Post by csdude07 on Dec 11, 2009 22:14:56 GMT -5
The Bear Cave - 1.0
Welcome to the inaugural Bear Cave! Let's see what people around the league are thinking this season...
1. Who is the favorite to win the championship this year, and why? Who would you pick as the dark horse?
Mike - Rockets are my favorites this year. They have four players averaging 20ppg or more, and doubt any team will be able to slow them down.
The Bucks are my dark horse team. If they manage to get passed the 1st round they will get Allen back, and would be a force to be reckoned with again.
Tiger - Bulls! I'm still confident we can make noise in the postseason. This season I actually think that we're stronger than we've been in a while, as we actually have bags of depth, along with a great starting 5. My current starting line-up is Rodriguez - Maxwell - Peja - Camby - Deke. My point guard passes the ball at a 10.1apg rate, bettered only by Nash, Maxwell is a great defender, 5th in the league in SPG, Peja is lethal from downtown, 4th in the league for 3pt%, Camby is having a career year with a 24/12/2 statline, while Deke comes off another All Defense selection. Sure, those 5 aren't the best line-up in the league, but I'd say they were still up there. Bear in mind that Harold Miner (a legitimate 20ppg threat even now) backs up both guard positions, and we also have one of the best defensive forwards in the league in Clifford Robinson on the bench too, we have a lot of very talented players. Then on top of all that, we have Etienne Preira, who comes off the bench at every position and currently has every Player of the Month Award so far. I'm shocked how well we're doing with the experimental line-up to be fair.
I think the Rockets are playing fantastic ball this season, and same goes for the Magic, who lead their conferences respectively, and the defending Champion Bucks will be up there too imo, but my dark horse pick is Dallas. Mouse is playing out of his mind and they just added the best big man in the league. Rozier, Chandler and Larry Hughes round off a very good defensive lineup so you never know with them.
Don - I say the Bulls are the favorites. They still have a great team and have some great depth now. EP always makes you a contender with his ability to great mismatches at every position. I think a dark horse is the Bucks. They have been injured most of the year and when they are healthy, they have a great roster. They will likely be a lower seed due to their injuries, so they can wreck some havoc.
Andrew - Favorite
Chicago is the favorite but Orlando is right there. They both have complete teams 1-5 but Priera tips the scale. The Rockets have a great team as well but that lack of a dominant post puts them a notch below.
Darkhorse
Nobody in the east with homecourt is going to want to have to play the Bucks with a healthy Ray Allen.
I could also see the Mavericks putting things together with Shaq and running the West.
Mops - Hmmm the favorite eh? Well my first thought is the Bulls because over the last 4 or so years they have always been in the hunt and my theory is until the team fails to win they should always be considered. That wasn't the case last year as they lost so now i can open things up.
I like the Rockets but I am not sure they have the firepower down low to win a title. Billa gets the job done but I dont feel like hes good enough when the time comes.
This year I am going to go with the Magic. Sheed, Brand, Theo, Marshall, Houston, and Alain will get he job done. They have the most collective all star cast out of anyone IMO and while Brand and Theo haven't really tore it up both are starters on almost every team in the league. It is also the last year for the Magic to be really this good considering the cap situation so they better win.
Broph - Gotta go with Chicago, until further notice at least. It appeared they may have met the end of their run last year with the first round exit, but Peja has added new life to their team, and Cliff Robinson is excellent as a shot blocker off the bench. Preira is still the best player in the league no contest, and he probably has enough left in him to carry the Bulls, or whatever team he may end up on for a long time. All around the Bulls are the team that if you ask anybody, they would not want to face. Too many great players, this could be their final year, but I doubt Preira lets it end disappointingly. My Dark Horse would have to be Atlanta I guess. Orlando can't really be called a dark horse, the Knicks lost their shot this year by trading away Wang, Houston belongs in the same boat as Orlando, with them being in the top 2 record wise. Atlanta has a dominant shot blocker, 3 big time scorers, in Nash Rip Rahim, and it has the Kandiman inside, who can light it up for 20 in the event they choose to switch from an outside offense. They are the perfect team to suit Big Ben Wallace's needs, 4 players who can score, and him to control everything inside. They shoot an amazing FG%, tops in the league, and defensively they sit number four in terms of opponent FG%. Rip is a great defender, Shareef isn't terrible, heck, even Steve Nash somewhat bought into the defensive scheme this year, increasing his defensive rating to a C+.
