Post by Kong on Jan 25, 2022 9:42:57 GMT -6
'01 Trade Deadline / Playoffs Roundtable
Q1: So starting with the Deadline that just happened, how would you grade your moves or the lack of them? Is there any aspect of your team that you wish you could have improved before deadline but you couldn't? Or Deadline was everything that you hoped for?
Kings: I did a couple of trades although basically I swapped Wilcox with Murphy, my '04 1st with '04 Celtics' and added some cash on top of that. And how would I grade those moves? I am not sure yet. I think Murphy can help both in the defense and offense but my front court is somewhat thin now and I went 3-3 for my 1st sim after Deadline so I think it is early to say if I am better or worse. And about something that I wish I could have added it is probably a top quality big man. I like my rotation now but I usually prefer some more flexibility plus I pray every day that no one gets injured.
Bulls: So I didn't make any moves at the deadline, so there isn't too much to touch on. I would've liked a true upgrade at the big man position, but I didn't see anything that was too realistic for me. I didn't have 5 pick to give up for Tarpley.
Magic: We made a minor move to boast our frontcourt depth. This DL had a great deal of quality players available but we feel confident in where we are at the moment. In the Eastern conference, more teams seemed to be selling than buying. The Pacers bowed out with their trades, even though they brought in Tarpley. The Bulls and Nets stayed dormant and the Knicks only made minor moves. Because of this, we don't feel like we missed out on anything this DL.
76ers: Well all of our moves were done 1-2 Sims before the deadline so we didn't do anything last second. As for the moves we did complete, we'll give our selves a solid B+. I'm new to this league, so the 1st thing I did was research previous deals to best gauge accurate valuations for certain players and assets. With that said, our plan was for a 1 1/2 year rebuild with a priority on future assets and I believe we did a good job of that. It's fair to question if that was the proper direction to go, but with that being our goal it's clear we executed it.
Raptors: The only move the Raptors made prior to the deadline was moving our 2002, 2003 1sts for JR Smith. The Clippers were selling somewhat cheap on JR so I jumped in with an offer. I feel like JR isn't the ideal fit for our win now team, but looking for him to continue develop with good potential.
I feel like JR will develop into a A- A- type scorer with lots of camps left in him and I got a bargain on him considering where my 1sts are projected.
The Raptors were looking to upgrade the SF/SG back up position but there were no many opportunities as this area seems to be a weakness across the league. We left a couple big offers on the table (deals that included out core starting players), which we can revisit in the off season but felt confident in the current squad.
Pacers: We're in a weird spot. I really like the Tarpley and Vonleh front court, especially defensively, but we aren't quite a title contender IMO and yet we also aren't tanking. So free agency will be big for us. I do think I solved some of our major issues and moved all our older / expiring pieces (James / Taylor / Murphy / Wahsington) for relatively high pot young guys. So I'd say I did pretty good, but nothing too insane. Like a B+ deadline for us.
Cavaliers: I’d give it around a C. We didn’t do anything at the deadline, but we did make a move a few sims earlier, landing Darius Miles from Memphis. Miles has given us a nice shot blocking boost averaging about 2 BPG since the trade. He’s only 20 years old, so We’re excited about his long term future with the rest of our core. We were trying to explore some other moves. We actually made a big trade proposal to another team, but things didn’t work out. So all in all I’m content with our team at the deadline. Hence the C Grade.
Celtics: Well our latest move was a very simple one, nothing major it was a deal basically for accounting purposes only, it doesnt make us contenders any more than we already were.. so really a boring trade deadline from a fans perspective for us, the deal before that for Wilcox, well, if we'd not lost Jones as well, I think our chances at the title would be much better. The Wilcox deal might just pay dividends later on down the road though.. but for the deadline this season, yeah boring really. As far as improvement, that was the Wilcox deal in a nutshell, it would have allowed Jones to have a better functing job for what he's best at- playing the 3.
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Q2: What about the Deadline moves in general? 'Exciting' or 'Boring', which of those 2 words you think that describes this Deadline the best and why? And deadline this Season was a bit longer than usual. It lasted for around 2 days and half. So, what's your opinion on that? You think longer deadlines are better or the same could have been achieved in less time?
Kings: I think Deadline was somewhere in the middle between exciting and boring although I got to admit that Hooper kept interesting going from top East Team to Rebuilding to top East team to rebuilding to top East team all in a couple of days and the fun part is that seems like it totally worked for them because they now have an interesting combination of players in Randle, Tarpley, Vonleh and Prince. Plus, they never stopped winning even when they were trying to do the opposite. 9-1 for the last 10 games Enough said.
About the duration of the deadline I think biggest moves came yesterday so not sure it made much of a difference although it did keep wondering what else could happen the last couple of hours.
Bulls: I think they were fairly exciting. A couple teams made a lot of big moves, like the Mavericks and Pacers. Really interesting, since they both were near the top of their conferences. It looks like the Mavs are now going into somewhat of a rebuild, and it looks like Pacers were going. But quickly changed their mind, and have retooled their roster. I like the additional time for the deadline. Gives you extra time to make a deal.
