Post by ucfinfan86 on Jan 30, 2019 12:10:19 GMT
Rog and I are going to put out a season preview for each division over the next couple of days. We each are listing the placement within the division and if we think the team will make the playoffs:
My analysis is on top, Rog on the bottom:
Nuggets (UCF: #1, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #2, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Panagiotis Giannakis
SG Anfernee Simons
SF Oscar Schmidt
PF Wayne Embry
C Dino Meneghin
Key Si Green
Key Pedro Barros
Key Perry Crosswhite
My absolute favorite roster in the NBN. This team is loaded on young talent with all of their top 7 being age 26 or under. Van should have no problem keeping this roster together for atleast the next 2 seasons with Embry, Barros, and Green all still on their rookie deals and allowing them to pay max salaries for Schmidt, Giannakis, Dino, and Simons. You can make an argument that each of these players can earn All NBN awards this season and they all complement each other nicely. They have plenty of scoring, rebounding, and defense. As long as Embry is ready to be a defensive/rebounding starter, I think they should be the favorite for best record in the league this season.
Probably the best starting five in the league, combined with their ages, the Nuggets probably have the best overall team in the league. Their oldest starter is 26(Simons, Dino, and Schmidt), but all of those guys could conceivably still get better. Schmidt leads the way as a guy that I think somewhat fell off scoring wise for no reason, but is still a top 5 player in the league, and easily the best rebounding SF I have ever seen. I wouldn't put much stock into his D potential, just a bad showing on the page. Simons has been doing the same old 30 point, 6 rebound, 4.5 assist, 2 steal game that everyone said he couldn't maintain because it was on a bad team. Oh did I mention he averages shooting around 48.5/90/45 as well? Just an incredible player. If there is a weakness here, its the power forward spot where Wayne Embry is currently penciled in to start. He looks like a safe bet to do 10/11 but not really block a lot of shots. They have a deep bench of guys that looked like starters developing, but have since settled more in line with being true role players. They are stacked, and I have them as the top of the West.
Grizzlies (UCF: #2, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #3, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Booboo McAdoo
SG Max Williams
SF Jack Twymann
PF Maurice Stokes
C Neon Boudeaux
Key Bob Gruenig
Key Al Cervi
Key Stan Miasek
I really liked their roster last season with Queeley, but think Max Williams will be quite the downgrade. They have plenty of scoring already and think Max’s liability on defense will really hurt them. That being said Booboo, Neon, Tywman, and Stokes as their big 4 is as good as any in the league and they have decent depth with Gruenig, Cervi and Miasek. Stokes took a huge leap last year and thus far in preseason looks like he may take another. He’s gotta be the best young big in the league. Twyman also looks like he’s ready to join the top tier group of SF in the league. This should be a close division race but right now I have to give the nod to the Nuggets until the Grizz can upgrade the SG spot. I’m interested to see how the Grizz team turns out over the next few seasons though. They are in an enviable spot that they can move on from Booboo/Neon in the next season or 2 as they age and get even more expensive and then transition to building around Stokes/Twyman as they are in their prime.
If they found the right shooting guard to replace Queeley, or ideally yet they brought him back I think the Grizzlies could have easily challenged the Grizzlies for the top spot in the division. Sadly for them, I think Max Williams fits this roster pretty badly. I also don't know that after his most recent TC he can still score the ball the Grizzlies brought him in to do. I almost think they should just say screw it and start Al Cervi at the 2, but probably not the best idea. Elsewhere, the Jack Twyman, Booboo McAdoo, Maurice Stokes trio is something to behold. Stokes is a few points away from something I've never seen in A+ inside, defense, and rebounding, and he is insanely good. He looks like a prime candidate to break out for 22 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and be an utter force. And of course everyone knows what Neon is capable of. I do like how versatile their bench is and the 3 guys who should end up with the most minutes can do a lot, so it wouldn't surprise me to see them over the Spurs, just feel Max will bring them down more than they realize.
Spurs (UCF: #3, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #2, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Nico Mannion
SG Nikos Galis
SF Tom Gola
PF Skinny Johnson
C George Mikan
Key Ernest Houghton
Key Ernest Schmidt
Key Ronald Calinoff
I thought the Spurs should have been better than they were last season and could see the same thing happening again. Their starting 5 is solid and Houghton/Schmidt provide decent depth, but they really lack a star to carry them. It’s possible that Mannion becomes the star they need this season, but I can’t help but think they would be in a better spot if they would have just kept Schmidt and/or Giannakis instead. Mikan appears to have really regressed as he’s aged and has turned into almost strictly a rebounder/shot blocker. I do think this team has some good pieces and has shown a willingness to make big trades in the past. I’d probably have them as #1 for teams most likely to make a big trade entering the season.