Kru - I think the favorite would have the be the Houston Rockets. They've been the finals twice in the past 3 years and they are currently the league's best team. They have all the ingredients to a championship team. I think the darkhorse is probably the Atlanta Hawks. They have a seriously potent scoring team and have the interior defenders to contain. They could be very dangerous come playoffs.
2. Five years from now, who do you think will be UOSLR's most dominant player? Basically, who will Preira pass the torch on to?
Mike - I think last years playoff matchup between the Heat and Bulls showed who is Preira's predecessor. Kobe took the 8th place seed Heat and defeated the 1st place Bulls. Kobe is a monster now, and will only get better.
Tiger - I don't think anyone will ever be able to match Preira's game because he's so complete, but if we're talking about the next generation of elite players, Kobe will be 29 in 5 years time, so will be in his peak, while LeBron will be right up there too, T-Mac, Marion, Wade, Ming, Arenas... there's a generation of great players there. I think we shouldn't sleep on Odom either as I think his all round game will make him a machine in his prime. If I had to pick one though, I'd go with LeBron. Given the right IT's and nice TC's, he'll be a monster.
Don - T-Mac. It is easy to say Lebron or Wade, but I think that 5 years is too soon for them to be dominate. I also think both lack the outside shot to be a great wing. T-Mac will be in his prime at 28 and is already a stud.
Andrew - Kobe Bryant is a good candidate, I think he has yet to hit his peak and will continue to blossom and become a champ with some more help around him.
Lebron is a more obvious choice but Kobe has already had a wonderful career.
Mops - I hate to toot my own horn in these type of questions but you have to look at DeShawn Stevenson and not think he could be a clone.
At 21 he already has these ratings, B B+ A- B+ C A, and looks to be improving each TC. I haven't spent any time in the IT or articles towards him and thus he's still improving a ton. His defense goes to A- when he is at SF and that even launches him higher up. I've switched his scoring role this year to being the #1,2,3 at times and even not an option to see how he would do and thus that is why his scoring his down. However at PG he's starting to get a lot more assists and his turnovers aren't too bad either.
The other obvious choice is King James out in LA. B+ C+ A- B B- A is just crazy and if I were a better man it would be James #1 and Stevenson #2.
Broph - The obvious answer's would be LeBron James, with his do it all mentality, and overall ratings making him look like he will be amazing. On the other hand, FBB has always had a major thing for PG's, and if Tony Parker is truly as amazing as we are led to believe, I do not believe in that B potential, and he could end up being a Steve Nash type player, except with an amazing inside game, and a little defense to go with it. Outside of youth, I see Stephen Jackson and his amazing overall ratings and numbers, and what he did in TC this year with the two point increase in handling, and maybe, just maybe, he can challenge a declining Preira and take the spot, however I don't really see Preira passing his torch in the next five years, maybe he will decline ratings wise, but overall, he is still the best player in the league clearly, and I highly doubt that changes anytime soon, maybe if he retires early, but I have a feeling he may go MJ on all of us and haunt our nightmares for a long long time.
Kru - I know it might seem crazy but I think it's Wang Zhi-Zhi. He is only 26 years old and he's been getting better and better every year. He's also a monster. 27 and 10 who else is doing that? Not Shaq, Not Zo, Not Duncan, not anyone.
3. Name your All-UOSLR team.
Mike - Center - TD - TD scores a little less than Shaq and Zhi-Zhi, but he blocks and rebounds more, so I'll take him.
Power Forward - JO - JO may not be an outstanding scorer but he does avg 18ppg with 13.5 rpg and 1.6 bpg. It was a toss up b/w him and KG, but the league leader in rebounding got the edge.
Small Forward - VC - He is leads the league in scoring, and is a solid defender and rebounder.
Shooting Guard - EP - The best to play the game.
Point Guard - Nash - Any point guard avg. 12.5 apg should be #1.
Tiger - C: Shaquille O'Neal
PF: Kevin Garnett
SF: Tracy McGrady
SG: Etienne Preira
PG: Steve Nash
Don - C: Wang
-Great scorer who is in the top 10 when many bigs are not scoring as much right now. He can rebound and block some shots as well.
PF: Dirk
-He can score inside and out and rebound. I am not sure how great he is defensively, but he can play many, many positions and be a nightmare matchup.
SF: VC
-Great scorer. I would prefer a guy who is better defensively, but he is just so great offensively I have to put him here.
SG: EP
-This is obvious. He can play all 5 positions, is a great scorer, great blocker, great stealer. The best player ever.
