S89 Town Hall 12

[Mike Lowry]

STARS -
Who's rising? Who's falling? Who's shooting?
Which players do you think took big steps forward this season?
Which players trend towards falling off?
Which players are set to have big playoff performances?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 12

[Mike Lowry]

I'ma start by shouting out a guy who I signed in the offseason. His contract was matched by the team with his rights, but I knew he was ready to level up, and he did.
Michael Adams is absolutely BALLIN!
Numbers are up - up, across the board.
21 points, 11 assists, 2 steals, 3 rebounds per game and 78 3PM on 48% from deep.
All of those numbers are career highs and I expect him to be a real problem for the league in the next few seasons.

Also, Kevin Johnson with 17 points and 13 assists per game is crazy, and Buck Williams dunking his way to 29 points per game on 58% field goal conversion, but Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajuwan have gone next level!


As far as guys falling hard, I'll start with the crippling contracts. The whole Dallas Buyers Club is still dragging down multiple rebuilds into next season.
Bernard King, Johnny Moore, and Jim Paxson will continue to decline, but the contracts for Rick Mahorn and Joe Barry Carroll will get heavy as well.

As far as shooting sprees, I expect that all star team in New Jersey to make a run for the conference finals. Be on the lookout for Dale Ellis to get buckets and Fat Lever to be a walking triple double when the bracket opens play.
Also, that young pack of Wolves don't know no better than to believe in themselves. They'll be more and more dangerous with each game played. They're wet behind the ears, but they want the smoke for sure.

[WigNosy]

STARS -
Who's rising? Who's falling? Who's shooting?
Which players do you think took big steps forward this season?
Which players trend towards falling off?
Which players are set to have big playoff performances?

Rising? I've said it before, I'll say it again. It's Karl MalOPe. I haven't forgotten how dominant he was in the alternate timeline of the early PBSL, and we are just about to come into that same period. Honestly, StocktontoMalone in place in the desert is scary; the concern I would have if I were a Suns fan is whether they have the right pieces around them - I think a lot of people expected Brad Daugherty to grow into that and he just hasn't yet... and he's due an RFA payday, so the Suns have to get right the decision to pay him - if he walks and sucks, it's fine and if they sign him and he thrives it's fine... but if they let him walk and he blows up, they'll kick themselves - if they pay him and he doesn't blow up, they'll maybe kick themselves more because he'll hamstring their cap.
Falling? Reggie Theus. Two years ago, this guy was a perennial all-star; now he's averaging just 12.5 points and 4.4 assists in 26.8 minutes and was shopped hard by the Hawks ahead of a Team option decision. As of the time I started writing this, the option has not been declined, but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Hawks decline his option and pivot to using that cap space elsewhere - they're in a rebuild, they need young pieces, and I think they only brought him back expecting they could get something for him.
Who's shooting? Dale Ellis. He's lighting it up from range this season, taking 4 threes per game and hitting at a 47.5% clip. That makes it impossible to double-team the Nets' bigs, which in turn lets them eat. Everyone talks about Gminski's defense and Fat Lever's all-around game, but Ellis is what is making the Nets go this season.

Finally, the player I am watching for in this year's playoffs is David Robinson - because he's to be matched up against Phoenix's relatively weak post defenders (Daugherty, Andrew Lang) in round 1. He should eat them alive. If the Timberwolves survive that series, they'll get the Spurs, whose Centers are passable, but not spectacular defensively. They're not going to beat the Spurs on the wings, but I can see Robinson going supernova in a series loss.