Post by Sarawak on May 26, 2016 14:33:05 GMT
Each team will get 150 pp for participating w TBD bonuses for placing in the top TBD
All 8 will advance to a follow roundtable early in the season, then the top 6, then the final four.
@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: None
The Participants: Off Season Preview
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
The Questions:
Brazil
PG- Pistalek is #1 for me- I love his pure PG abilities and to me, he could start right away for any team in need of a PG. Strickland is #2 for me- not as good a pure PF as Pistalek, but he's quick as heck and the skill-set he's got seems to work well in this league.
SG- Vince Carter is #1- his athleticism is off the charts- you can make an argument he's the best player in this class. If his potential is as we think it is- he could be a top 10-15 player in the league within 3-5 seasons or so. And Mitch Richmond is #2- it's a relatively weaker class at SG, but Mitch is a solid #2 here and should go in the top 10. He can shoot and he has solid defensive ratings pre-any TC. Solid addition for any team.
SF- Paul Pierce is #1 here and it's not close. He's a jack-of-all-trades and excels in a few of those areas- he doesn't really have a weakness at the moment. Might be my favorite player in this draft. #2 was a bit tougher, but I'll go with Kenon over Majerle- I think Kenon can get to the hoop and defend- 2 very important qualities in an SF. AND he's already a terrific rebounder- which is great for a 3.
PF- Dirk has to be #1 here- I mean, he did go #1 overall. But Dirk has the potential to be one of the best all-around scorers in the game- and a hard to defend one at that with his outside shooting- not enough great perimeter defenders at the 4 to match up. He just seems to do everything well. And I'm a big fan of George McGinnis at #2- classic prototypical big Power Forward that can rebound and score.
C- #1 is Cosic- lemme remind everyone that Cosic was an absolute BOSS in Global- I think John had him in Moscow? It was either John or Corey. Anyways- he rose up boards late but he is a classic center- if he hits his potential he could be an All-League Center (although the competition is fierce at that position). #2 is Smits- I like Smits' potential to be a long-term project for whoever picks him. It is kind of a weak center class to be honest.
Cairo
C: Cosic and Caldwell Jones. This one was pretty straightforward for me. Cosic is the clear top center and should be a top 5 pick in the draft with his well rounded game. Caldwell Jones too me is the 2nd best center in the draft although I grade him out as a late lotto pick. He should be a defensive and rebounding anchor. Many will list Smits over Jones, but he is not great in any non scoring area and is not exactly athletic which limits his ability to score etc.
PF: Dirk and McGinnis. To me these are a toss up, both are top 5 draft picks, but not sure I would take either in the top 2. Both look to be very talented scorers, who are maybe going to need some work in other areas of the game. If I had a slight lean I think I would go McGinnis because he looks to be a monster rebounder vs. Dirk who is not as strong in that regard.
SF: Pierce and Kenon. This is really a one man race as Pierce is head and tails above the rest of the SF and should go in the top 3 in my opinion. Although not the quickest SF, Pierce is strong and explosive vertically which paired with his scoring ability should make him an instant scoring option as the rest of his game develops. Kenon is a solid SF who’s best asset is his rebounding ability along with his ability to guard inside and outside. He should develop into a decent secondary scoring option, but he probably is a low teens scorer for his career.
SG: Carter and Richmond. Carter was my top player in this class. Yes he has flaws (not an elite defender) but he is an elite athlete and scorer who should have a long career on the wing as a big time scorer. Richmond is eerily like real life and just solid at everything. I think he quietly has a really good career.
PG: Pistalek and Degros. Pistalek is a studly looking prospect, he is extremely young which probably keeps him just outside of the top 5 for me, but he has the look of a top notch PG long term. Degros is my second favorite PG, he is ready to step in and help a team now with his handling, developed offensive game and quickness.
Harlem
PG
1. Vladimir Pistelak. I love this guy, would probably be in my top 5 overall. He’s only 18 years old and has tons of potential, perfect for a rebuilding team. Of course the downside of his youth is the TC risk, but if he pans out he could be a top PG for a long time.
2. Max Zaslofsky. This is a toss-up between Rod Strickland and Max Zaslofsky. While Strickland is an interesting player with his scoring abilities, his lack of 3-point shot and average athletics make him equally unattractive. I like Zaslofsky a bit more for his athletics and perimeter shooting, but could go with either.
SG
1. Mitch Richmond. I like him over Carter only because of his defensive abilities. I expect both to go top 10, and if I had the choice between both I have to go with the better defender
2. Vince Carter. While he’s #2 on my SG list, I’d have no problem adding him to my roster purely for his scoring abilities. He’d be a fun player to watch on the offensive side of the ball with his inside scoring ability and strong athletics
SF
1. Paul Pierce. His size, athletics, and shooting abilities make him an exciting player. His lack of defense prevents him from being super-elite, but nonetheless he is the clear #1 SF in this draft.
2. Dan Majerle. I’m taking him over Larry Kenon. His athletics are a little troubling, but his defense, shooting abilities, and ball handling skills make him a better choice. I’d also be comfortable playing him at SG. Kenon on the other hand would be difficult to play at SF, and is too weak for PF.
PF
1. Dirk Nowitzki. This position is by far the most interesting of the draft. I’m putting Dirk #1 because of his size, scoring abilities, and athletics. Should be a headache for defenses to handle.
2. George McGinnis, Rashard Lewis, Anthony Mason, Danny Manning. All these guys can be considered the 2nd best PF in the draft so I’m not picking one. All have their strengths and weaknesses. While Jamison also looks interesting, his lack of defense leaves him off the list.
C
1. Rik Smits. Either Smits or Kresimir Cosic could be the top C in the draft, but I’m taking Smits for his size. Doesn’t look like either of them will be dominant in their position on either ends of the court, and for that reason this is the weakest position in the draft.
2. Kresimir Cosic. Like Smits, I wouldn’t hate having Cosic on my team, but I would hope he doesn’t go in the top 10. At just 213lbs Cosic is a scary thought at C and might be better suited at PF.
Moscow
C: Kosic – Smits
PF: Dirk – McGinnis
SF: Pierce – Kenon
SG: Carter – Richmond
PG: Pistelak - Degros
There are a few positions that will likely see guys change but I went strictly from the listed position and not where I would play the guy. At center it’s obvious Kosic is number one and Smits defense is number two. At PF you have Dirk who went 1st overall and then McGinnis who despite not blocking shots is gonna be a high level player. SF got tricky after Pierce but Kenon versatility is amazing in a league proven that listed positions mean nothing. Shooting guard top two are obvious but I’ve heard some debates about which is number 1 and PG is Pistelak then not much but the intrigue of a new foreign guy Degros should draw interest.
