Post by yourkers15 on Mar 14, 2019 21:42:26 GMT
UCF
Spurs – How good can they be with Skinny?
The main question for the Spurs is what they will the team look like they Skinny returns. They’ve gotten by just fine without him and I’d expect them to go on a roll when he returns. Breaking down their roster with Skinny. They are strong offensively and defensively without arguably their 2nd best offensive and defensive player. They are a little weak in rebounding, but Skinny should give them a big boost as well as another blocked shot or 2 per game. It allows Schmidt to move to the bench and a Houghton-Gola-Schmidt bench is very strong. They have potentially 5 20ppg scorers, all of their starters are good defensively now that Eddie seems to have improved (averaging almost a full steal more than last season). I think they need to be considered the team to beat in the West.
Yourkers
San Antonio Spurs(20-8)
Question: Will their lack of rebounding become a problem?
Overivew: The spurs are legit even with an injured Skinny. They have been playing amazingly and seem to have a very good roster that comes with a good bench and my favorite for 6th man of the year in Houghton. They shoot well and are a good defensive team and there doesn't seem to be many weaknesses outside of their rebounding. With Skinny out they lose one good rebounder and that could be a large factor but starters LBJr(C+) and Palubinskas(D) are not good rebounders for their position. This could become a problem when they go up against teams that rebound very well. I know that can become a problem as I went through that in my first round exit against the bucks. Rebounding is a huge key to success and if you are only middle of the road you could end up struggling in a series. Skinny wont be out much longer but even when he comes back they might want to upgrade their rebounding so that can take the next step.
UCF
Nuggets – Baylor at PF?
The Nuggets made a significant trade to start the year in order to duck the salary cap. They essentially swapped Schmidt/Simons for Jones/Baylor and threw in Embry to make the swap. It’s interesting that Van decided to go with Baylor at PF. So far I’d say it’s come with mixed results. He’s rebounding very well with 12 a game and gives your offense a lot of shooting by playing him at the 4. Theoretically they now have Dino surrounded by 4 shooters (debatable if Barros is a “shooter” yet). Baylor does give you a lack of shot blocking from the position, but they are still middle of the pack because Dino is great. The real problem is Baylor is shooting only 42%. It’s going to be worth monitoring if this is just early season “noise” or if he sustains this low percentage moving forward. If he can raise it back up to 45% or 46% I think it could work.
Yourkers
Denver Nuggets(17-7)
Question: Can they win with Baylor starting at PF?
Overview: The nuggets had to Make drastic changes do to cap reasons and that cost them Schmidt, Simons, and Embry. They did return Baylor and Jones who are two high quality players who are cheaper and younger. They added that to a core of Dino and GP. But with that trade it left a huge hole at PF. Now the Nuggets have decided to play Baylor at the PF position and start Barros at SF. Is this a good choice? At one point I played a SF at PF and his name was Kawhi Leonard and it worked wonders but Baylor is not Kawhi. Baylor is no where close to the defender Kawhi was and that will be a problem. Baylor offers nothing in the shot block category as he is only at .7 bpg and that would be ok if his steals were high but that is only at 1 per game. But for the nuggets they have been good shown by their record but could they sustain this? I think they would be better off getting a PF to plug in and move Baylor back to SF where they can be more successful.
UCF
Wolves – Are they for real?
The Wolves are in a similar spot to the Hawks in my opinion. They started off record wise very strong and probably even better than Matt could have anticipated, but their point differential of +3 suggests it’s not sustainable. They got a steal this offseason in signing Bill Mlkvy for the MLE and Vick gives them a real presence at PG. They have a lot of just solid players like Tarik, Dickerson, Terrell, etc. I think they are a safe playoff team, but I can’t see them ending the season as anything higher than a 6 seed. They have recently begun shopping their 2 young assets in Boozer and Mobley and if they are able to shop for an upgrade at C/PF I think they could end up making some noise. They are in the bottom 3rd of the league in rebounding and that’s a prime spot to upgrade.
Yourkers
Minnesota T-wolves(17-11)
Question: What are the blueprints in Minnesota?
Overview: I dont know what to expect from the Wolves. I am unsure if they are going to rebuild or are they going to go for it all. Last year they signed 1 year deals and didnt make much off the players they signed. This year though they hit on players and signed multi year deals. They got Tarik, Martin, and Big time hit with Vick. They also signed Mlkvy to the MLE and just extended him. But even with these good moves are they looking to hold onto the pieces or trade them? With a 17-11 start I believe the Wolves will look to win but with that they should look to make moves to improve overall. They can build a better bench or even upgrade their bigs as Tarik and Dickerson are not bigs you are gonna win the title with. Also with their bad rebounding you should look to really want to improve that.
UCF
Jazz – Should they make a move for a star?
