The last time I posted in the JBL Chronicles was December 15, 2015. It’s been almost 4 years since my last post. Crazy how time flies. Maybe I should be doing Podcasts or You Tube videos or TikTok’s but my preference has always been to write my thoughts down in an “old fashioned” blog. Call me old school.
So, shall we continue? Let’s cover the ground rules. I’m going to write about all things JBL, NBA, and whatever else suits my fancy. Some things you might like, some things you won’t like. As always, these are my opinions on various topics and you might not like what I have to say. This video clip from Ricky Gervais sums up my take on this….
2019/20 will be the 29th JBL Season. I find that hard to believe but that’s the truth of the matter. 29 years we’ve been getting together and drafting Fantasy basketball teams to see who can win the year. It makes the NBA so much better knowing that I have a JBL team. I’m not sure I would even follow the NBA that closely if the JBL didn’t exist. Long live the JBL.
So where is the draft going to be for the 30th year in the JBL? We went to Las Vegas for the 20th year anniversary. And I would like to point out that’s still Golden’s worst finish ever in the JBL. I blame the Keg of Heineken that Benny rolled in around 10am for the Golden fiasco that year. It was also my year of Gay Love. You know, my theme team centered around Rudy Gay and Kevin Love, just so I could say Gay Love. Not the best idea I’ve had. So where is the 30th anniversary going to be? Vegas again? Phoenix for some sunshine and golf? Or back to the Kok’s palace for some ping pong and NBA2K? We have time to figure it out but start thinking about it gents.
So, let’s dive in to some things on my mind for the 2019/20 JBL season.
The Rookie Lottery was pretty exciting. Well, at least for Bangkok it was. I think it had been awhile since the last place team had actually won the lottery and got the #1 pick. Pretty sure we know who Kok will be picking. Chilliwack won #2 and Idaho beat the odds and took home #3. Idaho had the 1st pick in last year’s Rookie Draft and selected DeAndre Ayton. Idaho can’t have any better luck in the Lottery. He’s like the Oilers of lotteries.
I’m a fan of this rookie class and think there are a handful of players that can make an impact right away. But I also think there are several rookies that will shine in March/April as the season winds down and teams give their kids a chance. Of course, I’m also the guy who believed in Stanley Johnson and Wade Baldwin – so what do I know. Trying to figure out who will be the most impactful rookie and also who has the best 5 year value can be very difficult.
As soon as all teams are down to their max number of keepers we can begin the rookie draft. Likely timeframe will be October 1st to start the rookie draft. And we still need to land on an Auction date – looks like it’s either Saturday, October 19th or Saturday, October 20th. Need to pick a day soon just so people can block it in their calendars.
Big injuries are mounting this offseason. Benny will go nuts at this draft as we have multiple big name guys that are going to be drafted for cheap that will not be impacting the league at all this season. Kevin Durant. John Wall. Klay Thompson, Victor Oladipo. DeMarcus Cousins. Jusuf Nurkic. They will all be on the shelf to start the year but will be up for Auction. If they get drafted at Auction, they will be eligible for protection. Will be interesting to see how much people will be willing to spend on these guys just so they can maybe keep them for next season.
We have 2 new teams this year coming in. We say goodbye to Manila Ice (the 2nd time a team by that name has failed) and we say hello (again) to Marko and his 2 co-owners as well as the Kok’s buddy. Typically, expansion teams don’t do well in their 1st year, so we’ll see how this time around unfolds.
Let’s look at keeper options for all the teams…
Arctic (3 keepers max) – he has big ticket options in Westbrook and Harden or he has cheaper options like Gallinari or Sexton. Arctic has been a BIG 3 model over the past few years and his auto-pilot draft technique once he has his big 3 players draws the curses of the crowd at past drafts. We’ll see what strategy he employs this time around. But I do like his keeper options. Plenty to choose from here. Arctic also has the #8 pick in the rookie draft and might be able to snag someone of value.
Bangkok (0) – the cupboard is bare but I think that’s a good thing. The Kok gets the #1 pick in the rookie draft and can build from there. Sometimes in order to build something up, you have to tear it all the way down.
Brussels (2) – while Brussels still has 5 players on his roster for just 2 spots, make no mistake about who his 2 keepers are. Doncic and JJJ are the picks and I love those 2 players. Both should be in Brussels for years. Well done Timmy. Off to a good start. Brussels has the #6 pick in the rookie draft as well and should be able to get a contributor from that spot. There are rumours of Timbo trying to move up in the rookie draft. With Golden’s poor history of rookie picks, Brussels might have his guy fall into his lap at 6.
