#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

So I'm literally 1 point short of having enough points for my training plan.

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pm LA should look for another big ASAP, preferably a PF. Todd and Burnham are solid, and the guys they already have at PF are good enough, but they're going to need more come playoff time. Heck, they don't even have to go after another JJJ-caliber guy, just picking up a proven vet who consistently produces will be fine...The Lakers just really need another post presence to balance out their squad, that's all.

Given that Sabo would go on to roast them in the first round, I'd say that telling LA to go out and get another big was a good call. Fortunately, Burnham seems to have really come along nicely, which hopefully spells good things for Greeple. Vidal as the starting 4 just wasn't going to cut it.

+1 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmI can also sense that you bet money on Cobb being the Clips' leading scorer. Well one, don't bet so much on sports, your wife will be hella pissed once she finds out. Oh, don't make that face, she'll be fine after you make it up to her with a shopping trip. Yes, Cobb will do it, but it'll be close. Let's not forget that Sterner and Stoll are also 20 ppg guys who take about the same amount of shots as Cobb, with similar usage rates as well. Cobb's also 30, so he's going to slow down a little regardless, whether that be in efficiency, FG%, TS%, or just raw stats. His ppg dropped the more help he was given in Detroit, so I'd expect his scoring this year to be more in line with those numbers rather than the 30 per we know he's capable of. I wouldn't be surprised to see 23-21 ppg, 21-20 ppg, 20-18 ppg from the Clippers' big 3 this season, with Cobb leading the pack.

Double whammy on this one. It was close, but it was Stoll who finished as the Clippers' leading scorer with 21.6 ppg to Cobb's 21.1 ppg. And even though I nailed the prediction of the Clippers having two 21 ppg guys, neither Sterner (17.2 ppg) nor Leonard (15.1 ppg) were able to reach the bottom end of my prediction for the third wheel's average, 18 ppg. And yes, I was totally going to cheat and count Leonard as the third of the big 3.

-2 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmAnyway...I think - and that's all I'm gonna give your high rolling ass - that's it's likely both LA teams will make the playoffs.

Yup! Both the Lakers and the Clippers were 5th in their respective conferences.

+1 for the Wizard! However...

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmAnd out of the top contenders in the Omega Conference, I have the least amount of questions when looking at the Clippers' roster, so I feel comfortable calling them the top team and likely #1 seed there.

Womp womp.

-1 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmSo, you live in Cali, but your true loyalties lie with New Orleans, where you grew up. Okay, I can dig that...so you want to know how they'll do this season...Well, they'll win their division, I can say that much. A lot of other teams will give them a helluva fight, but if Franklin and Johnson can't at least snag a division title under an active GM, then at least one of them is a fraud.

Yeah, they won the division. It was close though, which leads into my next fortune-telling failure...

+1 for the Wizard...for now!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmThey should keep an eye on Dallas, if only because they're the type of team that if you don't keep your eye on them, they'll sneak in and knock you out. Minnesota and Toronto look really good, but they're both still young. As the clear frontrunners in the division, a rival will have to ride to challenge them...but seriously, don't be surprised if Dallas is suddenly right behind them.

Yeah...Toronto and Minnesota were two of the biggest success stories of the season, with Minnesota almost taking the division and the top seed in the Omega overall. Dallas? 31-51. Whoopsie. Is this one fail or two? I'll say two. I was way off on this one.

-2 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmTo keep them firmly behind them, they should - not saying they will, can't make the future too clear y'know - look to upgrade at SG. Haddock and Medendez aren't the best guys around at the point, but they're effective enough. You want the ball in Johnson or Franklin's hands as much as possible anyway. The 2's where they're really weak at, Cain's the only true option there…I also foresee a trade with a team thin on bigs, like the Bucks or Lakers. If Johnson's at the 3 and Franklin's at the 4, that means they can afford to drop one of McKnight/Williams, package both, or explore trading one of Fortre/Allen...

Long story short, this was off too. Johnson did eventually move down to the 2, and Williams was traded, but it wasn't for a guard, and it wasn't to either the Bucks or Lakers (IT WAS ME AUSTIN!). Hunter and Allen did end up getting traded for a 2, but that was this offseason. I'm not going to say any more about that. Let sleeping dogs lie.

-1 for the Wizard! Looking real sus, bro!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmWade's gonna be a shooting guard forever, y'know. I mean, he'll moonlight at PG and SF from time to time, but his average PAS and PSD will forever limit his ability to excel at those spots full-time. I mean, the universe could zig after it told me it was zagging as and those skills could jump higher than expected, but he's as pure a SG as it gets, can't imagine him anywhere else...

http://pbsl.ijbl.net/players/player50.htm
I dunno, looks like a capable PG to me. Not spectacular or anything, but I think he can handle it. I don't think you need to worry about the TC hit AB, sometimes it's a lateral move rather than a downgrade.