Piraeus
Point Guard
1. Vladimir Pistalek
2. Max Zaslofsky
Pistalek clearly has the most talent in a weaker PG draft, but the fact he’s only 18 years old should scare some teams (in the real NBA, this is seen as a positive haha). It certainly scared me to trade #7 away. I basically see his potential as a Tal Brody clone if he has good first TC and first season. Zaslofsky is someone I personally like better than Strickland, who is the popular choice here likely. He’s a better shooter and defender, while still displaying some impressive ball skills. Neither have elite athleticism. Give me Max.
Shooting Guard
1. Vince Carter
2. Mitch Richmond
I know people think this class is weak and we won’t see any super studs, but I think Vince could be that on offense. His A+ jumping and decent offense skills could easily lead to 25 ppg. The trade for Rasheed Wallace made that less likely as Barcelona has other talented scorers. Mitch is clearly the second banana here at guard. I worry about his quickness, but he has the potential to be 80% of the scorer Vince is with better defense. He’ll never be elite with his athleticism but could be a good 2nd option on a title team.
Small Forward
1. Paul Pierce
2. Larry Kenon
Pierce is by far and away the best prospect given his combination of exceptional shooting and basketball fundamentals, good athleticism, and solid rebounding. Defense is suspect. Kenon I didn’t want to pick 2nd but the next best SF listed at SF might be Majerle, so it has to be Kenon. He’ll score and and defend, but the combination of low strength and zero outside shot screams poor efficiency offensive player to me.
Power Forward
1. George McGinnis
2. Dirk Nowitzki
Listen, I really like Dirk, but he really scares me. He’s not a great athlete or a defender. Those offensive potential ratings better be really high, but I’d be terrified with him after the latest re-scouts. McGinnis lack of shot blocking bothers me, but he makes up for it with great steals ability, and is an otherwise ready-to-go player. I think he’ll be excellent for Barcelona.
Center
1. Kresimir Cosic
2. Caldwell Jones
Cosic is the clear number one here, with the right combination of size, strength, offensive skills, and rebounding. I am not high on Smits or Olowokandi at all, so give me Jones as the second best. I considered trying to land an established starter plus a mid teens pick for Mutombo, but ultimately opted against it. He’s not Deke, but there is no reason he can’t be an effective lane clogger and defensive starter.
Seattle
Center:
1) Cosic
2) Smits
reason- Cosic is a high floor, low ceiling big as he is already 24. Smits is a 7"4 big with a lot of potential but has a lot of filling out to do. Both of these guys should become solid 2 way players.
PF:
1) Dirk
2) McGinnis
reason- this is the easy part of the article. Dirk was the big with by far the highest ceiling and could be a 25 PPG guy. McGinnis on the other hand is the most ready player in the draft to contribute day 1.
SF:
1) Pierce
2) Kenon
reason- Pierce is hands down best SF in this class with Kenon a distant, but easy second. Pierce looks to be the complete package. Kenon will have major flaws (no handles, passing, or 3pt shooting), but can be an extremely good slasher with solid defense and athletics.
SG:
1) Mitch Richmond
2) VC
reason- yeah yeah, read this before bashing me please. Mitch is a better shooter, has better handles and passing, is a way better defender, and is quicker than VC. VC is by no means a slouch, but Richmond is a more complete basketball player. Either one of these guys are fine additions to a team.
PG:
1) Pistelak
2) Max Zaslofsky
1) Pistelak is the gem of the PG class. He and Pierce separate themselves from the rest of their positions by a solid deficite. After Vlad, every other guard is a gamble. Rod Strickland and Degros are both slashing point guards who are solid players. Max Zaslofky puts himself a notch ahead of the rest of the PG class with his potential to be a solid 2 way guard..
Tel Aviv
Center:
Firstly is an easy one Kresimir Cosic. He is one of the older players in the draft class but that wouldn't put me off. He is already a good rebounder and defender, his offensive side needs a little work but he also has nice athleticism for a center.
There isn't great depth at center in this draft, for #2 I would go with Rik Smits. Great size at 7'4 and a good shotblocker, could become a very effective rim protector for any team in the league.
Power Forward:
Belgrade has selected Dirk but firstly I have to go with George McGinnis. I think he could well be the best player in the draft class, only 20 years old but he is ready to make a big contribution from day one as he is already developed well in a number of areas, particularly rebounding. Also has great athleticism.
Then it's Dirk, that shooting stroke for a 7 footer is going to be a nice weapon to have, particularly if he continues to improve but feel there are other holes in his game, an average defender and not a great rebounder.
Small Forward:
Paul Pierce is the best small forward in the draft class. A great scorer, can get points from anywhere on the floor and is developed enough to make an impact there right away. Other areas of his game need work, mainly on the defense end where he needs work to make sure he won't be a liability there.
Next up is Larry Kenon, a player that I like. He can score and rebound, has good athleticism and the potential to play either forward position but like Pierce needs work on his defense and his lack of jumpshot/3point shot hurts him.
Shooting Guard:
Vince Carter is the best shooting guard, an athletic freak which should see him become a big threat on the offensive end. He will need to be carefully developed though as there is potential for him to bust but there is also potential of a great player there.
Mitch Richmond is just behind as the 2nd best shooting guard. He can score inside and all the way out to 3point range, also a decent defender. Has the potential to develop into a very good shooting guard in the league.
Point Guard:
Vladimir Pistelak, the 19 year old from Europe is the best point guard prospect in the draft. Raw on the offensive end but knows how to run the offense and is already a good defender.
2nd I’ll go with Rod Strickland, he will need developing but has the potential to become a very good all round point guard, from his passing, defense and attacking the rim.
Vancouver
PG – Vlad Pistelak & Rod Strickland – Pistelak is the crown jewel here and with his relatively young age and skills, he will be a top 6 pick. Strickland can go anywhere from 8-16 as he isn’t elite but the draft is not flush with PG.
SG – Vince Carter & Mitch Richmond – Both guys are top 5 picks in my opinion and should come in and instantly be 18+ppg scorers due to their athleticism alone. Once they start to fill out their skill set, they should become potential all-stars.
SF – Paul Pierce & Larry Kenon – Pierce is a top 3 pick with great all around skills and I would have put Rashard Lewis here but he’s somehow listed at PF. Kenon is a good alternative although guys who can’t shoot are not ideal for me at the 3.
PF – Dirk Nowitzki & McGinnis – Two polar opposite players, both should come in and be instant offense. Dirk can be revolutionary in a league without many big men who can shoot and George will be a good player in the post, albeit one who may never be a star.
C – Kresimir Cosic & Rik Smits – Cosic should be a top 3 pick but will fall due to his age (24) although his skills point to him being a top 3 player in the draft. Rik Smits, with his size and inside scoring should be a top 10 pick as he should be un-guardable.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
Brazil Mostly a success- I set a franchise record for wins (helped by some late season moves that gave me a 10 game win streak to end the season), won the first division title in team history, and won the first playoff series in team history. And Chuck finally won a playoff series before bowing out to the eventual champs.
However, the massive failure is that I CPU'd my DC the entire season. With a real DC, I could have beaten the Knicks (who were without Stockton- remember). So in that sense, it's a failure- I just never had time to sit down and create a DC I liked. Work got in the way.
