Post by Funky George! on Feb 11, 2009 13:55:52 GMT -5
Three seasons ago, the Jazz were a 60 win team loaded with promising youth. Now, they hardly scratch out 40 and have two terrible contracts weighing down the franchise. What went wrong? Is it all Andrew's fault, or did TCs do him in? What would you have done differently?
Well first off, Derrick Rose was a huge loss for them, but I think they recovered well from that. They picked up a number of nice players for him which included Brandon Knight, Tony Galvan, Jeremy Tyler and others. However, he refused to pick up a legitimate No. 1 option such as a Michael Beasley or Kevin Durant. As a result, he kind of forced the hand with the Ivan Chiariav acquisition and then the team had an ugly TC. The TC part is not his fault but the Ivan signing is. That contract will be hard to deal off especially with his decline and his age. Personally, I would have tried to get a legit top option while my youth was still valuable but I think his team is off to a hot start so far so we’ll see how it plays out from here on in.
Andy's back and wants a team. When he left, he was one of the most valued members of BBS. But he left abruptly without giving reason and was still hanging out on other similar online forums. Is it anyone's business to blame him for leaving BBS in the manner he did, or should he be welcomed back with no questions asked? Does he have to prove himself?
I don’t think it’s anyone’s business. Obviously Andy has some stuff to take care of and BBS is a luxury to all of us. We’re fortunate to have the time to dedicate so much time to this fun, online hobby. I think it has to be something personal that he just up and left so it doesn’t require any questions. If he wants to share, that’s up to him. He’s won a championship and assembled some great teams so I don’t think he has to prove himself to anyone cause he’s a veteran and knows how this league goes.
Chris Martinez took over a great situation in Dallas, and has seemingly been in cruise control mode ever since. He's had his share of good draft picks but has never gone for the kill or even cashed in on his youth. Do you credit him for the job he has done, or is being in the Contract Year after inheriting a great situation a sign that he isn't doing a great job with his roster?
He’s done a pretty nice job so far although I credit most of the good work to Spencer for racking up all those picks for him. He’s been pretty shrewd in his dealings, which means he knows he has a lot of tools he can use to get a better deal. So overall, he hasn’t really messed up yet but he has a glut of players that play the same position and would probably benefit from getting a true point guard. Being in his contract year is a little questionable but he should be able to make it with the type of talent on that roster.
Grade the offseasons of the following teams:
Seattle Supersonics:
Grade: A- | Any time you pick up multiple winner of MVP winners, you have to be getting at least an A. However, dealing Corey Fisher really hurts especially after the TC he had. Him and Rose in the backcourt would have been nasty. He has some really good youth now though so I rather have Fisher than Favors I think.
New York Knicks
Grade: A- | Dealing the best player in the league at his peak is pretty much protocol and he gets some nice pieces no doubt in Favors and picks. Jennings was also a nice pick-up over Rose. This team needed a makeover and a challenge and Outlawz knows what he’s doing by piling on those picks.
Memphis Grizzlies
Grade: B+ | I’m not so sure about Larry Drew at point guard or even Lance Stephenson at point guard. I do love his core of Steph, Beas, and Oden though. It doesn’t really get better than that. Skillz has shown a lot to be considered a top 10 GM in the past two seasons.
Orlando Magic
Grade: B+ | A lot of big deals this past off-season, so I’m not sure where to rank them just yet. I do like that they have a complete starting five but their depth is pretty mediocre at best. I think there needed to be more moves to address depth in order to get a higher grade here but I do think they improved from last year without dealing Machata.
Golden State Warriors
Grade: C+ | They signed three point guards, two more than they really needed. Although two had really nice TCs, they need bigs desperately and couldn’t get any in free agency. The Creamer and Deng pick-ups were nice but will probably cost them down the road. They really need a nice depth chart and some other moves to address their Contract Year this season.
Who wins BBS this year and why?
