Early Extension Updates

After some more discussion, tweaking the idea slightly...

• If teams signed players to the EE in the first 3 season for rookies (R1, R2, R3) or the first two seasons for any other player (Year 1, Year 2) - then the salary/keeper bump would only be $3 dollars (instead of $5)

Example: If the Wack signed Morant to his extension right now, he would be able to protect Morant for $15 (R2), $18 (R3), $21 (R4), $24 (R5) and $27 (R6).

Current rules, Morant would be $17 (R2), $22 (R3), $27 (R4), and $32 (R5)

• Still need to develop what the penalty would be if you had an EE player but no keeper spots (loss of rookie pick and/or loss of Auction dollars?)
• Also, realizing that a player could be signed to EE contract at any point in the season (standard keeper rules in place - if you want to protect a player for next season they must be on your roster by the end of NBA All-Star weekend). So, a team could sign a player, who met that condition, to the EE contract in March/April. I don't see why that couldn't happen. 

Based on feedback, we will float the idea to see if it's worthy of further rule development.

We would need 75% (or minimum 11 of 14 owners) to agree to the development of the Early Extension rules.

The Early Extension Idea...

With JBL XXX only 10 months away, I was thinking about any tweaks or things we could do to spark up the JBL. Plus, with Golden languishing in 9^th, I’ve got some time on my hands.

My idea stems from thinking about keepers and our protection rules. It also stems from looking at NBA contracts and some of the horrible ones out there (Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, etc). For those NBA contracts, GM’s took a chance and locked up guys for the long term, regardless of injury concerns or the likelihood that the player’s performance would regress as they got older. Some work out great and some work out horrible. Some players, like Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are on super cheap deals while other players, Christiano Felicio and others have signed long term monstrosities. 

So is there anyway we could incorporate something like this into the JBL world?

Currently, at the end of each season, JBL teams are able to protect players. How many depends on where the JBL team finishes in the standings. I’m not looking or suggesting any modifications to the number of keepers per team. 

Currently, any player being protected gets a $5 dollar bump on his JBL salary. JBL teams decide on who they want to keep over the summer months. We watch what that the NBA teams are doing and whether that player is going to be a good value or not. As the JBL Auction approaches, a team can simply drop the player if they don’t want to protect him at that price or if the player suffers an injury. The risk is low for a JBL team in the current set-up.

But what if JBL teams could decide on a keeper right now? What would the benefit be to the team? What would the risks be? 

So here's my idea in a nutshell. I'll then walk you though some scenarios.

I call it...the Early Extension (EE).

• A JBL team can sign one player, per JBL season, to an Early Extension contract
• This essentially signs the player for the life of his JBL contract
• It also adds one year to the life of the contract (rookies can go to R6 and players drafted at Auction or signed as a Free Agent can go to Year 4)
• These players cannot be released (they can be traded) 
• The only way these players are not on a JBL roster for the following season is because the JBL team did not have a keeper spot available (then penalties would be applied)

Read on for some different scenarios...and some Q & A

Let’s use Idaho and DeAndre Ayton. Clearly, Idaho is going to keep Ayton for next season (assuming he doesn’t trade him). Currently, Ayton is $20 bucks so his salary for next season will be $25 and this will be his R3 season and then R4 for $30 and so on... 

So here’s me spit-balling on a way to spice things up and make things interesting.

What if Idaho had the ability right now to sign Ayton to his full rookie deal? Essentially, signing him for the life of his rookie contract. The player would still keep their current salary for this season (Ayton would still be $20 bucks). However, if Idaho traded Ayton, it would mean whoever is acquiring him HAS to keep Ayton as well (in this case, it’s a no-brainer for the club acquiring him because of Ayton’s current salary). It also would mean that if Ayton blows his knee tomorrow, Idaho still HAS to keep Ayton for next season and beyond. It would be the same for any other jBL team acquiring him.  Ayton essentially has to be protected by whatever club he ends up with. 

Q. What if the JBL team finished so low in the standings they had no keeper spots?

A. Let’s look at Bellingham’s current state. Last place gets you no keepers. Currently, he has John Wall for $4 bucks. So let's say the Ham N Eggers announce they are signing Wall to his extension right now. But at the end of the year, he’s still in last and gets 0 keepers. Then what? One option would be to say since you signed Wall to his extension and ended up in spot where you can’t protect anyone – you forfeit your rookie pick in the upcoming rookie draft.  Would Bellingham want to risk that? Last place gets you 14 lottery balls and the chance to get the #1 rookie pick at a $15 dollar salary – or the chance to keep John Wall for $9 and then $14 and then $19.. Would that make the risk worth it? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on the crop of rookies and how strongly you felt about your chances to get out of last place.

So in that scenario, let’s say Bellingham signs Wall to his early extension and hopes he can move up from 14^th place. Let’s say they still finish last. Because he’s signed Wall to the early extension, he would forfeit his rookie draft pick. He doesn’t get to keep Wall (because last place gets 0 keepers). But is there an additional penalty required? Reduce his $260 budget for the next season’s Auction? Or is losing the rookie pick penalty enough? I discuss further penalty options below. 

