Post by TimPig on Jun 7, 2018 17:56:53 GMT
Golden State Warriors 2002 Record: 30-52; 5th in the Pacific
Key Additions: Dwight McGhee, Cory Carr, Bonzi Wells
Key Losses: Mark Price, Luka Doncic
Analysis: Taco made a big move this offseason, sending Mark Price to the Celtics for a pair of firsts. I like the trade for the Warriors as the Celtics have been a lottery team each of their first three seasons and, with plenty of turnover and uncertainty, there’s still a good chance they end up there again. With the trade of Price, Taco was able to hang on to Elle Okobo who he was able to sign for a sub-max this past offseason. In a league that lacks great point guards, Okobo has the opportunity to be just that. He’s only 24 and has averaged over 25 ppg as a starter with 45% efficiency and still has +25 and a camp left.
Outside of Okobo, this team is seriously lacking. I don’t like what I saw out of Bonzi this preseason and Oscar Schmidt has not given any reason to think he’ll be a good player eventually. Dwight McGhee is good but Taco is actively trying to trade him as he doesn’t really fit with the Warriors’ future plans. For this team, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. They got rid of Price for picks and Doncic’s ugly contract, which should give them additional flexibility in the next couple of years.
2003 Record Prediction: 20-62
LA Clippers2002 Record: 66-16; 1st in the Pacific
Key Additions: Scoonie Saperstein, Goga Bitadze
Key Losses: None
Analysis: The Clippers once again look to be the class of the Pacific as they lose no major pieces from the team that finished 2002 with the league’s best record. I worry that both Jon Pierce and Jake Shuttlesworth are going to start declining very soon, but Fason has both situations pretty well in hand. Shuttlesworth is on the block and I could see plenty of teams going after him and giving the Clippers some future assets in the process. Rui Hachimura had a breakout preseason and appears ready to take over at the three. With Pierce, it sounds like Fason has gotten some offers for him. He remains effective for perhaps another year or two, and if worse comes to worse, Fason is flush with the dump bucks that it would require to amnesty him if his contract becomes unbearable.
As it stands right now, this team has crazy depth. Five very good starters in Pierce, Hachimura, Shuttlesworth, Withers, and McDermott and PYT, Goga Bitadze, Scoonie Saperstein, and Juwanna Mann coming off the bench. I could see this depth chart eventually shifting to start PYT at power forward, Hachimura at small forward, and Shuttlesworth being a super sub on the wing.
2003 Record Prediction: 64-18
LA Lakers2002 Record: 27-55; 6th in the Pacific
Key Additions: Michael Olowokandi, Keon Clark, Brad Miller, Michael Dickerson, Earl Boykins
Key Losses: None
Analysis: This is an interesting team. It appears they have two solid building blocks in Len Bias and Trendon Watford, but both appear best suited to play small forward, so SPL is trying to move one. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of what this team came away with in a deep draft in which they had five first round picks. The Kandi man might turn into a 4.0-style D/R big and Boykins, while extremely undersized, produced a bit in preseason, but Clark, Miller, and Dickerson are not very exciting to me.
At this point, Bias looks like a max-worthy player and Watford is still just 20 years old. Lawrence Jackson doesn’t fit in with this team’s makeup at all, so I could see him getting dealt to a contender this year for some future picks and bucks. Michael Jackson is also an interesting point guard who might make a good backup or a serviceable starter for some teams, but SPL will have to choose between him and Boykins.
2003 Record Prediction: 28-54
Portland Trail Blazers2002 Record: 47-35; 4th in the Pacific
Key Additions: Dirk Nowitzki, Andre Turner, Devontae Cacok
Key Losses: Tevin Mack
Analysis: Dirk, Dirk, Dirk. This is going to be one of the more fun early sim careers to watch play out. Admittedly, if I had 1.1 I think it would’ve been tough to pass on him, but there are some major question marks, most notably the C defense and rebounding grades. He averaged 19 points and 9.6 rebounds per 36 during preseason after a training camp that only saw an improved display potential.
