#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

"Let's see what happens..."

The mind is blank, hands are cool, and appetite is settled. Just slouched in his chair, he looks around the room and can't help but stare right at the clock. Executives are waiting for his word and approach. The sounds of the minute hand get louder, and louder, as he squeezes on a squishy ball. On the desk in front of him is the roster that he carefully constructed during the last few months. Nick can't be bothered to look at it though as he just observes out of the veranda window into the greater french quarter.

A few more squishes.

"Indecisiveness sucks."

Nick Malone: Did I say that out loud?

Executive #1: Say what?

Suddenly, a phone rings in the center of the conference table with a Philly area code showing up on the caller ID. Pulling himself up and now sitting straightly in the chair, he motions for the secretary to answer the phone and to put the phone call through.

Nick Malone: Thanks for calling me back.

After exchanging some pleasantries, Nick silently nods and contemplates what this team needed before coming to an answer.

Nick Malone: That works for us. Glad we could get this deal done and good luck in the season ahead!

Sometimes, all it takes is a simple call and finding a common ground that works for both sides. He swings around in his chair and makes a fist. The rest of the executives are still stone silent as the call hangs up on the other end and a dial tone could be heard.

Nick Malone: It feels good to be back...

I wish I could say this was a flashy, Wolf of Wall Street type opening intro credit or Gordon Gecko, whatever crony, Wall Street, CEO matches your preference but it really can be that simple sometimes. Sometimes, all it takes is one trade to reignite that vigor. I wouldn't call it a blockbuster by any stretch but it's sometimes the smallest of moves that can turn your team around at least in your head. You've got the core, you've got the depth, and the little edges that can alter how the team itself finishes.

Nick Malone: We made the playoffs last year with an under .500 record. Great.

Wasn't really "great" at all but there's a first time for everything. Even in this game.

Nick Malone: After stealing the first game, we were eliminated quickly the following 4 games. Great.

Once again, not "great" but injuries happen. Losing one of our leading scorers for the rest of the playoffs definitely will change the complexion of the results.

Nick Malone: So, while losing Dennis Smith Jr. to FA, we knew we needed to fill that void. We knew going in we'd have cap space while also bringing back Timo and Romeo. We looked at RFA as a clean slate. We liked AC Williams from afar from the day he was drafted by Utah and sent to Chicago. We knew Chicago's tax issues and figured that it'd be possible to get a hold of Williams. We sent out our bids and were elated he chose to sign with us. Williams is a core building block piece that will be with us for a while. This game runs on young quality Bigs and PG's. We also netted Aubrey Bynum who was underutilized in Atlanta and "signed" Lawrence Curtain to deals we both felt were commiserate with their talent level. Atlanta never returned our calls while Indiana didn't either. Curtain was matched and Bynum found a new home. Funny how those things work out sometimes.

So that leaves us with our core. Now what to do with the rest...

Nick Malone: With limited cap space remaining, we knew the FA market had a good bunch of veteran PG's around and none wanted to sign with us. No big deal, but we did end up with a bunch of quality wings and guys that can play a multitude of positions on solid vet minimum deals. I'm sure there will be a few tweaks and tinkering of the roster around Day 60. This division is still incredibly tough to navigate with the TWolves being the toughest we'll have to face but there's quality talent on each team we'll have to face often this year. The Bucks and Magic and Wizards we still see as the class of the conference.

Now we open up the floor for questions.

Random Reporter: Despite having a very solid offseason in terms of acquisitions, there's one big piece missing from last year. Could you give us your thoughts on Chad Marsh signing with the division rival T-Wolves?

Xist2Inspire wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 1:37 pm Random Reporter: Despite having a very solid offseason in terms of acquisitions, there's one big piece missing from last year. Could you give us your thoughts on Chad Marsh signing with the division rival T-Wolves?

We wanted to bring Chad back. We acquired him because we thought he would've fit well with Timo and Romeo and he did last year, even making the All Star team. After RFA, that limited our cap impact and even with Bird Rights, didn't want to dig ourselves into a big Tax hole that'd be difficult to dig ourselves out of. We were realistic with our offer to him. Chad's gonna do extremely well in Minnesota playing with Luka and Ja and we're excited to see him progress to that next level even if its against us. We tried to slot him in a position that didn't best utilize his impact because we didn't have a true answer at the 5 for much of the year.

We're hopeful that we can slow him down by throwing a multitude of bodies at him whether it be by Timo at the 4 or Eugene Melson. Melson's strong defender and low post scorer much like Marsh.

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: You have a lot of solid players deep into your roster, but nobody on the team has ever been all league, and between everyone on your roster, there was only one All Star appearance in 2026 by Frank Garden. With a lot of depth, but no true superstar, what will the identity of the 2030-2031 Pelicans be?

garbageman wrote: Sat Oct 26, 2019 3:16 pm Sham Smith, Bulls.com: You have a lot of solid players deep into your roster, but nobody on the team has ever been all league, and between everyone on your roster, there was only one All Star appearance in 2026 by Frank Garden. With a lot of depth, but no true superstar, what will the identity of the 2030-2031 Pelicans be?

We're hopeful that this team will be able to contribute in a lot of ways. Guys that specialize in interior paint defense or guys that specialize in 3 pt shooting will be able to showcase a different aspect to this team. Timo and Romeo will still be important cogs to making this team go but if one of them were to go down for a various amount of time, we've got the depth to cover it. Also, another thing I like is that if we need to acquire a star, we have the salary and pick compensation in piece that we feel would be enticing enough to pull that off. I like that this team will be able to battle every night and find a different lead guy that can also pull this team through if they need a bucket and can do that. We won't need a star to be the singular focal point if everyone else is able to do their job and contribute in ways we expect them to do so.

You just picked up Gregory Haddock- does this move now make you the favorite for Division 2?

false9 wrote: Sun Oct 27, 2019 2:29 pm You just picked up Gregory Haddock- does this move now make you the favorite for Division 2?

I think the Wolves still have a very top heavy team. I think it’ll be between us for whoever gets the #3 seed this year. But picking up Haddock was a big key for us. We really believe in his skill and think that he’ll love playing with Romeo and Timo.

Do you think this could be the year Langford becomes an All-Star? What is holding him back?

kucoach7 wrote: Mon Oct 28, 2019 9:21 am Do you think this could be the year Langford becomes an All-Star? What is holding him back?

I personally think he could but we are also talking about a conference that is jam packed with special 2 guards like Bronny and Bjorn. I think Romeo has always displayed the kind of talent to be a special guard but idk if he’s ever had the volume that it takes to be that kind of player or usage rate. He’s a very unselfish player but can get a bucket if you need him to do so in any ISO situation.