Teams Who Didn't Make the Playoffs - What next? Pt. 3: Omega Conference

[greepleairport]

Omega, Kemp

Portland Trailblazers

The Blazers are biding their time and waiting for Dort to Dortminate the league. One might say they’re Dortmant. Sorry not sorry for the puns, but the Blazers had a pretty decent year beating some solid teams along the way, perhaps a team wrongfully overlooked due to the glut of yellow and green on their roster. For someone without title or even playoff aspirations, the Blazers had a very good year, racking up 37 wins total. Bowtothebill got things lined up in the offseason, picking up Grayson Allen from the Bulls and shipping off some young blues in Tasmin Mitchell, Nickolas Lynch and Corey Brooks.

So what do the Blazers do next?

Considering they did not decline Allen’s huge $60mil team option, I think the Blazers are planning to see what Luguentz Dort can do with a vet who can score as he starts inching closer to his potential. There’s no obvious reason for Dort not to pop b/p after the next TC, and I anticipate his biggest leaps will come in HND/PAS, becoming the true PG he’s meant to be. Lutes may or may not figure into the Blazers future considering the damage he endured from that danged broken leg disease disrupting the league. I expect the Blazers to exercise his option here but retain? After all the signs and trades last offseason, it’s doubtful, but the Blazers have a wide open future and just about any kind of option to build around Dort they want.

Phoenix Suns

Now, I’ve never engaged with Messi, so I’m not going to act like I can figure out what he was doing or is planning to do… but I’m going to operate under the assumption that everything that happened this season was deliberate and that he has an active plan moving forward.

Ben Franklin is one of the best players in the league, but unfortunately he lacks the stats to show it. He had his best year to date, stats wise, but he didn’t get any playing time in the all-star game (did he even make it??), and lost the three point contest. Averaging an averagely good 21ppg, seems reasonable to expect more. Or set him up to do more. King Kaldurahm and perhaps even William Pearman had more impactful seasons, but wouldn’t it make sense for Franklin to be the star here? He’s outshined, definitely, but the three of these guys could theoretically take the league by storm. These three guys together, with a little love and care, could head to the playoffs, but I can’t see into Messi’s mind and figure out what he wants to do. If he wants to go for it? He can, absolutely. If he’s biding his time for Pearman to pop purple with Franklin? Okay, makes some sense. But with free agency approaching, and the rest of the league watching, the Suns must be ready to max Franklin or risk losing him altogether.

Oklahoma City Thunder

I’ve had the pleasure of engaging with AB in a few trades and league business, so I have a better grasp of what is going on here. They opened with a team that seemed likely to produce, running with Bulter, Boban and West as a powerful trio, and Zagars still developing (gulp), but didn’t net the results AB wanted to see to stick it out and build out the team now. Also Zagars bit it harder than anyone with the broken leg disease plaguing the PBSL. So off to Minnesota West went with a return that mostly netted points for the Thunder (though a deal I nominated for TOTY mostly for the benefits it brought to JNR’s Wolves), it was just what AB wanted. Bulter has become one of the top centers in the league, Boban still looks good, and Oturu’s and Wade’s best days are yet to come. While folding for a bad record may have crossed AB’s mind this year, that probably stopped when the draft file loaded, like many GMs. So a 27 win season it was.

So what do the Thunder do now?

Keeping Boban on board keeps their front court on point for at least one more season. If Oturu hits b/b after TC this year, though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Boban on the trade block. Though he’s no longer league reigning MVP, there are probably plenty of teams interested in him. Zagars is probably no longer a factor of consideration in next steps, but AB will have a little bit of cap room to grab a solid piece in the offseason and grab a few more wins next year. They would need a huge pick up to contend, but they could at least get someone solid enough to net some more wins.

Utah Jazz

We all know what happened here - a team unmanned. And facing a tax bill. So a 23 win season it was, with little fanfare. Maybe Grabauer goes blue after next TC, but unless a new GM steps in, he won’t have any company, because Leonard Washington is about to leave for the highest bidder. Big TBD asterisk for the future of the Jazz

Houston Rockets

78# and the Rockets had the roughest go of any active GM this season. At the worst possible time, life happened, Laura happened, and 78# suddenly had bigger things to worry about than PBSL. Team player he is, he wanted the league to continue and just take the hits on his chin so everyone else could have fun. Definitely respect that game, even if I would’ve chosen to hold up the whole league because I feel too self-important. Finishing the season with an almost completely different roster, only Timo Cruz really stayed, and will be up for free agency next season.

So what next for Houston?

Houston held on for S47, making the best of a bad situation, picking up some decent players on expiring contracts. They’ll have a lot of cap to work with next year - especially if they do not retain Cruz - and will otherwise have the doors pretty wide open to go any number of ways. Really they’ll see what happens with Cheatham (acquired for Justin Todd), Tilton, Avdija, and Gilkey. TC will determine what happens next most likely, unless 78 is just ready for a win and starts trading his young ones for some win now pieces. The choice is all 78’s.

Hardaway

Toronto Raptors

The only team to miss the playoffs in Hardaway, the Raptors didn’t look to do much this year. Their most notable move was picking up Norris Turney for Brooks Jackson, a move that would have little impact until next season. They have a great and young backcourt now, though, and will be tough for any team to deal with there next season. So aside from trading with the Bulls twice, there’s not much else to cover here. Hit recommend and wait for the offseason.

And then what?

There won’t be much cap space for the Raptors next year. They’ll likely pickup a decent vet or two utilizing the MLE and see how many wins their best players get net them. I think it’s another wait and see year for the Raptors, but who knows? Maybe Loredo hits purple and they get a decent defensive big and run themselves into the playoffs.

Well, I did it. Every team that didn’t make the playoffs. Sorry if the in-depth analysis waned toward the end there (if it ever got there in the first place!), but I hope it was a fun and different perspective on today’s PBSL.

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