PG: Damon
-He can score, dish, and play defense. Nash isn’t good defensively and Kidd is not as great of a scorer. Damon is the best of both worlds.
Andrew - PG-Steve Nash/Mike Bibby
SG-Etienne Preira/Kobe Bryant
SF-Tracy Mcgrady/Vince Carter
PF-Kevin Garnett/Alejandro Camby
C-Shaq/Wang
Mops - C-Shaq
PF-Dirk
SF-Vince Carter
SG-Pierra
PG-Nash
Shaq is the beast down low who will kill anyone who tries to stop him. Dirk is the perfect complement to Shaq as he can float outside and hit the deep ball or bang down low. Also great at the pick and roll. Carter is the high flyer who dunks on the put backs and launches deep. Pierra is mr everything. Nash is the best point in the game.
Broph - I am going to do it by position played, with Preira, I dunno, but he'll just fill the weakest position I guess.
PG-Damon Stoudamire gets the nod over Steve Nash. Nash is amazing with what he puts up in the way of assists, but, his defensive drags him down when compared to Mighty Mouse's overall game. mouse is a top tier scorer this year, with not bad assists and good turnovers.
SG-Stephen Jackson-He is an amazing player, with 28 ppg and 5 assists out of the SG position. he plays amazing defense, and overall could be the player to take the reigns from Preira if and when he does eventually turn them over. That 1997 draft class was stacked from 1-4, but it would appear that the best player of the group...may very well have been picked at four.
SF-Etienne Preira gets the nod here, as overall, his game is best suited for the SF position. He can do it all, score rebound block assist, steal, man defend, everything, which is kinda what an SF needs to be able to do. His game is so all around amazing, it is just astounding. Just imagine if Maniac had extended him to a three year contract, instead of leaving it as a two year deal for his second rounder.
PF-Alejandro Camby earns the nod here. he is a PF for the Bulls when they aren't saddled by injuries, and stats wise this earns him the nod over Dirk Nowitzki to me. Dirk is a solid player, and a better defender than Camby in reality, but Camby is scoring more rebounding more blocking more and turning the ball over less, making him the top PF in my mind.
C-Zhi Zhi Wang An amazing player who finally breaks the hold Shaq has had on the 1st team all league, which goes back to 1997. He may not win the award in FBB, but I feel that Wang’s 2 more points and two less turnovers, whilst playing for a better team most of the season, (Shaq was on Spurs inflating his stats too long) makes Wang the better pick. Yes, Shaq gets more rebounds assists steals and blocks, but Shaq also wastes possessions with his poor handles and sub 70% FT shooting
Kru - C- Wang Zhi-Zhi
PF- Kevin Garnett
SF-Vince Carter
SG- Etienne Preira
PG- Steve Nash
4. What do you think about the state of the league right now? What do you like and dislike?
Mike - This season is going by slow, so some more ten day sims would be great. Or maybe it's the fact that we're not makes the playoffs and I don't have my pick
Tiger - I like the league a lot, my favourite league out here at the moment. Activity is fine, the GM set is great, and the league is about to enter the years of the NBA that we are all most familiar with, which makes interest in the league's draft classes and players even stronger. Ashes is doing a great jobs with the draft files and we're seeing good surprises in the league, like Preira, like Wang Zhi Zhi, like Stephen Jackson, like Paul Pierce, which nobody expects. I love the way the incentives systems work for articles too as people write really good ones and it adds to the activity without being somewhat artificial activity through random post padding. The only thing I dislike about the league is the lack of trade value veterans have, although I suppose this can happen in leagues with such good young talent... it's a minor gripe really. Loving UOSLR.
Don - The league is great, my only concern is how great the incoming players are. I would have preferred lower ratings around. If we keep having studs coming into the league, you might have inflated ratings. If you are building a team of vets, it is hard to compete with younger players in their first year who are already studs.
Andrew - It's been a bit slow posting wise recently, but it's to be expected with the time of the year, and a lot of teams are waiting for the playoffs/draft. Everything else is fine though, things are always running smooth.
Not much to dislike, people talking about their sims more in the season thread would be nice.
Mops - I love the league. I fucked my team up and its painful to see how I could be even better in the future if I didnt get a knee jerk reaction to my GM situation with the losing seasons. Wont change a thing.