I still like Philly. I know they lost Andersson but Blair is still a top 3 player and should lead them to the promise land. They also have decent depth but could improve in that department. The sleeper is probably the Lakers at this point but Memphis could give them a run for the West crown towards the end.
Take your pick...please judge TALENT only:
DeJuan Blair or Derrick Rose
I’ll still take Rose because FBB favors point guards and he is still the best at this point.
Corey Fisher or Matias Nocedal
Fisher. He had an amazing TC and can be a top option in relatively any team in BBS.
Delvon Roe or Tyler Hansbrough
Hansborough. I respect Roe’s game but he’s not a top option. Hansborough can still give you about 22+ a game, 10+ boards along with his blocked shots.
Hahn Owens or Karron Johnson
Owens. I think Johnson is a glorified supersub kinda ala Senario Hillman but he could be really effective when utilized right. Owens is a prolific scorer when he’s an option.
Rodney Stuckey or Hasheem Thabeet
Thabeet. He’s younger and will probably be more consistent down the road. Stuckey is nice but I see him declining soon.
Ebener or Mark
Both are fun, but I like Mark a little better cause you never know what you are gonna get.
Ebener is more consistent but would probably be better to smoke a fatty with.
Jordan or Skillz
Skillz by a good amount. I respect Jordan but Skillz is a lot easier to deal with even though he can be borderline annoying.
Ducky or Blue
Blue. He’s always been a good guy and he’s made some bad moves in the past but he’s learned from them. Ducky isn’t accessible sometimes and probably in too many leagues.
Pig or DJ
Pig. Every other season DJ pms me an offer that gives me depth but doesn’t make me any better. Pig’s been inactive as far as making his team better but he’s a pretty good guy and GM when he’s around.
Assemble the best starting lineup of players making under 10 mil a year that aren't on rookie contracts.
C- Manchu Chau
PF- Brandon Wright
SF- Tristan Thompson
SG- Dexter Strickland
PG- John Manning
And, of course, call someone out in 50 insulting words or less.
Jah, you need to make some moves and get more active. I mean you have more posts in UOSLR than you have in BBS in probably 2-3 months. It’s pretty ridiculous. Hansborough and Harris are in their contract years, Paul is 33 and you have Manning. This team needs moves.
Well first off, Derrick Rose was a huge loss for them, but I think they recovered well from that. They picked up a number of nice players for him which included Brandon Knight, Tony Galvan, Jeremy Tyler and others. However, he refused to pick up a legitimate No. 1 option such as a Michael Beasley or Kevin Durant. As a result, he kind of forced the hand with the Ivan Chiariav acquisition and then the team had an ugly TC. The TC part is not his fault but the Ivan signing is. That contract will be hard to deal off especially with his decline and his age. Personally, I would have tried to get a legit top option while my youth was still valuable but I think his team is off to a hot start so far so we’ll see how it plays out from here on in.
Andy's back and wants a team. When he left, he was one of the most valued members of BBS. But he left abruptly without giving reason and was still hanging out on other similar online forums. Is it anyone's business to blame him for leaving BBS in the manner he did, or should he be welcomed back with no questions asked? Does he have to prove himself?
I don’t think it’s anyone’s business. Obviously Andy has some stuff to take care of and BBS is a luxury to all of us. We’re fortunate to have the time to dedicate so much time to this fun, online hobby. I think it has to be something personal that he just up and left so it doesn’t require any questions. If he wants to share, that’s up to him. He’s won a championship and assembled some great teams so I don’t think he has to prove himself to anyone cause he’s a veteran and knows how this league goes.
Chris Martinez took over a great situation in Dallas, and has seemingly been in cruise control mode ever since. He's had his share of good draft picks but has never gone for the kill or even cashed in on his youth. Do you credit him for the job he has done, or is being in the Contract Year after inheriting a great situation a sign that he isn't doing a great job with his roster?
He’s done a pretty nice job so far although I credit most of the good work to Spencer for racking up all those picks for him. He’s been pretty shrewd in his dealings, which means he knows he has a lot of tools he can use to get a better deal. So overall, he hasn’t really messed up yet but he has a glut of players that play the same position and would probably benefit from getting a true point guard. Being in his contract year is a little questionable but he should be able to make it with the type of talent on that roster.
