Post by Spencer on Apr 28, 2009 1:21:28 GMT -5
First Ever UOSLR Roundtable!
Featuring…..CC, Tigertecz, Mike the Great, W, Dash, Donatello, Shaunkol, Mops
Thanks to those who have volunteered, and now onto the questions…..
Featuring…..CC, Tigertecz, Mike the Great, W, Dash, Donatello, Shaunkol, Mops
Thanks to those who have volunteered, and now onto the questions…..
1. Who is the favorite to win the 1994 UOSLR Title? Why?
CC – Hornets - They made it to the finals before and I think they will finally win it all. Zo, Johnson, Adams, and Malone all got better. Defense wins championships and I think they have the best defense to win the ship.
Tigertecz - Charlotte - too much talent not to go far into the playoffs, with lethal scorers and a point guard that makes them even more dangerous. They are outscoring opponents by 10ppg
with defensive monster Zo up front that is too much for most teams.
MTG - I'm going to have to go with the Rockets. Adding Keem to a great group of players just put this team over top. The Hornets will pose a strong challenge to the Rockets, but Keem will pull the Rockets through.
W - I really like the Hornets to win the title. It seemed they fell short the last few seasons because they had a few youngsters that lacked experienced but were very talented, after gaining that much needed playoff experience the Hornets are now on top of the league and seemed poised to make a big sweep in the playoffs. They've dominated throughout the league and we've seen the players develop rather quickly. The team has a good mix of veteran players and young players on the team up and down the lineup. It makes for a deadly combo.
Dash - The Charlotte Hornets are easily the favorites to win the 1994 UOSLR Championship. The amount of talent on that team is ridiculous. Mourning anchors a dominant defense. Malone carries the scoring load with Larry Johnson. Adams is a great point guard, albeit turnover prone. Their weakness is their ability to get exploited at shooting guard, but Gamble is a solid role player. If the Hornets used some of their trading assets to acquire a shooting guard, the league will be in trouble for a long time. I honestly don't see another team challenging them unless the Spurs stay hot or a team from the next tier of teams uses an absolutely perfect DC.
Donatello - I have to say the Hornets. Yes they have struggles some in the past years, but that team is still sick. Ducky could challenge that team but the Hornets just have so much talent from top to bottom it is hard to argue against them.
Shaunkol – That’s easy, the Hornets are the favorite by a mile. Their team is absolutely stacked from those #1 and #2 draft picks. Their frontcourt is dominating, and their backcourt more than holds its own. They should win it all.
Mops - Rockets. Dream, Nique, Drex, and KJ. Team's totally stacked and has the best player in the game.
Chip - Right now, I'd say the Spurs. 23-1 in their last 24, they are an amazing team.
2. Who is the most dominant player in UOSLR? Why?
CC - Michael Jordan, hands down. He is simply the best player in the game. He can carry a team by himself and last season's championship proved that. There's nothing much else to say.
Tigertecz - The Dream. 30.3ppg, 14.0rpg, 4.1apg, 1.3spg, 4.4bpg. That's why.
MTG - Hakeem Olajuwon is easily the best player to grace the court. Every season he averaged 30+ ppg and 13+ rpg. He has won more than half of the MVP award. No matter what team he is put on they will always be a force to be reckoned with.
W - I'd have to go with Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. Most awards hands down in the league and has proved his dominance this season.
Dash - Until he proves me wrong, Hakeem Olajuwon has been the most dominant player in USOLR so far. While he hasn't won a ring, he has carried the Bullets on his back for the entire duration of the league until he recently got traded to the Rockets. Hakeem has multiple MVPs and DPOYs and he plays one of the most important positions in the game. Michael Jordan is fantastic, but he has had more help and doesn't quite dominate the game like Hakeem does. Honorable mention to Jeff Hornacek just because he is so damn sexy.
Donatello - Might be a homer pick but of course Dream. You don't get 3 MVP awards from being average. You also don't get 4 dpoty awards from being average as well.