Broph - I love the league as a whole right now, Ashes is very consistent with the sims, I think he only missed one, and that was during his move (had he not given us a schedule, nobody would have known a sim was missed this last Monday). I love the overseas stuff, still wondering when he is going to have a player join the Navy/Army and have to deal with the two year commitment and shit, I have kinda figured its been coming for a long time. The draft classes are great, and the draft notes are amazing. What do I dislike about it? Well, he coulda made things a lot easier on a lot of GM’s by not making Etienne….although, without Etienne this league just wouldn’t be the same.
Kru - I think the league is very strong. There are a lot of interesting teams out there and there are plenty of intriguing prospects coming our way via the draft. It should be interesting to see what teams can stay at the top and what teams will rise to the top. I think we're lacking some GMs with the bottom tiered teams. Also it would be nice to see more teams writing articles.
5. Who do you believe is the most underrated player in UOSLR? How about the most underrated team?
Mike - I didn't even know who Mike Dickerson was before checking rosters, so I'm going with him as most underrated. Dude is a beast of the bench avg. 13.5ppg, 5rpg, and 1spg in 24 minutes. As most underrated team I would go with the Bucks. They could have possibly been on first place if it was for all the injuries.
Tiger - Underrated player - Mike Bibby. I think he's the main reason why the Rockets are doing so well, and have done in the last couple of seasons. Sure, Vince is arguably the best scorer in the league, and Fields and Danilovic are no slouches on offense either, but Bibby is the one pushing everything as the point guard and responsible for the best run and gun team we've seen (yes moreso than Tmacz's Sonics imo). Underrated team would go to Phoenix imo. They've got a good core, good depth in their squad, and Lamar Odom who I rate highly. They went real far last season in the playoffs and rarely get mentioned.
Don - For player I will say Wang. Many people were questioning my trading for him and that it looked like a rape for the Knicks. But he had a great year last season and is having a great year this one. His inside rating isn’t very high so teams may not see him as a great big man.
The Knicks. Manu and T-Mac is a great combo. Camby provides defense and Best is sufficient. If teams cannot handle their wings, they can upset some teams.
Andrew - I dont hear much about Stephen Jackson and he has become a hell of a player. Only 25 years old and one of the most complete guards in the league.
As far as team goes, the Hawks have put together a very nice team in Atlanta. Nash-Hamilton-Reef-Wallace-Kandi is far from the type of product we are used to from chip. He should be set for the next few seasons.
Mops - Man. That is one tough cookie to ask me. I know Ryan Belov is really underrated and he's on my team. Its not for what he did with me but what he did instead with the Pistons. While in detroit he scored over 17 ppg and was so cheap.
That said I would prolly not vote him. I'd go with someone like Damon Stoudamire, Stephen Jackson, or Larry Hughes. All three guys are having huge seasons and are being overshadowed by guys like Carter, T-Mac, Manu, Peirra, Nash, Alian head, and others.
Broph - Stephen Jackson… You wouldn’t know it, cause he doesn’t get talked about too often but Jackson may well be laying claim to the best guard without the initials EP. He has great ball skills for an off guard, defends well, rebounds well for an SG, and scores very very well. He was a great pick at 4, but really hasn’t gotten much notice from anybody on just how good he has been playing, until just recently when don put him as his second in the MVP race. EP has just overshadowed everybody at SG, since they can’t get on the first team.
As for my underrated team, how about the Atlanta Hawks. I am not Nash’s biggest fan, but, he even worked on his D a little this off season, and his outside and passing is second to none. Rip is an amazing player, with the ability to kill you from deep, and lock down the opposing SG. Shareef too found the defensive side of the ball, and creates mismatches at SF. Then they have a black hole offensively with Big Ben at PF, however, all of their other four players can score at a high level, Kandi can score if needed, but in an outside offense, he is just doing what is asked of him, rebound and play D. Off the Bench they bring in a scorer in Steve Smith, and a blocking big in Fat Stanley Roberts. Their issue may be their backup wings, specifically SF, but still they have a nice looking team for the future if they can just find a backup 3in the off season. Heck, that may not comeback to kill them, although I bet it does come playoff time.
Kru - Shareef Abdur-Rahim is getting 24ppg on nearly 50% shooting and he gets zero love around the league. He can score inside and out while being a serviceable defender with B+ rating. He wouldn't get mention by any GM if you were talking about SF position. Most underrated team is the Grizzlies. They are good!
6. Explain the current state of your team and then discuss where you plan on taking your franchise during this offseason and in the near future.
Mike - Right now I'm just trying to get many wins as possible because i don't have my first this year. I plan on rebuilding starting this FA because I'll have a shit load of cap space. I might try to go after Dirk since marty wants his pick back.
