2041 State of the East
Jul 15, 2020 0:28:51 GMT
👨🏼⚕️delapandemic🚑, andrewluck, and 1 more like this
Post by TimPig on Jul 15, 2020 0:28:51 GMT
Atlanta Hawks2040 Record: 57-25; 3rd in the East
Key Additions: Bill Cartwright, Butch Lee, Dwyane Wade
Key Subtractions: Buddy Hield, Armond Hill, Patrick O’Bryant, Damian Lillard
Breakdown: Two huge additions this offseason for the Hawks in Bill Cartwright (2nd among centers in WS in 2040) and Butch Lee (4th among point guards) as they move themselves from the “rebuilding” category to the “contending” category. They replace and act as major improvements to Armond Hill and Patrick O’Bryant, the latter who has some sexy grades and had some sexy TCs early in his career but still has yet to put together a noteworthy season. If Kevin Garnett can return to rookie form, this team will have at the very least two elite players for their position (Butch and KG), and arguably a third in Cartwright. If Mitch saw any regression, he’s a great candidate for a Germany trip, which will ensure he’s an elite scorer for at least one more year. With Michael Beasley having figured things out, this team sports as good of a starting five as anyone, with some really nice depth in Darren Tillis, LaPhonso Ellis, Shelden Williams, Dwyane Wade, and Roy Hamilton. I don’t see any weaknesses here.
Predicted 2041 Record: 65-17; 1st in the East (among human teams)
Charlotte Bobcats2040 Record: 60-22; 2nd in the East (as the Miami Heat)
Key Additions: Christian Laettner, Dominique Wilkins
Key Subtractions: Adam Morrison
Breakdown: After a tough first-round exit last season, the Heat moved to a city that’s been starving for professional basketball for the past 25 sim seasons. They replace Adam Morrison with Dominique Wilkins, which is a decent improvement with his superior rebounding and scoring volume. Laettner provides really solid depth, but doesn’t seem to be in the mold of what Odin has sought in terms of big men in recent seasons, so he may end up being a trade chip with James Donaldson, Alonzo Mourning, and Darko Milicic likely getting the majority of big man minutes. Michael Cooper provides great wing depth off the bench and a quality defender to put on some of the East’s elite wings. Rajon Rondo has seen a career resurgence since Odin picked him up and is a very good rebounding and non-turnovering point guard. Really solid team, but I think they over-performed last season and are probably worse than the Hawks at every position except small forward.
Predicted 2041 Record: 54-28; 4th in the East (among human teams)
Charlotte Hornets2040 Record: 51-31; 6th in the East
Key Additions: Bryant Reeves
Key Subtractions: Jaylen Brown
Breakdown: It was a pretty uneventful offseason for Charlotte’s second team, swapping Jaylen Brown for Bryant Reeves and *checks notes* Dante Exum. This team has been desperate to find a big-time big who can cover some of Spencer Haywood’s deficiencies, but have yet to do so as former 1.2 Rasheed Wallace hasn’t panned out. Reeves will be better than Bill Laimbeer if his minor league numbers are any indication, but he has a number of problems of his own that will limit his upside. Jaylen Brown was nice depth off the bench with decent efficiency and good defense, and while Lou Williams had a promising build, I’m not sure he’ll be ready to replace what Brown offered. Small forward is a huge weakness here, so I could see Reggie Theus starting there and Williams getting the nod at shooting guard with Joey Graham backing up both spots. No matter what, that’s not exactly a wing combination you write home about. For the fifth straight season, Dennis Johnson will be the star, but he won’t be enough to get them over the hump. I foresee a trade block for him coming for the third or fourth straight season.
Predicted 2041 Record: 46-36; 5th in the East (among human teams)
Chicago Bulls2040 Record: 57-25; 4th in the East
Key Additions: Rik Smits, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Calvin Natt’s departure
Key Subtractions: Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook
Breakdown: The Bulls limped through a disappointing regular season last year, finishing fourth in the East. A big part of that was subpar point guard play, where Chris Paul wasn’t able to come in and provide a viable third option as a rookie. That, combined with some regression from Chris Bosh and Bradley Beal, left this team just short of a four-peat. They’re back this year banking once again on improvement from Paul, this time with rookie Emmanuel Mudiay as his likely backup. He should have a higher ceiling than Westbrook, though he will undoubtedly be worse for at least a couple of seasons. Up front, Rik Smits offers some very helpful depth next to Jabari Parker if Bosh continues to regress. MKG replaces Beal as a versatile wing defender. He may end up as the starting shooting guard if one of Mudiay, Zach Lavine, or Stanley Johnson can’t hold it down. Once again, wing depth is a concern and an injury to LeBron could prove devastating, though adding Smits should, in theory, at least give them a third scoring option if no one else comes through.
