Post by Sarawak on Dec 28, 2015 21:29:20 GMT
Off Season / Preview Roundtable
Please answer the following questions by 5 PM Central Time on Sunday, December 27th. I will submit answers but will not be graded/eligible to win. Prizes will be awarded as follows.
First Place 100 bonus PP
Second Place 75 bonus PP
Third Place 50 bonus PP
Additionally the best overall answer from each question will be worth 10 PP. The best overall answer from the roundtable will be worth 25 extra PP
All Participants get 100 PP for participating*
Participants
Boston
Cairo
KK Cibona
Moscow
New York
Piraeus
Grading: Everybody gets 5 points for answering the question. First place gets 3 additional points. Second place gets 2 additional points and third place gets 1 additional point. Cairo's answers will not be counted among the top 3.
1. What teams had the best off seasons and why?
Boston:
Alright, in no particular order to me they were:
Vancouver Grizzlies - If this question was best free agency they may not be here, but between that and trades they managed to take a roster of some young guys that I'm not sure would have developed into enough to be a playoff team into a team that should challenge for their division, but will need to address depth a bit more to be a contender. Them getting a great gift from Newcastle really set this team from rebuild to try and compete, luckily it didn't cost them much of anything in return for Dream. They also landed another great player in Grant Hill from San Francisco. This team still needs to address wholes in the lineup, but you can't pass up the deals they made and figure out the rest.
Buenos Aires Boca Juniors - An already great team went into FA and brought in a great starting point in Zoran and importantly brought back Al Horford (which later became Karl Malone) Some resignings and the drafting of Dion Waiters were the extent of this teams moves to get closer to a championship. At the time of this article they probably need to address another move or two to ease the cap burden they are still in, but it's a long season.
Boston - Wishful thinking? Maybe but this team was dead last in many categories last season and had the worst record. They brought in two great pieces through the draft in Mourning and Gminksi, and continued through FA by bringing in quality starter UPM and Dolph Schayes as well. Possibly one of the best offseason moves was getting Mirza from Mexico City to fill their whole at starting SF, and they addressed upgrading their SG with the addition of Jimmy Walker from Rio. These moves shouldn't put them into the "contender" category just yet but they shouldn't end up anywhere near the top of the lottery this season and should challenge for a playoff berth. Having a real 7-8 man rotation is a big improvement from last season.
Vancouver Grizzlies - If this question was best free agency they may not be here, but between that and trades they managed to take a roster of some young guys that I'm not sure would have developed into enough to be a playoff team into a team that should challenge for their division, but will need to address depth a bit more to be a contender. Them getting a great gift from Newcastle really set this team from rebuild to try and compete, luckily it didn't cost them much of anything in return for Dream. They also landed another great player in Grant Hill from San Francisco. This team still needs to address wholes in the lineup, but you can't pass up the deals they made and figure out the rest.
Buenos Aires Boca Juniors - An already great team went into FA and brought in a great starting point in Zoran and importantly brought back Al Horford (which later became Karl Malone) Some resignings and the drafting of Dion Waiters were the extent of this teams moves to get closer to a championship. At the time of this article they probably need to address another move or two to ease the cap burden they are still in, but it's a long season.
Boston - Wishful thinking? Maybe but this team was dead last in many categories last season and had the worst record. They brought in two great pieces through the draft in Mourning and Gminksi, and continued through FA by bringing in quality starter UPM and Dolph Schayes as well. Possibly one of the best offseason moves was getting Mirza from Mexico City to fill their whole at starting SF, and they addressed upgrading their SG with the addition of Jimmy Walker from Rio. These moves shouldn't put them into the "contender" category just yet but they shouldn't end up anywhere near the top of the lottery this season and should challenge for a playoff berth. Having a real 7-8 man rotation is a big improvement from last season.
Cairo:
Mikawa - Added two big time players at a position of scarcity in the league in Finley and Wallace. Might take a bit of time to see this bear fruit but they flipped an aging UPM for those two.
Buenos Aires - Durant got Slavnic and Malone giving them arguably the best trio in the league
Auckland - Champs got stronger adding McAdoo to a loaded team
San Antonio - Embiid, Z-Bo Mighty Mouse got Haynes added to the mix. They also resisted the urge to make massive changes to their core which bodes well for them.
Buenos Aires - Durant got Slavnic and Malone giving them arguably the best trio in the league
Auckland - Champs got stronger adding McAdoo to a loaded team
San Antonio - Embiid, Z-Bo Mighty Mouse got Haynes added to the mix. They also resisted the urge to make massive changes to their core which bodes well for them.
KK Cibona:
Picking First helps, so I'm going to take the really easy answer and say Milan. The Diesel can do what Baylor did last year for Maccabi. Maccabi themselves got better after winning a title. Umm, that ain't bad.
Moscow:
Tel Aviv for bringing everyone back and turning Bruce Bowen into multiple pieces while adding around the core. You win a title with a ton of youth and players who you don’t expect to decline and then add to the starting five with even better depth, that’s impressive. Not to mention the celebration of the title, party week was epic if you missed it. The two other were Vancouver and Guangdong for making nice deals to get stars.
New York:
I know the splashy free agent teams will get mentioned here but I am going to go with the Celtics and Southern Tigers who both made their splahes in different areas more than anything. The Celtics ended off last season with a starting lineup of: Chris Paul - David Wesley - Joe Holland - Rodney White - Joe Smith and through free agency, trades and the draft they are now walking into the season with Chris Paul - Jimmy Walker - Mirza Delibasic - Ubiratan Periera Maciel - Alonzo Mourning w/ guys like Dolph Schayes and Mike Gminski off the bench and they didn't screw their future to acquire this roster. Guangdong finished last season with Aaron Brooks - Gilbert Arenas - Doug Wrenn - Jabari Parker - Jiri Zidek which outside of not having the young star that Boston has is admittedly better overall but still not great, they head into the season with Gilbert Arenas - Michael Jordan - Jerome Kersey - Neil Johnston - Kwame Brown which has hole but they now have a star and legit supporting pieces which is an impressive turnaround. Obviously teams like BA, Auckland, Vancouver and a few others signed/traded for big names but those were all playoff/near playoff teams so I am more impressed with the turnaround of Boston followed closely by the Southern Tigers.
