Around The League : Sim 4 Edition
Apr 20, 2023 13:22:23 GMT -6
beatonz, redrum741, and 1 more like this
Post by New York Knicks on Apr 20, 2023 13:22:23 GMT -6
Who's Hot
The Los Angeles Clippers lost a game this sim, but that's the first time they've lost in the last 19 games (18-1). They have held their opponents under 100 points in 14 of those 19 games. That's pretty impressive considering were seeing an uptick in offense going around the league due to the infusion of outside shooting. But while the league is changing, the Clippers aren't. They just keep locking people down. The red hot Portland Trailblazers were just limited to 87 points on 38.2 % shooting. Portlands Elvin Hayes, who's averaging 25 PPG, scored 8 points on 1/11 shooting. Prior to that, they held Cleveland to 79 points. Going back even further, the Washington Wizards, who are the 6th highest scoring team in the ITP, only managed 89 points vs the Clippers defense. Wizards guard Eric Money, who's averaging 28.1 PPG (6th) and is coming off a Player of the Month Award, shot 5/19 from the field for 15 points. Moral of the story, if you have a player in fantasy basketball, and he's facing the Clippers defense...BENCH HIM. LAC is #1 in basketball in scoring defense (92.8), #2 in Field Goal defense (.407), and #5 in blocks (8.9). Their paint is protected by the 3 man rotation of Artis Gilmore, Gorgui Dieng, and Sam Lacey. Then they got defensive stopper Bill Willoughby on the wing. They can defend at every position. And they can score at every position too. Yesterday we praised the Utah Jazz for their balanced scoring attack, which features 6 guys scoring in double figures. Well the Clippers have SEVEN guys: Gilmore (20.0), Willoughby (16.9), Dieng (15.3), George Gervin (14.9), Al Skinner (14.2), Bobby Jones (13.3), and Lacey (10.5). It's hard to defend a team when they got a different guy that can beat you each night. Balanced scoring + a suffocating defense = 21-2 win-loss record (Best in the League).
Who's Not
The Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers play in the same exact building. But boy are the results different. While the Clippers have 1 loss in their last 19 games. The Lakers have 1 WIN in their last 12 games. And after last night's 121-80 embarrassment vs the Miami Heat, the Lakers have now dropped 9 straight games (the highest active losing streak in the league). Billy Knight had 38/10/8 for the Heat. On the first night of the Florida Massacre, the Lakers played the Orlando Magic. Guess what? It was another beatdown (132-97). John Drew scored 43 in that one. You see the trend? Teams and individual players are having fun vs this Lakers defense. Everybodies smiling and enjoying season high statistics at the expense of the Lakers defense. Because the Lakers play ZERO defense. They surrender 111.9 PPG (LAST in the league). They allow a 47.8 OPP Field Goal % (2nd to last in the league). They allow 34.2 Free Throws attempts per game (2nd to last). You see where this is going? Every single defensive statistic you could think of, you're gonna find the Lakers at the bottom of it. But then again, you kinda expected it right? With 3 20 year olds in the starting lineup (Webber, Wiggins, LaVine) there's gonna A LOT of lapses on defense. A LOT of not knowing where they be. Young guys gotta learn, and they learn by getting burned. That's why this Lakers season looks toast (4-17 record - Worst in the West). The Good news? Wiggins and LaVine are both enjoying 20+ PPG seasons. Webber was just the #1 pick in the draft. Next year they might get the #1 pick again. Shit if they draft a franchise PG next year? Oh my God. But that's next year. This year? Once again the Lakers are...DOGSHIT.
Injury Report
LaMarcus Alridge (52) - This was the ugly one. Cleveland Cavaliers budding star LaMarcus Alridge is out 52 days with a broken skull. The 24 year old Alridge is enjoying career highs in points (23.7) and rebounds (10.5). A 24 year old averaging almost 24/10. There's not alot of guys like that in this league. It's a shame to see him go down for an extended period of time.
Rick Barry (4) - Rick Barry has taken a nice Year 2 jump with 16.2 PPG 5.3 RPG 2.3 APG. But that's gonna go on a timeout, as Barry will be out for 4 days with a Broken Finger. It's a shame, Barry's gonna miss the Hornets (2-16) vs Lakers (4-17) showdown. Who you got in that one?
