The Ever-Popular 2019 Pre-Season 5(+1) on 5 (+1ish)

[IamQuailman]

Welcome back to another riveting season of SLOE Basketball. One thing we have to look forward to for each season is a new set of 5-on-5 articles, especially after the controversial definition of a 5-on-5 last season. Today we look a little at the past, a peek at the present, and a few pokes into the mysterious future ahead. 5 eager beaver GMs stepped up to the plate to answer some thought provoking (and time-consuming) questions. They were a little disappointed to hear that they were not going to receive a PhD in addition to the 5pts they will more than likely get for their dissertations, but c'est la vie. Our participants were:

- GM of the Sacramento Kings, NOLabia.
- GM of the Toronto Raptors, Soundwang
- GM of the Denver Nuggets, the syndickate
- GM of the San Antonio Spurs, Eazy Penis
- GM of the Philadelphia 76ers, ballssohard

Let's get into our questions! We had a series of 5 questions plus 1 bonus question. Let's get to it.

1. We had huge amount of player movement this off-season, both via Free Agency and Trade Market. What are your top 5 BIGGEST MOVES of the off-season? Which team was impacted most by off-season moves?

NOLa.: #1 is obviously the Kyrie Irving signing by the New Orleans Pelicans. After they decided to ship off everything and everyone, Nick still had one more spite bid to make. The Bobcats made a number of big moves, bringing in Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan from trades and re-signing Klay, but the loss of Kyrie hasn’t sat well with Darth. I think the Lakers/Kings trade was huge in seeing a #1 pick get traded for two top 5 picks. You normally don’t see that in a draft. Also, I mentioned earlier but the Pelicans send off of Blake Griffin to the Nuggets and Lillard to the Celtics I believe impacted the league possibly the most, because not only did two stars get moved, but the salary sent allowed Nick to make the Kyrie bid. The last big move for me is the Clippers signing Kemba Walker. I don’t know if it’s because trill is new, but it was a big signing to put talent around a deadly Kevin Durant.

Soundwave: Obviously The Kyrie Irving move was the most infamous. I’m not sure how much it helps the Pelicans, but it had to hurt the Bobcats. Not to be lost in the shuffle is the Bobcats regrouping and trading for Deandre Jordan. That is a fearsome Front Line that has as good a chance as any of stopping AD if given the chance. Kemba Walker to Clippers puts them at needing only another player or 2 to raise some eyebrows.
Vucevic to Celtics may finally renew the luck of the Irish. And if I can toot my own horn,*toot toot*, the Kawhi Leonard signing by the Raptors may have lit a fire that could burn the league in a few years. Overall the biggest move(s) has to be the Orlando Magic Yard Sale. They have gone from Sim League Champions to Sim League Wet Socks.

the syndicate:I mean, the obvious answer to the second question is the Orlando Magic who went from champs to chumps. They had their hand in a ton of league-changing moves including what I see as the biggest move this offseason. Here they are in reverse order:
5. Magic continue dismantling team by trading DeAndre Jordan to Bobcats for a pick and salary - This brought back together the twin towers from the Warriors hey-day.
4. Pelicans trade Blake Griffin to Nuggets for Buddy Hield and a Pick - this breaks up the Blake/Dame bromance which had been in place for many years and makes the Nuggets a contender in the West.
3. Kings/Lakers Stewards execute trade involving #1 overall pick - That's how you know this was an insane offseason. The #1 pick gets traded, and it's only the 3rd biggest move of the offseason.
2. Pelicans sign Kyrie Irving - This isn't big for what it meant for the Pelicans, but is absolutely huge for the Charlotte Bobcats who had championship aspirations. While they're certainly still contenders, their roster is nowhere near what it would be with Kyrie.

aaaaaand my under-the-radar #1 most impactful move of the offseason... Magic trade James Harden to Phoenix - Kevin Love has single-handedly carried the Suns to the Conference Finals in 3 of the last 6 years. He now gets his most potent teammate. Maybe it's because I'm in the West, but that move makes the Suns EXTREMELY dangerous in the west.

Eazy P: My top 5 biggest moves are:
Kyrie to the Pelicans
Bobcats acquiring DeAndre Jordan and Rudy Gobert via trade
Dewayne Dedmon to the Wolves
Getting Brandon Jennings via trade and Enes Kanter resigning with the Sixers

The Bobcats were impacted by both the Kyrie and the Twin towers moves. Kyrie moving on and going to the pelicans hurt Backcourt depth but it is gonna be hard to scored against that 2-headed monster. His team is built to shut down AD and I think the combination of Rudy and DJ will help if they meet in the post season.

ballsohard: 5. Griffin to the Nuggets
4. Isiah Thomas to the Kings
3. Paul George to the Spurs
2. Gobert/Jordan to the Bobcats
1. Kyrie to the Pelicans

I’d have to say the Bobcats were most affected. They had a grand plan and they were spite FRYED by the Pelicans after some trash talk in Skype. Bobcats will be fine, but a lot of GM’s are sighing some relief that they dont have Kyrie on that team.