Piraeus:
Excluding rookie picks, there are a lot of great candidates such as Boston (UPM, Walker, Schayes), and Auckland (MacAdoo), but I have to go with Mikawa. Anytime you can sign two players without losing assets at a near perfect age (25), and avoid overpaying another one on the wrong side of 30 (UPM), you’re doing something right. He’ll have this team better than a season ago, and also better long-term
Taipei:
The obvious answers are Guangdong and Vancouver. Both added top ten talents for what can be best described as bargain prices. Vancouver will pair Hakeem with its other new addition, Grant Hill. They also were able to add Gaze (solid player/questionable contract) and Wennington (solid contract/solid player) via FA. He will still need to add a PG to be considered a top contender, but look for the champ from two years ago to make some noise this season. The Michael Jordan trade alone put Guangdong on this list. The often talked about lop-sided deal landed them Jordan, Jerome Kersey, and Mirza Delibasic for the #2 pick, Eddie Jones, Jiri Zidek and a few corpses. I haven’t been as impressed with what he’s done since then (05 1st for Kwame Brown 
), but they still have some pieces to add the center that they need to be in the conversation as a real contender. Another team that’s having a great offseason is Washington. The two draft day trades helped bolster and already exciting young team with the addition of Randle, Adams, and a 2004 LA 1st for the #3 pick. The team has 7 1sts over the next 3 years including two potential lottos in 03 Spurs 1st and 04 Lakers 1st. Left in a good position from the previous GM, the new one seems to be continuing the trend. The final team that needs a mention is Aukland. They lost one their best players in Gallatin and replaced him with the best FA to move teams in McAdoo. I’m assuming they will run him at the 3 and Korac the 4, but either way, it’s a fantastic additon.
), but they still have some pieces to add the center that they need to be in the conversation as a real contender. Another team that’s having a great offseason is Washington. The two draft day trades helped bolster and already exciting young team with the addition of Randle, Adams, and a 2004 LA 1st for the #3 pick. The team has 7 1sts over the next 3 years including two potential lottos in 03 Spurs 1st and 04 Lakers 1st. Left in a good position from the previous GM, the new one seems to be continuing the trend. The final team that needs a mention is Aukland. They lost one their best players in Gallatin and replaced him with the best FA to move teams in McAdoo. I’m assuming they will run him at the 3 and Korac the 4, but either way, it’s a fantastic additon.Vancouver:
I’d say the Boca Juniors, Grizzlies, Seahorses, Breakers and Southern Tigers had the best off-seasons to date. Boca was able to retain all of their core FA while also stealing Zoran from the Eagles. He then went and moved Horford for Malone, which will be interesting to see how it plays out. All in though, not losing any core FA while adding a stud PG is a great offseason. As we moved towards the Grizz, they took a slight step back last year but took enormous strides forward this offseason by grabbing Hakeem and Hill to lead the franchise going forward. The Seahorses are on here because they were able to steal Wallace in FA in addition to Finley, which makes them younger but I think the loss of UPM will come back to hurt them this upcoming season. Breakers basically swapped an old Gallatin for an in his prime McAdoo, which is a great tradeoff and why they are on here. The Tigers capitalized well on the #2 pick by getting Barca’s whole team, which included MJ!
Grading:
First Place = Taipei
Second Place = Vancouver
Third Place = New York
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Taipei
2. What teams had a dissapointing offseason and why?
Boston:
Newcastle Eagles - Ugh talk about a terrible offseason. Where to begin? First they lost their starting PG Zoran to BA, and to make FA matters worse they completely overpaid for at best a 6th man in Glenn Robinson. Juwan Howard could go either way on the underpaid/overpaid department so it's hard to know him yet. Capping off the Crap Flavored Sundae of an offseason they dealt their franchise piece Hakeem to Vancouver for a smaller big that looks to already have hit his ceiling and a "meh" draft pick. Easily earning himself a spot on the ballet for San Antonios yearly IT award.
Barcelona Regal FC - Ok, so this sentence could have read "They made a good deal for the future trading MJ for the #2 pick", but unfortunately the sentence keeps going and gets laughable at the amount of assets they unnecessarily dealt for the draft pick. A team that easily could have turned MJ in 2, along with Mirza and Kersey probably EACH bringing in future picks. On top of the massive overpay and crippling of their team they took on the worst contract in the league in Eddie Jones. Barring some extra trading, they won't have alot of ways of adding talent until they get out from the bad deals they got from Guangdong.
Toronto Raptors - This one hurts, cause I really liked their team. They brought back bigman Tyson Chandler, but unfortunately they lost two other starters in the process. Goes to show that having 3 big FAs hit the market puts you in a bad spot if one or two bolt. They are now in a rough spot but if it's a bright side they have their pick and after this season they will have some cap to try again. It'll be interesting to see if Oakley and Chanlder make it through the season in Toronto.
Barcelona Regal FC - Ok, so this sentence could have read "They made a good deal for the future trading MJ for the #2 pick", but unfortunately the sentence keeps going and gets laughable at the amount of assets they unnecessarily dealt for the draft pick. A team that easily could have turned MJ in 2, along with Mirza and Kersey probably EACH bringing in future picks. On top of the massive overpay and crippling of their team they took on the worst contract in the league in Eddie Jones. Barring some extra trading, they won't have alot of ways of adding talent until they get out from the bad deals they got from Guangdong.
Toronto Raptors - This one hurts, cause I really liked their team. They brought back bigman Tyson Chandler, but unfortunately they lost two other starters in the process. Goes to show that having 3 big FAs hit the market puts you in a bad spot if one or two bolt. They are now in a rough spot but if it's a bright side they have their pick and after this season they will have some cap to try again. It'll be interesting to see if Oakley and Chanlder make it through the season in Toronto.
Cairo:
Piraeus - Not a huge Hortford fan felt they rushed starting their rebuild and then created a potential problem tying up caproom beyond this year in Benji Wilson.
Newcastle - It's been covered but between trading Hakeem and then some puzzling FA moves seems like going the wrong way without their first this year
Lakers - Added nothing around Russell outside of Lillard whom they paid a king's ransom to move up for
Newcastle - It's been covered but between trading Hakeem and then some puzzling FA moves seems like going the wrong way without their first this year
Lakers - Added nothing around Russell outside of Lillard whom they paid a king's ransom to move up for
KK Cibona:
This is going to be a strange answer, but I think the teams drafting after 11 didn't do as well as those before. I wasn't a Karasev fan (and I was wrong btw), but I think the talent really thinned out about that point. There weren't a whole lot of big time players changing teams, so I don't think there would be any major losers in FA, although there were some winners. Talk about not being a zero-sum game...this offseason really wasn't zero-sum.
