#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

It's been quiet over here, almost too quiet. It almost makes me wish for the olden days....nah.

Last season pretty much went as planned. Everyone performed about to the level we expected, and we were in the mix for the 8th seed until the very end.
So yeah, a pretty ho-hum season, all things considered. But that was just fine with us, because the real excitement was about to come. Thanks our aggressive past moves, we had set ourselves up with quite a nice bit of cash heading into the offseason, even with the cap holds of JaVale McGee and the newly-acquired Luc Long Ass Name. Just like last season, we were ready to add another piece by any means necessary in RFA.
But first, we get to the draft. Once again, we did not have a 1st-round pick, and all of our 2nd-rounders were too low to be of any worth. But when one of the guys we'd scouted ended up spiraling down the draft charts, we managed to weasel our way into the bottom end of the draft and bring Alexey Shved to DC.
Moving on to RFA, we were not only able to reach a deal with JaVale that satisfied both parties, but were also able to con Roy Hibbert and Anthony Randolph into signing offer sheets with us, with the intention of forming a block-happy frontcourt with JaVale. Unfortunately, the Clippers matched Hibbert's deal quickly, leaving us to wait in agony as the clock ticked down towards the deadline, to see whether or not we'd get Anthony Randolph as a consolation prize.
In the meantime, we decided to bring back Luc Long Ass Name, despite him signing an offer sheet with the Bucks that was a bit more than what we hoped to pay him. In the end, we felt that our offensively-focused team really needed a defensive force like Luc on our roster, and paying a little extra for him wasn't too bad, all things considered. We actually expected JaVale to be the one in that situation...shows how smart we are, I suppose. Oh, and we ended up with Randolph once the deadline hit due to LoCo's cry of YOLO, which is...almost exactly how we signed Wilson Chandler. Hmm. Onward to UFA, where nothing of note happened aside from Rashard turning down the opportunity to return to DC in favor of bigger bucks in the Bay Area. #Imnotbittertho

Just kidding, we actually did accomplish something in FA, and that was making Ersan Ilyasova the highest-paid member of our team. While most would fairly consider him overpaid now, we felt that what he'd shown us in the last year and a half made him worth paying extra to secure his services. We also wanted to send a message to the rest of our team that not only are you here because we want you, but if you produce results, you will be recognized and rewarded.
Moving on to training camp, we once again found ourselves satisfied with the gains our guys had made. Tyreke, Thaddeus, and Luc all made solid improvements to their all-around skills, and just about everyone else added a new trick here and there. But most of all, we were very happy to see Gerald Green continue to embrace his role as team captain with a stellar TC that really sets an example for the younger generation.
So with all that, I think it's safe to say that the future is still bright in DC. We've gathered a solid core of young talent, and we're excited to see where they lead us. And even if they lead us to the gutter, we still have our pick, right?

After just missing out on the 8th seed last year, how much of a priority is it for the Wizards to make the playoffs at the end of this season?

*Looks over shoulder*

Don't let word spread, but it's actually not that big of a deal, ya dig? Sure, it's great for morale and all that jazz, but you know what's even better for morale? Not getting blown out by the 1st seed and getting a lotto pick...though that doesn't usually turn out well...anyway, we want the playoffs, but if the 7th or 8th seed is all we're going after, then screw that, I'd rather stockpile more talent. I'd hope our organization has higher expectations than sneaking in the back door of the big dance.

With the oldest player on your roster being a 28-year-old Jarrett Jack, do you feel you have enough veteran leadership to help the guys still finding their way in the league advice on how to cope with the grind of the 82-game season?

Yes we do. Even though we're a young team, we still have three guys with 7 years of experience under their belts, and two of them (Ersan and Gerald) will be starters come opening day. 3 of our guys (Ersan, Jarrett, and Luc) have championship rings with their previous teams. I feel that we've done a fair job of acquiring guys that not only know how to win, but who are still young enough to relate to and understand the new generation.

Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, Ersan lead the team in scoring in the preseason. Do you think that will continue in the regular season?

He definitely is capable of doing so, especially now that he's improved his midrange game. However, Gerald led the team in scoring last season, and we're expecting the same this season.

Nick Melon; The Advocate: Do you feel as if there is The Revival in happening in DC for your team with this DIY attitude? Do you feel the need to tag teammates hands as a necessary function for team chemistry? If you agree all day and all night, Say Yeah (yeah) Yeah (yeah).

You just reminded me how long it's been since I've seriously followed WWE. Lucha Underground for life!

Your perimeter is set with the Chandler, Tyreke, and Green. Your frontcourt is stable as well with McGee, Ersan, and Luc. How will the PF battle shape up and do you feel the frontcourt is lacking compare to the all blue perimeter?

: We always had an idea of what we wanted our lineup to be, but were waiting to see if training camp changed anything. Now that that's over, the starting lineup will be:

C: JaVale
PF: Ersan
SF: Gerald
SG: Wilson
PG: Tyreke

Luc will be our 6th man, holding down both Forward spots off the bench. Randolph will also see some minutes at PF. As for how our frontcourt stacks up against our backcourt, with the exception of Ersan, who's there to provide spacing and pressure opposing bigs on offense, our frontcourt provides defense, rebounding and toughness. They're not as flashy as our wings, but they're not here to be. They're here to give us a balanced team that can handle slugfests as well as shootouts.