Week 23/24 - Still too close to call...

I'm blurring Week 23 and 24 into one post. The nightly drama between Maui and Bangkok continues and I really do expect that the final night, Saturday, April 10th, will be the deciding night. I'm told that Maui will be in transit and might not be able to see the drama unfold live. I know I will be glued to the boxscores and Live Scoring page to see how it all plays out.

As I write this, Maui is at 1242 and Bangkok is at 1122. But there is still lots of room for Bangkok (and French) to climb the points ladder.

Could you imagine, after all the talk about Maui and Bangkok, if French Lick swooped in during the last win to claim another title? That would be crazy.

Looking at the totals, I kind of feel like this (1242) is Maui's peak total. Maybe he could get to 1255 with some ATO luck, but this feels like his max point total. Which remember would be an all-time JBL record.

Bangkok is at 1122 but can actually, quite realistically, get to 1261. That would require the sun and moon and all worlds aligning perfectly, but it is actually possible. So that's why I'm saying it's not over.

And while French coasts along in 3rd place, they could still get to the 1175 region. So you just never know.

The other races of interest:

- 4th place is still up for grabs. Brussels has the inside track. Golden is hanging around the Wack could still be a factor as well.

- 7th/8th place looks to be a battle between Seoul and Idaho. Either way, both appear to be locks to get 3 keepers. 

- 9th to 11th appear to be locked in some order - Arctic, Juan and Cali

- 12th/13th - a bit of a late season surge from Bellingham and disinterest from Vancouver means 12th place is still up for grabs. While it doesn't mean much overall - getting a 2nd keeper could be a real value for one team. 

And while Norfolk is destined for 14th and no keepers, I give the Doctor full credit for signing Free Agents to the bitter end. Full commitment to the craft and trying to improve and he gets an A for effort from me. 

Other random thoughts:

• Did anyone else see what Isaiah Roby and Drew Eubanks did last night? Career nights at the right time for Golden.
• Tanking is reaching new levels and this really does enforce the idea that JBL teams should keep some Free Agent dollars for the late season bargains. While grabbing the star FA's early in the season can be important - so too can getting the late season tank stars.
• Will Zion really get traded this offseason? I didn't think that the Pelicans would ever consider it after having to move on from Anthony Davis - but can they really afford to keep him and pay him max dollars?
• I know for Fantasy that Jokic is still the MVP - but I'm going with Dejounte Murray as my Fantasy MVP. He has been the Viagra for Kok this season. I still think Kok might have the toughest keeper decisions we've seen in awhile for a JBL owner. Getting those 4 keepers right will be important for Kok to come back and be a contender again next season. For the rest of us, as the summer progresses, it will be interesting to see which guys the Kok will be parting with. I think he has 8 options for keepers and will only be able to keep 4 of them. Count me as intrigued.
• The Brussels team is very impressive considering they are in 4th and haven't been able to add any Free Agents since essentially the start of 2022. Outside of Simmons, the team has remained pretty healthy for most of the year and still look to be the favourite to grab 4th and 4 keepers. Imagine if Brussels had used the $45 he spent on Simmons on another player of that caliber. 
• I laughed at Andre Drummond's quote about whether he'd be back in Brooklyn next season. No. That was pretty much his answer. I wonder where he ends up? As bad as he might be in real life, he can certainly stuff the fantasy boxscore when he gets minutes. He has 71 steals and 61 blocks in 66 games in 19 minutes a game. 
• The other JBL team with some difficult keeper decisions will be Arctic. With only 2 spots likely available and Kyrie, Maxey, Jalen Green, Tyler Herro, and Kyle Kuzma to choose from - who gets the axe? 

OK, that's all for now. Enjoy the home stretch. We're getting another 1st time JBL winner. It's going to be close and it will be interesting to see how injuries, tanking and resting impacts the JBL teams.

Week 22 - The Bangkok Attack

As week 22 in the JBL wraps up, we are looking at a very tight race a top the standings. Maui is at 1177 and Bangkok is at 1135. The gap is just 42 and in fact, at one point, was just 29 points as Kok hit 1148 briefly.

Can the Kok do it? A few weeks ago I would have said probably not. But now, with the stars aligning, I definitely believe the Kok can do it. Will he? Well, let's see what the final 3 weeks bring.

How does the Kok reach the top of the mountain? Well, there are actually lots of avenues which has to be concerning for Maui. What categories should we be watching for the final weeks?