Moscow:
Barcelona had so much promise after drafting Michael Jordan 1st overall but all he has to show for it is a few bad contracts and a 1st round exit. Now he’s back around square one with Kevin McHale and nothing much more of value. For what seemed like such promise, Barcelona really struck out. Newcastle is in the same boat after taking Hakeem 2nd.
New York:
- Well I am going to go with two teams here and say Newcastle and Los Angeles with it being a toss up as to who is #1. Newcastle lost their fringe star point guard in Zoran Slavnic and traded away their superstar big man in Hakeem Olajuwon and in free agency paid big money to bring in Glenn Robinson and Juwan Howard who last season even if you combine their averages only put up about 28 PTS - 14 RPG - 5 APG - 0.9 BPG - 1.4 SPG which doesn't sound horrible but it's definitely not worth $93,940,000. Now LA added Damian Lillard which I like despite quite a few GMs being down on him during the draft BUT what he lost in the process was Michael Adams (underrated), Mehmet Okur, #12, and their first next season which makes the addition look a lot less impressive, then despite having the most cap in the league behind maybe the aforementioned Newcastle, they ended up also losing Greg Ostertag and Jimmy Jones and didn't bring in a single interesting free agent. So i'm not sure who is 1 or 2 but these two definitely had disappointing offseasons based on what they had at their disposal. I know my team will get mentioned but while I didn't bring in any impact players with the mini max I had at my disposal, I didn't take any real losses which is what hurt these teams more than anything.
Piraeus:
Myself. I missed out on all of the FA targets, like the two Mikawa signed, and lost Vern and Dalipagic to higher bids. I hit the reset button and traded Luisetti for pennies on the dollar, and the market wasn’t incredibly strong for Malone. Here’s to hoping we nab a good pick in the draft.
Taipei:
There are quite a few teams that have made some questionable moves this offseason, but the two that stand out to me are Newcastle and Los Angeles. Newcastle due to the previously discussed Hakeem trade, doesn’t own his 1st this year (thanks, man) and also let Salvnic walk in FA while overpaying Juan Howard and Glenn Robinson. Both have potential, but Robinson in particular will probably not live up to that contract. LA on the other hand had 4 players and about $50 million in cap going into FA and ended with 6 players and just about the same amount of cap at the end.
Vancouver:
I would say Jazz, Eagles, Raptors, Wildcats and Moscow. I put the Jazz on here because I thought they would retain Finley and potentially Green but ended up losing both in FA. I’m not a huge Drummond fan and felt they would have done better adding veteran talent to surround superstar Parker. The Eagles lost Zoran in FA and then gave up franchise player Hakeem, which sends them into a retooling/rebuilding mode. The Raptors and Wildcats both took major hits in FA with Raptors losing Gaze and Wallace while Perth lost McAdoo. The last team on here is Moscow, he had a top 10 pick and an elite backcourt entering the offseason but he completely missed on adding any frontcourt talent and probably went backwards.
First Place = New York
Second Place = Boston
Third Place = Piraeus
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Piraeus: The hardest thing in life to be is self critical and honest about it. Piraeus has always had strong teams and owned a rough off season.
3. Do you agree with the notion that Training Camp is totally random?
Boston:
No, but I don't think it's a yes either. It is not COMPLETELY random, it just seems that way. Players seem to have a range based on the numbers you put in. I guess if we had the numbers/color showing we'd see it varies every time it is ran. I think you can play with the game enough to get a range for what can possibly happen so it's not totally random, it just seems like it because of the occasions guys drop hard and gain big and that many don't let the season play out to see just how the guy developed.
Cairo:
Absolutely not. There is a level of randomness too it but as I layed out in a recent article there are tried and true methods to minimize the amount of risk and build decent to really good results on average. While there is always a randomness to TC, I think you can tweak your TC's to get the results you want or stave off really bad results up with about 80% accuracy.
KK Cibona:
I think there is some random to it (see deaths), but I think our settings do matter. It kinda makes some sense IRL that way too. A guy that spends a lot of time on his jumper may not spend as much time working on his perimeter defense and so on. I think there should be a little more depth to TC as to remove some more of the randomness...but it's not a total crapshoot.
Moscow:
No. Is there more variance than what should be, I could buy that. However, there are certain things you can do to minimize deaths and give your players the best chance to reach their potential. Like reality, a 20% three point shooter won’t become a 40% overnight and eventually you run out of time to reach said potential. Same happens here if you watch closely.
New York:
I won't go too in depth since I am attempting to be somewhat brief in some of my responses, but I absolutely do not. What some don't realize is there is a middle ground between complete control and total randomness and that's where Training Camp falls. You do not have complete control over whether your player will grow normally, jump or die but you do have a level of control over how likely it is to happen.
Piraeus:
No, it is not totally random. There are clear patterns that Cairo and NY described perfectly in their article the other day. I subscribe to the belief that you want to put a little bit in each category, (1-2), but aim to put the highest points where the gap between current and potential is highest. And I am very big on putting points in athleticism. Can definitely have serious drops after 28-29.
Taipei:
I really have no idea. My guess is that it’s less random then we make it out to be. I think right now most of the league is realizing that coaches play a bigger part in development than we initially assumed. Now that people are paying more attention to both coaches and how you can manually implement TC settings, it will be interesting to see what we can find out.
Vancouver:
I believe there is a lot of randomness to it, yes. I’ve kept the same settings, tested it 15x with no tweaks and never once saw deaths. The commish sims and half my team dies, so it makes me believe there is no rhyme or reason to what the settings do
First Place = Moscow
Second Place = Piraeus
Third Place = T- New York
and Boston (1 point each)
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Moscow
4. Pick the division winners for the Eurasian Confernce and briefly say why you choose each one.
Boston:
Pacific - (Mikawa) This one was the hardest to pick cause I'm not sure what to expect from this team. Auckland looks good but they have 0 depth, and I'm not sure Seer can make out a depth chart to counteract the insanity that is the Mikawa team. Mikawa is crazy athletic and they are the only team that seems to have more then just a starting lineup right now.
Eurowest - (Bamberg Brose Baskets) - I picked them because somebody has to win this shitstorm of a division. Their team is a combined 3592 years old but I think the old folks home here can still play close enough to 500 ball to win this division. I don't see another team that has any right winning over 35 games this season without a move or 12 being made.
Mediterranean - (Tel Aviv Maccabi) - Defending champs should always be expected to repeat. I'm not sure they were anybodies pick going into the playoffs but another year better for their team and more importantly I don't think any of the other teams improved enough to overthrow them. Cairo should give them a run with their offense but Tel Aviv pulls it out.
