#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Division Representatives:
Atlantic: RPF
Central: Garbageman
Midwest: The Syndicate
Pacific: Still Available


Haven't yet ramped up the pick'em process for the season, but it will be $$ based. Members from the top division at the end of the year will receive 5 simpoints each!

All you need to do is list the 5 teams you think will finish with the best pre-season record, and 5 teams you think will finish with the worst pre-season record. Prizes then will be rewarded based on combined winning percentage according to the table below. All prizes awarded are Sim Pick'em dollars and have no monetary or Sim-Point Bank value. Also costs nothing to enter.

If you add a write-up with your picks (totaling at least a paragraph or two), you get an additional participation point!

Example of picks:
Best:
Team A
Team B
Team C
Team D
Team E

Worst:
Team A
Team B
Team C
Team D
Team E

Highest Win percentage of 5 'BEST' teams picked
1st - $500
2nd - $300
3rd - $100

Lowest Win% of 5 'WORST' teams picked
1st - $500
2nd - $300
3rd - $100

post in this thread to call dibs.

I can do the Midwest if no one else wants it...

RPF has called the Atlantic

I should have time to take Central

OP Updated

Do we post our picks here or PM them to you?

Post'em - good question.

Midwest Division Picks
Best 5 Teams (In no particular order)
1. Atlanta Hawks - The Hawks return pretty much the same core that dominated last season and add Nate Robinson on a min(imum height to ride this ride) deal.
2. Trailblazers - Going to be among the league leaders in defense with Artest/Hunter/Deng
3. Clippers - They play the Bucks twice, Grizzlies, and Pistons. Oh, yeah, and they won the championship last year.
4. Raptors - Why not go with the Chris Bosh guy?
5. Wizards - They have the 2nd highest payroll, and I'm sure the simcomputer can figure out how to put all those pieces together to have some success in the preseason

Worst 5 Teams (In no particular order)
1. Timberwolves - No doubt the Timberpups will be good, very good, someday. And count me as someone who thought they won the Bosh deal. That being said, that day is not today.
2. Hornets - Like the Timberwolves, but with a lot less talent. They won't be good this year, and it's hard to see the plan for the future in NOLa. So wait, maybe not really like the Timberwolves.
3. Knicks - All frontcourt no backcourt is not a recipe for success
4. Magic - All back court, no front court is a worse recipe for success
5. Pacers - A bunch of teams I could take here, but on the pacers I see Deron and no one else. Will an orange guy start?

BEST

Portland Trailblazers: Early reports are showing that Ron Artest has recovered solidly from his broken leg last year. Even without him, the Blazers made a run in the playoffs behind Derrick Rose's incredible play. After swapping Okafor for Luol Deng, the Blazers have 4 incredible starters, and a fairly easy preseason schedule with the Jazz as their most challenging opponent. That one's a tossup, but the Blazers should be strong favorites in their other matchups.

Toronto Raptors: The Raptors traded away a lot of assets to get Kyle Lowry and Chris Bosh, and it'll prove to be well worth it. Bosh was last year's MVP, and Lowry is one of PBSL's elite point guards. Even though they've got the defending champion Clippers and the dangerous Spurs on the agenda, the offseason pickup of Monta Ellis along with the further development of Hassan Whiteside puts Toronto in one of the top spots for me.

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are the team to beat in the East this year after the 76ers traded off their mainstays to start over. While they're starting over with a pretty solid roster, the 76ers aren't in the same conversation as the Hawks--few are--and with a steal on Nate Robinson, the Hawks are going to be an even scarier group to deal with this year.

Sacramento Kings: The Kings will be good this year, but they'll be great in the preseason. With the acquisition of Tyson Chandler, they have a championship caliber center with a lot of talented youth in the 4-5 spot to learn from him. They've got depth at wing and guard, too, with the resigning of Darren Collison, and should have a masterful 3 point game to boot. Their preseason schedule gives them a handful of should-win games before a challenge or two at the end.

Miami Heat: For $120 to 10 players, the Heat better be stacked. They've got talented guys in every position, and they're all locked down for a while. Aside from rookie Alex Len, the rest of the guys were all on the Heat last year, so we pretty much know what we're getting, and that's a very good team who will have few peers in their conference.




WORST

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves blew everything up in the offseason, and they have no returning players from last year. They were able to stockpile a ton of assets that will help them rebuild in the future, but the preseason is about to start, so those pieces need to either develop or be drafted. They'll be good down the road but awful this preseason A schedule where they have to face 3 of the teams on the best list doesn't help matters either.

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers look to be turning their mindset around. After losing both Tony Allen and Nate Robinson in the offseason, they're going to take a little bit of a hit. Antetokounmpo will be a tremendous player before his rookie contract is up, but there's still room left to grow for the Greek Freak, and with a new philosophy, it might take the Lakers a bit to get things together.

New Jersey Nets: With only 8 players on their team, and their two biggest stars starting to show signs of age, the Nets are going to have to make some changes. The first step? Get more than 8 players on your roster.

Philadelphia 76ers: This is not so much because of the rebuild (part of it is, but only insomuch as the team is not as dominant as last year and the team is surely not as cohesive) as it is the 76ers schedule. There are no easy wins to be found. The lack of a true starting PG and Andrew Bynum's poor training camp serve to make the preseason look rougher than the regular season's going to be. They have a lot of young talent and 2 picks in every draft for the next 3 years. Soon enough, they'll be back in the championship hunt.

Orlando Magic: While the Magic were able to retain Dragic and Matthews, both excellent players in their own regards, they've got to face the Heat, Raptors, and the Trailblazers, which will all be uphill battles. The roster beyond their two star guards has a lot of solid vets who can contribute, but the inability to land another integral piece in the offseason puts them in the bottom 5. I'd bet a steak on it.

Top 5


Last 5

LOCKED

Midwest/Central/Atlantic guaranteed $200 at least each.

RPF, Myself, Garbageman - feel free to claim a participation point

Win %
1st - Central $500
2nd (tie) - Midwest $200
2nd (tie) - Atlantic $200
4th - Pacific $0

Lose %
1st (tie) - Midwest $400
1st (tie) - Atlantic $400
3rd - Central $100
4th - Pacific $0

Total
1-3 (tie). Central/Midwest/Atlantic - $600
4. Pacific - $0

Did I mention the Pacific had $0? Because they, you know, did.