The Debate is On...Maybe

So, we've had lots of discussions about the JBL this summer. Simply stated, this is awesome. It's September and there are pennant races in MLB and the NFL is just getting going - and we're talking JBL hoops. Awesome. Can you really imagine another Fantasy Basketball league like the JBL? Anywhere?

Anyways, there has been a lot of discussion about how we deal with protected players in the off season. We recently completed a poll about when each team makes their 'final cuts' and gets down to their final roster decisions. This is being done 1 week prior to the JBL draft. I think this is a wise date for future seasons (but that should be voted on by the league - which will happen in Vegas).

Another off season date was to open off season trading on July 1st (after initial roster cuts)...this is another discussion for Vegas. So, before I go any further here, I wanted to post some issues that need to be resolved for future JBL off seasons...

1. After the season has ended and those players who are not eligible for protection have been released - when does a team need to make initial roster cuts? And what is that number? This year it was 5 players by July 1st.

2. When should off season trading be permitted? This year it was July 1st. And it should be noted there hasn't been one off season trade. Why?

3. What is the final roster cuts date (we have decided this season it will be one week prior to the JBL draft - October 16th). Is this something we want to establish every year?

4. And finally, what should teams be allowed to do with those final rosters in the week prior to the JBL draft? That is what has been brought up for discussion recently and is the focus of the JBL over the next couple of weeks. The JBL owners have already heard from Brussels while I have heard directly from Chilliwack, Seoul, and Bangkok.

So, in case you've been living in a cave - here's the issue at stake. On October 16th all JBL teams will make those final roster decisions. Golden has 5 guys currently and will have to cut 1 player. Yuma and Juan de Fuca have 5 players and need to make 2 cuts. Belgrade has 4 players and needs to make 3 more cuts. So, once that happens and our rosters are at their maximum number - what is a JBL team allowed to do in those remaining 7 days prior to the draft?

From October 17th to October 23rd - can a JBL team make a trade? Currently, the answer is YES.

Can a JBL team decide to drop a player - currently the answer is YES.

And what if one of your protected players gets injured? Can you drop him? The answer is currently YES. And that's what's up for discussion.

One side of the argument is that once those "final" roster decisions are set - they cannot be changed. If you decide on 4 players - those are your 4 players. If you protect a player and he blows a knee and is out for the season - tough titties!! You should have to keep him (because that's what the NBA team would have to do).

The other side of this argument would be that even after you have trimmed your roster to the maximum allowable players - you could still 'release' players prior to the draft. This has been going on for years - with some JBL teams releasing players just prior to the JBL draft (which is a real pain for teams trying to put together a draft strategy)

So, what are some key points to think about...

- having to keep players (regardless of injury) may affect JBL owners mindsets when it comes to protecting expensive players (example: Josh Smith at $48 bucks - if I protected him and had to keep him if he blew an ACL - that is risky because of the consequences on my budget. If teams had to protect players after an injury they may stick to cheaper options because of the risk - this means more superstars available on draft night {a good thing})

- what if you protected 4 players for $125 dollars - leaving you $135 for 11 more - and then all 4 players have season ending injuries (I know, I know, highly unlikely but still possible). So, would this JBL owner really want to spend $100 bucks to enter the pool? What are his chances of winning?? I'll tell you. None. Do we really want to have teams out of the running before they have even drafted a team?? That doesn't seem right or fair. The one thing I like about the JBL is that on draft night - everyone still has a chance.

- whatever the decision is - it needs to be something that all the JBL owners can live with. They may not love it or completely agree with it but can live with it. And for that - we need a majority decision.

So, I do have one "twist" that might be somewhat of a compromise on the issue. So, let's say that we implement a rule where you must keep those players after the final roster cuts. Now, here's the twist...let's say one of those players gets injured and is out for the season. My suggestion is that the JBL team can drop the player but must pay a penalty. My proposal is that the 'penalty' is half of the players protected salary. (Example: I keep Josh Smith for $48 bucks. He blows a knee and is out for the season. Golden can release him but it will cost me $24 bucks off of my $260 budget so now I would only have $236 to buy my remaining players).
Also, my proposal is that any odd $$ salaries would be 'rounded up'. So a $15 dollar player would cost the team $8 bucks off their total $260 budget.

So, in my mind, this does allow a JBL team to 'bail' themselves out of a potentially bad situation - but not without penalty.

If you have any other ideas on this subject...I urge you to post a JBL article or comment here on the JBL Chronicles.

I know there are other 'twists' we could discuss...but at the moment we have 3 options

1. HARD line - once you make your 'final' roster - those are your players. No drops.
2. MIDDLE ground - players can be dropped but have to pay a 50% salary penalty
3. SOFT and easy - players can be dropped after the deadline without penalty

so...let the discussions begin....
Any other ideas???
I want to hear them - this is your league!