Eurowest - (Bamberg Brose Baskets) - I picked them because somebody has to win this shitstorm of a division. Their team is a combined 3592 years old but I think the old folks home here can still play close enough to 500 ball to win this division. I don't see another team that has any right winning over 35 games this season without a move or 12 being made.
Mediterranean - (Tel Aviv Maccabi) - Defending champs should always be expected to repeat. I'm not sure they were anybodies pick going into the playoffs but another year better for their team and more importantly I don't think any of the other teams improved enough to overthrow them. Cairo should give them a run with their offense but Tel Aviv pulls it out.
Cairo:
Eurowest - Milan - The Age of Shaq is upon us...
Mediterranean - Cairo - Total homer pick and we may not have now post players to beat Tel Aviv, but I think we will really shock some people who have forgotten just how good the backcourt was when healthy
Pacific - Mikawa - have more depth and talent than last year and have the assets to get a big upgrade in the backcourt if they want.
Mediterranean - Cairo - Total homer pick and we may not have now post players to beat Tel Aviv, but I think we will really shock some people who have forgotten just how good the backcourt was when healthy
Pacific - Mikawa - have more depth and talent than last year and have the assets to get a big upgrade in the backcourt if they want.
KK Cibona:
Maccabi--You don't pick against the champ (until I do so later in this roundtable). Baylor is an ass-kicking machine
Auckland--Talent, this team has it. Good coaching, this team has it. As a speed bump to them in R1 last year, I don't see them falling off much.
Brose Baskets--This one took me the longest. Arvydas and Kirkland are good core guys to build on. I had a lot of trouble with this division because I am not sure how some of the teams will look.
Auckland--Talent, this team has it. Good coaching, this team has it. As a speed bump to them in R1 last year, I don't see them falling off much.
Brose Baskets--This one took me the longest. Arvydas and Kirkland are good core guys to build on. I had a lot of trouble with this division because I am not sure how some of the teams will look.
Moscow:
Pacific - Mikawa Aisin Seahorses. He understands how to get the most out of his team and there isn’t a ton of competition there from GMs who are both savvy and have talent.
EuroWest - Bamberg Brose Baskets. Nobody in the division is really trying to make a run besides Milan and nobody really thinks he can get it done. Leaves next best team in Bamberg with a GM who knows how to win.
Mediterranean - Tel Aviv Maccabi. The champions should get better through training camp and already have through free agency and trades. Look for them to be a title contender again.
EuroWest - Bamberg Brose Baskets. Nobody in the division is really trying to make a run besides Milan and nobody really thinks he can get it done. Leaves next best team in Bamberg with a GM who knows how to win.
Mediterranean - Tel Aviv Maccabi. The champions should get better through training camp and already have through free agency and trades. Look for them to be a title contender again.
New York:
Olimpia - I know i'll probably lose points on this prediction since it was one Cairo and I already discussed in our last article but Bamberg who will be the most popular pick I assume has Sabo while Milan has Shaq, Bamberg's 2nd best player is an aging Kirkland while Sheed is Milan's who was already the better player, Brose has Tisdale as their 3rd best guy while D-Will is Olimpia's, and to top it off Brose has hinted at rebuilding while Olimpia is trying to improve. I could say more but this is already too long.
Breakers - I love with Mikawa did but he understands that he's playing the long game rather than expecting an immediate impact. For the Breakers while the fit is questionable (3 of their top 4 are PF/C) they added a fringe top 10 guy to their group and while likely see Ivo and Korac improve. They may not be as dominant as before but I still see them toping their division.
Maccabi - Don't bet against the champs who's best player is still improving. Cairo has the two best players in the division so I expect more of a challenge this season if healthy but I rarely go against the champs in predictions.
Breakers - I love with Mikawa did but he understands that he's playing the long game rather than expecting an immediate impact. For the Breakers while the fit is questionable (3 of their top 4 are PF/C) they added a fringe top 10 guy to their group and while likely see Ivo and Korac improve. They may not be as dominant as before but I still see them toping their division.
Maccabi - Don't bet against the champs who's best player is still improving. Cairo has the two best players in the division so I expect more of a challenge this season if healthy but I rarely go against the champs in predictions.
Piraeus:
Breakers. MacAdoo > Gallatin in 2003.
Brose Baskets. They finished 20-10 last season before the playoffs. REAL, CSKA, and all others don’t have the depth or cohesion to catch up in one year.
Maccabi. Olympiacos is out, no one else improved, Baylor will improve, and they acquired two very underrated players in Zubkov and Kurtinaitis.
Brose Baskets. They finished 20-10 last season before the playoffs. REAL, CSKA, and all others don’t have the depth or cohesion to catch up in one year.
Maccabi. Olympiacos is out, no one else improved, Baylor will improve, and they acquired two very underrated players in Zubkov and Kurtinaitis.
Taipei:
Gonna be tough to go against Aukland. Won 60+ games last year and added McAdoo to the mix.
Vancouver:
Breakers have some questions but they should still be elite with McAdoo/Korac/Ivo but I think they’ll prevail, I’m going to go out on a limb here and pick Milan because I think they have a very complete team overall and will surprise in a weak division and then Tel Aviv because they are the defending champs who return the entire team.
First Place = New York
Second Place = Boston
Third Place = Vancouver
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = New York
5. Pick the division winners for the Americas Conference and briefly say why you choose each one.
Boston:
East - (Chicago Bulls) Charles Barkley? Do I really need to say more? Boston, Washington and NY could maybe stay close but I doubt it.
South - (Buenos Aires) Great lineup and consistently dangerous team so far, plus their division is really bad outside of them and MC. KD keeps dominating and BA keeps winning
West - (Vancouver Grizzlies) This probably should say Minnesota, but I think John does end up trading Ewing now that the holidays are over and adds more youth/picks to go with his super young team. Grizzlies still need a PG, but I think as teams see what they have one will become available. I don't think the league has spread out the talent yet to make it hard to win with just two stars like they had in year one but they should be near the top.
Cairo:
East - Bulls - Lots of good teams in the division but the Bulls are one of a handful of clear title contenders led by the MVP
South - Buenos Aires - My favorite off season adding around KD. Look out Americas here comes B.A.
West - Minnesota - Vancouver doesn't have the depth and Seattle although improved isn't quite at the level to be a true threat right now. Minnesota is the clear choice for me
South - Buenos Aires - My favorite off season adding around KD. Look out Americas here comes B.A.
