Am I disappointed? Actually, not at all. I keep throwing ideas out there to see if any change is needed...and the masses are saying no. So, I am good with it. If the JBL doesn't want change it must mean the we are doing it right already.
Most of the proposals I can argue either way and I can live with either outcome too. On the argument of longer protection (3 to 5 years was the proposal) - I thought it would be great to keep Derrick Rose another 2 years. On the flip side, I'm glad Bangkok doesn't get Russell Westbrook for 2 more years! So I am happy either way.
As mentioned in my previous posts, the JBL is becoming a 3 tiered league. The top 5 (over 800 points), the middle group of 3 teams (600-800) and the bottom 5 teams (all sub-500 right now). The question is which teams can change tiers?
Can French push into the upper echelon? Can Juan de Fuca hit middle ground?
Is it time to start thinking about keepers for next season? Is it too early? Noooo, of course not. So, who has some good potential keepers?
Let's start with the top 2 teams because Bangkok and Arctic do have some potential keepers they could leverage in trades to solidify their JBL title hopes.
Bangkok - Stephen Curry is one of the top keepers available. He's $15 bucks and has 1 more year on his contract. I imagine Bangkok will demand a hefty price to obtain his services. Although, if Bangkok tries to risk winning the JBL title and keep Curry - and then fails to win the JBL title - that move would be criticized for years to come. If there is any doubt about Bangkok winning the title (when the trade deadline arrives in February), then Bangkok has to trade Curry. We'll see what happens.
What about guys like Tony Parker ($15), Elton Brand ($14), Chris Kaman ($14), or even Rudy Gay ($24) - are they worth protecting?? Can Bangkok move them for better pieces? I'm not sure any of them are outrageous bargains but they could be...
Arctic - he has the big man Kevin Love for $17 bucks. If Curry is the #1 keeper then Love is 1A. Love is 20ppg and 15reb. Plus, he's making his 3's. Sure, he doesn't shoot 50% or get many steals or blocks. But he gets 15 rebounds per game. Think about that for a second. Compare Love to Al Horford (another Arctic product). Horford is a top notch rebound averaging close to 10 boards a game. On the season, Horford has 218 rebounds so far. Well, Love has 125 more!!!! Love is an absolute beast on the glass. Heck, even Dwight Howard - Superman, D12, a monster - has 100 fewer rebounds than Kevin Love!
Arctic also boasts a $12 option in Michael Beasley. Sure, Beasley is just a 4 category player right now...but $17 bucks to protect a guy who is averaging 21 and 6 with good %'s is a bargain folks. Will Arctic use one of these T-Wolves to net him some more talent? Only time will tell...
Seoul - Woo doesn't have a lot of keeper talent to move. Luis Scola ($18) is probably a bargain and worthy of protecting at that price. After Scola though, Seoul doesn't have many bargains. Woo is shooting for a 3-peat and it will be interesting to see if he tries to acquire some cheap talent for possible protection while also trying to gain ground on the 2 front runners.
Idaho - Idaho is in contention (for a change) and will have be in an unfamiliar position this coming February. In years gone by it's always been Idaho who has been selling the farm for cheap talent. Remember last season he made outrageous moves to grab Brook Lopez and Brandon Jennings only to finish last and have to throw both of them back into water? The kid has guts and isn't afraid to make a trade (or a bad trade offer). So, what will Idaho do with guys like Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings? Both are potential keepers and both could fetch some star power for his stretch run. Richard Jefferson and Amir Johnson are both $3 bucks but I don't fancy either of them as being sought-after keepers. Another bargaining chip could be Kenyon Martin for $1 buck - but I don't think he has much left in the tank to be a difference maker at $6 bucks next season.
Chilliwack - Benny has a team built to win right now. At first glance at this roster there aren't many guys that jump out at me and scream top notch keeper. Joakim Noah for $27 bucks would definitely interest me though. I think he is a value pick at that price. Surprisingly, Gilbert Arenas at $11 bucks is probably worth a look. His %'s are horrible but his other numbers warrant a look. Is Paul Millsap worthy of a $35 dollar contract? Hard to say...maybe. Is Jameer Nelson worthy of a $15 dollar contract? Again, based on what's gone on in the last couple of Auctions, that might be pushing his limits.
I'll quickly scan the other teams for keepers that pop out at me...I apologize if I miss some of your personal favorites...
French Lick - Wilson Chandler, Landry Fields, Mike Miller, and Anderson Varejao
Yuma - Mike Conley. I would say Nash but he always goes for $34 so why pay $39?
Manhattan Beach - Ginobili, Darko, Casspi, Josh Howard (maybe), and even Pau Gasol and Amare could be potential keepers.
Juan de Fuca - Gallinari is a no brainer. What about Hibbert? Cousins?
Golden - Boozer, Gordon, Ibaka, Batum, Brooks, Beaubois (when will he be healthy?)
Brussels - Ty Lawson (if Billups leaves), Zach, Wallace, Splitter, McGee...there are some options for sure
Belgrade - Andrew Bynum, Odom, and even Monta could be value adds.
Maui - Evan Turner, Sonny Weems, Andrei Kirilenko, Dalembert, and Morrow could all be potential value picks (depending on where a couple of them play in 2011/12)
So, there you have it...a quick look at some of the potential keepers that jumped off the page at me tonight. I'm sure I missed some and I'm sure you think I'm crazy for listing some of the players that I did. Oh well. That's the great debate around keepers and what their value is. That's why we do an Auction draft. Isn't the JBL awesome? Well, of course it is, that's why all new ideas about changing the JBL are always shot down. Silly question Johnny, silly question....
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