Post by Majic on Jan 6, 2023 13:55:49 GMT -5
1) The league has seen 4 different champions over the last 4 seasons and overall the health of the league seems to be on the uptick. Do you think there is any correlation to these two occurrences?
Tim - Different champions is always a good thing, and I think a big part of that was the aging of LeBron alongside Dwight and others. I'm not sure you could make a single player in sim who is so overpowered that they guarantee titles, so LeBron losing his running mates has balanced things out a bit.
That said, I'm not sure I agree with the way the question is stated. I don't believe the overall health of the league is on the uptick. Maybe it's just the holidays, maybe it's me being more busy lately, but I still get on daily and feel like I see days go by where there are only a couple of Shout messages. I'd be happy to be wrong.
KC - I'm not seeing the uptick so my answer would have to be no. Honestly I enjoy sim league however, since the activity overall has dipped I definitely don't enjoy it as much as I once did.
Majic - This is a bit of a trick question as the league seemingly has lower daily activity. I have long said that I think Lebron fatigue was hurting the league and I think we are still seeing that a bit. Any team winning 9 of 11 championships is going to damper the fun. We have no seen 5 different champions and some fun classes enter the league. I am hoping we see a slight resurgence at the end of 6.0 like we sa at the end of 5.0.
2) In my opinion we have seen several strong draft classes enter the league over the last 3-4 years. It seems we have multiple players from each class that have become notable stars along with a number of role players. Do you think eric has changed the way he is building prospects or its just been good RNG luck?
Tim - I had the first pick last year and there were 2-3 guys that I think could've gone 1.1 in different years, so I think that was a pretty strong class. I can't speak to a lot of the others, but I've learned not to project too far into the future. I thought that the Jordan class would be excellent and everyone from it who should've been good ended up being pretty average or worse.
KC - I think he has made some shift but mostly I think its RNG luck.
Majic - I tend to think eric has made some really balanced classes that have put multiple stars/starters across the league. Overall, I think thats what is most important for the stability of the league long term. I will talk about this is my next question, but I had two straight draft classes where I picked around #5 overall and both players have turned into quality players. That helps keep the league fun and exciting for teams. I am not sure if its due to any changes Eric has made or if its just been good TC luc overall.
3) On those same lines, what are your top 3 players from the last couple drafts that have caught your eye? It can be players on your teams or players across the league.
Tim - Curry really caught my eye and I think had a number of similarities to Kyrie with slightly better scoring and worse handling. He had 90 potential and didn't do anything grades-wise in his first TC, which was a big bummer and may put a ceiling on him.
Artis Gilmore was really interesting to me as he was a pure D/R big in 5.0. I didn't know much about him but had briefly looked into his stats and he seemed like he should be a good all-around sim player, so to see him end up so one-dimensional was disappointing. The 6.0 version is much more exciting.
From the draft before, KG has been noteworthy in a bad way and it looks like Theo Ratliff may be the best player from that class? I forgot which draft this was, so going back and looking at it, I'm surprised to see you say that the drafts have been strong lately. This one seems pretty bad.
KC -
Atis Gilmore - Love this build all around dominate big
James Harden - Solid scorer, with growth left to be seen
Julius Erving - All around SF, only downside of Dr J is his TOs
There are several more players that could have easily been on here if it were more than 3.
Majic - Curry is a really intriguing player and if he gets some TC love he could become an unstoppable player. His rookie year alone was a very positive sign, having high potential means there could be more growth there. Julius Erving is another big name guy that's had a strong start to his career. He reminds me a lot of Pippen and if he gets the 3pt growth that Pippen did he could be another long term star. I will stan for my own players as I think Lonnie and Moten have both had great starts to their careers. Obviously I just maxed Shelton as I love his efficiency, rebounding and of course the high blocks. Moten was a non-profile top 5 choice and has blossomed. It's fun to see those types of impact players coming from that range of pick. I am slightly surprised KG has not turned out better but he still has some time to grow.
4) There has been talk about the end of 6.0 and moving on to 7.0, are you ready to move on to 6.0 or would you prefer to ride out the last 15ish seasons we have left?
Tim - I'm not sure I'll be able to commit to 7.0 at the outset as the last few seasons have been pretty bleh, so I'm content to hang around in 6.0 for a bit and try to win another title or two.
KC - Either way I'll be here. BUT, if it brings in some fresh and old familiar faces i'm ready to move on. Whatever will bring more activity.
Majic - I stated a couple times above that I hope to see a resurgence in 6.0 before we officially move on to 7.0. I think we still have plenty of fun classes left and given the parity in the league I think we can keep interest from just enough people. I do think we should try some experimentation in the last several years like we did in 5.0.
5) At the end of 5.0 we explored using rookie FA as a way to integrate new prospects into the league. If you could pick 1 change/adjustment to the way the rules of the league operated, what would you like to try out?
