Week 8 - What's Going On...

Week 8 – Christmas Approaches

With the big day approaching, this is usually the time of year that JBL teams start shuffling the deck chairs. It’s been 7 weeks and most players are settling into who they are going to be for the season. Sure, there is still some room for improvement (Danny Green and Markieff to name a couple) but for the most part, they are who we think they are - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWmQbk5h86w

So what’s happening the standings??

• My pre-season favourite Maui Ribs are on the Equator. They are the dividing line between contender and pretender. I still think they are a money team but they need to be more consistent and get healthy. Have they started the best 12-man roster they could yet? I don’t think so.
• Above Maui there are 5 teams that can currently be classified as true contenders. Again, the scary Chilliwack squad is sitting there in 5th with blocks (9th) and rebounds (10th) being his 2 worst categories and he has Valanciunas waiting in the wings.
• Seoul is still right there too. Why? Because he’s a 5-time champion.
• Juan continues to excel despite numerous injuries. Lord Covington continues to impress and is definitely my favourite 76er. And let’s not forget they have Kyrie still coming back.
• French does everything well except shoot. That being said, they are almost at 1000 points and are still in title contention.
• Golden, despite being in 1st place, did a major shuffle on the weekend. Trading Whiteside and Dragic for Towns and Holiday is a major move at this time of the year. Could Whiteside have garnished more assets in February? Maybe. But the chance to acquire a potential 5 year asset like Towns was too good to pass up. I have to say, South Surrey was very easy to deal with. This Towns/Whiteside deal was consummated in approximately 5 minutes. I made an initial offer that was rejected with some feedback. My 2nd offer was accepted. Again, done in a matter of minutes. I’ll comment more on this deal in a couple minutes. Overall, Golden has 4 new starters this week (Towns, Holiday, Barnes, and Felton).
• The group of teams below the Maui Equator can, for now, be called ‘chasers’. Idaho, Arctic, Splooge and Norfolk are the best of the bunch it appears. Idaho continues to hang tough with his 6 and 6 approach. 6 guys that would be sought after by strong JBL teams and 6 guys who could end up on the waiver wire at any given moment (it could be 7:5 Idaho, I’ll give you that) Arctic is more 9/3;  Norfolk is probably a 10:2 or 9:3 roster and Splooge is probably 9:3 or even 10:2. These guys are still right there but the gap is widening. And hey, don’t take these numbers the wrong way – I consider Golden to be a 8:4 or maybe 9:3 type of roster most weeks. We all have guys that could be dumped to the waiver pile in a heartbeat.
• After the chasers group there are 3 teams that need an overhaul.  These teams are situated in 11th to 13th. We all know the higher you finish in the standings the more keepers you get. 13th is not a good place to finish because, as Timmy can attest, you don’t get to protect ANY players for next season. Getting up to 8th place gets you 3 keepers for next season. It should be a focus for these teams to ensure they are trying to move up the standings while acquiring keepers for next season. The challenge is trying to get the best keepers while trying to move up the standings. Those 2 objectives often clash as getting the best keepers usually requires selling the farm. Again, these teams need to make sure that they are (1) still trying to move up the standings and (2) do so while still acquiring the best cheap talent as potential keepers. If you have 2 players who essentially put up the same stats and player A’s salary is $20 and player B’s salary is $2 – you know which guy you should own right??
• To further the importance of keepers I will say this….the best teams in the JBL are typically built around two things – great keepers and/or great rookie draft picks. Golden, Juan, French and Chilliwack all had great keepers and are all in the top 5 right now. Maui had great keepers (Gobert) and great draft picks (Unibrow and Oladipo). The idea that you can go into a JBL Auction without any keepers and simply out-draft the rest of us should be considered very difficult to accomplish. It’s highly unlikely to work on a regular basis. That being said, the Seoul Brothers has done very well this year without any stellar keepers and without a high impact rookie pick. So, Phil, you can tell me that it is possible, I’m OK with that. But for the majority – get some GREAT keepers!!!
• This leads me back to the Whiteside for Towns trade. I get why Splooge made this deal. Whiteside is an attractive piece because he could go triple-double with blocks. He’s averaging over 4 per game this year. Add in the fact that he can be protected for $11 bucks next year and he’s a top 10 keeper. Also, Dragic is under-performing and should improve while Holiday is an injury risk. From my end, Towns has the potential to be a 5 year keeper. Sure, his remaining salaries would be $20-$25-$30 and $35 but he could be worth it. He’s averaging 15 and 9 with 2.2 blocks and shooting 53% in his rookie year. He could be a monster once he figures everything out. Even while chasing a title, my focus still remains on longevity so that Golden can compete for years to come. It’s not quite Christmas and Golden is already discussing extensions with Towns, Drummond, and Kawhi for next season.
• The latest chat discussion featured the ratio of Idaho outbound trade offers to inbound trade offers. Is it 10:1? 25:1? 50:1? 100:1? Chilliwack believes it has to be 100:1 and is willing to bet a hair modelling application on the outcome. So, let’s think this through. Can Idaho really make 100 offers for every single offer he receives? So how many of us would actually make an offer to Idaho? We all know that would create multiple counter offers involving completely different players that we didn’t even want in the first place. But, let’s say that Idaho has at least 7 guys that we would want on our roster (Conley, Monroe, Lillard, Noel, Anderson, Hayward, and Gasol) and that we would actually pursue these players. Did you notice that Danny Green, Cody Zeller, and Jeremy Lamb are not included in this list? I’ll ask you this - have you made ANY offers for any of those players listed above? I know I have. I really think the ratio is less than 100:1 – because I really want to see Benny make a hair video – kind of like this one - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXMBxcHxkMA
• Looking ahead to next year’s Auction there are 3 players that will definitely be back in the pool. Kenneth Faried, Marcin Gortat, and DeAndre Jordan. Faried has been a keeper for 5 years (he’s on the only rookie to ever last all 5 years – so far) so it will be interesting to see how much he goes for at Auction. Gortat is aging gracefully and would be a nice #2 center on a JBL roster. Finally, DeAndre, the monster, the machine, the legend. He’s a beast and is currently averaging 11ppg, 13reb, 2.4 blocks while shooting 69% from the field. He also has 17 steals and his ATO (24/28) is far superior than many of the other big name centers. Jordan is probably a $60+ dollar player depending on when he comes up at Auction. He’s a cornerstone piece and I’m looking forward to the bidding war in October 2016.
• OK, now I’m just pulling topics from wherever, but I will continue. Remember the Chilliwack and Arctic trade where the Wack got Kevin Love and Jae Crowder and Arctic got Rondo, Jabari Parker, Josh Smith and Luis Scola? Man, what a trade. 6 players involved and 5 of them have been impactful. I’m going to exclude Josh in this discussion because he’s really become an afterthought in Clipperville. I’m amazed by this deal and how good it’s been for both teams:
• Love is averaging 19 and 10 and shooting 48/42 for Chwk
• Crowder is 14 and 4 while shooting 47/40 and getting lots of steals
• Rondo is 13/12/7 while shooting 49% and getting a bunch of steals. He’s back to his old form and is probably a $50 dollar player again
• Scola’s put up 11 and 5 while shooting 50%
• Parker is averaging 12 and 5 while shooting 48%