Magic: Somewhat exciting. The Pacers made big splashes in random. They sold off their pieces for assets then turned around and moved those assets for a legitimate piece. I think its rare for that to happen all in the span of a few days. I don't mind the 2 days for DL. If I remember correctly, we never really simmed on the weekend anyways so we became spoiled in a sense so far this iteration. I do think the longer time between sims allowed for more trades and discussion.
76ers: I think this was a typical deadline. If I had 2 choose from those 2 words I'd side with boring. There was one deal that dramatically altered both franchises, and the rest won't be remembered for long. As For the 2nd part of that question, I believe things have a tendency to drag out to fill the available time. I have no problem with the longer deadline, but I think similar deals would've still been completed. This just extended the negotiation period and squeezing out extra assets.
Raptors: Exciting - no doubt a busy trade deadline, quite enjoyable to see a lot of big names being moved. I think I summarized my thoughts pretty well in the attached article: insidethepaint.proboards.com/thread/36636/season-2-trade-review
Pacers: I think the longer deadline over the weekend is perfect and should be standard practice. Last year it happened on a holiday Monday after Christmas and there was almost no activity. This was much better, and we took advantage. For us it was an exciting deadline, Tarpley is definitely one of the best players traded in ITP 7.0 so far. Him, Taylor, and Dame are definitely the 3 best iirc. But for the rest of the league, it was pretty mild. Can probably argue that Murphy and Tarpley were the two biggest trades of the weekend.
Cavaliers: It wasn’t all that exciting, so I’ll guess I’ll have to go with boring. The Pacers roller coaster ride added some drama. But it also made you nauseous with the constant change of the direction. Though in the end it looks like it worked out for them.
The Trade deadline approaching does add a little more urgency, which probably does fuel a few more trades. But my personal opinion on the deadline was that I just wanted it to end. And for the season to end as well. So the 3 extra days was kinda annoying.
Celtics: Well exciting seems to be the word I'd use, even if we wern't a big part of the shaking and moving.. the Tarpley trade was big news, I think the longer period the deadline was allowed to last kept things interesting, having a whole weekend to do deals i think would always be best.. but hell I'm just the fucking Pope and all around greatest thinker in the history of Brains.
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Q3: What was the biggest trade of all in your opinion? and for the reason you prefer, which one surprised you the most? what team you think made out the most out of deadline?
Kings: I think getting Tarpley was a big time move for Pacers. And I joked in Pacers' trade block because it was called 'Looking for a Star' but now I wish I would have offered for Tarpley because he would have looked really good next to Zeller I think. Then again, I never would have guessed that Tarpley was about to be moved. So that was surprising.
And about the team that made the most out of deadline it is probably Pacers because they were all over the place but getting Tarpley made up for everything else. Plus, they ended up paying 2k and 1 first less than what their trade block said.
Bulls: Probably the Tarpley trade. It completely changes the course of one of the best teams out West, and allows the Pacers to be a win now team again. I don't quite get the deal for Mavs, as all they really get are late 1sts.
Magic: I like the Meyers Leonard acquisition by Portland. We were looking to add him to our roster but didn't have the moveable assets. Of course the Tarpley trade was huge. IMO, Indiana won that trade because a 22 Tarpley has more value to me than the picks Dallas got back. I also like Andrew Nicholson but he moved twice before the deadline, ultimately ending up in Dallas. People forget he was an all star last season.
76ers: Definitely the Pacers, Mavs trade. You can NEVER go wrong, getting the best player in the deal. When that player is a 22 year old superstar that's also the MOST awarded player in the league's short history, it's a clear win in my opinion. It doesn't hurt for the King's that all 4 1sts project to be late at this point. This move surprised me the most, as Dallas was a true contender to come out the West, and also answers who I think made the most out of the deadline in the Pacers.
Raptors: I think the biggest trade was the Spurs/Pacers deal. In a big win now move, the Spurs drastically improved their rosters with multiple starting caliber players. This is also a contender for the most surprising BUT I think that goes to the Mavs/Pacers deal, where we saw Tarpley go from Dallas to Indiana in a mini rebuild package. This is of course surprising as the Mavs are legit contender out of the West who moved their top player.
To Spurs: Jeff Taylor, Bernard James, Dwayne Washington. To Pacers: Noah Vonleh, 2004 Spurs 1st
Congrats hooper on being mentioned in both trade discussions.
Pacers: Definitely Tarpley coming to Indiana. I sent that offer (or something similar) to about 8 different teams, trying to land myself one of the premier players in the league. I wasn't surprised someone bit on it necessarily, I figured I had a chance to get it done with 5 first round picks and 2500 potentially up for grabs, but of all the teams I offered to, Dallas was the second best behind the Nets, so them being the takers is a bit of a shock...but with that being said Dallas was in a similar position to us (good, but not great or a real title threat), so with that in mind, I do get why he would take that deal.
Cavaliers: The Roy Tarpley trade really shook up the league. From the Mavericks standpoint, I’m surprised they were willing to move Tarpley. He was an MVP caliber player that carried them last season. Now without their star player, they get knocked down a few pegs in the Western Conference. Making the West more confusing than ever. Especially the Midwest. Mavs got worse. Spurs have been a little inconsistent, as they’re trying to incorporate all their new players from that Jeff Taylor trade. While the Wolves are still growing up. So who the hell is gonna win this division??
