Team MVPs

[AngryBanana]

It’s time for another AngryBanana using his weird algorithm numbers of assessing players/teams and write nonsense to justify the numbers. This time I am looking at who are the Most Valuable Player for each team according to my numbers, while also adding a second player from each team who intrigued me, or popped off the page when looking at their roster. While the MVP was based on numbers, my analysis was entirely me just assessing whatever I want. So yeah. I am sure only a few will read this, but I hope you enjoyed the analysis and let me know if you agreed, disagreed, or thought something was interesting.

76ers:

MVP: Jay Humphries - Man… This team really could use a GM who actually gameplays. While Jay was the best player on this team for the totality of the season his +/- on the year was a negative 3.7. Let that sink in for a second…. If Digi actually tried with this roster I think they could have cracked another 15 wins probably. I can’t wait for the next trape where someone grabs Humphries for some over the hill player.

Not Slimed Player: Dale Ellis - Dale Ellis is probably the real MVP of this team as he was the best player when on the team. He just wasn’t around for long enough (a trend that happens for several teams). So I guess I have to give Digi credit there for finding a guy who added that much to his roster. However Dale and Reggie did not really add anything to this team because, again, Digi does nothing with what he has. Man, if only he didn’t constantly trade away his picks in these deals too (but then again it would just be for players who would be wasted anyways or traped away…)


Bucks:

MVP: Benoit Benjamin - Lol. The guy that no one wanted, including Quail. I have a feeling Quail ran a gameplan to try to accentuate Benoit in the hopes of trading him away, but nothing materialized. Then he saw that it was working, so he kept with it. a 21/11/4 season is really good and worth of a max contract. Lets see if Quail decides to keep him with Mark and Harper or look to move him in the offseason again.

Next Core Player That was Traded Away but Traded Back for: Mark Jackson - I know, I know. I traded Doug a purple player when he already had three. Someone told me I had too many purple players in Discord so I knew I had to do something about it. However, Quail sending him to me just to get him back is in some ways the most Quail thing ever (at least the PBSL Quail, NPBSL Quail isn’t as quick to do the tear downs as his previous self).

Bullets:

MVP: Mark Price - The only blue player who also happened to be a decent player and played the most games of anyone on the Bullets roster for them this season? Let’s move on like Mike does with all of his players.

Why I Hate Knowing the Draft Years: Shaquille O’Neal. I really do respect the grind that is Mike and his churning of deals to get picks. He did something that actually others thought was not possible in the game, by acquiring all the picks he has. He is clearly all in on Shaq knowing that he is the top prize of the 1992 draft. This is why I wanted randomized drafts and not the other way, to avoid this exact thing (among other spurring problems here and there). On the plus side, it is funny to see Mike’s draft rights list longer than some team’s rosters.


Bulls:

MVP: Ralph Sampson: Oh sweet Ralph. You sure made me look bad by not giving you a full max contract to not bring back. You were majestic this year and I am so happy that you are playing great for the Bulls. That being said, at 30 years old in the first year of a max deal, what does a 34 year old getting paid $4 million look like? Let’s hope Bulls can take advantage of Ralph while he is at the top of his game.

Hard Choice This Offseason: Derek Harper - The Bulls are going to max Pippen. That is understood. He is an RFA and will be a core player for this team. BUTTTTTT what is going to happen to Harper? He is also looking at an offseason where he is going to expect top money after having a 19/7.9 split after shooting almost 500% from the field as a SG. Will the Bulls bring back another guy at 30 years old on a max deal?

Cavaliers: 

MVP: Michael Adams - Adams is a great player. 22 points and 11 assists are a great stat line. His +/- is only 1.7 though… Will the Cavs figure out how to actually get the most out of him?

LOL WHAT AN OVERPAY: Nick Vanos - lol Vanos got paid almost $3 million to be a bench contributor for the Cavs all year.

Celtics:

MVP: Terry Porter - My man Terry did his thing this year. He showed up when Hakeem was hurt and was the cog that just kept going when there was constant shuffle around him. I had to chose between him or Mark and he showed me he was a good choice if anything.

The Most Underrated Player in NPBSL: Hakeem Olajuwon - I won’t get too much into this. Hakeem is great. He is in his prime. He was hurt for a quarter of the season. He went from Player of the Month every month he was healthy to not being named on any all league team.

Hawks:

MVP: Reggie Miller - Reggie showed his ability to score right when he needed to most, the year before RFA. He is going to be a great scorer, but being purple I wonder if his defense will ever show up without the ability to train and allow him to become the core player of this team.

“aw man, that sucks dude”: Kevin Willis’ Broken Arm

Hornets:

MVP: Rodney McCray - Nick’s guy was the MVP of his team like I am sure he drew it up. He describes McCray as a superstar in the making on his trade block and I think that he has a somewhat fair point at that is play is great and worthy of being a core player right now.