The fact that 5 of 6 players involved in the deal have done really well is amazing. It’s clearly a win-win for both teams. Remember, Benny essentially turned Myles Turner into Kevin Love and the Arctic improved his depth tremendously. I love this deal for both teams.

That’s all for me today…up next…I’m going to give all of you my top 5 potential keepers on each team. Stay tuned…Johnny’s got the Chronicles mojo back!

Christmas Wish Lists

A recent comment by the young Idaho owner that he needed a Christmas miracle for his squad inspired this posting. He hoped that JaVale McGee could average 20-10-4. While that would certainly help, JaVale hasn’t averaged those type of numbers since 5th grade. But with the Christmas season approaching…why shouldn’t we make those wishes? Let’s look at each team and see what they should be asking for from Santa this holiday season.

Arctic

• LaMarcus – can you please average 20+ points again? This team concept and reduced stats in San Antonio is great for the Spurs, but makes for lousy Fantasy production
• Jabari – can you please get healthy? Remember when you were a rookie and looked like you were going to be a star? Come on man, get it going. Besides, you were part of the Myles Turner trade. All eyes are on you still!
• Dwight – remember 5 years ago when you could play every night and rip of 20 and 15 games all the time? How about you just play every night and averaged 15 and 10? I’m sure Arctic would appreciate that.
• Tony Wroten – yes, you, Tony, can you come back healthy and score 16-18ppg? Last year, in 30 games, you averaged 17 and 5. Sure, you can’t throw it in the ocean from a boat – but Arctic could sure use some scoring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZR2Euju2fI
• Pekovic – either get healthy or retire from the NBA and just cruise dark alleys and scare the bejeezus out of people.

Bangkok

• MCW – really? 9-3-4? Those aren’t your rookie year numbers. Has Kidd done something to you? What’s up my hyphenated name friend?
• Speaking of which, Rick wants more hyphenated last name players (Carter-Williams, Hollis-Jefferson, Cauley-Stein) – talk about a theme team. Odd. 
• Rick needs a breakout star. He needs one of Hood, Winslow, Hollis-Jefferson, or big Willie Cauley-Stein to become a GREAT player. Not a good one, a great one. 
• Nurkic – another breakout candidate – can he do it? Please, anyone. Help the Kok.
• And he needs Lebron to average 30-10-10. Please and thank you Santa.

Brussels

• JCVD needs KG and Tayshaun to retire so that Gorgui can start and play 35 minutes a night
• Mirotic – can you please play like you did in week 1 – and not this current chucker (39/33%’s). Cause if you’re not playing awesome, the beard if a little creepy. He must use the Keith Hernandez beard colouring solution
• Hello Phoenix, can you please trade Markieff to Detroit so my boy TJ Warren can get regular minutes? Much appreciated, Brussels.
• Dear Mr. Kidd, Please just let the Muppet Man (John Henson) play 35 minutes a night for 5 straight games. If you don’t like what you see, go back to current state. 
• Dear Chandler, get better soon. I traded Reggie Jackson for you so you better get healthy!

Chilliwack

• Dear Portland, please start Ed Davis. 
• Dear Deron, please stay healthy. We know you have ankles of glass, but you are doing great. Keep it up.
• Dear Jonas, you are so important to the Wack. Your rebounding and blocks are exactly what we need. No pressure either, we only had to give up Danny Green for you. 
• Dear Myles, the entire JBL is watching your progress as you have been traded so many times already. You could be a superstar so we want you to show everyone what you can do.

