Indiana Pacers
Post by Bill Bayno on Jun 25, 2018 18:55:26 GMT 8
It's still a week before the moratorium for offseason transactions begin, but speculation is already rife on who ends up where. From what I have gathered, here are some truths and speculations as of right now:
- As requested by Kawhi Leonard (and his handler/s), the Spurs are looking to trade him. According to reports, the Spurs have shot down his request to be traded to the Lakers and Popovich is keen to transfer him Eastwards. Speculated frontrunners are the Sixers and Celtics.
- Kyle O'Quinn has opted out of his contract; Carmelo Anthony, as expected, opted in.
- Enes Kanter is still undecided on whether to opt in or out.
- Dwight Howard and the Nets have agreed to buy out Howard's contract. Rumor is, he willing to play to the Warriors for David West money to become the next David West. There is also another angle that the Pelicans are interested on him becoming their cheap replacement for DeMarcus Cousins while DMC recuperates from his injury.
- LeBron James is actively recruiting players to join his team, whether it's Cleveland or Los Angeles. Those who are he is actively pursuing are the two Pauls, Chris Paul and Paul George, and possibly Cousins as well.
- Speaking of George, it is reported that he is willing to stay with the Thunder ONLY for the max. And since OKC has his Bird Rights, it is the only team capable of giving him max BR-level money. But recalling DeAndre Jordan's locked-in-his-house episode, nothing is final before July 1. Which means he can end up in another team for a still max but non-BR-level contract. Which segues to the next bullet point.
- Donovan Mitchell would not mind having LeBron James as a teammate, but he would rather face James as an opponent. Mitchell is also trying to lure George to Utah. He was quoted saying this during his visit in the Philippines.
Why am I pointing all of these out, and why did I compose this post in the first place? If we are doing NBA 2K Association-type decisions, putting into consideration player moods/attitudes, and factoring real-life situations, then it is just proper that this be brought up.
One thing that is worth highlighting is the reality of superteams. Unless something drastic or ground-breaking happens between now and July 1, this is no longer an anomaly. As of right now, this is expected - the thought and realization of the rich getting richer. However, the purpose of this sim league is to create competitive balance. This runs counter to the concept of superteams, where only a few teams would benefit from class-A talent, while the rest settle for crumbs. One way that prevents us from having such imbalanced rosters is that our salary cap is practically acting as a hard cap the past three seasons.
However, a new wrinkle will come into play this offseason - Bird Rights. For the first time, teams will be able to go above the salary cap and won't get penalized. Sure, no one is built like the Golden State Warriors now, but I am more on looking down the road. The closest approximation I can think of right now is the NBAX's Atlanta Hawks, which is built like the NBA's Boston Celtics with their rookie contracts. With Bird Rights and no form of luxury tax penalty in place, what will stop one team from acquiring rookie contracts, then signing them to bigger veteran deals that could exceed the cap once those old contracts expire? Yes, this somewhat ties in my other posts about Bird Rights and for a form of luxury tax penalties for teams above the cap.
Then again, Bird Rights don't get transferred from team to team if the players were traded. I guess that's one deterrent.
But going back to superteams. For those following NBA offseason talk, we have realized how hard it is for LeBron James to form a superteam without sacrificing roster depth. This is evident in teams with players who have max contracts, whether it's Sacramento, Toronto, or the Lakers. Reviewing the LeBron-Kawhi trade, there is no good like-for-like trade unless you give a package for that superstar or swap another superstar for him. The latter is just a lateral trade, while the former is the usual scenario in real life, the sum of the parts, in most cases, is not equal to the whole.
Going back to our sim league, there are some possible game-changing scenarios to watch out for. With Kawhi Leonard on the board, we should keep track of what the NBA Spurs are doing. In this case, they are not moving an inch as Pop patiently waits for the best offer to come to the table. With O'Quinn opting out, we will see if there is actually a demand for him in the NBA FA market and we should take note of where he ends up and how much he gets. It's also possible that NBAX GMs are not as high on O'Quinn, thus lessening his value in-sim. And there's also Howard and the possibility of him becoming another David West-like glitch: a high-rated player on a cheap contract.
