Storylines Heading Into Training Camp For Each Team
Nov 2, 2015 18:18:25 GMT
Minnesota, Sarawak, and 4 more like this
Post by New York on Nov 2, 2015 18:18:25 GMT
So I was only able to cover two divisions before Training Camp and the rest will likely be done in the gape between Training Camp and the Regular Season. However I didn't want to leave any team out so I thought i'd take some time to look at each team before Training Camp is completed tomorrow and look at some of the potential storylines that each team has heading into Training Camp and the start of the second season of Ultimate ABCA. I may only have two small storylines for your team but some type of coverage for everyone is guaranteed.
So enough of that, let's get started.
NOTE: I had this completed and ready to be posted but when I submitted it I received an error message and lost the work I did on the Titans, Sonics and Timberwolves. So I put their storylines back but didn't go into detail yet (I'm working on that now). But I wanted to get this up before the sim.
Aisin Seahorses Mikawa
1) Will Xavier McDaniel take the next step: I mentioned this in my Pacific Division writeup but despite being the team's first overall pick, X-Man was arguable the team's 3rd or 4th best player. He has potential to grow, the question is will he and by how much?
2) Who will be the starting Point Guard - Si Green or Joseph McComas: This job is likely McComas' to lose but of any of their starters it's the most likely to change. Si Green has some potential and could sneak in to steal the job if he has an impressive TC and Pre-Season.
3) Will any of their big 3 show signs of aging: This question will pop up for a quite a few teams but how will the top 3 handle training camp being that they are all near 30. White and Maciel shouldn't really be an issue but Coleman is 31 and while he'll still obviously be a strong player, he could slow down some in training camp.
4) Can this team find some three point shooting: They were the best team in the league at drawing fouls but they also were the worst at hitting the 3 (or even taking it). If they can keep that attack mentality while finding someone (maybe at PG) that could hit 2 or so 3s per game, I think that'd be worth a few wins for them right there.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
1) Who will be the starting Small Forward - Terry Dischinger, Ed O'Bannon, Ralph Simpson:f Ralph Simpson was the most effective last year, Ed O'Bannon was pretty close behind and has a game more suited for the SF spot, and Terry Dischinger is the team's young lotto pick SF that at least offensively has the highest ceiling of the group. Obviously this will be an interesting position battle that could go any way.
2) Can this team develop an identity: I still think this team needs to tear things down by moving their vets as they get closer to 30 which as we know starts to effect value. However if they keep things intact and try to win some games, they need to be better than 23rd and 29th on offense and defense respectively.
Beijing Aoshen
1) Can they figure out how to get to the free throw line more: Aoshen were a really good defensive team but they found their offense outside of the top 10. One reason for that is the fact that last year only 3 teams took less free throws than them. Can they find a way with their new bigger lineup to get to the line for a few extra free points?
2) Does the addition of Leroy and Schayes address their rebounding issues: Aoshen was 22nd in REB% and 30th in Opponent Rebounding despite having pretty solid raw rebounding numbers. Will the addition of a more traditional PF and a larger SF result in them winning the battle on the glass more this season (they were -.7 last year).
3) How will Arnie Ferrin, Leroy Edwards, Dick McGuire, Chuck Taylor and Dolph Schayes age: Much like a few other teams on this list Auckland goes into TC with a few older starters and rotation players. How well they hold up will greatly determine how well the team does this season.
4) Can Leroy Edwards be a small forward full time: Leroy is a pretty solid Perimeter Defender and is quick for a 6'7 guy but on the offensive end you could argue that his game is a bit more suited for the PF spot. I think he'll be fine here but it's obviously something to watch for.
5) Can George Mikan prove he is a top 10 player: Pretty sure you can argue that Mikan was a top 10 player last season putting up 19.9 PPG | 9.6 RPG | 1.2 SPG | 2.3 BPG so if that's the case then make this top 5. However in some people's mind Mikan had a bit of a disappointing year that didn't show everything he can do. Was he truly better than any of Barkley, Hakeem, White, Jordan, Monroe, Ewing, Stockton, Daniels, Sabonis, Belov, Frazier, Gasol and maybe a few others? A few are definitely debatable but I think just in terms of talent Mikan is very much a better player than most of those names, it's just a question of if he'll show it this year.
Buenos Aires Boca Juniors BC
1) Can they develop more of a defensive presence inside: BABC were a top 2 offensive team and it took them pretty far in season one but on the defensive end they found themselves towards the middle part of the league. Specifically their interior defense didn't seem to be too strong on picking up steals but they were 24th in BLK%, 23rd in total blocks, and 17th in Defensive Rebounding. These seem to be the areas they need to focus on in TC if they want to improve on that end.
2) Who will start in the front court with Horford: Jusuf Nurkic was the guy last season and he likely will still be in the conversation but I would argue that Otis Thorpe proved to be the better big man last year for them. He also would help on defense I believe so could we see them move Horford to Center and slide Otis Thorpe into the lineup?
Auckland Breakers
1) How will Harry Gallatin and Paul Hoffman deal with Training Camp: I mentioned this in the division writeup but both of these guys are 32 years old so they are likely to see a decrease of some sort in the talent department. It may be a major decline or it may just be a small drop for athleticism, it'll be something to watch.
2) Can this team find a way to draw more fouls: This was a top offensive team in the league so this is a bit of a nitpick but they were bottom 10 in FTAs last season. They could likely go from a top offense to THE top offense if they could get more attempts at the line
3) Can this team find a way to force more turnovers: Again nitpicking here because you are talking about a team that was the best defensive team in the league but this was the one area on that end that they were simply average. If this moves into the good territory it'll be hard for a team to knock them out of that top spot defensively.
Bamberg Brose Baskets
1) Can Bob Kurland live up to the mini-max he received: Bob Kurland was one of five players to get paid big money this off-season (there were others but they were most 1+TO deals) and he had a very impressive year that to earn that contract. In fact he was offered maximum contracts but multiple teams and even at one point was leaning towards signing a max deal in Chicago. Averaging basically 21 PPG | 8 RPG | 2 APG | 2.4 BPG on nearly 60% shooting. He was a star but I think Bamberg's team will be looking for him to be a superstar and help out a bit more, especially on the defensive end as they find their identity. Can they get past him nearly jumping ship to America this summer and become stronger as a unit? Only time will tell.
2) Detlef Schrempf or Jerry Stackhouse at SF: So this is an interesting battle because Stackhouse is probably better suited for the SG spot but Schrempf was unquestionably the weak link in not only this starting lineup but on this entire roster out of guys that got consistent minutes. Will Stackhouse show enough to unseat him or will Schrempf get another go at it?
3) Wayman Tisdale or Nikola Jokic at PF: This one is probably going to be Wayman Tisdale again because he put up impressive scoring numbers last season and even though his FG% was below 50% you probably can attribute that to the talent that was around him. However the team that brings a bit more rebounding and defense so this will be a battle to watch.
4) Can this team find a way to limit their turnovers: 25th in the league in total turnovers (with 1st obviously being the lowest amount) and 26th in TO%, this was obviously a problem for their offense and in turn their defense. Definitely will be something that they should try to limit going forward.
5) Can this team find their identity: This team wasn't particularly bad on either end of the floor as they were 14th in both defensive and offensive efficiency. But I wouldn't call that very good either as they were probably closer to average on both sides. It would do a lot for their win total if they could move into the top 8-10 in one area even if the other remains average-ish.
6) Will they be a stronger defensive rebounding team this season: This team was a very good offensive rebounding team but were below average on the other end. If they can find someway to get better at finishing off defensive possessions this could go a long way in helping them become a stronger defensive team.
7) Can they find a way to get more perimeter help (ball movement, 3-point shooting): This team was one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the league last season, they didn't take many and they didn't make many (bottom 6 in both). Outside of Schrempf, who just made it, no one on their roster made even 1 per game from long range. This isn't a huge issue since they are an attacking team but if they could become even average here they'd be doing a lot for their offense. Also another perimeter thing to touch on is their passing, they are only average here with Pee Wee being their only consistent ball mover. Moving the ball more while not getting worse in regards to turnovers could help their offensive efficiency shoot up.
Chicago Bulls
1) Will Mike Conley develop into Charles Barkley's robin: I talked about this in the East Preview but with Nichols being a backup and a year older, Conley needs to take the next step and become the 2nd best player on the team. He'll also be in the spotlight because with his new contract he now has higher expectations.
2) Will this team find a way to limit fouls: This team had the 9th most fouls in the league last season and whether you have the best player in the game or not, you don't want that to be the case with the increased importance of Free Throw shooting in Ultimate ABCA
3) How will Jack Nichols fare in TC: Again something I mentioned in the preview article but Nichols is going to potentially see some type of decline in TC (maybe not a large one) and with his minutes dropping towards the end of last season, this will determine how much he is used in Chicago this season.
Boston Celtics
1) Chris Paul - Will he prove that he is the best prospect from this draft: CP3 is going to be good, lets get that out of the way. The two questions are A) How good? and B) How soon?. We should get a few answers after this first Training Camp.