French Lick

• A shooting coach to teach these guys how to hit the mark. Danilo, CJ, Ariza, and all you other guys – focus and shoot straight!!
• More scoring. With 4 20ppg guys already the entire JBL wants to see more 20ppg guys on this roster. Why? Because we all want to see a 250 point scoring night from a team.
• Big man blocks – hey, Randle, Faried, Leonard – jump and block more shots. Follow Jerami’s lead. And hey Jerami, keep up the great work (38 blocks) – you’ve been a big surprise, although maybe stop shooting so many 3's (9/47 = 19%)

Golden

• Dear Markieff, figure it out. You don’t always need your brother by your side do you?? Can’t live without him? Please. Grow up. 
• Dear Goran, it’s OK to be good again. I know you’re intimidated by the man-child Hassan in the showers – but it’s OK, you’re a white guy. It’s supposed to be that size. Just go out and play basketball. Lob the ball to Hassan. 
• Speaking of Hassan, how about passing the ball a couple of times? Your 4/33 ATO is Yinka Dare like. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dareyi01.html. Yinka had 0 assists and 72 turnovers in the 95/96 season. Impressive, I know. You would think just one time you would pass to someone who would immediately score. Weird. 
• Dear Brooklyn, please recycle Jarrett Jack so young Mr. Larkin can have a go. On a side note, wouldn’t Jack be the perfect type of player for Philly to lead their group of youngsters? They have no veteran presence on that team and a guy like Jack would be perfect in my mind. Philly should acquire Jack and Tayshaun Prince (won titles, veteran presence, doesn’t need to play much) to teach…
• Hey Stanley Johnson – remember how you played in pre-season?? Play like that.

Idaho

• Dear Danny Green, why do you suck so much? You had a monster year last year and got paid this summer. Is that why you suck now? You went for $29 bucks at Auction and should probably be on the waiver wire. Please Santa, make Danny care about his JBL stats. 
• Dear Nerlens, please stop pretending to be in a Kid & Play You Tube video and get back to stealing and blocking. http://kentuckybasketballforum.com/site/posts/453/nerlens-noel-kid-can-play/
• Hey Cody Zeller, you realize you’re playing time is being blocked by Marvin Williams? It’s only Marvin Williams – it’s not Pau Gasol. Why can’t you be better than Marvin Williams? Come on Cody, pick it up.
• Dear Santa – please allow Jeremy Lamb to continue this ridiculous performance. He was once traded as part of the James Harden deal and has never amounted to Jack Squat before this season. Please allow him to continue to shoot 51 and 36 so that Idaho can continue to offer him in trades. 

Juan de Fuca

• Hi Santa, please allow this crop of Forwards to produce at unsustainable levels.
• Mr. Covington – carry on your pursuit of MIP and get 24 steals in a 4 game period.
• Dear Dr. Scholls – please continue to provide great arch support to Brook Lopez so he doesn’t have any foot issues. Your new comfort gel packs are obviously working wonders.
• Kyrie, please come back healthy to join one of the all-time JBL great 5-man guard lineups in recent memory (Kyrie, Harden, Knight, Lowry and Clarkson). Holy cow. 

Manhattan Beach

• Dear Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown) and all back to the future characters – please allow MBB to use your time machine so that we can go back in time to when Kobe, Rose, Noah, Mayo, Joe Johnson and Big Al were all fantasy forces. This is anywhere from 3-5 years ago depending on the player.
• Dear Nick Young – never stop jacking shots and celebrating (even when you miss) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG_wClmLUh8
• Andrew Wiggins – stay healthy and continue to get better - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCx43VS-9Do
• Dear Will Barton – keep up the surprisingly good work

Maui

• Dear St. John’s Ambulance staff – please send more bandaids for this roster. We’ve lost man games to AD, Rubio, Calderon, Gobert, Jones, Teague, Ginobili, Oladipo, and Korver. 
• Mr. Porzingis – keep up the great work please. With a $1 dollar price tag and a 5 year rookie contract he could be one of the best keepers in the JBL. His last 10 games? 16ppg, 10reb, 27 blocks while shooting 46/43%. Holy moly JBL fans.
• Father time – please continue to support Dirty Dirk with his very slow gradual decline. He’s averaging 17 and 7 while shooting 50/45/91. I think many of us thought he would regress big time this season. Father Time had other ideas.
• Hey Unibrow – 24 and 10? That’s it? Santa knows you can do better.

Norfolk

• It was all very rosey until Harrison got hurt. Please come back soon Mr. Barnes
• Hey Ty Lawson – do whatever you need to do to get back to your old ways. Do we need a beer advent calendar for you? Would that help?  http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/07/16/prosecutors-want-alcohol-monitoring-for-nuggets-ty-lawson/
• Aaron Gordon – this was supposed to be your breakout. It’s only Channing Frye and Andrew Nicholson – you can beat them. Can’t you?
• Hey Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Bangkok’s calling. Your last name is intriguing to them. 
• Hey Kemba – keep shooting 44/37 because those career averages are a long way down
• Mr. Duncan. You are the greatest PF to ever play – but 9 & 9? We were hoping for a little bit more scoring. Alas, you are awesome. Whatever you can provide, we’ll take. Stay healthy. Cheers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcZLLZU0OzI

Seoul

• D’Angelo – can you score more please? That goes for you too Horford, Wade, Wall and others.
• Mr. Wade – can you please stay healthy? And as mentioned, score a little more.
• Dear Thabo – please keep it up. You are the new Danny Green
• Mason Plumlee – you are awesome. Stocks, stocks, stocks. I love stocks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovUkATL4l_g
• Santa - Please bring me a 3 point gunner. 

South Surrey

• Dear Mr. Curry. While you are averaging 32-5-6 and shooting 52/56/94 with 2.4 steals per game and having probably one of the greatest fantasy seasons in recent memory – would it kill you to get a couple more blocks? You only have 3. Of course, we’re kidding. Just keep being the MVP every night.
• Jrue – time to suck it up and play more than 20 minutes a night. Take the bubble wrap off. Either you’re healthy or you’re not
• Luol and Tyson – yes, we know you’re getting old but seriously – time to play
• Jared Sullinger – keep eating those Subway sandwiches because you are still a very large man
• Hey Zach Randolph. You have 1 block. Clearly, you cannot jump. http://www.sbnation.com/2013/5/21/4354252/zach-randolph-matt-bonner-jump-ball

So, that’s it for me and the JBL Christmas wish lists. Enjoy the weekend.

The Penn & Teller Show...

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 1^st? 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 6^th 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 13^th 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.

