#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Micheal Stevenson: Welcome ladies and gents to our annual pre-season presser. No gimmicks, no major announcements this year. This front office is very focused on one thing: winning. It's something this franchise hasn't done in a while and I would like to announce that our rebuild is officially over. Darth took some time off last season, and it was probably the best thing he could have done. Pedro stepped in and did a phenomenal job in guiding the team last year. We had a plan in place and he made sure everything stayed on track. He even made a few friends while at the helm. So we are grateful to him for being there when we needed a strong presence. I'm very happy that Darth is back and I'll let him take it from here.

Darth: Well guys, I won't be up here for long. I have much to do. I'm back, I enjoyed my time off and now it's time to truly get back to work. We have a very young core of guys. Our first gem was Danny Granger, who had a rough couple of seasons to start. But alas, he has come back to form and after averaging nearly 20 ppg last season, he is ready to take that next step. We then drafted Rajon Rondo and Brandon Roy. Both had a great rookie season and continued to improve in the off-season. Both took to TC well, and we decided to train both of them. Rondo took the leap from Y to G and is poised to have a great year leading this team. We then brought in Marc Gasol in this years draft, and know that he will grow into a great anchor for this team. Anderson Varajao is longest current member of this team. We drafted him 16th overall back 4 years ago and have gave him the support he's needed throughout. I think another GM mentioned that we needed an incentive to keep these middling guys on our teams. Well here is your incentive: they might just develop into legit players if you give them time. In his 4th year, Anderson took a nice jump this TC and were hoping he will be a solid starter for us this year.

Also tying into the fact that the rebuild is officially over, we put out some pretty large contracts and 2 were accepted. We are very happy to welcome Shawn "The Matrix" Marion and Vince Carter to our squad. These two guys will be key when it comes to getting these young guys up and ready to play each and every night. So there you have it, that's our team and we have lots of work to do. Any questions before we head off?

Your team is in an enviable position having young prospects mixed with established stars. Are the veterans more or less stopgaps or are there any trade possibilities involving the youngsters?

Random Reporter: So with the rebuild officially over, exactly what roles are you expecting your young guys to step into? Or, do you expect Carter and Marion to shoulder the load?

78# wrote:Your team is in an enviable position having young prospects mixed with established stars. Are the veterans more or less stopgaps or are there any trade possibilities involving the youngsters?

Xist2Inspire wrote:Random Reporter: So with the rebuild officially over, exactly what roles are you expecting your young guys to step into? Or, do you expect Carter and Marion to shoulder the load?

I'll answer both since they are similar. Are these young guys ready to carry this team to the Finals? No. Granger and Roy are coming along nicely, but we knew when we drafted Rajon and moreso Gasol, that these guys would need some time. But that doesn't mean we can't compete. These guys need more experiences on the court than only losing. So we brought in some guys who can do it all and help these youngsters grow.

To answer the trade question. Any of them could be traded at any time. With the rebuild being over that means it's time to win games. And those who know me know that I will do whatever it takes to do that. So I won't say any of the older guys OR the younger guys couldn't be traded. It would have to be a blockbuster to pry these young guys away from me but I won't rule it out.

I will be expecting a ton from Marion as he will be playing the PF spot and we will need many things from him. Offense, defense, rebounding...all of it will be expected from the Matrix. Vince will start the season on the bench, and we hope that he can thrive as our 6 man and give our young guys breaks when it's needed. Our first sim is a BRUTAL 9 games so this season will probably start off bumpy.

Generic Wolves Reporter: In the yet-to-be-released Chemistry Report, your team apparently has very poor cohesion. Do you think it has to do with the new signings coming in and butting heads with the young stars? What do you think can be done to fix this chemistry issue?

The Rocket taking off in your logo... was that your penis after you saw Danny Granger's training camp?

How long will Vince and Marion have to carry the team before Rondo is ready to pick up the torch?

Looking back at the rebuild, what would you have done differently?

I think this is a fun question and a chance for others to get creative. So pardon if repetitive...

Do you have any special giveaways on the docket this season? There are only so many times we as fans can receive a white tshirt with the local ambulance chaser's logo on the back. How do you plan on mixing it up for your fanbase?