2) Who starts at the SF & SG spots: A few hours ago Don Buse had the SG spot on lock but he was recently traded in a deal to acquire more picks. This season is all about the development of Jeff Green, Chris Paul and Thad Young but who fills in the placeholder spots for the season?
Moscow CSKA
1) What does the starting lineup look like: This team is completely different than it was to end the year with all starters outside of Antonio McDyess gone. So assume he starts next year, who do we see step into the roles left by the other 4 guys. Some are a bit obvious maybe but it's still something to watch for. Especially at the guard spots where I think there is a lack of truly interesting prospects for this team so it'll be interesting to see what they do there.
2) Where are the shooters? This team's focus is obviously on youth and rebuilding this year but it's strange to see a team that was near the best we've seen in any ABCA from long range with very few shooters on their roster now. Do they develop a new system around the talent the have now or is this just a stopgap group before the shooters return?
3) Can Julius Randle become a 20 PPG scorer: Julius Randle had an excellent rookie season but now he will be expected to be even better. Can he crack the 20 point mark for this team and become a legit star to build around?
Newcastle Eagles
1) Can they stay healthy: Many believe that this was likely a playoff team that couldn't stay healthy when it mattered. All together they lost 44 games from their five starters last year. If the Eurasian Conference continues to be as tough as it was last season, that won't cut it even with Hakeem.
2) Can this team find some more offense: Defensively this team was solid at 11th best in the league but they were only middle of the pack on the offensive end. They obviously have Hakeem who is going to be instant offense as long as they have him but can Zoran become a more efficient 2nd option and if not can they find someone who will be
3) Can Hakeem be even better: Hakeem was great, probably the 2nd best player in the league behind Barkley. He's only 26 years old though so the question is, can he get even better and potentially bridge the gap between #1 and #2.
Rio de Janerio Flamengo
1) Can this team build on their playoff appearance: No one would've expected this team to not only make it to the 2nd round of the post season but beat the reigning MVP, Charles Barkley to do it. Can Terry Porter and Viktor Zubkov lead this team even further as Rimas and Dino get even better.
2) Who is the starting wing with Rimas - Jimmy Walker or Monty Williams: Two defense first guys that played well for them last season. Monty is the younger guy which may be why he got the chance to start last year. It also may be that Rimas is seen as a SG for the most part but if Jimmy is the better player coming out of pre-season, do you move him up to SF (at least to start) and give Jimmy a shot?
Brazil Franca BC
1) Who will be the GM of this team? More so than any player that they have on this team, the key to this team's success will be finding a GM that can put the nice pieces they have together properly.
2) Was Dave DeBusschere the right pick? This really isn't one that will be answered this season but Dave DeBusschere has been called a questionable pick by Brazil. However with a 6'9 SF, will it really hurt to pair him with a 6'6 PF? DeBusschere will need some time and likely will be looked at poorly for year one and two of his career but maybe he can put up some solid numbers to show people that there is some potential there.
Taipei Fubon Braves
1) Who emerges as the star prospect on this roster: Whether it be Benji, Gordon, Lavine or none of the above there are a decent amount of guys with interesting skillsets so TC will be huge in determining if any of them are going to be "the guy" for this roster.
2) Who starts at PG: This team just drafted quite a few PGs with Raymond Felton, Nate Robinson and maybe even Monta Ellis but none of them really stand out from the group. Raymond Felton was the highest drafted but i'm sure that this battle is still up in the air with TC as the deciding factor.
3) Who starts at Center: Bryant Reeves seems to have the spot as of right now but Samuel Dalembert seems to be the stronger defensive prospect. If he has a good training camp compared to Reeves, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get the start early on as his defense may compliment the athletic Gordon better.
Washington Generals
1) How good can Hondo be right away? Barring an awful training camp, Hondo is in good shape for a potential ROTY run. He is paired up with two guys that will focus more on defense early on (but will score some because they need to) so he could be another young guy that comes in and puts up 20 right out the gate. If he does will that change Washington's rebuild plan?
2) Can the Andrew Bogut + Leroy Ellis duo work? Like I mentioned above, these two are both more defense than anything so there may not be a lot of offense coming out of the post. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but how the coexist will be something to watch.
3) Will any randoms turn into keepers for Washington? Right now there are 3 players of interest in Washington however we all know that can change with some Training Camp magic. Will anyone develop into a 4th (or 5th) piece of the puzzle for this young team ?
Harlem Globetrotters
1) Will Dr. J continue to grow as a superstar? Julius Erving was pretty damn good last season as the best Small Forward in the league but there seems to be even more potential there for him. How much better will he get? Will it be just minor improvements or does Dr. J have another level he can get to?
2) Eddy Curry's success in Harlem: Will we see Eddy Curry carry over what he did on the Raptors or was that a case of good statistics on a bad team. If he can give this team 17 PPG on average then they definitely will be improved from last season.
3) John Starks and the Shooting Guard spot: Unless a trade is made, John Starks is the starter at shooting guard for this team. Can he improve on what he did last year so that he isn't the weak link in the starting lineup?
Vancouver Grizzlies
1) Can they repeat in Year Two? The jokes of the year one title not mattering started immediately after the Vancouver Grizzlies won the title over the Auckland Breakers last season. The best way to silence those jokes is to do it again this season but the question is can they? Frazier and Sabonis is likely still the only pairing of two top ten players but do they have the depth on their roster to surround them as other teams begin to get deeper?
2) Was the decision to swap Leroy Edwards for Sam Perkins the right one? Last season Leroy Edwards was the team's 3rd best player and their fallback option if one of the big 2 were off. This off-season they traded him+ some other pieces for sharpshooting PF Sam Perkins. Perkins adds more shooting to an already top 10 3-point shooting team and in my eyes is the stronger player but only time will tell if the fit is as good.
New Orleans Jazz
1) Will they stay the course or will they go for it? There has been a decent amount of talk recently about the Jazz potentially making some moves to get into the post season as rival GM John Scott has began to make his push with his Timberwolves. I personally think this team could benefit most from being patient, adding another lotto pick, and then going for it next season as America gets a bit older
2) Can Paul Hogue beat out AC Green for the starting PF spot: Hogue doesn't do much offensively and AC Green isn't great defensively. If Hogue has a decent training camp then the question will become what does the Jazz consider more important at that spot.
3) Can Tony Parker take his game to the next level? Tony Parker right now is a really good point guard finishing 8th among PGs in EWA last year. Can he take the leap into a top 3-5 spot at his position? The potential is clearly there but the question is how long will it take him to fill it.
Zagreb KK Cibona
1) Can Ed Macauley keep up his stellar play? Ed Macauley was drafted in the middle of the third round of the creation draft by Zagreb KK Cibona. Despite this he was able to have the 11th best EWA in the league last year. To say you got a near top 10 guy in the 3rd round has to make KK Cibona pretty pleased. The question is was this a fluke season and even if it wasn't can Macauley keep it up at the age of 31.
2) What's next for Jason Kidd? This guy did everything that you could ask for your Point Guard to do last season outside of scoring 20 points a night. He averaged nearly 9 APG & 7 RPG from the PG position while also getting about a steal and a half each game. The scary thing is he hasn't even tapped his potential on the offensive end yet. He walked away with two triple-doubles last season and I think if once he fills out soe more we will see a lot more of those this season and likely some increased scoring. I don't think it's too far fetched to expect 17 - 9 - 7 from him either this season or next.
Belgrade KK Partizan
1) Can the Marc Gasol and Andrew Bynum front court work? I have to say that i'm surprised that a team that has it's C, SF, and SG positions locked up decided to take a C with their lotto pick this summer. So now unless a trade is made, either Gasol or Bynum will have to be developed into a PF for now. Neither is overly quick or have great range so the question of fit is valid. I do think both big men are interesting so here's hoping it works out for them.
2) Who will be the 9th - 13th men on this roster? This usually isn't an important question but when the roster only has 8 players signed with 5 spots left to be filled with the season starting soon, it's something to question.
3) Can Marc Gasol become a 20 PPG player? There are a lot of interesting young bigs coming into their second Ultiate ABCA season and Marc Gasol is definitely in that group. He put up over 17 PPG & 8 RPG last season as the leader of this group. He still has potential to fill so can we expect to see him make it up to 20 & 10 this year?
New York Knicks
1) Can Greg Oden take the next step: This has been a discussion for the Knicks team since the season ended earlier than they would have liked. Right now they have a single superstar in Mel Daniels but they see Oden as a potential superstar on both ends as well. The question will be if he can take that step this year barring a horrible TC or is he still another season away?
2) Will the Knicks fix their defense? The Knicks were up and down all season on the defensive end. Sometimes they were top 8, sometimes they were in the middle of the league, and they ended up as the 12th best team in the league. They are confident their offense is strong enough to make them a contender but they will continue to fall short unless they find a way to improve defensively.
3) Will Wilson Chandler or Ernie Vandewedge start on the wing? Wilson Chandler didn't play any meaningful minutes last season but the Knicks believe that if he has a decent training camp he could be a solid 5th starter for them. Ernie Vandewedge is still penciled in for the spot though after averaging 13 PPG | 4 RPG | 4 APG in less than 33 MPG. If both have a normal TC then this will be a tough decision for the New York coaching staff.
