Post by carmelo115 on Jul 20, 2024 17:40:50 GMT
1. First couple weeks in the new league. What’s your thoughts on it all and how are you liking your team?
So far, it feels like the old NBN. Its been a few gaps of several years between phases of being here, and the dynamic has pretty much stayed the same, but I can see a lot of relationships have evolved while I was away, which is cool to see. We have GMs hanging out outside of the NBN, playing golf and NCAA Football 2 together, which brings in a cool sense of community. The biggest fear with these leagues is that they will die off due to lack of consistent GMs, but this league has a great core and foundation that I love to be a part of.
For the second part, honestly the team does not feel like MINE yet. I'm still kind of in a teardown/retool to get players in that I have scouted and acquired myself, but the team does have some young talent I'm intrigued by. When I took over, the team was in a weird place with a few old guys mixed in with some recent youth, but there seem to be no showstoppers outside of our international draft and stash player, Sarunas Jasikevicius, who I am pretty excited about, once he finally joins the team in 3 seasons. For the most part, I see the roster as mostly expendable, as I plan to get rid of contracts and earn some cap space so I can be a player in FA, when I'm done collecting young prospects that I think will take me places. I know I'm somewhat known for making some strange moves right away to tear down the team to its bare bones, not always getting back what the league views as full value, but its a process that works for me most of the time, so I can accept the scrutiny if it comes for me. It is just a game in the end, and I love to play it my way.
2. You made a strange trade with New York and Phoenix taking on Brandon Miller’s contract. Why did you do that and why were you comfortable with that on your books?
Great follow up question to how I finished my last answer, and I was hoping you would ask me about this one to clear the air. When I joined and was reading the rules / was being told about the new GM policies, I was told that a new GM is given an amnesty of a salary they want to dump after the trade deadline. Initially, I was planning on using that amnesty on Jaren Jackson, who was my biggest and longest contract at the time, but he carried some actual value that I wanted to try and cash in on in some capacity. That idea led me to Brandon Miller, who the Knicks were trying to unload (for obvious reasons). I needed cash for camping my fleet of young players remaining on the roster, so we came to a deal where I was able to get a decent amount of cash and a few late picks in a huge 3 team deal, that should hopefully end with me being able to fully camp my players, get a few extra picks, and still have the cap relief that I was expecting when I planned waiving Jaren Jackson originally.
3. You have some fun young players on your roster. Who is your favorite and why?
I honestly have slowly started to fall in love with a few of the young guys on the team, but I dont know if I plan to keep all of them, as camping can get expensive as you stack up prospects (especially when you start with $0 in the bank). But I would say Im a big fan of Sarunas's potential to become a star down the road as my top prospect. Then in tier 2 I really like Hugo Gonzalez, Kiyan Anthony, and Keiner Asprilla, as I think they both have some promise to become something in the league if the TCs go my way to pair with the camping. Then in tier 3 I have a few guys who I do believe are one TC away from blowing up between Abraham Bol, Caleb Wilson, Karim Lopez, and Meleek Thomas. This tier could go either way, but the potential and base ratings show enough promise for me to hold some hope out for them to level up.
4. With your first draft coming up, what position are you going to be looking at with your first round picks?
Honestly at this phase, I think I will be playing the field for BPA at whichever draft slot Im in, aiming for upside. I have guys I like at most positions so far, but I dont see any of them as irreplaceable or "cant miss" prospects. I do have a personal bias of which positions are most important for a SIM league to build around, but I think drafting for star potential and trying find the next stud prospect should be my goal as a team trying to find an identity and reset from years of being a bottom feeder. The fans want to see a contender, so I hope to give them one in the next few years, if Im able to scout effectively and get some good TC luck.
5. You are currently 2 games out of the 8th spot in the East. Do you think this roster has what it takes to make the playoffs for the first time in the new league?
I believe that if I had chosen a different direction out of the gates and rode the Jamal Murray wagon, I could have at least made the playoffs with the roster as it was, but then I looked at the team stats and overall performance and it turned out that we were winning SOLELY off Jamal Murray putting up about 32ppg for a month, and carrying the squad to wins, but overall we were EXTREMELY mediocre and middle of the pack in all stats across the board. Part of me wanted to just let it ride and squeak into the playoffs as the 8 seed and break the Celtics curse in my first season, but in the end, I decided I should take a step back and reset, so that we can build up a better core to make the first playoff one a more special one for the city of Boston. That being said, if we keep winning games and hovering around the 8 seed, I may see if I can add some veterans around the edges to push for the playoff birth just for kicks, but its not a priority right now.
