Week 23 update...

Well, all is quiet in the JBL... I just got back from a 10 day holiday and not much changed in the JBL standings. Seoul and Bangkok are battling it out for 1st. Idaho is entrenched in 3rd. Arctic, French, and Chilliwack are battling for the final money spot. There is an interesting battle for 7th and 8th between 6 teams. Usually we don't make a big deal of this race - but since I'm in it and this is my Chronicles - I think I'll discuss it. 7th and 8th positions are important because it means 3 keepers. I would love to have 3 keepers as my team is loaded with cheap talent. Unfortunately, I don't have any healthy talent. I can't believe the number of injuries I've suffered in the 2nd half of this NBA season. I've lost man games to Eric Gordon, Luis Scola, Kevin Love, Andray Blatche, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Roy, Deron Williams, Samardo Samuels, Rudy Gay, Mickael Pietrus, and the list goes on... Maybe my 7 JBL titles have angered the JBL Gods and they are making me feel some pain. Or, this disastrous season could be summed up by a crummy draft, poor trades and shitty FA money management. One or the other. I can't decide. Currently, Golden is 11th but I am essentially playing with 9 guys due to injuries and not having any FA money. This long JBL season can't end soon enough for this injury-plagued Showers team. The only goal at this point is to protect Kevin Love for next season. If I can move up in the standings and protect some other players - that would be a bonus. My choices for additional keepers would come down to Rudy Gay, Dorell Wright, Eric Gordon, and Luis Scola. And if I don't make it and I have to throw all of those guys back - the other JBL teams will gobble them up next season. So, who is going to win the JBL title??? I think it's still up for grabs but I am certainly liking the looks of that Seoul team. He's opened up a pretty good lead but there is still time. I think Idaho is locked into 3rd place. He's not moving up - he's not going to be caught. He's going to pull off a 12th (last) to 3rd in consecutive years. Very impressive. Let's remember that Idaho wasn't able to protect any players from last season. So Tuna obviously prepared and drafted well and he will be playing for free next season as Golden will be paying his entry fee (lost the bet). Arctic looks like the favorite for 4th but French and Chilliwack are pressing him. This 4th place money spot will come down to the final night I think. For French, this is common place as he has finished 5th (just out of the money) several times. I look forward to seeing who claims the final money spot.

Last Week to Trade!!

Lots on my mind so I'm going with the old fashioned bullet points this evening...