Outside of Dirk, this team has some bright young stars. Malcolm Moore, Isaac Bonga, and Andre Turner, who I’m including as a key addition because he was a G-League call up last year, make up a good young backcourt that Majic should be able to keep in the fold for a number of years. If Dirk pans out, I could see this team contending in two or three seasons. Roy Devyn White is a good backup guard and I think Devontae Cacok is a solid but unspectacular backup forward. Corey Woods is...not good and Majic traded Tevin Mack for him. I’m not sure why as Mack is younger and better and would’ve provided some nice depth on the wing. Up front, Majic is already loaded with mediocre bigs in Giuseppe Longfellow, Cacok, and Roy Tarpley, so I don’t know why he wanted to add another.
2003 Record Prediction: 49-33
Sacramento Kings2002 Record: 49-33; 3rd in the Pacific
Key Additions: Sim Dump, Borat Sagdiyev
Key Losses: None
Analysis: While he didn’t suffer any personnel departures, BK perhaps suffered one of the offseason’s toughest losses as Brunson’s handles dropped to B, making him ineligible to start at point guard. He should be a fine shooting guard though, which gives the Kings one elite starter in Peyton Gragg and two good starters in Jim Halpert and Brunson. Sim Dump and Theodosios Cathasach are both aging and I think BK will need to think long and hard about how he can adequately upgrade from them without a ton of assets to deal.
Looking at his roster while taking the above situation into account makes it abundantly clear why BK is keeping very close tabs on his G-League roster. If he can find someone like Portland’s Andre Turner to come in and become an above average starter, this team could contend out West. As it stands, I think they’re still short one good player and some depth. A playoff team for sure, but championships are the only thing that matters in TMBSL.
2003 Record Prediction: 48-34
Seattle Supersonics 2002 Record: 17-65; 7th in the Pacific
Key Additions: Romeo Langford, Larry Hughes
Key Losses: Tobi Oyedeji, Tank Selvy
Analysis: Duc made one of the bolder moves this offseason, signing Romeo Langford to a max that I don’t believe anyone else was willing to offer. During the preseason, Romeo looked like pretty much exactly the player he was with the Bulls -- good volume, decent efficiency, lots of turnovers, and pretty average otherwise. Not sure it’s worth a max, but the Sonics needed to make a splash and, if Romeo does improve a bit, he could make the Bulls very sad. Larry Hughes actually looks very similar to Romeo in a lot of ways except that he knows how to play defense. It looks like Hughes may have gotten some minutes at point guard based on his high assist numbers, but he’s not actually eligible to play there.
Dean Wade is another player who has improved with the Sonics every year, but his turnovers are also discomforting, averaging almost three per game last season. The Sonics have three wings capable of starting, but look pretty thin outside of that. Center, power forward, and point guard are all major holes and I don’t see anyone ready to step up and put up starter-worthy stats. Fortunately for Duc, he’s held on to his picks, which should be in the lottery the next couple of seasons.
2003 Record Prediction: 22-60
Vancouver Grizzlies 2002 Record: 52-30; 2nd in the Pacific
Key Additions: Mikal Bridges, Tevin Mack
Key Losses: Kevin Knox, Jon Elmore, Theo Hilinski
Analysis: Druce maintains the four-headed monster that is Stephon Templeton, George Mikan, Tyler Blevins, and Barry Obama. He took a pretty big hit this offseason, however, when Kevin Knox left for Atlanta and a max contract. One of Mikal Bridges, who was acquired during the season last year, or Tevin Mack should still be good enough to start at small forward with the other being a good backup at small forward and shooting guard. Mack averaged 19 and 7 during the preseason and, with birds, may be someone Druce grooms to become a good starter eventually as he’s still only 24.
The Grizzlies have been one of the teams who have been better at finding good mid-first round picks, adding Graylin Warner last season, who in addition to minimum-signee Blake Mann, will provide good depth up front behind Mikan and Templeton. Both of those guys eat up a lot of minutes, so it’s unlikely Druce will need to depend on the backups too much. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tractor Traylor turn into the second coming of Yommy, a big with incredible strength who has high efficiency but can’t shoot a free throw to save his life.
2003 Record Prediction: 55-27