Tiger - I'm still setting us up as contenders for the crown again this season having originally planned to rebuild. Without any decent offers for Preira at all, I chose not to rebuild though, and I probably won't rebuild in the near future if I'm not getting fair value for Preira. So, I'd probably continue to try and contend as best I can for as long as I can, until Preira leaves either through FA or retires, and then I'll rebuild. Peja has been a revelation this season and was a great acquisition for us. I've already spoken about my team in the first question though, and like I said, I think we're in great shape.
Don - My current state is I am trying to get my 40. I did have to give up T-mac, but I feel Wang is a stud himself. I might try and rebuild in a couple of years the right away instead of what I did with Dream and then Webber. This offseason I guess I will try and compete next year again and get my 40. I have to bring back Rose and hope that Nick doesn’t retire for that to happen. I won’t have my pick so it only makes sense. The next year I will probably try and rebuild.
Andrew - Right now the Pacers are a team in limbo. We are on the end of the lotto and a few games out of the playoffs. I'd like to get Hedo resigned in the postseason and try and find a guard in the draft. I have a couple of players to resign next year so I need to maximize my cap room in F.A. and lure some talent to Indiana this offseason. The main goal is to get Hedo back in a Pacer jersey next season and build around him and Darko. I'd like to try and be competitive next year or the following season.
Mops - Well right now we are winning but its because I fucked my team up going after Crawford and Murphey. I figured both guys were still young and would grow and they haven't done shit. If I was thinking I would have my pick this year and in 2006 and thus allow me to continue to rebuild. I had to win either way this year but now that I am so close to my 40 and making the playoffs most likely I could focus on rebuilding again. I dont have my pick next year but the state of the west should still allow me to win and keep my pick out of the lotto.
That said I have over 30 million coming off the cap and I need to resign Stevenson first and formost. After that I am going after a big time PF/C and then hopefully from then out I fight for a title. I think I am close. I still have one of the youngest teams in the league which is scary.
Broph - Well, right now, I kinda suck, but that is planned I guess. I will have plenty of cap space this off season, and I have Jason Richardson to build for the future, but, the biggest part of my future is having the current 4th and 7th projected picks. This draft is looking nice, and with a nice draft and FA, I could be looking very nice as early as next year. However< I don’t like to count on FA, so hopefully I can add a solid Post in this years draft, and a solid player at any other position, and then continue to build, through another down year. Richardson is currently the centerpiece of my team. He is an amazing player for his age, and, him and two other lottos will be really nice to work around. I have never really had a great post, but, I am hopeful that this draft will bring somebody along. Even better though, I have Seattle’s next two picks, which look promising at the moment, as well as New York’s pick next year, which if T-Mac leaves…..and the Nuggets pick in 06, which you never know with mops. No matter what I decide though, most likely one more down year, although I have never been known as the patient type, I feel as though I am setup very well for the future.
Kru - The current state of my team is championship or bust mode. We're really trying to obtain our 2nd straight championship but the injury bug has bit us hard. We're going to have to win another championship while being a lower seed. This could be our final run with many of our guys entering their contract year and who knows what free agency will bring.
7. What team would you swap your team with, if given the opportunity? Why?
Mike - I would swap with the Grizz. He'll have a top 5 pick along with TD, AK and DWade, so yeah...
Tiger - Lakers. I have man-love for LeBron James, love Billups in this league along with Webber, despite his decline. Gasol and Dickerson are also nice pieces and I think they've got a great balance of youth and vet talent so that the team can go in either direction, rebuilding mode or competing mode. I like that optionality.
Don - Either the Bucks or the Hawks, but I will go with the Bucks. They have a very good big man, a great defensive big, a pg who can pass and play defense, and two wing scorers. The perfect type of team with balance.
Andrew - Houston would be fun to have just for the great statlines each sim. But because I would want a championship I would have to take the Bulls and Priera.
Pacers are fine with me though
Mops - The Magic. They have a ton of stars and if they choose to rebuild after this season they could be loaded with picks. They are in the perfect situation for a direction of a team.
Broph - I think the Lakers. I always loved Chauncey, and I tried for a very long time to get Chris Webber, not to mention that LeBron guy, who looks amazing at this point. I really do love what that team has going. Pau does have to worry a little bit, but that lineup is kinda killer, and, as Lebron develops, should very well be amazing. He also has his own picks in the future, I do believe, and so will be setup very nicely.