From the Pacers side of things, it elevated their squad to becoming a serious contender. Noah Vonleh, Roy Tarpley, and Julius Randle is an elite front court trio. And most importantly they finally addressed their turnover issues. They really did nice job of executing organized chaos.
Celtics: Still the Tarpley deal, That was a game changer.. as far as made out.. hmmmm I dont know, if Tarpley was enough to give the Pacers a championship ring, But that deal the Kings make for whatshisface... uh, umm... the Murphy kid, which is a great Irish name and he prolly ought to play in Boston, I think that was the biggest push any team will feel come playoff time.
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Q4: Moving to what's left for the Season, What team you think will make the most out of the 2 weeks left and how so? You can pick a team to make the Playoffs, one to win a Division or a Conference or maybe even one that could improve their lottery odds. Or something else.
Kings: I think next 2 weeks is the moment for Grizzlies to make up for the time that they lost without Emeka Okafor. And they are only 3 games away from 8th seed with 10 games to play so chances are still there. Then again, they went 2-4 in last sim so they need to play better for sure but if they do they could be a scary matchup for a top West team.
Bulls: The east is pretty set for the playoffs, although the Magic and Nets seem to be battling it out for home court advantage in the 2nd round. Out West is much more wide open. A lot of teams could be in or out from these last 2 weeks.
Magic: Starting with us in the race for the Atlantic. FDA stated it in his article, we have most of our games on the road and BKN play most of their games at home. Including a game against us this sim (minus Nesby). Hopefully we can keep our spot and win the Atlantic. Chicago has the central wrapped up. I am interested in the Midwest as the top 2 teams were very active at the DL and their rosters are different than a few sims ago. Plus the Twolves are only 2.5 games behind so we'll see how that division shakes out. I expect Monkeman to pull out the Pacific.
76ers: The battle for middle lottery positioning will be interesting to look at, especially with our team being jumbled in there. I'll go with the Brooklyn Nets making a push for the division crown though. The Bulls are likely out of reach, but that #2 seed for Brooklyn could go a very long way considering how they're nearly unbeatable at home. The fact that they have 7 of their remaining 11 at home makes me think they'll win the division.
Raptors: I think the Raptors honestly. We were a barely .500 team before Ben Gordon returned from injury 3 sims ago. We are no sitting 12 games above .500 and catching up to a number of the teams in the East. With that being said, all top East teams are killing it making it harder to catch up.
I could see the Raptors ending up in 5th in the East from 10th in the East only a couple sims ago.
Pacers: I think your Kings with Murphy in the rotation are in position to pull away from the pack a bit. If the Spurs count, I would say the Spurs also improved a ton. But their trade was a couple of sims before the deadline, whereas yours was between the most recent sim in now. So I think you can pull away from the Blazers with the added scoring and depth, and expect you to solidify as the champion of your division.
Cavaliers: The Sacramento Kings. They’ve had some ugly moments over the last few sims. Losing to under 500 teams like Golden State, Cleveland, Houston, and Memphis. This is keeping the door open for other teams to catch them for first place in the West. Fortunately they now have a golden opportunity to slam that door shut, with their upcoming 9 game home stand. Which includes matchups against bottom dwellers like the Clippers, Bucks, Suns, and Sonics. This is their chance to put an exclamation point on what has already been a successful regular season. Now they gotta finish it by securing the #1 seed.
Celtics: Oh us, this second half the season we're really starting to get our shit together, Red's working on new schemes for the playoffs and everything.. good times ahead. We're like 12-3 or something, shit i forget, but its something wild and wonderfull, I think we're gonna kick some ass in the playoffs too... As far as picking a team to make the playoffs.. well i think the teams are pretty much the teams already sitting in the top 8 spots in each conferance. The west is weaker that FDA's hard on's though.. i'm not sure they even have fan bases for west coast teams.. so lets talk about the East.. The Nets I think have a great shot to pass by the Magic, the Central is already mostly a lock.. The East will produce the leagues Chmp this season, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be the Kings vs.. somebody.. but that somebody will win, The Kings just aint used to playing against quality teams much.
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Q5: About Playoffs, what teams you think are the biggest candidates to make it to the Finals? And what Conference you expect to have the most even battle? You think it is possible for 1 team to own all series like Nets did last Playoffs? And is there any team that you think could be the Playoffs dark horse?
Kings: I think Bulls and Spurs although I would love if somehow I can get there. But Spurs are proven from last Season and they had been the best West team for a while now. And about Bulls, Clb knows how to get it done plus Luke is killing it. But I also wouldn't be surprised if Magic or Nets get there. It would be funny though if Pacers somehow make it because of how many times they mentioned that their team sucks. But this is a new Pacers so maybe he doesn't think anymore that they suck.
About a team that could dominate Playoffs it got to be Bulls because Luke can be enough to dominate some times but I doubt we will see a team like Nets again. The thing is we didn't have a TC last Season so players with good ratings even with low potential had an advantage and Nets was full of those players plus every player had $1250 spent on them. So that gave them a good edge but TC this Season leveled things up I think.
And about the dark horse it could be Pacers plus it would be a funny dark horse or the Knicks or any team in the West really.
Bulls: Honestly, I think whoever comes out from the East will win. The West is pretty weak. The top contenders, in my opinion, are the Magic, Nets, and my Bulls. I really wouldn't be surprised by any outcome. I do have an advantage, since it looks like I'll oly have to play one of them. But, I also could get knocked out before then, we'll see.