Quail: Obvious picks are Kyrie out of Charlotte and the twin towers in, but I loooooove the Isaiah Thomas signing with the Kings. With Small at the helm, their team was probably at least 2 years away. Thomas bumps him directly into contention. Kudos to Balls for catching that one!

2. For each division, which team do you think will have the biggest drop off from last season? Will it be a long time drop off or a potential short-term setback?

NOLa.: It’s tough to pick a drop off in the Atlantic because I think most of the teams actually improved, but if I were to pick one it would be the Knicks even though they only went 41-41 last season. That Jeremy Lin training camp was killer, but Jokic has another top camp so maybe there won’t be much change. In the Central I have to pick the Cavaliers. Gone in UFA is LeBron, Kemba Walker, Iman Shumper, and Evan Turner. They didn’t get a single asset in return as all players walked, and Whiteside took a hit in training camp in his athleticism. In the Atlantic this is easy, the defending champs decided to sell almost everything and traded away the big 3. In the Northwest, the Thunder look to be like the Cavs of the West, as they lost Isaiah Thomas and Nikola Vucevic in UFA. They only won 33 games last season, but I expect a sharp drop in wins, maybe in the low teens range. The Pacific is a little tough, because honestly no one was really all that high up from last season besides the Suns, but they added James Harden. I’d have to go with the Warriors, as bow may end up blowing the team up even more. Can I just say the Southwest division as a whole is going to have the biggest drop off from last season? Paul George looks like he could win the division, and I don’t mean the Spurs who have George, I mean Paul George-the-one-man-team can win that division.

Soundwave: Atlantic - Knicks. Maybe the only downward trending team in that division. I think they may stay down for a bit while the rest of the division gets fiercely competitive. Central - Bucks. Sell Sell Sell Short term, he’ll get ok, then trade it away, get bad, trade, get very good, trade, get pretty good, trade, get bad, trade , get finals level, trade, I’m dizzy. Southeast - Magic. Duh Not sure, rebuilding isn’t as easy as it seems sometimes. Northwest - Thunder. Not sure they win 20 games. Everyone else stays about the same Long term. Pacific - Warriors. They may be the only Pacific team to win less games. This build may take a while. Southwest - Mavs. Losing Josh Smith will hurt. Luckily that whole division is limbo so a couple of moves by any of these teams can win it.

the syndicate:Atlantic: I see the Atlantic FAIRLY similar to last year, but I think Philly skips over the Nets, so I guess I'll say the Nets in a not-so-big drop-off. I see them as needing to re-tool after this season (or during if they can find a taker for Reke) so there may be something longer-term at that point. Central: Despite what pre-season would have us believe, the Cavs will drop off significantly from last year as their UFA from last season was not repeated. I expect them to trade Whiteside for a rebuild package making this a long-term drop. Southeast: Magic. Long-term. NW: The Thunder are going from middle-of-the-pack to the bottom of the league. They'll need to cash in on some of their upcoming draft picks in order to come back to prominence in a pretty loaded division. Pac: The Warriors are rebuilding. So, them. Long-term. SW: The VanMemphis Yellows. Jesus, Doug. How long is this thing?

Eazy P: The team with the biggest drop off from last season is definitely the Grizz. 54 wins last season and damn near everyone on last year's team is gone. Gone cause of tax issues I don't know if this franchise will ever recover. He may have to sell his team to the highest bidder to pay off that tax

ballsohard: Atlantic - I dont think anyone drops off. Maybe the Nets lose 3 more games. This division is on the rise and only got better. Central - Cavs - they lost a lot of talent in UFA this offseason. I dont think they’ll be a laughing stock, but 50+ wins seems like a pipe dream. Southeast - Magic- I mean, they won one and they sold their talent. This one is obvious. Northwest - I think the Thunder losing Isiah is going to hurt a lot more than people think. Also, how did Isiah only get 14 m this offseason? Pacific - Warriors, i think it’ll be by design. They didnt sign the free agents they did to win now. They signed them to trade them. Southwest - Grizz, after that tax bill they’ll fall from grace here.

Quail: Easy candidates here (and everyone seems to agree) are the Grizz, Thunder, and Cavs. Lost a lot of talent in the off-season and will subsequently lose a lot of W's in the process.