Cairo Abject failure for me. I tried to balance contending and starting the retooling process and the results was my most frustrating season as a GM in an ABCA league. I went from trying to stay releveant around Andrew Bynum, to totally retooling this off-season. If that isn’t an indictment of how poor of a job I did last, I don’t know what is. What went right, I got some value for Stockton and Jones in Bynum and Iso-Joe Johnson, but the problem was that I didn’t get a good enough PG to make the whole thing work, had injuries, struggled to find a workable DC and ultimate waived the white flag at the deadline in trading Bynum for a rebuilding package from the Grizzlies. Time will tell if I have rebuilt properly.
Harlem Last season was neither a failure nor a success for the organization – it was a feeling out process. Being the first season with the team, I had no expectations and was instead trying to learn about the players and the game in general (I’m still sort of new to the sim program). In the end, I think the roster has a lot of solid but non-impact players. My evaluation of the roster is that the team would need another elite player outside of Walt to be competitive, and even more to be considered a contender. I don’t immediately see how we can acquire those types of players, and with Walt aging I’m expecting a few years of struggles in Harlem before we come close to being a serious contender.
Moscow Early in the season was a transition where I had to make moves to get where I wanted to be. After trades I was as good as anyone until the injury bug hit. We still managed to stay afloat and felt confident heading into playoffs but Sabonis missing 3 games against Tel Aviv was just too much to overcome. Hard to call it a failure and it certainly was not a success. Sort of a cop out I get it but hard not to imagine what could have been since I had won the past two against them when healthy.
PiraeusLast season was somewhere in between. We finished our 3 year rebuild. We made a risk-aversion trade to deal Spurs pick + Sloan for Lillard + Brazil pick. The Spurs won the lotto and screwed us. We’ll see what happens going forward. McHale is a top 5-10 player in the league and those are hard to get. We liked him versus Vince and an 18 year old Pistalek. We’re ready to compete, that’s what went right. We didn’t maximize our assets, that’s what went wrong, but that’s hard to do.
Seattle My team was somewhere in between. Let's just grade the main people from that squad.
Saric- A-
Was the leader of the team and proved that he will be a key cog in the franchise for years to come.
Brickowski- B
Was a solid starter that took good shots. Did his job and not much else.
Melo- C
struggled not having a PG to feed him the ball. Took a lot of bad shots att working to create for himself off the drivel and was injured early in the season. 20 and 7 isn't a bad rookie season though.
Glenn Robinson- C+
read brickowski's. But was a mid season acquisition and didn't resign. Screw that guy.
Barbosa- B-
had a rough time of it starting at point but really became a solid CG off the bench.
overall roster- C
Tel Aviv I think overall it was a success, making the finals for a 4th straight time is a good achievement but ultimately losing out in the finals again makes it disappointing. Things that went wrong were none of my players wanting to resign during the season again which hurts me going forward, maybe should of traded one or two guys for players under contract next year but was happy with the balance of the team and didn’t want to disrupt that.
Vancouver For us, it was a season full of transition. We had an older team made of 2 stars in Hill & Jordan, an above average PG and C in Damon & Benoit and were looking to compete but ultimately didn’t have the firepower to beat out the likes of NY, Minnesota or Boston. We realized the window was closing around mid-season and pivoted in order to make some moves to maximize the return on assets we had by going after younger, cost controlled players and picks. We are now in a much better position to compete for the foreseeable future but also have the necessary assets to augment the current squad. There was a lot of change going on in Vancouver, with only 2 players still on the roster from the start of last season (Shavlik & Vaughn). Overall, it was a forgettable season on the court but a memorable one off it for the franchise.
Brazil Well, we've cleared a bunch of cap, so we need a couple lottery tickets to hit and steal a max player from someone to pair with Chuck. Chuck carried the team with mostly nothing for most of the year- if he can get a superstar to play next to, maybe we can make a run (of course, we need to fill the other positions and sign depth- not an easy task by any stretch).
Cairo We have had a simply mission this off season, add rebuilding assets (picks and youth) whenever possible. To this end we have made a bunch of trades to build towards this goal. We shipped out Eric Snow for Robert Horry and a future first. We also moved a really good veteran SF in Greg Minor and the 9th pick for Andrew Toney, the 23rd pick and Archie Clark. We are banking on Toney to be the foundational piece of our rebuild as the athletic scoring guard we like to have. We also moved out Benoit Benjamin for a younger big in Herb Williams, clearing capspace in the process. The big question will be what to do we come out of the draft with and what can we do with the massive amount of CAPSPACE we have cleared (project 40+ million). With a little luck in the draft and free agency we will be on our way to having a solid rebuild started.
Harlem Unfortunately I don’t have a detailed answer for this. We’re currently in the asset acquisition phase for the next few seasons, so there are no specific things I’m looking to add in the offseason. At this time I’m only looking to make moves that build the asset base, until we get closer to competing. At that time I’ll look at more specific moves to shape the team I’d like to build.
Moscow Well, we felt tapped out with that core and let most head to free agency. Dealt off the older players who could help win now teams and ready to build for the future. Compiling assets is a huge part of this summer. No longer focused on winning at the highest level, just want to get into the playoffs with a weird core. Free Agency should be fun as well since again we’ll have win rating and money on our side.
Piraeus X) Step #1: Acquire a star (McHale)
(X) Step #2: Acquire a SF to round out starting lineup (Jalen Rose for 3 2nds)
( ) Step #3: Acquire depth in FA or upgrades to starters
( ) Step #4: Survive TC
( ) Step #5: Spend 4600+ PP somewhere and go for Maccabi’s throat
Seattle Team needs at start of offseason:
Big to pair next to Saric: Check
2 starting guards: check
the team still needs another solid backup big and perimeter player. Hopefully the 6th pick in the draft can give us that.
Tel Aviv Well free agency needs to go well for me that’s for sure its definitely the biggest part of my offseason and will go a long way to decide what my team will be able to achieve next season, particularly in making sure we can bring back Elgin Baylor to the team. The loss of Julius Erving will also affect us, if will be difficult to replace all of what he brought to the team but will need to find a way to replace his scoring to ease the load on Elgin.
Vancouver First and foremost we need to bring back our anchor, Andrew Bynum. We also currently have a glut of big men, so trying to identify the best trade partners to help build a more balanced roster is goal number two. We currently have $18mil or so in cap space but will be looking to make moves prior to FA so that we have a better understanding of our needs. We need to continue to scour the market for underappreciated assets that hopefully can become role players or starters on our squad. It’s a critical offseason for our squad as we are young but do have some good vets that will allow us to compete. We believe in building a contender or just rebuilding, we are not interested in the middle ground, so expect significant movement from Vancouver to put ourselves in position for either strategy.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
Brazil I don't necessarily think there's a tanking problem- honestly- the worst 3 teams being moved to 4-5-6 automatically is the most creative way I've seen in a sim league to curb tanking. People just need to not do stupid shit with their DCs- that I have a problem with. If you want to tank- trade (me) your best players and then put a real DC out there. It's not rocket science.