The Jazz are tricky. They have a roster that most teams would kill for. They have an elite prospect at C (Wilt), PF (LaRusso) and SG (Green). They have a couple of other decent prospects (Lombardi, Miller). Goga fits in very nice with their young core. Milos is a fine PG on a good contract. Jallow is playing better and fits in very nicely defensively with their group. The problem is they don’t have a star player right now to carry them. They have a roster where if they added an elite PG or SF that they may be to compete for a title this season. If they continue to slow play this, will they miss their window? Do they have the cash to camp everyone? Could they fit in Joe Marshall after D60? If you were dangling some of the young guys maybe I could be enticed to move Hagan? Could Guerin at SF be possible?
Yourkers
Utah Jazz(15-10)
Question: How good could they be if they didnt trade away Zoran?
Overview: The Jazz are a very talented team with the likes of Bitadze, Wilt, Milos, and Green as their main core. Add in a young player named LaRusso and you got something going. But the Jazz traded away their SF and got back pretty much very little for him. Jallow being the main piece has been mediocre at best while being signed to a max contract. Zoran would add +7.7ppg, +1.8rpg, and 1.4 less turnovers a game. Jallow is a superior passer and defender but he just doesn't have such a bigger impact that you would of really made this trade. I feel the Jazz would be better off keeping Zoran and would probably be in better shape as a franchise being that Jallow and his contract are not something people will want to trade for.
UCF
Grizzlies – Do they have enough scoring?
The Grizzlies are in a weird spot. They have 2 entering their prime superstars in Tywman and Stokes and then their 3 other starters are all ex All-stars in decline. Booboo started off the season slowly, but has rebounded back to form. Newhouse is the real weak spot in their lineup and his usefulness may be coming to an end. They are getting a real nice season out of Gruenig. It’s surprising to say a team with Booboo, Stokes, and Twyman, but do they have enough offense? They are getting absolutely nothing from their bench and they have a team FG% of 43%, which is near the bottom with the tanking teams. They are excellent defensively, but if you can’t score in this league you’re going to struggle. Upgrading from Newhouse or getting a 6th man wing that can score should be their top priorities.
Yourkers
Vancouver Grizzlies(13-8)
Question: Is this the last year before the grizz should consider a rebuild?
Overview: The grizz have a very good team especially with their starting 5. Gruenig, Stokes, Twyman, Newhouse, BooBoo. But the problem is 3/5 of the players in the startling lineup are aging. Gruenig is 34 while Newhouse and BooBoo are 35. Who knows how much either of them have left. For all you know they could be retiring next year. With that said the grizz have a choice. They can give it one more shot and try for a title or they could look to sell off the pieces and get something for them. Stokes and Twyman should bring big returns back as they are young and stud players. Both are 25 and could also he held onto as the Grizz look to retool but knowing Afro he would go with a fresh start.
UCF
Mavericks – How long will the rebuild take?
The Mavs are finally able to rebuild, although they still have 1 more year left on Nicholson’s contract before they completely bottom out (assuming they buy out the last year). They’ve been on a slow downward trend for a few seasons now and unfortunately for them, they head into a rebuild without having built up any extra assets beyond their own picks. Do the Mavs completely tank for 3-4 seasons and acquire a bunch of top 3 picks? Once Nicholsons contract is off the books in 2042 Free Agency they can attempt to be Free Agency players again. How long are they willing to wait to compete again since it’s already been a 3 or so year downward trend?
Youurkers
Dallas Mavericks(7-14)
Question: How long to rebuild for?
Overview: The mavs are back to usual territory and that is being in the lotto. The Mavs have a tendency to jump the gun and go to compete before they should. This year they are making sure they let people know their picks aren't avaliable and that's how it should be. They need to build through the draft and get players to build and players they want to hold onto. But with that said they will have capspace and should use it wisely. They could always steal a player and hold onto him or flip him for assets. Then when the big contract comes off the books in Nicholson they should consider making their move. But they need to be patient and take their time and rebuild correctly. If they rush it they will be back to where they are in no time.
UCF
Rockets – Will Russell be re-signed?
The Rockets wasted the rookie contract years of Russell. He’s only been camped 1 time his rookie year and then a mentor camp this season. He’s also had no weight rooms. He’s only taken advantage of his draft note 1 season. Russell has one of the most fun draft notes that I’ve seen and hopefully he is able to leave via Free Agency to an active owner if a new owner isn’t found before the offseason. The lack of improvement camps have hindered Russell’s offensive ability and he’ll probably never become anything more than Barlow with draft notes now.
Yourkers
Houston Rockets(4-21)
Question: Will the rockets get a new gm who will actually put in the work?
Overview: The rockets are fucked. With their recent GM they have been moving no where and it will stay that way. The rockets traded Calder and let Mlkvy walk for nothing and are wasting Russell and his awesome draft notes. The rockets really need a gm to come in and put in the work so they can have a fighting change and not look similar to the bulls.