3. TC Gawds looked upon many this season favorably, and we have all been blessed in one way or another. Which TC boost do you think will make the most impact on your team specifically but also which boosted player will set the league on fire?

NOLa.: I did not receive a boosted player, I feel this question was setup for Quail to brag about his multiple bumps. So this is odd because usually one player gets that purple potential and all of the sudden the league knows they have to deal with a monster, but the jury is still out on Ellinger. He’s going to be a great player and an offensive wrecking ball, but his defense is suspect and now as a purple Wig missed a golden opportunity to at least get that C to a B and make sure he wasn’t a liability at the least. In the end, I think his offense and athleticism will be a lot to handle for many teams and will be up there in points per game and assists, and definitely a player Wig can utilize to set the league on fire.

Soundwave: Raptors had a lot of boosted guys. Joffrey continued on his path to the throne, Kristaps came out the gate very strong. Brett Lopez may have established himself as the teams best Center with a surprise camp. But Jarvis Chambers and his 45 points gained will come out of nowhere to lead this team in scoring and will become a household name by the end of the season.

the syndicate: All in all, I had a great TC. McCormick should be in for a minutes increase, and Dooley had some great gainz, which if my team is going to compete for some playoff wins, he'll be relied on. A sleeper was Aaron Donald who should score a TON off the bench. As for the league, it may not be this year, but KAT had one of the best TCs, and at 21 he really needed some positive momentum to reach his potential. He's looking gooooooood.

Eazy P: TC boost that will make a huge impact on my team is Carlos Bergstrom. He did a good job last season on my bad team but now that he may get starter minutes he may put up nice numbers but not enough to help make this team playoff bound. The player that will set the league on fire is of course AD. AD has been setting the league on fire for what seems like forever. He's probably is going to be the league MVP this season IMO. he can do everything and do it good.

ballsohard:Fultz for me. He was already a big part of this team’s future and with his boost, he’s moved to Grimaldi’s level in terms of future value to this team. James McCormick was was already a very solid player with solid potentials, but now he looks like a 2 way big for the Nuggets or whoever hes used for trade bait.

Quailman:Honestly, McNary looks like he's ready to take the league over, but I'm excited about Paul O'Neil on my squad. KAT looks like he could be LEGIT scary very soon (good call, ry!)

4. The Magic went from king of the hill to king of the landfill. Which player from last season's championship Magic squad do you think will be traded from their current home first: Dario Saric, Marcus Smart, Paul George, James Harden, or Deandre Jordan? Why? Which player do you think will end the season on their current team?

NOLa.: I think Marcus Smart will be the first and maybe only player moved. The Magic love Saric, but I think they can get a great young player for Smart if the right deal comes along. His contract is great and while his offense isn’t quite there, his defense and size reminds me of Iman Shumpert who can lock down the perimeter. If the Magic want to blow this team up, it starts with Smart being traded.

Soundwave: Marcus Smart will be first traded because Magic are sellers and cellars. Plus his contract will be easier to move than Saric. Paul George won’t go anywhere until he is 36. Spurs gonna Spur.

the syndicate: Paul George. Simple, Eazy doesn't need him and won't be competing anytime soon. I think he's traded for youth and/or picks. No chance Harden gets traded from the Suns.

Eazy P: Depending on what offers the Spurs get PG may be the player to go. Their team is going nowhere anytime soon and there are teams out there that can use his services to help them get over the hump of competing or a title. The player that probably end the year on their current team is James Harden. That contract is nasty not cause he is not a good player because he is a good player but because it's a huge monetary investment and with the taxman always lurking hoping to get them pernts out of GMs they would think twice before wanting to trade for him.

ballsohard: I think George is the only guy who doesn’t make sense open his current team. Lord only know is the Eazy we’ve known for the past 100 seasons will be around asking for the world, or friendship trade Eazy will be running the team this year. Smart would be 2 on this list. The least likely is Saric. The Magic GM has a very big man crush on him and wants to see him as the team.

Quailman: I was going to go Smart, but apparently Eazy has a box of moon pies on his desk with a note "PG please". So Maybe Paul George afterall..

5. Give me your predictions of each of the following: best team in each conference, worst team in the league, biggest surprise team, and league champ.