As the commish for a day- again- I honestly don't think there's much more that can be done other than throwing a Joe Smith-type penalty on a team either through the draft or through a cap penalty for a certain number of years (ie making a dummy player and giving them a certain salary and then cutting them to impose a penalty). Idk if that makes any sense, but yeah, tl;dr- just don't do stupid shit with your DC. It's not hard.
Cairo I would make clearly defined punishments and they would probably be much harder than the punishments we dealt out this year. I would drop any teams that were found to be tanking to the end of the lotto. First offender set to pick 20, next to pick 19 etc. It is a problem, the biggest issue is the laughable notion that the first team’s found guilty of It was worse than the next. While the actual lineup changes may have been so, the committee made a point to specifically point out that any additional tanking would be dealt with harshly and it was. If you want to bottom out, just trade your talent for rebuilding pieces and play the best of your youth and veteran role players. Problem solved by just doing that
HarlemTanking is absolutely a problem in the league and the league has not taken appropriate measures to address it. For one, the anti-tanking policy of moving the last 3 spots into 4, 5, and 6 is one of the least effective policies that could be implemented. While it does theoretically influence the teams in the bottom 3 to win enough to stay out of the bottom 3 (although in practice we’ve seen the bottom team content at staying there and locking into 4th) it rewards teams 4th last and better teams to lose games to get to 4th. In the end, whether you’re losing to get to 1, or you’re losing to get to 4, it has the same effect on the league.
I also don’t agree with the premise of this question in that the league has come down hard on tanking. I would classify the league’s approach as inconsistent, rather than hard. What Chicago did (playing Cs at PG and vice versa) deserved more than a 3-spot penalty. It was a black-and-white attempt to tank and there is no argument for why Chicago did it other than to tank. In this case, I would have moved the pick to the end of the lottery. On the other hand, what I did, which involved benching non-impact players to test out other non-impact players, should not have warranted the same 3-spot penalty. To further the case for inconsistency, Perth played a SG at PF (Wesley Person) for the entire season and was not issued a penalty. While Perth had originally set an appropriate DC that was, at no fault to Perth, inputted incorrectly by the commissioner, it is ridiculous for any reasonable person to believe that Perth did not notice the error following any of the 12 regular-season sims. It is much more likely that Perth noticed it, chose not to fix it, and flat-out lied by pleading ignorance. Further to that, it is incomprehensible that the league bought it and did not penalize him.
If I were in charge of the anti-tanking policy I would make a simple and effective rule: randomize the lottery picks. It would give teams zero benefit to losing games. Some will argue that it disproportionately helps teams that just miss the playoffs, but I would argue that a lot of those teams are in just as bad, if not worse, long-term positions than the teams at the very bottom.
Moscow No. I don’t think there is a problem. If a team is willing to play with their line-ups to try and finish with 4th worst record then they’re being more active than most. We put that rule in to make sure teams don’t completely tank their roster. The line-ups, depth charts, etc. that people manipulate to try and lose by sitting their best players only hurts them in the long run with the effect we’ve seen on losing teams losing players. If we are gonna punish people for those decisions again then I say we remove the rule of the bottom three records not having a chance at top pick and just go full bore on guys who don’t try to win. Ultimately I feel right now we’re stuck in the middle and need to go one way or the other. Punish everyone who isn’t trying to win every game (even if a playoff team is trying to rest players) or just get over the fact that some GMs put the time in to try and get themselves in the best possible position.
Piraeus Yes I agree. As a team who always played my best players, and a reasonable DC, I felt disrespected that both of those teams would have picked ahead of me. I believe we need to maintain integrity in the league. I applaud the committee for their efforts and I think they will have a big effect in future seasons.
Seattle I honestly do not think the league has a tanking issues. Only 2 GM's were punished, 1 of which gave reasonings for his actions. If I was Commisioner for a day, I'd work with the Committee members to create some more structured consequences, a guideline of sorts. And possibly add on more punishment to Chicago, whose offenses were very blatant
Tel Aviv Honestly I don't think we have a tanking problem, personally think Harlem were treated a little harshly with their penalty but obviously the Bulls deserved there's. There is always going to be teams pushing the boundaries down at the bottom to give themselves the best chance in the future. I am not sure there is too much you can do to address the issue and in some aspects it is part of basketball, but I think it should be used more on the teams that have the obvious talent on their roster and shouldn't be as low as they are in the standings. Micro managing and picking up teams for the small things isn't the way to go in my opinion.
Vancouver I feel some teams abide by the rules and others do whatever they can to skirt them. It’s the nature of life and we’re all here competing to win a championship. There’s a saying “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying to win” but the rules are in place for specific reasons and I’m glad they are being enforced. Every team should be operating on the same playing field and if they are doing stuff to create an unfair competitive advantage, they should be penalized. I feel the committee was lenient this time around but expect the penalties to be way harsher now that people have been warned.
If I was the commish for a day, I would draw a hard line in the sand and make the penalties harsher and spelled out more clearly. Obviously every situation will be considered unique but something like First Violation of Rules = loss of 10 spots in the draft, Second Violation = loss of draft picks & third Violation = ban.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
Brazil If you had to choose any team in the league right now to GM other than your own, which team right now would you choose, and give an explanation as to why.
Cairo Build your ultimate coaching staff using coaches currently employed. The only caveat is you cannot put somebody on your staff in a position different than the one they currently occupy. AKA you cannot hire Head Coaches as Assistants or Vice Versa. Don’t forget your scout!
Harlem If you could add one player to your team, outside of players on rookie contracts and players who are earning more than $10mil per season, who would it be and why?
Moscow You have a 15 million dollar cap, can’t have any player over 6 million, and can’t have anyone on a rookie contract… who is your starting five?
Piraeus We increasingly value advanced statistics (PER, EWA, TS%) as an effective way to measure a player’s worth. What player in the league has an impact that is most under-represented by what the statistics say on their own?
Seattle discuss the 3 craziest trades you have seen this past season and current offseason.
Tel Aviv If you could take control of any other team in the league which one would you choose and why?
Vancouver What is one enhancement/change you think the league should implement when it comes to coaching and how would you implement it? (e.g: allow for you to trade coaches, promote AC to HC, etc).
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
All 8 will advance to a follow roundtable early in the season, then the top 6, then the final four.
@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: None
The Participants: Off Season Preview
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
The Questions:
1) The Draft is upon us. List the top 2 players at each position in your opinion and briefly explain why. For the sake of simplicity you may only use the position the player is listed at currently.
Brazil
PG- Pistalek is #1 for me- I love his pure PG abilities and to me, he could start right away for any team in need of a PG. Strickland is #2 for me- not as good a pure PF as Pistalek, but he's quick as heck and the skill-set he's got seems to work well in this league.