West - Minnesota - Vancouver doesn't have the depth and Seattle although improved isn't quite at the level to be a true threat right now. Minnesota is the clear choice for me
KK Cibona:
NYK--great GM, and a really good team (as usual). I don't bet against him.
Mexico City--Balanced team, with plenty of bigs that can play. Good team here.
Minnesota--I gush more about them later, but this is a great roster construction. Very strong team up and down.
Mexico City--Balanced team, with plenty of bigs that can play. Good team here.
Minnesota--I gush more about them later, but this is a great roster construction. Very strong team up and down.
Moscow:
East - Boston Celtics. Not sure I love any team as Chicago lost depth and New York dealt Haynes but Boston has the right mix of talent to take the division.
South - Buenos Aires Boca Juniors. Upgraded Horford to Malone and got Slavnic in Free Agency to add to Kevin Durant. This team looks poised to make a run.
West - Minnesota Timberwolves. This is easy. Best team out there. Frontcourt is incredible and plenty of talent in the backcourt an as depth.
South - Buenos Aires Boca Juniors. Upgraded Horford to Malone and got Slavnic in Free Agency to add to Kevin Durant. This team looks poised to make a run.
West - Minnesota Timberwolves. This is easy. Best team out there. Frontcourt is incredible and plenty of talent in the backcourt an as depth.
New York:
Chicago - NY was really the only team to challenge them in the division (though there are some up and comers) and they are taking a planned step back, Barkley dominates in the regular season.
Buenos Aires - Malone - Durant - Zoran - Dampier vs Gasol - Westphal - Porter was the choices here. I wasn't a fan of the Malone/Horford swap, Gasol is my favorite player of the group, and if the Titans fill some of their holes at the forward spots (and depth wise) my vote will change but BA right now has more weapons if the double PG backcourt works out so he holds onto his division title.
Timberwolves - The Hakeem + Hill duo will be picked quite a bit i'm assuming but the American Conference champs will hold onto their division title I think. With Ewing, Garnett, Wiggins all improving, a stronger bench than last season and some wild cards like Guy and Smart I think this team will stay at the top of the West.
Buenos Aires - Malone - Durant - Zoran - Dampier vs Gasol - Westphal - Porter was the choices here. I wasn't a fan of the Malone/Horford swap, Gasol is my favorite player of the group, and if the Titans fill some of their holes at the forward spots (and depth wise) my vote will change but BA right now has more weapons if the double PG backcourt works out so he holds onto his division title.
Timberwolves - The Hakeem + Hill duo will be picked quite a bit i'm assuming but the American Conference champs will hold onto their division title I think. With Ewing, Garnett, Wiggins all improving, a stronger bench than last season and some wild cards like Guy and Smart I think this team will stay at the top of the West.
Piraeus:
Bulls. The Dalipagic move will give them enough at small forward, which they lacked, including shooter. He may flip Conley into more assets to win as well. Knicks traded their 3rd best player, and Boston will be better but doesn’t have the star power or depth to beat Barkley.
Boca Juniors. I don’t think this one will close. Process of elimination. Titans and Jazz are in flux, Spurs have talent but not nearly enough, Flamengo is in free fall, and Brazil is the most forgettable team in the league.
Timberwolves. It’s John. I don’t agree with the trade of Belov, as I am not high on Smart, but Vancouver doesn’t have depth or a PG, Portland’s ceiling is limited, and Seattle just isn’t there yet.
Boca Juniors. I don’t think this one will close. Process of elimination. Titans and Jazz are in flux, Spurs have talent but not nearly enough, Flamengo is in free fall, and Brazil is the most forgettable team in the league.
Timberwolves. It’s John. I don’t agree with the trade of Belov, as I am not high on Smart, but Vancouver doesn’t have depth or a PG, Portland’s ceiling is limited, and Seattle just isn’t there yet.
Taipei:
I’m gonna say the Bulls. They didn’t do much in FA, but they won 66 games last year and all of their starters are 27 or younger. Also, Charles Barkley.
Vancouver:
Bulls because they still have the reigning MVP in Chuck, Boca because they have a great backcourt and now adding Malone with Durant will make them even more dangerous, and Twolves because they return their entire team that should develop even more.
First Place = Piraeus
Second Place = Vancouver
Third Place = New York
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Piraeus
6. There is an ABCA Fantasy Draft where all players in the league are available. You have been given the first 5 picks! Pick a starting lineup based on players listed postions (PG,SG,SF,PF, C), choosing at least one player over 30 and at least one player that is on their rookie contract. Briefly explain your choices.
Boston:
C- Patrick Ewing - Great bigman who can score and defend. A top center in the game right now.
PF - Charles Barkley - Why? Because he's the best player and can dominate the game.
SG - Michael Jordan - Obvious choices are obvious no? MJ can dominate the game on both sides of the ball.
SF - Elgin Baylor (Rookie deal) - Rookie deal was either here or C and Baylor is better then any other choices on rookie deals. He can score and rebound in bunches.
PG - Marques Haynes (over 30) He might be the only good player in the league over 30 to consider. Ideally I'd have Stockton/Parker or Cp3 for rookie deal but for this build he's a great passer and can score. He'll do fine
This team was built with the idea of pounding the ball down low with 4 of the best around the basket scorers in the game. The over 30 was rough cause there are only a handful of guys to choose from. I like this lineup though
PF - Charles Barkley - Why? Because he's the best player and can dominate the game.
SG - Michael Jordan - Obvious choices are obvious no? MJ can dominate the game on both sides of the ball.
SF - Elgin Baylor (Rookie deal) - Rookie deal was either here or C and Baylor is better then any other choices on rookie deals. He can score and rebound in bunches.
PG - Marques Haynes (over 30) He might be the only good player in the league over 30 to consider. Ideally I'd have Stockton/Parker or Cp3 for rookie deal but for this build he's a great passer and can score. He'll do fine
This team was built with the idea of pounding the ball down low with 4 of the best around the basket scorers in the game. The over 30 was rough cause there are only a handful of guys to choose from. I like this lineup though
Cairo:
C - Hakeem Olajuwon - Super skilled and super atheltic, the Dream would be just that on this roster and give us maybe the most dynamic front court imaginable.
PF - Charles Barkley- Maybe the best overall player in the league and just an absolute beast of a player
SF - Harry Galatin - I need a vet per the rules. I need a SF by the rules and Gallatin I think has one great year left in his aging frame. With the SF position being really weak overall I will grab him and run to the bank for a year.