The Real Hornets’ Core Player: Hershey Hawkins - Another guy who Nick also said he is not willing to trade away. I understand this one even more. If Nick got an appealing deal for McCray that complimented Hawkins more, I would not hesitate to take it. The combo of shooting and athletics (wow this guy is really athletic) on Hawkins is going to make him a great combo guard for several seasons, even at 6’3”.

Jazz: 

MVP: Rik Smits - Rik is another guy who played all of the games for a team that was in flux. He fared a lot better for the only other guy on the roster who played 82 in Brian Shaw too. It seems Rik “The Whiteout” Smits not only has a great name, but also is a great bench contributor for this team during a clear beginning of a rebuild.

Would Have Been MVP if There All Year: Antoine Carr - Carr is a baller. Another guy who Quail couldn’t manage to move for the longest time, he really thrived in SLC. Once he was the focal point of a team he was averaging over 20 points 28 times from mid December on, to include one game where he scored 43 against Atlanta supposed scary bigs.

Kings: 

MVP: Mitch Richmond - You thought it was going to be Buck or Detlef huh? Seeing Buck get hurt to start the King reign sucks. Detlef is also a great player, but did not provide the most to this team. Mitch was the guy who consistently showed up. He is clearly the guy who the Kings should focus around moving forward and have another year of a rookie deal to build on his low money cap hit.

Great Offseason Add: LaSalle Thomspon - LaSalle, with his severe migraines and all, really was a great add. He slid right into the Center spot and provided the grit and defense that this team needed. He is another guy I worry about on the back end of this max deal, but I think the Kings will figure it out.

Knicks:
MVP: Derrick Coleman - This guy is the guy that everyone wanted to trade for and the Bullets were not just going to give away. The rookie of the year played great, and at 23 really shows that he is someone that Knicks are build their future around.

Better Than the Color or Stats Show: Lester Conner - This guy, at 31, is not flashy. He will not put up stats that will have anyone itching to trade for him. He does provided consistency and a presence for this team that is way more valuable than the $750 he is being paid to play. If I did this article mid season, I probably would have tried to pry him from the Knicks for a few points to add some depth to my team.

Lakers:

MVP: Mike Sanders - another guy who no one wanted, to inlaced his own team. The Lakers were constantly looking to make moves this year and were looking to make Mike the central player to make it happen. The problem is that no one would bite. I wonder if LTS tries to bring him back next season.

Worst Max Contract in the League: Dennis Rodman - The only thing I really have to say for this is maybe the best thing that could have happened is he lost his purple? But that is troubling if you are celebrating your RFA rookie, who is 29, lost their purple…

Mavericks: 

MVP: Byron Scott - A team that is clearly rebuilding. There really isn’t a MVP in this teams situation given their situation, but Byron could probably help most teams

Mr. Buckets: Bernard King - this guy scores. I actually considered trading for him this offseason, but didn’t pull the trigger because of other moves. The money shouldn’t scare you, the buckets will come.

Nets:

MVP: Fat Lever - It is so weird seeing players show up as MVP that teams just can’t seem to move. RPF did everything he could to explain to others how good Lever was, and to trade for him, and he wasn’t wrong. The first man to have a healed broken leg, is still a top end player, I wonder how much the last year of the deal kept the price of a trade out of reach for others to get the deal done.

Hard RFA Choice: Kevin Gamble - Man.. If I am RPF and in RFA I see there is a max offer for Gamble I would play hard ball for a trade, but with the idea that I’m never actually matching that deal. He is a clear example of a b/b player that will never do anything great and will be overpaid because of the color.

Nuggets: 

MVP: Nate McMillan - Nate is a great player. He puts up great stats too. Will he be the next Nugget that Jedi can’t manage to build a core around him and have to move him because he is paid way too much to build a team around? Hopefully if that happens, he doesn’t send him to the Supersonics for what turns into not a great return.

The Nuggets Homie: Rony Seikaly - All that is to say I really like some of the players on this team. The top of the list is Rony. I could see him being an equally pivotal player for this org for the Nuggets.

Pacers:

MVP: Larry Nance - Oh Larry. You have always been such a great player. You also just strike me as a Pacer in some ways. Where if anyone can still get the most of him its Pauly.

Excuse Me, He is a 27 Year Old Rookie?: Mario Elie - I was initially going to write about Kevin McHale here, but then I went to the team page and saw that Pauly drafted Elie with the 7th pick of the first round of THIS season at 27 years old. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea in some regards. You get a bench player that can contribute on a team friendly deal for four years. If he falls off you can

Pistons: 

MVP: Roy Tarpley - Roy was the best player on a team in flux. The pistons are retooling and as a result had a poor season. Roy still put in a respectful season, almost getting a double double. Hopefully he isn’t an overpay though and can help this next iteration of the team.

You Should Look to Retool Around: Glen Rice - I tried so hard to trade for Glen this year. I really like him and think he is going to be a stud. I could be wrong, but his build is just so appealing to me from a player’s perspective.