• it seems like there is a real lull in the JBL these days. Only Seoul, Bangkok, Golden and a few others are ever seen on the chat board. Kinda depressing.
• The battle for top spot is awesome. Seoul was up to 1170 last night and now is back in 2nd place tonight. Very cool to watch (especially if you're Seoul or Bangkok)
• This is the last week to make trades (Sunday, March 20th at midnight PST). I put Tyson Chandler on the block and not a single offer for him. Not even a Sonny Weems offer!!?? That would never happen in November.
• Idaho appears entrenched in 3rd place. No more chat board taunts about "look out Asians" or "da Pimps iz rizing". Nothing. I guess he's content with 3rd place dough.
• I often wonder, why in the last week when teams can make trades, that more teams aren't pro-active in trying to get "keepers" from other teams. For example, French is battling hard for 4th place. I would imagine he would love to make a deal that would give him the upper hand for his 1st ever money spot (I think it would be his 1st)....so why isn't someone tempting him with an offer for Stephen Curry? The young Warrior is arguably the top keeper out there and we're going to just let French protect him? Wouldn't it be worth our while to at least tempt French with a Deron Williams, Monta Ellis, Derrick Rose, or whatever type of player(s) he needs to get into the money?? Would French have to consider moving Curry if it was a no-brainer deal? The strategy for us would be to get Curry back in the auction so French doesn't get a $50 dollar player for $20 bucks. The temptation for French would be the money spot...but maybe a 4th place finish isn't worth it.
• Same theory would apply for a Kevin Love in Golden. Should other JBL teams really want me protecting this guy?
• I was quickly scanning the potential keepers from each team this morning and Arctic sure looks to be stocked for next season. I love the potential of Ibaka, K-Mart, DeRozan, Beasley, Tyreke and even someone like Al Horford (mini-Pau). Arctic has his pick of top notch keepers in my books. And when the season is over and I post my 1st edition of the off-season rankings - you can bet that Arctic will be in the running for #1 overall.
• I hate to harp on the Seoul vs. Bangkok battle but it really is getting entertaining. All year we have watched and listened to Rick tell us how great his team is/was and now we are seeing a suddenly red hot Seoul team coming on strong. Seoul has been the team of the week 7 out of the last 10 weeks. Everything he's touched this season has turned to gold. He got Al Jefferson and the guy became a monster. He signed Thornton and he goes off. It's all golden in Seoul.
• And I have to say that Golden can be proud for some of Bangkok's success this season (whether he's 1st or 2nd when it's over). Why? Well, because a lot of Bangkok's success comes from Golden castoffs or shrewd business maneuvers by Bangkok. Let's see - there's Aldridge, Collison, Deng, Hickson, Blair, and Korver - all spent time in Golden this season and all are going to finish in the money. Rick, you're welcome.
• I am about to head on holidays for 10 days starting on Thursday. Off to LA for 2 days (and a Lakers game) and then off on a 7 day Mexican cruise where I will put to the test the theory of "all you can eat". While I'm chilling on the deck in the sunshine I will be in full strategy mode of planning for next season. I'm always thinking. Always planning. Always testing theories and scenarios. Golden is planning on building a team around Kevin Love and maybe a couple of other guys...
• The Belgrade vs. Maui battle that I was anticipating appears to be fizzling before it really gets going. Maui has pulled about 100 points ahead and appears to be getting stronger (rebounds and blocks) while the Belgrade team is fading away. Maybe the Zombies can make a late charge. However, if they don't, the first order of business (if I was running the show) would be a name change!!!
• A quick scan of the standings and the JBL record book reveals that quite a few records could be broken this year.
• For example, it looks like French or Seoul could break the record for best 3PT% in a season. The record is 38.9% and both French and Seoul are right there.
• The record for best ATO is 1.941 by Juan de Fuca back in 2007. Well, that record is surely to be broken by Arctic as he has been over 2.000 for most of the season. The worst ATO on record is 1.337 by Brussels in 2009 - well, Maui could take that honour as he currently sits at 1.339.
• The worst block total ever was 396 by Pearl in 2006. Well, Belgrade will have the new record low as he has just 298 blocks so far.
• The previous best in FG% was 48.5%. Seoul will shatter that record as he's currently at 49.8% and has been at that level for quite some time.
• There are a few other categories where records could be broken and I'm interested to see how many records will be set through the 2010 JBL season.
• And if Seoul wins it all - could this Brothers team be brought into the equation of "Best JBL team" ever? The point total could be there. The late season domination could be there. And the records would speak for themselves. So, no matter who wins the 2010/11 JBL title - Bangkok or Seoul - I think they will have a case to be one of the greatest JBL teams of all time.
• My apologies again to Chilliwack for not including Marcin Gortat in the 'best big man' poll on the JBL site. He clearly should have been included over the likes of Ekpe Udoh. What was I thinking? Gortat has been a monster in PHX and is likely keeper material for Benny. He would be very solid in the middle if he protects Noah and Gortat. Nice combo indeed.
• I think I'm going to post a poll on potential keepers for teams - who has the best stable of potential players for next season. I will split the poll into groups based on the numbers of potential keepers. So, the top 4 spots can keep 4 guys and I believe there are potentially 6 teams that could finish in the money spots (Bangkok, Seoul, Idaho, Arctic, French, and Chilliwack). So, my poll question would be who has the best stable of potentially 4 keepers from those teams? Then I can do 5th to 8th who would get 3 keepers and so on...I think it would be interesting to hear what the JBL masses have to say as to who is looking good for next season and I would use this in my calculations for off-season rankings.
• I reviewed my 2010/11 off season ranks and was pretty good. I predicted a big year for Bangkok and look what he did. OK, so I was waaaaaay off when I predicted big things from Brussels but who knew. And Idaho has earned some respect for his ability to start a JBL team from scratch, no keepers, and build a 3rd place team. Well done Tuna.