6. Half way through the year, give me your East winner, West winner, and who will take home the NBN title this season.
If im being honest I havent fully expanded my scope to fully lock into all of the other rosters around the league, as Im still getting the hang of my own team, but I have at least glanced at most of the rosters and keep an eye on the standings... SO I will go loosely on record and say that out East, its hard to argue against the Pelicans success. They are one star small forward away from being absolutely dominant at all 5 positions, but that has not hut them yet as they sit at a league best 41-13. Out west it also appears that there is one alpha squad running away with it with the Kings, who somehow also are one small forward away from being dominant across all 5 spots, but who ALSO dont seem to need one. In the end though, its hard not to take the easy prediction and say the Pelicans take it home, as they're the class of the league right now, and have 4 guys averaging between 16 and 25 ppg. That kind of depth and firepower in the starting 5 is clearly hard to contend with.
7. We are starting to mix some vets into the drafts going forward. What is your thought on this and who are some players that you are excited to see soon?
I was just looking over that draft class thread earlier, and a few names stuck out that brought back some nostalgic excitement for their eventual arrival. I love the way these leagues fuse players from all generations in a very fun way, allowing you to try out weird combos like a Bob Cousy, Cooper Flagg and KG big 3, that you would never get to see in real life. But as far as the near future of veterans coming in, some of the names that excited me were Oscar Schmidt, Cat Mobely, Carlos Boozer, Jayson Williams, Josh Stockton, Mutumbo, etc.. I could go on, as the throwback players often are my favorite to draft and develop to see how they fare with the modern league.
8. Although we are getting some nice ones in the drafts, shooting guards seem tough to find around the league. Do you think it's an unfortunate development issue once they are in the league or they are not being built for success pre draft, which is making it tough for them to progress?
This one has perplexed me a bit, especially given how I grew up in the prime era of SGs with guys like AI, TMac, VC, Kobe, etc all running the league, so I see that as a very primary positinon to build around. I would have to assume its just a bit of a draught for this current era of the NBN, where there seem to be a good amount of quality PGs and big men to fill out the contending rosters. That should swing back once we start seeing some promising prospects at the wing positions that people with fight over to supercamp and have one of the next big stars are a scarce position. All in due time.. Just gotta get my boy Sarunas over from Europe and start playing in Boston, where they love the euro shooters.
9. With the NFL season right around the corner, who is your favorite NFL team and what are you expectations of them going into the season?
Lol Im from MA, so Im a hardcore Patriots fan, so we are taking our lumps right now after the dynasty has fallen. I will say this is the most excited Ive been about the team in a while, now that we are entering a fully new and (hopefully) more modern era of the Patriot culture. We have a young QB, a few young promising WRs, and a really solid defense to help grow the team together towards the future. It is a little scary with the shadow of Brady looming over whoever we try out at QB, knowing its impossible to live up to those expectations the fans may have for them, but as long as we keep making the right moves and taking shots at developing players, I think it should be a fun ride... That being said, we are winning between 4-6 games most likely , and its not going to be pretty.
10. Real life NBA. What's your thoughts on Bronny James and him going to the Lakers? In your opinion, does he have a future in the NBA?
Like mostly everyone at the draft, it was pretty hilarious and also disgusting how Rich Paul extorted Bronny to the Lakers by threatening to send him overseas if anyone else took him. It felt so entitled and just shitty for the NBA to let this agent run things so blatantly through what FEELS like tampering, but at the same time, we all knew any team that drafted him was doing it for the publicity.. or to hold him hostage for trade bait, both of which would probably derail his career before he even got a chance to prove himself. So for that, good for him for getting his wish and landing somewhere that will commit fully to helping him grow.
