we are going to do given that we hav 10 participant's
The 4 American gms and Moscow will do the Preview America's RT. Cairo and the remaining Eurasian GMs will do the Eurasian Preview RT.
Each team will get 150 pp for participating w TBD bonuses for placing in the top 3.
Thee top 3 from each rt will advance to the league wide midseason rt and the top 4 from that to the year end RT.
@minnesota is going to be the grader and not participate. For this he will receive 150 PP. Scoring will be 150 PP for Participating.
Round Bonuses: 75 bonus for first, 50 for 2nd, 25 for 3rd. Each answer is worth between 1 and 5 points and will be given credit by Minnesota.
First Round Answers are due by noon on Friday 4/22/16
The Participants: Eurasian Preview Roundtable
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
Both Round tables will answer the same set of questions, you will ONLY answer them for the conference that you are in a roundtable for!
The Questions:
1) Looking at your conference. Which team’s do you think have has the best long-term off seasons and which one(s) have had the best short term off seasons. You can list up to two teams for each part of the question
BambergIn the long term, I think that aside from Bamberg (obviously, Wade and Darko!), Mikawa had the best offseason. While they didn't score one of the "elite" rookies in the top 5, he got Kristaps at #6 and then got a steal at #21 with David West. While he might not be the top choice to win immediately (first couple sims notwithstanding), he's building himself an extremely young and impressive base that should be destroying the Pacific division for years to come.
In the short term, I thought that Belgrade had the best offseason. After making two deep playoff runs, KK Partizan doubled down on his success by going for it all, trading away Joe Johnson and Andrew Bynum to Cairo for superstars John Stockton and Sam Jones. He stole Radivoj Korac in free agency, giving himself arguably one of the top 2 foursomes in the league. While I'd like to see a trade for depth before I buy into Belgrade's endless hyping, no one can doubt the strides that were made in turning this team into a championship contender.
Cairo
Long Term – Bamberg and Perth.
Bamberg added one of my favorite players in Dwayne Wade and while I think he is vastly overrated in real life, he looks like an absolute beast both skills wise and athletically in the game. Getting him at 5 was the steal of the draft as the 2nd best prospect on my board and Bamberg now has its franchise cornerstone. Wade and John Block should have the team back in contention in a year or two.
Perth needs to be given credit. They got a first round pick each for Otis Thorpe and Anatoly Myshkin, two players I thought they would be lucky to dump for expirings. In additional deals they cleared out additional long term cap in Jerome Kersey and Sam Bowie. Although I felt there were better talents at 17 than Kirk Hinrich, he has played solidly so far and looks like at least a rotational player moving forward. So they are in good shape with almost 55 million in capspace next off season and own 6 firsts in the next 3 drafts. A good setup long term, especially when factoring in they should get a top 6 pick this year.
Short Term – Belgrade
It may not be sustainable long-term, although Sam Jones offering to re-up for less than the max certainly helps. They may struggle this year with a lack of depth, but next year should be able to make a big run at a ring with the use of at least their MLE to add some needed depth. So in the next two to three years they should be in good shape as a core of Stockton, Jones, Korac and the Dream will be tough for anybody to matchup with.
Perth
The two teams that had the best long term offseasons were myself and Cairo. Cairo was able to turn the older Stockton into a beast anchor down low in Bynum and while Stockton is great, he wasn’t able to take Cairo to the next level. Cairo now has 2 younger building blocks in Joe Johnson (not dead from TC) and Bynum. Of course if they lose Bynum in free agency this is the backfire of the century, but for now I like the way they retooled. If they can get value out of Mel and maybe flip Minor for something a little younger they will be a constant contender.
Although my team likely won’t make a dent this season, I was able to change the outlook of the franchise down unda. I got good value at my pick with Kirk Hinrich and then proceeded to trade Myshkin and Otis Thorpe, a guy who was signed to be contract filler, for potentially valuable firsts. I also dumped Kersey’s two year deal. It may have been a step backwards for now, but its in the interests of taking two steps forwards as a franchise.
The best short term offseasons belong to Maccabi Tel Aviv and KK Partizan Belgrade. I’ll start with the easy one and that is Maccabi Tel Aviv. They have been on top of the conference for three years now and they did the major thing necessary to stay in that position, they brought back Big Ben Wallace. They paid a lot, but this post anchor is the defensive yin to Elgin Baylor’s offensive yang.