Some More Rookies...

#6 - Ekpe Udoh - Warriors. I'll be honest. I know nothing about this kid other than he's 6'10, 240, and can play defense. Sounds exactly like what the Warriors need. The problem? He's injured and will miss 2-3 months of the season. He has some long term potential as the Warriors PF though as he would be the much needed defensive stopper beside David Lee. Not sure he gets nominated on draft night but he could be a good pick up in January.

#7 -Greg Monroe - Pistons. I really like this kid. He's apparently a bit like Lamar Odom but a bit more physical. I don't think he's as fluid as Odom is but he will have the chance to play immediately in Detroit. His competition?? Ben Wallace. Jason Maxiell. Charlie V. Jonas Jerebko. So Monroe is going to get some minutes and I expect him to be the starting Center for the Pistons for many years to come. A sure fire pick on JBL auction night.

#8 - Al-Farouq Aminu - Clippers. Another player I don't know much about. Because the Clippers don't have much talent at the SF position (sorry Ryan Gomes) I think Aminu has an opportunity to play some minutes this season. He's not going to be a dynamic scorer but I think he could be a defensive stopper and a good player. He should be drafted in the JBL draft.

#9 - Gordon Hayward - Jazz. I completely get this pick from the Jazz perspective. Hayward's white and he's going to Utah - perfect. The Jazz have lost Brewer, Korver, Mathews, and Boozer this summer so they need some players. The aging Raja Bell can't play 35-40 minutes at SG so the kid is going to have to play. I think he will be a complete hit or miss prospect. He'll either be great or turn out to be Joe Alexander. That being said, I think the Utah system is absolutely perfect for him. I can see him ending up in Arctic this season.

#10 - Paul George - Pacers. As much sense as the Jazz pick made, the Pacers pick is the exact opposite. Why did the Pacers select a SF when they have a guy named Danny Granger? Don't get me wrong, I'm all about selecting the 'best player available' when the talent is unquestionable but was George really the best player left at #10? George could be great but I just don't see him being an impact Fantasy player as long as Granger is around. Unless something changes in Indiana, I don't see him being selected on JBL draft night.

Some other significant picks...

#11 - Cole Aldrich - Thunder. I like this pick for them. They are weakest in the middle and having Aldrich, Ibaka, and Krstic should allow them to find the perfect man in the middle. Ultimately, I think they want Aldrich and Ibaka to share the middle as both big men can play defense and rebound. Aldrich is a great shot-blocker and he's likely to be picked on JBL auction night.

#12 - Xavier Henry - Grizzlies. He's still unsigned but apparently he's a great offensive talent. The reason I like the pick for the Grizzlies is their real lack of bench depth. He has a chance to be the team's 6th man and maybe even score in double digits - assuming he gets signed. In the next 6 weeks he needs to get signed and have a good pre-season. If that happens, he'll have a home on JBL draft night.

#13 - Ed Davis - Raptors. Watching his highlight package doesn't scream Karl Malone. However, he's on a Raptors team whose starting PF is Amir Johnson. Conclusion? Ed Davis could be a fantasy factor this year. He's big. He plays defense and he hustles. That could be enough to get some minutes this season. I don't see him as a star but he could be a good role player this season.

There are some other rookies that I like (Patrick Patterson and Larry Sanders) but find themselves in tough to get any playing time. There is sure to be some other rookies make a name for themselves in October in the pre-season so this list will certainly be expanded.

Happy Labour Day everyone. The kids are back to school tomorrow!

Introducing the Rookies

The 2010 draft class was described as weak after consensus #1 pick John Wall. There weren't too many other 'nuggets' that were sure fire All-Stars like Wall. So, let's go through a couple of them and see what I think about their potential in the world of Fantasy Basketball. Now, to be fair, this column should really be written by Bangkok owner Rick Eng because of his ability to find the best rookies each year.

Here we go....

#1 - John Wall - Wizards. OK, this is the easy one. I don't have to say much. The guy is going to be good and is the new face of the Washington franchise. As good as he will be, he's on a bad team, will have to play with Gilbert Arenas, and is going to force the issue a lot an commit a lot of turnovers. That being said - he can play for Golden anytime.

#2 Evan Turner - 76ers. The College Player of the Year had a rough summer league and expectations for him have significantly dropped. He's been compared to Brandon Roy but he appears to be a long way from reaching that potential. That being said, it's rumored that he is going to start in the 76ers back court with Jrue Holiday. If that happens, he's going to have some value.

#3 - Derrick Favors - Nets. The arrival of Troy Murphy has significantly reduced Favors' fantasy value. He's young and raw and has a lot to learn before becoming an impact Fantasy player. If he's drafted this year it's for his potential long term. He could have impact if Murphy or Lopez get injured.