Spurs – How good can they be with Skinny?
The main question for the Spurs is what they will the team look like they Skinny returns. They’ve gotten by just fine without him and I’d expect them to go on a roll when he returns. Breaking down their roster with Skinny. They are strong offensively and defensively without arguably their 2nd best offensive and defensive player. They are a little weak in rebounding, but Skinny should give them a big boost as well as another blocked shot or 2 per game. It allows Schmidt to move to the bench and a Houghton-Gola-Schmidt bench is very strong. They have potentially 5 20ppg scorers, all of their starters are good defensively now that Eddie seems to have improved (averaging almost a full steal more than last season). I think they need to be considered the team to beat in the West.
Yourkers
San Antonio Spurs(20-8)
Question: Will their lack of rebounding become a problem?
Overivew: The spurs are legit even with an injured Skinny. They have been playing amazingly and seem to have a very good roster that comes with a good bench and my favorite for 6th man of the year in Houghton. They shoot well and are a good defensive team and there doesn't seem to be many weaknesses outside of their rebounding. With Skinny out they lose one good rebounder and that could be a large factor but starters LBJr(C+) and Palubinskas(D) are not good rebounders for their position. This could become a problem when they go up against teams that rebound very well. I know that can become a problem as I went through that in my first round exit against the bucks. Rebounding is a huge key to success and if you are only middle of the road you could end up struggling in a series. Skinny wont be out much longer but even when he comes back they might want to upgrade their rebounding so that can take the next step.
UCF
Nuggets – Baylor at PF?
The Nuggets made a significant trade to start the year in order to duck the salary cap. They essentially swapped Schmidt/Simons for Jones/Baylor and threw in Embry to make the swap. It’s interesting that Van decided to go with Baylor at PF. So far I’d say it’s come with mixed results. He’s rebounding very well with 12 a game and gives your offense a lot of shooting by playing him at the 4. Theoretically they now have Dino surrounded by 4 shooters (debatable if Barros is a “shooter” yet). Baylor does give you a lack of shot blocking from the position, but they are still middle of the pack because Dino is great. The real problem is Baylor is shooting only 42%. It’s going to be worth monitoring if this is just early season “noise” or if he sustains this low percentage moving forward. If he can raise it back up to 45% or 46% I think it could work.
Yourkers
Denver Nuggets(17-7)
Question: Can they win with Baylor starting at PF?
Overview: The nuggets had to Make drastic changes do to cap reasons and that cost them Schmidt, Simons, and Embry. They did return Baylor and Jones who are two high quality players who are cheaper and younger. They added that to a core of Dino and GP. But with that trade it left a huge hole at PF. Now the Nuggets have decided to play Baylor at the PF position and start Barros at SF. Is this a good choice? At one point I played a SF at PF and his name was Kawhi Leonard and it worked wonders but Baylor is not Kawhi. Baylor is no where close to the defender Kawhi was and that will be a problem. Baylor offers nothing in the shot block category as he is only at .7 bpg and that would be ok if his steals were high but that is only at 1 per game. But for the nuggets they have been good shown by their record but could they sustain this? I think they would be better off getting a PF to plug in and move Baylor back to SF where they can be more successful.
UCF
Wolves – Are they for real?
The Wolves are in a similar spot to the Hawks in my opinion. They started off record wise very strong and probably even better than Matt could have anticipated, but their point differential of +3 suggests it’s not sustainable. They got a steal this offseason in signing Bill Mlkvy for the MLE and Vick gives them a real presence at PG. They have a lot of just solid players like Tarik, Dickerson, Terrell, etc. I think they are a safe playoff team, but I can’t see them ending the season as anything higher than a 6 seed. They have recently begun shopping their 2 young assets in Boozer and Mobley and if they are able to shop for an upgrade at C/PF I think they could end up making some noise. They are in the bottom 3rd of the league in rebounding and that’s a prime spot to upgrade.
Yourkers
Minnesota T-wolves(17-11)
Question: What are the blueprints in Minnesota?
Overview: I dont know what to expect from the Wolves. I am unsure if they are going to rebuild or are they going to go for it all. Last year they signed 1 year deals and didnt make much off the players they signed. This year though they hit on players and signed multi year deals. They got Tarik, Martin, and Big time hit with Vick. They also signed Mlkvy to the MLE and just extended him. But even with these good moves are they looking to hold onto the pieces or trade them? With a 17-11 start I believe the Wolves will look to win but with that they should look to make moves to improve overall. They can build a better bench or even upgrade their bigs as Tarik and Dickerson are not bigs you are gonna win the title with. Also with their bad rebounding you should look to really want to improve that.
UCF
Jazz – Should they make a move for a star?
