#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Well, what can I say?

We went for a ninth championship hard over the last few seasons, and while we came close, it didn't happen. Rather than get hung up on the "what if" questions, I'd like to focus on the future of the team. Feel free to ask questions about last season if you have them, but I don't want to ramble on for too long before I open up the floor for questions.

Right now, there's still a lot of talent on our team. It's definitely a playoff team. It's potentially a division winning team. It is not a championship team. But what I can say with the most certainty, though, is that it's a team in transition.

The goal of this franchise is to compete for championships as often as possible, and a big part of that is knowing when and how to change. I think we signaled that by trading Darius Garland to the Portland Trailblazers for Amen Thompson and pick number 4, which we used to select Lauri Markkanen. We also acquired Okay Djamgouz in exchange for Quincy Johnson. And while we're still trying to reset the tax, we'd built too strong a team to completely tank. So despite getting younger in some aspects, we still have a solid group of win-now veterans led by familiar faces like Genaro Montoya and Zaire Wade.

In the middle, we have Ayo Dosunmu. We think Ayo can grow into a really special player. However, he still needs to show a big more progression before he can be a leader. Hopefully, he can learn a bit more with the veterans we have surrounding him and be ready to take off next season.

Bottom line, though, there are multiple directions we can go. We can do anything from competing to completely rebuilding. Our front office is always open to listen to trade talks and questions.

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: With the Long Johnson experiment done before it ever got started, do you plan to showcase the Amen Cox, or the Okay Cox, grouping moving forward? Or is there another name combo your looking at?


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AngryBanana wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 10:01 pm Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: With the Long Johnson experiment done before it ever got started, do you plan to showcase the Amen Cox, or the Okay Cox, grouping moving forward? Or is there another name combo your looking at?


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The Long Johnson experiment got cut short, and I'm pretty sure that you might find me waiving Cox before you know it.

GWR: What do you expect from Patrick Williams?

JNR wrote: Sat Mar 11, 2023 7:14 am GWR: What do you expect from Patrick Williams?

10 points and two vet mins.

You're a franchise known for not getting too attached to any young players, moving anyone when it's beneficial. Do you see anyone to this point in your youth movement with a real shot to be a long-term Bull? Or should they be wary of unpacking their suitcases?

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MexicanMamba wrote: Sat Mar 11, 2023 11:22 am You're a franchise known for not getting too attached to any young players, moving anyone when it's beneficial. Do you see anyone to this point in your youth movement with a real shot to be a long-term Bull? Or should they be wary of unpacking their suitcases?

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Yeah, it's not really about the players themselves. It's about the league as a whole. I think it'll be a while before a lot of teams--my own included-- feel like it's an opportune time to jump back in the fracas. Right now, it looks like it'll be hard to vault right back to the top over the next few seasons, so there's a chance that some of my rookie contract players make it to RFA. You never know though. My door is wide open for trade talks, and the team is so diverse that every team in the league should probably be able to find a player or two worth knocking about.

Random Reporter: Piggybacking off of your last response, will Ayo's development into a championship centerpiece player ultimately determine your willingness to jump back into the fray? Or, is his future as much of a question mark and tied to the current pulse of the league as his younger - and older - teammates?

Sitting at #4, you had a choice between Markkanen, Issac, and Sanfield. What was the deciding factor leading to Markkanen?

Xist2Inspire wrote: Sat Mar 11, 2023 2:48 pm Random Reporter: Piggybacking off of your last response, will Ayo's development into a championship centerpiece player ultimately determine your willingness to jump back into the fray? Or, is his future as much of a question mark and tied to the current pulse of the league as his younger - and older - teammates?

Anything can happen. Ideally, it makes the most sense to build around Ayo. He's coming up on his prime, and he's got the highest ceiling. But a lot can happen. The landscape of the league and the construction of our roster have to line up with that peak. We have to remain open to all possibilities and won't be so stubborn to ignore any paths or opportunities that make sense.

K-100 wrote: Sat Mar 11, 2023 3:21 pm Sitting at #4, you had a choice between Markkanen, Issac, and Sanfield. What was the deciding factor leading to Markkanen?

Honestly, I would've taken Lauri over Griner and probably even Bricker. His combination of size, athleticism, and competence on both sides of the court--even before TC--made him look like a really interesting prospect to us.

Montoya has been one of the league's best players for a long time. At 33 yrs old, he still is one of the best. Knowing he's been shopped around, what has kept him from leaving? Could it be his age? Contract? Right deal not available?

greepleairport wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 3:20 pm Montoya has been one of the league's best players for a long time. At 33 yrs old, he still is one of the best. Knowing he's been shopped around, what has kept him from leaving? Could it be his age? Contract? Right deal not available?

It could be all of those things, but he's still too good--even at 33, even on his contract--to just give away. I'm not asking for the moon for him.

Henry Gates from the Houston Chronicle:

With the amount of talent on your team, what's missing to make a deep championship run? Also, how much will we see from local hometown hero Don Long?

Justin Bieber, Teremana.com; Looks like your team is complete on paper. However, you signed couple of PG this off-season. After going 3-3 this pre-season are you staying with your same PG unit, or open to adding more talent at the PG position.

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78# wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:35 pm Henry Gates from the Houston Chronicle:

With the amount of talent on your team, what's missing to make a deep championship run? Also, how much will we see from local hometown hero Don Long?

We've got a lot of elite roleplayers, but I don't think Ayo is ready to lead a team on a championship run, and I don't think Montoya has the support he needs to compete with teams with more superstar talent.

After a disappointing TC, Long will have to prove himself to even break the rotation or it won't be long before we say so long to Don Long.

jlmarines wrote: Sun Mar 12, 2023 9:34 pm Justin Bieber, Teremana.com; Looks like your team is complete on paper. However, you signed couple of PG this off-season. After going 3-3 this pre-season are you staying with your same PG unit, or open to adding more talent at the PG position.

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I'm always open to talks if they make sense, but the PG position is still a competition at this point. While De La Rubio is a very traditional PG, Zaire Wade provided us with some excellent minutes at the position last season, and we'd like to try Ayo there as well.

Will Montoya be still in chicago after the trade deadline?

Eazy P wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 9:35 am Will Montoya be still in chicago after the trade deadline?

Probably

garbageman wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 11:40 am

Eazy P wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 9:35 am Will Montoya be still in chicago after the trade deadline?

Probably

Never mind

An anonymous source revealed that you were offering sound advice about playing the middle of the pack for an opportunity at striking hot iron.
Seems like you're one of the most trusted and flexible traders in the league.
How often do you think you benefit from strong relationships when it comes to winning trades?

Mike Lowry wrote: Mon Mar 13, 2023 3:36 pm An anonymous source revealed that you were offering sound advice about playing the middle of the pack for an opportunity at striking hot iron.
Seems like you're one of the most trusted and flexible traders in the league.
How often do you think you benefit from strong relationships when it comes to winning trades?

I don't think you can have a strong relationship with other teams--or win a trade--unless the trade helps both teams achieve their goals. If you are constantly giving lopsided offers, teams shouldn't want to come back and deal with you (unless they have no clue what they're doing). Overall, trades where both teams win have helped us in the long run. Though teams that are successful for too long often get a bad rap on the trade market.