Post by Majic on Feb 12, 2021 14:41:33 GMT -5
Welcome to my inaugural Winners and Losers article. The plan is to put one of these out multiple times a sim season to get a pulse of who is "winning" and who is "losing".
For the first edition I wanted to look at the first official Offseason and see who came away as a winner and who was a loser.
Winner - Cougars
This is another team that did good with making smart value picks. Stipanovich looks like he should be a strong rebounding big and have an efficient scoring pop. I don't think you will see much growth out of him but if 20’s can use his upgrades wisely Stipo could be a long term starter. I also really liked the Ehlo pick and I know 20’s had his eye on him from the start. He has some obvious holes and likely will need some TC help to get his scoring in line but you have to love the potential. His defense looks strong based on the scouting, if 20’s can upgrade the scoring and get some TC luck Ehlo could be an All Star on the wing. The Cougars were also able to hit big in Free Agency by resigning Chief and bringing in Sharrar. 20’s will now have 3 towering bigs to build his team around. Not sure another team had a better offseason.
Winner - Pacers
Heebs made a great trade to move up from 1.5 in this draft and in my opinion didn't have to pay a steep price. Drazen is no doubt a very good player, but going on age 34 his time in the league is limited. Heebs’ team is a little older and injecting some youth will be a huge help for his long term goals. This looks to be a strong class at the top so you can never discount the ability to get what you perceive as the best player. Already a +3 in his first TC, so he is off to a good start. Drexler has some holes but the potential is there, if he gets some favorable TC’s he should become a monster.
Loser - Spurs
I like Pointy as a person but I don't like this pick. McCray is the definition of a developmental prospect and I am not sure that's good value at the 7th overall pick. Based on the scouting done, McCray will have a LONG way to go before he turns into even an average offensive player. The biggest hope you could have with him is the potential to grow, but even that is concerning. His defense should be usable and worst case he ends up a rotational piece. But again, in my opinion that's bad value for the 7th overall pick.
Loser or Winner? - Portland Trail Blazers
Many expected Ellis to be the second player off the draft board. Ellis looks to be a scoring machine and should have an immediate impact. Sampson as the second pick shocked alot of folks and there is concern over the potential. Based on the current state of the league Ellis would have been the safer pick as his scoring would have been elite. With that said, Sampson would potentially be the #1 pick in a lot of drafts so getting him at #2 is a nice bonus. He offers the total package and overall should dominate right away. He has one glaring hole in his game, handles, but even that should be limited with his low passing numbers. He will provide scoring, rebounding and be a top notch defender. You have to love it even more after seeing him go +2 in TC, including a move to B in potential. Sampson has the look of a dominant big that will be close to elite for 10+ years. You also have to like a couple of the FA signings, while no player signed was a big name all 3 provide a boost to depth and overall talent level.
Winner - 76er’s
This team is a winner for multiple reasons but I will start with the draft picks. The 76er’s were able to make the most of their opportunities and end up with 2 picks in the Top 5 and also the 9th overall pick of the inaugural draft. Based on the scouting that was done, this should be a solid draft at the top and getting Ellis at 3 is a huge bonus. As mentioned above he should be an elite scorer right away. Carr looks like the 2nd best big in the league and should pair well with Ellis. Bol is a project but his potential couldn't be higher. With a little TC luck and some smart upgrades he could become a solid contributor. Overall the 76er’s did a great job navigating the creation and the first season to set the team up for future success.
Loser - Pelicans/Cavs
Listen, I won't bring up the controversy surrounding Sapular taking this team over but there is no doubt this team is a loser. Let's start with the obvious, due to the timing of the firing this team lost out on a valuable draft asset and Free Agency. With regards to the draft, there is no doubt this team's outlook would look better if it had Thurl Bailer or Craig Ehlo on its roster. Also, they lost Buford and have nothing to show for it. No matter what your personal opinion is on Buford he would have had some form of value.