Chilliwack (2) – another team where it’s pretty clear who the 2 keepers will be. It’s KAT and it’s BAM. Throw in the #2 rookie pick and Chilliwack is my one of my favourites for the JBL title. Could this be the Wack’s comeback year? It’s been 5 years since the Wack has won a JBL title. He sits 3rd all time (1 behind Seoul and 1 ahead of French) with 4 championships to his name. The Wack must be loving that he gets KAT for $35. That was a major Golden error last season giving him up. But hey, we all make bad trades at some point.
French Lick (4) – still has 6 guys on the roster for just 4 spots. Love the options here. The defending champ (and 3 of the last 4 titles) is loaded again for the coming season. French is another favourite already based on the keepers here. He does have some tough decisions to make though. Everyone keep your eyes on Steph Curry and whether French is keeping him at $72 bucks.
Golden (3) – I’ve got my 3 guys that I like and I lucked out to get the #5 rookie pick. Good thing I like 4 rookies a lot. After that, it’s a bit of a crapshoot. But as mentioned above, picking guys like Wade Baldwin over Andre Drummond really builds my confidence about the rookies I like. I’m likely going to second guess myself about 1,000 times before the rookie draft even starts.
Idaho (4) – Tuna has 6 guys left on the roster for 4 spots. I think 2 of the guys are locks – Ayton and Simmons. Despite the Nets bringing in DeAndre, I still like Jarrett Allen’s potential too. The Celtics don’t have many big bodies so maybe Kanter is a good guy too. Or will Idaho take a chance on Crazy Man Portis or Cedi Osman? And as mentioned above, Idaho has the #3 pick in a 3 rookie draft. Lucky dog. As many know, Idaho has probably offered that #3 pick to every team in the JBL 5 times over by now.
Juan de Fuca (4) – Juan has 6 players still on the roster for just 4 spots. I can make a case for all 6 of these guys to be protected. The easy one for me, and the best value, is Malcolm Brogdon. Love this kid at a $9 dollar price tag. Whoever Juan protects is pretty much going to ensure that they have a strong core for next season. Did you know Juan was the last JBL champion that wasn’t Golden, Seoul, Chilliwack or French Lick? That was 18 years ago now since Juan won their title.
Maui (4) – Trev still has 8 guys on the roster for 4 spots. I think 2 of these guys are absolute locks – Porzingis and Bagley. This will be the final year of Porzingis in Maui before he must go back to Auction next season. Not a bad run for a rookie that was a $1 pick 5 years ago. I think the 3rd and 4th spots are up for grabs. And remember, whoever Maui keeps, the chances of another team acquiring any of those keepers in a trade is slim to none. Maui certainly isn’t one of our more active traders.
Norfolk (3) – Dr. Dave is coming off a career best 5th place finish and has his 3 keepers locked in. He’s got Bradley Beal ($46), Trae Young ($14) and Domatas Sabonis ($23). All good keepers in my view. And in the Doctor’s mind – Trae Young should have been rookie of the year. I now Norfolk is very high on the kid. Maybe he’s just jealous of Trae’s hair. Could Norfolk now be a regular contender? Will the Kok continue to have to serve him scotch whenever the Doctor snaps his fingers? I’m curious to see if Norfolk can take the next step into top 4 contention or see if this past season was just some luck.
Seoul (3) – another team locked in with his keepers. Woo is keeping Donovan Mitchell, Myles Turner and his personal favourite Pascal Siakam. Seoul also has the #4 pick in the rookie draft so he should have a good base for the coming season. This will be Phil’s first JBL draft as a Dad – so will he be awake long enough to get those sleepers in the late rounds? Will he have any time to study for the draft? Let’s see how Father Woo handles this auction.
Vancouver (2) – with 2 spots up for grabs here I’m going to be honest, I don’t love the options. I think most of you know I’m not a Wiggins fan. At all. Kemba is nice but at $41 is that saving you any money? Hardaway Jr for $9? I’m not sold he’s worth that amount or how much he’ll play in Dallas. An aging Paul Millsap for $22 when they just traded a 1st round pick for Jerami Grant? So, honestly, I don’t love the options. And maybe ultimately they don’t keep anyone from this group. You don’t have to protect anyone…but hey, if you want to keep Andrew Wiggins for $26 bucks. Please, by all means.
So, that’s it for me for this post. It was all about the Keepers. But really, it was all about getting the creative juices flowing again to see if the JBL Chronicles should make a comeback. For my next post, I’m going to touch on potential rule changes I’d like to see in the JBL. So if you have any ideas you want me to discuss, just let me know.
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