Damon Stoudamire (3) - A dislocated finger will keep Knicks guard Damon Stoudamire out the lineup for 3 more days. Damon suffered the injury earlier in the week vs Philadelphia. 3rd year guard Theo Maledon has started the last 2 games in place of Damon, and has averaged 17.0 PPG AND 9.5 APG.
News Around The League
- The big game of Sim #4 was Brooklyn vs Utah. Coney Island vs Salt Lake. And the Jazz drowned the Nets in that lake like Jason in Friday 13th. The Jazz dominated the game by the final score of 111-92. Utahs defense was all over the place, holding Brooklyn to 37.8 % shooting. Truck Robinson caught a flat going 8/21. And Bob Gross was gross shooting 1/8. On the Jazz side, Two-time MVP Larry Kenon went for 28/12.
- Speaking of MVP, is anybody paying attention to the season Julius Erving is having? Probably not because the Denver Nuggets suck this season (9-15). But that has nothing to do with Julius. He was just named the ITP Player of the Week. And to me he's been the Player of the YEAR. He's having by far the best season of his career. Even better than his 2000 MVP season. Check out the numbers: 28.2 PPG 9.3 RPG 5.6 APG. While also playing lockdown defense at SG. Dr J turns 31 at the end of the season. If the Nuggets don't turn it around, will he finally leave Denver?
- The Jerry Stackhouse resurrection continues. He has just cracked the 30 PPG scoring threshold for the first time in his career. Who the hell thought Stackhouse would be the 3rd highest scorer in the league right now?
- Probably the same genius that had the Atlanta Hawks at the top of the Central. All eyes were on the Toronto Raptors heading into the season. They were the hands down favorites in the division. Then the Hawks said: WHAT ABOUT US?? The Hawks have now beaten the Raptors in all 3 games this season. Including a 123-107 victory in Sim #4. McGinnis had 31/9/6. And the Hawks have now improved to 13-6.
- Another interesting little story is the Golden State Warriors. They're surprisingly the #7 seed in the West. I had them pegged as the #17 seed out of 15 teams. This was supposed to be an ugly rebuild year. But the players are battling out there. They've beaten the defending East Champs Orlando. They've beaten the Knicks. They've beaten Memphis. Keep fighting the good fight Golden State. Tanking is for chumps like Mark Cuban.
- Looks like the Wolves are contemplating tanking/rebuilding. For a 3rd straight season Michael Finley (18.2 PPG 4.9 RPG) and Antonio McDyess (14.3 PPG 10.1 RPG) have been placed on the trade block. The difference is this might finally be the year. Both players are in the final year of their contracts. CJ McCollum (13.2 PPG 4.2 APG), another pending free agent, was also placed on the block. Are we gonna see some big trades coming out of Minnesota in the coming weeks?
- Lakers are shopping some guys too. Most notably Trey Burke. Treyway is averaging 16/7 on the year. Veteran PF Wes Unseld is averaging a double double (10.1 PPG/11.0 RPG). At 33 years of age, the Lakers definitely wanna unload him.
- While Houston Rockets have let it be known. They're looking for straight cash homie. And everybody is available. Monroe, Phil Smith, Dave Cowens, Tom Barker, NASIN Plumlee. They got a wide selection in Houston. So If you need some roster help give my friend Joshhouston a call, a pm, a fax, a carrier pigeon. However you communicate.
- And finlly the 2003 ITP D-league will tipoff tonight. The 2 time defending champs Knicks have graduated Maledon and Malachi Flynn from their system. But they still got Karlton Hines to take the reigns. Can the Knicks 3peat? Will it be Nico Mannion and the Clippers turn? Maybe Precious Achiuwa and the Nets? Or what about the Lakers 1-2 punch of Vonleh and Daniels? Let's not forget about Downtown Freddy Brown and his tall bodyguard Edy Tavares in Minnesota. And the most intriguing name of all: Anthony Soprano of the Toronto Raptors. His uncle Junior always told him that he didn't have the makings of a varsity athlete. Well young Anthony is here to prove his uncle wrong and become the next ITP superstar. And it all starts here in the D-League, where legends are born.