The Jazz are tricky. They have a roster that most teams would kill for. They have an elite prospect at C (Wilt), PF (LaRusso) and SG (Green). They have a couple of other decent prospects (Lombardi, Miller). Goga fits in very nice with their young core. Milos is a fine PG on a good contract. Jallow is playing better and fits in very nicely defensively with their group. The problem is they don’t have a star player right now to carry them. They have a roster where if they added an elite PG or SF that they may be to compete for a title this season. If they continue to slow play this, will they miss their window? Do they have the cash to camp everyone? Could they fit in Joe Marshall after D60? If you were dangling some of the young guys maybe I could be enticed to move Hagan? Could Guerin at SF be possible?
Yourkers
Utah Jazz(15-10)
Question: How good could they be if they didnt trade away Zoran?
Overview: The Jazz are a very talented team with the likes of Bitadze, Wilt, Milos, and Green as their main core. Add in a young player named LaRusso and you got something going. But the Jazz traded away their SF and got back pretty much very little for him. Jallow being the main piece has been mediocre at best while being signed to a max contract. Zoran would add +7.7ppg, +1.8rpg, and 1.4 less turnovers a game. Jallow is a superior passer and defender but he just doesn't have such a bigger impact that you would of really made this trade. I feel the Jazz would be better off keeping Zoran and would probably be in better shape as a franchise being that Jallow and his contract are not something people will want to trade for.
UCF
Grizzlies – Do they have enough scoring?
The Grizzlies are in a weird spot. They have 2 entering their prime superstars in Tywman and Stokes and then their 3 other starters are all ex All-stars in decline. Booboo started off the season slowly, but has rebounded back to form. Newhouse is the real weak spot in their lineup and his usefulness may be coming to an end. They are getting a real nice season out of Gruenig. It’s surprising to say a team with Booboo, Stokes, and Twyman, but do they have enough offense? They are getting absolutely nothing from their bench and they have a team FG% of 43%, which is near the bottom with the tanking teams. They are excellent defensively, but if you can’t score in this league you’re going to struggle. Upgrading from Newhouse or getting a 6th man wing that can score should be their top priorities.
Yourkers
Vancouver Grizzlies(13-8)
Question: Is this the last year before the grizz should consider a rebuild?
Overview: The grizz have a very good team especially with their starting 5. Gruenig, Stokes, Twyman, Newhouse, BooBoo. But the problem is 3/5 of the players in the startling lineup are aging. Gruenig is 34 while Newhouse and BooBoo are 35. Who knows how much either of them have left. For all you know they could be retiring next year. With that said the grizz have a choice. They can give it one more shot and try for a title or they could look to sell off the pieces and get something for them. Stokes and Twyman should bring big returns back as they are young and stud players. Both are 25 and could also he held onto as the Grizz look to retool but knowing Afro he would go with a fresh start.
UCF
Mavericks – How long will the rebuild take?
The Mavs are finally able to rebuild, although they still have 1 more year left on Nicholson’s contract before they completely bottom out (assuming they buy out the last year). They’ve been on a slow downward trend for a few seasons now and unfortunately for them, they head into a rebuild without having built up any extra assets beyond their own picks. Do the Mavs completely tank for 3-4 seasons and acquire a bunch of top 3 picks? Once Nicholsons contract is off the books in 2042 Free Agency they can attempt to be Free Agency players again. How long are they willing to wait to compete again since it’s already been a 3 or so year downward trend?
Youurkers
Dallas Mavericks(7-14)
Question: How long to rebuild for?
Overview: The mavs are back to usual territory and that is being in the lotto. The Mavs have a tendency to jump the gun and go to compete before they should. This year they are making sure they let people know their picks aren't avaliable and that's how it should be. They need to build through the draft and get players to build and players they want to hold onto. But with that said they will have capspace and should use it wisely. They could always steal a player and hold onto him or flip him for assets. Then when the big contract comes off the books in Nicholson they should consider making their move. But they need to be patient and take their time and rebuild correctly. If they rush it they will be back to where they are in no time.
UCF
Rockets – Will Russell be re-signed?
The Rockets wasted the rookie contract years of Russell. He’s only been camped 1 time his rookie year and then a mentor camp this season. He’s also had no weight rooms. He’s only taken advantage of his draft note 1 season. Russell has one of the most fun draft notes that I’ve seen and hopefully he is able to leave via Free Agency to an active owner if a new owner isn’t found before the offseason. The lack of improvement camps have hindered Russell’s offensive ability and he’ll probably never become anything more than Barlow with draft notes now.
Yourkers
Houston Rockets(4-21)
Question: Will the rockets get a new gm who will actually put in the work?
Overview: The rockets are fucked. With their recent GM they have been moving no where and it will stay that way. The rockets traded Calder and let Mlkvy walk for nothing and are wasting Russell and his awesome draft notes. The rockets really need a gm to come in and put in the work so they can have a fighting change and not look similar to the bulls.
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