While they are off to a rough start, Belgrade is the other team here. They got lucky enough to steal Radivoj Korac away from Auckland and this lead to a domino effect for their offseason. Although they would’ve been a bigger winner if they traded one of their non-Bynum big man, they were able to rearrange their lineup to make more sense and shore up the key point guard position by bringing in Stockton and Sam Jones.
Piraeus
I don’t see a whole lot of teams that improved tremendously in the short term. In fact, I think America did much more this offseason than Eurasia. Moscow made a lot of changes, but I am not sure if they helped themselves as currently constructed. I’ll go with Mikawa. He nailed two picks in the first round in Porzingis and West both contributing over 17 PPG and he looks poised to leap back toward the top of the conference after one season in the lottery.
In the long term, I like what Bamberg did. He absolutely nailed grabbing Wade after he fell far too many picks (I would have taken him #2), and he also picked up John Block who looks like a clear starter after TC. This is about as good as you can do in one offseason. I’ll give a second shout out to myself for picking two defensive minded players in Brody/Sloan, and setting myself up to have 3 lottery picks this draft season.
Taipei
Long-term: Cairo, Mikawa
Short-term: Belgrade
Cairo
Like the big trade for them, but after seeing Johnson's first sim I'm liking it more. If he can maintain his all-star level play, they got two younger pieces that allow them another 3-4 year window to contend. The first sim was a little rough, but I expect them to bounce back and be a solid playoff contender.
Belgrade
They traded Joe Johnson and Andrew Bynum for Sam Jones and John Stockton. With Korac, Hakeem, Stockton and Jones, they have 4 potential all-stars and despite a slow start, may be considered a contender. They will have a tough time without a SF, but should be a tough playoff out as is. I expect they'll make one more trade for some depth or a better starter at the 3.
Mikawa
The addition of Kristaps and West look to be a formidable front court for the future. Kristaps was the #6 pick and West may be the steal of the draft at 21. Kristaps could end up pretty special.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
2) Looking at your conference, which team’s do you think had the most questionable off seasons and why? You can analyze up to three teams for this question.
BambergIn an offseason where most teams in Eurasia at least held their ground if they didn't improve, Auckland once again took a major step back, letting a major FA go free and clear. Losing Korac for nothing has left the team an aging shell of its former shelf, as the GM has seen this squad slip from title contender to potential bottom feeder in just a couple seasons. While Barcelona's losing Mikan is just as painful and even more costly (they paid a hefty price for a half season of value), at least their GM seems to be out making the rounds, trying to improve his squad. Auckland seems satisfied to put things in cruise control and hoping it all works out in the end.
Cairo
Auckland – Another off season and another big time Free Agent leaves Auckland, costing the team in the standings and long term as they don’t even get the value of trading these guys. The Free Agency bug has struck pretty much every year so far in Ultimate and so it continues here with Auckland losing Korac to a conference rival in the opening sim of Free Agency.
Cairo - I made a necessary move to try to reconfigure my team in dealing Stockton and Jones for Bynum and Joe Johnson. One should never underestimate the importance of the PG position tho and you don’t just replace a player like John Stockton. While Bynum will help me a lot long term, this year armed without my first round pick, I may struggle some.
Yes, I am suffering from some buyers remorse as will be clear in my answer to question number 5.
Perth
The three most questionable offseasons in my mind were Auckland, CSKA Moscow and Zagreb KK Cibona.
Auckland is an easy one to me. They do not own their pick and did not make a serious attempt to retain the services of their best player in Korac. I get being wary of his age, but you have to at least bring him back whether you’re keeping him or flipping him for anything possible. Based off what certain players got back in trades, Korac would have been worth something of value.
CSKA Moscow made 1 too many moves in my mind. I think they could have been a contender in the conference without their second Spurs trade, but honestly I didn’t even want to put Derek here because he got a Spurs 1st in that deal and I’ve seen him flip from crap to good in one weekend of trading before. By the time this comes out he may make a couple more deals so I know he never stops and is good at DCing so I question this offseason less than the others.