So why would Bellingham or any team near the bottom of the standings take the risk to sign anyone to an early extension? The benefit/appeal would be the trade market appeal as it would significantly increase his keeper value if the Ham N Eggers were to trade him. What team wouldn’t want to take on Wall and get the extra year? This will of course be a major negative for some JBL owners that don’t want to see the injured players (Wall, Durant, Klay, Oladipo, Nurkic, etc) drafted at Auction at all due to their significantly reduced Auction price.

Q. Why just let JBL teams sign 1 player to this Early Extension?

A.  We want to try and keep a level playing field. Top teams get more keepers and allowing them to sign multiple players to an extra year gives them more chance of sustained success. That’s why I’m suggesting, for the initial role out of this idea, that each JBL team can only sign 1 player to the ‘early extension’ per JBL season starting in the 20/21 JBL season. If we like the idea and work out all the ‘what-if’ scenarios, then I would propose we expand the number of potential EE deals in future seasons. 

Q. My team finished 13th and I get 1 keeper. I have one player signed to an Early Extension deal and another, better, keeper option. Can I keep the other player? 

A. No, if you have a player signed to an Early Extension deal - you must keep that player for the next season.

This brings in some risk and excitement around signing guys to long term deals and having to work around contracts. Look at the Pistons and Blake Griffin or OKC with Chris Paul. It makes it interesting trying to build a roster where you have a player who is really tough to move. 

Q. Can teams make trades for other Early Extension players?

A. Yes. here's a scenario.

What if Idaho signed Ayton to his early extension and Maui has signed Isaac to his early extension. So, 1 early extension for each JBL team as per my suggested guideline. And then let’s say Idaho acquires Isaac from Maui. Now Idaho has 2 players on ‘early extension’ deals. Is that allowed? I would say yes because Maui was the team who signed Isaac to the extension. Now, I would also say that since Maui signed Isaac to the early extension that Maui cannot go and sign another one of his players to an ‘early extension’ deal. He used the option on Isaac for this season. Again, I’m suggesting each JBL team can only use 1 early extension offer per JBL season. 

This of course also means that Idaho must protect both Ayton and Isaac for the coming season. 

If the proposal is adopted, over years, teams would ultimately likely have more than 1 player signed to EE deals and would have to carefully navigate the world of long term deals, where their team is going to finish in the standings, etc. 

What about a player who is in the FINAL year of his JBL contract and is due to go back into the JBL Auction in October? I would propose that any player that is in the final year of his JBL contract, is ineligible to be signed to an ‘early extension’. 

The idea of the ‘early extension’ keeper has no other impact on the current keeper rules in place in terms of the number of keepers per team or salary bumps ($5). In order to be eligible for any type of protection, players must be on their JBL team by the February NBA All-Star weekend. I would suggest the same time period for the Early Extension deals to be signed and to be acquired. It would also mean that these EE players cannot be traded after the All-Star weekend (because they need to be protected and any player traded after the keeper deadline is ineligible for protection)

And of course, a JBL team does not have to sign any player to an Early Extension deal. It’s simply an option to lock up a player for an extra year if you wanted. 

Q. What are the penalties if I don't have enough keeper spots to keep a player signed on an Early Extension deal?

A. This is where I'm still in thinking mode. We could go with the idea that you forfeit your rookie draft pick. But, that could be such a low rookie pick that the owner does even care about losing it. So I was thinking it would be a double-edged penalty. Firstly, the JBL team loses their rookie pick and secondly, they lose the final year value of each Early Extension player from their $260 budget at the next Auction.

So, using the Ham N Eggers example above with John Wall. He is currently $4 bucks and let's say he's signed to his Early Extension. So that's $9 in the 2nd year, $14 in the 3rd year and now $19 in the 4th (extended year). And let's say Bellingham finishes last and gets zero keepers and can't keep Wall.  Ultimately, John Wall goes back into the Auction for the following draft.

Penalties that would apply:

1) Bellingham forfeits their rookie pick (which in this case would be 14 lottery balls and the chance at a really high pick)

2) They would also lose $19 bucks off the $260 limit for the next draft. The $19 bucks represents the 4th year salary of Wall. Essentially you can think of this as the buyout amount. 

OK, there are definitely more things to nail down, but that’s essentially my proposal/idea. Here’s the summary and highlights of the proposal (the finer details still to be detailed):

• Each JBL team can sign 1 ‘Early Extension’ deal with a player on their roster.
• The player is signed for the life of his JBL contract (regardless of what JBL team he plays for) and must be protected to the end of the JBL contract (unless the JBL team is unable to protect the player due to their finish in the JBL standings – penalties apply)
• Signing the ‘Early Extension’ adds one year to the player’s JBL contract. For rookies, it means they can go to R6 and for players drafted at auction or signed as Free Agents – they can go to Year 4.
• The player cannot be released from a JBL roster (even if he suffers injury)
• Each JBL team can only sign 1 player to an Early Extension deal per season
• Currently, if you want to protect a player for next season, the player must be on your roster before the NBA All-Star game. I would propose the same rules to apply for Early Extension players.
• The Early Extension deals must be confirmed before the end of NBA All-Star weekend (Sunday, midnight) 
• Also, this would mean that any player signed to an EE contract cannot be traded after the keeper deadline (to keep in line with current keeper rules).
• Any player in the FINAL (rookie or regular) year of his JBL contract is not eligible to be signed to an Early Extension deal
• A JBL team can trade for players on other teams signed to an early extension deal and have multiple players under this designation on their roster. However, they must protect these players and if they do not end up with enough keeper spots they will forfeit their rookie draft pick and potentially suffer other penalties (TBD). This would be the only scenario where a player signed to an Early Extension goes back into the Auction.