All Things JBL

Well, it's almost the end of week 3 and I've been requested to jump in and make some comments about Mr. Rondo and his recent travels. So, let's get it at it by looking at the timeline of events...

• Brussels drafted Rondo for $18
• After a couple of stinkers to the start the season Rondo (and the injured Jabari Parker) were shipped off to Chilliwack for Myles Turner
• Immediately after arriving in Chilliwack, Rondo goes nuts and starts dropping triple doubles every night
• Furthermore, Turner breaks a bone in his hand/thumb and is gone for at least 4 weeks
• Benny leverages Rondo's recent success and trades Rondo, Parker, Josh Smith, and Luis Scola to the Arctic for Kevin Love and Jae Crowder
• Online chatter goes crazy about these trades and I get a request to Chronicle

So, now, that we're all up to speed...my thoughts and honest reactions...

For starters, let me just level set and say that I didn't like Rondo coming into this season. I didn't think he would work in Sacramento and I certainly didn't expect him to be Mr. Triple Double again. That's specifically why I drafted Darren Collison. I figured he would be the starting PG by December. I'm likely to be wrong with that prediction. 

Also, I loved Myles Turner as a Rookie pick. I was hoping he would fall to me in the draft. I think he has a lot of future potential. I think he will be starting in Indy by the end of the season. 

Despite my hatred of Rondo and love for Turner, I was surprised to see a 2 for 1 from Brussels. I could buy Rondo for Turner as you would be believing that Rondo was going to stink and Turner was going to blossom. The wrinkle was the addition of Parker to the deal. He's a wild card too. He's recovering from ACL surgery and his role in Milwaukee is somewhat cloudy. It appeared they were grooming him to be their #1 option last year and all of a sudden he is barely a #3 behind the Alphabet and Monroe. But still, this 2 for 1 deal was a big gamble. We all know it's back-fired.

So Turner is done for a bit and this deal will now associate Brussels to potentially one of the most lopsided deals in JBL history. Timmy swung for the fences but went all Rob Deer and missed. We all remember the Penny Hardaway for Dan Majerle and Mugsy Bogues deal. At least in that one, Penny was at least the best player in the deal. Unfortunately in this one, Turner was the 3rd best player in the deal (for now). 

Benny got a few big games from Rondo and shipped him off to the frozen tundra in the Arctic in exchange for big man Kevin Love.  Yes, some other pieces were involved. As pointed out on social media, this essentially makes the trade for Benny as Myles Turner for Kevin Love. So, yes, this is a good, no great, swap for Chilliwack.

Benny's forward line now has Durant, George, Draymond, Love, Crowder and soon Chandler Parsons. An excellent front line. I repeat, excellent. However, it has to be to make up for the center combination of Alex Len and John Henson. Benny needed the big rebounder because his top rebounder, prior to the deal, was the undersized PF Paul George at just over 8 per game. Benny needed boards. Let's not understate the value of Crowder here either. He is currently leading the league in steals and has that DeMarre Carroll feel about him (could it be the hair?).  That being said, he needs a compass to find the hoop (currently shooting 34/26).

I see why Arctic made this deal as well. Arctic needed depth. After having to auto-draft the last half of the Auction he needed more guys who could start every week. Rondo, Jabari, and Scola should all be regulars for this squad. Also, Arctic was a very good rebounding team already and the loss of Love doesn't really hurt them. I still see them as a top 5 rebounding team. All 3 of those new starters should average around 7 boards a game. Not too shabby. So, I see why he wanted to make this deal. 

The big debate was who 'won' this trade?? There is a simple answer but it won't be a popular one - both teams. Arctic got what he wanted = depth and Chilliwack got what he wanted  = points and rebounds. Both teams improved their current rosters. Does it make either of them a contender? No, not yet. But it does help both teams in areas they needed to improve. 

I will say this about Kevin Love. He is really just a 2 category player. Love will help you in Points and Rebounds. He does not help you in FG%. He doesn't steal or block. His ATO, while it doesn't hurt you, it also doesn't really help you. And 3PT% - sometimes he's hot, sometimes he's not. He's a 36.1% career shooter from downtown so that's not spectacular. The Wack is strong in 3PT% so Benny is hoping that Love helps and doesn't hinder. I like Kevin Love, but he's not the superstar PF that he used to be when he was averaging 26 and 13. 

People ask, Johnny, but which side of the deal would you want?? Love/Crowder or Rondo/Parker/Scola/Smith?? Give me an answer. My answer would be  - depends on who else is on my team. Let's say this was at the Auction and I could have added these players to my set of keepers. My keepers were Drummond, Whiteside, Gasol and Leonard. All bigs. So, at that stage of the game, I would prefer the side that gives me the triple-double point guard. If I was light in rebounding and had 2-3 PG's already - I would pick the side with Love. All deals need to be looked at from a team's needs - not by simply who the best players are. Sorry, boring answer, but that's how I see it.

What else is going on around the JBL. Some quick thoughts...

• 3-6-4 - we have our 3 tiers of teams right now. Those will change.
• Maui has been devastated by injuries. My pre-season favourite is really struggling as Davis, Gobert, Jones, Oladipo, etc have all missed time due to injury. Watch out for this team when they get healthy. 
• What would Steph Curry go for at Auction today? Right now? Would you spend over $100 bucks? You better say yes to that. He's having a monster year. He could be worth $120 bucks! No, I'm serious. 
• As I type this, Bangkok is in 4th...he must be splooging all over himself
• 4th to 8th currently separated by 35 points. 
• 1st to 3rd just 23 points apart. I love the parity. 
• Why do fans in Philly even go to the games? I wouldn't pay money to watch that.
• Boban Marjanovic - google images. 7'3, 290, and pretty as an angel

My last request is for every owner that reads the Chronicles is to update their 'On the block' with 3 players you'd be willing to listen to offers for. Because, really, we all need more offers from Idaho.