Grade the offseasons of the following teams:
Seattle Supersonics:
Grade: A- | Any time you pick up multiple winner of MVP winners, you have to be getting at least an A. However, dealing Corey Fisher really hurts especially after the TC he had. Him and Rose in the backcourt would have been nasty. He has some really good youth now though so I rather have Fisher than Favors I think.
New York Knicks
Grade: A- | Dealing the best player in the league at his peak is pretty much protocol and he gets some nice pieces no doubt in Favors and picks. Jennings was also a nice pick-up over Rose. This team needed a makeover and a challenge and Outlawz knows what he’s doing by piling on those picks.
Memphis Grizzlies
Grade: B+ | I’m not so sure about Larry Drew at point guard or even Lance Stephenson at point guard. I do love his core of Steph, Beas, and Oden though. It doesn’t really get better than that. Skillz has shown a lot to be considered a top 10 GM in the past two seasons.
Orlando Magic
Grade: B+ | A lot of big deals this past off-season, so I’m not sure where to rank them just yet. I do like that they have a complete starting five but their depth is pretty mediocre at best. I think there needed to be more moves to address depth in order to get a higher grade here but I do think they improved from last year without dealing Machata.
Golden State Warriors
Grade: C+ | They signed three point guards, two more than they really needed. Although two had really nice TCs, they need bigs desperately and couldn’t get any in free agency. The Creamer and Deng pick-ups were nice but will probably cost them down the road. They really need a nice depth chart and some other moves to address their Contract Year this season.
Who wins BBS this year and why?
I still like Philly. I know they lost Andersson but Blair is still a top 3 player and should lead them to the promise land. They also have decent depth but could improve in that department. The sleeper is probably the Lakers at this point but Memphis could give them a run for the West crown towards the end.
Take your pick...please judge TALENT only:
DeJuan Blair or Derrick Rose
I’ll still take Rose because FBB favors point guards and he is still the best at this point.
Corey Fisher or Matias Nocedal
Fisher. He had an amazing TC and can be a top option in relatively any team in BBS.
Delvon Roe or Tyler Hansbrough
Hansborough. I respect Roe’s game but he’s not a top option. Hansborough can still give you about 22+ a game, 10+ boards along with his blocked shots.
Hahn Owens or Karron Johnson
Owens. I think Johnson is a glorified supersub kinda ala Senario Hillman but he could be really effective when utilized right. Owens is a prolific scorer when he’s an option.
Rodney Stuckey or Hasheem Thabeet
Thabeet. He’s younger and will probably be more consistent down the road. Stuckey is nice but I see him declining soon.
Ebener or Mark
Both are fun, but I like Mark a little better cause you never know what you are gonna get.
Ebener is more consistent but would probably be better to smoke a fatty with.
Jordan or Skillz
Skillz by a good amount. I respect Jordan but Skillz is a lot easier to deal with even though he can be borderline annoying.
Ducky or Blue
Blue. He’s always been a good guy and he’s made some bad moves in the past but he’s learned from them. Ducky isn’t accessible sometimes and probably in too many leagues.
Pig or DJ
Pig. Every other season DJ pms me an offer that gives me depth but doesn’t make me any better. Pig’s been inactive as far as making his team better but he’s a pretty good guy and GM when he’s around.
Assemble the best starting lineup of players making under 10 mil a year that aren't on rookie contracts.
C- Manchu Chau
PF- Brandon Wright
SF- Tristan Thompson
SG- Dexter Strickland
PG- John Manning
And, of course, call someone out in 50 insulting words or less.
Jah, you need to make some moves and get more active. I mean you have more posts in UOSLR than you have in BBS in probably 2-3 months. It’s pretty ridiculous. Hansborough and Harris are in their contract years, Paul is 33 and you have Manning. This team needs moves.