The current roster construction tells me that Melo is either deep in negotiations trying to even out his roster(3 bigs on the roster will not work, especially with only 1 SF) or he is disinterested and will see his team underachieve with the lack of actual bigs on the roster. I do love this roster as constructed though. Nico Mannion and Nikos Galis is one of the best young duos in the league, should end up doing 55+ a game. They struggled a ton defensively last year and I think that should continue this league, given their preseason struggles there but it doesn't make much sense. Only one of their guys is truly a bad defender and that is Nikos Galis. Everyoneelse is solid as heck. Gola is a stud there and very versatile. Their scoring duo, combined with their prowess on the boards, and their shot blocking abilities makes me think this team should still end up a 50+ win team and finish second here, but Melo has some work to do.
Jazz (UCF: #4, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #4, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Milos Teodosic
SG Jalen Green
SF Zoran Paunovic
PF Rudy LaRusso
C Goga Bitadze
Key Pop Gates
Key Ernie Barrett
Key Cumberland Posey
The Jazz have done a masterful job this offseason. They did luck into taking over a team with 2 huge building blocks in Green and #2 pick, but their use of cap space this offseason was very nice. They were a pain in the ass to negotiate with, but they stole Bitadze from me this offseason. They also used their cap space to resign Milos on a very reasonable deal and received the #16 pick (Lombardi*) for taking on Posey, who should be a good backup for them. Kipper deserves a lot of credit for setting Walker up, but Walker pulled it off. This team may be a year away, but none of the other Western teams really improved and a core of Milos/Bitadze/Paunovic is nice and they have plenty of depth. They are my pick for brightest outlook of the non-playoff teams from last season.
This is a team that I think is realistically only a year away from being an absolute thorn in the Sonics, Clippers, and Nuggets side for the battle of the top of the West. Jalen Green is poised to take another step but one more TC is needed to make him the superstar the Jazz need. Milos Teodosic is such a good game managing point guard if you can't have a superstar at the position, he'll make things work without getting in the way. Everyone in the league should be in love with the things that Goga Bitadze can do, and hes only 23. And Rudy LaRusso, the #2 pick in this last draft had a good TC and he looks set to hold down the PF spot for years to come. The biggest question mark moving forward to me is their best player currently outside of Bitadze. Can Zoran keep up his efficiency and not hurt them defensively? If so they look really set to rocket up to 50 wins next year. The best part? They are 3 years away from paying Jalen Green, 4 from paying LaRusso and they are paying Goga and Milos well under market value for them. The Jazz are set up for a big time future.
Rockets (UCF: #5, Playoffs: No) (Rog: #6, Playoffs: No)
PG Bryce Maximus James
SG Jalen Newhouse
SF Eddie Calder
PF Aleksanr Petrov
C Bill Russell
Key Scottie Pippen
Key Anthony Edwards
Key Marcus Bingham Jr
It’s a shame at the lack of activity from the Rockets and they are going to waste the early years of Russell. They failed to use his draft notes the past 2 seasons and could have turned Calder into a monster. Any activity probably would have resulted in them making the playoffs last year behind a core of Newhouse/Calder/Russell and unlocked even more draft notes. Hopefully this team remains inactive and lets Russell his Free Agency so that someone can take advantage of such a historical player.
Ugh. This is the type of thing that you absolutely hate to see. Russell has been sent to one camp, his offense hasn't developed, and the inactive GM hasn't pushed the needle forward in the right way to take advantage of his notes. Just harsh to see. They have a bunch of talent too with Calder and Newhouse also there. James is such a crazy disappointing player due to his name, but is just not a good player and will get the start at point guard. And they legit don't hve a bench or a power forward. Newhouse will waste the last few years on this dumb. I don't get what the Rockets GM thinks he is doing here, at all.
Mavs (UCF: #6, Playoffs: No) (Rog: #5, Playoffs: No)
PG Anthony Valentine
SG Jaylen Curry
SF Dike Eddleman
PF Jayden Nicholson
C Bud Foster
Key Jacob Gilliam
Key Nigel James
Key Larry Foust
The last year for the Mavericks without their pick and it’ll probably be an ugly season (lucky for the Pistons). They just don’t have very much scoring, or talent in general. Aside from Nicholson, I don’t think they have another starter quality player on their roster (maybe Eddleman). They do have like 7 guys who could be rotational pieces on a contender. If they don’t mind giving the Pistons a top 5 pick they could probably recoup a few assets if they decide to tear it completely down mid-season. Even looking forward to next year when they have their pick, they won’t even have a clean cap sheet with Nicholson taking up nearly $30mil, limiting how quickly they can rebuild. If the Mavs are patient and rebuild correctly, they are probably a good 4 or 5 seasons away from building a true contender.