Honestly thought, he has shown some promise the last few days in summer league, which HAS to be tough given the amount of criticism hes faced already from the fans who think he doesnt belong in the league. Hes taken that trash talk, and rode it into his two best games so far in response, which shows toughness and a willingness to keep working on his game. I do really hope they let him get some burn in the G league before they toss him out onto the floor in Crypto.com arena so he can keep building his confidence. As much as Im a big time Celtics fan, I think Bronny is a humble and hard working kid, so I do want to see him succeed, even if his career arc is more Gary Payton III than Lebron James.
naterade
So far, it feels like the old NBN. Its been a few gaps of several years between phases of being here, and the dynamic has pretty much stayed the same, but I can see a lot of relationships have evolved while I was away, which is cool to see. We have GMs hanging out outside of the NBN, playing golf and NCAA Football 2 together, which brings in a cool sense of community. The biggest fear with these leagues is that they will die off due to lack of consistent GMs, but this league has a great core and foundation that I love to be a part of.
For the second part, honestly the team does not feel like MINE yet. I'm still kind of in a teardown/retool to get players in that I have scouted and acquired myself, but the team does have some young talent I'm intrigued by. When I took over, the team was in a weird place with a few old guys mixed in with some recent youth, but there seem to be no showstoppers outside of our international draft and stash player, Sarunas Jasikevicius, who I am pretty excited about, once he finally joins the team in 3 seasons. For the most part, I see the roster as mostly expendable, as I plan to get rid of contracts and earn some cap space so I can be a player in FA, when I'm done collecting young prospects that I think will take me places. I know I'm somewhat known for making some strange moves right away to tear down the team to its bare bones, not always getting back what the league views as full value, but its a process that works for me most of the time, so I can accept the scrutiny if it comes for me. It is just a game in the end, and I love to play it my way.
2. You made a strange trade with New York and Phoenix taking on Brandon Miller’s contract. Why did you do that and why were you comfortable with that on your books?
Great follow up question to how I finished my last answer, and I was hoping you would ask me about this one to clear the air. When I joined and was reading the rules / was being told about the new GM policies, I was told that a new GM is given an amnesty of a salary they want to dump after the trade deadline. Initially, I was planning on using that amnesty on Jaren Jackson, who was my biggest and longest contract at the time, but he carried some actual value that I wanted to try and cash in on in some capacity. That idea led me to Brandon Miller, who the Knicks were trying to unload (for obvious reasons). I needed cash for camping my fleet of young players remaining on the roster, so we came to a deal where I was able to get a decent amount of cash and a few late picks in a huge 3 team deal, that should hopefully end with me being able to fully camp my players, get a few extra picks, and still have the cap relief that I was expecting when I planned waiving Jaren Jackson originally.
3. You have some fun young players on your roster. Who is your favorite and why?
I honestly have slowly started to fall in love with a few of the young guys on the team, but I dont know if I plan to keep all of them, as camping can get expensive as you stack up prospects (especially when you start with $0 in the bank). But I would say Im a big fan of Sarunas's potential to become a star down the road as my top prospect. Then in tier 2 I really like Hugo Gonzalez, Kiyan Anthony, and Keiner Asprilla, as I think they both have some promise to become something in the league if the TCs go my way to pair with the camping. Then in tier 3 I have a few guys who I do believe are one TC away from blowing up between Abraham Bol, Caleb Wilson, Karim Lopez, and Meleek Thomas. This tier could go either way, but the potential and base ratings show enough promise for me to hold some hope out for them to level up.
4. With your first draft coming up, what position are you going to be looking at with your first round picks?
Honestly at this phase, I think I will be playing the field for BPA at whichever draft slot Im in, aiming for upside. I have guys I like at most positions so far, but I dont see any of them as irreplaceable or "cant miss" prospects. I do have a personal bias of which positions are most important for a SIM league to build around, but I think drafting for star potential and trying find the next stud prospect should be my goal as a team trying to find an identity and reset from years of being a bottom feeder. The fans want to see a contender, so I hope to give them one in the next few years, if Im able to scout effectively and get some good TC luck.
5. You are currently 2 games out of the 8th spot in the East. Do you think this roster has what it takes to make the playoffs for the first time in the new league?
I believe that if I had chosen a different direction out of the gates and rode the Jamal Murray wagon, I could have at least made the playoffs with the roster as it was, but then I looked at the team stats and overall performance and it turned out that we were winning SOLELY off Jamal Murray putting up about 32ppg for a month, and carrying the squad to wins, but overall we were EXTREMELY mediocre and middle of the pack in all stats across the board. Part of me wanted to just let it ride and squeak into the playoffs as the 8 seed and break the Celtics curse in my first season, but in the end, I decided I should take a step back and reset, so that we can build up a better core to make the first playoff one a more special one for the city of Boston. That being said, if we keep winning games and hovering around the 8 seed, I may see if I can add some veterans around the edges to push for the playoff birth just for kicks, but its not a priority right now.