Los Angeles Lakers
1) Can Bill Russell live up to the hype he has defensively? At first glance, Bill Russell looks like he'll come into the league as one of the best defenders immediately. But we've seen in that past that those initial looks aren't always accurate. So it'll be interesting to see how good Russell actually is all-around but mainly on the defensive end.
2) Who fills the scoring hole left by Paul Westphal? This was one of the six worst offensive teams in the league last season and now they are without their lone 20+ PPG scorer as they let him walk to the Minnesota Timberwolves in free agency. Should we expect Mehmet Okur or Michael Adams to step up in his absence or will this team be in the running for the worst offensive team this time around?
Tel Aviv Maccabi
1) What is the starting lineup here? I noticed something when putting the DC together for this team, the pieces fit kind of weird. That doesn't matter when you are one of the worst teams in the league though but things will still take some figuring out. You know you have Ben Wallace at Center and you know you have Pierluigi Marzorati at PG but where does everyone else play? Obviously Elgin Baylor starts but they also have Bruce Bowen who they have let it be known is part of their core at SF. Do you play the quicker Baylor at a position that isn't his best to fit Bowen at SF? Do you bench your 2nd and 3rd best players in Donyell Marshall and Kurt Thomas from last year and move one of the to PF? Not only that been then they also have guys like Cornelius Williams, Amir Johnson, and Marvin Williams trying to find their place here with only CW as a backcourt guy. Training Camp will be a big part of figuring things out for this team.
Milano Olimpia
1) Was Deron Williams the right choice? This has been a rough first season for Milano. First they were questioned for drafting Walt Frazier over some of the available talent in the creation draft, then some felt they just handed the Grizzlies a title by giving him Walt Frazier, and most recently some feel that picking Deron Williams with KC Jones still on the board was a questionable decision. So obviously the storyline going in will be whether or not D-Will was the right choice in the draft. He is solid all around but not necessarily special in any one area but we've seen all around games thrive in ABCA before. If he has a strong TC while he will definitely be a rookie to watch
2) Will Hank Gathers, Spud Webb, or Antonello Riva break through? Rasheed Wallace (more on him in a bit) is this team's go to guy right now until Deron shows what he can do but another key in this team improving will be whether or not any of these guys can turn into something special. Spud probably will have the hardest time since he's pretty much destined to be a backup now with Deron in town but Riva and Gathers (especially Riva) have potential to grow and opportunity still available to them. If one of them can get into the high teens this year then that gives this team another interesting young prospect.
3) Can Rasheed Wallace prove he can be a star? The main piece in the Walt Frazier deal was Rasheed Wallace and he looked pretty good averaging 21.3 PPG | 7.2 RPG | 1.1 SPG | 0.9 BPG PER 36 last season. However we need to see scoring numbers like that normally with a bit better all around numbers before we can call him a star and say he was worth what he was traded for. I think there is some potential there (not sure how much) so he'll be a player to watch
Toronto Raptors
1) Who will provide the offense? Last season even with Eddy Curry this was a bottom 4 offensive team and now with him gone they just may be in the running for that 36th spot. It will be important to find someone that can provide some consistent offense if they even want to reach the 90.3 PPG they averaged last season.
2) Will any of the bench pieces develop into something interesting? This team has quite a few Yellow rated players on their bench right now. The hope will be that some of these guys can improve in TC and give the team a clear bench rotation. The question is just who will it be that steps up?
REAL Madrid
1) Will Jerry Lucas make a ROTY run? Jerry Lucas has been called the most polished rookie in this draft by the GM that drafted him and that could very well be true. Lucas while not projecting to be much of a shot blocker comes in already a polished post scorer and defender while also being a strong rebounder and passer from the PF position. He'll have some tough competition with the guys at the top of this class but I personally wouldn't be too shocked to see him finish in the top 3 rookies for this year (not projecting these guys careers)
2) Can Marcus Smart stay healthy AND contribute? Marcus Smart had a rough rookie season only playing in 34 games due to a really bad run in with injuries. When he was on the court he was pretty solid with 15.4 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 4.4 APG | 1.1 SPG from the SG spot. However he only shot 41.7% from the field so that's going to be something to watch as we get into next season. He should be better this year on the offensive end but how much and will it even matter if he can't stay on the court?
3) How much better can Dumars get? Joe Dumars was probably the lone bright spot on REAL Madrid's season (not huge on Noah Vonleh) as he averaged nearly 21 PPG | 7 RPG | 6 APG from the PG spot. PER 36 the numbers are a bit lower since he played nearly 38 MPG but still impressive none the less. But can he get better and if so how much? He seems to have some room to grow on the defensive end but one thing you hope to see similarly to Marcus Smart is slightly better efficiency. I think the Dumars - Lucas 1-2 punch can be pretty strong sometime in the near future but it all starts here with this Training Camp.
Barcelona Regal FC
1) Finding an identity: Last season this team was middle of the pack on both ends of the court with the 17th best offense and the 18th best defense in the league. With the addition of sharp shooter Mirza Delibasic (they were one of the weakest 3 point shooting teams in the league) and the development of Michael Jordan can this team potentially get going on the offensively to find their identity there or can they figure out a way to clamp down defensively and get stronger there?
2) Small Ball in the future? According to EWA Bill Wennington was the weak link of the starting lineup for this team. If Ed Mikan has a strong training camp, is FC Barcelona willing to go a bit small to get their best post defender on the court to start games?
3) How much better can Jordan get? Don't get me wrong, Jordan was amazing last season with an efficient 26.4 PPG along with 6.4 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.5 SPG from the shooting guard position but training camp will be important for him as we see if he can live up to being the number one overall pick last season with guys like Barkley and Hakeem scoring over 30 PPG every night.
Guangdong Southern Tigers
1) Can Gilbert Arenas or Jabari Parker become the clear #1 option for this team? Both of these guys were really good last season averaging just over 20 PPG but both are young enough that you have to think there is more to them. With Parker coming off of a rookie of the year season as the league's best rookie can he turn into one of the league's best players? Or will it be Agent Zero that steps up and adds more to his already well rounded game?
2) Who are the starters? So you've got Jabari and Arenas locked into the starting 5 for the upcoming season but beyond that we saw the Tigers experiment with multiple different players last season so the question will be who gets the nod here. Jiri probably has a good shot at starting at Center but who will be the starting wings with guys like Glenn Robinson, Doug Wrenn, Rashad McCants, Dario Saric and others on the roster. Then you have to see if Arenas continues at SG to allow someone like Jordan Clarkson to get the start at PG or will he slide to PG with Bodgan Bogdanovic getting the start at SG if he has a good TC. A lot is up in the air for this team right now with how many good young pieces they have.
San Antonio Spurs
1) Can Connie Hawkins take the next step towards becoming a star? Connie had a pretty good year from the SF position last season averaging nearly 19 PPG | 9 RPG | 1.0 SPG and now this season with Jalen Rose onboard it seems that he will get the starting nod at PF or even Center depending on if Emilano Rodriguez is the starter on opening night. Can he develop his game enough that he becomes at consistent 20+ PPG guy and lead this team?
2) Can Dante Exum prove he was worth giving up a future Spurs 1st to acquire? Dante Exum is filled with potential on both ends of the court and at 6'6 could be one of the bigger Point Guards in the league but the question will be if he is able to show flashes this year that he won't be an all-potential guy that never produces. No one is expecting him to put up 20 - 10 - 5 or anything like that this year especially when he didn't crack 10 PPG on a depleted Celtiics team last season but if he could put together something like 14/15 PPG - 7 APG - 4 RPG - 1 SPG on better percentages then i'm sure the San Antonio fans will be pretty excited about what the future holds for this young guy.
3) Can this team find some consistency? You all know that I am not one to point out the easy stuff that everyone like to repeat ad nauseam but even this GM has admitted that they have been prone to over trading in the past. They still have some holes to fill and likely will need to make some trades but it'll be interesting to see if they can find some pieces that they stick with for the season and build around them instead of swapping everyone out by the end of the year. They've talked about slowing it down a bit so I think it'll be interesting to see.
Seattle Supersonics
1) Can Eddie Jones prove that he was worth his contract? Eddie Jones was one of five players to get paid this summer and of the five Eddie Jones is the one that people claimed was probably the worst offender of getting paid because there was money to spend and not many options. The Seattle GM has already announced that EJ will be their starting Small Forward if not traded by the start of the season and personally I don't really like that idea since I don't think EJ is much of a post defender. So it'll be interesting to see but the most important thing for him will be getting his offense going. You can't be a maximum player if your shooting under 40% from the field. If he can get to a respectable percentage which would also result in his PPG going up (maybe to like 15 PPG on 45% shooting) then coupled with his elite perimeter defense, he may not look as bad as a big money player.
2) Can Joel Embiid take a step up and become a star player? There were a lot of raw big men that came into the league last year and ended up putting up PPG in the high teens and early 20s but Joel Embiid was not one of those players. I think along with one of my favorites, KC Jones, Embiid is looked at as one of the future cornerstones for this roster. However he will have to do better than 13 PPG | 7 RPG if he wants to really be considered that. I think he for certain will be a good starter but whether or not he will be a star will be decided in his development.