Welcome to the 25th JBL Season

Well, we are just a day away from the start of the 2015/16 NBA season. More importantly, we are a day away from the start of the 25^th JBL season.  Not since the 20^th year have we had as many owners in one place as 8 of us ventured downtown to hold the draft inside a swanky Level boardroom. Unfortunately, once we left, they are going to need to steam clean the walls (I think Trevor and I left a lasting impression through our beef jerky inspired flatulence) and also clean the carpets due to Woo’s hamster-like approach to eating spitz.  

We also saw an old school methodology as Bangkok relied on a magazine for his player education. I didn’t think they actually printed magazines anymore. 

I thought, since this is our 25th Season and I had some words of encouragement, that I should bring back the JBL Chronicles. My take on everything JBL so that 12 other readers can laugh, cry, and argue over my opinions. 

So, without further ado, I thought I would take you through my observations and my take on some of the teams and picks…

I love the fact that Chris Barnes (South Surrey) drafted Matt Barnes and almost got Harrison Barnes. You know I’m a sucker for theme teams.I also love that Barnes took the first two players nominated (Curry & Paul) for $145. This obviously gave him some time to go make dinner for his family.

We had a much better time with the CBS draft room this year – only a couple of auto-pilots and those were due to Norfolk spending too much time researching instead of being active in the draft room. I think Norfolk should be grateful for Trev’s extra laptop usage otherwise he would have been drafting from his phone. A lesson for next year – I-Pads don’t work for this draft. My other take away would be is make sure you know who you are nominating next so you don’t get stuck with someone you don’t want.

Arctic was aggressive early as he had to get to the annual Haunted House show at Potters. He had Westbrook, Aldridge, Howard, and Love in about 20 minutes before auto-draft took over and landed him such gems as KG, Diaw, Blake, and Bargnani. At least we know Arctic will be busy on the waiver wire. I think we can expect to Steve Blake, Frye and Diaw looking for homes pretty quickly. But you never know with the Arctic – maybe Bargnani was targeted? This team can certainly rebound with the horses he’s brought in. He’ll need to be crafty on the waiver wire and pick up some more gems to go with the core.

Once again, Golden didn’t feel the need to use all of the $260 budget and left a lot of money ($22 bucks) on the table. Thank goodness this team was loaded with keepers to start otherwise it would have been a disaster. That being said, a 3PT shooter is desperately needed with this bunch of shooters. Can Darren Collison (Johnny’s banking on a Rondo implosion) and Jeremy Lin become fantasy relevant again? Will Markieff Morris stay in Phoenix and stay out of prison? What will Hassan Whiteside do for an encore? Is he a one year wonder like Gerardo’s Rico Sauve or will he become something of a classic play-anytime Rick Astley ‘Never Gonna Give You up’? I can’t believe I’m actually looking forward to Tyreke’s return as I certainly need his scoring. Of course, I expect Bangkok to come calling for this perennial Fighter.

Seoul will be singing the Paul Simon song ‘You Can Call me Al’ to start the season as he’s paired Jefferson and Horford as cornerstones to the roster. He will also need to invest in a new hot tub as D-Wade and Mr. Parker will need to be monitored closely at their advancing ages. Will Seoul get some gems in Patterson and Plumlee?  I expect this to be a very good shooting team and I don’t see any glaring holes on the roster. The one thing missing, so far, is a quality volume 3PT shooter. This appears to be the year that Seoul re-establishes himself as a JBL title contender. Maybe Phil drafts better in a crowded room? Maybe he needs to be aromatically pleased with Maui arse smells? The banter that Seoul and Bangkok and produce in a draft room is simply amazing.

Norfolk is a student of the JBL game. Know how I can tell? Because Norfolk and Golden had bidding wars on deep sleepers – that tells me Norfolk does his homework. The question is whether guys like Aaron Gordon, TJ Warren, and Meyers Leonard will actually pan out. That being said, I’m a fan of the Norfolk approach. He got his blocks this year by nabbing Ibaka and Duncan. Norfolk now has a no-drinking policy in the locker room though to try and keep Mr. Lawson on the court. Lots of guys on this roster with unknown performance levels this coming season. How will guys like Kemba, Jack, KCP and Afflalo pan out? And how will those guys shoot the basketball? Are there enough steals on the roster?

Dare I say that Maui is my favourite team after draft night? What is the weakness on this team? I know, having Unibrow for $30 bucks is a luxury but the guys Trevor added at the Auction are perfect compliments to the roster. He has the bigs to rebound, block and FG% (AD, Gobert, Vucevic, Jones, Dirk). He has 3PT shooters (Korver, Gordon, Calderon). He has steals and ATO (Rubio, Teague, Oladipo, Calderon). Well done Mr. Stinky Pants Arksey. Seriously, his arse almost set off the smoke detectors. He stank. Which is the opposite of what he did with his roster. This is a 7 category team. This ladies and gentleman, is my #1 ranked team coming out of the Auction and the early favourite for the JBL title.

MBB went the classic route of golden oldies. He’s taking a major risk with Kobe and Rose. I know Rose isn’t technically old but let’s face it – he’s got the knees/body of a 56 year old. MBB is also Laker heavy with Kobe, Bass, and Swaggy P on board. But let’s not forget to mention that MBB does employ Lebron, John Wall, and Klay Thompson. If everyone stays healthy, this has the potential to be a high scoring team. The weakness of this team appears to be rebounds and blocks. That being said, this could be MBB’s best team yet. Unfortunately, that doesn’t say much about their history. A potential gem or early waiver-fodder is Jeremy Lamb. He could either be Charlotte’s answer at SG or he could be a bench player. If it’s the latter, then I could see Lamb and Mayo on the waiver wire pretty quick.

