Obviously, exciting to get back into things... though a bit horrified at the state the website and simputer were in after I'd neglected them for several years - it was a lot of work over the past week or so getting a bunch of new stuff ready (new server for the forum, new simputer, and bunch of other new stuff), but definitely exciting... but also annoying as I run into little niggling things like the "Breadcrumbs" portion of the forums not working in Absolution v3 (which I figured out how to fix an hour ago) because Absolution isn't fully compatible with the latest version of PHPBB.
I mean it's been a lot of work, but it's also satisfying to see the back-end getting the cleanup it has needed for many years. In less techie news, I dusted off my spreadsheets and player analysis formulas for the draft, which is something I haven't done in a very long time. So perhaps it feels like a homecoming of sorts. Most of you don't know that I suffered a severe medical emergency about 18 months ago (maybe I'll go into details some time, but I'm not ready to do that yet because I don't want any sympathy) and so quite frankly, it's nice to be doing anything.What has all of this been like for you?
I built the Blazers in a way I've never tried building a team before, and I'm curious to see whether this method works or turns into a flaming dumpster. My theory says it can work... but theory is always easy until it has to meet reality.What are you excited about?
The reveal of the creation draft. It was a little disappointing to get pick #20... and then absolutely terrifying to realize picks 1, 3, 4, and 5 were all going to be in my division. I don't think I fully realized that until about three rounds into the creation draft when it dawned on me I have to deal with Magic, Moses, Parish, and Theus. I guess at least Bird isn't here. But challenge accepted!What made you say, "whoa!", and do a double take?
It was a busy one. I decided as soon as we were going to change up to a creation draft, that I would try to help out David and Doug since I was one of the people that both brought David into the league as well as someone with a decent amount of node experience from when we used to have team nodes. I look at myself as more of a moderator of NPBSL, instead of a Admin role like Doug and David. As such, I was not as busy as Doug, David, or Wig, but I was for sure on the backend trying to help keep the ship get supplied for this new voyage. I also unofficially did the coordinator volunteer job this season as well where I won the media coordinator spot, so I have also been busy with trying to move over important documents from the old forum to the new one as well as updating rules that I want to implement as the media coordinator.Mike Lowry wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2024 7:15 pmShare your experience of the off-season. What has all of this been like for you?
I am excited about the reset in many ways. I am excited about this new team that I have that is completely different from my old one. I am most excited about everyone else being excited. When we have a fully involved group of people in NPBSL, it truly makes this a very fun side project of mine.
When I got called out for simming the Hawks pick. lol, JK. It was not malicious, and I hope the Hawks are happy with their team. I think it was really Wig's involvement out the gate and how it has improved the league so far. Things like system updates as well as his media involvement early on has been outstanding. I have also been impressed with Doug and David. Everyone kept saying how much of a burden a creation draft would be, but I think the three of us surprisingly handled it pretty well. It never felt like it was too much of a burden.Doug did a great job leading the charge, and David has equally done a good job of picking it up on the fly.
Its been a fun offseason, I got really immersed in putting together a draft board and researching players. Definitely didnt feel as prolonged as the previous creation drafts from my POV. Im excited to dive into an era of basketball I was not alive for but have some tertiary knowledge aboutWhat has all of this been like for you?
What are you excited about?
Wig briefly touched on this in his Draft preview pod but I found it pretty interesting how some of the older stars werent as valued in the 1st Round. I default as more of a "win-now" GM than a slow builder but to see Kareem and George Gervin continuously slide did surprise me quite a bit, if Dantley was off the board for my pick Gervin would've been my guyWhat made you say, "whoa!", and do a double take?
One of the things I was looking forward to the most was getting the chance to start all over with my current knowledge, as I honestly had no idea what I was doing at the start of my sim career. And then...I got a crazy idea after letting Dr. K have his favorite team, because I had to find some way to get myself excited about having the Utah Jazz exactly one season removed from being in New Orleans. So all of my focus was turned towards making that idea a reality.
What has all of this been like for you?
I'm not sure actually. I built this team as a joke, quite frankly, though I do have a running narrative in my head that would eventually make this a pretty inspiring story built around my favorite player (and no, it's not even close to who you think it might be - unless you remember one specific trade from my early days). Still, I can't guarantee that I'll see it through all the way and not just jump ship for an expansion team the first chance I get. It didn't hit me until I looked at the list of open teams just how much of my NBA fandom is tied to New Orleans and the post-merger expansion teams/identities. So I'm going to really struggle to stay invested in a franchise I have little interest in, even if I love their 90s jerseys and have a ready-made saga in mind. I guess if I have to pick something, it's being excited to see if I can build a great team under a self-imposed handicap.What are you excited about?
Looking through the index and seeing just who was around in 1980...and who wasn't. Just imagine, we're still a few years away from the OG Wemby, Ralph Sampson entering the league. Dan Issel is still in the league. Mike Dunleavy, Kobe Bryant, and Mike Bibby's dads are here. Dolph Schayes' son is entering the draft. There's more future coaches and GMs here than you can count. We're barely a half decade removed from the ABA. I love delving into time and history, and this has been a real treat for me. (Can I at least change my name to the Utah Stars, please?) Seriously, the only reason Utah kept the name Jazz is because they moved too late for the NBA to approve a name change and they were too lazy to do it later! Hell, there's a mountain of historical inaccuracies in the index, what's one more! )What made you say, "whoa!", and do a double take?