SG- Sam JOnes- Maybe I am a homer but I love this two way player, he meets my rookie contract requirment, he was well on his way to the ROY award before he got hurt and he fits what I will do.
PG - John Stockton - This isn't a homer pick. Stockton is currently the best player at what I view as the most important position in the game. Last year he dragged a pile of cast offs to 40 wins while missing the team's 2nd best player all year and he can do it all.
PF - Charles Barkley- Maybe the best overall player in the league and just an absolute beast of a player
SF - Harry Galatin - I need a vet per the rules. I need a SF by the rules and Gallatin I think has one great year left in his aging frame. With the SF position being really weak overall I will grab him and run to the bank for a year.
SG- Sam JOnes- Maybe I am a homer but I love this two way player, he meets my rookie contract requirment, he was well on his way to the ROY award before he got hurt and he fits what I will do.
PG - John Stockton - This isn't a homer pick. Stockton is currently the best player at what I view as the most important position in the game. Last year he dragged a pile of cast offs to 40 wins while missing the team's 2nd best player all year and he can do it all.
KK Cibona:
C-Vern Mikkelson (over 30)
PF-Charles Barkley
SF-Andrew Wiggins (RC)
SG-Michael Jordan
PG-Jason Kidd
I love Kidd setting up the firepower on this team. He won't be burdened with having to do everything (like he is now with Cibona). MJ is MJ, and Wiggins is a growing force. Barkley is the best player in ABCA, and Vern was the first non-Macauley big guy I saw going down the list.
PF-Charles Barkley
SF-Andrew Wiggins (RC)
SG-Michael Jordan
PG-Jason Kidd
I love Kidd setting up the firepower on this team. He won't be burdened with having to do everything (like he is now with Cibona). MJ is MJ, and Wiggins is a growing force. Barkley is the best player in ABCA, and Vern was the first non-Macauley big guy I saw going down the list.
Moscow:
John Stockon, Michael Jordan, Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Sherman White … Elgin is on the rookie deal and White is over 30. Allows me to focus inside but still have shooting and have arguably the best player at each position besides SF and C and both of those are 27 PPG scorers. The over 30 part was tricky but making sure I had MJ and Chuck took certain positions away.
New York:
C - Shaquille O'Neal: I know Oden is the expected pick for me here but Shaq will be in the conversation for best C from the jump if he survives TC.
PF - Charles Barkley: anyone that doesn't have him should lose a point for this question
SF - Ubiratan Pereira Maciel: I was working on an article on ranking player by position and Maciel is the only 30+ guy that is top 5 at their position so while he in't great in terms of perimeter D, this was an easy choice.
SG - Michael Jordan: Top SG in the league, the other option here is to take Sam Jones if I didn't have Shaq as my rookie contract guy since he's top 3 at this position but while it's close I probably take Jordan + Shaq over Jones + Oden/Gasol/Ewing/Hakeem I think.
PG - John Stockton: Tony Parker was the other option here but if we are being real, Stockton is the best guard (not point guard) in the league. Compare what he did in 31 Minutes to what Parker did in 40 and you'll see why this is a no brainer of a pick.
PF - Charles Barkley: anyone that doesn't have him should lose a point for this question
SF - Ubiratan Pereira Maciel: I was working on an article on ranking player by position and Maciel is the only 30+ guy that is top 5 at their position so while he in't great in terms of perimeter D, this was an easy choice.
SG - Michael Jordan: Top SG in the league, the other option here is to take Sam Jones if I didn't have Shaq as my rookie contract guy since he's top 3 at this position but while it's close I probably take Jordan + Shaq over Jones + Oden/Gasol/Ewing/Hakeem I think.
PG - John Stockton: Tony Parker was the other option here but if we are being real, Stockton is the best guard (not point guard) in the league. Compare what he did in 31 Minutes to what Parker did in 40 and you'll see why this is a no brainer of a pick.
Piraeus:
C: Bill Russell
PF: Charles Barkley
SF: Harry Gallatin
SG: Michael Jordan
PG: John Stockton
Barkley and Stockton transcend their positions. Didn’t find another player over 30 I liked at C, SF, or SG more than Gallatin. Jordan is also borderline transcendent, and I also a great shooter to work off of Stockton. Would have gone with O’Neal at center, but I like Russell’s defensive fit better next to Barkley.
PF: Charles Barkley
SF: Harry Gallatin
SG: Michael Jordan
PG: John Stockton
Barkley and Stockton transcend their positions. Didn’t find another player over 30 I liked at C, SF, or SG more than Gallatin. Jordan is also borderline transcendent, and I also a great shooter to work off of Stockton. Would have gone with O’Neal at center, but I like Russell’s defensive fit better next to Barkley.
Taipei:
C Greg Oden
PF Charles Barkley
SF Kevin Durant
SG Harry Gallatin
PG Chris Paul
Open over Hakeem was a tough call, but age and recent development certainly play a factor. Barkley at PF was the most obvious choice. CP3 was All-League 3rd Team and All-League Defensive 1st Team his first year in the league. Think he’s the obvious guy on a rookie deal. I can imagine some people went with Baylor over KD, but I love KD’s scoring.
PF Charles Barkley
SF Kevin Durant
SG Harry Gallatin
PG Chris Paul
Open over Hakeem was a tough call, but age and recent development certainly play a factor. Barkley at PF was the most obvious choice. CP3 was All-League 3rd Team and All-League Defensive 1st Team his first year in the league. Think he’s the obvious guy on a rookie deal. I can imagine some people went with Baylor over KD, but I love KD’s scoring.
Vancouver:
Center – LaRue Martin – I needed a 30 year old and with all of the scoring I assembled 1-4, LaRue elite PSD will slide in here where that’s all he’s asked to do.
PF- Charles Barkley – He’s the BACK 2 BACK MVP for a reason – can’t leave him off
SF – Elgin Baylor --- Known for his scoring, Elgin is also a great defensive SF and will be my lone rookie contract
SG – Michael Jordan --- best SG who will be lockdown defender and contribute in all facets of the game
PG – John Stockton --- best PG in my opinion, will be elite defensively, elite passing and elite shooting.
PF- Charles Barkley – He’s the BACK 2 BACK MVP for a reason – can’t leave him off
SF – Elgin Baylor --- Known for his scoring, Elgin is also a great defensive SF and will be my lone rookie contract
SG – Michael Jordan --- best SG who will be lockdown defender and contribute in all facets of the game
PG – John Stockton --- best PG in my opinion, will be elite defensively, elite passing and elite shooting.