The Los Angeles Clippers lost a game this sim, but that's the first time they've lost in the last 19 games (18-1). They have held their opponents under 100 points in 14 of those 19 games. That's pretty impressive considering were seeing an uptick in offense going around the league due to the infusion of outside shooting. But while the league is changing, the Clippers aren't. They just keep locking people down. The red hot Portland Trailblazers were just limited to 87 points on 38.2 % shooting. Portlands Elvin Hayes, who's averaging 25 PPG, scored 8 points on 1/11 shooting. Prior to that, they held Cleveland to 79 points. Going back even further, the Washington Wizards, who are the 6th highest scoring team in the ITP, only managed 89 points vs the Clippers defense. Wizards guard Eric Money, who's averaging 28.1 PPG (6th) and is coming off a Player of the Month Award, shot 5/19 from the field for 15 points. Moral of the story, if you have a player in fantasy basketball, and he's facing the Clippers defense...BENCH HIM. LAC is #1 in basketball in scoring defense (92.8), #2 in Field Goal defense (.407), and #5 in blocks (8.9). Their paint is protected by the 3 man rotation of Artis Gilmore, Gorgui Dieng, and Sam Lacey. Then they got defensive stopper Bill Willoughby on the wing. They can defend at every position. And they can score at every position too. Yesterday we praised the Utah Jazz for their balanced scoring attack, which features 6 guys scoring in double figures. Well the Clippers have SEVEN guys: Gilmore (20.0), Willoughby (16.9), Dieng (15.3), George Gervin (14.9), Al Skinner (14.2), Bobby Jones (13.3), and Lacey (10.5). It's hard to defend a team when they got a different guy that can beat you each night. Balanced scoring + a suffocating defense = 21-2 win-loss record (Best in the League).
Who's Not
The Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers play in the same exact building. But boy are the results different. While the Clippers have 1 loss in their last 19 games. The Lakers have 1 WIN in their last 12 games. And after last night's 121-80 embarrassment vs the Miami Heat, the Lakers have now dropped 9 straight games (the highest active losing streak in the league). Billy Knight had 38/10/8 for the Heat. On the first night of the Florida Massacre, the Lakers played the Orlando Magic. Guess what? It was another beatdown (132-97). John Drew scored 43 in that one. You see the trend? Teams and individual players are having fun vs this Lakers defense. Everybodies smiling and enjoying season high statistics at the expense of the Lakers defense. Because the Lakers play ZERO defense. They surrender 111.9 PPG (LAST in the league). They allow a 47.8 OPP Field Goal % (2nd to last in the league). They allow 34.2 Free Throws attempts per game (2nd to last). You see where this is going? Every single defensive statistic you could think of, you're gonna find the Lakers at the bottom of it. But then again, you kinda expected it right? With 3 20 year olds in the starting lineup (Webber, Wiggins, LaVine) there's gonna A LOT of lapses on defense. A LOT of not knowing where they be. Young guys gotta learn, and they learn by getting burned. That's why this Lakers season looks toast (4-17 record - Worst in the West). The Good news? Wiggins and LaVine are both enjoying 20+ PPG seasons. Webber was just the #1 pick in the draft. Next year they might get the #1 pick again. Shit if they draft a franchise PG next year? Oh my God. But that's next year. This year? Once again the Lakers are...DOGSHIT.
Injury Report
LaMarcus Alridge (52) - This was the ugly one. Cleveland Cavaliers budding star LaMarcus Alridge is out 52 days with a broken skull. The 24 year old Alridge is enjoying career highs in points (23.7) and rebounds (10.5). A 24 year old averaging almost 24/10. There's not alot of guys like that in this league. It's a shame to see him go down for an extended period of time.
Rick Barry (4) - Rick Barry has taken a nice Year 2 jump with 16.2 PPG 5.3 RPG 2.3 APG. But that's gonna go on a timeout, as Barry will be out for 4 days with a Broken Finger. It's a shame, Barry's gonna miss the Hornets (2-16) vs Lakers (4-17) showdown. Who you got in that one?