3) Can KC Jones live up to the hype? So I know this is a strange question to ask as the main person that really got the KC Jones hype train rolling with my roundtable responses. But that's just the problem, I mentioned KC Jones as an undermentioned and underrated prospect that could potentially slip out of the top 10 in the roundtable and then right after that it seemed like I was hearing KC Jones' name no matter who I spoke to about the draft. My question isn't asking whether or not KC Jones will be good because as long as TC goes normally, he definitely will be. However if his good this year is 14 PPG | 6 APG | 1.5 SPG with good defense will some of the GMs that are hyping him up going to be disappointed?
Minnesota Timberwolves
1) Who will be their Point Guard?
2-5 this team is awesome in my eyes. They've got a guy who flew under the radar because of the team he played on at shooting guard, a rising star at SF, a rising superstar at PF and a guy that should be on the Knicks at Center. But then I look at their Point Guard situation and wonder if it is going to be a major problem for them. Right now they have Doug Skinner and their rookie Guy Rodger at PG right now. Guy could be solid long term but right now he's not a starting point on a title team unless he has a monster Training Camp. So that would be something I question for this team heading in, will the Point Guard situation be settled or will that be something opposing teams can look to exploit all season.
2) Do they have enough depth to compete? This was going to be a question for this team before today's trade of Dougie McBuckets but now it becomes an even more prominent one. Like I said before this is a team with a stellar starting lineup but do they have enough talent coming off the pine? Right now you could say that Woody Sauldsberry and Channing Frye who are both rookies are the best guys off the bench and i'm not sure that's enough. Do I think this team is a playoff team regardless of their bench? Of course I do because without any of their guys dying i'm not sure there is a better top 4 in the league. Do I think this team is going to win a title with this bench? I'm iffy on this at best because I noticed in the post season you need at least one guy coming off the bench and pouring in double digits points to really be effective.
3) Who's team is this Patrick Ewing or Kevin Garnett's? This isn't really a serious storyline but I thought it'd be one to look at nonetheless. So at first glance for this team you have Patrick Ewing who is the newest member of this team but also probably the best and the leader of this team, but what if he wasn't? Ewing was a top 7 player last year according to EWA putting up 25 PPG | 9 RPG | 2 BPG as the main option on Cairo Zamalek which is super impressive. However he wasn't alone near the top of league as he was joined by his now teammate Kevin Garnett who was 15th in the league with numbers of 22 PPG | 8 RPG | 1 BPG. Plus with Kevin Garnett like I mentioned above, he has superstar potential so I expect to see those numbers grow and potentially push Ewing for the lead spot on this team. So what happens if that's the case? Can these two coexist in that situation? Will one of them force their way out? Has Patrick Ewing secretly been in contact with the New York Knicks front office? Who knows!
Mexico City Titans
1) Can they rebound from their season being derailed by injury last season and come back stronger? So there are many including myself that still believe that without injuries the Mexico City Titans were the best team in the league last season. They were basically dominating everyone and when you look at the facts it's hard to argue against it. In the regular season, Jim Pollard missed 19 games and Pau Gasol missed 9 crucial games to close the season but they were still only out of the #1 spot by a single game. In the post season both Pau Gasol and Neil Johnston played in 14 games a piece with Neil missing the final four but they were still only a single quarter away from the ABCA finals. So my question becomes can they put all of that in the past and focus on not only being as good but better than they were last year. They recently paid Neil Johnston a lot of money so it's clear that this team wants to continue trying to win so it'll be important to see if they can put what could have been out of their minds and improve this team to continue to be at the top of the heap in an American Conference that continues to get stronger.
2) Can they improve their offense by getting to the line more and limiting turnovers? So again this team was great and I had to really search through their statistics to see what I could mention and (if i'm being honest) nitpick and two things stood out to me. Well three I guess but the two are the cause of the third which is the fact that their offense wasn't as good as it could've been. The reason being that while they did a lot of things well they were the 25th worst in turnovers as they were pretty sloppy with the ball at times it seems. The other thing would be that they didn't get to the free throw line as much as they probably should have as only the 19th best team in total free throw attempts last year. Like I said this is a lot of nitpicking but this was a top 6 offense that I think could be top 3 if they just correct these minor things.
3) Can Pau Gasol take the next step to becoming the unquestioned leader of this team?
Last season for the Titans it was debatable who the best player on this team was. Some thought it was the high scoring guard Sergei Belov and other thought it was the young big man Pau Gasol. Either way it was a pretty close contest and even if you want to go by EWA you can't because Gasol's was thrown off by his regular season ending injury. But this year I think Pau has a good chance to take a step forward and become the clear cut best player on this roster. I don't think there are many things Gasol can't do that a big man should so I think the sky is the limit for him as a big man prospects. It's more a matter of when and not if for the big man.
Portland Trail Blazers
1) How will this team do under new management: The Portland Trail Blazers were an overall forgettable team last season due to them not having much of a presence around the league. However with new team management leading the way could we see this team get more involved in things such as the trade market to help people realize that there is a team in Portland?
2) Can Chris Mullin become this team's star? I think it would be a pretty solid idea for this team to start fresh and get a nice trade package for Chris Mullin but if they keep him then they will be hoping for him to be a bit more dominant this season. Really 18.4 PPG in only 30.1 MPG while shooting over 41% from long range is pretty damn good but the key will be whether Mullin is capable of staying on the court for longer stretches as he had quite a few games last season where he was limited because he had 4 FPG in less than 30 minutes. If he can correct that then I have no doubt he can become a consistent 20+ PPG scorer.
3) Who will be the starting bigs? I guess you can say that Zach Randolph is a lock but training camp can change a lot but even if Zach is a lock to start at PF, who starts with him, Bill McGill or Timofey Mozgov. Both guys have some growing to do in training camp and have strengths and weaknesses. For Mozgov you have a guy that is going to rebound the ball at a nice rate and has the size advantage at 7'1. With McGill he is only 6'10 but looks to be the more polished offensive and defensive prospect despite not being as good of a rebounder. Definitely a position battle to watch for.
San Francisco Warriors
1) Can Modestas Paulaskas become a full-time Point Guard? Last season Mod Paul spent most of his time playing Shooting Guard but with Ed Manning looking like the 2nd best guard on the roster this season you'd think he moves into the starting lineup pushing Modestas to PG. Modestas only averaged 4.9 APG so if he is the full time point guard he'll have to do some to move the ball this year.
2) Bill Spivey or Yinka Dare in the starting lineup? Last year Bill Spivey surprisingly lost his starting job to Yinka Dare last season for 53 games. Despite this he was still the Warriors 3rd best player behind Myshkin and Hill last year. Can the fit issues between Myshkin and Spivey be worked out so that this team can have their best players on the court starting off every game?
3) What will this team's identity be? I think this team has a lot of talent and could surprise a few teams but one thing that has to be mentioned is the fact that the Warriors were 24th in offense last year and 19th in defense. As the competition gets tougher this team will have to do a better job being above average on at least one side of the ball. I would think that with Myskin, Hill, Spivey, Manning, Modestas they can be an above average offensive team but the key will be making the guys fit together.
Perth Wildcats
1) Who will be the 2nd option to Bob McAdoo? One thing the GM of the Wildcats and I have both mentioned was that this team is in serious need of a 2nd option to their star Bob McAdoo. Last season they had only 4 other guys in double digits with the second highest being 15 PPG for Bobby Wanzer who is 31 going into this Training Camp. Can Benoit Benjamin step up and get to the high teen, will someone else be the one to make the leap, or will this team need to find a trade to make it happen?
2) Can this team be more efficient offensively: Now this is sort of similar to the top storyline but not exactly because you don't have to be a high scoring team or have a bunch of options to be efficient. McAdoo is actually a key part of this because if he wants to be considered a superstar and not just a star he needs to shoot better than 46 FG% & 51.3 TS% .
3) Can this team become an even better defensive team? I look at Buenos Aires and I see an average defensive team but a great offensive team. If the Wildcats can move up from their 6th rated defense top 2-3 then they may not need to make a huge leap offensively to move up the standings.
Cairo Zamalek
1) How good can the Sam Jones + John Stockton pairing be year one? We all know that last year Stockton + Ewing was arguably the best duo in the league. How will the duo of Sam Jones & John Stockton do this year now that Cairo has decided to get a bit younger and focus on the backcourt. I think Jones could surprise quite a few GMs right out of the gate. This obviously won't be as strong as year one but I think it's going to be a pretty nice pairing.
2) Who starts with the two guards? So Jones and Stockton are a lock to start one way or another but I don't think anyone else is. You have guys like Rudy Fernadez, Nelson Bobb, Ollie Johnson, Clifford Rozier, and Eric Williams who were all positives on the floor last year but you also have a young big like David Lee who likely gets time with a good Training Camp so it'll be something to watch for.
3) Stockton an MVP candidate? I know I already mentioned Stockton in the first storyline but that was more about the duo than anything. Here I want to speculate what type of numbers Stockton will put up as he takes on an even bigger load offensively. He put up an insane 21.3 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 11.0 APG | 3.1 SPG. He may be more of a scorer this season so he may drop by an assist or so (i'm not predicting that though) but I suspect we'll see both his scoring and rebounding numbers go up. I guess saying MVP candidate is kind of tricky with Barkley in the league right now but is it impossible for Stockton to average high 20s in PPG with over 6 RPG, similar assist and steal as last year? I don't think it is.