Shaunkol - Hmm, id say that’s a toss up between Dream and Jordan. I’m going to go with Jordan; his numbers are astronomical and I'm a strong believer that if you can win Saga a title; you have to be the greatest player in the game. Olajuwon has the awards and the recognition, but if I could have only one on my team, I take Jordan.
Mops - Dream. 30/14/4/4 nuff said.
Chip - Hakeem, he's just been the best player out of anyone these last couple of seasons. He's always putting up great stats. Him and Michael are the two that really are the best players in the league.
3. Who is the most surprising player in UOSLR? Why?
CC - Alejandro Camby - Where did this guy come from? He is averaging 20/11/2blks a game despite what his ratings look. He is just an awesome simmer and I think he surprised many GM's in this league.
Tigertecz - Charlie Ward - How can ratings like C B C+ B+ C B get you 2 out of the 3 Rookie of the Month Awards in a class that includes J-Kidd, Grant Hill and Dice? Sure, his team is shit, which explains his 20/6/7, but his awards I can't explain.
MTG - The Pistons Tony Dumas has surprised everyone in UOSLR with his outstanding scoring. Coming into the league he was known as an average scoring, but he has showed he can score wit the big dogs. While Dumas was starting he averaged a whopping 21ppg as a rookie.
W - Etienne Preira, the 6'7 point guard on the Sixers should be turning heads in the league and he's pretty much the sleeper of the league, as mid-second round pick he's done very well for himself playing ~40 minutes a game with 16 points per game and currently tied for league high in rebounds for a guard at 6.6 with some guy name Jordan.
Dash - Alejandro Camby is easily the most surprising player in the USOLR. He outperforms his ratings by far, the most of anyone I've seen in USOLR to date. The fact that he can average 20/10 with 2 blocks a game with the ratings he has is incredible. He is the reason Orlando has taken the next step this season.
Donatello - Horndog. I thought he was interesting as a shooting guard with a point guard skill set, but I did not believe he was going to blow up into the star he is now.
Shaunkol - Ill go with a bit of personal, home team bias here. Alejandro Camby has the abilities of a 10/7 players, but has put up 20/10 with 2.3 blocks per game. The impressive part is, those numbers aren’t even on scrub teams, so they are not inflated. I think if you saw his abilities and compared them to his production, he has to be the most surprising player in the league.
Mops - Alejandro Camby. Who is this cat? Dude is getting 20/10/3 a game at center and he's not THAT good IMO. Still he's one heck of a player who's come from nowhere two years ago and will most likely get a max deal when he's due.
Chip - My pick goes to Alejandro Camby. Who is this guy? He's been amazing. He puts up a ton of stats after being like a nobody player.
4. Which player is the most disappointing? Why?
CC - Derrick Coleman - He is averaging career lows this year in Phoenix. His PPG and FG% is down. His team is under performing as well. I am not sure what is wrong with DC but so far he is clearly disappointing after he signed a new contract.
Tigertecz - Vlade Divac - I haven't really been around long enough to know all the players well, but I think Vlade really under performs for his set of ratings. He just stands out to me.
MTG - Chris Mullin was supposed to carry the Hawks to the playoffs, but he managed to get them in the gutter. After having a great training camp, Mullin was supposed to be a premier scorer but he is only averaging 22ppg. The Hawks traded very good young players for a player who they thought would save the Hawks from meritocracy. So far the Mullin experiment has failed bad.
W - Probably Isiah Thomas, was an early second round pick in the creation draft and has failed to live up to expectations in the 4th season of UOSLR. He's played poorly and his numbers are pretty sub-par.
Dash - Whenever this question is asked, Shawn Kemp always comes to mind. He puts up good numbers, but with his ratings you'd think he'd be absolutely dominant. He is a nice player, but not one you can build your franchise around like his ratings would suggest.
Donatello - In terms of most recent drafts I say Sprewell. He was taken 3rd and has yet to be a dominate scorer. He might just have a good outside shot and a defense and never be complete.