Kru - I would switch with the Grizzlies. They have one of the best young ready to win now cores in the league. Duncan, Wade, and AK are very very good. I'd add another player and win some ball games maybe even a title.
8. Name UOSLR's top 5 and bottom 5 GM's.
Mike - Top 5
1. Tiger - He built one of the sickest teams I've see.
2. Spencer - Always manages to built a legit team, and it looks like he'll do it again with the Hornets
3. Csdude - Even though he was handed Shaq he put great talent around him, and had an amazing team for some time.
4. Krump - The Bucks were pretty damn good when he was interested, and they would've been great again this year if it weren't for all the injuries.
5. Broph - Even though he doesn't have the best team he knows what he's doing, and rarely loses in a trade.
Bottom 5
1. HF - Got raped in two trades so far.
2. Crazymike - It looks like he finally built a good team, but it did take a lot of time.
3. LakersGM1 - Still have never had a good team, but Hinrich is legit.
4. Chipper - Same reasoning as crazymike.
5. I think everyone else is at least a decent GM so no #5
Tiger - I wrote a lot about this in Marty's roundtable not so long ago and some have changed. Instead of going into so much depth though, I'll separate the teams for what I have liked recently for top 5 and not liked recently for bottom 5. Top 5: Mavs, Lakers, Knicks, Rockets, my Bulls! Don't like what the following teams have done to make up my bottom 5: Spurs, Raps, Sonics, Utah and Grizzlies for the questionable methods recently.
Don - Top 5:
These aren’t in any order
Tiger- great GM. Built a team that was dominate for several years and didn’t have to worry about the HC.
Chipper- it took him a while but he has built a team that is still somewhat young and will contend.
DB- Lost Marion but was able to trade for Manu and T-Mac. Could afford to lose Wang because he had Amare waiting in the wings. That takes some great planning.
Ducky- I truthful don’t think he deserves to be here because I am not a fan of his team, but he has 4 players with 19+ ppg.
Shaun- solid team, not amazing, but solid. He is a top team in the east and his players don’t jump out, but he has a solid core.
Bottom 5:
Not in any order
Tmacz- you quit because you didn’t want to get under the HC.
Whoever the Boston GM is- Doesn’t have a franchise player and is sucking. They could be in trouble come CY time.
HeatFlash- He has a team that could be solid, but his inactivity is killing his team. No picks for a while and a team that couldn’t even make the playoffs in the weak west.
CrazyMike- He got lucky with Arenas but is struggling with his team. Write some articles or something.
Saga- He is cutting it very close with his CY. He has the youth but it hasn’t developed. He may have to trade it away for a chance to compete.
Prince- I don’t know what he is doing with his team. He is stuck in that middle. He has some nice young talent, but not enough to make him contenders in the future.
Andrew - Best
1.Tiger-the rings say it all
2.csdude-overall great UOSLR career and looks to have the makings of a great team for the future
3.Kru-Has had a great team for awhile now and finally got his championship.
4.ducky-After a few years of rebuilding the Rockets are back on top of the West. Better than his previous teams.
5.shaunkol-he's built another solid orlando team and tops the east
Worst
5.aar-never posts, back to rebuilding after one decent season
4.Heatflash-where you at man? sonics arent looking pretty
3.lakersgm-his teams have consistently sucked,just barely made a contract year
2.martinez-stfu
1.play-http://uoslr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=completedtrades&action=display&thread=4237&page=1
Mops - Top 5
5. Ducky
4. Kru
3. Shon
2. Spencer
1. Tiger
Bottom 5
5. Marty
4. Who cares
3. Insane
2. Heatflash
1. Cwizz
Broph - Top 5-Man I almost feel like raiding the past here and bringing out some of my old Tiger’s Den lists, but anyway.
#1.Tiger-He’s not overrated, Its not his fault that apparently nobody else decided Preira was worth the $9,000,000 and took a shot at getting him, but even more impressive is how Tiger turned the rest of his team into players like Dikembe Mutumbo, Scottie Pippen, Alejandro Camby, and now Peja. His team was good basically once Preira got on his team, the first overall pick he made isn’t all that amazing, but, his team is just astoundingly good, and there for a while, it was even better than that He hasn‘t had to sell his teams future to build the team the way he has, and is set to rebuild when he feels like, which makes his accomplishment all the more impressive….not to mention the three titles speak for themselves..