Magic: I am partial to the East so I expect whichever of us top 3 teams (Chi, Orl, Bkn) to pull out the championship, whichever team emerges has the best shot imo. Out west its a toss up. I wouldn't sleep on the Lakers tho. As a dark horse, ill go with either the Raptors or Celtics. I don't want to play either in the 1st round and its looking like we will get one or the other. Toronto with RA and their backcourt are dangerous offensively. They are my dark horse for sure.
76ers: The West is a complete crapshoot, as I'm not even sure if you could call anyone a favorite there. The East is the conference of champions though, and I don't expect anything to change. I don't think any team will dominate, as I expect to see a lot of 6 and 7 game series from both conferences. As for a dark horse, I'll say the Pacers. Size works well and they have plenty of it. As for the finals, I'll say Nets- Kings.
Raptors: I think the East could go any way, the gap of the top East teams has diminished and now all East teams are relatively close.
The West I think has more clear favourites, most notably the Kings and the Spurs.
I like the make up of the Wolves and could see them making some unexpected noise in the playoffs.
Pacers: Whoever wins the east is definitely winning it all. Bulls and Magic are a cut ahead of the field. I don't see either team steamrolling to a 16-2 record this time around, but they are solid and I expect them to meet in the conference finals. The Nets are another contender, and I don't really view my team as one myself, but we're the hottest team in the league at 17-3 our last 20, so worth a mention. The dark horse is the Raptors. If I'm the Bulls and I'm sitting atop the standings, I am thoroughly annoyed to see the Raptors in the 8 seed right now. They are extremely good, probably top 5 in the east at worst, and top 3 at best. They're 8-2 in their last 10, but not gaining any ground as seeds 7 to 4 are all 7-3 or better in their last 10 as well. So while I don't necessarily think they'll beat the Bulls, they're as strong of an 8 seed as you'll ever see. And if they manage to sneak into the 6th or 5th seed, I think myself and the Nets could easily go down to them.
Cavaliers: The days of the Nets going 16-2 in the playoffs are over. There’s too much parity in the league for that. Especially in the East. Even the bottom seeds have great teams. The Raptors are on fire since the return of Gordon. Popes Celtics are red hot winning 9 of their last 10. I anticipate every playoff matchup in the East being competitive. And I anticipate playoff betting is gonna be kinda difficult this year. Not as many layups as last year.
But who are my top candidates? The Chicago Bulls. I like their formula of star studded perimeter players mixed with low volume defensive bigs. Orlando, NJ, NY, and Indiana are all very good as well. But I don’t see the Bulls losing. And out West I guess Sacramento. There’s not much that stands in their way...Except MAYBE the Lakers. They would be my personal dark horse. The leagues scoring leader Paul Pierce + the big bad Bosnian Nurkic. It got the feel of a poor mans Kobe/Shaq. They could present a problem in a 7 game series.
Celtics: I think I sort have answered this,, The East will send the eventual champ to the Finals and they will be playing the Kings.. Dark horse? Yeah Boston if we get Jones Back in time.
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Q6: Finally, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Draft?
Kings: I don't think it is the greatest class but the team that gets Isiah Thomas should feel lucky because Isiah has superstar potential. And there are some interesting options for teams in need of rebounding and bigs in general. There are too many players with funny mustaches though.
Bulls: I'm not a huge fan of the old drafts, no one can shoot. So they're pretty boring.
Magic: This draft is alright. There is no real "prize" of this draft but very solid bigs in Buck, Nance and Chambers. Plus the guard play of IT and Ainge. IDK, we don't have our pick nor are we looking at a lottery selection so I haven't put too much thought into this draft just yet.
76ers: I think although this class has some depth, there isn't much star power. Isiah is the clear number one, and outside of him it'll be all about fit. Even with him, I think his value is diminished with the abundance of supersized wings masquerading as PG's. Still expect him to be a star though. I don't see much in terms of future league awards/accolades here.
Raptors: I took a look, and think the defensive ratings on the majority of the players are inflated and will make current roster players "useless" because all these rookies are coming in with better defense than half the league already. Regardless, looks like a deep draft and something I might have to trade back into.
Pacers: Stinky. Historically stinky. It had 8 all stars or whatever, but the league was different back then and there are no shooters in the class, and only 1 top 100 player all time. I think if this draft came in at a different time, it could be a lot better. But since outside of Isiah it is a heavy big man draft, and the current ITP is loaded with Jokic, Dirk, AD, Embiid, Tarpley, Kandi Man, Daugherty, Yao, Amare, and probably a bunch of guys I'm missing, it's hard to see anyone in this class coming out and being a top 10 player in the ITP at any point.
Cavaliers: I’ll re-use the answer I had for your deadline question. BORING. I never liked the 1980s classes. The lack of outside shooting. The lack of name recognition with most of these players. It’s just boring. But there are some good players in that bunch, and for my sake hopefully I get one of them in the upcoming draft.
Celtics: Jeff Ruland and Buck Williams are future stars, Look for the Celtics go go after them at some point.