Shaunkol – I’ll go with Kenny Smith of the Utah Jazz here. The Jazz were supposed to be a strong team, led by Sabonis and Manning in the frontcourt. Kenny Smith has some really nice ratings, and was supposed to be a rock solid guard for them. 10/3.7/5.8 shooting 36% from the field in almost 40mpg is not going to get it done. That kind of production from a player with his skill level has to be extremely disappointing for the Jazz GM.
Mops - Going to have to go with Vlade on my own team again. He's got great ratings on defense and rebounding but for some reason they don't seem to be as high as they should be. Maybe I’m wrong.
Chip - My 3 are Vlade, Spreewell, and Mullin. The last one makes me sad, because he's totally sucked it up for us.
5. Which GM has been the biggest bust thus far? Why?
CC – Jay - He took over the Utah Jazz but it looks like he's standing pat with that team. I really thought Jay would make an impact immediately by making moves with that team and turn them into a contender. But so far he hasn't shown anything that can make Utah better, especially with some of the talent he has there to work with.
Tigertecz - Outlawz - He hasn't put together a title contending team yet. Very very disappointing.
MTG - Hmmmmmmmmmm, well, I'm going to go with Chipper. I always saw chipper has a good GM, but this league has proved me wrong. I thought Chipper would be able to do much more with the Hawks.
W - Probably me, LOL. Well I wont be biased in this answer and will give this award to CWizz after destroying his team by trading his draft picks away and quitting.
Dash - Right now the biggest bust of a GM out of the originals left would probably be JAH. I think JAH is a great GM, but he hasn't lived up to his standards in this league. His team has been stuck in mediocrity for what seems like the entire league. Like I said, great GM, but just hasn't performed so far. Hopefully he can prove me wrong in the upcoming seasons.
Donatello – W - His team isn't studly and he still needs some pieces to make his contract year. Hill is a start and he needs more than just Hill and Brown.
Shaunkol - Ill go with Saga with his Raptors this year. The former champ still has the best player in UOSLR as well as complimentary pieces like Horace Grant and Pooh Richardson. However, even with such holdovers from the championship year, the Raptors are barely above .500.. Saga has struggled to surround Jordan with enough talent to win, and right now I would say they are the biggest bust. I still would not like to face them early in the playoffs, but I expect more from them.
Mops - I might say myself right here. I've collected a huge amount of talent and yet can't get past the second round.
Chip - Me. I've done jack-shit with this team, and most of my experiments have failed. Hopefully I can make my contract specifications somehow this year or next year.
6. What is the best part of UOSLR in your opinion? Why?
CC - The activity. UOSL has not seen this much great activity since the beginning of the league and everything is starting to pick right back up. GM's are making moves, posting articles, and making the board a community by talking with each other. It is just a great league right now and it will only get better as the seasons go by.
Tigertecz - The GM set all seem very active and competitive, which has knock on effects like lots of trading and possible trades to explore. It helps you enjoy the league more when activity is high.
MTG - The competitiveness is definitely the best part of UOSLR. It is hard to find a league with so many GM's striving to win.
W - The group of GM's that have been here since UOSL and UOSL2 have continued making this league active and great, while I'll be the first to admit my activity wasn't as great as it was in UOSL2, I'm starting to step it up.
Dash - The best part of USOLR is the anticipation of the drafts that come up. The thing that makes this league different is the retro aspect of it. This retro aspect is continued through the league drafts. While I think the drafts are somewhat weak beyond the top prospects, there are still plenty of names to make current GMs excited. Hopefully one of these days a super bust becomes a super stud. That'd make the league even more fun. Oh, and Horndog's sexiness also adds a unique flair that no other league contains.
Donatello - Drafting Dream - He led my team to the playoffs for every year. I also enjoy writing articles to get points that I can use right away.
Shaunkol - Without sounding ridiculously like a butt kisser, the commish. The league is run amazingly well because the simming is so consistent. A league is only as good as the commish, and Ashes never misses a beat. I don¡¦t even know the last time he missed a sim. I also like the addition of points for articles. That didn’t exist in prior UOSL versions, and reading all the articles has been a big bonus.