-1 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmI'm not seeing any reason why Oturu would get traded, dunno why your wife won't buy that jersey. Well, other than the fact that she's clearly the more financially-savvy of the two of you.

Hell yeah! Back in the win column!

+1 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmSee, the thing about Wade looking so good right now is that the Thunder don't have to be afraid to put pieces around him that don't quite line up age-wise. Wade may not be ready to win now, but he's definitely ready to contribute now. A guy like Otoru will be in the latter, fully-realized stages of his prime right as Wade really begins to hit his stride. Throw a couple of other ready-now 27- to 29-year olds in the mix, and that's a solid playoff team that could be a contender depending on how good Wade is once he hits the early stage of his prime. Otoru's age is nowhere near the issue she thinks it is.

Yeah! Keep it rolling! Side note to all GMs, especially new ones, what AB did over last season and this offseason is exactly what you should look to do when you're rebuilding in that position. Nola also did something similar, and I really love both their offseason moves. Great job to both.

+1 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmPersonally, I'd get an Urquhart jersey, they're on sale now because who really wants "Urquhart" on the back of their jersey? But just between you and me, the kid could be really good if they invest in him. I can see it. He's young, quick, and easy to build. If they boost his DRB and STL from C to B, and increase his currents as well, they'll instantly have a great two-way big who owns the paint on both ends. Then he can take over the starting PF spot, while Otoru slides over to C in a small-ball frontcourt set. Or, they could just boost Oturu. They're either going to do one or the other, I can't pin down exactly which.

Dammit! I still stand by my comment that Urquhart could've been a solid big if he was trained, but no training + TC hit = future RFA decline. They did train Otoru though, so I'll call this a wash.

I award myself zero points, and may God have mercy on the remainder of my predictions!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pm...oh, and she might as well get over that Boban salt, he's not finished yet. Age ain't nothing but a number in the House that Horford Built. I'd be less confident in saying that if there were better options in Houston and if he didn't just drop 27.5 per last season and 19.3 in the postseas- er, ignore that. Even if he's overdue for a drop-off, he hasn't scored under 22 ppg since his rookie season. He's gonna drop at least 20.5 per.

He definitely did more than that, dropping 21.4 ppg for Houston. Camp Horford does it again!

+1 for the Wizard!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmYour friend said the Bulls are going all-in. Well, he's wrong. The Bulls will be sellers. If they try to buy, they're probably going to find out that they'll have to buy a lot to compete. Ridley and Felicio are the only true starters on the roster, and that's simply not enough. They could easily swing a deal for another star, but that alone won't be enough to seriously compete with the Clippers/Pelicans/etc. They'll eventually come to the realization that it'll be much easier to move Ridley and rebuild around Felicio, than it will be to gut the roster and build an instant contender.

Ugh...never, and I mean never, doubt Gman's willingness and ability to move younger talent for a win-now squad. By the All-Star break, he'd already struck a deal for Miguel Thomas, and this offseason saw him trade for Michael Morley and Richard Hunt and sign the aforementioned Bobanator in UFA. He is now firmly a title contender, and will be so for the next few seasons. This was a really stupid call.

-1 for the Wizard! There aren't enough Ls for this one!

Xist2Inspire wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:44 pmI'm predicting that the Alpha conference will be crazy. There's a couple of teams who will eat loss after loss, but this season should be more wide-open overall than last year. Most top teams took a hit or went in slightly different directions, but they didn't fall too far, and the middle of the pack all made moves to climb a bit higher. I'm expecting at least one new team to make the playoffs over last season.

Oh look, I finished this out with a win! The 2038 playoffs saw both the return of PaulyP and the Pacers to the big dance after a season out of the spotlight, and the Nets finally broke through in a big way, making it to the second round before being eliminated. Both teams made moves this offseason to keep the momentum up and make repeat appearances, so it'll be interesting to see if they do.

+1 for the Wizard! Nice last-second score, too bad you couldn't do that in the Conference Finals!

AND THE TOTAL IS...0 points!
Yeesh...looks like fortune-telling isn't my thing, especially since a lot of the things I was wrong about turned out to be great things for the teams I was commenting on. Let this serve as a reminder to you: No matter how experienced the GM is, any advice given is just that: a friendly opinion. Don't let it sway you from doing things the way you want to do things. Alright, I've earned enough points, time to go!

SIDE NOTE: Thank heavens for the recovery feature, I accidentally closed the window right after I'd finished. My heart legit stopped for a second.
Alright, I'm done for real now. Bye.

+4