We are past Trade Deadline and 2 weeks away from Playoffs so it is time to discuss some of the most exciting trades that just happened and what's next in terms of Playoffs, the Draft and beyond. Today and with that in mind we have to answer some questions me (Kong Kings), clb8181 (Bulls), Smithy P (Magic), 800wins (76ers), beatonz (Raptors), hooper (Pacers), New York Knicks (Cavs) and PopeMattythe1st (Celtics). So, here we go!
Q1: So starting with the Deadline that just happened, how would you grade your moves or the lack of them? Is there any aspect of your team that you wish you could have improved before deadline but you couldn't? Or Deadline was everything that you hoped for?
Kings: I did a couple of trades although basically I swapped Wilcox with Murphy, my '04 1st with '04 Celtics' and added some cash on top of that. And how would I grade those moves? I am not sure yet. I think Murphy can help both in the defense and offense but my front court is somewhat thin now and I went 3-3 for my 1st sim after Deadline so I think it is early to say if I am better or worse. And about something that I wish I could have added it is probably a top quality big man. I like my rotation now but I usually prefer some more flexibility plus I pray every day that no one gets injured.
Bulls: So I didn't make any moves at the deadline, so there isn't too much to touch on. I would've liked a true upgrade at the big man position, but I didn't see anything that was too realistic for me. I didn't have 5 pick to give up for Tarpley.
Magic: We made a minor move to boast our frontcourt depth. This DL had a great deal of quality players available but we feel confident in where we are at the moment. In the Eastern conference, more teams seemed to be selling than buying. The Pacers bowed out with their trades, even though they brought in Tarpley. The Bulls and Nets stayed dormant and the Knicks only made minor moves. Because of this, we don't feel like we missed out on anything this DL.
76ers: Well all of our moves were done 1-2 Sims before the deadline so we didn't do anything last second. As for the moves we did complete, we'll give our selves a solid B+. I'm new to this league, so the 1st thing I did was research previous deals to best gauge accurate valuations for certain players and assets. With that said, our plan was for a 1 1/2 year rebuild with a priority on future assets and I believe we did a good job of that. It's fair to question if that was the proper direction to go, but with that being our goal it's clear we executed it.
Raptors: The only move the Raptors made prior to the deadline was moving our 2002, 2003 1sts for JR Smith. The Clippers were selling somewhat cheap on JR so I jumped in with an offer. I feel like JR isn't the ideal fit for our win now team, but looking for him to continue develop with good potential.
I feel like JR will develop into a A- A- type scorer with lots of camps left in him and I got a bargain on him considering where my 1sts are projected.
The Raptors were looking to upgrade the SF/SG back up position but there were no many opportunities as this area seems to be a weakness across the league. We left a couple big offers on the table (deals that included out core starting players), which we can revisit in the off season but felt confident in the current squad.
Pacers: We're in a weird spot. I really like the Tarpley and Vonleh front court, especially defensively, but we aren't quite a title contender IMO and yet we also aren't tanking. So free agency will be big for us. I do think I solved some of our major issues and moved all our older / expiring pieces (James / Taylor / Murphy / Wahsington) for relatively high pot young guys. So I'd say I did pretty good, but nothing too insane. Like a B+ deadline for us.
Cavaliers: I’d give it around a C. We didn’t do anything at the deadline, but we did make a move a few sims earlier, landing Darius Miles from Memphis. Miles has given us a nice shot blocking boost averaging about 2 BPG since the trade. He’s only 20 years old, so We’re excited about his long term future with the rest of our core. We were trying to explore some other moves. We actually made a big trade proposal to another team, but things didn’t work out. So all in all I’m content with our team at the deadline. Hence the C Grade.
Celtics: Well our latest move was a very simple one, nothing major it was a deal basically for accounting purposes only, it doesnt make us contenders any more than we already were.. so really a boring trade deadline from a fans perspective for us, the deal before that for Wilcox, well, if we'd not lost Jones as well, I think our chances at the title would be much better. The Wilcox deal might just pay dividends later on down the road though.. but for the deadline this season, yeah boring really. As far as improvement, that was the Wilcox deal in a nutshell, it would have allowed Jones to have a better functing job for what he's best at- playing the 3.
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Q2: What about the Deadline moves in general? 'Exciting' or 'Boring', which of those 2 words you think that describes this Deadline the best and why? And deadline this Season was a bit longer than usual. It lasted for around 2 days and half. So, what's your opinion on that? You think longer deadlines are better or the same could have been achieved in less time?
Kings: I think Deadline was somewhere in the middle between exciting and boring although I got to admit that Hooper kept interesting going from top East Team to Rebuilding to top East team to rebuilding to top East team all in a couple of days and the fun part is that seems like it totally worked for them because they now have an interesting combination of players in Randle, Tarpley, Vonleh and Prince. Plus, they never stopped winning even when they were trying to do the opposite. 9-1 for the last 10 games Enough said.
About the duration of the deadline I think biggest moves came yesterday so not sure it made much of a difference although it did keep wondering what else could happen the last couple of hours.
Bulls: I think they were fairly exciting. A couple teams made a lot of big moves, like the Mavericks and Pacers. Really interesting, since they both were near the top of their conferences. It looks like the Mavs are now going into somewhat of a rebuild, and it looks like Pacers were going. But quickly changed their mind, and have retooled their roster. I like the additional time for the deadline. Gives you extra time to make a deal.
