Rockets Preseason Press Conference
Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:52 am
Present: GM - 78
Hell everyone. It's just me today. I'm running the show so no one else needs to show up today. Anyway, I'm excited about the upcoming season. Last season was a breakthrough for us as we made our first Western Conference Finals and PBSL Finals. I was also named PBSL GM of the Year which was a first for me. It's a great honor being recognized for the job we did last season by signing Shandon Anderson, trading for Jason Kidd, and bringing back Big Z. Unfortunately we came up short in the Finals which was heartbreaking, but looking back it was a great run.
Not many changes in the offseason since we could only sign minimum contracts, but I like what we have now. We may be the oldest team in sim league history, but we have great pedigree on this roster. Guys with tons of All-Star and playoff experience which we feel will help us in the long run.
Unfortunately with each new season, there are guys who aren't here from last season. Tyrone Nesby, Randy Livingston, David Wesley, and Raef Lafrentz will be missed.
This season we've added veterans in Joe Smith, Steve Smith, Terrell Brandon, Erick Strickland, Eric Piatkowski, Dee Brown, Vin Baker, and Mark Macon. Yes, it would have been great if these guys were added in 1995 instead of 2005, but better late than never. But we also feel they can each bring production if needed. Obviously we're riding our Big 3, but we also feel the rest of the roster can be complimentary.
That said, here is our depth chart to start the season.
At center we have obviously Big Z. He's coming off a great playoff run and actually improved in the offseason. We're looking for him to have an All-Star season. Joe Smith is the primary backup. He's been great for us in the past and we expect him to continue to produce. John Wallace and Vin Baker provide additional depth as needed.
Chris Webber is our starting power forward. He's coming off another All-Star season and we expect him to continue to produce at that level. He does everything well. Austin Croshere is the primary backup. We like how he can spread the floor and his rebounding and defensive intensity in the perimeter and the post. Joe Smith and John Wallace provide additional depth.
We're going with Steve Smith to be our starting SF to start the year. We like his overall scoring ability, ball-handling, and basketball IQ. We think he fits in well with our starting 5 on the offensive end. Austin Croshere is the primary backup with Eric Piatkowski providing more depth.
Shandon Anderson will be our starting SG for now. He can be moved to SF as well. Derek Anderson and Erick Strickland are the backups.
And finally at PG we have Jason Kidd who is coming off another All-Star season. He was our best overall player leading our team in PER and EWA by doing pretty much everything well. We're glad to have him back and looks to be doing fine coming off of his broken foot. Terrell Brandon will be the primary backup. We tried starting him at the PG spot in the preseason, but we feel he's better suited to bring production off the bench. Former All-Star Dee Brown will be an additional backup.
One of our main goals will be to keep our guys fresh this season. Our starters won't play more than 36 minutes unless needed. We have the oldest team in the league and probably in sim league history.
Most prognosticators have us ranked 5th in the Midwest and 7th in the West. We obviously hope to do better, but it won't be easy as our division has improved overall. But our goal is to get back in the playoffs and make another deep run.
I can take questions now.
Hell everyone. It's just me today. I'm running the show so no one else needs to show up today. Anyway, I'm excited about the upcoming season. Last season was a breakthrough for us as we made our first Western Conference Finals and PBSL Finals. I was also named PBSL GM of the Year which was a first for me. It's a great honor being recognized for the job we did last season by signing Shandon Anderson, trading for Jason Kidd, and bringing back Big Z. Unfortunately we came up short in the Finals which was heartbreaking, but looking back it was a great run.
Not many changes in the offseason since we could only sign minimum contracts, but I like what we have now. We may be the oldest team in sim league history, but we have great pedigree on this roster. Guys with tons of All-Star and playoff experience which we feel will help us in the long run.
Unfortunately with each new season, there are guys who aren't here from last season. Tyrone Nesby, Randy Livingston, David Wesley, and Raef Lafrentz will be missed.
This season we've added veterans in Joe Smith, Steve Smith, Terrell Brandon, Erick Strickland, Eric Piatkowski, Dee Brown, Vin Baker, and Mark Macon. Yes, it would have been great if these guys were added in 1995 instead of 2005, but better late than never. But we also feel they can each bring production if needed. Obviously we're riding our Big 3, but we also feel the rest of the roster can be complimentary.
That said, here is our depth chart to start the season.
At center we have obviously Big Z. He's coming off a great playoff run and actually improved in the offseason. We're looking for him to have an All-Star season. Joe Smith is the primary backup. He's been great for us in the past and we expect him to continue to produce. John Wallace and Vin Baker provide additional depth as needed.
Chris Webber is our starting power forward. He's coming off another All-Star season and we expect him to continue to produce at that level. He does everything well. Austin Croshere is the primary backup. We like how he can spread the floor and his rebounding and defensive intensity in the perimeter and the post. Joe Smith and John Wallace provide additional depth.
We're going with Steve Smith to be our starting SF to start the year. We like his overall scoring ability, ball-handling, and basketball IQ. We think he fits in well with our starting 5 on the offensive end. Austin Croshere is the primary backup with Eric Piatkowski providing more depth.
Shandon Anderson will be our starting SG for now. He can be moved to SF as well. Derek Anderson and Erick Strickland are the backups.
And finally at PG we have Jason Kidd who is coming off another All-Star season. He was our best overall player leading our team in PER and EWA by doing pretty much everything well. We're glad to have him back and looks to be doing fine coming off of his broken foot. Terrell Brandon will be the primary backup. We tried starting him at the PG spot in the preseason, but we feel he's better suited to bring production off the bench. Former All-Star Dee Brown will be an additional backup.
One of our main goals will be to keep our guys fresh this season. Our starters won't play more than 36 minutes unless needed. We have the oldest team in the league and probably in sim league history.
Most prognosticators have us ranked 5th in the Midwest and 7th in the West. We obviously hope to do better, but it won't be easy as our division has improved overall. But our goal is to get back in the playoffs and make another deep run.
I can take questions now.