Zagreb Cibona is on here for 1 move and 1 move only: trading a 1st to me for Otis Thorpe. Not only was it a 1st, but a future one after Thorpe’s expiring contract is up. Not the help Jason Kidd needs to take this team next level.
Piraeus
I think CSKA has to be on here after their 4-9 start. I like Christie, DD, and some of the other players they got, but the team feels weirdly light after holding the trio of Mikan/Sabonis/Embiid early in free agency. Personally, I don’t trust Embiid and I would have traded him and kept Mikan, or two of those 3 bigs. I think they’ll make it work and develop a ferocious defense, but it’s not there yet, so it’s still questionable. EDIT: Since I wrote this, they went ahead and rectified the situation by grabbing Sabonis and Rose for Embiid and Oakley. I think this move is in the right direction, but didn't like the DD/Perkins for Malone move at all. Malone is averaging 3.9 fouls in 28 mpg and has struggled with them his entire career. Trust me, I know. Until they turn their record around this is a disappointing team.
Secondly, I’d say Milan. Primarily for the lack of any action to improve upon a solid team last year. Their division improved and I’m not sure they are a playoff team right now. Finally, Newcastle has been disappointing. I like Bosh and he’ll be good, but David West is not too different, and went much later. Jerian Grant seems like he jumped in TC but probably shouldn’t be starting at SG despite his strong start. Meanwhile, Billy Cunningham would have been a much better fit next to McDyess than Bosh is currently.
Taipei
Belgrade
As I mentioned above, the made the pick move to add two older star caliber players in Stockton and Jones. It's definitely a short-term move as Stockton probably only has 2-3 years of superstar caliber basketball. At 30 his value will only go down. The big problem for Belgrade is the lack of a legitimate starting SF and very little depth. If they move their 07 1st for something better than TJ Warren.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
3) PLAYOFFS! Pick the division winners for your conference and tell us why. Afterword’s, list your projected playoff seeds with no more than one sentence for each team.
BambergFor division winners, I'll go with Taipei out of the the Pacific, Moscow out of the EuroWest and Tel Aviv out of the Mediterranean. Taipei has a interesting squad built around the youth of Isiah and Draymond, and I think they squeak out a division win over Mikawa. In the disaster that is the EuroWest, eventually someone will have to win this mess. When that happens, I'll always take Moscow's experience and ability over lesser GMs like Milan and Barcelona who might have more talented stars but don't know how to use them properly. And in the Mediterranean, Belgrade might have made huge strides to make himself a run for the title, but until he deals for a bench, he isn't toppling Tel Aviv.
1. Tel Aviv - The top team in the conference - again.
2. Belgrade - They are adjusting to the new players, but talent should push this team to #2 by season's end.
3. Moscow - They've had a slow start, but they are making moves, and they always seem to make things happen.
4. Taipei - They have the talent...now it's a matter of if they can stay healthy
5. Mikawa - They are already very talented, but they are also very young...the only thing keeping them from being higher
6. REAL - Initially overlooked, Madrid might have something this season with Dumars taking his game to the next level
7. Barcelona - McHale is Barkley good, and that alone should make the playoffs
8. Cairo - Unless Cairo goes through with a trade to dump everyone, he's just too good of a GM to not make the playoffs with this talent against lesser GMs.
Cairo
Division Winners
Pacific: Taipei. When in doubt pick the team with the best PG which would be Taipei with Zeke. Couple him with Draymond Green, Westphal, Zidek and some guy named McAdoo and this is a team with a sneaky strong roster.
EuroWest: REAL. I dislike every team in this division for various reasons but REAL has a really good backcourt and the pieces fit together the best so why not? Dumars, Belov, X-Man, Jarrett Jack and Jerry Lucas are a solid starting 5, although the team doesn’t have inspiring depth outside of that. Then again you may not need depth in a division where only one team might finish above .500.
Mediterranean: Tel Aviv. Another year, another Maccabbi Division Title. Elgin Baylor, Big Ben Wallace, Dr. J and friends form a deep and proven roster that should cost to the division title despite being in a loaded division that could see 4 playoff teams.