Magic: Somewhat exciting. The Pacers made big splashes in random. They sold off their pieces for assets then turned around and moved those assets for a legitimate piece. I think its rare for that to happen all in the span of a few days. I don't mind the 2 days for DL. If I remember correctly, we never really simmed on the weekend anyways so we became spoiled in a sense so far this iteration. I do think the longer time between sims allowed for more trades and discussion.
76ers: I think this was a typical deadline. If I had 2 choose from those 2 words I'd side with boring. There was one deal that dramatically altered both franchises, and the rest won't be remembered for long. As For the 2nd part of that question, I believe things have a tendency to drag out to fill the available time. I have no problem with the longer deadline, but I think similar deals would've still been completed. This just extended the negotiation period and squeezing out extra assets.
Raptors: Exciting - no doubt a busy trade deadline, quite enjoyable to see a lot of big names being moved. I think I summarized my thoughts pretty well in the attached article: insidethepaint.proboards.com/thread/36636/season-2-trade-review
Pacers: I think the longer deadline over the weekend is perfect and should be standard practice. Last year it happened on a holiday Monday after Christmas and there was almost no activity. This was much better, and we took advantage. For us it was an exciting deadline, Tarpley is definitely one of the best players traded in ITP 7.0 so far. Him, Taylor, and Dame are definitely the 3 best iirc. But for the rest of the league, it was pretty mild. Can probably argue that Murphy and Tarpley were the two biggest trades of the weekend.
Cavaliers: It wasn’t all that exciting, so I’ll guess I’ll have to go with boring. The Pacers roller coaster ride added some drama. But it also made you nauseous with the constant change of the direction. Though in the end it looks like it worked out for them.
The Trade deadline approaching does add a little more urgency, which probably does fuel a few more trades. But my personal opinion on the deadline was that I just wanted it to end. And for the season to end as well. So the 3 extra days was kinda annoying.
Celtics: Well exciting seems to be the word I'd use, even if we wern't a big part of the shaking and moving.. the Tarpley trade was big news, I think the longer period the deadline was allowed to last kept things interesting, having a whole weekend to do deals i think would always be best.. but hell I'm just the fucking Pope and all around greatest thinker in the history of Brains.
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Q3: What was the biggest trade of all in your opinion? and for the reason you prefer, which one surprised you the most? what team you think made out the most out of deadline?
Kings: I think getting Tarpley was a big time move for Pacers. And I joked in Pacers' trade block because it was called 'Looking for a Star' but now I wish I would have offered for Tarpley because he would have looked really good next to Zeller I think. Then again, I never would have guessed that Tarpley was about to be moved. So that was surprising.
And about the team that made the most out of deadline it is probably Pacers because they were all over the place but getting Tarpley made up for everything else. Plus, they ended up paying 2k and 1 first less than what their trade block said.
Bulls: Probably the Tarpley trade. It completely changes the course of one of the best teams out West, and allows the Pacers to be a win now team again. I don't quite get the deal for Mavs, as all they really get are late 1sts.
Magic: I like the Meyers Leonard acquisition by Portland. We were looking to add him to our roster but didn't have the moveable assets. Of course the Tarpley trade was huge. IMO, Indiana won that trade because a 22 Tarpley has more value to me than the picks Dallas got back. I also like Andrew Nicholson but he moved twice before the deadline, ultimately ending up in Dallas. People forget he was an all star last season.
76ers: Definitely the Pacers, Mavs trade. You can NEVER go wrong, getting the best player in the deal. When that player is a 22 year old superstar that's also the MOST awarded player in the league's short history, it's a clear win in my opinion. It doesn't hurt for the King's that all 4 1sts project to be late at this point. This move surprised me the most, as Dallas was a true contender to come out the West, and also answers who I think made the most out of the deadline in the Pacers.
Raptors: I think the biggest trade was the Spurs/Pacers deal. In a big win now move, the Spurs drastically improved their rosters with multiple starting caliber players. This is also a contender for the most surprising BUT I think that goes to the Mavs/Pacers deal, where we saw Tarpley go from Dallas to Indiana in a mini rebuild package. This is of course surprising as the Mavs are legit contender out of the West who moved their top player.
To Spurs: Jeff Taylor, Bernard James, Dwayne Washington. To Pacers: Noah Vonleh, 2004 Spurs 1st
Congrats hooper on being mentioned in both trade discussions.
Pacers: Definitely Tarpley coming to Indiana. I sent that offer (or something similar) to about 8 different teams, trying to land myself one of the premier players in the league. I wasn't surprised someone bit on it necessarily, I figured I had a chance to get it done with 5 first round picks and 2500 potentially up for grabs, but of all the teams I offered to, Dallas was the second best behind the Nets, so them being the takers is a bit of a shock...but with that being said Dallas was in a similar position to us (good, but not great or a real title threat), so with that in mind, I do get why he would take that deal.
Cavaliers: The Roy Tarpley trade really shook up the league. From the Mavericks standpoint, I’m surprised they were willing to move Tarpley. He was an MVP caliber player that carried them last season. Now without their star player, they get knocked down a few pegs in the Western Conference. Making the West more confusing than ever. Especially the Midwest. Mavs got worse. Spurs have been a little inconsistent, as they’re trying to incorporate all their new players from that Jeff Taylor trade. While the Wolves are still growing up. So who the hell is gonna win this division??