SG- Vince Carter is #1- his athleticism is off the charts- you can make an argument he's the best player in this class. If his potential is as we think it is- he could be a top 10-15 player in the league within 3-5 seasons or so. And Mitch Richmond is #2- it's a relatively weaker class at SG, but Mitch is a solid #2 here and should go in the top 10. He can shoot and he has solid defensive ratings pre-any TC. Solid addition for any team.
SF- Paul Pierce is #1 here and it's not close. He's a jack-of-all-trades and excels in a few of those areas- he doesn't really have a weakness at the moment. Might be my favorite player in this draft. #2 was a bit tougher, but I'll go with Kenon over Majerle- I think Kenon can get to the hoop and defend- 2 very important qualities in an SF. AND he's already a terrific rebounder- which is great for a 3.
PF- Dirk has to be #1 here- I mean, he did go #1 overall. But Dirk has the potential to be one of the best all-around scorers in the game- and a hard to defend one at that with his outside shooting- not enough great perimeter defenders at the 4 to match up. He just seems to do everything well. And I'm a big fan of George McGinnis at #2- classic prototypical big Power Forward that can rebound and score.
C- #1 is Cosic- lemme remind everyone that Cosic was an absolute BOSS in Global- I think John had him in Moscow? It was either John or Corey. Anyways- he rose up boards late but he is a classic center- if he hits his potential he could be an All-League Center (although the competition is fierce at that position). #2 is Smits- I like Smits' potential to be a long-term project for whoever picks him. It is kind of a weak center class to be honest.
Cairo
C: Cosic and Caldwell Jones. This one was pretty straightforward for me. Cosic is the clear top center and should be a top 5 pick in the draft with his well rounded game. Caldwell Jones too me is the 2nd best center in the draft although I grade him out as a late lotto pick. He should be a defensive and rebounding anchor. Many will list Smits over Jones, but he is not great in any non scoring area and is not exactly athletic which limits his ability to score etc.
PF: Dirk and McGinnis. To me these are a toss up, both are top 5 draft picks, but not sure I would take either in the top 2. Both look to be very talented scorers, who are maybe going to need some work in other areas of the game. If I had a slight lean I think I would go McGinnis because he looks to be a monster rebounder vs. Dirk who is not as strong in that regard.
SF: Pierce and Kenon. This is really a one man race as Pierce is head and tails above the rest of the SF and should go in the top 3 in my opinion. Although not the quickest SF, Pierce is strong and explosive vertically which paired with his scoring ability should make him an instant scoring option as the rest of his game develops. Kenon is a solid SF who’s best asset is his rebounding ability along with his ability to guard inside and outside. He should develop into a decent secondary scoring option, but he probably is a low teens scorer for his career.
SG: Carter and Richmond. Carter was my top player in this class. Yes he has flaws (not an elite defender) but he is an elite athlete and scorer who should have a long career on the wing as a big time scorer. Richmond is eerily like real life and just solid at everything. I think he quietly has a really good career.
PG: Pistalek and Degros. Pistalek is a studly looking prospect, he is extremely young which probably keeps him just outside of the top 5 for me, but he has the look of a top notch PG long term. Degros is my second favorite PG, he is ready to step in and help a team now with his handling, developed offensive game and quickness.
Harlem
PG
1. Vladimir Pistelak. I love this guy, would probably be in my top 5 overall. He’s only 18 years old and has tons of potential, perfect for a rebuilding team. Of course the downside of his youth is the TC risk, but if he pans out he could be a top PG for a long time.
2. Max Zaslofsky. This is a toss-up between Rod Strickland and Max Zaslofsky. While Strickland is an interesting player with his scoring abilities, his lack of 3-point shot and average athletics make him equally unattractive. I like Zaslofsky a bit more for his athletics and perimeter shooting, but could go with either.
SG
1. Mitch Richmond. I like him over Carter only because of his defensive abilities. I expect both to go top 10, and if I had the choice between both I have to go with the better defender
2. Vince Carter. While he’s #2 on my SG list, I’d have no problem adding him to my roster purely for his scoring abilities. He’d be a fun player to watch on the offensive side of the ball with his inside scoring ability and strong athletics
SF
1. Paul Pierce. His size, athletics, and shooting abilities make him an exciting player. His lack of defense prevents him from being super-elite, but nonetheless he is the clear #1 SF in this draft.
2. Dan Majerle. I’m taking him over Larry Kenon. His athletics are a little troubling, but his defense, shooting abilities, and ball handling skills make him a better choice. I’d also be comfortable playing him at SG. Kenon on the other hand would be difficult to play at SF, and is too weak for PF.
PF
1. Dirk Nowitzki. This position is by far the most interesting of the draft. I’m putting Dirk #1 because of his size, scoring abilities, and athletics. Should be a headache for defenses to handle.
2. George McGinnis, Rashard Lewis, Anthony Mason, Danny Manning. All these guys can be considered the 2nd best PF in the draft so I’m not picking one. All have their strengths and weaknesses. While Jamison also looks interesting, his lack of defense leaves him off the list.
C
1. Rik Smits. Either Smits or Kresimir Cosic could be the top C in the draft, but I’m taking Smits for his size. Doesn’t look like either of them will be dominant in their position on either ends of the court, and for that reason this is the weakest position in the draft.
2. Kresimir Cosic. Like Smits, I wouldn’t hate having Cosic on my team, but I would hope he doesn’t go in the top 10. At just 213lbs Cosic is a scary thought at C and might be better suited at PF.
Moscow
C: Kosic – Smits
PF: Dirk – McGinnis
SF: Pierce – Kenon
SG: Carter – Richmond
PG: Pistelak - Degros
There are a few positions that will likely see guys change but I went strictly from the listed position and not where I would play the guy. At center it’s obvious Kosic is number one and Smits defense is number two. At PF you have Dirk who went 1st overall and then McGinnis who despite not blocking shots is gonna be a high level player. SF got tricky after Pierce but Kenon versatility is amazing in a league proven that listed positions mean nothing. Shooting guard top two are obvious but I’ve heard some debates about which is number 1 and PG is Pistelak then not much but the intrigue of a new foreign guy Degros should draw interest.
Piraeus
Point Guard
1. Vladimir Pistalek
2. Max Zaslofsky
Pistalek clearly has the most talent in a weaker PG draft, but the fact he’s only 18 years old should scare some teams (in the real NBA, this is seen as a positive haha). It certainly scared me to trade #7 away. I basically see his potential as a Tal Brody clone if he has good first TC and first season. Zaslofsky is someone I personally like better than Strickland, who is the popular choice here likely. He’s a better shooter and defender, while still displaying some impressive ball skills. Neither have elite athleticism. Give me Max.
