Part 3...
4th place - Juan de Fuca Yo Mamas
The Mamas are becoming one of the most consistent contenders in the JBL. This year they finished 4th and the two previous years they've finished 3rd. That's 3 straight years of money spots. They also hold the distinction of being the last team not named Chilliwack, Seoul, or Golden to win the JBL crown. That was 2000/01. This year's Mamas team was very solid as 12 of the guys played more than 57 active games for them. In total, only 24 players came through town. But why change anything when you have core performers like Carmelo, Klay, Kemba, Thaddeus, and Conley. The only weakness for Juan was the FG% as they were 12th in that category. This team should clearly be a favourite again in 2014/15 for title contention.
MVP - Carmelo. I've long believed that you can't win the JBL crown with Carmelo. Well, I take that back. Despite me not liking the way he plays the NBA game - his fantasy numbers are incredible. 27ppg and 8reb. His %'s are quite good (45 and 40) considering how many shots he takes. He added 96 steals and 51 blocks.
LVP - Roy Hibbert. I will explain. At $46 bucks, this 7'2 center should give you more than 10 and 6. How can someone that tall only grab 6 rebounds a game?? I love the 181 blocks but I expected so much more from Big Roy. Also, how does he shoot 44% from the field???
Unsung Hero - This was a hard one because of how good the core was in Juan. But I'll give the award to DeMarre Carroll. He played 45 games for Juan when called upon and averaged 11 and 5 while shooting 48 and 37. Not bad for someone plucked off the waiver wire.
Prized Keepers - How about Carmelo for $47 bucks? Maybe the young PG in Utah Trey Burke for $7? What about Kemba? Henson? Afflalo? There are some decisions to be made this off season.
3rd place - Maui Ribs
Like a fine wine Trevor is getting better with age. One of JBL originals has strung together back to back good seasons. This year he finished 3rd. Last year he was 6th. This season he was just 22 rebounds shy of a 2nd place finish. Maui has greatly benefited from back to back #1 rookie picks (Unibrow and Oladipo) and both of those guys played key roles in the successful year. Also, keeping Dirk and Chandler Parsons allowed Maui to build off a very strong core. Trev and I drafted from Whistler and he must have channelled his inner-Golden as his team looked more like a Showers draft than my did. He had Tony Allen, Spencer Hawes, Ibaka, Splitter and I loved his team heading into the season. Trev finished 3rd and only used 18 players all season!! That means he only added 3 guys all year. Imagine if his Bynum pick had paid off? Well, Maui should be well stocked for next season with 4 very capable keepers and we'll have to see what kind of rookie pick Trevor winds up with this season.
MVP - I think Anthony Davis is one of the best Fantasy studs out there but I'm giving the Maui MVP to Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk played 13 more games than the Unibrow and Dirk averaged 22 and 6 while shooting 50% and 40%. He also chipped in 73 steals and 45 blocks and had a 1.830 ATO. All at an age when Dirk was supposed to be washed up. Congrats Dirk - you're still the man.
LVP - Andrew Bynum was worth drafting as a gamble. Had he somehow gotten healthy and put up big numbers Maui might have been a title contender. As it turned out, he couldn't stay healthy was a major bust.
Unsung Hero - There are a couple of candidates here with Parsons and Oladipo but my favourite was Spencer Hawes. A $5 dollar center that averaged 13 and 8 with 86 blocks and 46/42 shooting %'s. Very nice.
Prized Keepers - Anthony Davis for $25? Yes please. 21ppg, 10reb, 51% with 89 steals and 189 blocks in just 67 games!! Maybe he should have been Maui's MVP. Add in guys like Dirk, Oladipo, Parsons, and Dragic and Maui's cupboard is full of goodies.
2nd place - Brussels Muscles
The Muscles skyrocketed to the top of the standings after 10th and 13th place finishes over the last 2 seasons. 36 players and 13 trades this season had Brussels challenging for top spot. In the end, it was the 3PT shooting (10th) that was his issue. They were 1st in steals and rebounds and were 3rd in scoring. But this was going to be the Wack's year once he cashed in his Drummond chip. The Muscles started the year with 2 excellent keepers in Lillard and Vucevic. And it was wonderful to see the Lillard chip cashed in to take a shot at the title. That's good JBL'ing. Sure, it didn't pan out - but he tried. Love it. Pau Gasol and his vertigo can be blamed for the poor stretch run. The core of this team - Cousins, Millsap, Batum, Wall, Knight, Rubio, Stephenson, Waiters - were simply awesome. Now, Brussels will have 4 keeper spots to build upon for next season. They are well positioned for another JBL title run.
MVP - DeMarcus Cousins. 23 and 12 while shooting 50% and adding 109 steals and 91 blocks. Yummy.
LVP - Tough call when this squad was so good but I'm going with Greg Monroe. He played 38 games for Brussels and did average 14 and 8. But this was a $48 dollar guy that should have improved. Unfortunately, Detroit was a mess and Monroe was just average in my books. Add in the fact that he only blocked 19 shots in those 38 games for Brussels and I had to give him my LVP. Of course, the easy choice was the Larry Sanders experiment but that's already been touched on.
Unsung Hero - Lance Stephenson wasn't even drafted at Auction last year. Timmy spent big FA dollars on him and boy did that move pay off. 14ppg, 7reb, 5ast and 49% FG. Very good stuff for a FA pickup.
Prized Keepers - Vucevic for $11 bucks still has to be the best value but guys like Knight, Stephenson and Waiters will be in the mix for a roster spot next season...
That's all for this morning...
Next up, the breakdown of the 2013/14 champion Chilliwack Offs and Johnny's Top 10 Rookie Picks for next season.
Enjoy your weekend.
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