New Year's Resolution
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 7:22 am
It's New Year's Eve in sim league world and the league is shaping up. What does each team want and need the start of the New Year? New diet? New exercise plan? Quit smoking?
Atlantic Division
1. Brooklyn Nets - Great start with one of the best players in the league in Buddy Pedraza and a top 10 offense and defense. However two things that stand out are their 3-point defense and 3-point shooting. They're at the bottom of the league in both. So how about bringing in a 3 and D guy to defense the perimeter and shoot the 3s. Patrick Beverly could be available
2. New York Knicks - Good start, but the GM is already looking to sell. Top 10 defensively and almost top 10 offensively. Jokic and Gary Haris are playing really well. New Year's Resolution? Get Jeremy Lin going. Once he does, this team will be very hard to beat.
3. Philadelphia 76ers - After a slow start, many people's Finals favorite are coming on strong now. One of the best offenses in the league features an above average defense as well. What could they use the most in the loaded East? One more addition. Either a true starting PG or an interior defender. They're not far from getting where they want.
4. Boston Celtics - A young rebuilding team with a long road ahead in the loaded East. One move they need to make is to trade Jeff Withey to a team needing interior defense. He's expiring and he doesn't fit the young core he's developing
5. Toronto Raptors - Another team with a young core in a loaded conference. Lots of young guys on cheaper contracts. However, this team is over the cap and should probably move someone like JaMycheal Green to get under the tax and possibly get an asset back. Goran Dragic will be too hard to move.
Central Division
1. Detroit Pistons - The defending champs started out well, but have leveled off a bit. However, two key guys are out for a few sims and that could make a big difference in the East standing; In order to stay towards the top of the conference, they're gonna have to make some moves to offset the injuries. They need to scavenge around teams out of the playoffs and look to acquire quality depth.
2. Cleveland Cavs - A strong offseason has helped lead to a strong start. A very good starting 5 has led to one of the best defenses in the league. However their offense is not. Two things to help this team would be to start crashing the board and slow the pace a bit more and focus on more ball movement. This will lead to more quality shots and also further cement their defense as one of the league's best.
3. Indiana Pacers - After losing franchise Hall of Famer Derron Williams to the Hawks, the Pacers have responded with a fast start. They have a lot of solid players, but need one more impactful player to make them even better. In the meantime they can compensate by shooting less threes and by defending more aggressively to help that defense.
4. Chicago Bulls - This team had a strong offseason, but have not figured it out yet. This is a good young core. I like this roster. Stay the course and try different things gameplanning, especially defensively. This team will get better.
5. Milwaukee Bucks - This team went 1-15 in December with the one win courtesy of this author. Anyway, no surprise. They blew it up again and are rebuilding. So what should they do next? Try to move Ryan Anderson at the deadline.
Southeast Division
1. Atlanta Hawks - The Hawks are doing there thing after changing up the roster. They do everything well. And they added Thomas Robinson. What do they need this new year? Stay healthy for the playoffs.
2. Orlando Magic - A very good start. Team has a very good starting 5. However, the bench may be a little lacking. And their 3-pt defense is struggling as well. But overall not much more to do except maybe improve the bench and defend the three better.
3. Charlotte Bobcats - Darth did it. He started from scratch and has made this team a contender. However, teams are raining threes on him which is surprising since he has good defenders. He may have to make a move or two, but in the meantime, this team needs to get in shooters faces. A couple of nut shots wouldn't hurt. Do whatever it takes.
4. Washington Wizards - Surprisingly the Wizards are playing fairly well. Their franchise player recently got injured but he needs more time to develop. At this point, he could really move some expiring pieces, but otherwise he needs to focus on resting De La Rosa and letting him stronger before playing him on the floor
5. Miami Heat - Where to start. This team made some win now moves and are massively over the cap. They're currently paying 60 million per win. Something has gone wrong on the floor. At this point, they need to start making moves and just start over. The hard part will be matching salaries, especially for expiring players. But they need to get some picks for the future.
Let's get to the crappy West
Northwest Division
1. Minnesota TWolves - Great start. Made another trade getting Embiid. Only thing to hope for is to stay healthy for the playoffs. Clear Finals contender
2. Portland TrailBlazers - They're off to a solid start after a big offseason. They're defending well, but not shooting well from the well. Not much they can do to improve the roster unless they move Jayson Tatum, but his upside is really high. They're passing up the ball well so offensively they may need to move the ball around and decrease their isos. Defensively, focus maybe on man-to-man or zone and not foul so much.
3. Denver Nuggets - Life is short. Enjoy it.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder - Team has alot of firepower, but cannot defend which is the main reason for their slow start. They need to add a strong wing defender and an inside defender and start crashing the boards more and play more aggressively on defense. The 8th spot is up for the graps. Time to start now.
5. Utah Jazz - This team is rebuilding with very good young pieces. Talent on the team isn't as bad as the record indicates. Offensively, they need to move the ball around and attack the basket and defend perimeter aggressively. And get started on draft preparation
Pacific Division
1. Phoenix Suns - They're running away with this division. Love is a MVP candidate. They're over the cap and don't have alot of assets. So they need to be aggressive with finding free agents at the cut deadline to add to this roster. Otherwise, they could be one and done in the playoffs.