OK fellas, that's all for now. I wonder if there will be any JBL trades this weekend? The league seems quiet and dead at the moment. Not a lot of chatter or trash talk. Sad.

He Said What?

As I go back-to-back for the 1st time in a couple of weeks...I'd just like to point out that my Golden squad will likely be in 9th by the end of the night. They are fading fast. The boys are riddled with injuries. Eric Gordon is out again. Chandler is still out. Gay is a couple of weeks away. Perkins is still not close. Can the Showers even challenge for a top 8 might be the real question? That answer will depend on when everyone gets healthy.

I was reading a website recently and I saw a quote from Byron Scott about Samardo Samuels. You know Mr. Samuels? He's the guy who just became relevant this season after Antawn Jamison went down with injury. So the quote (paraphrased) was essentially that Samuels has more talent than Kevin Love and Love just has more experience. Say what?

So I immediately checked to see what kind of night Samuels had. I was thinking a 20 and 15 monster. Nope. 13 and 6 in 32 minutes. Hmmmm. I'm not seeing this comparison. Isn't Love the guy who is now at 51 consecutive double-doubles? Yet some guy named Samuels, who plays on a shitty Cavs team is a better player? If he was a decent player - wouldn't he have been playing all year? It's not like he's behind Gasol, Odom, and Bynum. It was only Jamison and Hickson. And if he was so good - why didn't he get in the rotation when Varejao went down with injury?? Why did it take Byron Scott 60+ games to find the next Kevin Love??

What's the next quote from Byron going to be? That he believes the Cavs could still make the playoffs? That Cleveland will be fine without Lebron? That he actually has the talent to win?
Come on Byron! It's guys like you who set these guys up for complete failure! I mean comparing Samuels to Kevin Love is like saying the ugliest chick in the bar is just the same as the hottest girl because they both have tits and a pagima. The expectations now on Samuels is huge! High expectations can destroy players. Look at Anthony Randolph! Just let the kid play.

I'm watching the Mavs vs. T-Wolves right now. Not a bad game actually. The Wolves are playing the Mavs tough too. And I have to say, Minnesota fans are the whitest crowd I have ever seen at a basketball game! Seriously, I'm scanning the crowd and there are no black people in attendance. I'm watching the Dirk v. Love matchup. A couple of great big men going at it. Love has a quiet game going and he sits at 21 and 15. He's very subtle at how he gets his boards. You don't think of him as being 'exciting' but he's a great rebounder that's for sure. I also like the way Luke Ridnour plays - the Golden squad misses him. And he was a favorite of mine when he was running the point for the Sonics too. Cool hand Luke.

With all the recent talk of the Phoenix Coyotes moving to Winnipeg and the Sac Kings moving to Anaheim - it got me thinking of which team I would love to see re-locate back to Seattle (assuming they ever get a team again). I'm not really considering a Vancouver relocation at this point because we didn't have the history. For me, growing up, it was all about the Sonics and their I-5 rivalry with the Blazers. I loved them. And for me, one of the greatest sports memories I have is watching the final Sonics game they played at the Key Arena. They played against the Mavericks and Durant (a rookie) hit the game winner. The Arena was rocking the "Save our Sonics" chant. GP was in the house! It was an amazing experience. And if the Sonics ever return to the NBA, I want to be there on opening night. So, which team would I want to see move there? Sacramento? New Orleans? Memphis? Charlotte? Those would probably be the 4 most obvious choices these days. I guess it would depend on the talent on the team at the time but I think Sacramento could be on their way to building something quite intriguing with the Tyreke/Cousins combo. I think Chris Paul will be gone from New Orleans by the time Seattle gets a team. Memphis has some potential but as long as Michael Heisley's in charge - they have no shot. And Charlotte? I guess they would be a long shot to move out west. Anyways, it would be very interesting to think about if Seattle can get a new arena built...

Bangkok vs. Seoul

Well, we're into March now and it really does appear to be a 2 team race. Those Bangkok Fighters, who have led since day one and the 2-time defending champs Seoul Brothers really appear to be the only 2 teams who can win the title.