Seeding
1. Tel Aviv and it isn’t really close
2. Taipei best PG in the league? If not he is in the convo and that and a deadly starting 5 will lift them to 50+ wins
3. Mikawa gut call here but I really like their roster and think they will find a way to pull of a deal or two. Watch out for this team Kristaps, Sparky Wade and others give their deadly wing duo of Finley and Crash Wallace a needed boost.
4. REAL is a defensive juggernaut and will end up a top 4 seed imo. Dumars/Belov/Jack OH MY.
5. Istanbul is not an amazing roster, especially in terms of depth but with a dew teams taking a step back I think they have enough to make things interesting as the 5 seed.
6. Southern Tigers are a team I cannot figure out, but they won games last year so no reason to think they won’t find their way to the post season again this off season.
7. Beijing – They quietly had a good off season and have a pretty complete roster. They won’t be a serious contender this year but the pieces are in place to have a steady climb up the standings the next few years.
8. Belgrade will find a way and be a really tough out despite basically no depth
. If they don't make it I think my Cairo squad will so come on injuries!
Perth
The division winners will be Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Moscow and Taipei Fubon Braves.
Maccabi will win because they were and remain the best team in the entire conference. Especially with this slow start for Belgrade I see Maccabi winning this division easily en route to a #1 seed. Big Ben, Baylor and Dr. J are a lethal trio.
I know I put them as a questionable offseason, but like I said CSKA can turn his entire team around in a second. This one is almost won by default though as I don’t think any of the teams are that strong and think Derek could almost gameplan this division win no matter who is on his team. I don’t trust the other teams to beat him out.
Mikawa is back from tanking for a year, but I still think Taipei is the best team in this division. They have an extremely well rounded starting lineup with a couple of studs in McAdoo and Isiah, the player not the GM. I think Mikawa’s hot start is fueled by 6 home games in the first sim and as they come back down to earth a bit Taipei will pull away.
1. Maccabi – Explained that one already
2. Taipei – I think they’re more well rounded and deeper than some of the teams behind them
3. Belgrade – A lot of high level talent, needs some sort of depth
4. CSKA – Wins his division, lands at 4
5. Mikawa – We all know he secretly created the game so clearly he knows all the tricks and he’s not tanking for porzingis this year
6. Cairo – I think as long as he keeps the team together as is, Bynum, Minor and Johnson will make up for the bad sim 1
7. Madrid – All his key players seem to be PGs and PFs which is weird, but Dumars leads a pesky squad
8. Guangdong – In a chinese battle between them and Beijing for the final spot, I give it to Seer based off overall depth of talent
Piraeus
Pacific's: Taipei Fubon Braves
Eurasian: Real Madrid
Mediterranean: Tel Aviv Maccabi
I trust Mikawa to game plan more than Fubon; however, their talent will prove to be too much for the upstart Seahorses in the end. Real Madrid constantly gets overlooked and no one outside of CSKA convinces me they’ll be able to compete effectively. But can Moscow craft a cohesive team in time? Tel Aviv went to the finals again and incrementally improved. Cairo dropped off, Belgrade is too thin, and Istanbul is too young.
1. Tel Aviv – Conference champs with cohesion get the top spot
2. Taipei – Second most talent on paper, will be here if they stay healthy
3. Real – The long bright spot in a disappointing division
4. Mikawa – GM wizard gets a home court series
5. Belgrade – The top 4 are too talented to fall further
6. Istanbul – Surprise team led by LeBron and upstarts Beal and Jokic
7. Beijing – Sheed and Bing have a solid supporting cast
8. Guangdong – Sneaks in after a period of stability with the roster
Taipei
Pacific- Fubon Braves
Mikawa is the other team that has a shot. Hopefully we can win the conference again this year.
EuroWest- CSKA
Despite the slow start I think they take the division. Best defensive team in the league. Madrid has a shot as well. This division is a little wide open.
Mediterranean-
Maccabi
Still one of the elite teams in the league, Belgrade needs to make a move at SF to be considered.
Playoffs
(1) Maccabi - Still the best of the conference
(2) Fubon Braves- Probably wishful thinking
(3) CSKA- Assuming they take the division. Tough matchup in the playoffs because of the defense
(4) KK Partizan- Regardless of the SF situation, they still have four legitimately good players. Should be a tough playoff out.
(5) Beijing- Like the front court and Loughery looks legit.