What else? Worthy of a discussion gents?

Week 6 Thoughts...

What a race we have this season gents. We have 4 teams currently above 900 points; an expansion team hovering around 900 and exceeding all expectations; another group in the 700’s hanging in there and then some other teams ready to make runs when they get healthy. Here’s what’s on my mind these days.

The Wednesday night performance by the Ham N Eggers was nothing short of spectacular. A few of you are sick and tired of me spewing about this performance, but I’m still going to ramble on. With 11 players, Bellingham ham scored 216 points (19.6 average) and grabbed 75 rebounds (6.6 per man). On top of that he had 11 steals (1 per player with is about right) and then shot, most impressively, 53% and 50% from the Field and downtown. Those percentages, while factoring in they scored over 200 points, are insane. 

I’m sure I’ll be proven wrong, but I highly doubt we see another night like that this season. Yes, we’ll see more 200 point nights (probably tonight) and we saw French grab 87 rebounds on Wednesday. But the combination of 200+ point, 75+ boards and 50%+ on both FG% and 3PT% is unlikely to be seen again in my opinion. So then you think, wow, the Ham N Eggers are an awesome team. What a night! They must be running away with the JBL. Nope. They are the last place team right now. 14th place. Amazing. Unreal to think that our last place team can have a night like that. OK, rant over.

Brussels is living the dream right now. Sitting on top of the JBL world. It’s a pretty cool feeling. Let’s face it, Brussels hasn’t been a contender in awhile. The last 5 years have been nothing short of dreadful. Back in 2013, Brussels finished 2nd so this fast start to this season is a welcome change. So how is he doing it? It starts with Luka. He’s been nothing short of sensational this year. He’s pretty much 30/10/10 with an ATO over 2.00 while shooting 48.7% from the field. Sure, he’ll never block many shots and his 3PT% needs work (32.9%) – but come on, what a line. And he’s only 20 years old!! Brussels can contend every year with Luka on his roster. 

Brussels also has many veterans playing very well right now. Aldridge, DeRozan, Horford, Paul, Bledsoe – all 30+ years old. And Richaun Holmes was a great FA signing for Brussels. Timmy is having a career season so far – let’s see if he can keep it up.

Idaho is strong contender again after re-working his roster after a somewhat questionable draft night. He was able to move Wiggins, Love, Kanter and acquired Jamal Murray and Paul George. He also wisely dropped Eric Gordon. Now he’s acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr and managed to get them performing again. He’s loving breakout and resurgent seasons from Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Jarret Allen. He’s got 900+ points and done all of this without the services of DeAndre Ayton. He could be adding back a 20/10 player in a couple of weeks. This is a scary team my fellow JBL owners. Watch out. Will be interesting to see how Idaho clears room on his salary cap this weekend. He’s $15 over but has many outs to make it work. Barring injuries this team should be a title contender yet again. Oh, and for 20/21 – Idaho can bring back Carter Jr, JJJ, RJ Barrett, and has Klay Thompson on the cheap. 

French Lick is always a contender. The defending champ is having another great season. He acquired Ben Simmons to help him out as a jack of all trades. He’s got his Celtic boys (Tatum, Brown, Hayward) all having great years – albeit he has to wait for Hayward to come back from injury again. I would think French is disappointed in Mitchell Robinson, Lord Covingtonand Gary Harris. I expected better from all of those guys. Statistically Pat Bev hasn’t been great – but man is he fun to watch. Love that dude. Kelly Olynyk, originally drafted by Golden, has been a very serviceable Free Agent signing lately. Hassan Whiteside has been hot and cold but certainly been about what was expected of him in Portland. Buddy Hield and Terry Rozier have been all over the map. One night great – the other night terrible. But both have their positives to bring to French.  I think that French, even with 948 points right now, is likely disappointed with his squad’s performance so far this season. That being said, he’s right there, has Hayward coming back soon, and has several underachievers. French will be in the hunt at the end of the year – you can back on it. 

I want to talk about this Cali Fornication team. Currently in 5thplace they have taken an approach to the JBL that we haven’t seen in a long time. They are completely punting PTS. I mean completely. They have Drummond at 17ppg and Gobert at 13ppg. EVERYONE else on their team is averaging single digits in scoring. Amazing. The team is averaging just over 9PPG. So how are they doing it? They are 2nd in 3PT%, 2nd in steals, 1st in FG%, 5th in rebounds and 6th in blocks. This is an amazing approach and so far it’s earned them 5th place. Can they go higher? Well, if they improve the ATO (currently 9th) – they have a chance. The one thing they won’t improve on is PTS – they are already 900 points behind the 13th place scoring team. It’s an interesting team to watch – especially with Victor Oladipo on his IR right now. How will they utilize him? Or is he trade bait? Or is he a great stash for the 20/21 season? Anyways, this Cali team, essentially coming back to the JBL as an expansion team, with no keepers, has exceeded all of my expectations so far this season. Well done to this conglomerate of owners. 