Mops - The quality of GMs. Its so hard to find so many GMs who are this active and not just posting DCs and blocks but post from the season, articles, random shit, and then the best, drunk shit.
Chip - The activity. It's fun to see all these people posting, even if a lot of it is unneeded spam. But that's pretty much what sim leagues are, spam.
7. If you could change one thing about UOSLR, what would it be? Why?
CC - Increasing articles to 3-5 per year for points. I know that is kind of extreme to earn points but still, I would love to write more articles to earn points and make my team better.
Tigertecz - Having a different team to start with because mine has no talent and sucks.
MTG - The only thing I would want is to have 10 day sims everyday. Everything is great though.
W - I wasn't big supporter of the creation draft from the start as teams will most likely make dumb moves and inevitably quit, starting with regular team rosters would have been the way I would approach it and just have an expansion draft for the teams not yet in the league.
Dash - That’s a tough question, and I'm not sure how to answer it. I'd probably make the drafts a little deeper to add a little more excitement. Honestly I do not care about draft picks outside of the top five because it seems like you need a superstar for anyone to turn out well. I like how the ratings haven't become inflated, but if steals were added every year it'd make the draft more fun in my opinion.
Donatello –
Shaunkol - Hmmm tough one. I’d say rewarding spam. I know it increases activity, but getting +5 for posting 80 BS posts, and 20 legitimate ones should not be rewarded. Not a large problem; but something I would change.
Mops - I think a website that some leagues do for the league where they post a bunch of shit for it would be bad ass. But that takes a ton of time and I understand if we don’t do it.
Chip - Changing the article system, I guess. Writing more per year really doesn't hurt anybody, and it increases activity even more.
8. Name one person from other sims you know that you’d like to be in UOSLR. Why?
CC - Play. He was a UOSL original and I think we should bring him back soon. He was great in UOSL2 and I am sure he will build a great team here. The guy is hilarious too.
Tigertecz - Andy - for sexual favors.
MTG - I would want DBW in this league because he has one at least won ship in every league I'm in.
W - Probably Play, he brings a lot to the league in terms of activity and I think that always helps any league.
Dash - If I had to choose one GM to enter the USOLR it'd be Will. Will has proven to me over the course of many years to be one of the best GMs in all of sims. He is active and constantly builds winner. I think he'd be a great addition to any league.
Donatello - AtScott. He sucked before getting fired but I brought him up in uosl2. He can be a good gm.
Shaunkol – Duce - My old UOSL assistant GM. Had a great time with the Sonics in UOSL and learned a lot from him. Unfortunately, he is a bit unstable when it comes to other GMs, takes their comments a little too seriously. So I doubt he would ever join, but I would love to have him around again.
Mops - Thickduck in my sim league. He's super into Sim leagues after I introduced him and he spends his down time on my league looking at the entire league. Dude's learning on the fly and is killer at these games.
Chip - DBW, because he's just so dominant at sims.
9. Who would you kick out to get the person you named in question 8 into the league? Why?
CC - Chris Martinez - I think he needs to be involved more in this league but he hasn't shown much other than tanking and talking shit.
Tigertecz - Maniac - he doesn't offer sexual favors.
MTG - I would kick out W because he has done absolute shit so far.
W - That's a tough question but it would probably be someone that has mortgage his future by trading away future picks and his team has still not been able to be successful, so I'd probably have to go with Chipper. But I bet someone picks me, LOL.
Dash - This question is tough. I have no problem with Martinez, but it seems like a lot of GMs might not like him. So I'd probably go with the majority here in kicking him out. Plus I don't think Will would join if Martinez was in the league if I remember correctly. I could be wrong though.
Donatello – Marty - He just likes to stir up trouble and really doesn't add anything to the league.
Shaunkol – Crazymike - The guy is just an atrocious GM. I like him as a person (or internet person, whatever) but his GMing skills are seriously subpar.
Mops - I can't think of anyone because the guy I wanted out was the old blazer gm as he was never on anymore and never responded to my PMs.
