Bulls S69 Preseason Press Conference

[garbageman]

Before I get into this season's presser, I want to extend a huge thanks to Black Superman for being willing and able to take over the mantle of commissioning PBSL. Not a lot of GMs have the combination of knowing the game, a willingness to put in the time, and the technical acumen to operate the backend. You're learning fast, and because of that, I have no doubt that PBSL will keep running strong under your direction.

With that out of the way, I'm not going to really go into my normal narrative stylings for this presser. I'm not going to talk about last year, and I'm not going to really talk too much about the offseason. I'll let you all ask questions about that instead if you want.

Long story short, I brought back pretty much the same team, added Alphonse Morelock (which I think will pay huge dividends), had an expectedly bad training camp...though David Brown not showing up made it unexpectedly worse, and we'll see how preseason and the regular season go. I hope the team stays healthy...especially Mac McClung. I was excited to see what he could do last season, so it was a huge bummer that he was out with an extremely long injury. Hopefully, I can see 82 games out of him (or 76 or so if I'm lucky enough to be in a position to rest my starters for the last week).

The goal this season is to try to find the fun in the game, whatever that means. When the league was "on strike" and the playoffs were delayed, I felt more relief than anything else. I didn't miss the league. I know a lot of people did though, so that's why I didn't stop checking TV, and checking in with Doug to see if he heard anything from Wig. Big thanks to Doug for being willing to reach out to Wig, and big thanks to Wig for setting up a new solution to keep the league alive. After this season, I won't be commissioner, and already, that alleviates some of the weight that bogs me down, but beyond that I've had a lot of success as a GM here. I've had some great teams and have watched the Bulls transform from a perennial footnote to a team of dynastic proportions...a team that Chicago fans cheer for (and bandwagon fans I suppose), but outside the second city, we've become the first team that people want to see lose...or at the very least not win another one.

If you look at my roster, you should be able to tell that it's built to try and win another ring. But I'm all out of empty fingers. And I'm out of ideas on what else there is left to accomplish in this game besides the pure enjoyment of the game itself. I love PBSL, but at the end of the day, I don't know what else I have to give to it or take from it. I know this team's going to rack up a lot of W's, but beyond that, I don't know what else this season's going to bring. I just hope it's a fun one.

Now let's get back to the reason for the (pre)-season (pressers). Ask me anything about the team, about this season, about last season, about anything

[MexicanMamba]

How's the team's cohesion coming out of training camp? Those Windy City streets and tough coaching have a reputation for keeping the guys on edge. Putting in place any team building exercises to remedy it?

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[garbageman]

How's the team's cohesion coming out of training camp? Those Windy City streets and tough coaching have a reputation for keeping the guys on edge. Putting in place any team building exercises to remedy it?

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12 out of the 15 players on my roster were guys on the Bulls last year (the only player that didn't come back was Jericho Sims). In comparison, the Lakers traded away Johnny Davis, Ron Harper Jr., and Fabian Hub...three major pieces from their championship run, and of the 15 people on the Lakers roster, only 5 were on the team last season. The Lakers started The Lakers will start with GOOD cohesion. The Bulls will start with AVG. I'll take it.

[RPF]

God Shammgod, Net News: Has being a commissioner taken anytime away from being as good of a gm that you want to be?

[garbageman]

God Shammgod, Net News: Has being a commissioner taken anytime away from being as good of a gm that you want to be?

Thanks for the great question. On the contrary, being commissioner actually gives you an edge on being a GM. Since you have to process every move that's made and every aspect of the game like officiating Training Camp, taxes, and every sim, you know who's on every team, and which teams are in which situations. It forces you to do the research that GM's don't necessarily have to do if they want to have a complete picture of where everyone is in the league. It makes it easier to observe trends that help you figure out how to succeed as a GM.

[LazyTitanSmash]

Fox Sports News Dallas here. A lot of people talk about writing articles for points. I personally love reading and writing the articles; But do you find writing articles less fun and more of a time consuming chore to remain competitive?

[garbageman]

Fox Sports News Dallas here. A lot of people talk about writing articles for points. I personally love reading and writing the articles; But do you find writing articles less fun and more of a time consuming chore to remain competitive?

I'm glad you and some of the newer folks are coming around to writing more articles. It's always interesting to get a fresh perspective. For me personally, after 50 seasons--most of which I've tried to max out media points--I've researched and written a whole hell of a lot about as niche a subject as PBSL is, and it becomes more of a chore. I feel like it's easy to tell which articles are purely points grabs, and it's not much fun writing those.