The Wack is hanging on. Someway, somehow. He’s lost Curry. He traded for Fox and lost him before he even had a chance to suit up for the Offs. He employs Dillon Brooks, Jordan Clarkson, Langston Galloway, Kris Dunn and Frank Kaminsky. Yet the Offs march on. How? Firstly, because Anthony Davis is having a monster year. Because KAT is also doing KAT-like things. It wouldn’t surprise me if KAT was the highest auctioned player next season. And Ja Morant – my Rookie of the Year. The kid has been outstanding for the Grizz/Offs this season. Over 19ppg, good assists, shooting 46/41 and getting 1.4 steals. Amazing production. While this Offs team certainly doesn’t have the name recognition of many JBL rosters – they are hanging around and still have a shot at the money spots. Winslow is just coming back from injury. Fox will be back next month. And Curry for the home stretch. Can the Wack get top 4? We’ll see.

Maui could certainly argue they have been hit the hardest by the injury bug. While the Wack lost Curry and Fox – Maui has lost man games from Bagley, LeVert, Ibaka, Ball, Porzingis, Capela, and others. Even as I type this Maui has 6 medical signs beside players – 4 of which are supposedly playing tonight. Capela has been a pleasant surprise. Many were shocked by his $69 dollar price tag but he’s been a rebounding machine lately to help Maui stay afloat. Jonathan Isaac is having a breakout season and could be one of the top keepers for 20/21. Maui’s had great performances from late round grabs Luke Kennard and Davis Bertans, while veteran Mike Conley has been disappointing. This Maui team, currently sitting 12th, is much better than that. I expect them to climb the JBL standings if/when they get healthy. And you know Trevor has the patience to wait it out. 

Oh Bangkok. What can I say? I had this squad as one of my favourite title contenders to start the year. So why is the Kokstruggling. I believe the biggest factor has been the play of Nikola Jokic. A top priced man at auction, the Joker has put up nice numbers. 16 and 10. Over a steal per game. Nice ATO. But when you spend big bucks – you can’t get “nice numbers. Also, Myles Turner was injured and has missed a lot of game. While Myles isn’t a superstar, his blocks have been sorely missed. Pascal Siakam has been a star and Donovan Mitchell has been great. It’s clear that, for now, the Kok won the Zion trade. Easy to say since Zion hasn’t played a game yet. Jrue Holiday, for me, has been disappointing. There were many people thinking he could be a MVP candidate this season. His numbers have been good – but not great. Jeff Teague has certainly been a disappointment this season. I think we all expected more. The other guys on the Kok roster have their moments (Hunter, Theis, RHJ, etc) but just not enough of them. Can the Kok move up the standings? Yes. Lots of time left in this JBL season. 

This JBL season is the most competitive year we’ve seen in a long time. Look at the recent years – the JBL champs have run away with the titles. Last year, French won by over 300 points. Right now, there are 8 teams within 300 points of 1st place. Uber competitive this year. Which is great. Love it.

This Golden squad is…..hmmmm….trying to find the right words. My current active roster is $111 bucks. I’ve got my big ticket items riding the pine due to injury and suspension. Based on JBL salary – Golden could be in the running for hardest hit by injury/suspension. I love watching Montrezl Harrell play. He’s the energizer bunny out there. Digging how Brandon Clarke looks in Memphis – but of course would love to see him get more minutes. SGA started fast and has started to fade but love his potential. And Kendrick Nunn was a real FA find for me. You all know I don’t usually spend big FA dollars but I’m sure glad I did on Nunn. The Bam for Fox trade obviously was good timing for Golden, not so much for the Wack. I could imagine where I would be if I still had Fox on my roster too. VanVleet wasn’t even on my list of guys to draft – I was just trying to jack the price on him because he’s a Raptor. That move turned out pretty good so far. The rest of the roster is a bunch of no names who do the little things well. It’s not the sexiest Golden roster but it’s doing enough to stay in contention right now while I wait for Kyrie, Otto, and Mr. Collins. 

Norfolk got off to a hot start this year. They were on fire. The last couple of weeks the fade has started. Many Norfolk guys were overachieving initially. Lately, the injuries to Aron Baynesand Ricky Rubio have been costly. Going into tonight, Norfolk has played the fewest man games. Always tough when that trend starts. OG Anunoby has been amazing this season and Sabonisexcelled when Myles was on the sidelines. Jimmy Butler is great – but continues to miss a game here and a game there. Will Barton is having a great bounce back season. And Spencer Dinwiddie has picked up his PTS and ATO in Kyrie’s absence. The good Doctor just needs to get healthy. We saw they were a really good team for the first few weeks so let’s see what happens in the next few weeks. Aron Baynes was a fantastic FA signing but Ayton’s return could squash that production. I think John Collins return may actually boost Trae’s numbers because Atlanta has really struggled as defenses put all their efforts into stopping him. Bradley Beal continues to put up monster numbers. I wonder if Beal could even be a keeper candidate for next season at $51 bucks?

