#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

digiskunk: Welcome, everybody, to the 2031 Utah Jazz preseason press conference. It's a brand new season full of opportunities and we're very excited for what the immediate future holds for us. Now before I waste anymore time, let's get started and review last season.

Last season was yet another disappointing one for the Utah Jazz: We finished the season with a record of 30‑52—not exactly impressive numbers by any stretch of the imagination, even for a rebuilding team. Nevertheless, we were pretty delighted with what we saw out of both Quintin Kidd and Len Bias; both of whom continued to develop. Our draft pick, Leonard Washington, gave us a glimpse of what he's capable of. He demonstrated his ability to play both the SG and SF position, which we feel will be very valuable heading forward as we continue to develop this young roster.

Unlike seasons prior, we made a fairly huge splash during free agency which resulted in us formating a new starting lineup. We were able to retain Harland Ellinger on a great deal: 1 season, $14,000,000. He was a great aasset last season, but this season we plan on starting him at PG considering his excellent passing abilities. We then landed Ash Ketchum on a vet minimum deal and he's going to be filling in as our starting SG. We were also able to nab Thomas Knecht, who will be sharing minutes with Mike Piazza at PF. Overall, we're satisfied with the acquisitions we made and feel as if our roster is a huge upgrade over last season's—especially in regards to our bench, where players such as Len Bias, Leonard Washington, and Mike Piazza will thrive as they continue to develop.

Speaking of developing prospects, during the draft we worked out a trade which landed us Isaiah Stewart, an incredibly talented PF with a high ceiling. Although he's still very raw, we're in no rush to develop him. The Utah Jazz are renowned for acquiring high-ceiling prospects, so we feel as if this trade was a no-brainer for us. We also drafted Marcus Thames, a SG who will provide some offense off the bench. Good selection? We think so!

As for the upcoming season, we really don't know what to expect. We probably won't make the playoffs, but if all goes according to plan we should win a decent amount of games—especially compared to last season.

We'll now be taking questions from the press!

You made the decision to move on from Silky Johnson last season. Could you go into the rationale behind that as far as this season and beyond?

false9 wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 5:55 pm You made the decision to move on from Silky Johnson last season. Could you go into the rationale behind that as far as this season and beyond?

It was truly a bold move on our part... We knew he was young and still developing, but he always seemed to flop every opportunity we gave him, whether it was starting at PG or SG. He simply wasn't living up to his expected potential so we chose to move on—and at the time, it made sense.

But now, compare him to Len Bias and you'll see a huge difference in regards to on-court performance. Whew lawdy.

What aspect of your team, for instance: 3 point shooting, pick and roll offense, interior defense, etc, do you feel will carry you this season? And which do you see the most room for improvement ?

With Desantis and Piazza set to make $70 million, $73 million and $34 million over the next three seasons between them, are there plans to try to trade either player to free up cap space?

MexicanMamba wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 7:36 am What aspect of your team, for instance: 3 point shooting, pick and roll offense, interior defense, etc, do you feel will carry you this season? And which do you see the most room for improvement ?

This is a great question! Our team, currently, has a lot going for them—but a lot holding them back, too. We feel as if we'll be able to hold our own offensively (even if we don't really have any premier scorers) and a lot of that will come off the bench. With that said, we have A LOT of room to improve defensively. We don't really have any lockdown defenders at the moment but are looking to improve upon that.

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digiskunk wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:19 am UPDATE: We just landed Damion McNary and Gustave Lecroix off waivers. So if you have any questions about them, feel free to ask!

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: How did you do this before the waiver period has ended?

digiskunk wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:19 am UPDATE: We just landed Damion McNary and Gustave Lecroix off waivers. So if you have any questions about them, feel free to ask!

Confirmation of your claim does not mean you have been awarded the players.

FlemmingCheeks wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 12:58 pm

digiskunk wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:19 am UPDATE: We just landed Damion McNary and Gustave Lecroix off waivers. So if you have any questions about them, feel free to ask!