3PT% 

Currently, the Kok sits 3rd (36.5%) but has room to gain 26 points with some continued to good shooting from deep. Look at these 3% numbers from last week. Hart 46%, Mitchell 47%, Edwards 52%, Rozier 44% and JJJ 46%. Can they keep it up or will they regress to the norm? For the season - Hart 34%, Mitchell 36%, Edwards 35%, Rozier 38% and JJJ 32%. Whether this bunch stays hot from downtown or not could mean some additional points for the Kok.

Maui sits at 36.2% but could be a hot streak away from getting back in the mix.

ATO

Kok and Bellingham are essentially tied at 2.067 but Kok gets the nod based on percentage points. That's a big 13 points for Kok to hold onto. And Maui is lurking behind at 2.041 so it's not out of the question that they make a late run. Draymond is back and FVV should help. Maui sure could use Lonzo about now but he doesn't appear close to returning. 

BLOCKS

The Kok could gain 52 points in a perfect world. There are 5 teams within 10 blocks so I think we should see some movement here in the coming weeks.

FG%

The Kok (47.7%) had caught Cali (47.8%) briefly last night so this is another potential 13 points for the Kok. Of course, Golden (47.6%) is right on the Kok's heels and might be a concern. 

Maui and Seoul are deadlocked (Seoul ahead by fractions) at 46.4% and Maui could use a +13 here. 

POINTS

Bangkok is now within 100 points of Golden which would give him another +20 in the standings. The Wack is just 46 points behind the Kok though so there is some movement possibilities here both ways for the Kok. 

STEALS

Bangkok has a 15 steal lead on Maui. That might be too large a gap to make up but you never know these days. That's a 26 point swing if Maui could somehow catch the Kok.

REBOUNDS

Maui is just 4 rebounds ahead of the Kok now. This would be a 30 point swing if it happens. Just this category alone would move the current standings to 1162 to 1150 for Maui - meaning the Kok would only need 13 more points to get into the lead. 

Kok and Maui were the top rebounding teams last week (273 to 248) so the Kok does have the horses to out-rebound the Ribs.

For me, it's 3PT%, Blocks and Rebounds that will decide the title now. If Kok stays hot, there's over 100 points available to him still. That would obviously put him in rarified air and well over 1200 points. Can they do it? Only time will tell.

What I do know is that 2 things will likely happen this season....

1) We will see another NEW 1st time JBL title winner 

2) French's streak of 7 consecutive 1st or 2nd finishes will come to an end.

Buckle up...the last few weeks should be very entertaining. 

Week 21 - Random Thoughts

• Can Bangkok make a late charge?  He was within 100 points on the weekend. This Kok team is not going away
• All that said, French still hanging around. When CP3 went down I thought that was it for them. I didn’t factor in 37 year old LeBron going mental
• It almost feels anti-climatic if someone catches Maui now. They’ve been the best team all year. In 1^st place since week 2.
• Looks like 4^th is between the Wack and Brussels but I am still hopeful, slightly, that my Golden rejects can make a late season charge. I feel like my Golden boys are like the Canucks – dreaming of the playoffs (or JBL 4^th) when really chances are slim.
• To start Week 22 Maui is at 1203, Bangkok at 1089 and French at 1085
• Brussels at 901, Wack at 897 and Golden at 845
• My lineup for Week 22 features 8 Free Agents. My overall salary is $201 and my active roster is just $102 dollars. There is no way I should have a chance.
• Keep an eye on 3PT% as Arctic/Maui/Bangkok are all at 36.1% - could be a swing category
• Watch ATO as Bangkok/Maui/Bellingham are all pretty tight
• Blocks is interesting too as Golden and Cali are proving to be a thorn in Kok’s tip as we keep that category interesting
• FG% is close – Maui could do with catching Seoul and Golden is right on Kok’s tail
• Scoring is really balanced and even. 9 teams in the 11000’s. 4 teams within 41 points (6^th to 9^th in points)
• Kok caught Maui in steals. 26 point swing on the line here.
• Rebounds is also tight. Maui is just 29 boards ahead of the Kok
• Maui really needs VanVleet, Draymond and Lonzo to return ASAP. Looks like Fred and Draymond are back this week so that’s going to help in a number of categories. The challenge might still be teams resting players down the stretch.
•  Some other things I’m watching or thinking about….

§  If Arctic only gets 2 keepers – who will they be? So many good options. Kyrie. Maxey. Green. Herro.

§  Jalen Green is really coming on as of late. Could he be the future star that everyone predicted?

§  Can Arctic catch Juan? The gap is only 43 points to start the week. Both teams have room to grow in the PTS category so it will be interesting to watch. Getting a 3^rd keeper can be a big deal.