This Jizzlies team is mid-tier right now and has been hit quite hard by the injury bug. Losing Vucevic and Favors really hurts. Also having the Draymond in and out of the GSW lineup has made it really hard for this squad to get any traction in the standings. I like Embiid, Millsap, and Booker – all having good years. IT3 has been a pleasant surprise too. I think DejounteMurray could be classified as disappointing so far – just like the Spurs season. There are a lot of similar guys on this roster putting up similar numbers. Did you know that Hood, Smart, Gay, Hardaway Jr, and Forbes are ALL averaging between 11.5 and 12.9 PPG? After I reviewed the rosters after the JBL draft there was always one name that stood out on this roster. Kevin Durant. To me, this 19/20 season was all about KD and the 20/21 season. This Vancouver squad has arguably the best keeper for 20/21. Whether they try to play that chip now and move up in the 19/20 standings is totally up to them. Can they get a record haul of players to contend right now? Or would they be wise to hold onto KD like a precious gem and go for the title in 20/21? I know what I would do….

Juan de Fuca is hanging around. As they always do. Giannis is having another MVP season. Could he actually be a keeper for next season? Juan also likely wins the FA signing of the year award with Devonte Graham. He’s at 18ppg, 2.29 ATO and shooting over 40% from downtown. Zach LaVine might still be a horrible defender on a really bad Bulls team – but he’s putting up good numbers again for Juan. Has Zach now officially become associated to Juan in the JBL? I think so. Kawhi has been really good – when he plays. Just hard to figure out the Clippers schedule these days. Malcolm Brogdon is another guy having a really good season – but also missing games. I would call Julius Randle a disappointment. Thought he would be closer to 20 and 10. Hachimura has been good, then not so good, then good again. Typical rookie. Will be interesting to see if he ends up in Juan’s future plans. Derrick White is another guy having a disappointing season – saying that about a few Spurs. Gasol is only averaging 6ppg but is still helping out elsewhere. At that PPG, Gasol should be a Cali player. Moe Wagner has been a nice find here in Juan as well. This squad is a nice mix of superstars and role players and I do think they can hang around and contend for a money spot. 

The Arctic has been quite active this season. An early season trade brought them Wiggins, Love and Kanter. Wiggins has been surprisingly good this season. Really good actually. Love has also been good but the missed games are starting to creep in. I’d be surprised if he ends the year in Cleveland. Some desperate team will likely take a shot at him (Portland?). Kanter has been injured so Arctic hasn’t been able to benefit from his rebounds. Glenn Robinson III has been a nice FA signing while Coby White also has his moments. Lou Williams is so fun to watch. The term ‘professional scorer’ is mentioned so often with him. How can I not mention James Harden and his 38PPG? He’s also grabbing over 6 boards and getting 1.6 steals. However, his 43% and 34% percentages at his high volumes are not helping. I like Bogdan Bogdanovic more in real life than in Fantasy. He’s still good I just wish the Kings were using him more – instead of signing Harrison Barnes for 80+ million – they could have had Fox, Hield, Bogie, Bagley, Holmes. That said, Bogie is a nice 6thman. D’Angelo Russel has put up big numbers, but because he’s a Warrior – he’s been injured and is missing games. I think we all scoffed at Arctic’s $40 FA bid to sign Carmelo. It was still too much, but is Carmelo actually JBL worthy again? He’s had a couple nice games in a row now. Lauri Markkanen is clearly a disappointment here. Seoul moved him on and now Arctic hasn’t been able to awaken the giant. Many had Markkanenapproaching a 20/10 season this year so his 13 and 7 while shooting 35/28 is really disappointing. 

Seoul is hovering around 700 points in the standings. This team can really score but everything else is up in the air. I know Seoul is anxiously awaiting the return of Zion. Like a sequel to a good movie, The Return of Zion, coming soon. Who has been Seoul’s best player so far this season? Is it Tristan Thompson? He’s far exceeding my expectations. Is it Tobias Harris? He’s having a great year except his 3’s are not falling. Is it Evan Fournier? How surprising is it that this balding Frenchman is scoring 18+ a game while shooting 42% from downtown? And can someone talk to Evan about his hair? He needs to fix it. It’s terrible. It’s like when Benny tried to keep things going up top before he realized what he looked like. Look at Harrison Barnes! I had no idea he was at 16 and 5 and shooting 50/40. Huh. Who knew? I would say Valunciunas has been disappointing. He’s at 13 and 10 but I think we expected him to be closer to 18ppg. Gallinari is playing alright in OKC – he’s surely going to be traded to a contender at some point. Aaron Gordon has been disappointing while Daniel House has been surprisingly good. Woo certainly misses his boy Kyle in the lineup too. And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Woo has added Garland to pair with Sexton. He’s got the Sexland backcourt. It’s god awful – but good for you Philly Woo. And you may have noticed I haven’t mentioned one particular player yet. Mr. Westbrook. While he’s scoring 22ppg and grabbing almost 8 boards and 1.6 steals – his other numbers are killers. He’s shooting 42/22 and his ATO is 1.58. Atrocious. I get what Seoul was trying to do but Seoul is now 12th in FG% and 13th in 3PT% - and we can all thank Westy for that. 