In any other scenario I'd take the Rockets over the Mavericks, but the Mavericks are going to actively try to win and they do have some talent, while the Rockets lack of activity will continue to kill them. Jayden Nicholson leads the charge here, a future Hall of Famer that sadly wasted most of his career on middling Maverick teams, but doesn't take away from what he did. The dude is getting utterly paid and if this were real life I'd say he was about to quit and collect his 120 million over the next 4 years without much effort. Anthony Valentine is still a useful player, but off the bench and not starting like the Mavericks should end up using him. Heck it might be more worthwhile to give Nigel a long look this year. Jaylen Curry will continue to put up empty 20 point night after nights. Jacob Gilliam will be wasted as one of the best bench options in the league, and Dike Eddleman will continue to surprise me with how long hes lasted as a useful player. Seeing Kyle Kuzma not be good will always make me sad. 30-35 win season incoming, and then they can fully rebuild.
Wolves (UCF: #7, Playoffs: No) (Rog: #7, Playoffs: No)
PG Khoi Thurmon
SG Jared Terrell
SF Jim Pollard
PF Evan Mobley
C Mel Hutchins
Key Hunter Dickerson
Key Clarence Withers
Key Dutch Dehnert
Full-on rebuild and they have a nice 1st piece in PF Evan Mobley. They used their cap space this offseason to sign a bunch of role players to MLE type contracts. I’m assuming they will try and flip them for late 1sts or cash all season. I didn’t agree with trading #16 Lombardi, someone they could have stashed this season to unload Posey and then not use that cap space on anything significant. I guess you can’t really judge though until you see what they are able to get for guys like Pollard, Withers, Dehnert, Hutchins, etc. Since they have so many role players though, not sure they will be the favorite for the #1 pick, which could be counterproductive.
The Wolves are in full on rebuild mode and there isn't a lot to talk about here. These type of rosters are always fun to look at as they have guys that were something or should have been something from years past, like Khoi Thurmon, Jim Pollard, Mel Hutchins, Dutch Dehnert, and Clarence Withers. They only have 1 actual good piece moving forward in Evan Mobley and they should be excited about him. I don't love the start of this rebuild, but time will tell if Matt can pull it off.
My analysis is on top, Rog on the bottom:
Nuggets (UCF: #1, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #2, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Panagiotis Giannakis
SG Anfernee Simons
SF Oscar Schmidt
PF Wayne Embry
C Dino Meneghin
Key Si Green
Key Pedro Barros
Key Perry Crosswhite
My absolute favorite roster in the NBN. This team is loaded on young talent with all of their top 7 being age 26 or under. Van should have no problem keeping this roster together for atleast the next 2 seasons with Embry, Barros, and Green all still on their rookie deals and allowing them to pay max salaries for Schmidt, Giannakis, Dino, and Simons. You can make an argument that each of these players can earn All NBN awards this season and they all complement each other nicely. They have plenty of scoring, rebounding, and defense. As long as Embry is ready to be a defensive/rebounding starter, I think they should be the favorite for best record in the league this season.
Probably the best starting five in the league, combined with their ages, the Nuggets probably have the best overall team in the league. Their oldest starter is 26(Simons, Dino, and Schmidt), but all of those guys could conceivably still get better. Schmidt leads the way as a guy that I think somewhat fell off scoring wise for no reason, but is still a top 5 player in the league, and easily the best rebounding SF I have ever seen. I wouldn't put much stock into his D potential, just a bad showing on the page. Simons has been doing the same old 30 point, 6 rebound, 4.5 assist, 2 steal game that everyone said he couldn't maintain because it was on a bad team. Oh did I mention he averages shooting around 48.5/90/45 as well? Just an incredible player. If there is a weakness here, its the power forward spot where Wayne Embry is currently penciled in to start. He looks like a safe bet to do 10/11 but not really block a lot of shots. They have a deep bench of guys that looked like starters developing, but have since settled more in line with being true role players. They are stacked, and I have them as the top of the West.