Rockets:

MVP: Patrick Ewing - This guy is a top player in the league. He will be the center, and probably only, player to play well for the Rockets for the next few years. I wonder if his numbers would be as good if he was playing for a more competitive team.

The Next Wasted PLayer: Whoever They Draft in 1995 - This is pretty self explanatory. When Ewing leaves, the team will be really bad the next year and then will get a top pick in the 1995 draft. So will Garnett or Rasheed be the next Ewing.

Spurs:

MVP: Magic Johnson - The Spurs were laughing and saying that Magic did something to get another MVP. He did. He balled out all year, especially when MJ and Mullin didn’t play. He is still THE MAN. His season highs for pts/rebs/ast/stl were 44/16/16/7 so he is still playing at a high clip. He is still very much a top player and probably will play the course of his contract at a top level too… fun…

Will They Bring Him Back?: Mark West The Spurs are staring down another season where they need to make hard decisions on how to bring back players that are crucial to their core, because their roster is so shallow. Mark West is the next guy. He is going to the offseason probably expecting at least $2 million in money and the Spurs always seem to struggle with FAs, so if the offers are competitive, will they come back?

Suns:

MVP: Karl Malone - This one is not as obvious as the Rockets and Ewing. The Suns also have Stockton and Daugherty who help make this team competitive and are pretty good themselves. But Malone is really good. He may never be the PBSL OP Malone but is still a top 5 player probably and at the height of his abilities.

The Real Driving Force: John Stockton - Stockton is the guy that has the team humming. This is like real life NBA and Malone is so good because he has a guy passing him the ball that can thread the needle like few others. They are such a great combo that make me less mad and think Malone isn’t being wasted.

Supersonics:

MVP: Clyde Drexler - BigD will tell everyone how good this guy is and how good his team is. He’s not wrong. He did a great job to build around Drexler who is just an all around good player. He isn’t going to lead the league in any category, but his game overall allows him to effect the game in so many ways. He will pick up great individual games having highs this season of 41 points, 16 rebs and 16 assists and 6 blocks at some point this season.

Not as Impactful as I Expected: Sam Bowie - The Sonics are kinda like the Rams in real life. They keep making trades to get players to improve this build and it just keeps working out in their favor. The latest example was getting Bowie in the offseason when most teams didn’t expect him to hit the trade wire. However, given that he should be the best big on the team, I would argue that Pickney actually out performed Bowie this season and could explain why trading away Agguire made the Sonics “better”.

Timberwolves:

MVP: David Robinson - Were truly living in the point of the league where the bigs are so good. While Magic is winning all the MVP awards, there are so many bigs in the league right now who are game changers. Robinson is one of those guys. The Admiral is still growing, but already a force in the paint. He has a career 53 points game and had a 47 point game this season to go along with a 19 rebound game. Wild that he is only 25.

Would Have Been if not for Injuries: Charles Barkley - While Robinson is only scratching the surface of being in his prime, Chuck is firmly there at 28. He is playing a lot of minutes (37) and putting up numbers that really pop off the screen when you look at them. Not only is his offense great, but averaging only 2.3 fouls at 6’6” as a PF is just insane. IF he played more games, he would have for sure been the highest rated player on this team.

Trailblazers:

MVP: Johnny Newman - Johnny was put in a tough situation this season. The blazers expected to bring their guy back in Eddie, but he went to the Sonics. That created a void of scoring that needed to come from somewhere. Newman took the opportunity and increased his scoring while maintaining or improving from an efficiency standpoint. Looks like when the Blazers called for help, Newman answered the phone.

Smart to have Traded Him: Buck Williams - Buck was probably close to MVP honors before being traded. He was playing out of this world for Wig and I would not have been surprised if he got the award if he stayed, or stayed healthy. Wig I think was smart to see what he had though. A guy who was playing at his peak and probably not going to produce for the team long term or get him to the championship. So Wig flipped him while the stock was highest for all he could get. Kudos.

Warriors:

MVP: Isiah Thomas - Looks like a change of scenery was exactly what the doctor ordered for individual success when you are Isiah. Rather then becoming 12 years a spur, he chased the money and EXPLODED in offensive output. While his defense did slide some, that can also be attributed to not being surrounded by all defensive talents on the Spurs. Great move by the Warriors to bring Thomas in to bridge the gap of ability while Payton and Kemp grow.

The Guy Everyone Wants to Always Trade For: Clark Kellogg - What a way to end the article. Kellogg is that guy to me who I feel like everyone stares at when he enters the room while they are sitting next to their best wing. Kelloggg’s abilities are just so tantalizing and like a guy who can be the “one player” that is missing from a team to make a jump. To give credit, it does appear he had another solid season, where again his defense suffered slightly, but otherwise put in a performance that helped the Warriors flip their record around.

[AngryBanana]

3317 words