So, I’ve covered off all the JBL teams and my musings about each….how about some final random thoughts…

Which NBA will fire their coach first? I thought the Bulls would be better – so I’m wondering how long Boylen will last. If Popovich wasn’t the coach in San Antonio, I’d say he’d be in trouble –but there is no way they can fire the legend. They will likely make a trade first. Could DeRozan or Aldridge be on the move? I know LA12 said he’d love to finish his career with Portland. 

When will the Knicks fire Fizdale? What are they waiting for? Is Dwayne Casey safe in Detroit? They need to blow that team up. Drummond surely will walk this summer – why re-sign in that mess? All the other struggling teams are likely OK as their coaches try to build a roster. Atlanta and Memphis have good young rosters so why fire the coach. Charlotte is horrible – but what do you expect with that roster? No way GSW is moving on from Steve Kerr. Would Portland move on from Terry Stotts? No, don’t think so. But I can see them making a move for Love or LA12 if things don’t get better in a hurry.  

OK, that’s it for now. If you’ve read this far, hope you found it mildly informative and amusing.

The Wonders of Norfolk

How's he doing it Johnny?
He's been missing key guys and he's still right there?
Come on, how's he doing it?

All fair questions my friends.

What am I talking about? The wonders of Norfolk.

In Week 1, Jimmy Butler didn't play. In week 2, Trae Young sprained his ankle. So Norfolk has essentially been running at least one man short each week so far.

As we enter Week 3 can Norfolk keep up this magical start to the season? And how is he doing it?

This Norfolk team arguably doesn't have the 'star' power of many other JBL teams. But what they do have is a lot of really good players.

Domantas Sabonis is off to a roaring start. 22 and 11 and shooting 57%.
Trae Young, before his injury, was averaging 25ppg and shooting 50% and 50%.
OG Anunoby was a jack of all trades. Good FG%, steals, and blocks.

But Norfolk's big contributors consists of 3 players from the Phoenix Suns. And I'm not even talking about Devon Booker or DeAndre Ayton. I'm talking about Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre and Aron Baynes.

What a start these 3 Suns are off to. Baynes was plucked off the waiver wire and is putting up 15/6 while shooting 57/46.  Rubio is getting 2 steals a game and his ATO is almost 3.00. And Oubre is averaging 18 and 6 and shooting 48%. The Suns are off to a great start and Norfolk is benefitting big time.

Of course I haven't even touched on Jimmy Butler and Bradley Beal, Norfolk's dynamic duo. Jimmy Buckets is just getting going and we know Beal is going to score 25+.

So far, Norfolk is doing well in all categories and hasn't missed a beat despite a few injuries to some key guys.

We'll have to see if Norfolk can stand the test of time. We're only in week 3. Trae Young isn't going to shoot 50% from downtown so there will be some regression. Can his Suns keep it up? Can his boys get and stay healthy. This is the excitement of the JBL.

It's nice to see some new blood setting the pace early in the JBL's 29th season. Well done Norfolk. Well done.

Week 1 Observations

• Arctic off to a rough start. Having Harden shoot 24% and 12% at his high volume never helps. Meanwhile, Westbrook has actually been very good.
• Arctic does have a few players who are clinging to their JBL jobs after slow starts. I’m talking about you Malik Monk, Justin Holiday, and Trevor Ariza
• Has the Arctic turned Mr. Wiggins into a player? 25 points on Sunday on 50/40? 
• The Year of the Kok has started is off to a good start. Mitchell, Jokic, Siakam and Myles have all been very good. It looks like he’s found a potential gem in Coby White. 
• Jrue Holiday has surely been a disappointment considering his slow start and now some sort of knee injury
• And Zach Collins will never live up to Kok’s lofty expectations I’m afraid. And now a shoulder injury. Kok will be sad. 
• The Ham N Eggers (which is now one of my favourite all time JBL names by the way) must be over the moon with Goran Dragic’s production so far. Sell high time? Or ride him out?’
• Dennis Smith Jr. doesn’t appear to be JBL worthy let alone NBA worthy. Fizdale just doesn’t play him. 
• Lebron looks fresh and springy
• Bellingham needs to take advantage of that extra bench spot he’s carrying as his bench is loaded with the Mash unit. That said, he must retain Klay and Wall for next season (or at least one of them) to make this year all worth it.
• Patrick Beverley is so fun to watch. Like a dog on a bone. He doesn’t score much but man he help in the other categories.
• PJ Washington sure did work out well. Somehow he was missed by many teams in our JBL rookie draft. 
• Taurean Prince has been a pleasant surprise for Brussels 
• Brussels has several ‘watch’ players on his roster right now. Can he get Rondo, Thybulle, or Giles into his lineup at some point if they become fantasy worthy. It’s a waiting game. We just won’t know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08jw37WwBlA