From the Pacers side of things, it elevated their squad to becoming a serious contender. Noah Vonleh, Roy Tarpley, and Julius Randle is an elite front court trio. And most importantly they finally addressed their turnover issues. They really did nice job of executing organized chaos.
Celtics: Still the Tarpley deal, That was a game changer.. as far as made out.. hmmmm I dont know, if Tarpley was enough to give the Pacers a championship ring, But that deal the Kings make for whatshisface... uh, umm... the Murphy kid, which is a great Irish name and he prolly ought to play in Boston, I think that was the biggest push any team will feel come playoff time.
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Q4: Moving to what's left for the Season, What team you think will make the most out of the 2 weeks left and how so? You can pick a team to make the Playoffs, one to win a Division or a Conference or maybe even one that could improve their lottery odds. Or something else.
Kings: I think next 2 weeks is the moment for Grizzlies to make up for the time that they lost without Emeka Okafor. And they are only 3 games away from 8th seed with 10 games to play so chances are still there. Then again, they went 2-4 in last sim so they need to play better for sure but if they do they could be a scary matchup for a top West team.
Bulls: The east is pretty set for the playoffs, although the Magic and Nets seem to be battling it out for home court advantage in the 2nd round. Out West is much more wide open. A lot of teams could be in or out from these last 2 weeks.
Magic: Starting with us in the race for the Atlantic. FDA stated it in his article, we have most of our games on the road and BKN play most of their games at home. Including a game against us this sim (minus Nesby). Hopefully we can keep our spot and win the Atlantic. Chicago has the central wrapped up. I am interested in the Midwest as the top 2 teams were very active at the DL and their rosters are different than a few sims ago. Plus the Twolves are only 2.5 games behind so we'll see how that division shakes out. I expect Monkeman to pull out the Pacific.
76ers: The battle for middle lottery positioning will be interesting to look at, especially with our team being jumbled in there. I'll go with the Brooklyn Nets making a push for the division crown though. The Bulls are likely out of reach, but that #2 seed for Brooklyn could go a very long way considering how they're nearly unbeatable at home. The fact that they have 7 of their remaining 11 at home makes me think they'll win the division.
Raptors: I think the Raptors honestly. We were a barely .500 team before Ben Gordon returned from injury 3 sims ago. We are no sitting 12 games above .500 and catching up to a number of the teams in the East. With that being said, all top East teams are killing it making it harder to catch up.
I could see the Raptors ending up in 5th in the East from 10th in the East only a couple sims ago.
Pacers: I think your Kings with Murphy in the rotation are in position to pull away from the pack a bit. If the Spurs count, I would say the Spurs also improved a ton. But their trade was a couple of sims before the deadline, whereas yours was between the most recent sim in now. So I think you can pull away from the Blazers with the added scoring and depth, and expect you to solidify as the champion of your division.
Cavaliers: The Sacramento Kings. They’ve had some ugly moments over the last few sims. Losing to under 500 teams like Golden State, Cleveland, Houston, and Memphis. This is keeping the door open for other teams to catch them for first place in the West. Fortunately they now have a golden opportunity to slam that door shut, with their upcoming 9 game home stand. Which includes matchups against bottom dwellers like the Clippers, Bucks, Suns, and Sonics. This is their chance to put an exclamation point on what has already been a successful regular season. Now they gotta finish it by securing the #1 seed.
Celtics: Oh us, this second half the season we're really starting to get our shit together, Red's working on new schemes for the playoffs and everything.. good times ahead. We're like 12-3 or something, shit i forget, but its something wild and wonderfull, I think we're gonna kick some ass in the playoffs too... As far as picking a team to make the playoffs.. well i think the teams are pretty much the teams already sitting in the top 8 spots in each conferance. The west is weaker that FDA's hard on's though.. i'm not sure they even have fan bases for west coast teams.. so lets talk about the East.. The Nets I think have a great shot to pass by the Magic, the Central is already mostly a lock.. The East will produce the leagues Chmp this season, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be the Kings vs.. somebody.. but that somebody will win, The Kings just aint used to playing against quality teams much.
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Q5: About Playoffs, what teams you think are the biggest candidates to make it to the Finals? And what Conference you expect to have the most even battle? You think it is possible for 1 team to own all series like Nets did last Playoffs? And is there any team that you think could be the Playoffs dark horse?
Kings: I think Bulls and Spurs although I would love if somehow I can get there. But Spurs are proven from last Season and they had been the best West team for a while now. And about Bulls, Clb knows how to get it done plus Luke is killing it. But I also wouldn't be surprised if Magic or Nets get there. It would be funny though if Pacers somehow make it because of how many times they mentioned that their team sucks. But this is a new Pacers so maybe he doesn't think anymore that they suck.
About a team that could dominate Playoffs it got to be Bulls because Luke can be enough to dominate some times but I doubt we will see a team like Nets again. The thing is we didn't have a TC last Season so players with good ratings even with low potential had an advantage and Nets was full of those players plus every player had $1250 spent on them. So that gave them a good edge but TC this Season leveled things up I think.
And about the dark horse it could be Pacers plus it would be a funny dark horse or the Knicks or any team in the West really.