Shooting Guard
1. Vince Carter
2. Mitch Richmond
I know people think this class is weak and we won’t see any super studs, but I think Vince could be that on offense. His A+ jumping and decent offense skills could easily lead to 25 ppg. The trade for Rasheed Wallace made that less likely as Barcelona has other talented scorers. Mitch is clearly the second banana here at guard. I worry about his quickness, but he has the potential to be 80% of the scorer Vince is with better defense. He’ll never be elite with his athleticism but could be a good 2nd option on a title team.
Small Forward
1. Paul Pierce
2. Larry Kenon
Pierce is by far and away the best prospect given his combination of exceptional shooting and basketball fundamentals, good athleticism, and solid rebounding. Defense is suspect. Kenon I didn’t want to pick 2nd but the next best SF listed at SF might be Majerle, so it has to be Kenon. He’ll score and and defend, but the combination of low strength and zero outside shot screams poor efficiency offensive player to me.
Power Forward
1. George McGinnis
2. Dirk Nowitzki
Listen, I really like Dirk, but he really scares me. He’s not a great athlete or a defender. Those offensive potential ratings better be really high, but I’d be terrified with him after the latest re-scouts. McGinnis lack of shot blocking bothers me, but he makes up for it with great steals ability, and is an otherwise ready-to-go player. I think he’ll be excellent for Barcelona.
Center
1. Kresimir Cosic
2. Caldwell Jones
Cosic is the clear number one here, with the right combination of size, strength, offensive skills, and rebounding. I am not high on Smits or Olowokandi at all, so give me Jones as the second best. I considered trying to land an established starter plus a mid teens pick for Mutombo, but ultimately opted against it. He’s not Deke, but there is no reason he can’t be an effective lane clogger and defensive starter.
Seattle
Center:
1) Cosic
2) Smits
reason- Cosic is a high floor, low ceiling big as he is already 24. Smits is a 7"4 big with a lot of potential but has a lot of filling out to do. Both of these guys should become solid 2 way players.
PF:
1) Dirk
2) McGinnis
reason- this is the easy part of the article. Dirk was the big with by far the highest ceiling and could be a 25 PPG guy. McGinnis on the other hand is the most ready player in the draft to contribute day 1.
SF:
1) Pierce
2) Kenon
reason- Pierce is hands down best SF in this class with Kenon a distant, but easy second. Pierce looks to be the complete package. Kenon will have major flaws (no handles, passing, or 3pt shooting), but can be an extremely good slasher with solid defense and athletics.
SG:
1) Mitch Richmond
2) VC
reason- yeah yeah, read this before bashing me please. Mitch is a better shooter, has better handles and passing, is a way better defender, and is quicker than VC. VC is by no means a slouch, but Richmond is a more complete basketball player. Either one of these guys are fine additions to a team.
PG:
1) Pistelak
2) Max Zaslofsky
1) Pistelak is the gem of the PG class. He and Pierce separate themselves from the rest of their positions by a solid deficite. After Vlad, every other guard is a gamble. Rod Strickland and Degros are both slashing point guards who are solid players. Max Zaslofky puts himself a notch ahead of the rest of the PG class with his potential to be a solid 2 way guard..
Tel Aviv
Center:
Firstly is an easy one Kresimir Cosic. He is one of the older players in the draft class but that wouldn't put me off. He is already a good rebounder and defender, his offensive side needs a little work but he also has nice athleticism for a center.
There isn't great depth at center in this draft, for #2 I would go with Rik Smits. Great size at 7'4 and a good shotblocker, could become a very effective rim protector for any team in the league.
Power Forward:
Belgrade has selected Dirk but firstly I have to go with George McGinnis. I think he could well be the best player in the draft class, only 20 years old but he is ready to make a big contribution from day one as he is already developed well in a number of areas, particularly rebounding. Also has great athleticism.
Then it's Dirk, that shooting stroke for a 7 footer is going to be a nice weapon to have, particularly if he continues to improve but feel there are other holes in his game, an average defender and not a great rebounder.
Small Forward:
Paul Pierce is the best small forward in the draft class. A great scorer, can get points from anywhere on the floor and is developed enough to make an impact there right away. Other areas of his game need work, mainly on the defense end where he needs work to make sure he won't be a liability there.
Next up is Larry Kenon, a player that I like. He can score and rebound, has good athleticism and the potential to play either forward position but like Pierce needs work on his defense and his lack of jumpshot/3point shot hurts him.
Shooting Guard:
Vince Carter is the best shooting guard, an athletic freak which should see him become a big threat on the offensive end. He will need to be carefully developed though as there is potential for him to bust but there is also potential of a great player there.
Mitch Richmond is just behind as the 2nd best shooting guard. He can score inside and all the way out to 3point range, also a decent defender. Has the potential to develop into a very good shooting guard in the league.
Point Guard:
Vladimir Pistelak, the 19 year old from Europe is the best point guard prospect in the draft. Raw on the offensive end but knows how to run the offense and is already a good defender.
2nd I’ll go with Rod Strickland, he will need developing but has the potential to become a very good all round point guard, from his passing, defense and attacking the rim.
Vancouver
PG – Vlad Pistelak & Rod Strickland – Pistelak is the crown jewel here and with his relatively young age and skills, he will be a top 6 pick. Strickland can go anywhere from 8-16 as he isn’t elite but the draft is not flush with PG.
SG – Vince Carter & Mitch Richmond – Both guys are top 5 picks in my opinion and should come in and instantly be 18+ppg scorers due to their athleticism alone. Once they start to fill out their skill set, they should become potential all-stars.
SF – Paul Pierce & Larry Kenon – Pierce is a top 3 pick with great all around skills and I would have put Rashard Lewis here but he’s somehow listed at PF. Kenon is a good alternative although guys who can’t shoot are not ideal for me at the 3.
PF – Dirk Nowitzki & McGinnis – Two polar opposite players, both should come in and be instant offense. Dirk can be revolutionary in a league without many big men who can shoot and George will be a good player in the post, albeit one who may never be a star.
C – Kresimir Cosic & Rik Smits – Cosic should be a top 3 pick but will fall due to his age (24) although his skills point to him being a top 3 player in the draft. Rik Smits, with his size and inside scoring should be a top 10 pick as he should be un-guardable.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
2) Looking at your team, was last season a success, a failure or somewhere in between. What went right and what went wrong?
Brazil Mostly a success- I set a franchise record for wins (helped by some late season moves that gave me a 10 game win streak to end the season), won the first division title in team history, and won the first playoff series in team history. And Chuck finally won a playoff series before bowing out to the eventual champs.
However, the massive failure is that I CPU'd my DC the entire season. With a real DC, I could have beaten the Knicks (who were without Stockton- remember). So in that sense, it's a failure- I just never had time to sit down and create a DC I liked. Work got in the way.
Cairo Abject failure for me. I tried to balance contending and starting the retooling process and the results was my most frustrating season as a GM in an ABCA league. I went from trying to stay releveant around Andrew Bynum, to totally retooling this off-season. If that isn’t an indictment of how poor of a job I did last, I don’t know what is. What went right, I got some value for Stockton and Jones in Bynum and Iso-Joe Johnson, but the problem was that I didn’t get a good enough PG to make the whole thing work, had injuries, struggled to find a workable DC and ultimate waived the white flag at the deadline in trading Bynum for a rebuilding package from the Grizzlies. Time will tell if I have rebuilt properly.
