Halloween: Which 5 PBSL Teams Are The Spookiest Heading Forward?
Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 10:36 am
Which 5 PBSL Teams Are The Spookiest Heading Forward?
Ah, October 31st: Halloween. In antiquity, Halloween was the one night out of the year when the barrier between the living world and the world of the undead would be open, allowing deceased loved ones to return home to visit their loved ones. But in the world of PBSL, Halloween doesn't work that way. Just like dead loved ones, there are numerous teams whose respective fanbases are ready to also return home — but only once the time is right. So which teams are bound to become "scary" in the seasons to come? And what about these teams makes them so "scary"?
01. Los Angeles Lakers
Although they're currently sitting on a 13-25 record, don't be deceived by this young group of athletic, exciting prospects. Right now, the Lakers are stripped down and built on youth; they seem committed to rebuilding their franchise from the ground up, and that's a good thing because they have a lot of talented young prospects heading forward. As they develop, players such as Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Gustave Lecroix should prove to become the new faces of the franchise as Brandon Jennings and DeMarcus Cousins take a backseat as role players. If the Lakers can continue to make good decisions in the draft, as well as attract some big names in free agency, there's no reason they can't become a contender in a few years — but they're gonna have to work really hard and perhaps even get a little lucky.
02. Torono Raptors
To suggest that the Toronto Raptors are "stuck between a rock and a hard place" would be putting it lightly. Right now, the Raptors are absolute trash, simply put — but that doesn't mean that they can't turn things around in a few seasons time. Unfortunately for them, however, that's going to take a lot of work (and possibly even some luck). It'll be important that they get the most out of their young prospects such as Brett Lopez, Phil Milburn, Ben McLemore, and yes, even Roscoe Diggs. But it's also vital that they attract some big-name free agents in the near future, because they're gonna have an incredibly difficult time building around yellow and green players. But as luck would have it, the Raptors currently have the most cap space in the league, so they should have no problems in that department. The Raptors also currently have two picks in the 1st round of the upcoming draft (as well as a 2nd round pick), so it's important that they get the most value out of those selections.
03. Dallas Mavericks
I have absolutely no clue what the Mavericks are doing. I don't think anybody does aside from their GM. Right now, they seem committed to the tank — but there's no real point in doing that because they don't have any valuable draft picks heading forward aside from next year's. Sure, they have a few decent prospects (John Hagerman, Charles Tardiff, Boris Hailey, Bradley Beal), but outside of them, the Mavericks really have nothing to look forward to aside from training camp and hoping to send off some players for some more 1st round picks to build around. The reason why the Mavericks are scary isn't because they have the potential to transform into an uber good team in a few years, it's because nobody really has any damn clue what direction they're heading in. But don't be surprised if you see them make a huge move in the offseason.
04. Philadelphia 76ers
It's been a rocky few years for the 76ers, who've managed to post a 62-102 record the past 2 seasons. But fortunately for the 76ers, there's a light at the end of the tunnel — and it should be coming as soon as next season. With highly-touted prospects such as Ben Simmons, Van Grimaldi, Markelle Fultz, and Chet Dooley joining the likes of Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker, Dwight Howard, and Robert Covington on the roster, the 76ers could very well become the next "unstoppable force" in PBSL — and they did it all without sacrificing any of their top draft picks. For these reasons, the 76ers may be the spookiest team of all in PBSL.
05. Boston Celtics
Sorry, I couldn't resist. The Celtics drafted the #1 and #4 overall picks in the previous draft, and they have 4 1st round picks in the next 2 drafts. On top of that, they already have some productive players such as Kenneth Faried and Elfrid Payton to build with. As if their current situation couldn't possibly get any better, they aren't really tied down with contracts, neither. They have the 5th most cap space in the league, which is absolutely terrifying considering what they already have. Conroy has done a great job rebuilding his franchise ... The next few seasons will be incredibly interesting and exciting for the Celtics! Spooky ass team, for sure.
06. Charlotte Bobcats (Honorary Mention)
Although the Bobcats completed last season with a 17-65 record, they've done a wonderful job of retooling their team in the offseason. Currently sitting at 23-15 in the southeast, the Bobcats have the young talent necessary to build a contending team around — and so far, that's exactly what they seem to be doing. Everything seems to be going according to plan for Charlotte, who've apparently recovered from one of their worst seasons in franchise history. There are no step-by-step directions to success, and the Bobcats have proven that to be true by making smaller, safer moves to improve their team. As long as they keep hold of their future draft picks and they acquire some notable free agents in the near future, they should be just fine — and that sounds pretty spooky to me!
Happy Halloween!
