Post by Vancouver on Dec 26, 2015 19:22:50 GMT
Vancouver (AP) – As we inch closer to the beginning of training camp, the second annual Ultimate Free Agency is fully in the rearview mirror. With this being the first free agency in Ultimate with some actual significance, there was a lot of anticipation amongst all GMs on how it was going to play out. There was a large group of superstars available in addition to a lot of average to above average depth all over the place. As with any open market, there were always going to be a bunch of winners and a bunch of losers and we are going to give you the 5 teams we feel that fell into each category. While these teams may be FA winners or losers, being on either list doesn’t necessarily indicate they are a contender or are doomed for the lottery, we are simply identifying teams that made a big splash or those that were left at the altar. Lets get to it
Winners
Boca Juniors – Stealing Zoran Slavnic, who’s just entering his prime while retaining Al Horford and Nukic makes the Boca Juniors the big winner of FA. They did lose 2 decent role players but anytime your major free agents return and you can add a potential all-star to your team, it has to be looked at as a success.
Grizzlies – The Grizzlies grabbed 20ppg scorer Andrew Gaze and defensive anchor Bill Wennington. Gaze is a player that has shot over 40% from 3 in his 2 seasons and is just entering his prime. Wennington is an elite post defender who will score his fair share and grab rebounds at an average to slightly above average rate. Both players are locks to be in the rotation and were definitely scores for the Grizzlies.
Seahorses – Mikawa stole the highly coveted Gerald Wallace and was also able to snag Michael Finley while retaining the services of blossoming big man John Koncak. This team would have easily been #1 had they found a way to keep UPM, but it seems they went towards stealing some youth wing man then retaining their older star. This is probably a slight step back for them but ultimately will work out in their favor for the long term.
Breakers – Out goes Harry Gallatin and in comes the biggest star to leave his team, Bobby McAdoo. This is a great tradeoff, they get a superstar just entering his prime for a guy who’s already left his superstar status and already began his decline. They were also able to retain Ivo for a lot of money but the addition of McAdoo overshadows all else. This move alone extended this teams window for contention and it goes to show that winning will translate to luring FA.
Celtics – I really liked the signing of UPM for this team and then Schayes, although both are in their 30’s. Signing them to a 2 year deals will not do much harm, especially since their 2 best players are on rookie deals. Boston wanted to go from the bottom to the top and they still have some work to do but being able to grab 2 above average players for free certainly expedites the turnaround.
Honorable mention: Timberwolves/Braves – Twolves retained Ewing and pretty much signed & traded belov, so they make the honorable mention. The Braves got the prize of FA DAY 3 in Ostertag, so they made the list too.
Losers
Jazz – Losing players like Michael Finley and AC Green may not seem like much but when you don’t sign anyone else, it seems that another long season is in store for the New Orleans Jazz. What hurts particularly most is that Finley and Green were not going to break the bank to retain. Whether or not the GM felt they were worth the price is irrelevant, each player has value and could have been turned into something that fits this GMs needs better.
Raptors – A team built on defense with an overreliance on 2 players for offense, ended up losing both of the 2 mains scorers on their team. Andrew Gaze and Gerald Wallace were both paid max contracts, so clearly they were highly sought after talents throughout the league. It was surprising to see them not be retained which raises the question, where is the Raptors GM? He brought back Chandler but now has gaping holes at the 2-3 that will need to be filled somehow.
Eagles – Losing an all-star PG hurts, especially when there’s no replacement to be found. The Eagles waved goodbye to Zoran and their hopes of contending but then made a terrible mistake and paid Glenn Robinson III like he’s actually good. Maybe he is but I don’t see it and for that, I put them in the losers bracket as the loss of Zoran led to the trade of Hakeem.
Wildcats/Warriors – I combined these two teams as both lost a critical component to their playoff teams the prior season with the Wildcats waving goodbye to McAdoo and the Warriors losing Myshkin. Funny how that works because each team replace their player with a lesser version and thus led to each squad to begin their rebuilding process. Wildcats have yet to start selling off their players but the Warriros have already jettisoned Hill and are now looking to move Modestos. FA can change an entire teams outlook and these 2 teams are example 1 and 2.
CSKA – SPENCER HAWES FOR 12 MILLION. That’s really all they got. I don’t know what this team was thinking. Maybe next time they’ll follow through on the bids they claim to make in Slack so that they actual sign some talent but man not getting 1 legit big man is in a pool fool of them is a clear loss for a team needing that 1 piece to make some noise.