2. Golden State Warriors - Unfortunately, the GM isn't active at this time. But the team is pretty solid and has an outside chance at the playoffs. Trade Patrick Beverly for frontcourt depth and defend more aggressively.
3. Los Angeles Lakers - They moved Brandon Jennings for a young piece in Kevin Kowal and expiring. Now it's time to decide if they will re-sign Valanciunas in the offseason. Too bad he can't be moved before the deadline.
4. Los Angeles Clippers - They have two directions to go in. They can either try to move Durant for the best fair deal or keep him and try to be aggressive this offseason and add pieces around him. Unfortunately, I don't see a fair deal for Durant so I think they should try to improve the roster this offseason.
5. Sacramento Kings - They're really on a straight path for a rebuild with a young roster. At this point they just need to focus on figuring this team out long-term while they rebuild. They're struggling offensively and defensively. Duren has the chance to be a superstar long-term.
SouthBest Divison
1. Memphis Grizzlies - Off to a great start for this core. Fantastic defensively. One of the best I've ever seen. Great depth across the board. Offensively they're middle of the pack. Mainly because of 3-pt shooting and not going to the line enough. Not much to add to this team except good health and subtle adjustments offensively.
2. Dallas Mavs - Off to a nice start after adding Josh Smith and Rubio in the offseason. One glaring hole is at center, but they defend very well. They need to add a center and figure out how not to foul much and also how to draw more fouls. Maybe less aggressiveness on defense and more aggressiveness offensively.
3. New Orleans Pelicans - They're off to a decent start, but with their acquisition of Brandon Jennings, they have glaring holes at center and small forward though Aaron Gordon is filling in solidly there. They may benefit with going with Blake at center and Gordon at SF while they look for a center or SF.
4. Houston Rockets - After an 0-5 start and 3-6 first sim, this old grizzled team is back in the playoff race. They may need to add another SG and have Corey Joseph as a backup and find a way to shoot better from the field and improve their perimeter defense. Also, do more articles to pay off a potentially large tax.
5. San Antonio Spurs - They're in rebuilding mode now. After moving Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, and letting Josh Smith go, they're left with an expiring Gallinari and Marc Gasol with Collison and Dennis Schroder. I think they really need to move further and trade Schroder now to get the best possible value unless they plan to be active in FA next season. But I think trading Schroder would help them long-term.
That's it everyone. Hope your New Years Resolution comes through.
Atlantic Division
1. Brooklyn Nets - Great start with one of the best players in the league in Buddy Pedraza and a top 10 offense and defense. However two things that stand out are their 3-point defense and 3-point shooting. They're at the bottom of the league in both. So how about bringing in a 3 and D guy to defense the perimeter and shoot the 3s. Patrick Beverly could be available
2. New York Knicks - Good start, but the GM is already looking to sell. Top 10 defensively and almost top 10 offensively. Jokic and Gary Haris are playing really well. New Year's Resolution? Get Jeremy Lin going. Once he does, this team will be very hard to beat.
3. Philadelphia 76ers - After a slow start, many people's Finals favorite are coming on strong now. One of the best offenses in the league features an above average defense as well. What could they use the most in the loaded East? One more addition. Either a true starting PG or an interior defender. They're not far from getting where they want.
4. Boston Celtics - A young rebuilding team with a long road ahead in the loaded East. One move they need to make is to trade Jeff Withey to a team needing interior defense. He's expiring and he doesn't fit the young core he's developing
5. Toronto Raptors - Another team with a young core in a loaded conference. Lots of young guys on cheaper contracts. However, this team is over the cap and should probably move someone like JaMycheal Green to get under the tax and possibly get an asset back. Goran Dragic will be too hard to move.
Central Division
1. Detroit Pistons - The defending champs started out well, but have leveled off a bit. However, two key guys are out for a few sims and that could make a big difference in the East standing; In order to stay towards the top of the conference, they're gonna have to make some moves to offset the injuries. They need to scavenge around teams out of the playoffs and look to acquire quality depth.
2. Cleveland Cavs - A strong offseason has helped lead to a strong start. A very good starting 5 has led to one of the best defenses in the league. However their offense is not. Two things to help this team would be to start crashing the board and slow the pace a bit more and focus on more ball movement. This will lead to more quality shots and also further cement their defense as one of the league's best.
3. Indiana Pacers - After losing franchise Hall of Famer Derron Williams to the Hawks, the Pacers have responded with a fast start. They have a lot of solid players, but need one more impactful player to make them even better. In the meantime they can compensate by shooting less threes and by defending more aggressively to help that defense.
4. Chicago Bulls - This team had a strong offseason, but have not figured it out yet. This is a good young core. I like this roster. Stay the course and try different things gameplanning, especially defensively. This team will get better.