To summarize everything I wrote, here are my main points:
1. Superteams are a reality and we have to deal with that.
2. If you can build a GSW-type superteam that will be, if not already, on New York Yankees-level of payroll (or in a lesser extent, NBA Toronto Raptors/Washington Wizards - two teams with luxury tax-level team salaries), theoretically, no one can stop you. If you can pull it off, good for you.
3. Accept the fact that a max player can eat up your cap space fast. If you want to form a "LeBron" superteam, either fill up your roster with rookie contracts (present-day NBA Lakers) or sign veterans for the minimum (pre-deadline trade day 2017-18 NBA Cavs).
This may or may not reveal what's my team-building strategy for the offseason. If you do the math, my cap space is only enough to accommodate a near-max player and one MLE signing. But that is me not being financially prudent since I still have four more vacant roster slots after that. If you glean anything from what I wrote on how the Indiana Pacers would go through the offseason, then good for you.
In the end, it would just be two individuals at most deciding the fate of where players would go, which means they are the ones who would dictate the narrative. I am putting this out there to set everybody's expectations and not cry over spilt milk for whatever reasons as we will be having a unique offseason (Bird Rights and a two-person PA/TC) that is different from what we have accustomed to here and in other/previous sim leagues that we have played in.
---
Addendum: to those who might think I have an agenda, let me put it out right now that I have no agenda. For one, what benefit do I get for utilizing several of my productive hours composing an essay concerning a make-believe league, when I could have been doing something else more financially-rewarding and life-improving? Second, I don't even want to put myself on Silver's and Bryant's shoes that is why I didn't pursue becoming assistant commissioner when the situation presented itself. This is a thankless job they are doing, and I appreciate them for putting up with us.
It is just my thing to always look at the big picture. This is the reason why I am more into (sports) management games than playing sports games as sports games because I want to view things holistically. I believe you are too if you are in this league and playing similar games (Buzzer Beater, Mangerleague, Association mode on NBA 2K, Dynasty/Season mode on NBA Live). So, you should understand where I am coming from.
I also like to think out loudly. It's so that I can get your views and opinions, fine-tune my thoughts, as well as explore other angles. If you find reading through my posts tedious, then bear with me. I am just wired this way.
Finally. Although I have stated publicly many times that I have emotionally detached myself from NBAX, the fact that I am still putting this out means I want to improve how things are done here and that I still care... to a certain degree. You'll know when I have grown tired and finally call it quits.
- As requested by Kawhi Leonard (and his handler/s), the Spurs are looking to trade him. According to reports, the Spurs have shot down his request to be traded to the Lakers and Popovich is keen to transfer him Eastwards. Speculated frontrunners are the Sixers and Celtics.
- Kyle O'Quinn has opted out of his contract; Carmelo Anthony, as expected, opted in.
- Enes Kanter is still undecided on whether to opt in or out.
- Dwight Howard and the Nets have agreed to buy out Howard's contract. Rumor is, he willing to play to the Warriors for David West money to become the next David West. There is also another angle that the Pelicans are interested on him becoming their cheap replacement for DeMarcus Cousins while DMC recuperates from his injury.
- LeBron James is actively recruiting players to join his team, whether it's Cleveland or Los Angeles. Those who are he is actively pursuing are the two Pauls, Chris Paul and Paul George, and possibly Cousins as well.
- Speaking of George, it is reported that he is willing to stay with the Thunder ONLY for the max. And since OKC has his Bird Rights, it is the only team capable of giving him max BR-level money. But recalling DeAndre Jordan's locked-in-his-house episode, nothing is final before July 1. Which means he can end up in another team for a still max but non-BR-level contract. Which segues to the next bullet point.
- Donovan Mitchell would not mind having LeBron James as a teammate, but he would rather face James as an opponent. Mitchell is also trying to lure George to Utah. He was quoted saying this during his visit in the Philippines.
Why am I pointing all of these out, and why did I compose this post in the first place? If we are doing NBA 2K Association-type decisions, putting into consideration player moods/attitudes, and factoring real-life situations, then it is just proper that this be brought up.
One thing that is worth highlighting is the reality of superteams. Unless something drastic or ground-breaking happens between now and July 1, this is no longer an anomaly. As of right now, this is expected - the thought and realization of the rich getting richer. However, the purpose of this sim league is to create competitive balance. This runs counter to the concept of superteams, where only a few teams would benefit from class-A talent, while the rest settle for crumbs. One way that prevents us from having such imbalanced rosters is that our salary cap is practically acting as a hard cap the past three seasons.