Honorable Mention: Knicks/Milan/Lakers/Aoshen – I bunched all of these teams together because they came away with no players to help them, which technically makes them losers, especially since each team had the cap to gain some help. I include Aoshen too because while he did get Vern, he still doesn’t have any of his picks and needed to get an entire roster and didn’t, therefor making him a loser.
Winners
Boca Juniors – Stealing Zoran Slavnic, who’s just entering his prime while retaining Al Horford and Nukic makes the Boca Juniors the big winner of FA. They did lose 2 decent role players but anytime your major free agents return and you can add a potential all-star to your team, it has to be looked at as a success.
Grizzlies – The Grizzlies grabbed 20ppg scorer Andrew Gaze and defensive anchor Bill Wennington. Gaze is a player that has shot over 40% from 3 in his 2 seasons and is just entering his prime. Wennington is an elite post defender who will score his fair share and grab rebounds at an average to slightly above average rate. Both players are locks to be in the rotation and were definitely scores for the Grizzlies.
Seahorses – Mikawa stole the highly coveted Gerald Wallace and was also able to snag Michael Finley while retaining the services of blossoming big man John Koncak. This team would have easily been #1 had they found a way to keep UPM, but it seems they went towards stealing some youth wing man then retaining their older star. This is probably a slight step back for them but ultimately will work out in their favor for the long term.
Breakers – Out goes Harry Gallatin and in comes the biggest star to leave his team, Bobby McAdoo. This is a great tradeoff, they get a superstar just entering his prime for a guy who’s already left his superstar status and already began his decline. They were also able to retain Ivo for a lot of money but the addition of McAdoo overshadows all else. This move alone extended this teams window for contention and it goes to show that winning will translate to luring FA.
Celtics – I really liked the signing of UPM for this team and then Schayes, although both are in their 30’s. Signing them to a 2 year deals will not do much harm, especially since their 2 best players are on rookie deals. Boston wanted to go from the bottom to the top and they still have some work to do but being able to grab 2 above average players for free certainly expedites the turnaround.
Honorable mention: Timberwolves/Braves – Twolves retained Ewing and pretty much signed & traded belov, so they make the honorable mention. The Braves got the prize of FA DAY 3 in Ostertag, so they made the list too.
Losers
Jazz – Losing players like Michael Finley and AC Green may not seem like much but when you don’t sign anyone else, it seems that another long season is in store for the New Orleans Jazz. What hurts particularly most is that Finley and Green were not going to break the bank to retain. Whether or not the GM felt they were worth the price is irrelevant, each player has value and could have been turned into something that fits this GMs needs better.
Raptors – A team built on defense with an overreliance on 2 players for offense, ended up losing both of the 2 mains scorers on their team. Andrew Gaze and Gerald Wallace were both paid max contracts, so clearly they were highly sought after talents throughout the league. It was surprising to see them not be retained which raises the question, where is the Raptors GM? He brought back Chandler but now has gaping holes at the 2-3 that will need to be filled somehow.
Eagles – Losing an all-star PG hurts, especially when there’s no replacement to be found. The Eagles waved goodbye to Zoran and their hopes of contending but then made a terrible mistake and paid Glenn Robinson III like he’s actually good. Maybe he is but I don’t see it and for that, I put them in the losers bracket as the loss of Zoran led to the trade of Hakeem.
Wildcats/Warriors – I combined these two teams as both lost a critical component to their playoff teams the prior season with the Wildcats waving goodbye to McAdoo and the Warriors losing Myshkin. Funny how that works because each team replace their player with a lesser version and thus led to each squad to begin their rebuilding process. Wildcats have yet to start selling off their players but the Warriros have already jettisoned Hill and are now looking to move Modestos. FA can change an entire teams outlook and these 2 teams are example 1 and 2.
CSKA – SPENCER HAWES FOR 12 MILLION. That’s really all they got. I don’t know what this team was thinking. Maybe next time they’ll follow through on the bids they claim to make in Slack so that they actual sign some talent but man not getting 1 legit big man is in a pool fool of them is a clear loss for a team needing that 1 piece to make some noise.
Honorable Mention: Knicks/Milan/Lakers/Aoshen – I bunched all of these teams together because they came away with no players to help them, which technically makes them losers, especially since each team had the cap to gain some help. I include Aoshen too because while he did get Vern, he still doesn’t have any of his picks and needed to get an entire roster and didn’t, therefor making him a loser.
Good job