So enough of that, let's get started.
NOTE: I had this completed and ready to be posted but when I submitted it I received an error message and lost the work I did on the Titans, Sonics and Timberwolves. So I put their storylines back but didn't go into detail yet (I'm working on that now). But I wanted to get this up before the sim.
Aisin Seahorses Mikawa
1) Will Xavier McDaniel take the next step: I mentioned this in my Pacific Division writeup but despite being the team's first overall pick, X-Man was arguable the team's 3rd or 4th best player. He has potential to grow, the question is will he and by how much?
2) Who will be the starting Point Guard - Si Green or Joseph McComas: This job is likely McComas' to lose but of any of their starters it's the most likely to change. Si Green has some potential and could sneak in to steal the job if he has an impressive TC and Pre-Season.
3) Will any of their big 3 show signs of aging: This question will pop up for a quite a few teams but how will the top 3 handle training camp being that they are all near 30. White and Maciel shouldn't really be an issue but Coleman is 31 and while he'll still obviously be a strong player, he could slow down some in training camp.
4) Can this team find some three point shooting: They were the best team in the league at drawing fouls but they also were the worst at hitting the 3 (or even taking it). If they can keep that attack mentality while finding someone (maybe at PG) that could hit 2 or so 3s per game, I think that'd be worth a few wins for them right there.
Anadolu Efes Istanbul
1) Who will be the starting Small Forward - Terry Dischinger, Ed O'Bannon, Ralph Simpson:f Ralph Simpson was the most effective last year, Ed O'Bannon was pretty close behind and has a game more suited for the SF spot, and Terry Dischinger is the team's young lotto pick SF that at least offensively has the highest ceiling of the group. Obviously this will be an interesting position battle that could go any way.
2) Can this team develop an identity: I still think this team needs to tear things down by moving their vets as they get closer to 30 which as we know starts to effect value. However if they keep things intact and try to win some games, they need to be better than 23rd and 29th on offense and defense respectively.
Beijing Aoshen
1) Can they figure out how to get to the free throw line more: Aoshen were a really good defensive team but they found their offense outside of the top 10. One reason for that is the fact that last year only 3 teams took less free throws than them. Can they find a way with their new bigger lineup to get to the line for a few extra free points?
2) Does the addition of Leroy and Schayes address their rebounding issues: Aoshen was 22nd in REB% and 30th in Opponent Rebounding despite having pretty solid raw rebounding numbers. Will the addition of a more traditional PF and a larger SF result in them winning the battle on the glass more this season (they were -.7 last year).
3) How will Arnie Ferrin, Leroy Edwards, Dick McGuire, Chuck Taylor and Dolph Schayes age: Much like a few other teams on this list Auckland goes into TC with a few older starters and rotation players. How well they hold up will greatly determine how well the team does this season.
4) Can Leroy Edwards be a small forward full time: Leroy is a pretty solid Perimeter Defender and is quick for a 6'7 guy but on the offensive end you could argue that his game is a bit more suited for the PF spot. I think he'll be fine here but it's obviously something to watch for.
5) Can George Mikan prove he is a top 10 player: Pretty sure you can argue that Mikan was a top 10 player last season putting up 19.9 PPG | 9.6 RPG | 1.2 SPG | 2.3 BPG so if that's the case then make this top 5. However in some people's mind Mikan had a bit of a disappointing year that didn't show everything he can do. Was he truly better than any of Barkley, Hakeem, White, Jordan, Monroe, Ewing, Stockton, Daniels, Sabonis, Belov, Frazier, Gasol and maybe a few others? A few are definitely debatable but I think just in terms of talent Mikan is very much a better player than most of those names, it's just a question of if he'll show it this year.
Buenos Aires Boca Juniors BC
1) Can they develop more of a defensive presence inside: BABC were a top 2 offensive team and it took them pretty far in season one but on the defensive end they found themselves towards the middle part of the league. Specifically their interior defense didn't seem to be too strong on picking up steals but they were 24th in BLK%, 23rd in total blocks, and 17th in Defensive Rebounding. These seem to be the areas they need to focus on in TC if they want to improve on that end.
2) Who will start in the front court with Horford: Jusuf Nurkic was the guy last season and he likely will still be in the conversation but I would argue that Otis Thorpe proved to be the better big man last year for them. He also would help on defense I believe so could we see them move Horford to Center and slide Otis Thorpe into the lineup?
Auckland Breakers
1) How will Harry Gallatin and Paul Hoffman deal with Training Camp: I mentioned this in the division writeup but both of these guys are 32 years old so they are likely to see a decrease of some sort in the talent department. It may be a major decline or it may just be a small drop for athleticism, it'll be something to watch.
2) Can this team find a way to draw more fouls: This was a top offensive team in the league so this is a bit of a nitpick but they were bottom 10 in FTAs last season. They could likely go from a top offense to THE top offense if they could get more attempts at the line
3) Can this team find a way to force more turnovers: Again nitpicking here because you are talking about a team that was the best defensive team in the league but this was the one area on that end that they were simply average. If this moves into the good territory it'll be hard for a team to knock them out of that top spot defensively.
Bamberg Brose Baskets
1) Can Bob Kurland live up to the mini-max he received: Bob Kurland was one of five players to get paid big money this off-season (there were others but they were most 1+TO deals) and he had a very impressive year that to earn that contract. In fact he was offered maximum contracts but multiple teams and even at one point was leaning towards signing a max deal in Chicago. Averaging basically 21 PPG | 8 RPG | 2 APG | 2.4 BPG on nearly 60% shooting. He was a star but I think Bamberg's team will be looking for him to be a superstar and help out a bit more, especially on the defensive end as they find their identity. Can they get past him nearly jumping ship to America this summer and become stronger as a unit? Only time will tell.
2) Detlef Schrempf or Jerry Stackhouse at SF: So this is an interesting battle because Stackhouse is probably better suited for the SG spot but Schrempf was unquestionably the weak link in not only this starting lineup but on this entire roster out of guys that got consistent minutes. Will Stackhouse show enough to unseat him or will Schrempf get another go at it?
3) Wayman Tisdale or Nikola Jokic at PF: This one is probably going to be Wayman Tisdale again because he put up impressive scoring numbers last season and even though his FG% was below 50% you probably can attribute that to the talent that was around him. However the team that brings a bit more rebounding and defense so this will be a battle to watch.
4) Can this team find a way to limit their turnovers: 25th in the league in total turnovers (with 1st obviously being the lowest amount) and 26th in TO%, this was obviously a problem for their offense and in turn their defense. Definitely will be something that they should try to limit going forward.
5) Can this team find their identity: This team wasn't particularly bad on either end of the floor as they were 14th in both defensive and offensive efficiency. But I wouldn't call that very good either as they were probably closer to average on both sides. It would do a lot for their win total if they could move into the top 8-10 in one area even if the other remains average-ish.
6) Will they be a stronger defensive rebounding team this season: This team was a very good offensive rebounding team but were below average on the other end. If they can find someway to get better at finishing off defensive possessions this could go a long way in helping them become a stronger defensive team.
7) Can they find a way to get more perimeter help (ball movement, 3-point shooting): This team was one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the league last season, they didn't take many and they didn't make many (bottom 6 in both). Outside of Schrempf, who just made it, no one on their roster made even 1 per game from long range. This isn't a huge issue since they are an attacking team but if they could become even average here they'd be doing a lot for their offense. Also another perimeter thing to touch on is their passing, they are only average here with Pee Wee being their only consistent ball mover. Moving the ball more while not getting worse in regards to turnovers could help their offensive efficiency shoot up.
Chicago Bulls
1) Will Mike Conley develop into Charles Barkley's robin: I talked about this in the East Preview but with Nichols being a backup and a year older, Conley needs to take the next step and become the 2nd best player on the team. He'll also be in the spotlight because with his new contract he now has higher expectations.
2) Will this team find a way to limit fouls: This team had the 9th most fouls in the league last season and whether you have the best player in the game or not, you don't want that to be the case with the increased importance of Free Throw shooting in Ultimate ABCA
3) How will Jack Nichols fare in TC: Again something I mentioned in the preview article but Nichols is going to potentially see some type of decline in TC (maybe not a large one) and with his minutes dropping towards the end of last season, this will determine how much he is used in Chicago this season.
Boston Celtics
1) Chris Paul - Will he prove that he is the best prospect from this draft: CP3 is going to be good, lets get that out of the way. The two questions are A) How good? and B) How soon?. We should get a few answers after this first Training Camp.
2) Who starts at the SF & SG spots: A few hours ago Don Buse had the SG spot on lock but he was recently traded in a deal to acquire more picks. This season is all about the development of Jeff Green, Chris Paul and Thad Young but who fills in the placeholder spots for the season?