Harlem Last season was neither a failure nor a success for the organization – it was a feeling out process. Being the first season with the team, I had no expectations and was instead trying to learn about the players and the game in general (I’m still sort of new to the sim program). In the end, I think the roster has a lot of solid but non-impact players. My evaluation of the roster is that the team would need another elite player outside of Walt to be competitive, and even more to be considered a contender. I don’t immediately see how we can acquire those types of players, and with Walt aging I’m expecting a few years of struggles in Harlem before we come close to being a serious contender.
Moscow Early in the season was a transition where I had to make moves to get where I wanted to be. After trades I was as good as anyone until the injury bug hit. We still managed to stay afloat and felt confident heading into playoffs but Sabonis missing 3 games against Tel Aviv was just too much to overcome. Hard to call it a failure and it certainly was not a success. Sort of a cop out I get it but hard not to imagine what could have been since I had won the past two against them when healthy.
PiraeusLast season was somewhere in between. We finished our 3 year rebuild. We made a risk-aversion trade to deal Spurs pick + Sloan for Lillard + Brazil pick. The Spurs won the lotto and screwed us. We’ll see what happens going forward. McHale is a top 5-10 player in the league and those are hard to get. We liked him versus Vince and an 18 year old Pistalek. We’re ready to compete, that’s what went right. We didn’t maximize our assets, that’s what went wrong, but that’s hard to do.
Seattle My team was somewhere in between. Let's just grade the main people from that squad.
Saric- A-
Was the leader of the team and proved that he will be a key cog in the franchise for years to come.
Brickowski- B
Was a solid starter that took good shots. Did his job and not much else.
Melo- C
struggled not having a PG to feed him the ball. Took a lot of bad shots att working to create for himself off the drivel and was injured early in the season. 20 and 7 isn't a bad rookie season though.
Glenn Robinson- C+
read brickowski's. But was a mid season acquisition and didn't resign. Screw that guy.
Barbosa- B-
had a rough time of it starting at point but really became a solid CG off the bench.
overall roster- C
Tel Aviv I think overall it was a success, making the finals for a 4th straight time is a good achievement but ultimately losing out in the finals again makes it disappointing. Things that went wrong were none of my players wanting to resign during the season again which hurts me going forward, maybe should of traded one or two guys for players under contract next year but was happy with the balance of the team and didn’t want to disrupt that.
Vancouver For us, it was a season full of transition. We had an older team made of 2 stars in Hill & Jordan, an above average PG and C in Damon & Benoit and were looking to compete but ultimately didn’t have the firepower to beat out the likes of NY, Minnesota or Boston. We realized the window was closing around mid-season and pivoted in order to make some moves to maximize the return on assets we had by going after younger, cost controlled players and picks. We are now in a much better position to compete for the foreseeable future but also have the necessary assets to augment the current squad. There was a lot of change going on in Vancouver, with only 2 players still on the roster from the start of last season (Shavlik & Vaughn). Overall, it was a forgettable season on the court but a memorable one off it for the franchise.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
3) Given question number 2, what does your team need to do this offseason to make the next step as a franchise?
Brazil Well, we've cleared a bunch of cap, so we need a couple lottery tickets to hit and steal a max player from someone to pair with Chuck. Chuck carried the team with mostly nothing for most of the year- if he can get a superstar to play next to, maybe we can make a run (of course, we need to fill the other positions and sign depth- not an easy task by any stretch).
Cairo We have had a simply mission this off season, add rebuilding assets (picks and youth) whenever possible. To this end we have made a bunch of trades to build towards this goal. We shipped out Eric Snow for Robert Horry and a future first. We also moved a really good veteran SF in Greg Minor and the 9th pick for Andrew Toney, the 23rd pick and Archie Clark. We are banking on Toney to be the foundational piece of our rebuild as the athletic scoring guard we like to have. We also moved out Benoit Benjamin for a younger big in Herb Williams, clearing capspace in the process. The big question will be what to do we come out of the draft with and what can we do with the massive amount of CAPSPACE we have cleared (project 40+ million). With a little luck in the draft and free agency we will be on our way to having a solid rebuild started.
Harlem Unfortunately I don’t have a detailed answer for this. We’re currently in the asset acquisition phase for the next few seasons, so there are no specific things I’m looking to add in the offseason. At this time I’m only looking to make moves that build the asset base, until we get closer to competing. At that time I’ll look at more specific moves to shape the team I’d like to build.
Moscow Well, we felt tapped out with that core and let most head to free agency. Dealt off the older players who could help win now teams and ready to build for the future. Compiling assets is a huge part of this summer. No longer focused on winning at the highest level, just want to get into the playoffs with a weird core. Free Agency should be fun as well since again we’ll have win rating and money on our side.
Piraeus X) Step #1: Acquire a star (McHale)
(X) Step #2: Acquire a SF to round out starting lineup (Jalen Rose for 3 2nds)
( ) Step #3: Acquire depth in FA or upgrades to starters
( ) Step #4: Survive TC
( ) Step #5: Spend 4600+ PP somewhere and go for Maccabi’s throat
Seattle Team needs at start of offseason:
Big to pair next to Saric: Check
2 starting guards: check
the team still needs another solid backup big and perimeter player. Hopefully the 6th pick in the draft can give us that.
Tel Aviv Well free agency needs to go well for me that’s for sure its definitely the biggest part of my offseason and will go a long way to decide what my team will be able to achieve next season, particularly in making sure we can bring back Elgin Baylor to the team. The loss of Julius Erving will also affect us, if will be difficult to replace all of what he brought to the team but will need to find a way to replace his scoring to ease the load on Elgin.
Vancouver First and foremost we need to bring back our anchor, Andrew Bynum. We also currently have a glut of big men, so trying to identify the best trade partners to help build a more balanced roster is goal number two. We currently have $18mil or so in cap space but will be looking to make moves prior to FA so that we have a better understanding of our needs. We need to continue to scour the market for underappreciated assets that hopefully can become role players or starters on our squad. It’s a critical offseason for our squad as we are young but do have some good vets that will allow us to compete. We believe in building a contender or just rebuilding, we are not interested in the middle ground, so expect significant movement from Vancouver to put ourselves in position for either strategy.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
4) Recently the league has come down hard on tanking, penalizing multiple teams. Do you think there is a tanking problem in the league? You are the commish for a day, what do you do to address this issue?
Brazil I don't necessarily think there's a tanking problem- honestly- the worst 3 teams being moved to 4-5-6 automatically is the most creative way I've seen in a sim league to curb tanking. People just need to not do stupid shit with their DCs- that I have a problem with. If you want to tank- trade (me) your best players and then put a real DC out there. It's not rocket science.