Tim - New software is all I really want to see. Eric has put a ton of work into FBB2.0 - both in how the software works when he was a GM and then into creating all of the custom HTMs since he became commish, but it's just too redundant at this point. I think I joined TMBSL in 2017 and it's been the same thing for 5ish years. I enjoyed 5.0 a lot as we made adjustments to builds that allowed for different types of team building, and that carried into 6.0, but there hasn't been much new or exciting about this iteration.
KC - I'm pretty cool with how things are but open to the new ideas and giving things a shot.
Majic - I am fully on board with Tims idea of trying out new software. It's been discussed in the past and it's something that I have long been interested in. Eric has mentioned that he has some ideas on league changes for 7.0 so I would be interested in hearing what he is thinking. Although it would take a lot of work to redo all of the macros, I think trying a new software would be the best change. Unfortunately/Fortunately we know too much about the existing software and a new software would add a lot of intrigue and fun.
6) We are not yet ready to do a completely nostalgic RT quite yet, but what is one of your favorite memories of 6.0 so far?
Tim - Stealing Devin Vassal from Ankly to send him cowering back into whatever hole he crawled out of has to rank up there.
KC - Would have to be Ank's Scavenger hunt. That was a blast.
Majic - Easy answer here is winning my title after waiting for so long. I tried to do a couple roster resets previously but none of them turned out as I had hoped. FA luc screwed me with my last good core so it was finally nice to get a title and do so with a core I drafted and put together.
7) Lets get personal, what was the best gift you got for Christmas?
Tim - My fiancee got me a new workbench with a bunch of storage that I wanted, so that was really nice. I accumulated a ton of tools after buying my house and replacing the floor, but they all just kind of sat in the garage, so being able to clean that up has taken some stress off.
I also got a vacuum sealer that will allow me to sous vide properly instead of using giant Ziploc bags. I'm excited to bust that out for New Year's Eve.
KC - Didn't really get much, it's all about the kiddos over here but, I'd say my new watch.
Majic - the wife got me a new Patagonia rain jacket and I absolutely love it. We have had really warm temperature here in Ohio so its surprisingly come in handy a few times already. I also got a new pair of Air Pod Pros, very excited about that.
8) Keeping it festive, what is your new year's resolution for 2023?
Tim - I don't really do New Year's resolutions, but since before the holidays I've been committed to being better about money. I spent a ton on the house, then house repairs, then the holidays, with wedding purchases scattered throughout. I still have some wedding stuff to pay for, but hopefully I can keep the other spending down.
KC - I don't participate in new year's resolutions. I like to set goals throughout the year for myself and don't need a new calendar year to motivate this
Majic - this is going to be a cliche but overall I want to get in a much healthier place. I have been carrying added weight since we had the baby and never have committed to getting healthy and more active. No more excuses and I am just getting it done this new year.
Tim - Different champions is always a good thing, and I think a big part of that was the aging of LeBron alongside Dwight and others. I'm not sure you could make a single player in sim who is so overpowered that they guarantee titles, so LeBron losing his running mates has balanced things out a bit.
That said, I'm not sure I agree with the way the question is stated. I don't believe the overall health of the league is on the uptick. Maybe it's just the holidays, maybe it's me being more busy lately, but I still get on daily and feel like I see days go by where there are only a couple of Shout messages. I'd be happy to be wrong.
KC - I'm not seeing the uptick so my answer would have to be no. Honestly I enjoy sim league however, since the activity overall has dipped I definitely don't enjoy it as much as I once did.
Majic - This is a bit of a trick question as the league seemingly has lower daily activity. I have long said that I think Lebron fatigue was hurting the league and I think we are still seeing that a bit. Any team winning 9 of 11 championships is going to damper the fun. We have no seen 5 different champions and some fun classes enter the league. I am hoping we see a slight resurgence at the end of 6.0 like we sa at the end of 5.0.
2) In my opinion we have seen several strong draft classes enter the league over the last 3-4 years. It seems we have multiple players from each class that have become notable stars along with a number of role players. Do you think eric has changed the way he is building prospects or its just been good RNG luck?
Tim - I had the first pick last year and there were 2-3 guys that I think could've gone 1.1 in different years, so I think that was a pretty strong class. I can't speak to a lot of the others, but I've learned not to project too far into the future. I thought that the Jordan class would be excellent and everyone from it who should've been good ended up being pretty average or worse.
KC - I think he has made some shift but mostly I think its RNG luck.
Majic - I tend to think eric has made some really balanced classes that have put multiple stars/starters across the league. Overall, I think thats what is most important for the stability of the league long term. I will talk about this is my next question, but I had two straight draft classes where I picked around #5 overall and both players have turned into quality players. That helps keep the league fun and exciting for teams. I am not sure if its due to any changes Eric has made or if its just been good TC luc overall.
3) On those same lines, what are your top 3 players from the last couple drafts that have caught your eye? It can be players on your teams or players across the league.
Tim - Curry really caught my eye and I think had a number of similarities to Kyrie with slightly better scoring and worse handling. He had 90 potential and didn't do anything grades-wise in his first TC, which was a big bummer and may put a ceiling on him.