Moscow CSKA
1) What does the starting lineup look like: This team is completely different than it was to end the year with all starters outside of Antonio McDyess gone. So assume he starts next year, who do we see step into the roles left by the other 4 guys. Some are a bit obvious maybe but it's still something to watch for. Especially at the guard spots where I think there is a lack of truly interesting prospects for this team so it'll be interesting to see what they do there.
2) Where are the shooters? This team's focus is obviously on youth and rebuilding this year but it's strange to see a team that was near the best we've seen in any ABCA from long range with very few shooters on their roster now. Do they develop a new system around the talent the have now or is this just a stopgap group before the shooters return?
3) Can Julius Randle become a 20 PPG scorer: Julius Randle had an excellent rookie season but now he will be expected to be even better. Can he crack the 20 point mark for this team and become a legit star to build around?
Newcastle Eagles
1) Can they stay healthy: Many believe that this was likely a playoff team that couldn't stay healthy when it mattered. All together they lost 44 games from their five starters last year. If the Eurasian Conference continues to be as tough as it was last season, that won't cut it even with Hakeem.
2) Can this team find some more offense: Defensively this team was solid at 11th best in the league but they were only middle of the pack on the offensive end. They obviously have Hakeem who is going to be instant offense as long as they have him but can Zoran become a more efficient 2nd option and if not can they find someone who will be
3) Can Hakeem be even better: Hakeem was great, probably the 2nd best player in the league behind Barkley. He's only 26 years old though so the question is, can he get even better and potentially bridge the gap between #1 and #2.
Rio de Janerio Flamengo
1) Can this team build on their playoff appearance: No one would've expected this team to not only make it to the 2nd round of the post season but beat the reigning MVP, Charles Barkley to do it. Can Terry Porter and Viktor Zubkov lead this team even further as Rimas and Dino get even better.
2) Who is the starting wing with Rimas - Jimmy Walker or Monty Williams: Two defense first guys that played well for them last season. Monty is the younger guy which may be why he got the chance to start last year. It also may be that Rimas is seen as a SG for the most part but if Jimmy is the better player coming out of pre-season, do you move him up to SF (at least to start) and give Jimmy a shot?
Brazil Franca BC
1) Who will be the GM of this team? More so than any player that they have on this team, the key to this team's success will be finding a GM that can put the nice pieces they have together properly.
2) Was Dave DeBusschere the right pick? This really isn't one that will be answered this season but Dave DeBusschere has been called a questionable pick by Brazil. However with a 6'9 SF, will it really hurt to pair him with a 6'6 PF? DeBusschere will need some time and likely will be looked at poorly for year one and two of his career but maybe he can put up some solid numbers to show people that there is some potential there.
Taipei Fubon Braves
1) Who emerges as the star prospect on this roster: Whether it be Benji, Gordon, Lavine or none of the above there are a decent amount of guys with interesting skillsets so TC will be huge in determining if any of them are going to be "the guy" for this roster.
2) Who starts at PG: This team just drafted quite a few PGs with Raymond Felton, Nate Robinson and maybe even Monta Ellis but none of them really stand out from the group. Raymond Felton was the highest drafted but i'm sure that this battle is still up in the air with TC as the deciding factor.
3) Who starts at Center: Bryant Reeves seems to have the spot as of right now but Samuel Dalembert seems to be the stronger defensive prospect. If he has a good training camp compared to Reeves, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get the start early on as his defense may compliment the athletic Gordon better.
Washington Generals
1) How good can Hondo be right away? Barring an awful training camp, Hondo is in good shape for a potential ROTY run. He is paired up with two guys that will focus more on defense early on (but will score some because they need to) so he could be another young guy that comes in and puts up 20 right out the gate. If he does will that change Washington's rebuild plan?
2) Can the Andrew Bogut + Leroy Ellis duo work? Like I mentioned above, these two are both more defense than anything so there may not be a lot of offense coming out of the post. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but how the coexist will be something to watch.
3) Will any randoms turn into keepers for Washington? Right now there are 3 players of interest in Washington however we all know that can change with some Training Camp magic. Will anyone develop into a 4th (or 5th) piece of the puzzle for this young team ?
Harlem Globetrotters
1) Will Dr. J continue to grow as a superstar? Julius Erving was pretty damn good last season as the best Small Forward in the league but there seems to be even more potential there for him. How much better will he get? Will it be just minor improvements or does Dr. J have another level he can get to?
2) Eddy Curry's success in Harlem: Will we see Eddy Curry carry over what he did on the Raptors or was that a case of good statistics on a bad team. If he can give this team 17 PPG on average then they definitely will be improved from last season.
3) John Starks and the Shooting Guard spot: Unless a trade is made, John Starks is the starter at shooting guard for this team. Can he improve on what he did last year so that he isn't the weak link in the starting lineup?
Vancouver Grizzlies
1) Can they repeat in Year Two? The jokes of the year one title not mattering started immediately after the Vancouver Grizzlies won the title over the Auckland Breakers last season. The best way to silence those jokes is to do it again this season but the question is can they? Frazier and Sabonis is likely still the only pairing of two top ten players but do they have the depth on their roster to surround them as other teams begin to get deeper?
2) Was the decision to swap Leroy Edwards for Sam Perkins the right one? Last season Leroy Edwards was the team's 3rd best player and their fallback option if one of the big 2 were off. This off-season they traded him+ some other pieces for sharpshooting PF Sam Perkins. Perkins adds more shooting to an already top 10 3-point shooting team and in my eyes is the stronger player but only time will tell if the fit is as good.
New Orleans Jazz
1) Will they stay the course or will they go for it? There has been a decent amount of talk recently about the Jazz potentially making some moves to get into the post season as rival GM John Scott has began to make his push with his Timberwolves. I personally think this team could benefit most from being patient, adding another lotto pick, and then going for it next season as America gets a bit older
2) Can Paul Hogue beat out AC Green for the starting PF spot: Hogue doesn't do much offensively and AC Green isn't great defensively. If Hogue has a decent training camp then the question will become what does the Jazz consider more important at that spot.
3) Can Tony Parker take his game to the next level? Tony Parker right now is a really good point guard finishing 8th among PGs in EWA last year. Can he take the leap into a top 3-5 spot at his position? The potential is clearly there but the question is how long will it take him to fill it.
Zagreb KK Cibona
1) Can Ed Macauley keep up his stellar play? Ed Macauley was drafted in the middle of the third round of the creation draft by Zagreb KK Cibona. Despite this he was able to have the 11th best EWA in the league last year. To say you got a near top 10 guy in the 3rd round has to make KK Cibona pretty pleased. The question is was this a fluke season and even if it wasn't can Macauley keep it up at the age of 31.
2) What's next for Jason Kidd? This guy did everything that you could ask for your Point Guard to do last season outside of scoring 20 points a night. He averaged nearly 9 APG & 7 RPG from the PG position while also getting about a steal and a half each game. The scary thing is he hasn't even tapped his potential on the offensive end yet. He walked away with two triple-doubles last season and I think if once he fills out soe more we will see a lot more of those this season and likely some increased scoring. I don't think it's too far fetched to expect 17 - 9 - 7 from him either this season or next.
Belgrade KK Partizan
1) Can the Marc Gasol and Andrew Bynum front court work? I have to say that i'm surprised that a team that has it's C, SF, and SG positions locked up decided to take a C with their lotto pick this summer. So now unless a trade is made, either Gasol or Bynum will have to be developed into a PF for now. Neither is overly quick or have great range so the question of fit is valid. I do think both big men are interesting so here's hoping it works out for them.
2) Who will be the 9th - 13th men on this roster? This usually isn't an important question but when the roster only has 8 players signed with 5 spots left to be filled with the season starting soon, it's something to question.
3) Can Marc Gasol become a 20 PPG player? There are a lot of interesting young bigs coming into their second Ultiate ABCA season and Marc Gasol is definitely in that group. He put up over 17 PPG & 8 RPG last season as the leader of this group. He still has potential to fill so can we expect to see him make it up to 20 & 10 this year?
New York Knicks
1) Can Greg Oden take the next step: This has been a discussion for the Knicks team since the season ended earlier than they would have liked. Right now they have a single superstar in Mel Daniels but they see Oden as a potential superstar on both ends as well. The question will be if he can take that step this year barring a horrible TC or is he still another season away?
2) Will the Knicks fix their defense? The Knicks were up and down all season on the defensive end. Sometimes they were top 8, sometimes they were in the middle of the league, and they ended up as the 12th best team in the league. They are confident their offense is strong enough to make them a contender but they will continue to fall short unless they find a way to improve defensively.
3) Will Wilson Chandler or Ernie Vandewedge start on the wing? Wilson Chandler didn't play any meaningful minutes last season but the Knicks believe that if he has a decent training camp he could be a solid 5th starter for them. Ernie Vandewedge is still penciled in for the spot though after averaging 13 PPG | 4 RPG | 4 APG in less than 33 MPG. If both have a normal TC then this will be a tough decision for the New York coaching staff.
Los Angeles Lakers
1) Can Bill Russell live up to the hype he has defensively? At first glance, Bill Russell looks like he'll come into the league as one of the best defenders immediately. But we've seen in that past that those initial looks aren't always accurate. So it'll be interesting to see how good Russell actually is all-around but mainly on the defensive end.