§  Who will Idaho’s 2 keepers be – Zion, Jamal Murray and Trae for 2 spots

§  Bellingham is showing signs of life. They are in 12^th to start Week 22. So maybe Kawhi does get a keeper buddy for next season? Cole Anthony? Saddiq Bey?

§  And what’s happening to the Jizzlies? Fading away. Not having PG13 for ages hurts. And now no CJ McCollum. They might be looking at just Cade Cunningham for next season.

§  Golden is likely getting just 3 keepers. I’m likely keeping Giddey because of his potential. And I need someone to give me the potential to do a shotgun beer. I gotta keep Garland coming off his All Star season. But who gets the 3^rd spot? Is it SGA for $21 or Miles Bridges for $19? SGA has been on fire as of late but earlier this season he was average at best. Miles stuffs the categories but is atrocious from downtown (SGA has been horrid as well this year from deep). Soooo, I’ll be watching the offseason closely. Does Miles stay in Charlotte? He’s a restricted FA and could get a big offer. If John Collins can get 5/125 – what is Miles worth? Probably the same? I also think of Miles as the 3^rd option in Charlotte (behind LaMelo and Rozier) even though he leads the team in scoring. Funny.

 - And I'm quite intrigued by this year's NCAA tourney. There are quite a few interesting teams and rookies. Maybe I'll even fill out a bracket this year. 

OK - that's it for now....onto Week 22. 

Week 20 - Three Things....

 The JBL chat board is quiet. The JBL banter is quiet. While JBL teams can still make trades – I don’t think there are a lot of offers floating around out there. Is the JBL season already over? Have we all just accepted our plot in the standings?

 

I will say, and maybe I say it every year, because we use a season long rotisserie style league – at this stage of the season (75% complete) – it’s really hard to drastically move up or down in the standings. So be it.

 

So what am I going to talk about in Week 20? I could discuss why Maui is going to win. But I will save that for the last couple weeks. I could discuss where the rest of us went wrong. But most of us know those reasons already.

 

So I’m going back to my pie-in-the-sky JBL ideas. Maybe one day we can do our AGM at a restaurant or a backyard patio again like we did many years ago. Would be great to see the JBL gang all together again.

 

1)    Expansion. I’d love to see the JBL go to 15 teams. Whether it’s my son Ryan, a colleague at my work, or I’m told we have other interested parties who want to join – I’m fine with expansion. Currently, with 14 teams and 16 players per team, the JBL uses 224 NBA players on JBL rosters. Adding a 15^th team pushes that total to 240 – another 16 players. Everyone says that weakens the FA pool. OK. Fair enough. But I would also say there are a handful of guys that SHOULD have been drafted on JBL auction night as they all go for BIG bucks when the first night of Free Agency comes around. Adding another team, to me, just means all those early free agents get drafted at auction. A quick review indicates that our opening night of Free Agency saw 14 players signed (almost another full JBL roster) and included guys like Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Coby White, Cody Martin, Jarred Vanderbilt and others. The 2^nd night of free agency saw Lu Dort, Ant Simons, Alex Caruso and Kevin Love all signed as Free Agents. So, initially, there are good players that don’t get drafted at Auction. I think the pool is deep enough to support a 15^th team.

 

2)    Expanded rosters. Currently, it’s 12 starters, 3 bench and 1 injured reserve spot. While I had previously been on the 15 total players bandwagon I’m now on the 16 players total bandwagon. Get rid of IR and just have 12 starters and 4 bench players. Doesn’t matter if they are injured or not. Just give JBL teams more depth and options. And currently, 11 of 14 teams have 16 players on their roster anyway.

 

3)    I’m also a big fan of adding a 2^nd round to the JBL rookie draft. All 2^nd round picks would be $1 dollar. Teams could have the option to ‘PASS’ if they didn’t like the looks of anyone. Currently, there are 17 NBA rookies on JBL rosters and 26 rookies have spent time on JBL rosters this season so we do like our rookies and taking chances on them. So why not add this option at the start of the season? At the end of every JBL auction teams are scrambling for $1 dollar players to take fliers on. Having a 2^nd rookie pick already on JBL rosters reduces our auction time and let’s teams take fliers on players early on in the season. A 2 round rookie draft could mean up to 28 rookies get drafted. Of course, teams could pass if they want to and many teams don’t put much stock into rookies but it could be another trade options for teams. While a 2^nd rookie pick isn’t for everyone, I think it would add a little bit of strategy and fun for those owners who like to take chances on the young guys. If you don't want a 2nd rookie - you don't have to draft one. Simple as that. 

 

I’ve got some other ones but these are relatively easy in my mind….

 

That’s it for this week. Short and sweet.