Winner - Big Free Agent Teams - Bobcats, Bucks and Chaparrals
Anything can happen in Free Agency and each of these teams represents a winner after Free Agency. The Bobcats were able to retain their star talent and will look to have an elite level wing for the next 7 years. The Bucks and Chaparrals each took advantage of the market and were able to bring in top tier talent. Vouyoukas is a bit older but you have to like the talent. Is this too much to pay, check out my next “loser”. He should contribute for at least another year or two, worst case he retires and the Bucks get the cap space back. While Breshers has some holes you have to love the A potential and the fact he is still relatively young.
Loser - Questionable Free Agent Signings - Bucks and Bullets
I personally liked the Bucks signing of Vouyoukas but I am sure some might think it's an overpay. I don't share those concerns as it's a short term deal and now is the window of time where an overpay won't be too detrimental. However, I do have concerns about the Pope signing. Listen, Pope is a fine player and still young with A potential so there is something to like. I just don't know if I would have felt comfortable with committing that much long term money to him. If Pope doesn't get some positive TC’s this contract could end up ugly at the end. I have similar thoughts with regards to the Bullets and the Buford contract. I really like Buford as a player but it's impossible to ignore the TO issue. The Bullets will need to sink upgrades into those and hope TC is kind to him, otherwise that is a huge contract for a guy with such a glaring issue.
Loser - Free Agent Losses - Bullets and Clippers
While I mentioned the teams that took advantage of the Free Agent market it was at the expense of these 2 teams. The Bullets lost out on Sharrarm and we cannot overstate how big of a loss. Sim league sources have indicated that the Bullets made a max level offer so it wasn't a case of the GM trying to be “cute” with his bids. Sharrar is young and still has A potential, add in the fact he was a first round pick in creation and it's a major kick to the gut to lose him without anything in return. The Clippers are another team that lost top tier talent in Free Agency when Vouyoukas signed with the Bucks. As mentioned above, losing a top tier player for nothing always hurts but this one may sting even more for the Clippers. They have an older team and the window of contention was right now, losing Vouyoukas obviously hurts their chances moving forward. It's the risk teams took by selecting players with expiring contracts and these ones did not turn out positively for either team.
Winner - Value Signings - New York Knicks and Bobcats
I honestly really liked the offseason the Knicks had based on the value they added. This team only has 1 true superstar but I really like some of the value adds that they added in Free Agency. I liked the “under the radar” signings they made in Free Agency. Neither Manning nor Turner are All-Stars but each provides strong rotational depth and come cheap. Anytime you don’t have draft picks you need to take advantage of the Free Agent market while also not compromising your future. Call it luck or skill, it's a big “win” for Odin to bring back Shawn James on such a reasonable contract. Sim League sources were indicating that multiple teams offered James more money, both first year and overall, so it was a surprise he stayed with the Cougars. 8 million per season, for 2 years, is a great contract for one of the only true D/Rebounding bigs. Those 2 years will also give the Bobcats 3 full bird years the next time he hits the market. Overall a nice (lucky??) signing by the Bobcats.
Loser - Unlucky TC Teams - 76er’s, Grizzlies, Cougars and Magic
Training Camp can often be a bit misleading, but even still you never want to see important players go negative. Each of these teams had important players have bad training camps, although in different ways. For the 76er’s, seeing your prized draft pick go -2 is quite concerning. It's hard to say where he will end up but this is not a good start. As for the Grizzlies there was early concern about Lang and his F potential and that has only grown after his first TC. The Cougars just signed Chief to a huge contract and he rewarded them with a -2 TC, not great from your biggest star. As for the Magic, Peppers was a big acquisition last season so you hate to see him come into TC and lose points.
Winner - Lucky TC Teams - Suns, Cougars, Blazers, Pacers and Bobcats
This is just a couple of the teams that stuck out in terms of successful Training Camps. Each team had a key player, or players, that went plus in multiple avenues. For the Pacers and Blazers they each had their top picks grow nicely in TC. The Suns, Cougars and Bobcats all had established players go positive. It's always a good start to a sim season when you can look over a positive Training Camp. For the Cougars, who had a great offseason, this helps offset the bad TC that Chief had.