[LazyTitanSmash]

Fox Sports News Dallas here. A lot of people talk about writing articles for points. I personally love reading and writing the articles; But do you find writing articles less fun and more of a time consuming chore to remain competitive?

I'm glad you and some of the newer folks are coming around to writing more articles. It's always interesting to get a fresh perspective. For me personally, after 50 seasons--most of which I've tried to max out media points--I've researched and written a whole hell of a lot about as niche a subject as PBSL is, and it becomes more of a chore. I feel like it's easy to tell which articles are purely points grabs, and it's not much fun writing those.

It personally screws me over since I going into the tax for a while... but have always wondered if the game would be more fun (for GMs like you) and create more parity for less active GMs (like the hawks) if we had a limited total points a GM could get per season. That what you could get points in a way that was fun for you and not worry about the arms race. Also less active GM could compete more easily. Just a thought.

[LazyTitanSmash]

Fox Sports News Dallas here. A lot of people talk about writing articles for points. I personally love reading and writing the articles; But do you find writing articles less fun and more of a time consuming chore to remain competitive?

I'm glad you and some of the newer folks are coming around to writing more articles. It's always interesting to get a fresh perspective. For me personally, after 50 seasons--most of which I've tried to max out media points--I've researched and written a whole hell of a lot about as niche a subject as PBSL is, and it becomes more of a chore. I feel like it's easy to tell which articles are purely points grabs, and it's not much fun writing those.

It personally screws me over since I going into the tax for a while... but have always wondered if the game would be more fun (for GMs like you) and create more parity for less active GMs (like the hawks) if we had a limited total points a GM could get per season. That what you could get points in a way that was fun for you and not worry about the arms race. Also less active GM could compete more easily. Just a thought.

Excepted I'd let the commissioner earn 20 more points than the rest of us. That shit seems like a bitch.

[garbageman]

Fox Sports News Dallas here. A lot of people talk about writing articles for points. I personally love reading and writing the articles; But do you find writing articles less fun and more of a time consuming chore to remain competitive?

I'm glad you and some of the newer folks are coming around to writing more articles. It's always interesting to get a fresh perspective. For me personally, after 50 seasons--most of which I've tried to max out media points--I've researched and written a whole hell of a lot about as niche a subject as PBSL is, and it becomes more of a chore. I feel like it's easy to tell which articles are purely points grabs, and it's not much fun writing those.

It personally screws me over since I going into the tax for a while... but have always wondered if the game would be more fun (for GMs like you) and create more parity for less active GMs (like the hawks) if we had a limited total points a GM could get per season. That what you could get points in a way that was fun for you and not worry about the arms race. Also less active GM could compete more easily. Just a thought.

Thanks for keeping the conversation flowing on this. I think like any good game, it needs to evolve so that we're forced to change up tired strategies to succeed. That being said, ideas are never as simple as they seem to implement without a plan that accounts for the potential outcomes--both good and bad--of the idea. If you had a more specific vision for this, I think it would be dynamite to flesh it out and discuss it in the Suggestions Thread.

[greepleairport]

Thanks for the real presser, gman. I hope you find some fun in PBSL after your commish reign, and maybe even a few more rings (I'll probably say the opposite when it comes to pass). I wouldn't be here without you, or find the enjoyment I do without you, and that's passed down to now several other GMs in the league. It's a really weird thing, this PBSL. I'd rather not live without it, and would have been open to diving into the commish role if I had a more forgiving / predictable work week. I know it would be hard and burn me out, but I feel like I owe it to the league to take on more work.

Anyway, what's Roman Roy up to these days?

[garbageman]

Thanks for the real presser, gman. I hope you find some fun in PBSL after your commish reign, and maybe even a few more rings (I'll probably say the opposite when it comes to pass). I wouldn't be here without you, or find the enjoyment I do without you, and that's passed down to now several other GMs in the league. It's a really weird thing, this PBSL. I'd rather not live without it, and would have been open to diving into the commish role if I had a more forgiving / predictable work week. I know it would be hard and burn me out, but I feel like I owe it to the league to take on more work.

Anyway, what's Roman Roy up to these days?

Hopefully selling the team since I've taken that joke about as far as I want to

[jlmarines]

Justin Bieber, Teremana.com: You have 7 blue players in your roster. I think it's ridiculous crazy good. Who would be your 8th blue player you would like to trade for.

[garbageman]

Justin Bieber, Teremana.com: You have 7 blue players in your roster. I think it's ridiculous crazy good. Who would be your 8th blue player you would like to trade for.