#2-Csdude comes in here, maybe getting a bit too much respect, but, that Grizzlies team was in such shitty shape when he took it over, that its just astounding how successful he has been….and to think, had I logged in just a few hours earlier that could have been me as the Grizzlies GM, Actually, considering the state of that team, I probably would have been CY’d and been gone…but still. He took advantage of some kindness from the GM directly below him on this list, but that Allan Houston trade was genious, and he made some great signings that offseason in Simmons and Strickland, even if he may have overpaid a little.
#3.Spencer-its nice to be able to put him on this list again, since he is back. He completely owned the rest of the league, leading many GM’s to drop to their knees in awe. The teams he has built are outstanding, and he didn’t have to Tank hard necessarily to do it. Yes, he got some lotto luck, and yes, he has tanked, but the way he swindled all those GM’s out of their picks was masterful. Then again, he did take advantage of C-Wizz….so maybe that makes him overrated. He was kind enough to give CS back his pick though, and start that team back on its way (not sure I wanna know what CS did to get that favor), and combined with the break he took, I think he has to fall below him even with the two titles.
4th-Kruwaukee-yeah, Kru, I put you fourth. Spence has a better track record, and You have the same number of titles as CS, but fewer finals appearances, and his team was much worse off than the Bucks. You still have done a damned fine job, your team is still setup pretty well, but the one year you did win a title was the year you didn’t fiddle with your team, so I guess I have to drop you on this list. It didn’t hurt that Chicago finally got their ass outta your way, and if you were in the West, maybe you have more finals appearances and would be ahead of CS….but you weren’t…so you aren’t.
5th-Ducky-Always a best man, never a groom. Ducky has been Runner up 3 times now, but hasn’t been able to nail that elusive title. Sure, I guess the bridesmaids may be a nice consolation prize, sometimes, but still, eventually he will have tire of them, and finally want it all…His team is the ultimate run-n-gun team, and so far, it has been successful right up until it loses, cause it faces a team that has a better inside game. Last year he was up 3-1 in the finals over Milwaukee, but, his team shit itself at the thought of winning a title, and back came Milwaukee, to take it in 7. Now, maybe they will eventually stop with the fucking around and finally get themselves a piece of the action, but, until then, Ducky will just have to settle for the Bridesmaids, which, although okay the first time, have got to be getting worse and worse, as he gets older and older and his window passes.
UOSLR worst GM’s
1. Idle+C-Wizz-end of story no contest, will always be my answer, as with every other Roundtable I will participate from now on. They were combined terrible. Idle thought he was the shit, but really was just shit….C-Wizz needs no explanation
2.Dmoney-Yep still going with the past here, but, two firsts from your already shitty team for Keith Van Horn and Erick Dampier? Seriously? Wow, you seriously fucking suck…thank you though, cause I like your pick.
3.LakersGM earns the bottom of the barrel in this one. Why? He has never had a record better than .500, fine for a gm who has been around 2 or 3 years, but, he is in his 9th season now as a GM in UOSLR, and one time he has won more than 40 games, 41 in his contract year in his sixth year in the league. Now, he may be a nice guy, but, still winning more than 40 1 time in 9 years earns you the clear number one spot on this list.
4. HeatFlash- Maybe you are good, but I have seen some pretty shitty deals by you. Nash leaving and you getting J-Will was very risky with your pick situation, and boy, did it ever backfire. Looking at the state of your team, and the fact that you don’t have your picks for three consecutive years, makes me think that there is a very good chance you could be the first CY’d GM in the history of UOSLR, if somebody doesn’t get bit before that (sorry saga, but you have me a bit worried)
5.Marty and Don….why marty, because you well, actually, I dunno, but I haven’t seen anybody else, and for a long time, you talked shit, and didn’t show any game, so in reality, this is just to get you to tell me to STFU, and, don, you really don’t deserve to be on this list either, but, I said in the Tigers Den that if you enter your CY, you have to be on this list, and you did, so I put you on here. You got screwed last year, and by now have already succeeded, so its kinda a moot point.
Kru - Top 5
Tiger, Ducky, Basone, Specer, Jah
Bottom 5
Martinez, iflip, mops, heatflash, play
9. If it were up to you, would you assemble: A team led by dominant bigs that could pound the ball inside night in and night out, or a run-n-gun backcourt possible of putting up scorching numbers on a daily basis?
Mike - A PG is the most important position in FBB, so I'll take the backcourt. Ducky has the run-n-gun backcourt, and went to 2 finals and both series were very close, and I think this year is his year.