For the first edition I wanted to look at the first official Offseason and see who came away as a winner and who was a loser.
Winner - Cougars
This is another team that did good with making smart value picks. Stipanovich looks like he should be a strong rebounding big and have an efficient scoring pop. I don't think you will see much growth out of him but if 20’s can use his upgrades wisely Stipo could be a long term starter. I also really liked the Ehlo pick and I know 20’s had his eye on him from the start. He has some obvious holes and likely will need some TC help to get his scoring in line but you have to love the potential. His defense looks strong based on the scouting, if 20’s can upgrade the scoring and get some TC luck Ehlo could be an All Star on the wing. The Cougars were also able to hit big in Free Agency by resigning Chief and bringing in Sharrar. 20’s will now have 3 towering bigs to build his team around. Not sure another team had a better offseason.
Winner - Pacers
Heebs made a great trade to move up from 1.5 in this draft and in my opinion didn't have to pay a steep price. Drazen is no doubt a very good player, but going on age 34 his time in the league is limited. Heebs’ team is a little older and injecting some youth will be a huge help for his long term goals. This looks to be a strong class at the top so you can never discount the ability to get what you perceive as the best player. Already a +3 in his first TC, so he is off to a good start. Drexler has some holes but the potential is there, if he gets some favorable TC’s he should become a monster.
Loser - Spurs
I like Pointy as a person but I don't like this pick. McCray is the definition of a developmental prospect and I am not sure that's good value at the 7th overall pick. Based on the scouting done, McCray will have a LONG way to go before he turns into even an average offensive player. The biggest hope you could have with him is the potential to grow, but even that is concerning. His defense should be usable and worst case he ends up a rotational piece. But again, in my opinion that's bad value for the 7th overall pick.
Loser or Winner? - Portland Trail Blazers
Many expected Ellis to be the second player off the draft board. Ellis looks to be a scoring machine and should have an immediate impact. Sampson as the second pick shocked alot of folks and there is concern over the potential. Based on the current state of the league Ellis would have been the safer pick as his scoring would have been elite. With that said, Sampson would potentially be the #1 pick in a lot of drafts so getting him at #2 is a nice bonus. He offers the total package and overall should dominate right away. He has one glaring hole in his game, handles, but even that should be limited with his low passing numbers. He will provide scoring, rebounding and be a top notch defender. You have to love it even more after seeing him go +2 in TC, including a move to B in potential. Sampson has the look of a dominant big that will be close to elite for 10+ years. You also have to like a couple of the FA signings, while no player signed was a big name all 3 provide a boost to depth and overall talent level.
Winner - 76er’s
This team is a winner for multiple reasons but I will start with the draft picks. The 76er’s were able to make the most of their opportunities and end up with 2 picks in the Top 5 and also the 9th overall pick of the inaugural draft. Based on the scouting that was done, this should be a solid draft at the top and getting Ellis at 3 is a huge bonus. As mentioned above he should be an elite scorer right away. Carr looks like the 2nd best big in the league and should pair well with Ellis. Bol is a project but his potential couldn't be higher. With a little TC luck and some smart upgrades he could become a solid contributor. Overall the 76er’s did a great job navigating the creation and the first season to set the team up for future success.
Loser - Pelicans/Cavs
Listen, I won't bring up the controversy surrounding Sapular taking this team over but there is no doubt this team is a loser. Let's start with the obvious, due to the timing of the firing this team lost out on a valuable draft asset and Free Agency. With regards to the draft, there is no doubt this team's outlook would look better if it had Thurl Bailer or Craig Ehlo on its roster. Also, they lost Buford and have nothing to show for it. No matter what your personal opinion is on Buford he would have had some form of value.