Artis Gilmore was really interesting to me as he was a pure D/R big in 5.0. I didn't know much about him but had briefly looked into his stats and he seemed like he should be a good all-around sim player, so to see him end up so one-dimensional was disappointing. The 6.0 version is much more exciting.
From the draft before, KG has been noteworthy in a bad way and it looks like Theo Ratliff may be the best player from that class? I forgot which draft this was, so going back and looking at it, I'm surprised to see you say that the drafts have been strong lately. This one seems pretty bad.
KC -
Atis Gilmore - Love this build all around dominate big
James Harden - Solid scorer, with growth left to be seen
Julius Erving - All around SF, only downside of Dr J is his TOs
There are several more players that could have easily been on here if it were more than 3.
Majic - Curry is a really intriguing player and if he gets some TC love he could become an unstoppable player. His rookie year alone was a very positive sign, having high potential means there could be more growth there. Julius Erving is another big name guy that's had a strong start to his career. He reminds me a lot of Pippen and if he gets the 3pt growth that Pippen did he could be another long term star. I will stan for my own players as I think Lonnie and Moten have both had great starts to their careers. Obviously I just maxed Shelton as I love his efficiency, rebounding and of course the high blocks. Moten was a non-profile top 5 choice and has blossomed. It's fun to see those types of impact players coming from that range of pick. I am slightly surprised KG has not turned out better but he still has some time to grow.
4) There has been talk about the end of 6.0 and moving on to 7.0, are you ready to move on to 6.0 or would you prefer to ride out the last 15ish seasons we have left?
Tim - I'm not sure I'll be able to commit to 7.0 at the outset as the last few seasons have been pretty bleh, so I'm content to hang around in 6.0 for a bit and try to win another title or two.
KC - Either way I'll be here. BUT, if it brings in some fresh and old familiar faces i'm ready to move on. Whatever will bring more activity.
Majic - I stated a couple times above that I hope to see a resurgence in 6.0 before we officially move on to 7.0. I think we still have plenty of fun classes left and given the parity in the league I think we can keep interest from just enough people. I do think we should try some experimentation in the last several years like we did in 5.0.
5) At the end of 5.0 we explored using rookie FA as a way to integrate new prospects into the league. If you could pick 1 change/adjustment to the way the rules of the league operated, what would you like to try out?
Tim - New software is all I really want to see. Eric has put a ton of work into FBB2.0 - both in how the software works when he was a GM and then into creating all of the custom HTMs since he became commish, but it's just too redundant at this point. I think I joined TMBSL in 2017 and it's been the same thing for 5ish years. I enjoyed 5.0 a lot as we made adjustments to builds that allowed for different types of team building, and that carried into 6.0, but there hasn't been much new or exciting about this iteration.
KC - I'm pretty cool with how things are but open to the new ideas and giving things a shot.
Majic - I am fully on board with Tims idea of trying out new software. It's been discussed in the past and it's something that I have long been interested in. Eric has mentioned that he has some ideas on league changes for 7.0 so I would be interested in hearing what he is thinking. Although it would take a lot of work to redo all of the macros, I think trying a new software would be the best change. Unfortunately/Fortunately we know too much about the existing software and a new software would add a lot of intrigue and fun.
6) We are not yet ready to do a completely nostalgic RT quite yet, but what is one of your favorite memories of 6.0 so far?
Tim - Stealing Devin Vassal from Ankly to send him cowering back into whatever hole he crawled out of has to rank up there.
KC - Would have to be Ank's Scavenger hunt. That was a blast.
Majic - Easy answer here is winning my title after waiting for so long. I tried to do a couple roster resets previously but none of them turned out as I had hoped. FA luc screwed me with my last good core so it was finally nice to get a title and do so with a core I drafted and put together.
7) Lets get personal, what was the best gift you got for Christmas?
Tim - My fiancee got me a new workbench with a bunch of storage that I wanted, so that was really nice. I accumulated a ton of tools after buying my house and replacing the floor, but they all just kind of sat in the garage, so being able to clean that up has taken some stress off.
I also got a vacuum sealer that will allow me to sous vide properly instead of using giant Ziploc bags. I'm excited to bust that out for New Year's Eve.
KC - Didn't really get much, it's all about the kiddos over here but, I'd say my new watch.
Majic - the wife got me a new Patagonia rain jacket and I absolutely love it. We have had really warm temperature here in Ohio so its surprisingly come in handy a few times already. I also got a new pair of Air Pod Pros, very excited about that.
8) Keeping it festive, what is your new year's resolution for 2023?
Tim - I don't really do New Year's resolutions, but since before the holidays I've been committed to being better about money. I spent a ton on the house, then house repairs, then the holidays, with wedding purchases scattered throughout. I still have some wedding stuff to pay for, but hopefully I can keep the other spending down.
KC - I don't participate in new year's resolutions. I like to set goals throughout the year for myself and don't need a new calendar year to motivate this
Majic - this is going to be a cliche but overall I want to get in a much healthier place. I have been carrying added weight since we had the baby and never have committed to getting healthy and more active. No more excuses and I am just getting it done this new year.