South Surrey is anchored by the Steph Curry & Chris Paul combination. He also spent big bucks on Jrue Holiday who has major injury concerns. If Jrue could only stay healthy. The big men on this team aren’t overly imposing with Towns and aging veterans Zach Randolph and Tyson Chandler leading the way. The only thing I don’t see a lot of at this stage is rebounds and blocks. Are there enough bigs to compete? ATO and both FG% and 3PT% shouldn’t be a problem for this group and I definitely think this team will finish much, much higher than they did in their rookie campaign. This team takes my dark horse contender pick post-Auction.

Juan de Fuca was already stacked with keepers (Harden, Marc Gasol, Knight) so his draft secured him hometown Jenny Craig poster-boy Kyle Lowry. He also took breakout candidates like Smart, Porter, Aminu, and Tristan Thompson. His center combo of Gasol and Brook Lopez could be the best duo in the JBL (if Brook stays healthy). As usual, not a lot of glaring holes on this roster. He does have quite a few guys who like to shoot 2-3 times from downtown every game and that could be a negative on the 3PT%. Juan, as recent history shows, should be a contender again.

Bangkok had his magazine working. Not sure if Rick realized it was from 1998. Rick paired Blake Griffin with Derrick Favors as his twin-towers to go with other solid assets like Batum, Conley, MCW, and George Hill. This team is not lacking big man depth with Cauley-Stein, Mozgov, Nurkic and Kanter available in the pivot. The Kok has the necessary wild cards on this roster with Stephenson and Lavine as great unknowns. I see this as a strong ATO team with some good PG’s and extra ATO from Blake and Batum. I don’t actually see any glaring weaknesses on this team at this time. The only concern could be roles and playing time for guys like Beverley (loses time to Lawson), Nene (loses time to Humphries) and Wesley Mathews (still recovering from Achilles surgery). As usual, Rick’s drafted a ‘nice team’ but I don’t see anything special. They appear to be middle of the pack in every category – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but it also isn’t necessarily a good thing either. I’m thinking Tricky Rick will be active in the trade market as usual.  

Brussels had the most money coming into the Auction. Why? As Tim pointed out several times during the draft, he finished last and wasn’t able to protect anyone. So Timmy paired Cousins and Millsap as his big guns. Cousins could be one of the biggest fantasy superstars if he could put everything together. Of course, he could also kill George Karl and end up sharing a cell with Aaron Hernandez by Week 4. I look at this roster and I have many questions. Was the baby shower next door distracting? Will Reggie Jackson earn his 80 million? Will Mirotic be able to score consistently? Will Rondo (along with Boogie and George) be able to co-exist? Will Marcus Morris stay out of prison and hold of Stanley Johnson? Will Burks and Chandler become regular fantasy contributors? Will Teletovic and Cody Zeller be able to earn big minutes? What will Jabari Parker’s role be on the deep Milwaukee roster? Could this be the worst FG% shooting team? Can anyone shoot over 50% for the year? I see lots of guys with potential and I think Timmy is crossing his fingers that all of the gambles pay off.

Chilliwack must have loved the 3pm PST start time. Benny already had KD and Paul George on the roster to start the night. Of course, he could have had Draymond Green for $9 bucks as a keeper but did re-draft him for the smooth price of $44 dollars. The lone PG on this team is the aging Deron Williams. What kind of year will he have on a regressing (my thinking) Dallas team? This team is stacked with 3PT gunners employing Danny Green (won in a classic bidding war with Golden), JJ Redick, and JR Smith. The Wack is doing some wishing at the well with the likes of Ed Davis, Josh Smith, Alex Len, John Jenkins, and the $21 dollar gamble John Henson. What sort of roles will these guys carve out? And of course, we have to mention the health of KD and George – can they stay healthy and return to form? My hunch is a resounding YES for both of them. As usual, the Wack will be in contention and cursing me for tempting the JBL Gods about the healthy return of KD and PG13.

French Lick will score more points than anyone else. Mark it down. In pen. This team could average close to 17ppg (which is insane). I also think they are really good in the steals department. As you know, anyone who can win scoring (260 points for 1^st in the category) is likely going to be able to compete. One question I have about the current roster would be around the 3PT jackers (Lillard, Ariza, Ellis, etc) on this team that could bring the percentage down (as well as the FG%). Some questions around the type of years that David Lee and Julius Randle will have (will they play and rebound enough?)  Also, will everyone’s (except Rick because he hadn’t read that far in the magazine) breakout candidate CJ McCollum live up to the hype? French had good keepers to start the night and only built on it so I would consider this team a contender for the JBL title yet again.

Idaho has a lovely singing voice as witnessed by anyone who was in the draft room. He also likes guys who rebound apparently. This is a big team with the likes of Monroe, Noel, Hibbert, Valanciunas, and Faried on the boards. This team doesn’t have much ATO currently (awaiting Kyrie’s return) as he has only Jerian Grant (draft night deal) as a PG on the roster. My questions – what type of year does Ryan Anderson produce? Will Kevin Martin be fantasy relevant in Minnesota or does he get traded to a contender? Will Ben McLemore become a factor – or does he fade away in Sactown purgatory? Can Hibbert rekindle any magic in Laker-gold? Tuna is expecting a return to glory and hopes Roy can put up $40 dollar value. I have lots of questions about this roster but it’s also very solid in Points (Carmelo), rebounds and blocks. The one thing you know for sure about an Idaho team is that what it looks like now is NOTHING to what it will look like by Christmas. Tuna is the MOST active JBL owner we have.

My top 5 contenders coming out of the Auction - Maui, Golden, French Lick, Juan, Seoul.

My dark horse team out of the gate - South Surrey.