Winner - Big Free Agent Teams - Bobcats, Bucks and Chaparrals
Anything can happen in Free Agency and each of these teams represents a winner after Free Agency. The Bobcats were able to retain their star talent and will look to have an elite level wing for the next 7 years. The Bucks and Chaparrals each took advantage of the market and were able to bring in top tier talent. Vouyoukas is a bit older but you have to like the talent. Is this too much to pay, check out my next “loser”. He should contribute for at least another year or two, worst case he retires and the Bucks get the cap space back. While Breshers has some holes you have to love the A potential and the fact he is still relatively young.
Loser - Questionable Free Agent Signings - Bucks and Bullets
I personally liked the Bucks signing of Vouyoukas but I am sure some might think it's an overpay. I don't share those concerns as it's a short term deal and now is the window of time where an overpay won't be too detrimental. However, I do have concerns about the Pope signing. Listen, Pope is a fine player and still young with A potential so there is something to like. I just don't know if I would have felt comfortable with committing that much long term money to him. If Pope doesn't get some positive TC’s this contract could end up ugly at the end. I have similar thoughts with regards to the Bullets and the Buford contract. I really like Buford as a player but it's impossible to ignore the TO issue. The Bullets will need to sink upgrades into those and hope TC is kind to him, otherwise that is a huge contract for a guy with such a glaring issue.
Loser - Free Agent Losses - Bullets and Clippers
While I mentioned the teams that took advantage of the Free Agent market it was at the expense of these 2 teams. The Bullets lost out on Sharrarm and we cannot overstate how big of a loss. Sim league sources have indicated that the Bullets made a max level offer so it wasn't a case of the GM trying to be “cute” with his bids. Sharrar is young and still has A potential, add in the fact he was a first round pick in creation and it's a major kick to the gut to lose him without anything in return. The Clippers are another team that lost top tier talent in Free Agency when Vouyoukas signed with the Bucks. As mentioned above, losing a top tier player for nothing always hurts but this one may sting even more for the Clippers. They have an older team and the window of contention was right now, losing Vouyoukas obviously hurts their chances moving forward. It's the risk teams took by selecting players with expiring contracts and these ones did not turn out positively for either team.
Winner - Value Signings - New York Knicks and Bobcats
I honestly really liked the offseason the Knicks had based on the value they added. This team only has 1 true superstar but I really like some of the value adds that they added in Free Agency. I liked the “under the radar” signings they made in Free Agency. Neither Manning nor Turner are All-Stars but each provides strong rotational depth and come cheap. Anytime you don’t have draft picks you need to take advantage of the Free Agent market while also not compromising your future. Call it luck or skill, it's a big “win” for Odin to bring back Shawn James on such a reasonable contract. Sim League sources were indicating that multiple teams offered James more money, both first year and overall, so it was a surprise he stayed with the Cougars. 8 million per season, for 2 years, is a great contract for one of the only true D/Rebounding bigs. Those 2 years will also give the Bobcats 3 full bird years the next time he hits the market. Overall a nice (lucky??) signing by the Bobcats.
Loser - Unlucky TC Teams - 76er’s, Grizzlies, Cougars and Magic
Training Camp can often be a bit misleading, but even still you never want to see important players go negative. Each of these teams had important players have bad training camps, although in different ways. For the 76er’s, seeing your prized draft pick go -2 is quite concerning. It's hard to say where he will end up but this is not a good start. As for the Grizzlies there was early concern about Lang and his F potential and that has only grown after his first TC. The Cougars just signed Chief to a huge contract and he rewarded them with a -2 TC, not great from your biggest star. As for the Magic, Peppers was a big acquisition last season so you hate to see him come into TC and lose points.
Winner - Lucky TC Teams - Suns, Cougars, Blazers, Pacers and Bobcats
This is just a couple of the teams that stuck out in terms of successful Training Camps. Each team had a key player, or players, that went plus in multiple avenues. For the Pacers and Blazers they each had their top picks grow nicely in TC. The Suns, Cougars and Bobcats all had established players go positive. It's always a good start to a sim season when you can look over a positive Training Camp. For the Cougars, who had a great offseason, this helps offset the bad TC that Chief had.
