The Chilliwack Offs finished the season in 4th place. Benny's squad was one of my favorite's after Auction because of how he constructed them. They were big (Griffin, Gortat, Duncan, McGee, Horford, etc) and they had the reigning MVP (Rose) to lead the way. The team got off to a quick start and were one of the best teams from the get go. During the year the Offs made 6 trades. Two of those trades were key to Golden's ultimate success but nevertheless it wasn't those trades that doomed the Offs - it was the number of injuries they would sustain. Derrick Rose missed a whole bunch of games. Al Horford was lost for the season. Kyle Lowry had a bacterial infection and missed time. Trevor Booker became a Washington regular and then got hurt. Channing Frye missed time. The list goes on...the Offs were killed by quality man games. You can't replace a guy like Derrick Rose. His eye popping numbers are not available in the FA market.
The Offs will be able to protect 4 players for next season and I would think the emerging Paul George will headline the list. George is becoming a Matrix-like player and averaged 12ppg, 6reb, shot 44/38, was a positive ATO player and added 108 steals and 38 blocks. I also think JaVale McGee has be a strong contender based on his ability to block shots. Surely, George Karl can get him under control and McGee can start at Center next season in Denver. Benny will be right back in contention next season because he puts the time in. He always seems to have a good draft and is not afraid to pull the trigger on a trade. Preparation + trades + JBL activity = success.
The 3rd place team this past year was the resurgent Juan de Fuca Yo Mamas team. This was a team that was built around the big 4 of Durant, Cousins, Chandler and Nowitzki. Add in FA sensations Mike Dunleavy, Zaza Pachulia and Gordon Hayward and this was a deep and dangerous team all year long. The loss of Ricky Rubio really hurt this squad in ATO (11th) as that was really their only weakness. Juan was actually 1st in 3PT%; 1st in scoring; 2nd in rebounds and 3rd in steals. This was a team that had 1012 points on the season! And while that total was only good enough for 3rd place - it was 467 points better than their arch rivals in Bangkok.
The Juan team has 4 keeper spots for next season and does have some choices to make. Juan can go with established guys like Chandler or KD; the young star on the rise (Cousins); or the cheaper options (Hayward, Knight). Does this 3rd place finish spark a renewed rivalry with the Kok? Is Juan back on the list as a contender now? How will 3rd place finish influence the Power Rankings considering the previous 3 years were 10th, 7th and 9th place finishes??
That's all for tonight...stay tuned for part 5 when French and Golden get the once over...
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