NOLa.: I have to go with the 76ers in the East and Timberwolves in the West. The East is terrifying, but the 76ers have so much talent starting that they are going to bring Barnes off the bench. That’s almost hilarious. The Wolves edge out the Blazers in my pick only because I’m going off of the previous season. I thought the Blazers were the team to beat last season but fell a little. This season, the Blazers have a real shot at winning the Midwest. Still going with the star duo of Wiggins and Porter. When they lead a team to a Game 7 Finals, JNR knows what this team is capable of and they each improved in training camp. Wiggins is ready to take over the West. The worst team in the league right now is the Thunder because there is no depth and they lost Vuc and IT. Only having Parker isn’t going to cut it, because at least the Grizzlies have depth. The biggest surprise team for me is the Bulls. I asked in his presser that he returns a lot of the same group that missed the playoffs, but his team had a tremendous overall camp. 5 guys had +40 camps, and it came from his young guys who look ready to contribute more to the team. My league champ prediction in the 76ers. The Hawks and Bobcats are close, but the 76ers have the talent and depth to carry them over any team.

Soundwave: Atlantic - 76ers, Central - Pistons, Southeast - Hawks, Northwest - Hmm, TrailWolves, TimberBlazers. Blazers, Pacific - Kings, Southwest - Penguins, Worst team - Thunder, Surprise - Kings, Champs - Hawks (please somebody prove me wrong)

the syndicate: East: Pistons/Hawks/76ers are the cream of the crop with the Bobcats slightly behind. IT would be a shock if one of these teams didn't win the East. Simply because of divisions, I'll take the Pistons in the regular season. The Hawks in the playoffs. West: I really like the Suns this year. They're in a fairly bare division, with the new-look young Kings and the Kevin Durants the only semi-threats. Worst team in the league: There are some bad teams this year. I don't think there will be a surprise horrible team. The worst team will be one we expect. The Grizz, the magic, the Thunder, the Cavs, the Pacers, the Spurs, I dunno. Take your pick. Biggest Surprise? The Mavs, I think will win that division and turn some heads doing so. Champ? I got the Hawks against the Suns with the Suns winning in 6 games.

Eazy P: Best team in the East as of now is the Sixers but we all know the East is going to be a gauntlet again this season. Best team in the West Is a hard guess between the Wolves and Blazers. I think Imma give a slight advantage to the Blazers. Worst team in the league will be the Spurs. Yeah the Spurs have a Purp/Purp Paul George but he can only do so much on a team full of bench players playing starter minutes. The biggest surprise will be the Kings. I think this young team is ready to take the next step and make postseason. With the growth of these talented players I see them winning more the 18 games this season. I can see them being a 40+ win team.

ballsohard: 76ers or Hawks in the East; Blazers or Wolves in the West. I think the Wolves can win it this year but dont count out the 76ers.

Quail: All very strong cases for teams here. Seems to be the consensus that Hawks and Sixers are locks for the east, while the Wolves and Blazers are the front runners out west... makes me think about how the Bobcats, Pistons, and Suns feel about this amount of disrespeck?!

EXTRA CREDIT: Pick one young player on your team that is green or worse potential (if you don't have one, you can pick from another team). You have 60 points to spend on paid trainings for this player. How do you make him better and why?

NOLa.: Arthur Hardie. I’d train his DRB and PSD to B potentials for 50 points and train his quickness up with the remaining 10. He is sitting on about 85 in INS, ORB and BLK, and those trainings would round him out to be a dominant PF if his defense improves. Off the bench last season he averaged 15-7-2 and was a surprise rookie contributor, but those trainings would help improve his defense and get his rebounding up to where he could start hovering near the 9 RPG stat line.

Soundwave: I’d put most of the 60 points into Brett Lopez Quickness to make him as quick as possible because a 7’0” 276lb SF would be soooooo much fun.

the syndicate: Jose Jumper - all of it into PSD and DRB and you have a G/G startable offensive-minded Center.

Eazy P: I would train Bergstrom and probably train him in athleticism. Make him stronger so he can eventually overpower other players who play the same position as him. At least that's what I think training strength would do LOL.

ballsohard: Ummmm i guess Clint Capela. 20 inside potential training, 25 Post D potential training, 5 points to save for the tax I’ll ultimately have to pay to resign him.

Quail: I'm gonna stick all 60 pts in Paul O'Neil. 3PS Potential C -> B (25pts), QKN 67 -> 72 (15pts), PSD Potential D -> C... fills him out offensively and defensively. And he looks better than that bitch ass James O'Connor m8 in Detroit.

AND THAT'S ALL FOR THE 5-on-5, HOPE YOU ENJOYED!!

[Darth Vegito]

Sooooooo much fuel in this article for me. Thanks guys.

[ballsohard]

- GM of the Sacramento Kings, NOLabia.
- GM of the Toronto Raptors, Soundwang
- GM of the Denver Nuggets, the syndickate
- GM of the San Antonio Spurs, Eazy Penis
- GM of the Philadelphia 76ers, ballssohard
-GM of the Bucks IamQuailman

All can collect 5 points