5. Milwaukee Bucks - This team went 1-15 in December with the one win courtesy of this author. Anyway, no surprise. They blew it up again and are rebuilding. So what should they do next? Try to move Ryan Anderson at the deadline.
Southeast Division
1. Atlanta Hawks - The Hawks are doing there thing after changing up the roster. They do everything well. And they added Thomas Robinson. What do they need this new year? Stay healthy for the playoffs.
2. Orlando Magic - A very good start. Team has a very good starting 5. However, the bench may be a little lacking. And their 3-pt defense is struggling as well. But overall not much more to do except maybe improve the bench and defend the three better.
3. Charlotte Bobcats - Darth did it. He started from scratch and has made this team a contender. However, teams are raining threes on him which is surprising since he has good defenders. He may have to make a move or two, but in the meantime, this team needs to get in shooters faces. A couple of nut shots wouldn't hurt. Do whatever it takes.
4. Washington Wizards - Surprisingly the Wizards are playing fairly well. Their franchise player recently got injured but he needs more time to develop. At this point, he could really move some expiring pieces, but otherwise he needs to focus on resting De La Rosa and letting him stronger before playing him on the floor
5. Miami Heat - Where to start. This team made some win now moves and are massively over the cap. They're currently paying 60 million per win. Something has gone wrong on the floor. At this point, they need to start making moves and just start over. The hard part will be matching salaries, especially for expiring players. But they need to get some picks for the future.
Let's get to the crappy West
Northwest Division
1. Minnesota TWolves - Great start. Made another trade getting Embiid. Only thing to hope for is to stay healthy for the playoffs. Clear Finals contender
2. Portland TrailBlazers - They're off to a solid start after a big offseason. They're defending well, but not shooting well from the well. Not much they can do to improve the roster unless they move Jayson Tatum, but his upside is really high. They're passing up the ball well so offensively they may need to move the ball around and decrease their isos. Defensively, focus maybe on man-to-man or zone and not foul so much.
3. Denver Nuggets - Life is short. Enjoy it.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder - Team has alot of firepower, but cannot defend which is the main reason for their slow start. They need to add a strong wing defender and an inside defender and start crashing the boards more and play more aggressively on defense. The 8th spot is up for the graps. Time to start now.
5. Utah Jazz - This team is rebuilding with very good young pieces. Talent on the team isn't as bad as the record indicates. Offensively, they need to move the ball around and attack the basket and defend perimeter aggressively. And get started on draft preparation
Pacific Division
1. Phoenix Suns - They're running away with this division. Love is a MVP candidate. They're over the cap and don't have alot of assets. So they need to be aggressive with finding free agents at the cut deadline to add to this roster. Otherwise, they could be one and done in the playoffs.
2. Golden State Warriors - Unfortunately, the GM isn't active at this time. But the team is pretty solid and has an outside chance at the playoffs. Trade Patrick Beverly for frontcourt depth and defend more aggressively.
3. Los Angeles Lakers - They moved Brandon Jennings for a young piece in Kevin Kowal and expiring. Now it's time to decide if they will re-sign Valanciunas in the offseason. Too bad he can't be moved before the deadline.
4. Los Angeles Clippers - They have two directions to go in. They can either try to move Durant for the best fair deal or keep him and try to be aggressive this offseason and add pieces around him. Unfortunately, I don't see a fair deal for Durant so I think they should try to improve the roster this offseason.
5. Sacramento Kings - They're really on a straight path for a rebuild with a young roster. At this point they just need to focus on figuring this team out long-term while they rebuild. They're struggling offensively and defensively. Duren has the chance to be a superstar long-term.
SouthBest Divison
1. Memphis Grizzlies - Off to a great start for this core. Fantastic defensively. One of the best I've ever seen. Great depth across the board. Offensively they're middle of the pack. Mainly because of 3-pt shooting and not going to the line enough. Not much to add to this team except good health and subtle adjustments offensively.
2. Dallas Mavs - Off to a nice start after adding Josh Smith and Rubio in the offseason. One glaring hole is at center, but they defend very well. They need to add a center and figure out how not to foul much and also how to draw more fouls. Maybe less aggressiveness on defense and more aggressiveness offensively.
3. New Orleans Pelicans - They're off to a decent start, but with their acquisition of Brandon Jennings, they have glaring holes at center and small forward though Aaron Gordon is filling in solidly there. They may benefit with going with Blake at center and Gordon at SF while they look for a center or SF.
4. Houston Rockets - After an 0-5 start and 3-6 first sim, this old grizzled team is back in the playoff race. They may need to add another SG and have Corey Joseph as a backup and find a way to shoot better from the field and improve their perimeter defense. Also, do more articles to pay off a potentially large tax.
5. San Antonio Spurs - They're in rebuilding mode now. After moving Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan, and letting Josh Smith go, they're left with an expiring Gallinari and Marc Gasol with Collison and Dennis Schroder. I think they really need to move further and trade Schroder now to get the best possible value unless they plan to be active in FA next season. But I think trading Schroder would help them long-term.
That's it everyone. Hope your New Years Resolution comes through.