Predicted 2041 Record: 56-26; 3rd in the East (among human teams)
C*****o Stags2040 Record: N/A
Key Additions: Kosta Koufos, Mychal Thompson, Jake Layman, Boobie Gibson, George Hill
Key Subtractions: N/A
Breakdown: The Stags, whose city name will NEVER be mentioned in one of my articles in association with them, entered free agency with the slightly questionable strategy of committing a good chunk of soft cap money to non-expiring deals who have yet to show much in TMBSL. They’ll have room to offer one max to a player coming off of a rookie deal next offseason, but that’s it. A number of these players have shown flashes of having a role on a team, but I’m not sure any have shown enough to establish themselves as a decent starter. Boobie Gibson and George Hill both had big TCs, so maybe one of them can prove to be a decent player.
Predicted 2041 Record: 14-68; 9th in the East (among human teams)
Detroit Pistons2040 Record: 34-48; 11th in the East
Key Additions: None
Key Subtractions: Mike Conley, Dan Majerle, Tim Breaux
Breakdown: This team looked good two years ago. I have no idea what happened last season. Greg Oden, Terry Cummings, and Mike Conley were all aging, sure, but I didn’t expect that much regression. Mike didn’t seem to do much participating this offseason, so he’s riding into 2041 with a roster that looks worse on paper than the one that finished with the 11th seed in the East last year. The big loss is Mike Conley, who was still a playable point guard despite having the worst season of his career. Now this team features Julius Erving, a decently efficient and very good rebounding small forward who turns it over way more than you’d like to see out of a wing. Oden and Cummings are a year older, so I don’t expect anything more out of them, and Raymond Felton, who is in line to replace Conley, looked pretty bad in limited minutes last season.
Predicted 2041 Record: 29-53; 8th in the East (among human teams)
Harlem Globetrotters2040 Record: 60-22; 1st in the East
Key Additions: Karl-Anthony Towns, Larry Bird, Dan Majerle, Jordan Farmar
Key Subtractions: Darren Tillis, Christian Laettner, Dwyane Wade
Breakdown: Another team whose two big offseason acquisitions should keep them in contention in the East. KAT, who is apparently a hidden gem, should come right in and replace any production that Tillis or Laettner provided with a quick +40 or +50 if he gets an offseason camp this year as well. Adding Larry Bird from Dallas was a league-altering move, even though I think Bird is a tad overrated due to his high turnover number. I’ll be interested to how Ward constructs his frontcourt. Does he let rookie KAT start and get 30+ minutes per game? Bird and Brandon Ingram, both listed as small forwards, are over 6’9 and therefore can’t play shooting guard. You probably want to get both of those guys minutes, but can either play power forward? There’s plenty of talent, but I’m curious how the depth chart will shake out. Ingram seems like a prime trade candidate if another team is interested in adding a 20/6 small forward who may be due for a big raise this offseason. The one sure bet is Magic Johnson, who returns to Harlem for another 7 years on a relatively team-friendly deal and probably has another MVP or two in his future.
Predicted 2041 Record: 60-22; 2nd in the East (among human teams)
Orlando Magic2040 Record: 50-32; 7th in the East
Key Additions: None
Key Subtractions: Rik Smits
Breakdown: I have a feeling that Skrouse is going to regret trading Andrew Bynum AND a 1.2 AND Pete Maravich for Malik Beasley and Fred VanVleet, especially after watching Bynum go +4 in TC this year. I don’t think Beasley is anything special. He seems like another player who came in with high potential and, despite massive TC grade improvements, it hasn’t been enough to create a great on-court product. Solid steals and low turnovers, but he doesn’t score or rebound particularly well. In my opinion, VanVleet will be the more important part of that trade. He’ll be a starting point guard in the league for the next 6-8 years, and while the per-game numbers are impressive, his efficiency still left something to be desired. The Magic don’t have any draft capital and a lineup of DeAndre Jordan, Antonio McDyess, Malik Beasley, Austin Carr, and Fred VanVleet probably doesn’t get you past the second round.
Predicted 2041 Record: 44-38; 6th in the East (among human teams)
Washington Bullets2040 Record: 41-41; 9th in the East
Key Additions: Aaron Gordon, D’Angelo Russell
Key Subtractions: None
Breakdown: The team added some scoring punch with Aaron Gordon, but his deficiencies are well chronicled. I saw D’Angelo Russell’s build and while it has some major question marks, he’s a player who could end up being interesting depending on where you played him and how you managed his upgrades. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll see that play out in Washington. John Lucas re-cemented his status as a very good point guard in the league, but the combination of him and Brook Lopez won’t be enough to get this team into the playoffs.
Predicted 2041 Record: 38-44; 7th in the East (among human teams)