Confirmation of your claim does not mean you have been awarded the players.

Oh. Oh snap, you're right. Nevermind then lol.

garbageman wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 12:02 pm

digiskunk wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:19 am UPDATE: We just landed Damion McNary and Gustave Lecroix off waivers. So if you have any questions about them, feel free to ask!

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: How did you do this before the waiver period has ended?

Snap. Nevermind, I dun goof'd.

How do you see the Jazz stacking up against the rest of your division this year?

greepleairport wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 4:20 pm How do you see the Jazz stacking up against the rest of your division this year?

Well, it's going to be tough. But just like the last few seasons, this season we're merely focused on improving our team and winning games. It's difficult to contend—or even consider yourself a "contender"—when you've had overall records as deplorable as ours have been the past few seasons. So this season, we're hoping to be at least a .500 team—that's our goal.

But yeah, this division is going to be tough. Almost every team has more depth than us aside from the Golden State Warriors, so hopefully we finish with a better record than them.

Do you still hate the Kings now that they're a rudderless ship?

digiskunk wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 1:03 pm

FlemmingCheeks wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 12:58 pm

digiskunk wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 10:19 am UPDATE: We just landed Damion McNary and Gustave Lecroix off waivers. So if you have any questions about them, feel free to ask!

Confirmation of your claim does not mean you have been awarded the players.

Oh. Oh snap, you're right. Nevermind then lol.

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Now that McNary and Lecroix are officially inked, what other Nostradamus-like predictions do you have for the league this season?

garbageman wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 2:18 pm Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Now that McNary and Lecroix are officially inked, what other Nostradamus-like predictions do you have for the league this season?

Well, I'm going to predict that we're going to have a record greater than .500. I don't know if that's really a stretch or not, but if I play my cards right and Lady Luck happens to fall in my favor, I think that's definitely achievable.

The acquisition of Damion McNary and Gustave Lecroix are immensely important as they provide us with much-needed bench depth and scoring options. Although we may lack premier players, I feel as if our ballclub has some damn fine bench talent which will help us win a lot of ballgames. So expect both of them to receive significant minutes off the bench!

Damion McNary: Hey guys, it's me, your buddy Damion McNary. You remember me as the guy whose life was turned around by GOD. Well now I'm here to tell you about a man whose career was turned around by the UTAH JAZZ. I'll be accepting any and ALL questions.

Hi Damion! Which turnaround was more important - your life thru God or career thru UTAH? Or, in Utah, is it all one in the same?

greepleairport wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 8:40 pm Hi Damion! Which turnaround was more important - your life thru God or career thru UTAH? Or, in Utah, is it all one in the same?

Damion McNary: First and foremost, if you're unfamiliar with my story and how I straightened my life out, here's an inside look: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6287

I cannot express enough how much the Lord has impacted my life. He provides all of the answers to life's greatest questions—granted you take enough LSD. He's been there by my side since birth—despite all of the hardships—and he'll remain there until I die. And when I do, you can bet your ass I'll be in the PBSL Hall of Fame. So to answer your question young blood: yeah, living my life through God was, and always will be, the most important thing to me. It's not a knock against Utah or anything, that's just the way it is. Father Fuxalot really DRILLED a lot of sense into me.

Here's one of my favorite videos:

Whoa Damion, I had no idea! Thank you for sharing. God bless you, Son Of God.

greepleairport wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 10:06 pm Whoa Damion, I had no idea! Thank you for sharing. God bless you, Son Of God.

Damion McNary: Thank you, and God bless you as well. I think that we're all placed on this earth for a reason; I believe we all serve a purpose, and that is to worship God. If you refrain from doing so, you'll be doomed to hell. Just check out this badass scripture I looked up on Google: "See, the day of the Lord is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger. . . . I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty. . . . Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives violated." (Isaiah 13:9–16 NIV)

If that doesn't terrify your ass into worshiping God Almighty, I don't know what will.

Any more questions?