Chip - Martinez, probably. Was a jerk to me when I got here, and is just plain weird.
If I had to kick someone out I'd probably have to say...
10. Name 2 players that will be drafted in the next 5 years that you cannot wait to see. Tell us why, and what you’d like their ratings to be.
CC - Baron Davis - He is my favorite Point Guard in the NBA. He is just sick and I loved him on the Warriors. I would love to see his ratings be: B B A A- C A
Tracy McGrady - One of my favorite wings in the NBA. I am sure I will tank for him when the time comes. I would love to see his ratings be: B+ A- B- A- C+ A
Tigertecz - Kevin Garnett - I'd like to draft him lol, and see if he can become even better than his real life counterpart, or if he busts. I'd like him to have A- C+ B A A- C in his prime because I think he quite possibly could be that good. Stephon Marbury - I'm a Starbury fan, especially because he led my first sim-league team in the NSBA and was phenomenally good. I'd love for him to fulfill his potential and be a superstar PG in the league with ratings of B+ B+ A B+ C C kind of ratings in his prime. Sure, it's unlikely to happen, but you never know.
MTG - Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett are going to revolutionize UOSLR. Both of these players will win multiple MVP's and be remembered as one of the best players ever in UOSLR. Kobe Bryant - A- A B+ A C C - KG - A C+ B A+ A C
W - I can't wait to see how Ben Wallace and Brad Miller end up two guys that went undrafted since the expectations were so low from the start for these two players, they ended up having solid NBA careers and making contributions to their respective teams. As for Ben Wallace, I'd probably expect his starting rookie ratings to be C F+ D+ B+ B+ (without the scouted potential) and Brad Miller would be C+ B- C B- B-.
Dash - This question is easy. My favorite player of all-time should come in the 1998 draft in Dirk Nowitzki. Another player that I'm interested in seeing is Steve Nash, as he could be an interesting player to make. One of those classic point guards without defense. I wonder if he can surpass Horndog?
Dirk Nowitzki PF 7'0'' 240lbs B- B C- C B- A
Steve Nash PG 6'3'' 185lbs C B+ A- D+ D+ A
Donatello - The Candy Man. It would be nice he was a beast in this league. Maybe something like B C- D B B A starting would be nice.
Gonna go with another big man in Jonathan Bender. C+ C C C+ B A.
Shaunkol - Unfortunately I probably won’t get to draft any of these guys but
a. Michael Olowokandi - The candy man!! Maybe he won’t be a bust in UOSLR? Is it his chance to shine? I’d like to think that at least he will have some boom potential. The guy was horrendous in the NBA but this is a sim, so who knows. C+ D+ C- B- B- A maybe?
b. Shareef Abdur Rahim - Will be a really interesting guy. Put up big numbers in his career, but could never really do it on a good team. Would he be a top 10 guy? I think so, because he has the skill set. I just think it would be interesting if Ashes makes him a 20/10 guy or not. Id day B- C+ C- C C+ A would be good
Mops - Steve Nash
Nash is one of the best players of all time not because he's so athletic and fast but because he's fundamentally sound and has a feel for the game that can't be taught. I think he's the best passer outside of Magic Johnson to ever play the game and his also deadly from outside. His inside game is very underrated IMO as he has great foot work and some how always finds ways to get that crazy lay up in. He is the best dribbler ever.
Ratings before
C B- A C- C A
Best Ratings
B A+ A+ B- C C
Jermaine O'Neal
O'Neal was my favorite Blazer when I was in middle school. Super athletic, could jump, very quick, and best of all really long. Kid just needed time to get his feet under him and when he was traded to the Pacers he finally blew up. O'Neal was a 20,10,3 guy at his prime. I personally think he's been injury bit and its hurt his career. He's also bee stuck with some bad teams and people dont really know how good he was in his prime.
Ratings Before
B- C- C B- C+ A
Best Ratings
A B- C A- B+ C
Chip - Kevin Garnett and Kobe. Those guys will be dominant players. I can imagine Kobe getting A A scoring at some point. Would be funny to see one or both of them bust though.