First Place = Piraeus
Second Place = Boston
Third Place = Taipei
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Piraeus. I am gonna be honest I liked my team better than any one elses. Nobody else thought that an atheltic combo of Hakeem and Barkley would just destroy teams?
7. Who is the Rookie of the Year, who is the MVP and what team will win the title?
Boston:
Rookie of the Year- Kevin Mchale (nobody to take away stats)
MVP - Charles Barkley- Still the best dominant player in the league, bring on the 3rd
Title - Tel Aviv - Added talent to an already title team? Makes them my favorite.
MVP - Charles Barkley- Still the best dominant player in the league, bring on the 3rd
Title - Tel Aviv - Added talent to an already title team? Makes them my favorite.
Cairo:
ROY = Shaq. He is gonna be a top 3 big from the jump imo and elevates that team into the division title race
MVP = John Stockton. Homer pick for sure but I think he is going to have a huge year and a healthy Sam Jones will lead to an elevated Stockton
Title = Buenos Aires Just love that trio and the GM has won before
MVP = John Stockton. Homer pick for sure but I think he is going to have a huge year and a healthy Sam Jones will lead to an elevated Stockton
Title = Buenos Aires Just love that trio and the GM has won before
Shaquille O'Neal is the ROY, because I like Shaq. The MVP will be Charles Barkley, and I'm taking Piraeus as my dark horse world champion.
The MVP will be Charles Barkley, and I'm taking Piraeus as my dark horse world champion.Moscow:
ROY - Shaquille O’Neal, MVP - Charles Barkley, Champion - Minnesota Timberwolvees
Plenty of options for ROY but Shaq and his A+ inside mean he’s automatically a top scorer. Chuck continues his dominance and while there are contenders, Minny may be in a class of their own right now.
Plenty of options for ROY but Shaq and his A+ inside mean he’s automatically a top scorer. Chuck continues his dominance and while there are contenders, Minny may be in a class of their own right now.
New York:
Rookie of the Year: People are worried about a Legends repeat but I am picking Shaquille O'Neal. I think he's going to dominate early on and while I think Davis & McHale will put up numbers as well, I don't think they can top Shaq.
Most Valuable Player - Charles Barkley, he can't even drop in TC anymore so that removes the biggest what if from the picture. I say he has at minimum 2 more MVPs in him before someone knocks him off as he gets closer to 30.
Champion - I'm going to go with the Minnesota Timberwolves for this year's title team. There are quite a few teams that improved but not many that I said improved enough to become a serious title contender so looking at the top teams from last year i'd have to say that the Twolves will be the one in the best position to bring home the championship with their internal improvement from Ewing, Garnett, and Wiggins. Maccabi will still be in the chase with their elite defense but for me to predict a repeat I have to see their offense get better. Teams like Perth and New York will get worse from where they were last season and Mikawa, Auckland, and BA all got better but not enough to jump to the favorite in my opinion so like I said i'm going to role with Minny.
Most Valuable Player - Charles Barkley, he can't even drop in TC anymore so that removes the biggest what if from the picture. I say he has at minimum 2 more MVPs in him before someone knocks him off as he gets closer to 30.
Champion - I'm going to go with the Minnesota Timberwolves for this year's title team. There are quite a few teams that improved but not many that I said improved enough to become a serious title contender so looking at the top teams from last year i'd have to say that the Twolves will be the one in the best position to bring home the championship with their internal improvement from Ewing, Garnett, and Wiggins. Maccabi will still be in the chase with their elite defense but for me to predict a repeat I have to see their offense get better. Teams like Perth and New York will get worse from where they were last season and Mikawa, Auckland, and BA all got better but not enough to jump to the favorite in my opinion so like I said i'm going to role with Minny.
Piraeus:
Shaquille O’Neal will have a lot of shots and score a lot of points to win the MVP. A+ Inside is going to be nasty. McHale will be another contender but fall shot. The MVP is once again Barkley, as he’ll have the best PER and EWA on a top 3 team. The Bulls will trade Conley for more pieces and win their first title after two disappointing playoff appearances.
Taipei:
ROY- Shaq. Pre-TC he looks to be the man to beat. That inside scoring is going to be deadly and the only guy I see giving him much of a challenge is McHale. He’s got a decent shot because there isn’t much around him.
MVP- Charles Barkley. I mean he’s 27 years old and a 2-time MVP. He just scored 35ppg last year. I don’t see anyone challenging him for the next few years.
Champion- Aukland. The addition of McAdoo should and could put them over the top. They have a well-rounded team and he’s the superstar they were lacking.
MVP- Charles Barkley. I mean he’s 27 years old and a 2-time MVP. He just scored 35ppg last year. I don’t see anyone challenging him for the next few years.
Champion- Aukland. The addition of McAdoo should and could put them over the top. They have a well-rounded team and he’s the superstar they were lacking.
Vancouver:
I was going to go with Shaq for ROTY but I think he has players around that will steal some of his points, so I’ll go with McHale, who will be asked to do it all from day one and is the most ready of any of the prospects from the draft. The MVP will go back to Chicago, Chuck is hands down the best player and its not even close. In terms of winning the title, I will go with the Twolves, they seem all in this year and it will be tough to surpass all their firepower.
First Place = New York
Second Place = Vancouver
Third Place = Taipei
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = New York
8. You are rebuilding, Contending or somewhere in between?
Boston:
Contending (For Playoffs) so maybe in between? Alot of teams making changes and I think my team can challenge for somewhere in the 5-6 range of the playoffs. Added alot of depth and defense and am really happy with where we are today.
Cairo:
Trying to contend,but not quite there yet. We had a good offseason and added a lot of talent and depth but we need an upgrade in the post to become a true contender.
KK Cibona:
KK Cibona is not going to be very good this year. Kidd is back, but the supporting cast is iffy to say the least. I would say not a total rebuild, but should be close. Probably 2 or 3 spots from playoffs now, and that's being conservative. It's a really tough division we're playing in, and it's not like people got worse over the offseason here.
Moscow:
I’m somewhere in between right now. I’ve got a 29 year old Superstar in Walt Frazier who may contend of best statistics award if that existed this year (or get dealt) and I have a few young pieces I am stoked about in MKG, Kiki, and JBC. Could make moves either way but we’ll just have to wait and see. Hence the in between.