However, a new wrinkle will come into play this offseason - Bird Rights. For the first time, teams will be able to go above the salary cap and won't get penalized. Sure, no one is built like the Golden State Warriors now, but I am more on looking down the road. The closest approximation I can think of right now is the NBAX's Atlanta Hawks, which is built like the NBA's Boston Celtics with their rookie contracts. With Bird Rights and no form of luxury tax penalty in place, what will stop one team from acquiring rookie contracts, then signing them to bigger veteran deals that could exceed the cap once those old contracts expire? Yes, this somewhat ties in my other posts about Bird Rights and for a form of luxury tax penalties for teams above the cap.
Then again, Bird Rights don't get transferred from team to team if the players were traded. I guess that's one deterrent.
But going back to superteams. For those following NBA offseason talk, we have realized how hard it is for LeBron James to form a superteam without sacrificing roster depth. This is evident in teams with players who have max contracts, whether it's Sacramento, Toronto, or the Lakers. Reviewing the LeBron-Kawhi trade, there is no good like-for-like trade unless you give a package for that superstar or swap another superstar for him. The latter is just a lateral trade, while the former is the usual scenario in real life, the sum of the parts, in most cases, is not equal to the whole.
Going back to our sim league, there are some possible game-changing scenarios to watch out for. With Kawhi Leonard on the board, we should keep track of what the NBA Spurs are doing. In this case, they are not moving an inch as Pop patiently waits for the best offer to come to the table. With O'Quinn opting out, we will see if there is actually a demand for him in the NBA FA market and we should take note of where he ends up and how much he gets. It's also possible that NBAX GMs are not as high on O'Quinn, thus lessening his value in-sim. And there's also Howard and the possibility of him becoming another David West-like glitch: a high-rated player on a cheap contract.
To summarize everything I wrote, here are my main points:
1. Superteams are a reality and we have to deal with that.
2. If you can build a GSW-type superteam that will be, if not already, on New York Yankees-level of payroll (or in a lesser extent, NBA Toronto Raptors/Washington Wizards - two teams with luxury tax-level team salaries), theoretically, no one can stop you. If you can pull it off, good for you.
3. Accept the fact that a max player can eat up your cap space fast. If you want to form a "LeBron" superteam, either fill up your roster with rookie contracts (present-day NBA Lakers) or sign veterans for the minimum (pre-deadline trade day 2017-18 NBA Cavs).
This may or may not reveal what's my team-building strategy for the offseason. If you do the math, my cap space is only enough to accommodate a near-max player and one MLE signing. But that is me not being financially prudent since I still have four more vacant roster slots after that. If you glean anything from what I wrote on how the Indiana Pacers would go through the offseason, then good for you.
In the end, it would just be two individuals at most deciding the fate of where players would go, which means they are the ones who would dictate the narrative. I am putting this out there to set everybody's expectations and not cry over spilt milk for whatever reasons as we will be having a unique offseason (Bird Rights and a two-person PA/TC) that is different from what we have accustomed to here and in other/previous sim leagues that we have played in.
---
Addendum: to those who might think I have an agenda, let me put it out right now that I have no agenda. For one, what benefit do I get for utilizing several of my productive hours composing an essay concerning a make-believe league, when I could have been doing something else more financially-rewarding and life-improving? Second, I don't even want to put myself on Silver's and Bryant's shoes that is why I didn't pursue becoming assistant commissioner when the situation presented itself. This is a thankless job they are doing, and I appreciate them for putting up with us.
It is just my thing to always look at the big picture. This is the reason why I am more into (sports) management games than playing sports games as sports games because I want to view things holistically. I believe you are too if you are in this league and playing similar games (Buzzer Beater, Mangerleague, Association mode on NBA 2K, Dynasty/Season mode on NBA Live). So, you should understand where I am coming from.
I also like to think out loudly. It's so that I can get your views and opinions, fine-tune my thoughts, as well as explore other angles. If you find reading through my posts tedious, then bear with me. I am just wired this way.
Finally. Although I have stated publicly many times that I have emotionally detached myself from NBAX, the fact that I am still putting this out means I want to improve how things are done here and that I still care... to a certain degree. You'll know when I have grown tired and finally call it quits.
Cleveland Cavaliers