Bulls: Honestly, I think whoever comes out from the East will win. The West is pretty weak. The top contenders, in my opinion, are the Magic, Nets, and my Bulls. I really wouldn't be surprised by any outcome. I do have an advantage, since it looks like I'll oly have to play one of them. But, I also could get knocked out before then, we'll see.
Magic: I am partial to the East so I expect whichever of us top 3 teams (Chi, Orl, Bkn) to pull out the championship, whichever team emerges has the best shot imo. Out west its a toss up. I wouldn't sleep on the Lakers tho. As a dark horse, ill go with either the Raptors or Celtics. I don't want to play either in the 1st round and its looking like we will get one or the other. Toronto with RA and their backcourt are dangerous offensively. They are my dark horse for sure.
76ers: The West is a complete crapshoot, as I'm not even sure if you could call anyone a favorite there. The East is the conference of champions though, and I don't expect anything to change. I don't think any team will dominate, as I expect to see a lot of 6 and 7 game series from both conferences. As for a dark horse, I'll say the Pacers. Size works well and they have plenty of it. As for the finals, I'll say Nets- Kings.
Raptors: I think the East could go any way, the gap of the top East teams has diminished and now all East teams are relatively close.
The West I think has more clear favourites, most notably the Kings and the Spurs.
I like the make up of the Wolves and could see them making some unexpected noise in the playoffs.
Pacers: Whoever wins the east is definitely winning it all. Bulls and Magic are a cut ahead of the field. I don't see either team steamrolling to a 16-2 record this time around, but they are solid and I expect them to meet in the conference finals. The Nets are another contender, and I don't really view my team as one myself, but we're the hottest team in the league at 17-3 our last 20, so worth a mention. The dark horse is the Raptors. If I'm the Bulls and I'm sitting atop the standings, I am thoroughly annoyed to see the Raptors in the 8 seed right now. They are extremely good, probably top 5 in the east at worst, and top 3 at best. They're 8-2 in their last 10, but not gaining any ground as seeds 7 to 4 are all 7-3 or better in their last 10 as well. So while I don't necessarily think they'll beat the Bulls, they're as strong of an 8 seed as you'll ever see. And if they manage to sneak into the 6th or 5th seed, I think myself and the Nets could easily go down to them.
Cavaliers: The days of the Nets going 16-2 in the playoffs are over. There’s too much parity in the league for that. Especially in the East. Even the bottom seeds have great teams. The Raptors are on fire since the return of Gordon. Popes Celtics are red hot winning 9 of their last 10. I anticipate every playoff matchup in the East being competitive. And I anticipate playoff betting is gonna be kinda difficult this year. Not as many layups as last year.
But who are my top candidates? The Chicago Bulls. I like their formula of star studded perimeter players mixed with low volume defensive bigs. Orlando, NJ, NY, and Indiana are all very good as well. But I don’t see the Bulls losing. And out West I guess Sacramento. There’s not much that stands in their way...Except MAYBE the Lakers. They would be my personal dark horse. The leagues scoring leader Paul Pierce + the big bad Bosnian Nurkic. It got the feel of a poor mans Kobe/Shaq. They could present a problem in a 7 game series.
Celtics: I think I sort have answered this,, The East will send the eventual champ to the Finals and they will be playing the Kings.. Dark horse? Yeah Boston if we get Jones Back in time.
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Q6: Finally, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Draft?
Kings: I don't think it is the greatest class but the team that gets Isiah Thomas should feel lucky because Isiah has superstar potential. And there are some interesting options for teams in need of rebounding and bigs in general. There are too many players with funny mustaches though.
Bulls: I'm not a huge fan of the old drafts, no one can shoot. So they're pretty boring.
Magic: This draft is alright. There is no real "prize" of this draft but very solid bigs in Buck, Nance and Chambers. Plus the guard play of IT and Ainge. IDK, we don't have our pick nor are we looking at a lottery selection so I haven't put too much thought into this draft just yet.
76ers: I think although this class has some depth, there isn't much star power. Isiah is the clear number one, and outside of him it'll be all about fit. Even with him, I think his value is diminished with the abundance of supersized wings masquerading as PG's. Still expect him to be a star though. I don't see much in terms of future league awards/accolades here.
Raptors: I took a look, and think the defensive ratings on the majority of the players are inflated and will make current roster players "useless" because all these rookies are coming in with better defense than half the league already. Regardless, looks like a deep draft and something I might have to trade back into.
Pacers: Stinky. Historically stinky. It had 8 all stars or whatever, but the league was different back then and there are no shooters in the class, and only 1 top 100 player all time. I think if this draft came in at a different time, it could be a lot better. But since outside of Isiah it is a heavy big man draft, and the current ITP is loaded with Jokic, Dirk, AD, Embiid, Tarpley, Kandi Man, Daugherty, Yao, Amare, and probably a bunch of guys I'm missing, it's hard to see anyone in this class coming out and being a top 10 player in the ITP at any point.
Cavaliers: I’ll re-use the answer I had for your deadline question. BORING. I never liked the 1980s classes. The lack of outside shooting. The lack of name recognition with most of these players. It’s just boring. But there are some good players in that bunch, and for my sake hopefully I get one of them in the upcoming draft.
Celtics: Jeff Ruland and Buck Williams are future stars, Look for the Celtics go go after them at some point.
