#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Hello, and welcome to another Chicago Bulls preseason press conference. I've done way too many of these things to count, and to be honest, it's losing a lot of excitement for me, but I need the points, so I'm going to ramble here for a little bit, let y'all ask questions if you need to so you can get your points, and answer the questions, to ensure I get my points.

Last season was a disappointment. I thought I had a team that could compete with the Pistons, but we didn't even make it far enough in the playoffs to face them. I wanted to stop ballsohard from tying my ring count. That didn't happen, so I guess my only option is to try to get a ninth ring.

Can this team do it? Hell if I know. It's mostly the same team. Except I traded Steeve Ho You Fat for Jerold Harrison, a guy who I think can provide the perimeter defense and steals I was lacking from the wing spot last season, and in a cost cutting move, I traded Charles Jarrett to the Nuggets for Mikal Bridges, who has a similar 3 and D skillset to Harrison.

I was also happy to sign Zaire Wade with my MLE money. He's going to be a key player and he's another guy who's really going to help make this team a defensive stalwart. Since I think I'm much deeper in the backcourt this season, it'll allow me to play Genaro Montoya where I think he'll fit strongest, and I kept my three primary scorers while bolstering my defense all around.

I think this season will be an improvement over last season. If it's not, oh well. Does it look like I give a rat's ass?

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Your team is not only deep, but you also have some good young players. Do you think this could be the start of another big Bulls run of rings?

Equally, do you have any plans to do another podcast anytime soon?

It's been an eventful off-season all around the league, between signings, trades, new GMs and GM movement. What is your favorite move of the off-season for your team and also in the league in general?

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AngryBanana wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 3:59 pm Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Your team is not only deep, but you also have some good young players. Do you think this could be the start of another big Bulls run of rings?

Equally, do you have any plans to do another podcast anytime soon?

I don't think it's going to be the start of a run of rings. After this season, I'm probably going to want to reset. Montoya is expiring, and given his salary, it'll probably be like a hundred million dollars starting to retain him on a max, and there are no guarantees on getting him back for less than that. With Ayo hitting RFA and Garland also expiring, I'm really hoping this is the year, but we don't have a mandate by any means. There are more teams that I think can win it this season than there have been in a long time, and that's at least exciting.

As for the podcast, funny you should ask. I literally just figured out how to get Mixlr Audiolink back working again, and with JNR retired, I don't feel as bad about replacing him as a co-host.

Plus, there are a lot of new dudes in the league who could benefit from 2 hours of advice (from 2 very seasoned GMs) about the best ways to ignore Doug.

The burnout is palpable but you’re still doing the right active Gm things. Is the motivation the same but less strong? Or is there something else keeping you going?

Ignoring Doug could be a great Hand Practices song. Will you play it live on the pod?

MexicanMamba wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:17 pm It's been an eventful off-season all around the league, between signings, trades, new GMs and GM movement. What is your favorite move of the off-season for your team and also in the league in general?

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I really liked the deal I made with the new Nuggets GM. Charles Jarrett is a fantastic player with a very high ceiling, and I think he's a better fit in Denver. With Looney, Baker, and Davis all on the rise, they're not in the tax now, and Jarrett still has room to grow with them. When they finally do push the tax envelope, they'll all be ready to go into overdrive.

Meanwhile, I save a bunch of tax money switching him for Mikal Bridges, and he's the kind of player I was lacking last season. I'm psyched to have guys who have great skillsets without needing the ball in their hands.

As for the rest of the league, I think the Celtics made the right plays to get Cunningham and Folse. That 1-2 punch make them a very scary contender after the success they had with only Antonio Blakeney last season.

greepleairport wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:44 pm The burnout is palpable but you’re still doing the right active Gm things. Is the motivation the same but less strong? Or is there something else keeping you going?

Ignoring Doug could be a great Hand Practices song. Will you play it live on the pod?

I think what keeps me going is at this point, it's not a huge time commitment and it's good for having a reason to keep in touch with dudes I like.

Could be a great Sacred Robes song, too, since we're talking bout a comeback.

Do you think you would retire after winning #9 or just take it season-by-season?

K-100 wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 8:05 am Do you think you would retire after winning #9 or just take it season-by-season?

Probably not unless I lose a finger in some kind of fireworks related mishap

What advice do you have for a new GM who receives a lot of trade offers?

Why do you hate me

pennpanther1 wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 11:06 am What advice do you have for a new GM who receives a lot of trade offers?

Leave Quailman on read

pennpanther1 wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 11:06 am What advice do you have for a new GM who receives a lot of trade offers?

But seriously...get opinions from the dude who referred you and from other members of the league for at least a few seasons. If you're new to the game, it takes a decent amount of time to figure out how players will improve or die over time, how contracts and points and tax will effect long runs, and what kind of team build it'll take to actually compete. I honestly don't think Depth Charts and Gameplans can really make up all that much for a weaker roster, so it's all about the team build, and one ill-advised trade or UFA contract can put you in a bind for more than just a single season.

There are plenty of old GMs out there who have no shame in offering new GMs bad deals, or even deals that are decent on the surface, but require that the newer GM have some pre-existing knowledge of how to run the team long term. Like when someone trades a guy hitting RFA to a GM who hasn't figured out how to pay his taxes yet.

IamQuailman wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 12:07 pm Why do you hate me

All the times you ghosted me on Fall Guys

garbageman wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 1:51 pm

IamQuailman wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 12:07 pm Why do you hate me

All the times you ghosted me on Fall Guys

I can make it up to you after Dec 10

Random Reporter: Once again, your team is an interesting, talented mix of young and old. This time though, your big move was to get younger by trading Charles Jarrett. Does this ease the pressure of winning now?

Xist2Inspire wrote: Mon Nov 14, 2022 2:47 pm Random Reporter: Once again, your team is an interesting, talented mix of young and old. This time though, your big move was to get younger by trading Charles Jarrett. Does this ease the pressure of winning now?

We weren't necessarily looking to get younger, just cheaper and more of a fit. With Garland, Montoya, and Sims, we had all the scoring we needed, and while Charles Jarrett has talent all around, we felt like we needed more players that were elite in terms of perimeter defense and steals, two areas where we were lacking at the 2 guard spot last season. We also didn't have the depth to move Genaro Montoya to the 4, where we want to play him this season, so guys like Zaire Wade, Mikal Bridges, and Jerold Harrison are the types of players we were extremely focused on obtaining in the offseason.