As the commish for a day- again- I honestly don't think there's much more that can be done other than throwing a Joe Smith-type penalty on a team either through the draft or through a cap penalty for a certain number of years (ie making a dummy player and giving them a certain salary and then cutting them to impose a penalty). Idk if that makes any sense, but yeah, tl;dr- just don't do stupid shit with your DC. It's not hard.
Cairo I would make clearly defined punishments and they would probably be much harder than the punishments we dealt out this year. I would drop any teams that were found to be tanking to the end of the lotto. First offender set to pick 20, next to pick 19 etc. It is a problem, the biggest issue is the laughable notion that the first team’s found guilty of It was worse than the next. While the actual lineup changes may have been so, the committee made a point to specifically point out that any additional tanking would be dealt with harshly and it was. If you want to bottom out, just trade your talent for rebuilding pieces and play the best of your youth and veteran role players. Problem solved by just doing that
HarlemTanking is absolutely a problem in the league and the league has not taken appropriate measures to address it. For one, the anti-tanking policy of moving the last 3 spots into 4, 5, and 6 is one of the least effective policies that could be implemented. While it does theoretically influence the teams in the bottom 3 to win enough to stay out of the bottom 3 (although in practice we’ve seen the bottom team content at staying there and locking into 4th) it rewards teams 4th last and better teams to lose games to get to 4th. In the end, whether you’re losing to get to 1, or you’re losing to get to 4, it has the same effect on the league.
I also don’t agree with the premise of this question in that the league has come down hard on tanking. I would classify the league’s approach as inconsistent, rather than hard. What Chicago did (playing Cs at PG and vice versa) deserved more than a 3-spot penalty. It was a black-and-white attempt to tank and there is no argument for why Chicago did it other than to tank. In this case, I would have moved the pick to the end of the lottery. On the other hand, what I did, which involved benching non-impact players to test out other non-impact players, should not have warranted the same 3-spot penalty. To further the case for inconsistency, Perth played a SG at PF (Wesley Person) for the entire season and was not issued a penalty. While Perth had originally set an appropriate DC that was, at no fault to Perth, inputted incorrectly by the commissioner, it is ridiculous for any reasonable person to believe that Perth did not notice the error following any of the 12 regular-season sims. It is much more likely that Perth noticed it, chose not to fix it, and flat-out lied by pleading ignorance. Further to that, it is incomprehensible that the league bought it and did not penalize him.
If I were in charge of the anti-tanking policy I would make a simple and effective rule: randomize the lottery picks. It would give teams zero benefit to losing games. Some will argue that it disproportionately helps teams that just miss the playoffs, but I would argue that a lot of those teams are in just as bad, if not worse, long-term positions than the teams at the very bottom.
Moscow No. I don’t think there is a problem. If a team is willing to play with their line-ups to try and finish with 4th worst record then they’re being more active than most. We put that rule in to make sure teams don’t completely tank their roster. The line-ups, depth charts, etc. that people manipulate to try and lose by sitting their best players only hurts them in the long run with the effect we’ve seen on losing teams losing players. If we are gonna punish people for those decisions again then I say we remove the rule of the bottom three records not having a chance at top pick and just go full bore on guys who don’t try to win. Ultimately I feel right now we’re stuck in the middle and need to go one way or the other. Punish everyone who isn’t trying to win every game (even if a playoff team is trying to rest players) or just get over the fact that some GMs put the time in to try and get themselves in the best possible position.
Piraeus Yes I agree. As a team who always played my best players, and a reasonable DC, I felt disrespected that both of those teams would have picked ahead of me. I believe we need to maintain integrity in the league. I applaud the committee for their efforts and I think they will have a big effect in future seasons.
Seattle I honestly do not think the league has a tanking issues. Only 2 GM's were punished, 1 of which gave reasonings for his actions. If I was Commisioner for a day, I'd work with the Committee members to create some more structured consequences, a guideline of sorts. And possibly add on more punishment to Chicago, whose offenses were very blatant
Tel Aviv Honestly I don't think we have a tanking problem, personally think Harlem were treated a little harshly with their penalty but obviously the Bulls deserved there's. There is always going to be teams pushing the boundaries down at the bottom to give themselves the best chance in the future. I am not sure there is too much you can do to address the issue and in some aspects it is part of basketball, but I think it should be used more on the teams that have the obvious talent on their roster and shouldn't be as low as they are in the standings. Micro managing and picking up teams for the small things isn't the way to go in my opinion.
Vancouver I feel some teams abide by the rules and others do whatever they can to skirt them. It’s the nature of life and we’re all here competing to win a championship. There’s a saying “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying to win” but the rules are in place for specific reasons and I’m glad they are being enforced. Every team should be operating on the same playing field and if they are doing stuff to create an unfair competitive advantage, they should be penalized. I feel the committee was lenient this time around but expect the penalties to be way harsher now that people have been warned.
If I was the commish for a day, I would draw a hard line in the sand and make the penalties harsher and spelled out more clearly. Obviously every situation will be considered unique but something like First Violation of Rules = loss of 10 spots in the draft, Second Violation = loss of draft picks & third Violation = ban.
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
5. Submit a question for the next roundtable which will be in roughly two weeks.
Brazil If you had to choose any team in the league right now to GM other than your own, which team right now would you choose, and give an explanation as to why.
Cairo Build your ultimate coaching staff using coaches currently employed. The only caveat is you cannot put somebody on your staff in a position different than the one they currently occupy. AKA you cannot hire Head Coaches as Assistants or Vice Versa. Don’t forget your scout!
Harlem If you could add one player to your team, outside of players on rookie contracts and players who are earning more than $10mil per season, who would it be and why?
Moscow You have a 15 million dollar cap, can’t have any player over 6 million, and can’t have anyone on a rookie contract… who is your starting five?
Piraeus We increasingly value advanced statistics (PER, EWA, TS%) as an effective way to measure a player’s worth. What player in the league has an impact that is most under-represented by what the statistics say on their own?
Seattle discuss the 3 craziest trades you have seen this past season and current offseason.
Tel Aviv If you could take control of any other team in the league which one would you choose and why?
Vancouver What is one enhancement/change you think the league should implement when it comes to coaching and how would you implement it? (e.g: allow for you to trade coaches, promote AC to HC, etc).
Graders Thoughts:
Grades (1-5 Points):
Brazil
Cairo
Harlem
Moscow
Piraeus
Seattle
Tel Aviv
Vancouver
Final Standings
First Place (100 PP Bonus): ()
Second Place (75 PP Bonus): ()
Third Place (50 PP Bonus)
Fourth Place (25 PP Bonus): ()
Fifth Place: ()
*All 8 teams advance to the next roundtable
First Place (100 PP Bonus): ()
Second Place (75 PP Bonus): ()
Third Place (50 PP Bonus)
Fourth Place (25 PP Bonus): ()
Fifth Place: ()
*All 8 teams advance to the next roundtable