(6) Mikawa- The rookies are looking pretty good, think they'll slow down a bit though.
(7) Guangdong- Gasol is gonna look great on Fubon next year.
(8) Regal FC- McHale and Barry should carry this team into the playoffs.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
4) You can pick an All Conference Team that becomes your starting 5. The only stipulations is you must pick at least two players still on their rookie deals, one of which is a rookie this year. Who is your starting 5 and why?
Bamberg
C - Marc Gasol
PF - Kevin McHale
SF - Elgin Baylor
SG - Dwyane Wade
PG - John Stockton
My All-Conference team would be built for youth, speed and inside scoring, with an extra focus on shot blocking. Gasol and McHale are the perfect complimentary pieces on the inside with what I like to do...they score efficiently, they grab everything that comes their way and they block the ball. Baylor has quickly become one of the league's best players (all that extra time spent at training camp will do that) and he still has room to grow. Wade is the required rookie on the team, as it was going to come down to him or LeBron, but I wanted Baylor at SF, so Wade was the obvious fit here. Stockton is the lone outlier in the scheme, as he's not a young inside scoring shot blocker...but he's still miles ahead of everyone else (sorry Isiah) in the conference at the PG position, so he was a must have.
Cairo
Center
- Shaq (Rookie Deal)
Power Forward
- Kevin McHale (Rookie Deal)
Small Forward
- Elgin Baylor (Rookie Deal)
Shooting Guard
- Dwayne Wade (Rookie Year)
Point Guard -
Isiah Thomas (Rookie Deal)
Well I went and done did it. In looking around I realized I could put an entire team together out of the Eurasian Conference that would give any other starting 5 in the league and with which the pieces fit together pretty nicely. So I did! Shaq was a close call over my favorite young big, Andrew Bynum because he is just a monster and gives us an anchor that is truly an immovable object. McHale is in fact a Black Hole but he is also versatile with his rebounding, shot blocking and jump shooting abilities, which allow the team to play hi-low if they want. Elgin Baylor is simply the best player on the best team in the league. What a STUD! Dwayne Wade gives me my rookie and while he doesn't shoot as well as I would like, he is really going to be fun to watch relying on his elite athletic ability to career through the lane like a bowling ball. Isiah has really stepped his game up this year and gives the team a deadly all around player who can run the team, wreck havoc defensively and score early and often, while keeping his teamates in the game.
Perth
C - Ben Wallace
PF – Kevin McHale (Rookie Deal)
SF – Lebron James (Rookie)
SG – Elgin Baylor (Unnecessary extra rookie deal)
PG – John Stockton
I knew first and foremost that my point guard would be John Stockton. Not only does he run a team as well as anybody in the league, but he is a Defensive Player of the Year. The guy may very well be the best offensive and defensive player in the league. He made it so easy to pick that I barely even gave Jason Kidd a look, the same Jason Kidd who averaged almost 19/12/6 last year.
The next guy I knew was going to be on my team was Kevin McHale. He has absolutely torn onto the scene averaging 30 ppg as a sophomore and averaging 34 through his first 8 games of his third season. True to his real life counterpart, he has the post moves to make you quiver. He is also a strong rebounder and defender. This guy is no joke and looks like a future league MVP, just needs more talent around him.
For my rookie it came down to Wade and LeBron, but besides the fact that there was a better shooting guard option than Wade, LeBron is an absolute freakazoid. The guy is a point forward with the athleticism that makes his game well rounded and makes him play above his current skill level. He fits right into the middle of this team so well as a utility man.
For my last two spots I had to go to the champions. Elgin Baylor is what we call an absolutely cold blooded killer. The guy has been to the finals every year of his career and seems like he is getting even better. Combined with McHale on this team he would be unstoppable. For the center spot I could have went with any of a number of beastly centers, but I decided to go with the best defensive player of them all. The scoring could be taken care of by McHale and Baylor primarily with LeBron and Stockton as a helluva 3 and 4 option, so why not take the guy who has anchored a championship team, won defensive player of the year, and steals balls at a rate that is absolute bananas for a center. Big Ben Wallace is the heart and soul of this team.