Grizzlies (UCF: #2, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #3, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Booboo McAdoo
SG Max Williams
SF Jack Twymann
PF Maurice Stokes
C Neon Boudeaux
Key Bob Gruenig
Key Al Cervi
Key Stan Miasek
I really liked their roster last season with Queeley, but think Max Williams will be quite the downgrade. They have plenty of scoring already and think Max’s liability on defense will really hurt them. That being said Booboo, Neon, Tywman, and Stokes as their big 4 is as good as any in the league and they have decent depth with Gruenig, Cervi and Miasek. Stokes took a huge leap last year and thus far in preseason looks like he may take another. He’s gotta be the best young big in the league. Twyman also looks like he’s ready to join the top tier group of SF in the league. This should be a close division race but right now I have to give the nod to the Nuggets until the Grizz can upgrade the SG spot. I’m interested to see how the Grizz team turns out over the next few seasons though. They are in an enviable spot that they can move on from Booboo/Neon in the next season or 2 as they age and get even more expensive and then transition to building around Stokes/Twyman as they are in their prime.
If they found the right shooting guard to replace Queeley, or ideally yet they brought him back I think the Grizzlies could have easily challenged the Grizzlies for the top spot in the division. Sadly for them, I think Max Williams fits this roster pretty badly. I also don't know that after his most recent TC he can still score the ball the Grizzlies brought him in to do. I almost think they should just say screw it and start Al Cervi at the 2, but probably not the best idea. Elsewhere, the Jack Twyman, Booboo McAdoo, Maurice Stokes trio is something to behold. Stokes is a few points away from something I've never seen in A+ inside, defense, and rebounding, and he is insanely good. He looks like a prime candidate to break out for 22 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks and be an utter force. And of course everyone knows what Neon is capable of. I do like how versatile their bench is and the 3 guys who should end up with the most minutes can do a lot, so it wouldn't surprise me to see them over the Spurs, just feel Max will bring them down more than they realize.
Spurs (UCF: #3, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #2, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Nico Mannion
SG Nikos Galis
SF Tom Gola
PF Skinny Johnson
C George Mikan
Key Ernest Houghton
Key Ernest Schmidt
Key Ronald Calinoff
I thought the Spurs should have been better than they were last season and could see the same thing happening again. Their starting 5 is solid and Houghton/Schmidt provide decent depth, but they really lack a star to carry them. It’s possible that Mannion becomes the star they need this season, but I can’t help but think they would be in a better spot if they would have just kept Schmidt and/or Giannakis instead. Mikan appears to have really regressed as he’s aged and has turned into almost strictly a rebounder/shot blocker. I do think this team has some good pieces and has shown a willingness to make big trades in the past. I’d probably have them as #1 for teams most likely to make a big trade entering the season.
The current roster construction tells me that Melo is either deep in negotiations trying to even out his roster(3 bigs on the roster will not work, especially with only 1 SF) or he is disinterested and will see his team underachieve with the lack of actual bigs on the roster. I do love this roster as constructed though. Nico Mannion and Nikos Galis is one of the best young duos in the league, should end up doing 55+ a game. They struggled a ton defensively last year and I think that should continue this league, given their preseason struggles there but it doesn't make much sense. Only one of their guys is truly a bad defender and that is Nikos Galis. Everyoneelse is solid as heck. Gola is a stud there and very versatile. Their scoring duo, combined with their prowess on the boards, and their shot blocking abilities makes me think this team should still end up a 50+ win team and finish second here, but Melo has some work to do.
Jazz (UCF: #4, Playoffs: Yes) (Rog: #4, Playoffs: Yes)
PG Milos Teodosic
SG Jalen Green
SF Zoran Paunovic
PF Rudy LaRusso
C Goga Bitadze
Key Pop Gates
Key Ernie Barrett
Key Cumberland Posey
The Jazz have done a masterful job this offseason. They did luck into taking over a team with 2 huge building blocks in Green and #2 pick, but their use of cap space this offseason was very nice. They were a pain in the ass to negotiate with, but they stole Bitadze from me this offseason. They also used their cap space to resign Milos on a very reasonable deal and received the #16 pick (Lombardi*) for taking on Posey, who should be a good backup for them. Kipper deserves a lot of credit for setting Walker up, but Walker pulled it off. This team may be a year away, but none of the other Western teams really improved and a core of Milos/Bitadze/Paunovic is nice and they have plenty of depth. They are my pick for brightest outlook of the non-playoff teams from last season.
This is a team that I think is realistically only a year away from being an absolute thorn in the Sonics, Clippers, and Nuggets side for the battle of the top of the West. Jalen Green is poised to take another step but one more TC is needed to make him the superstar the Jazz need. Milos Teodosic is such a good game managing point guard if you can't have a superstar at the position, he'll make things work without getting in the way. Everyone in the league should be in love with the things that Goga Bitadze can do, and hes only 23. And Rudy LaRusso, the #2 pick in this last draft had a good TC and he looks set to hold down the PF spot for years to come. The biggest question mark moving forward to me is their best player currently outside of Bitadze. Can Zoran keep up his efficiency and not hurt them defensively? If so they look really set to rocket up to 50 wins next year. The best part? They are 3 years away from paying Jalen Green, 4 from paying LaRusso and they are paying Goga and Milos well under market value for them. The Jazz are set up for a big time future.
