Post by Johnny "B. Good" Stamos on Jun 4, 2008 14:20:17 GMT -5
Thank you very much for joining us today Mr. Haberman to talk about the state and direction of your team. Lets get this show on the road:
What are your thoughts on your current team?
I'm uncertain, really. I go back and forth. I fully believe Monta will be a star in this league, and I think my frontcourt be elite really soon, but I'm not sure where to go from here. Dunleavy is an awesome point guard, but he's much older than the rest of my core. If I think we're good next year, I'll hang onto him. But I want to see if I can't get a really nice package that sets me up nicely for the future. I'll decide after TC, most likely. I'm inclined to say I'm hanging onto those four, but I'm not sure where to go from there. I'm considering buying out Boykins to gain cap space, but I'm not sure how much I'd have. I'll look into that. The future is bright though.
Has the rebuilding process been tough without the availability of your picks?
No! That was my goal. Am I giving up a top ten pick to another team this year? Yeah, but I'm not kicking myself for it. I set out to rebuild through trades. 35 games into this season, I was the sixth seed. We've entirely fallen apart since then, but I don't think not having my picks has hindered my rebuild. I was close to reacquiring my pick this year, but that fell through. I also had two other lottery picks, but I thought Dunleavy was more of a sure thing than any late-lotto pick so I put together deals to get him. I think we're on par with any other rebuilding team at worst. I actually think we have the best young core of players on a roster presently, so I don't think there's been any problem with the way I rebuilt.
What are you feelings towards each player that you consider to be the "core" of your team? (Dunleavy, Bynum, Bogut and Monta)
Well, Bynum and Bogut are special, in my opinion. Bynum is so productive for his ratings, and I think he's going to be a dominant center. He's really an awesome defender, he's productive on the glass despite a B- letter grade, and his B- inside translates to 20 ppg. I think he's a franchise player.
Bogut's just good at everything. He's gonna have a unique set of ratings and I think he'll be an all-star power forward. His offense, if it goes up, could eventually be A-/C+. I would love that, and I think it's possible if I upgrade him there.
Monta is tough to figure out. His production has gone way up lately, as he was shooting something 30% for awhile. He's obviously fast and he steals the ball a lot. He's not a good passer and he's a pretty inconsistent scorer. I think he went up in TC even if his ratings don't reflect that, but I think he needs to explode this TC or I'll have to subdue my expectations.
Dunleavy's only problem is his turnovers. He has some ugly games, but he's by far the most developed of my best four players. Great scorer, great passer, special size for a PG. I think he's a PG to build around.
How do you feel your teams matches up against the other rebuilding teams around the league?
I'd compare myself to the Nets and the Lakers. Teams like Indiana, Portland and Golden State are just getting started on their rebuilds and their outcomes remain to be seen. Nanz, Mark and I all started our rebuilds by dealing off star talent(s) for youth. Nanz got Josh Smith, Mark got Deron Williams and I got Bynum+Ellis. They rebuilt with their picks, so they were better positioned to add talent without sacrificing picks or youth. I was a player ahead of them, basically, and they could catch up with their picks. Mark is going to add a nice player in the lotto this year. Then he's got a shitload of a really promising picks which I know he'll package for serious talents. That will definitely put him ahead of me. Nanz, meanwhile, needs to land a top two pick in my opinion to have a really great rebuild. He's got awesome pieces but none look like option scorers any time soon.
I put myself behind the Lakers and Nets in prospective improvements as I've got no picks and don't have a lotto coming this year. However, I think my talents on my roster right now are as good as it gets among rebuilding teams.
What are you plans for this off-season? Plan to make any big moves?
Nah. I really don't have any plans for the offseason. I'll see if I can put together some cap, but I'm entirely committed to rebuilding. I truly don't care about making my team a playoff team next year. I think TC is as important for me as it is for anyone. I wanted to have a quick rebuild, but that does not mean I'll jump the gun in order to make the playoffs. I think we'll end up around 34 wins this year, and I think Bynum and Bogut are going to take their games to the next level in TC. That's my best chance at getting better in the offseason.
I could move Dunleavy if I don't think we'll be ready to compete. I'm hanging onto Monta because I really do believe he'll be great. I could get burned this offseason, but I'd have plenty of time to recover.
When can we expect you to compete for the title once again?
Dunno. It could be 3+ seasons. I've never had any loyalty to my players in a sim league, and I tend to think that's the best strategy, truly. The first time I went for a rebuild, I acquire Al Jefferson and he was gone in a few nights. But I really believe the players I have right now will be a lot of fun to keep, and if they develop well, then I'll be a contender. I'm not so naive that I'll just on them and let them become whatever they will. I don't pretend to have that kind of patience. But I'm devoted to taking a chance on this particular unit and seeing if hanging onto these players will be enough to compete.
