#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

That's right, no .gifs this time!

So, last season was a thing. We didn't win very many games (as expected), and there really was nothing to get excited about (also as expected. Sorry Byron...). But then in the offseason, we lucked into the #1 pick, and with it, Julio De La Rosa. It's going to be a while before we see any worthwhile contributions from him, but hey, it's a start. Another thing that happened was the destruction of the Twin Towers. Many know that our plans for an intimidating, sizable frontcourt took a huge hit last Training Camp, so when we were presented with the opportunity to get a young big who's already elite in a few areas (offense not being one of them) in return for a non-lotto draft pick and a player who, to be honest, projected as average, we took it. So of course Alton took it as a slight and made the improvements in Milwaukee we hoped to see from him last year in DC. Hey, Alton, had you done that last year, you'd still be here. And don't look so smug Lloyd, you're probably next.

The offseason...didn't go as planned. For starters, a long night of work led me to literally sleep through RFA the next day, pretty much killing our hopes of landing a potential future centerpiece. We then sent out a few okay/cheap offers for the first round of UFA (didn't work), ignored/slept through the second round (at least we saved money), and signed a few bums (a few of whom who would later be released) in round three. This actually paid off in an unexpected way when we were able to bring in Vernon Norman and Boyd Cox, bring back Steven Adams, and bring an apology to the recently-cut second-rounder Charles Kuntz.

As a matter of fact, "Unexpected" pretty much sums up TC and the preseason for us. We don't look quite like the dumpster fire I thought we'd be, but we don't look like a young team on the rise either. I'm not sure how this season's gonna go...man, it's nice to keep hold of your picks.

Any questions?

Your roster appears to fit a more conventional look this season. Is the "All-Giants" experiment over?

Julio de la Rosa didn't see too much playing time in the preseason, and while his potential is sky high, he seems, at 19, to have a little ways to go. Are we going to see him on the court this year, or will he be redshirted?

false9 wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 11:50 am Your roster appears to fit a more conventional look this season. Is the "All-Giants" experiment over?

Unfortunately, yes, it's on hold again. I would still like to one day create a "big man" roster that lasts more than a couple of seasons, but I just don't think the talent's present in the league at the moment, and the few players that can pull it off aren't easily gettable. I made an error by putting the cart before the horse in terms of trying to build an unconventional team without having a standout unconventional player first.

garbageman wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 11:55 am Julio de la Rosa didn't see too much playing time in the preseason, and while his potential is sky high, he seems, at 19, to have a little ways to go. Are we going to see him on the court this year, or will he be redshirted?

I'm honestly going back-and-forth on it. The signings and solid preseason play of guys like McLemore and Norman means that there's really no logical reason to put Julio in, especially if we attempt to make a run at the 8th seed. However, the current training system somewhat rewards you for forcing minutes upon a rookie throughout his first four years. Given that rookie contract training will be the only training Julio will ever receive (unless his potential drops, which is bad), it may be in our best interests to throw him to the wolves, regardless of how that will affect our win/loss record.

Why no gifs? Budget concerns?

Where does Andre Drummond fit on this team? Do you feel like he could be a centerpiece, or is he only in DC temporarily?

LoCo89 wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:06 pm Why no gifs? Budget concerns?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

IamQuailman wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:08 pm Where does Andre Drummond fit on this team? Do you feel like he could be a centerpiece, or is he only in DC temporarily?

Oh, we definitely feel like he can become a centerpiece. If there's one thing we've been known for over the majority of the past twenty years, it's strong rebounding and defensive play. Andre's already an elite rebounder, and is on his way towards becoming an elite post defender. We really feel as if he can help us get back to our traditional style of play. Shame he's not a bit taller though.

(And no, we're not just saying that because we need him to be happy here and accept his player option and delay his potential big payday for another year)

Do you feel like you won the Free For All season?

WigNosy wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 12:28 pm Do you feel like you won the Free For All season?

Yes...and no. I was very lucky to sign Adams, Norman, Cox, and Kuntz despite finishing just outside of 5th (6th), meaning that despite being every bit as bad off as the 5 worst teams, I had to let them have 15 minutes to get their shot. However, I feel as if Adams and Kuntz shouldn't have been available to begin with, and the fact that they were was an error on my part. I foolishly overlooked Adams during UFA when looking at bigs to sign despite the fact that he was a Wizard last season, and thus should've been near the top of my list. Kuntz was our first pick in the second round, but was unceremoniously cut after I woke up and RFA was over. Yes, I did not know he would improve, but it's not like I had anything to lose by keeping him, and now I have a rookie with potential who is uneligible for rookie training. So despite lucking out in FFA Free Agency, I find it darkly amusing that half of the players I "won" were mine to lose in the first place.

When does Washington get a championship banner?

With all 3 draft picks in the cupboard will a hot start lead you to make a trade to get some win-now talent? Or with De La Rosa still being far away will you strive to play the long game in the loaded Eastern Conference.

ballsohard wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 2:10 pm When does Washington get a championship banner?

When I'm able to construct a team that can perform as well in the postseason as they do in the regular season, if not better. I also need to step up my playoff gameplanning to win us a championship. I am a far better teambuilder than gameplanner, and I lack an understanding of how this game works. That has to change if we're ever to reach the top of the mountain.

Conroy wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2017 2:20 pm With all 3 draft picks in the cupboard will a hot start lead you to make a trade to get some win-now talent? Or with De La Rosa still being far away will you strive to play the long game in the loaded Eastern Conference.

We're committed to the long game, no pick trading for us unless we receive a can't-miss offer. Even with our abysmal draft history, we're so far away from legitimately and consistently competing, hot start or not, that trading picks for the sake of a Round 1 playoff exit is franchise suicide. Our time is not now.

If we do find ourselves doing better than expected, we will be active in the budget deal market, as well as the veteran expirings market, thanks to our cap space. In other words, low-risk moves that don't have the potential to bite us in the ass later. But I repeat, no picks will be traded unless we receive an offer that dramatically boosts our fortunes in the future as well as the present. The only pick that has a prayer of moving is our current first, and that is only if we have a playoff spot secured.