Piraeus
C: Marc Gasol
PF: Rasheed Wallace
SF: Elgin Baylor (rookie deal)
SG: Dwayne Wade (rookie deal, rookie year)
PG: Isiah Thomas (rookie deal)
Gasol has developed into one of the most dominant big men on both ends of the court. Baylor was recently boosted and the inside combination of him and Wade attacking the basket would be lethal. Thomas adds shooting and world class defense, and Rasheed was selected over McHale because on this team he’d better help space the floor. Besides McHale, Dumars, Stockton, and Kidd were the toughest omissions but Isiah’s defense (3.0 steals), passing (10 assists) and offensive production (38% 3pt) are unmatched by any of those 3 PG right now.
Taipei
C- Marc Gasol
PF- Kevin McHale
SF- LeBron James
SG-Elgin Baylor
PG- Isiah Thomas
Did this pretty quick, so I may have missed someone. A lot of good front court players, but I think most of the superstars are in the other division tbh. McHale and Gasol are scary good.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
5) A superstar goes down on a team in your conference and that team will immediately struggle. Who is that player and team and why will they struggle so hard without them.
Every team has a guy that would hurt them more than anyone else, but I'll go with Kevin McHale in Barcelona. Now, I'm not sure that this GM can spin anything out of this squad even with McHale turning into Barkley 2.0 this season, but if he goes down to an injury, Barry and the rest of that squad win 16 games this year. In sim 1, McHale put up 42 points and 23 rebounds against the T-Wolves...that's the defending champions who are actually better this year than last. Gasol is important to Guangdong...Shaq is more important to Milano...McHale IS Barcelona.
Cairo
Call me biased but to me this one is an obvious answer in John Stockton for maybe less than obvious reasons. The obvious reasons is he remains arguably the best PG in the game, despite playing in a system that doesn't seem particularly tailored to his strengths. Despite that he can take over any game and if he goes down you are looking at either Troy Hudson starting or hoping Sam Jones holds up at PG full time which seems like a stretch. The team is within sniffing distance of the playoffs despite the Dream being out for sometime and remaining injured. Where I see the real results in Stockton's value is look at Cairo without him. They are really struggling at 7-13 of this writing despite having a good collection of talent and a solid starting PG in Modestas Paulauskas. But they do not have a top 5 PG, a guy who runs the whole show on both ends and makes it easier for everybody else around him. Cairo has gone from among the best in assists all the way down to 19th. As a team they are averaging just over 7 steals a game and last year Stockton averaged 3.1. So he is a true difference maker at the most important position in the game and without him almost any team will struggle.
Perth
This could be pretty much every team in the entire conference I decided to limit this to only the teams I predicted above to make the playoffs as they are more vulnerable to big drops, sorry Kevin McHale, Jason Kidd, and Zelmo Beatty. When I look at the playoff teams I see one team with one position that an injury would lead to a perfect storm that would destroy their team and that is John Stockton in Belgrade. Belgrade’s weakness is already that they are completely lacking in depth across the board, but this is especially true at Point Guard. Cory Alexander or Troy Hudson would completely destroy a team if they had to start for extended periods of time and moving Sam Jones to PG would kill his effectiveness. A point guard injury is a tough one to recover from no matter the team, but when it’s John Stockton and those are the backups watch out. (This is in no way influenced by the fact that I have his pick and want this to happen)
Piraeus
Originally I thought Kevin McHale but Barcelona is really struggling. Then it occurred to me that it’s Joe Dumars. He’s 1st in the conference in estimated wins added, and is putting up Lebron-esque numbers of 25, 8 and 6. He shoots the 3 at an incredible clip and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Belov isn’t what he used to be at 13 ppg and Xavier McDaniel is good, but not build to carry an offense. I am not sure who would be leading that division if Joe wasn’t on this team but it wouldn’t be pretty.
Taipei
Belgrade. If he loses any of those 4 guys for any considerable amount of time he might struggle to make the playoffs. Guangdong would be in the top 5 in the lotto if Gasol went down. He's a potential MVP.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Bamberg
Cairo
Perth
Piraeus
Taipei
Final Standings
*First Place (100 PP Bonus): ()
*Second Place (75 PP Bonus): ()
*Third Place (50 PP Bonus)
Fourth Place (75 PP Bonus): ()
Fifth Place: ()
*Means the team advances to the next roundtable
