#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

We open with The JNR standing at a podium. Sitting on the podium is a rock. It is incredibly dusty.

The JNR: Welcome to another press conference. Another year of me making promises, reflecting on last year's disappointment, and crowing about our free agent signings.

But it's different this year, isn't it?

He gestures to the rock in front of him.

The JNR: The re-alignment has changed a lot. You could say it's changed everything. We have a similar team to last year, with some additions I'll bring up soon. But the dynamic is different. We are no longer looking up to the Nuggets as the team to beat. We're no longer worrying about the moves the Thunder or Trailblazers are making. It's a new division. It's a new conference. It's...

The JNR trails off and grabs a rag, then begins to clean the rock until there is no more dust on it.

The JNR: It's a clean slate.

So what did we do this offseason to get ready for this clean slate? First, the pick we received from the Grizzlies landed at the #4 spot, which was lower than we wanted. But we were still able to get a player we really liked in Ja Morant. Then, we decided to sit out RFA. There were a lot of talented players, but we wanted to save our money for free agency. We knew we could make some improvements upon our 47 win season if we had a little luck, and boy did we have some luck.

We signed Kristaps Porzingis to a three year deal and were able to convince Cheick Diallo to come back. As a result, we solidified our frontcourt for years to come. We also brought back Kevin Whittaker and brought on David Dixon for guard depth.

But the highlight of our offseason was training camp. Porzingis and Cheick fed off of each other's energy and improved significantly. Luka and Ja Morant made improvements as well, although they both still have a ways to go. But it was Domantas Sabonis who was the biggest surprise. He likely felt slighted that we brought in Porzingis, and he put in real work, improving vastly above our expectations. We feel great about our young core, and there are many directions we can go in.

For the season, we plan on rolling out the following starting lineup

C: Kristaps Porzingis
PF: Cheick Diallo
SF: Gary Fanelli
SG: Nassir Little
PG: Ja Morant

With Doncic, Whittaker, Sabonis, and Dixon getting valuable minutes off the bench. We do not know how good we will be, but we do think anything can happen in this new division, and we're excited to compete.

Any questions?

How does the Kristap/Diello frontcourt compare with some of the elite frontcourts you’ve had in the past?


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78# wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 9:35 am How does the Kristap/Diello frontcourt compare with some of the elite frontcourts you’ve had in the past?


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It's up there. Webber/Divac and Bosh/Boozer were some very formidable frontcourts. I think Diallo and Kristaps will work well together because they mask weaknesses for the other. Where Cheick is less than stellar a post defender, Kristaps backs him up. Where Porzingis sometimes struggles to crash the offensive glass, Diallo is one of the game's best offensive rebounders. As far as star power, I've had more flashy frontcourts, but this one should be very effective.

Ja Morant provides pretty much everything you'd want at the PG position. What are you expectically from him heading into next season, both statistically and realistically?

digiskunk wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 9:53 am Ja Morant provides pretty much everything you'd want at the PG position. What are you expectically from him heading into next season, both statistically and realistically?

I think he'll probably have some growing pains. It doesn't help that this team has playoff expectations and we'll need solid contributions from point guard spot. But I think he can end up putting up 10 points and 6 assists a game as our primary ballhandler. He has a bright future, but if Beau Agustin was still here Morant would be on the bench.

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Where do you see the Timberwolves finishing in your new division? The FBB News preview for that division has you at 4th, but it also looked randomly drawn.

garbageman wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 10:25 am Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Where do you see the Timberwolves finishing in your new division? The FBB News preview for that division has you at 4th, but it also looked randomly drawn.

The JNR: I think we can finish second or third. It's so hard to tell where everyone will end up because people only think about the division, but they don't think about the new conferences either. I'll now be playing the Magic and Sixers and Pistons more than twice a year. Basically our record of 47 wins last year means very little in these new waters, even though we improved. It'll be a fight.

Are you concerned at all with the slow development of Modestine Degrimonpon? How quickly does he have to catch up to be on the same timeline as the rest of your team?

WigNosy wrote: Mon May 13, 2019 11:28 am Are you concerned at all with the slow development of Modestine Degrimonpon? How quickly does he have to catch up to be on the same timeline as the rest of your team?

It's absolutely a concern. If I had a bit more cash laying around, I'd spend to get him some training, but I think he may be better suited in a situation where more patience is available. That being said, I'm not trying to ship him off for no return.

What are expectations for Domantas Sabonis this season. He looks like he's ready to have a breakout season

GWR: We expect him to play significant minutes at both frontcourt positions off the bench, and I think he'll do great.