Rockets (UCF: #5, Playoffs: No) (Rog: #6, Playoffs: No)
PG Bryce Maximus James
SG Jalen Newhouse
SF Eddie Calder
PF Aleksanr Petrov
C Bill Russell
Key Scottie Pippen
Key Anthony Edwards
Key Marcus Bingham Jr
It’s a shame at the lack of activity from the Rockets and they are going to waste the early years of Russell. They failed to use his draft notes the past 2 seasons and could have turned Calder into a monster. Any activity probably would have resulted in them making the playoffs last year behind a core of Newhouse/Calder/Russell and unlocked even more draft notes. Hopefully this team remains inactive and lets Russell his Free Agency so that someone can take advantage of such a historical player.
Ugh. This is the type of thing that you absolutely hate to see. Russell has been sent to one camp, his offense hasn't developed, and the inactive GM hasn't pushed the needle forward in the right way to take advantage of his notes. Just harsh to see. They have a bunch of talent too with Calder and Newhouse also there. James is such a crazy disappointing player due to his name, but is just not a good player and will get the start at point guard. And they legit don't hve a bench or a power forward. Newhouse will waste the last few years on this dumb. I don't get what the Rockets GM thinks he is doing here, at all.
Mavs (UCF: #6, Playoffs: No) (Rog: #5, Playoffs: No)
PG Anthony Valentine
SG Jaylen Curry
SF Dike Eddleman
PF Jayden Nicholson
C Bud Foster
Key Jacob Gilliam
Key Nigel James
Key Larry Foust
The last year for the Mavericks without their pick and it’ll probably be an ugly season (lucky for the Pistons). They just don’t have very much scoring, or talent in general. Aside from Nicholson, I don’t think they have another starter quality player on their roster (maybe Eddleman). They do have like 7 guys who could be rotational pieces on a contender. If they don’t mind giving the Pistons a top 5 pick they could probably recoup a few assets if they decide to tear it completely down mid-season. Even looking forward to next year when they have their pick, they won’t even have a clean cap sheet with Nicholson taking up nearly $30mil, limiting how quickly they can rebuild. If the Mavs are patient and rebuild correctly, they are probably a good 4 or 5 seasons away from building a true contender.
In any other scenario I'd take the Rockets over the Mavericks, but the Mavericks are going to actively try to win and they do have some talent, while the Rockets lack of activity will continue to kill them. Jayden Nicholson leads the charge here, a future Hall of Famer that sadly wasted most of his career on middling Maverick teams, but doesn't take away from what he did. The dude is getting utterly paid and if this were real life I'd say he was about to quit and collect his 120 million over the next 4 years without much effort. Anthony Valentine is still a useful player, but off the bench and not starting like the Mavericks should end up using him. Heck it might be more worthwhile to give Nigel a long look this year. Jaylen Curry will continue to put up empty 20 point night after nights. Jacob Gilliam will be wasted as one of the best bench options in the league, and Dike Eddleman will continue to surprise me with how long hes lasted as a useful player. Seeing Kyle Kuzma not be good will always make me sad. 30-35 win season incoming, and then they can fully rebuild.
Wolves (UCF: #7, Playoffs: No) (Rog: #7, Playoffs: No)
PG Khoi Thurmon
SG Jared Terrell
SF Jim Pollard
PF Evan Mobley
C Mel Hutchins
Key Hunter Dickerson
Key Clarence Withers
Key Dutch Dehnert
Full-on rebuild and they have a nice 1st piece in PF Evan Mobley. They used their cap space this offseason to sign a bunch of role players to MLE type contracts. I’m assuming they will try and flip them for late 1sts or cash all season. I didn’t agree with trading #16 Lombardi, someone they could have stashed this season to unload Posey and then not use that cap space on anything significant. I guess you can’t really judge though until you see what they are able to get for guys like Pollard, Withers, Dehnert, Hutchins, etc. Since they have so many role players though, not sure they will be the favorite for the #1 pick, which could be counterproductive.
The Wolves are in full on rebuild mode and there isn't a lot to talk about here. These type of rosters are always fun to look at as they have guys that were something or should have been something from years past, like Khoi Thurmon, Jim Pollard, Mel Hutchins, Dutch Dehnert, and Clarence Withers. They only have 1 actual good piece moving forward in Evan Mobley and they should be excited about him. I don't love the start of this rebuild, but time will tell if Matt can pull it off.
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