• Danny Green has been fantastic to start the season in Cali
• Cali is definitely going to finish last in scoring. However, he could finish 1st in both FG% and 3PT%
• Drummond’s been very good this week while Gobert has not. 
• Cali could really use Cauley-Stein and Oladipo sooner rather than later
• Cali did really well in week 1 considering half of the starters come off the bench for their NBA teams
• KAT is the #1 fantasy player after the first week…man, he’s been good. Of course, coming into Sunday he was shooting 60/61 so those will obviously come down
• The Wack is loving his Big 3 and improved his depth by signing Kaminsky and Moe Harkless. Good pickups in my eyes.
• Justise Winslow has been very good to start the season
• Frank the Tank earned his way back onto a JBL roster
• Dillon Brooks is jekyl and hyde. One day good, one day bad
• French must be excited to start this season. He’s not in 1st place. First time since about November 2018 we can say that. Most of this roster has underachieved to this point, so watch out when they get cooking
• Golden is shy on big men - cause Alex Len and Jakob Poeltl suck
• Otto Porter looks like a huge bust and SGA looks like he'll be a fantastic keeper
• Montrezl Harrell is fun to watch. 
• Golden spending $33 on Kendrick Nunn is his largest winning FA win in franchise history. Golden’s best FA signing was Whiteside for $1 all those years ago.
• Idaho off to a hot start without Blake, PG13, and suddenly Ayton
• Idaho also has a number of overachievers in that Brandon Ingram won’t shoot 53/53, RJ Barrett won’t shoot 51/54 and Kevin Knox won’t shoot 50/64. We can expect those %’s to level off in the coming weeks
• I think Markelle Fultz will actually be a player. His shot looks better and I think Idaho has found a gem here for $5 bucks. 
• Juan must be loving Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick Rose. 
• Marc Gasol off to a slow start. He’s probably still hungover from his summer partying.
• Giannis for $74 looking like great value.
• Juan’s pick of Rui Hachimura in the rookie draft is looking like steal
• Coby White and PJ Washington not getting picked in the rookie draft looks like highway robbery
• Maui’s Mike Conley off to a horrible shooting start. We know that will come up in the coming weeks. 
• The Marvin Bagley injury really hurts - both the Kings and the Ribs
• Lonzo’s shot form is much improved over last season. His %’s are the same, but at least his shot looks better
• Luke Kennard has been impressive in Detroit.
• Imagine if Drummond opts out at the end of the season and leaves Detroit.That’s going to be a really bad team.
• Norfolk did well landing Kelly Oubre for $10 bucks. He’s on fire
• Trae Young is reminding me of Harden. He dribbles over centre and then shoots some crazy shots. Don’t know if I love that style of play.
• Norfolk has done very well considering he’s played with Jimmy Butler this week
• Seoul just scores and scores and scores…..
• Is Tristan Thompson actually good now? Off to a roaring start
• Dejounte Murray looks healthy and looks really good. 
• Rudy Gay always goes for $1 and is always undervalued. A good 5th forward on any JBL roster
• Isaiah Thomas looked good in his first game back. He could help out the Jizz.
• The Warriors are a bad team. They have Steph, D-Russ and Draymond. That’s it. The rest of the team is not good. Can I change my vote, I don’t see how this team makes the playoffs in the West.

The 29th JBL Auction

What a night boys!  We completed the draft in 3.5 hours with only one little hiccup along the way. Very impressive.

This was a very interesting draft as the big names didn’t go as high as I thought they would. Then we saw a dip in prices for a bit and then we saw some massive prices again as the ‘best of the rest’ was drying up. As always, the final 40 picks or so were all value picks and there could be some bargains in there for the teams.

So, I thought I would go through some observations of what I saw throughout the night…

First off, there were a number of injured guys that were auctioned off quite early in the draft. Durant was brought up in the first round I think and he went for $21 bucks. John Wall went for $4 bucks, Oladipo for $20, Nurkic for $6, and Klay Thompson for $15. Because they were all drafted at Auction, all of these players are eligible for protection next season. Before this draft started I thought it would be wise for any team without any keepers to grab one of these players in hopes of building a long term contender. Bellingham must have read my mind as he ended up with Wall and Klay as potential keepers for next season. And Vancouver also grabbed KD so I give them big props for going this route. Of course, one big name injured player didn’t get drafted - DeMarcus Cousins. That means if he’s signed as a JBL Free Agent he must play 20 NBA games in order to be eligible for protection. So….that’s not happening. Anyways, these could be great keepers for these teams next year or they could also be fantastic trading chips for those teams that fade away from the title race in Jan/Feb and want to stock up for 20/21.

Let’s quickly look at the draft, team by team.

Arctic

Already loaded with big name players when this draft started and having only $107 bucks to fill out a roster made the evening very difficult. Of course, we also saw Arctic ‘go dark’ (aka Auto Pilot) in the latter half of the draft. Not sure his auto-drafter really did him any favours, but I guess you can consider Jackson and Portis as helpful roster players. I would expect Arctic to be very busy when Free Agency opens up later this week. Crikker added Paul George and Jamal Murray to the squad and now needs to improve his depth on this squad.