#4 - Wesley Johnson - Timberwolves. Mr. Johnson has the potential to be a pretty good NBA player. But how he fits in with this squad is still unknown. There are 6 players in Minnesota who are between 6'6 and 6'8 so its really unknown if he's going to be the starter right away or not. Plus, without a significant low post presence I don't see him being wide open for 3's in Minny.

#5 - DeMarcus Cousins - Kings. He has All-Star potential but he also has Chris Washburn potential. Will he be a head case? Will he keep his weight under 300 pounds? Will he listen to Paul Westphal? The good news is that he only has Dalembert and Thompson to battle for minutes so he should get plenty of time. He is the epitome of a risk/reward pick. And frankly, I believe he's worth the risk.

Picks 6 to 10 coming up soon...

Random Long Weekend Thoughts...

Well, we're still waiting for Bobby Hucul to select a team name. I can't imagine that my temporary name of 'Hollywood Hucul' would be acceptable. I sent him a message today reminding him that the JBL fanatics are anxiously awaiting his decision...

It looks like the new Free Agent system will go through. Technically we need 10 YES votes to pass the rule. However, it's 8 yes votes so far - no one has been opposed to the new rule - so it's safe to say it will happen. I think it will be good for the league. It makes signing Free Agents quite easy now when the bids are under $10 bucks. It will also give those teams near the $300 salary cap some flexibility to bring in some players when needed. I like it - glad the JBL boys agreed. Thanks to Timmy for coming up with the idea - all I did was tweak it.

We still have to work out a new protection system. It was discussed several times during the summer but nothing was ever solidified. I think the actual number of keepers per team based on where you finish in the standings is perfect. I like that rule a lot as it keeps those teams near the bottom of the league interested as they try to gain more keeper spots. The Idaho situation this past season was a great example of how it works. Tuna made 2 deals that netted him 2 potentially great keepers in Lopez and Jennings. However, he couldn't avoid the 12th place finish and doesn't get to keep anyone. So, you can dump all your talent to get cheap guys - but make sure your team doesn't fall to the basement in the standings.

So, what will the new keeper system look like??
Currently, we have a 3 year system with $5 dollar bumps in salary each season.
Other suggestions have been a 4 and 5 year keeper system with varying bumps in salary.
In the recent JBL podcast, we discussed reviving the Restricted Free Agent type system where players go back into the auction but the last team has the right to match any salary demands. Its been years since we used this system. I kind of like it...

Let me throw this idea out there then...
How about a 4 year keeper system (with $5 dollar bumps) and then, after the 4th season, the player goes back into the auction but his previous team retains his rights and has the ability to match the winning auction bid? This would be very similar to the NBA's Restricted Free Agency rules in theory.

An example....John Wall gets drafted for $20 bucks this season by Bangkok (he always gets the good rookies). He is protected for $25 (year 2), then $30 (year 3) and then $35 (year 4). After that, he goes back in the auction and goes for $42 dollars to Seoul. (This is the offer sheet in NBA terms). So at this point, Bangkok now has to decide whether he wants to match the offer or give him up. Bangkok can keep Wall for $42 or let him go to Seoul for $42.

My proposal would be to incorporate this idea immediately (if approved by the league). So, it would be applied to all current protected players as well as all players being drafted this season. If a player was in year 3 of his contract, he could be protected a 4th year. Pretty simple I think.

I think the biggest concern of extending the length of time that players can be protected is the concern that one team ends up with 4 super duper keepers at cheap prices. I think this was a valid concern when the league had the Rob Nelson, Jeremy Wilson, and Dave Davies of the world. In other words, the uneducated NBA followers. I think with the passionate group we have now that it would be less and less likely that one or two owners could grab all the bargains. So, in summary, I am OK with extending the keeper length to a 4th season as well as re-instituting the RFA-type of matching system. What do you guys think? Like it?

So when should the final roster cuts be made?? I think the most fair is one week before the JBL draft. So, that would be Saturday, October 16th. Why this date?? Because it give owners a chance to see some players in the pre-season as well as be able to drop players that get injured in the pre-season. JBL teams shouldn't have to protect a player if he's out for the season with an injury sustained in the pre-season. I know we're trying to mirror the NBA as much as possible, but I think the NFL system/rule (where a NFL team can cut a player and not have to pay him) is more applicable here. After the Oct. 16th date - then I say the rosters are locked and you MUST keep the player through the draft. Your thoughts?

And finally, it looks like Vegas could be a huge success! We have 9 owners coming now so it should be amazing. (Gong show might be a better term). All JBL owners must bring their laptops as we will attempt to use the online auction draft system again (same as last season). Hopefully it will work and we'll be able to have 9 owners on the hotel line...if not, we'll have to revive the live auction and use MSN messenger for the 4 teams not in Vegas (French, Juan, Arctic, Belgrade). We'll have to test this out asap once we get there and put the other owners on notice of what we'll be doing.