No disrespect meant to Idaho, French, or Arctic but it just doesn't seem like they have the horses to get it down this season.

As I type this, Bangkok has the lead with 1114 points and Seoul is right behind him at 1104. What's so exciting about this title race is the number of areas that each of these teams can gain or lose points over the coming weeks.

3PT% - Seoul is battling French and Bangkok is holding of MBB and Maui. Seoul is maxed out currently in this category but could lose 13 points while Bangkok needs to keep hitting 3's as he has a couple of teams on his tail.

ATO - Bangkok and Brussels are duking it out while Seoul slowly reels in Juan de Fuca. Both teams have a chance to gain points in this category.

BLK - Bangkok is maxed out while he a bunch of other JBL teams are right on his heels. Maui is close but keeps running into injury problems while Seoul is just 4 blocks behind Maui and just 1 blocks behind Bangkok. This will be an interesting race!

FG% - Seoul is maxed out and will set a JBL record with his FG% total this season. Bangkok is chasing another 13 points as he is just 0.1% behind Idaho. Those 13 points would be huge for Bangkok.

PTS - Bangkok is 1st while Seoul and Idaho are battling it out for 2nd in scoring. This would be a monster 20 points for Seoul is he could pull ahead of Idaho. On paper, it looks like Idaho should be able to stay ahead of Seoul - but you just never know.

STL - Bangkok is again setting records in this category while Seoul appears to be comfortable in this category. Not much movement expected here.

REB - Seoul is in 1st place in this category while Bangkok is in 3rd. I guess there's a chance of Bangkok catching Arctic in rebounds but that would take some help from the JBL Gods I think.

So who is going to win the 20th JBL title? To be honest, I don't know yet. Lots can still happen. Guys will still suffer injuries. Certain players could be rested down the stretch. And some players will be shut down entirely as their seasons start to mean nothing. I know it's almost week 20 - but it's too soon to predict a winner.

As for my Golden squad - they stink.
I am barely hanging onto 8th place (and my dream of 3 keepers).
At the moment, it looks like my Gay Love combo could be all that I am able to bring back.
However, if I am able to hang onto 8th then it would become very interesting as who the other keeper I would bring back will be. The options again?

Dorell Wright - he has faded terribly over the last month and is starting to look less and less like a monster bargain.

Eric Gordon - despite my current frustration over his recent wrist injuries - he would still be a top 10 scorer for under $30 bucks.

Kendrick Perkins - although he hasn't played a game yet in OKC he appears to be the perfect fit for that franchise (should be the Sonics!). He's the big tough mean shot-blocking defender that they have been missing. For just $7 bucks he could be a 10/10/2 type of center. And, for 2 years in a row now, the Golden squad has REALLY struggled with the centre position.

Luis Scola - the under-appreciated big man is still averaging 18 and 8 but he does it soooo quietly I'm still not sure he would go for more than $30 bucks next season.

So, like trying to predict a JBL winner, I'm just not able to pick which one of those potential keepers would fill the 3rd spot if I had to decide right now. Tough call.

And after my dispersal draft idea was posted to the JBL site - do you know how many guys emailed me their feedback??? None. Not one. Zilch. Zip. Notta. Nobody. Not one guy had any input about this proposed wrinkle. Oh well. I guess we'll just carry on this offseason...

I have to admit I am excited about the 2011/12 JBL draft already. I have already started to put together some new tracking data sheets in attempt to try and improve my draft night. As you recall, I only spent $221 bucks this past year. Was it the beer? Was it Vegas? Was it a combination? Or was it poor management on my part?? Maybe a little of everything factored in. And I certainly don't want it to happen again. This 2010/11 season will be my worst in maybe 8 or 9 years and I want the Golden squad to get back on track next season. So, I am preparing already by looking at guys numbers and who would fit best with the potential keepers I could bring back.

Oh, and also, if the NBA doesn't reach an agreement and the players are locked out - you can bet your ass that we will still be hosting a JBL draft. The JBL will be drafting - and the NBA will know that they need to play because of the dedicated JBL'ers who want them to play. Oh yes, we will be drafting - regardless of what happens this summer.