New York:
Somewhere in between. Oden + Mel is still arguably the best duo in the league so i'm definitely not in a full on rebuild but with Haynes gone I don't have any other high level guys beyond my big two. I've got guys like Ron Anderson who have gotten attention from GMs but I don't have enough to truly be a contender right now.
Piraeus:
Rebuilding. Traded for my pick, so that’s all there is to say really. Feels...weird.
Taipei:
Rebuilding. I need a top 3-4 pick to ideally get a superstar. My team is mostly young (besides Mikan) and I’ve been looking for that cornerstone guy to really build around for a few years now. Kind of screwed myself over in the first year, we were much better than I expected. So what was originally a 2 year rebuild has turned into a 3 year one. Have what look to be two high lotto picks this year, so hopefully I will be set to compete next year.
I went from retooling to contending in a matter of hours. I still have a lot more work to do but my core has been reconfigured and we’re in a good position going forward.
First Place = Taipei
Second Place = Moscow
Third Place = Vancouver
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Taipei. Agreed the most with his assessment of his team and his outlook moving forward.
9. You can be named the GM of any one team in the league right now. Who do you pick and why?
Boston:
Mine. The Boston Celtics are one of my favorite all time NBA teams and I am super biased but I like what we've got building here. We've got a PG who is already a top 3? PG in the league in his second season and an anchor in the post to go with him. Great youth, and a good mix of quality veteran
Cairo:
Buenos Aires. They already have Durant they added Karl Malone and Zoran Slavnic to give them maybe the best trio in the league! Then add in a bunch of solid role players and I think it is a team that is ready to contend now and yet still has upside long term.
KK Cibona:
I love what Minnesota has done. He has a strong base and it's not like he's running out the over the hill gang. Great sense of building a future while being good now.
Moscow:
I’ll stay where I am. Sure, the Minnesota Timberwolves are stacked and young and almost perfect but nobody likes being handed that. I’d love to use what I have to turn it either way.
New York:
Well i'd never choose any team over the Knicks so yeah but just for this question I take the Bulls. I've never been able to have a player that is the clear in away best player in the league with a top 5 guy probably being my peak so mixing my DC'ing with that type of talent would be fun.
Piraeus:
It would be incredibly fun to have Washington’s roster. A core of Havlicek/Bogut/Sprewell/Okur/Randle with firsts from San Antonio, Bejing, and their own pick. Lots of assets to play with
Taipei:
Washington. Still some work to be done, but has the most assets in the league. 7 1sts in the next 3 years, good young talent in Havlicek, Randle, and Spreewell. Minnesota and Boston are probably the teams that I like the most right now, but I’d want to put my own spin on a team. Both of these teams already have their superstars set.
Vancouver:
I would pick the Twolves just because they have my boy Ewing and I only got to GM him for 1 season in Legends. It also doesn’t hurt that they have a lot of talent besides him but still I would love to have him back as my cornerstone.
First Place = Taipei
Second Place =Piraeus
Third Place = Everybody else. All good answers here.
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = Taipei. Changed my mind on my answer. I agree Washington has the most assets to play with and and an interesting core to boot.
10: Analogy Question (Fill in the blank)
10 question roundtables are to awesome as Shaq is to _________
Boston:
#ABCAcursed
Cairo:
Free Throws. A lot of attempts, only a few makes and a general sense of frustration that we are doing this all over again. Who comes up with these questions anyways!
KK Cibona:
Dunks
Moscow:
LSU
New York:
Hip hop legend 
Piraeus:
Diesel.
Taipei:
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Vancouver:
10 question roundtables are to awesome as Shaq is to rollercoasters
First Place = Moscow
Second Place = New York
Third Place = Taipei
Best Answer Bonus Goes to = New York. Made me laugh the most
Best Overall Answer goes to Piraeus for his honest and self aware answer on his off season. Well done sir, an extra 25 PP for you.
Final Grading
New York 50 Points plus 9 (3 first places) plus 2 (1 2nd place), plus 4 (4 third places) = 65 points = 100 PP plus 100 for winning+ 30 (three best answers) = 160 pp x 2 = 520 PP
Taipei 50 points plus 9 points (3 firsts) plus 3 points (3 thirds) = 62 points = 100 PP plus 75 for 2nd place plus 30 points (three best answers) = 205 PP x2 = 410 PP
Piraeus 50 points plus 6 (2 firsts) plus 4 points (2 seconds) plus 1 (1 third) = 61 points = 100 PP plus 50 for third place plus 25 (Best overall answer) plus 30 (three best answers) = 205 PP x 2 = 410 PP
Moscow 50 points plus 6 (2 first place), plus 2 (1 2nd place) plus 1 (1 third place)=59 points = 100 PP plus 10 points (1 best answer) = 110 PP x 2 = 200 PP
Vancouver 50 points plus 6 points (3 2nd place) plus 3 points (3 thirds) = 59 points= 100 PP x 2 = 200 PP
Boston 50 points plus 6 (3 2nd places) plus 2 (2 third places) = 58 points = 100 PP x 2 = 200 PP
KK Cibona 50 points +1(1 third place) = 51 points = 100 PP x 2 = 200 PP
Cairo 150 x 2 for running roundtable = 300 PP
New York 50 Points plus 9 (3 first places) plus 2 (1 2nd place), plus 4 (4 third places) = 65 points = 100 PP plus 100 for winning+ 30 (three best answers) = 160 pp x 2 = 520 PP
Taipei 50 points plus 9 points (3 firsts) plus 3 points (3 thirds) = 62 points = 100 PP plus 75 for 2nd place plus 30 points (three best answers) = 205 PP x2 = 410 PP
Piraeus 50 points plus 6 (2 firsts) plus 4 points (2 seconds) plus 1 (1 third) = 61 points = 100 PP plus 50 for third place plus 25 (Best overall answer) plus 30 (three best answers) = 205 PP x 2 = 410 PP
Moscow 50 points plus 6 (2 first place), plus 2 (1 2nd place) plus 1 (1 third place)=59 points = 100 PP plus 10 points (1 best answer) = 110 PP x 2 = 200 PP
Vancouver 50 points plus 6 points (3 2nd place) plus 3 points (3 thirds) = 59 points= 100 PP x 2 = 200 PP
Boston 50 points plus 6 (3 2nd places) plus 2 (2 third places) = 58 points = 100 PP x 2 = 200 PP
KK Cibona 50 points +1(1 third place) = 51 points = 100 PP x 2 = 200 PP
Cairo 150 x 2 for running roundtable = 300 PP
