So, figured it was time for another JBL article. Why not right?
What’s going on the JBL these days? Well, let’s get at it.
Juan de Fuca is leading the way. He was close to 1100 points the other night and is simply on fire right now. I projected him out to be a top 4 team but this is something else. And he’s doing it with a surprising cast of forwards. The list includes Aminu, Covington, Tristan Thompson, Porter and Iguodala. All 5 of those guys were drafted at Auction for the combined price of $31 bucks. Read that again. $31 bucks total. Covington just had 24 steals in a 4 game week and Juan is running away with that category. So why is Juan in 1st? Probably due to his strong Guard play (Harden, Lowry, Knight) with the surprising Jordan Clarkson ($1) and FA wonder Ish Smith. Plus, the resurgence of Brook Lopez (20ppg, 8reb, 2.3 blks). The scary thing about this team is that he will be adding Kyrie Irving back to the fold soon. Not a bad Christmas prezzie for Juan.
Manhattan is bringing up the rear. The whole Kobe and Rose experiment didn’t work. Kobe has announced this will be his last year and MBB has done the right thing by benching him. How the mighty have fallen. I will say this about MBB, he’s trying. Lots of trades and attempts to shake the tree. Is it getting him anywhere? Who knows, but at least he’s trying. The news that Big Al will miss 2-3 weeks certainly doesn’t help his quest to get out of the basement.
My pre-season favourite Maui is tied for 6th currently. He’s been hit by injuries so far this season. Does Anthony Davis get injured every game? Sure seems like it. Gobert and Jones have certainly been disappointing this year. I have more faith in Gobert than I do in Terrence now that the Rockets have fired McHale. I loved Terrence at Auction and was right in the mix for his services. His anticipated breakout year seems to be put on hold right now. The star in Maui has to be Porzingis. How good has this kid been? He’s embraced the big city lights of New York and become a legend already. And Trevor drafted him 13th in the Rookie Draft. Maybe Phil Jackson does still know what he’s doing. I thought Phil was foolish for taking him at #4 but what do I know.
The Warriors are 19-0 and are seemingly unstoppable. The trio of Curry, Green, and Thompson are amazing. Curry is probably worth over $100 bucks at Auction and Draymond Green is a 7 category player. Benny could have protected him for $14 bucks but ended up bringing him back for $44 bucks. Regardless, Draymond is really, really good.
LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 15 and 9 while shooting 43% and the Spurs are 14-4. Just the way they planned it. They are
CJ McCollum is WAY better than I thought he would be. I think everyone knew he was going to have a breakout year – but I don’t think many would have projected 20ppg. I was thinking 14-16ppg. He’s probably already won the MIP award.
Who got the better of the most recent JBL trade? Chilliwack acquired Reggie Jackson and Festus Ezili while Brussels picks up Chandler Parsons and JJ Red dick. I see it pretty even – the Wack winning 3 categories (Rebs, Blks, ATO) and Brussels winning PTS, FG% and 3PT%. I see the Steals as even. Of course, this is all dependant on Parsons returning to last year’s form though. He’s under performing right now due to the off season surgery.
Who is the most dangerous team right now? Chilliwack (and Maui). Maui’s injury woes were documented above. I think they’ll be alright once those guys get healthy. The most dangerous team right now is the Wack. The forward lineup of Durant, George, Love, and Green is unmatched. Now Benny adds Reggie Jackson and his 19ppg to the mix and this team can really score. The addition of Jonas Valunciunas (and Ezeli) will also play a huge factor as this team really hasn’t gotten anything from the Center position (thank Mr. Henson and Mr. Len). The 2 other surprises have been Avery Bradley and Deron Williams. I had Deron on my Auction board for $20 bucks. Why we all stopped bidding and allowed Deron go for $4 bucks is beyond me. Maybe we’ve all been burned by Deron too many times. While he’s never going to be a superstar again – he is quietly averaging 14 and 6 with 25 steals and a good 3PT%. And Bradley is averaging 16ppg while shooting 47/42 and has 27 steals. He went for $3 bucks at Auction. Danger, danger, here comes the Wack!
In our recent online chats there is talk about who is the angriest JBL’er. I would think many owners would be angry at some point during the JBL season or over the course of their JBL tenure. Bad trades. Missed opportunities. Stupid decisions. Lack of preparation. Bad luck. Really bad luck. The wrath of JBL Gods. But who is the angriest? Maybe the anger factor has something to do with where you finish in the JBL standings? Let’s look at this theory a little closer…
Let’s look at the last 5 years of standings and see where each team has finished.
Golden 1-5-1-1-12
French 2-8-12-2-4
Juan 3-4-3-3-10
Maui 4-3-6-12-9
Arctic 5-7-2-8-5
Idaho 6-9-7-7-3
Bangkok 7-11-9-9-2
Wack 9-1-4-4-6
MBB 10-12-11-11-11
Seoul 11-10-5-5-1
Brussels 13-2-10-13-7
So, does this tell us anything about anger?? No. I’m not sure it tells us a damn thing, but it was neat to see how everyone has done over the last 5 years. Anything surprising by looking at the last 5 years? But to determine the angriest JBL’er? That’s still up for debate…
My comments based on this 5 year glance:
· Maui got really good when he won the lottery and Anthony Davis
· Juan has been in the money 4 straight years (longest streak going and it doesn’t look like it will end this season)
· Everyone has finished in a money spot over the last 5 years except for MBB (it appears unlikely that streak will be broken in 15/16)
Usually around Christmas we start talking about the best potential keepers out there. Since we’re still a few weeks away, I thought I would start small and look at those $1 dollar players that could be the best bargains. This year, there aren’t too many $1 dollar gems, but here are a few at the bargain basement price (ala Mr. Whiteside from last year)….
Zach Lavine, Jordan Clarkson, CJ Miles, Kristaps Porzingis, Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to name a few….
All $1 buckaroos. Which one would you want as a keeper for next season? My top 3 right now would be Porzingis (because he’s the next Dirty Dirk), Clarkson (because Kobe is leaving) and Lavine (because K-Mart is over the hill and likely to be traded).
As I go to post, Juan is back close to 1100 points. Wowzers. Impressive.
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