Thanks for the question! I was planning on having David Brown start at C because he did a really solid job last season. Then he got hit pretty hard in TC. Since he was insure and he's turning 27 next season, that guarantees him a good TC where I think he'll return to form. But being that this is our third season in the tax, I am more interested in a guy for this year who can play backup--or even starting C. There are plenty of blue players out there, but realistically, I'm not getting most of them because I don't have youth, there's not a lot of cap space in the league in general this season. I think my ideal blue player would be someone like Ned Lomax or Jonathan Kuminga. They make around what David Brown is making, both of them can rebound, they both have skill sets that should complement what I need out of that center spot nicely, both are on the cusp of either starting roles or second unit roles with my lineup, and both are probably going to be better than Brown now at the same price while Brown will probably end up being the better value player next season (Kuminga's going to need a bigger contract, and Lomax is going to be 34. Unfortunately, I knocked about both and couldn't make either happen, so back to square one.

[Jedihero]

Skeeter Valentine, Junior Writer, Bluffington Post, Sim Sports Division:

You mentioned a few times you are trying to find the fun in the league again, do you have any idea what could be the items that keep you engaged? Is it seeing other managers being more engaged and having more trash talk within the league members? Seeing other members get involved by writing new articles, or writing articles yourself that could be a way to pass on all these years of knowledge that you have? or perhaps just some fun reading through and posting on the meme board?

[garbageman]

Skeeter Valentine, Junior Writer, Bluffington Post, Sim Sports Division:

You mentioned a few times you are trying to find the fun in the league again, do you have any idea what could be the items that keep you engaged? Is it seeing other managers being more engaged and having more trash talk within the league members? Seeing other members get involved by writing new articles, or writing articles yourself that could be a way to pass on all these years of knowledge that you have? or perhaps just some fun reading through and posting on the meme board?

Honestly, I think it's just a natural thing. When you start out as a GM, the game is a black box, and season by season--if you put in the work--you figure it out more and more until the mystery is gone. I'm not holding onto any nuggets of knowledge I haven't shared...just look for my posts on the In Season/Offseason Media forum. In addition to articles, I've probably done a good 3 full days of podcast content. And I'm not a meme guy or a trash talk guy. I think a lot of what it comes down to is that it's a natural thing that happens, and I don't want to be the GM that sticks around and complains that the league isn't as good as it was.

[Jedihero]

Skeeter Valentine, Junior Writer, Bluffington Post, Sim Sports Division:

You mentioned a few times you are trying to find the fun in the league again, do you have any idea what could be the items that keep you engaged? Is it seeing other managers being more engaged and having more trash talk within the league members? Seeing other members get involved by writing new articles, or writing articles yourself that could be a way to pass on all these years of knowledge that you have? or perhaps just some fun reading through and posting on the meme board?

Honestly, I think it's just a natural thing. When you start out as a GM, the game is a black box, and season by season--if you put in the work--you figure it out more and more until the mystery is gone. I'm not holding onto any nuggets of knowledge I haven't shared...just look for my posts on the In Season/Offseason Media forum. In addition to articles, I've probably done a good 3 full days of podcast content. And I'm not a meme guy or a trash talk guy. I think a lot of what it comes down to is that it's a natural thing that happens, and I don't want to be the GM that sticks around and complains that the league isn't as good as it was.

Follow up Question: There's a league podcast!?

[garbageman]

Skeeter Valentine, Junior Writer, Bluffington Post, Sim Sports Division:

You mentioned a few times you are trying to find the fun in the league again, do you have any idea what could be the items that keep you engaged? Is it seeing other managers being more engaged and having more trash talk within the league members? Seeing other members get involved by writing new articles, or writing articles yourself that could be a way to pass on all these years of knowledge that you have? or perhaps just some fun reading through and posting on the meme board?

Honestly, I think it's just a natural thing. When you start out as a GM, the game is a black box, and season by season--if you put in the work--you figure it out more and more until the mystery is gone. I'm not holding onto any nuggets of knowledge I haven't shared...just look for my posts on the In Season/Offseason Media forum. In addition to articles, I've probably done a good 3 full days of podcast content. And I'm not a meme guy or a trash talk guy. I think a lot of what it comes down to is that it's a natural thing that happens, and I don't want to be the GM that sticks around and complains that the league isn't as good as it was.

Follow up Question: There's a league podcast!?

Not consistently, I used to do them at least every season, but haven't done one for a few seasons. There must be like 30-40 of them out there.