Damon Stoudamire (3) - A dislocated finger will keep Knicks guard Damon Stoudamire out the lineup for 3 more days. Damon suffered the injury earlier in the week vs Philadelphia. 3rd year guard Theo Maledon has started the last 2 games in place of Damon, and has averaged 17.0 PPG AND 9.5 APG.
News Around The League
- The big game of Sim #4 was Brooklyn vs Utah. Coney Island vs Salt Lake. And the Jazz drowned the Nets in that lake like Jason in Friday 13th. The Jazz dominated the game by the final score of 111-92. Utahs defense was all over the place, holding Brooklyn to 37.8 % shooting. Truck Robinson caught a flat going 8/21. And Bob Gross was gross shooting 1/8. On the Jazz side, Two-time MVP Larry Kenon went for 28/12.
- Speaking of MVP, is anybody paying attention to the season Julius Erving is having? Probably not because the Denver Nuggets suck this season (9-15). But that has nothing to do with Julius. He was just named the ITP Player of the Week. And to me he's been the Player of the YEAR. He's having by far the best season of his career. Even better than his 2000 MVP season. Check out the numbers: 28.2 PPG 9.3 RPG 5.6 APG. While also playing lockdown defense at SG. Dr J turns 31 at the end of the season. If the Nuggets don't turn it around, will he finally leave Denver?
- The Jerry Stackhouse resurrection continues. He has just cracked the 30 PPG scoring threshold for the first time in his career. Who the hell thought Stackhouse would be the 3rd highest scorer in the league right now?
- Probably the same genius that had the Atlanta Hawks at the top of the Central. All eyes were on the Toronto Raptors heading into the season. They were the hands down favorites in the division. Then the Hawks said: WHAT ABOUT US?? The Hawks have now beaten the Raptors in all 3 games this season. Including a 123-107 victory in Sim #4. McGinnis had 31/9/6. And the Hawks have now improved to 13-6.
- Another interesting little story is the Golden State Warriors. They're surprisingly the #7 seed in the West. I had them pegged as the #17 seed out of 15 teams. This was supposed to be an ugly rebuild year. But the players are battling out there. They've beaten the defending East Champs Orlando. They've beaten the Knicks. They've beaten Memphis. Keep fighting the good fight Golden State. Tanking is for chumps like Mark Cuban.
- Looks like the Wolves are contemplating tanking/rebuilding. For a 3rd straight season Michael Finley (18.2 PPG 4.9 RPG) and Antonio McDyess (14.3 PPG 10.1 RPG) have been placed on the trade block. The difference is this might finally be the year. Both players are in the final year of their contracts. CJ McCollum (13.2 PPG 4.2 APG), another pending free agent, was also placed on the block. Are we gonna see some big trades coming out of Minnesota in the coming weeks?
- Lakers are shopping some guys too. Most notably Trey Burke. Treyway is averaging 16/7 on the year. Veteran PF Wes Unseld is averaging a double double (10.1 PPG/11.0 RPG). At 33 years of age, the Lakers definitely wanna unload him.
- While Houston Rockets have let it be known. They're looking for straight cash homie. And everybody is available. Monroe, Phil Smith, Dave Cowens, Tom Barker, NASIN Plumlee. They got a wide selection in Houston. So If you need some roster help give my friend Joshhouston a call, a pm, a fax, a carrier pigeon. However you communicate.
- And finlly the 2003 ITP D-league will tipoff tonight. The 2 time defending champs Knicks have graduated Maledon and Malachi Flynn from their system. But they still got Karlton Hines to take the reigns. Can the Knicks 3peat? Will it be Nico Mannion and the Clippers turn? Maybe Precious Achiuwa and the Nets? Or what about the Lakers 1-2 punch of Vonleh and Daniels? Let's not forget about Downtown Freddy Brown and his tall bodyguard Edy Tavares in Minnesota. And the most intriguing name of all: Anthony Soprano of the Toronto Raptors. His uncle Junior always told him that he didn't have the makings of a varsity athlete. Well young Anthony is here to prove his uncle wrong and become the next ITP superstar. And it all starts here in the D-League, where legends are born.