Tiger - Run and gun is my preferred team. That's what I ran the last few seasons and it worked well enough for us to win 3 rings. Having said that, we still had great bigs in Deke and Camby to back up our run and gunners. If I had a player like Shaq or Zo or Wang Zhi Zhi on my team maybe I'd be more inclined to want to go for the inside focus, but I've just never had those sorts of players so I suppose my interest in the inside game is lost. I love the Rockets though so maybe I just have the bias for outside shooters... I dunno lol.
Don - I have had both, and for me I am starting to like the dominate bigs. I used to be a firm believer of the run and gun style in uosl2. I had 2 top wings in the league, and a pg who could dish and score, a defensive and rebounding monster, and then a kinda mr. everything pf. My team was solid, but we weren't great. In here I have had dominate bigs the whole time (dream, webber, now wang) and it works for me. I do like a balance between a big and wings. The Big will provide scoring in the post and the wings allow him to kick it out to the guys on the wings for the 3's. If you don't have a dominate big (a guy who can score, rebound, and defend) you will get killed inside.
Andrew - It's rare to see a team win it all without a dominant big man so I would go that route. Amazing backcourts are nice but every great shooter goes cold. Elite big men can change a game dramatically even if they can't get it going inside.
Mops - If it were up for me I'd go for a big man that can have something like A-/B+ inside with a B+/B outside focus that allows him to score outside and inside. Then i would surround that guy with players who can score outside and allow the shooters to open up space for the big man to do this thing.
Broph - A team led by dominant bigs no doubt. I love a team who can dominate the glass, and wipe the floor with the opposing bigs. Domination on the inside is the way I would love to build a team. Problem is, there just aren’t enough bigs to make it very logical to do that. Now, you get the occasional good defensive bigs, and of course the superstar bigs, but getting two of them on one team is next to impossible, without selling your soul. So in reality the easier team to build the run-n-gun team, since PG’s are easier to find, and great scoring players just aren’t as tough to find.
Kru - Inside...thats what she said. I think the best teams are always big dominated even though run and gun teams are very fun too but I'm all about the rings.
10. Will Preira win MVP, DPOY, 6MOY, All-1st team, and All-Defensive 1st team this season? Is he the best player you have ever seen in a legit sim league?
Mike - Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if Preira won all of those awards, and I'm sure it would be the first time in a sim league. EP is easily the best player I've ever seen.
Tiger - Yes and yes. I sure hope he wins everything anyway. I've never ever seen anyone win absolutely everything before. Oden in one of the NBNs was ridiculously dominant and won everything bar 6MOY before, so I'd like to see Preira do it. It would be sweet for sure! Having said that, I've also never seen a player win every Player of the Month Award before... so there might be a first there too if Preira can keep it up for the final months. Wouldn't surprise me either way really if he won it all or didn't though... just hopeful he does!
Don - I don’t think he will win 6th man due to him starting so much when Dikembe was injured. I do think he is the most complete player that I have ever seen in a sim league. He can play all 5 positions and would probably be all-league at each position. He is an outrageous player.
Andrew - I don't see why he wouldnt sweep them all. Unless something in FBB takes those awards away because he is coming off the bench he is deserving.
And no, i've never seen a better player
Mops - I think hes got a great shot at doing it. Is he going to Michael Phelps it though? Most likely not. FBB fucks things up. If this was real he'd prolly do a clean sweep.
Yes Priera is the best player I have ever seen. Rasheed Wallace from my old sim league was the closest thing I have seen who had ratings like A- B+ C B+ B+ B and he didnt do as much stuff besides score and rebond that Priera does.
Broph - Yes, his stats are deserving of every single award ever. Its too bad really that he didn’t win ROY way back when, cause, wow… he has basically won everything else. Lucky for the league the best player I have ever seen in a legit sim league is getting up there in age. I have never seen a player thoroughly dominate like he has. Its not that he can shoot like a SG, nor that he can pass like a PG. Its not that he can steal at an elite PG type level, or Block shots like a PF/C, or score inside like a Small Forward. Its that he can do all of these things so damn well. I mean, he is a league changer, the type of player that just…wow…plain and simple. Really all he is missing is a quadruple double, something I have never seen in a game by anybody…closest I ever saw was Derrick Coleman in mops defunct league, when he had 30 points 23 rebounds 11 blocks and 6 assists in a playoff game. A C+ C+ A+ A- were his ratings, but mops league had some pretty inflated ratings.
Kru - Yes, he's amazing. I think it's certainly possible for him to win everything its sick.
There you go folks. Discuss!