6. Half way through the year, give me your East winner, West winner, and who will take home the NBN title this season.
If im being honest I havent fully expanded my scope to fully lock into all of the other rosters around the league, as Im still getting the hang of my own team, but I have at least glanced at most of the rosters and keep an eye on the standings... SO I will go loosely on record and say that out East, its hard to argue against the Pelicans success. They are one star small forward away from being absolutely dominant at all 5 positions, but that has not hut them yet as they sit at a league best 41-13. Out west it also appears that there is one alpha squad running away with it with the Kings, who somehow also are one small forward away from being dominant across all 5 spots, but who ALSO dont seem to need one. In the end though, its hard not to take the easy prediction and say the Pelicans take it home, as they're the class of the league right now, and have 4 guys averaging between 16 and 25 ppg. That kind of depth and firepower in the starting 5 is clearly hard to contend with.
7. We are starting to mix some vets into the drafts going forward. What is your thought on this and who are some players that you are excited to see soon?
I was just looking over that draft class thread earlier, and a few names stuck out that brought back some nostalgic excitement for their eventual arrival. I love the way these leagues fuse players from all generations in a very fun way, allowing you to try out weird combos like a Bob Cousy, Cooper Flagg and KG big 3, that you would never get to see in real life. But as far as the near future of veterans coming in, some of the names that excited me were Oscar Schmidt, Cat Mobely, Carlos Boozer, Jayson Williams, Josh Stockton, Mutumbo, etc.. I could go on, as the throwback players often are my favorite to draft and develop to see how they fare with the modern league.
8. Although we are getting some nice ones in the drafts, shooting guards seem tough to find around the league. Do you think it's an unfortunate development issue once they are in the league or they are not being built for success pre draft, which is making it tough for them to progress?
This one has perplexed me a bit, especially given how I grew up in the prime era of SGs with guys like AI, TMac, VC, Kobe, etc all running the league, so I see that as a very primary positinon to build around. I would have to assume its just a bit of a draught for this current era of the NBN, where there seem to be a good amount of quality PGs and big men to fill out the contending rosters. That should swing back once we start seeing some promising prospects at the wing positions that people with fight over to supercamp and have one of the next big stars are a scarce position. All in due time.. Just gotta get my boy Sarunas over from Europe and start playing in Boston, where they love the euro shooters.
9. With the NFL season right around the corner, who is your favorite NFL team and what are you expectations of them going into the season?
Lol Im from MA, so Im a hardcore Patriots fan, so we are taking our lumps right now after the dynasty has fallen. I will say this is the most excited Ive been about the team in a while, now that we are entering a fully new and (hopefully) more modern era of the Patriot culture. We have a young QB, a few young promising WRs, and a really solid defense to help grow the team together towards the future. It is a little scary with the shadow of Brady looming over whoever we try out at QB, knowing its impossible to live up to those expectations the fans may have for them, but as long as we keep making the right moves and taking shots at developing players, I think it should be a fun ride... That being said, we are winning between 4-6 games most likely , and its not going to be pretty.
10. Real life NBA. What's your thoughts on Bronny James and him going to the Lakers? In your opinion, does he have a future in the NBA?
Like mostly everyone at the draft, it was pretty hilarious and also disgusting how Rich Paul extorted Bronny to the Lakers by threatening to send him overseas if anyone else took him. It felt so entitled and just shitty for the NBA to let this agent run things so blatantly through what FEELS like tampering, but at the same time, we all knew any team that drafted him was doing it for the publicity.. or to hold him hostage for trade bait, both of which would probably derail his career before he even got a chance to prove himself. So for that, good for him for getting his wish and landing somewhere that will commit fully to helping him grow.
Honestly thought, he has shown some promise the last few days in summer league, which HAS to be tough given the amount of criticism hes faced already from the fans who think he doesnt belong in the league. Hes taken that trash talk, and rode it into his two best games so far in response, which shows toughness and a willingness to keep working on his game. I do really hope they let him get some burn in the G league before they toss him out onto the floor in Crypto.com arena so he can keep building his confidence. As much as Im a big time Celtics fan, I think Bronny is a humble and hard working kid, so I do want to see him succeed, even if his career arc is more Gary Payton III than Lebron James.
naterade
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