2) Who fills the scoring hole left by Paul Westphal? This was one of the six worst offensive teams in the league last season and now they are without their lone 20+ PPG scorer as they let him walk to the Minnesota Timberwolves in free agency. Should we expect Mehmet Okur or Michael Adams to step up in his absence or will this team be in the running for the worst offensive team this time around?
Tel Aviv Maccabi
1) What is the starting lineup here? I noticed something when putting the DC together for this team, the pieces fit kind of weird. That doesn't matter when you are one of the worst teams in the league though but things will still take some figuring out. You know you have Ben Wallace at Center and you know you have Pierluigi Marzorati at PG but where does everyone else play? Obviously Elgin Baylor starts but they also have Bruce Bowen who they have let it be known is part of their core at SF. Do you play the quicker Baylor at a position that isn't his best to fit Bowen at SF? Do you bench your 2nd and 3rd best players in Donyell Marshall and Kurt Thomas from last year and move one of the to PF? Not only that been then they also have guys like Cornelius Williams, Amir Johnson, and Marvin Williams trying to find their place here with only CW as a backcourt guy. Training Camp will be a big part of figuring things out for this team.
Milano Olimpia
1) Was Deron Williams the right choice? This has been a rough first season for Milano. First they were questioned for drafting Walt Frazier over some of the available talent in the creation draft, then some felt they just handed the Grizzlies a title by giving him Walt Frazier, and most recently some feel that picking Deron Williams with KC Jones still on the board was a questionable decision. So obviously the storyline going in will be whether or not D-Will was the right choice in the draft. He is solid all around but not necessarily special in any one area but we've seen all around games thrive in ABCA before. If he has a strong TC while he will definitely be a rookie to watch
2) Will Hank Gathers, Spud Webb, or Antonello Riva break through? Rasheed Wallace (more on him in a bit) is this team's go to guy right now until Deron shows what he can do but another key in this team improving will be whether or not any of these guys can turn into something special. Spud probably will have the hardest time since he's pretty much destined to be a backup now with Deron in town but Riva and Gathers (especially Riva) have potential to grow and opportunity still available to them. If one of them can get into the high teens this year then that gives this team another interesting young prospect.
3) Can Rasheed Wallace prove he can be a star? The main piece in the Walt Frazier deal was Rasheed Wallace and he looked pretty good averaging 21.3 PPG | 7.2 RPG | 1.1 SPG | 0.9 BPG PER 36 last season. However we need to see scoring numbers like that normally with a bit better all around numbers before we can call him a star and say he was worth what he was traded for. I think there is some potential there (not sure how much) so he'll be a player to watch
Toronto Raptors
1) Who will provide the offense? Last season even with Eddy Curry this was a bottom 4 offensive team and now with him gone they just may be in the running for that 36th spot. It will be important to find someone that can provide some consistent offense if they even want to reach the 90.3 PPG they averaged last season.
2) Will any of the bench pieces develop into something interesting? This team has quite a few Yellow rated players on their bench right now. The hope will be that some of these guys can improve in TC and give the team a clear bench rotation. The question is just who will it be that steps up?
REAL Madrid
1) Will Jerry Lucas make a ROTY run? Jerry Lucas has been called the most polished rookie in this draft by the GM that drafted him and that could very well be true. Lucas while not projecting to be much of a shot blocker comes in already a polished post scorer and defender while also being a strong rebounder and passer from the PF position. He'll have some tough competition with the guys at the top of this class but I personally wouldn't be too shocked to see him finish in the top 3 rookies for this year (not projecting these guys careers)
2) Can Marcus Smart stay healthy AND contribute? Marcus Smart had a rough rookie season only playing in 34 games due to a really bad run in with injuries. When he was on the court he was pretty solid with 15.4 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 4.4 APG | 1.1 SPG from the SG spot. However he only shot 41.7% from the field so that's going to be something to watch as we get into next season. He should be better this year on the offensive end but how much and will it even matter if he can't stay on the court?
3) How much better can Dumars get? Joe Dumars was probably the lone bright spot on REAL Madrid's season (not huge on Noah Vonleh) as he averaged nearly 21 PPG | 7 RPG | 6 APG from the PG spot. PER 36 the numbers are a bit lower since he played nearly 38 MPG but still impressive none the less. But can he get better and if so how much? He seems to have some room to grow on the defensive end but one thing you hope to see similarly to Marcus Smart is slightly better efficiency. I think the Dumars - Lucas 1-2 punch can be pretty strong sometime in the near future but it all starts here with this Training Camp.
Barcelona Regal FC
1) Finding an identity: Last season this team was middle of the pack on both ends of the court with the 17th best offense and the 18th best defense in the league. With the addition of sharp shooter Mirza Delibasic (they were one of the weakest 3 point shooting teams in the league) and the development of Michael Jordan can this team potentially get going on the offensively to find their identity there or can they figure out a way to clamp down defensively and get stronger there?
2) Small Ball in the future? According to EWA Bill Wennington was the weak link of the starting lineup for this team. If Ed Mikan has a strong training camp, is FC Barcelona willing to go a bit small to get their best post defender on the court to start games?
3) How much better can Jordan get? Don't get me wrong, Jordan was amazing last season with an efficient 26.4 PPG along with 6.4 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.5 SPG from the shooting guard position but training camp will be important for him as we see if he can live up to being the number one overall pick last season with guys like Barkley and Hakeem scoring over 30 PPG every night.
Guangdong Southern Tigers
1) Can Gilbert Arenas or Jabari Parker become the clear #1 option for this team? Both of these guys were really good last season averaging just over 20 PPG but both are young enough that you have to think there is more to them. With Parker coming off of a rookie of the year season as the league's best rookie can he turn into one of the league's best players? Or will it be Agent Zero that steps up and adds more to his already well rounded game?
2) Who are the starters? So you've got Jabari and Arenas locked into the starting 5 for the upcoming season but beyond that we saw the Tigers experiment with multiple different players last season so the question will be who gets the nod here. Jiri probably has a good shot at starting at Center but who will be the starting wings with guys like Glenn Robinson, Doug Wrenn, Rashad McCants, Dario Saric and others on the roster. Then you have to see if Arenas continues at SG to allow someone like Jordan Clarkson to get the start at PG or will he slide to PG with Bodgan Bogdanovic getting the start at SG if he has a good TC. A lot is up in the air for this team right now with how many good young pieces they have.
San Antonio Spurs
1) Can Connie Hawkins take the next step towards becoming a star? Connie had a pretty good year from the SF position last season averaging nearly 19 PPG | 9 RPG | 1.0 SPG and now this season with Jalen Rose onboard it seems that he will get the starting nod at PF or even Center depending on if Emilano Rodriguez is the starter on opening night. Can he develop his game enough that he becomes at consistent 20+ PPG guy and lead this team?
2) Can Dante Exum prove he was worth giving up a future Spurs 1st to acquire? Dante Exum is filled with potential on both ends of the court and at 6'6 could be one of the bigger Point Guards in the league but the question will be if he is able to show flashes this year that he won't be an all-potential guy that never produces. No one is expecting him to put up 20 - 10 - 5 or anything like that this year especially when he didn't crack 10 PPG on a depleted Celtiics team last season but if he could put together something like 14/15 PPG - 7 APG - 4 RPG - 1 SPG on better percentages then i'm sure the San Antonio fans will be pretty excited about what the future holds for this young guy.
3) Can this team find some consistency? You all know that I am not one to point out the easy stuff that everyone like to repeat ad nauseam but even this GM has admitted that they have been prone to over trading in the past. They still have some holes to fill and likely will need to make some trades but it'll be interesting to see if they can find some pieces that they stick with for the season and build around them instead of swapping everyone out by the end of the year. They've talked about slowing it down a bit so I think it'll be interesting to see.
Seattle Supersonics
1) Can Eddie Jones prove that he was worth his contract? Eddie Jones was one of five players to get paid this summer and of the five Eddie Jones is the one that people claimed was probably the worst offender of getting paid because there was money to spend and not many options. The Seattle GM has already announced that EJ will be their starting Small Forward if not traded by the start of the season and personally I don't really like that idea since I don't think EJ is much of a post defender. So it'll be interesting to see but the most important thing for him will be getting his offense going. You can't be a maximum player if your shooting under 40% from the field. If he can get to a respectable percentage which would also result in his PPG going up (maybe to like 15 PPG on 45% shooting) then coupled with his elite perimeter defense, he may not look as bad as a big money player.
2) Can Joel Embiid take a step up and become a star player? There were a lot of raw big men that came into the league last year and ended up putting up PPG in the high teens and early 20s but Joel Embiid was not one of those players. I think along with one of my favorites, KC Jones, Embiid is looked at as one of the future cornerstones for this roster. However he will have to do better than 13 PPG | 7 RPG if he wants to really be considered that. I think he for certain will be a good starter but whether or not he will be a star will be decided in his development.