My top 3 teams with work to do - Brussels, Arctic, Manhattan Beach

So, there you have it. My early take on the 25th JBL season. I wish everyone the best of luck and thank you all for being apart of the greatest Fantasy Basketball League around. 

The JBL Constitution...

1.0 Administration

1.1 JBL shall contract CBS Sportsline as the official website and stat keeping service for the league.  The cost of this service shall be funded from league entrance fees.

1.2 The Constitution shall be reviewed annually at the JBL Annual Meeting. The JBL Annual Meeting shall be held annually at a date determined by the JBL Commissioner upon the conclusion of the NBA playoffs.

1.3 The JBL Constitution may only be altered by a formal league owner vote. 75% of the league votes are required to institute a new rule change.

1.4 League officers shall be nominated and voted for each year at the JBL Annual Meeting. Officer appointments shall be for a term one year. A JBL owner can be appointed to a position for an unlimited number of consecutive terms. 

1.5 Officer positions include: Commissioner, Treasurer, Secretary, Director of Expansion, and Director of Idaho Trade Management.  The position of JBL Commissioner shall be held by John Edwards.  This is a lifetime appointment.  He cannot resign.  He cannot be fired.  The league is stuck with him.

1.6 JBL Commissioner is responsible for enforcing the JBL constitution. 

1.7 Treasurer is responsible for the payment of league expenses and performance pay-outs and collection of entrance fees.

1.8 At each annual meeting, the league will confirm by way of vote that Idaho is a douche bag.

1.9 Rule change votes must be preceded by a discussion period. All league owners shall be allowed to express an opinion for consideration during this discussion period. The vote shall not take place any less than 7 days after the conclusion of the discussion period.  The wording of the vote cannot be prejudicial to either side of the argument and should only state the facts of the rule.  The discussion period can be (and is encouraged to be) highly prejudicial.  Name-calling is encouraged.

1.10 League entry fee is $100

1.11 Performance payouts shall by the total league revenue (less expenses) and will be allocated as follows: 1st place: 50% 2nd place: 25% 3rd place: 15% 4th place: 10%.

1.12 All owners agree to abide by the practices of fair play inherent in fantasy sports. (The Brussels pledge)

2.0 The Auction

2.1 The draft shall take the form of an auction format.

2.2 Each team shall have $260 to spend to collect 15 players.  Teams must have a roster of 15 players by the end of the Auction

2.3 Players are auctioned off by each team taking a turn to select a player for auction. The auction order follows the proceeding year's standings. League champion nominates the 1st player for auction; then 2nd place; and so on.

2.4 Unless Phil Woo is hosting the auction, he is required to be at least 30 minutes late.  Owners on the east coast shall be required to wait for Phil Woo no matter how early they need to get up in the morning.

3.0 Trades

3.1 In-season trading is allowed between the moment after the conclusion of the draft until the season's trading deadline. The next JBL season begins once all teams have reduced their team rosters to the maximum allowable (must be done by October 1st).

3.2 A trade of any combination of players and any combination of teams is permissible so long as that by the end of the current scoring period each team is (a) equal or below the salary cap, (b) equal or above the salary floor, and (c) is in compliance with the roster position rules

3.3 Trades involving collusion are a serious JBL offense. The intent of any trade must be to strengthen the current or future roster of the JBL team. Stupid trades are permissible and are punishable only by public ridicule. 

3.4 The keeper trade deadline is the NBA All-Star weekend.  The deadline may be altered during shortened NBA seasons at the discretion of the JBL Commissioner.

3.5 The JBL trade deadline is the last Sunday of March every year.

3.6 Offseason trading begins on October 1st and will be suspended at the start of the JBL Auction.

3.7 Teams cannot trade players for FA dollars.

3.8 Teams cannot trade rookie draft picks for FA dollars.

3.9 Teams can trade players for future rookie picks (only one year into the future though). 

3.10 All trades involving future rookie picks will be tracked on the JBL website.

4.0 Free Agency

4.1 Each team shall have $130 to use throughout the NBA season to bid on free agency players.

4.2 Free agent dollars cannot be traded for players or rookie draft picks.

4.3 Free agent winning bids that are $10 and under will become the players JBL salary (unless that player was initially drafted at auction - then the player retains his Auction price as his JBL salary). 

4.4 All winning free agent bids over $11 will equate to a $10 FA salary. (unless the player was drafted at Auction - he retains his Auction price)

4.5 Teams shall be entitled to bid on free agent players throughout the week and players will be awarded to the highest bidder on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights throughout the season.

4.6 $0 bids are not allowed.

4.7 All free agents signed during the course of the JBL/NBA season must play a minimum of 20 regular season NBA games in order to be eligible for protection the following year.

5.0 Protection

5.1 Teams finishing 1st to 4th in the standing can protect up to 4 players for the next season.

5.2 Teams finishing 5th to 8th in the standings can protect a maximum of 3 players the next season.

5.3 Teams 9th & 10th in the standings can protect up to 2 players the next season.

5.4 Teams finishing 11th and 12^th in the standings can protect 1 player the next season.

5.5 Teams finishing 13^th in the standings shall not be entitled to have any keepers the next season.

5.6 Players can be protected for a $5 dollar bump in the previous years' JBL salary.

5.7 In order to be eligible for protection - the player must on a JBL team's roster by All-Star weekend and remain there for the remainder of the season.

5.8 Players can be protected to year 3 - after that - they go back into the auction. Rookies drafted in the JBL Rookie Lottery are eligible for 5 years of protection (provided they remain on a JBL roster at all times)

5.9 Any player (even injured) is eligible for protection if he was drafted at auction. 

5.10 All free agents signed during the course of the JBL/NBA season must play a minimum of 20 regular season NBA games in order to be eligible for protection.

5.11 Roster limits expire on October 1st and teams can begin to make trades (of players and/or current year or next year draft picks).