Are we watching the Lakers vs Celtics Thursday at James'?
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
What are your thoughts on your current team?
I'm uncertain, really. I go back and forth. I fully believe Monta will be a star in this league, and I think my frontcourt be elite really soon, but I'm not sure where to go from here. Dunleavy is an awesome point guard, but he's much older than the rest of my core. If I think we're good next year, I'll hang onto him. But I want to see if I can't get a really nice package that sets me up nicely for the future. I'll decide after TC, most likely. I'm inclined to say I'm hanging onto those four, but I'm not sure where to go from there. I'm considering buying out Boykins to gain cap space, but I'm not sure how much I'd have. I'll look into that. The future is bright though.
Has the rebuilding process been tough without the availability of your picks?
No! That was my goal. Am I giving up a top ten pick to another team this year? Yeah, but I'm not kicking myself for it. I set out to rebuild through trades. 35 games into this season, I was the sixth seed. We've entirely fallen apart since then, but I don't think not having my picks has hindered my rebuild. I was close to reacquiring my pick this year, but that fell through. I also had two other lottery picks, but I thought Dunleavy was more of a sure thing than any late-lotto pick so I put together deals to get him. I think we're on par with any other rebuilding team at worst. I actually think we have the best young core of players on a roster presently, so I don't think there's been any problem with the way I rebuilt.
What are you feelings towards each player that you consider to be the "core" of your team? (Dunleavy, Bynum, Bogut and Monta)
Well, Bynum and Bogut are special, in my opinion. Bynum is so productive for his ratings, and I think he's going to be a dominant center. He's really an awesome defender, he's productive on the glass despite a B- letter grade, and his B- inside translates to 20 ppg. I think he's a franchise player.
Bogut's just good at everything. He's gonna have a unique set of ratings and I think he'll be an all-star power forward. His offense, if it goes up, could eventually be A-/C+. I would love that, and I think it's possible if I upgrade him there.
Monta is tough to figure out. His production has gone way up lately, as he was shooting something 30% for awhile. He's obviously fast and he steals the ball a lot. He's not a good passer and he's a pretty inconsistent scorer. I think he went up in TC even if his ratings don't reflect that, but I think he needs to explode this TC or I'll have to subdue my expectations.
Dunleavy's only problem is his turnovers. He has some ugly games, but he's by far the most developed of my best four players. Great scorer, great passer, special size for a PG. I think he's a PG to build around.
How do you feel your teams matches up against the other rebuilding teams around the league?
I'd compare myself to the Nets and the Lakers. Teams like Indiana, Portland and Golden State are just getting started on their rebuilds and their outcomes remain to be seen. Nanz, Mark and I all started our rebuilds by dealing off star talent(s) for youth. Nanz got Josh Smith, Mark got Deron Williams and I got Bynum+Ellis. They rebuilt with their picks, so they were better positioned to add talent without sacrificing picks or youth. I was a player ahead of them, basically, and they could catch up with their picks. Mark is going to add a nice player in the lotto this year. Then he's got a shitload of a really promising picks which I know he'll package for serious talents. That will definitely put him ahead of me. Nanz, meanwhile, needs to land a top two pick in my opinion to have a really great rebuild. He's got awesome pieces but none look like option scorers any time soon.
I put myself behind the Lakers and Nets in prospective improvements as I've got no picks and don't have a lotto coming this year. However, I think my talents on my roster right now are as good as it gets among rebuilding teams.
What are you plans for this off-season? Plan to make any big moves?
Nah. I really don't have any plans for the offseason. I'll see if I can put together some cap, but I'm entirely committed to rebuilding. I truly don't care about making my team a playoff team next year. I think TC is as important for me as it is for anyone. I wanted to have a quick rebuild, but that does not mean I'll jump the gun in order to make the playoffs. I think we'll end up around 34 wins this year, and I think Bynum and Bogut are going to take their games to the next level in TC. That's my best chance at getting better in the offseason.
I could move Dunleavy if I don't think we'll be ready to compete. I'm hanging onto Monta because I really do believe he'll be great. I could get burned this offseason, but I'd have plenty of time to recover.
When can we expect you to compete for the title once again?
Dunno. It could be 3+ seasons. I've never had any loyalty to my players in a sim league, and I tend to think that's the best strategy, truly. The first time I went for a rebuild, I acquire Al Jefferson and he was gone in a few nights. But I really believe the players I have right now will be a lot of fun to keep, and if they develop well, then I'll be a contender. I'm not so naive that I'll just on them and let them become whatever they will. I don't pretend to have that kind of patience. But I'm devoted to taking a chance on this particular unit and seeing if hanging onto these players will be enough to compete.
Are we watching the Lakers vs Celtics Thursday at James'?
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