3) Can KC Jones live up to the hype? So I know this is a strange question to ask as the main person that really got the KC Jones hype train rolling with my roundtable responses. But that's just the problem, I mentioned KC Jones as an undermentioned and underrated prospect that could potentially slip out of the top 10 in the roundtable and then right after that it seemed like I was hearing KC Jones' name no matter who I spoke to about the draft. My question isn't asking whether or not KC Jones will be good because as long as TC goes normally, he definitely will be. However if his good this year is 14 PPG | 6 APG | 1.5 SPG with good defense will some of the GMs that are hyping him up going to be disappointed?
Minnesota Timberwolves
1) Who will be their Point Guard?
2-5 this team is awesome in my eyes. They've got a guy who flew under the radar because of the team he played on at shooting guard, a rising star at SF, a rising superstar at PF and a guy that should be on the Knicks at Center. But then I look at their Point Guard situation and wonder if it is going to be a major problem for them. Right now they have Doug Skinner and their rookie Guy Rodger at PG right now. Guy could be solid long term but right now he's not a starting point on a title team unless he has a monster Training Camp. So that would be something I question for this team heading in, will the Point Guard situation be settled or will that be something opposing teams can look to exploit all season.
2) Do they have enough depth to compete? This was going to be a question for this team before today's trade of Dougie McBuckets but now it becomes an even more prominent one. Like I said before this is a team with a stellar starting lineup but do they have enough talent coming off the pine? Right now you could say that Woody Sauldsberry and Channing Frye who are both rookies are the best guys off the bench and i'm not sure that's enough. Do I think this team is a playoff team regardless of their bench? Of course I do because without any of their guys dying i'm not sure there is a better top 4 in the league. Do I think this team is going to win a title with this bench? I'm iffy on this at best because I noticed in the post season you need at least one guy coming off the bench and pouring in double digits points to really be effective.
3) Who's team is this Patrick Ewing or Kevin Garnett's? This isn't really a serious storyline but I thought it'd be one to look at nonetheless. So at first glance for this team you have Patrick Ewing who is the newest member of this team but also probably the best and the leader of this team, but what if he wasn't? Ewing was a top 7 player last year according to EWA putting up 25 PPG | 9 RPG | 2 BPG as the main option on Cairo Zamalek which is super impressive. However he wasn't alone near the top of league as he was joined by his now teammate Kevin Garnett who was 15th in the league with numbers of 22 PPG | 8 RPG | 1 BPG. Plus with Kevin Garnett like I mentioned above, he has superstar potential so I expect to see those numbers grow and potentially push Ewing for the lead spot on this team. So what happens if that's the case? Can these two coexist in that situation? Will one of them force their way out? Has Patrick Ewing secretly been in contact with the New York Knicks front office? Who knows!
Mexico City Titans
1) Can they rebound from their season being derailed by injury last season and come back stronger? So there are many including myself that still believe that without injuries the Mexico City Titans were the best team in the league last season. They were basically dominating everyone and when you look at the facts it's hard to argue against it. In the regular season, Jim Pollard missed 19 games and Pau Gasol missed 9 crucial games to close the season but they were still only out of the #1 spot by a single game. In the post season both Pau Gasol and Neil Johnston played in 14 games a piece with Neil missing the final four but they were still only a single quarter away from the ABCA finals. So my question becomes can they put all of that in the past and focus on not only being as good but better than they were last year. They recently paid Neil Johnston a lot of money so it's clear that this team wants to continue trying to win so it'll be important to see if they can put what could have been out of their minds and improve this team to continue to be at the top of the heap in an American Conference that continues to get stronger.
2) Can they improve their offense by getting to the line more and limiting turnovers? So again this team was great and I had to really search through their statistics to see what I could mention and (if i'm being honest) nitpick and two things stood out to me. Well three I guess but the two are the cause of the third which is the fact that their offense wasn't as good as it could've been. The reason being that while they did a lot of things well they were the 25th worst in turnovers as they were pretty sloppy with the ball at times it seems. The other thing would be that they didn't get to the free throw line as much as they probably should have as only the 19th best team in total free throw attempts last year. Like I said this is a lot of nitpicking but this was a top 6 offense that I think could be top 3 if they just correct these minor things.
3) Can Pau Gasol take the next step to becoming the unquestioned leader of this team?
Last season for the Titans it was debatable who the best player on this team was. Some thought it was the high scoring guard Sergei Belov and other thought it was the young big man Pau Gasol. Either way it was a pretty close contest and even if you want to go by EWA you can't because Gasol's was thrown off by his regular season ending injury. But this year I think Pau has a good chance to take a step forward and become the clear cut best player on this roster. I don't think there are many things Gasol can't do that a big man should so I think the sky is the limit for him as a big man prospects. It's more a matter of when and not if for the big man.
Portland Trail Blazers
1) How will this team do under new management: The Portland Trail Blazers were an overall forgettable team last season due to them not having much of a presence around the league. However with new team management leading the way could we see this team get more involved in things such as the trade market to help people realize that there is a team in Portland?
2) Can Chris Mullin become this team's star? I think it would be a pretty solid idea for this team to start fresh and get a nice trade package for Chris Mullin but if they keep him then they will be hoping for him to be a bit more dominant this season. Really 18.4 PPG in only 30.1 MPG while shooting over 41% from long range is pretty damn good but the key will be whether Mullin is capable of staying on the court for longer stretches as he had quite a few games last season where he was limited because he had 4 FPG in less than 30 minutes. If he can correct that then I have no doubt he can become a consistent 20+ PPG scorer.
3) Who will be the starting bigs? I guess you can say that Zach Randolph is a lock but training camp can change a lot but even if Zach is a lock to start at PF, who starts with him, Bill McGill or Timofey Mozgov. Both guys have some growing to do in training camp and have strengths and weaknesses. For Mozgov you have a guy that is going to rebound the ball at a nice rate and has the size advantage at 7'1. With McGill he is only 6'10 but looks to be the more polished offensive and defensive prospect despite not being as good of a rebounder. Definitely a position battle to watch for.
San Francisco Warriors
1) Can Modestas Paulaskas become a full-time Point Guard? Last season Mod Paul spent most of his time playing Shooting Guard but with Ed Manning looking like the 2nd best guard on the roster this season you'd think he moves into the starting lineup pushing Modestas to PG. Modestas only averaged 4.9 APG so if he is the full time point guard he'll have to do some to move the ball this year.
2) Bill Spivey or Yinka Dare in the starting lineup? Last year Bill Spivey surprisingly lost his starting job to Yinka Dare last season for 53 games. Despite this he was still the Warriors 3rd best player behind Myshkin and Hill last year. Can the fit issues between Myshkin and Spivey be worked out so that this team can have their best players on the court starting off every game?
3) What will this team's identity be? I think this team has a lot of talent and could surprise a few teams but one thing that has to be mentioned is the fact that the Warriors were 24th in offense last year and 19th in defense. As the competition gets tougher this team will have to do a better job being above average on at least one side of the ball. I would think that with Myskin, Hill, Spivey, Manning, Modestas they can be an above average offensive team but the key will be making the guys fit together.
Perth Wildcats
1) Who will be the 2nd option to Bob McAdoo? One thing the GM of the Wildcats and I have both mentioned was that this team is in serious need of a 2nd option to their star Bob McAdoo. Last season they had only 4 other guys in double digits with the second highest being 15 PPG for Bobby Wanzer who is 31 going into this Training Camp. Can Benoit Benjamin step up and get to the high teen, will someone else be the one to make the leap, or will this team need to find a trade to make it happen?
2) Can this team be more efficient offensively: Now this is sort of similar to the top storyline but not exactly because you don't have to be a high scoring team or have a bunch of options to be efficient. McAdoo is actually a key part of this because if he wants to be considered a superstar and not just a star he needs to shoot better than 46 FG% & 51.3 TS% .
3) Can this team become an even better defensive team? I look at Buenos Aires and I see an average defensive team but a great offensive team. If the Wildcats can move up from their 6th rated defense top 2-3 then they may not need to make a huge leap offensively to move up the standings.
Cairo Zamalek
1) How good can the Sam Jones + John Stockton pairing be year one? We all know that last year Stockton + Ewing was arguably the best duo in the league. How will the duo of Sam Jones & John Stockton do this year now that Cairo has decided to get a bit younger and focus on the backcourt. I think Jones could surprise quite a few GMs right out of the gate. This obviously won't be as strong as year one but I think it's going to be a pretty nice pairing.
2) Who starts with the two guards? So Jones and Stockton are a lock to start one way or another but I don't think anyone else is. You have guys like Rudy Fernadez, Nelson Bobb, Ollie Johnson, Clifford Rozier, and Eric Williams who were all positives on the floor last year but you also have a young big like David Lee who likely gets time with a good Training Camp so it'll be something to watch for.
3) Stockton an MVP candidate? I know I already mentioned Stockton in the first storyline but that was more about the duo than anything. Here I want to speculate what type of numbers Stockton will put up as he takes on an even bigger load offensively. He put up an insane 21.3 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 11.0 APG | 3.1 SPG. He may be more of a scorer this season so he may drop by an assist or so (i'm not predicting that though) but I suspect we'll see both his scoring and rebounding numbers go up. I guess saying MVP candidate is kind of tricky with Barkley in the league right now but is it impossible for Stockton to average high 20s in PPG with over 6 RPG, similar assist and steal as last year? I don't think it is.