 6.0 Offseason Activity

6.1 All players in the final year of their contract or acquired after the keeper deadline will be released following the end of the JBL/NBA season.

6.2 By July 1^st, JBL teams will reduce their roster to a maximum of 10 players.

6.3 By September 1^st, JBL teams will reduce their roster to a maximum of 6 players.

6.4 The JBL Lottery will be held sometime in the offseason but prior to October 1st.

6.5 At least 2 JBL owners must be in attendance for the JBL Rookie Lottery to be official.

6.6 By October 1^st, JBL teams will reduce their roster to the maximum number of protection spots available to their team.

6.7 October 1^st, once all roster cuts have been made - the JBL offseason trading opens and the JBL rookie draft commences (roster limits expire).

6.8 The JBL rookie draft shall be held sometime between October 1^st to October 12^th.  The exact date shall be determined by the JBL Commissioner.

6.9 JBL teams are allowed to release a player up to 24 hours prior to the Auction start time (this would usually be due to injury).

7.0 Rookie Lottery

7.1 The Rookie Lottery will be held sometime during the summer months.

7.2 Beginning in 2012, JBL teams will receive the same number of lottery balls as their finish in the JBL standings the year before. (ie. 1st place gets 1 ball; 6th gets 6 balls; and 13th place gets 13 balls). This is a weighted Lottery.

7.3 The lottery will take the format of a true lottery. 1st ball out gets 1st pick. 2nd ball out gets 2nd pick, etc

7.4 On October 1st (or thereabouts), once all roster cuts have been made - the rookie draft begins.

7.5 The team with the #1 pick has 24 hours to pick a rookie player or trade the pick.

7.6 Each team will announce their pick on the JBL website or inform the League Commissioner and he will post the pick or trade announcement.

7.7 Rookie salaries will be $15-12-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-1 from picks 1 to 13.

7.8 Each JBL team must either select a NBA rookie or trade the pick. 

7.10 The rookie must be from the current NBA rookie crop (selected from 1 to 60 from the last NBA Draft)

7.11 JBL teams are allowed to select a rookie and then after the rookie draft is complete - the JBL team can release him. The rookie goes back into the Auction - available for any team at any price (i.e. the rookie salary structure does not apply).

8.0 Rookie Lottery Protection

8.1 Any rookie selected in the Lottery is initially eligible for 5 years protection

8.2 The rookie cannot be released from a JBL roster at any time (during the NBA or offseason) or the 5 year window is broken.

8.3 The rookie can be traded and still be eligible for 5 years protection.

8.4 Rookies eligible for this 5 years protection can easily be identified in the Contract column through a status of R1, R2, R3, R4, Final over the years.

8.5 Standard $5 dollar salary bumps apply each year

8.6 Standard protection requirements also apply (must be on your roster before the All-Star break)

8.7 Any NBA rookie selected at Auction is not eligible for 5 years protection. Standard rules apply. The 5 year keeper rule is only available for those rookies selected in the Rookie Draft.

9.0 Scoring

9.1 Points 20 Rebounding 15 FG% 13.3 3PT% 13.3 ATO 13.3 Steals 13.3 Blocks 13.3

9.2 Ranked 1-13 in each category

9.3 Category value x inverse rank

9.4 Scoring is YTD accumulation of stats in each category

9.5 Players accumulate stats for a team during periods when they are placed in a starting roster position

9.6 Tie breakers in the standings - head to head in the 7 categories - best team wins. If, for some reason, the teams are tied in one category then it moves to the team with the most 1st place categories. If still tied, the most 2nd place categories, and so on.

10.0 Rosters

10.1 At the conclusion of the annual JBL Auction, teams must have 15 players (combo of Auction players and keepers). No more than $260 is to be spent at Auction & Protection.

10.2 During the season, JBL teams must have a minimum of 12 players (starters) and could have a  maximum of 16 players (12 starters, 3 bench, 1 injured)

10.3 Each week teams must start 12 players. The combination must include 4-6 Guards, 4-6 Forwards and 1-2 Centres

10.4 Position eligibility is determined by CBS Sportsline

10.5 A JBL teams salary, at the start of every scoring week, must not be less than $200 and no more than $300.

10.6 An injured players’ salary does not count against the $300 dollar salary cap maximum. 

10.7 An injured players’ salary can be used to get to the salary cap floor.

10.8 If a JBL team is over the salary cap and cannot get under the $300 dollar threshold by the start of the next scoring period - they must release any number of player(s) to get under the salary cap while maintaining all other roster requirements. If the JBL team refuses to do so - the JBL Commissioner will have the power to make any roster moves required (add/drops). 

10.9 If a JBL team is under the salary cap floor ($200) by the time the next scoring period begins - they must make any necessary roster moves to get to the floor. That would include adding Free Agents or making trades. If the JBL team doesn’t have any Free Agent dollars to use to sign free agents - trades must be made. The JBL team will be given one week grace period to get to the $200 floor. If they fail to get to the $200 dollar salary cap floor, the penalties shall be:

Free Agent dollars penalty (example: a JBL team’s salary is $190. He is $10 dollars under the floor. Each week he remains under the floor the JBL Commissioner will deduct whatever amount he is under the floor (in this example $10 bucks) off of his remaining Free Agent dollars under his Free Agent bank is empty...

If the JBL has no Free Agent dollars remaining - the JBL team will be given a one week grace period to get to the $200 dollar minimum. If they fail to do so through trades - they will forfeit their rookie pick in the following year.

10.10 For a player to be eligible for the ‘Injured Reserve’ spot on a JBL roster - he must have a ‘medical sign’ beside his name at the start of the scoring period.

10.11 If a player begins the week on ‘Injured Reserve’ and then gets healthy during the week - the JBL team must move him to a reserve/active role and adjust their roster accordingly.