Bangkok

The Year of the Kok continues as he had a very solid draft and added some big names in Nikola Jokic and Jrue Holiday to an already impressive roster. His late round flyers on Coby White, Jerami Grant, and Osman were all very good pickups and all 3 of those players could see time in the Kok roster this season. Good draft for the Kok as he attempts to play with the big boys this season. He’s off to a good start with his trade of Zion; now a solid draft; and now let’s see how he manages this squad throughout the season. Dare I see this ‘deep Kok’ team is a money contender already?

Bellingham

Expansion Todd was drafting from his phone in Seattle so that always makes things difficult. I consider it a successful draft because he landed Klay Thompson and John Wall. No expansion team is ever going to compete for a JBL title in their 1st year because the top teams from the year before all have multiple keepers. However, if Ham N Eggers can finish high enough in the standings and get to keep a couple of players - look out. It’s a marathon, not a spring. I like the cornerstone pieces in Lillard and Lebron and I was bidding against Todd for Thomas Bryant’s services late in the draft. The 1st year JBL owner is in for a long season, but I think he’s done well to land 2 potential keepers for next season.

Brussels

Timmy took this draft very seriously and he will certainly improve on his 11th place finish from last season. It certainly appeared Brussels had the same study-guide to the draft as he out-bid me on Adams, Aldridge, Horford, J-Rich, Looney and DeRozan. I also like a couple of the flyers Brussels took on Thybulle and PJ Washington. This is a good team and can be a dangerous squad in 19/20. I’ll admit, it’s been awhile since I wrote that about a Brussels squad. 

Cali

I’m not sure if the return to the JBL went as they planned, but Cali has the twin-towers (Gobert and Drummond) in the middle - and then a bunch of other guys. By their own admission, this squad is not going to score a lot of points. They did the right thing and landed Oladipo as a potential keeper for next season. However, they also did the cardinal No-No and left money on the table. Cali only spent $241. The JBL is hard enough, but it’s even harder when you don’t use all the money available. Believe me, I know. I like the Satoransky, Ingles, and Danny Green picks. This could be a challenging first year back for this group.

Chilliwack

The Wack came into this draft already loaded with KAT, Adebayo and Morant. He quickly added Steph Curry and Anthony Davis to the squad. That’s some top end talent right there. The role players will need to be sorted out if they want to reach their potential though. A lot of question marks in Kris Dunn, Markieff Morris and Dwight Howard. This squad also has Dillon Brooks, George Hill and James Johnson so we will have to see if they are able to be fantasy relevant again. However, that’s what the waiver wire is for and I’m sure the Wack will be busy. This is a contender folks so look out. Could Chilliwack claim another title? He’s off to a good start.

French Lick

The defending champs are back in the hunt again. A very well balanced draft with his highest priced player being the mercurial Whiteside at $41 dollars. This is team is loaded from 1 to 15 with 3 bench players that would probably be starting on many other JBL rosters. Even in the event of an injury, French has the depth to carry on. This squad is a title contender. Can French go back-to-back and make it 4 titles in 5 years. He’s got a great chance and he’ll love watching as he has 3 Celtics on this year’s squad. Winning and watching your favourite team/players. A job well done. 

Golden

Typical Golden draft where I had way too much money for way too long in the draft. I ultimately landed the guys I wanted but at prices much higher than I thought would be needed. Although I will say I was not planning on getting Kyrie or VanVleet - it kind of just worked out that way and I’m happy to have them. I also landed a Blazer. Finally. Albeit the injured Nurkic who I can stash away for next season. And even though they aren’t brothers - I’m happy to have the Bridges brothers. I believe Golden will be in the hunt again. I like the squad and even though my draft didn’t go as planned, if I end up challenging for a 12th JBL title then I’ve had a good year. 

Idaho

Oh Idaho. I know for certain you did not go into this draft hoping to land Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Andrew Wiggins and Eric Gordon. Sometimes pushing the bid up can backfire. I almost feel like an Idaho draft review is completely unnecessary as we all know that the Idaho roster right now will not look anything like the Idaho roster come Christmas time. Wheeler dealer Tuna will be on his way here shortly. Expect a massive influx of emails to your Inbox. New guys - get ready for the offers. Get ready for his unique sales pitch that throws logic out the window and begs you ignore numbers or analytics. Be prepared to learn how average NBA role players could potentially average Oscar Robertson like numbers this season. Idaho is what makes the JBL so great. Carry on kid. Do your stuff. 

Juan de Fuca

As the draft chat room mentioned several times, Juan must be loving that he has Giannis for just $74 dollars. Add in his boy Kawhi for $52 and this squad could be one to watch in 19/20.  There are a few players here with question marks (Payton, Powell, Hardaway Jr) and Juan needs then to perform at a high level. The Toronto boys have 2 Raptors - always a requirement. I like the flyer Juan took on Michael Porter Jr. Now let’s see if Denver plays him. 

Maui

The Ribs had a good draft and grabbed some quality players. Kemba, Conley and Capela are all really good. Sure, Maui overpaid for Capela but he needed the rebounds and blocks. I really liked the late round pick ups of Bertans and Kennard. This squad actually does a little bit of everything and can be a contender if a few things go their way. Sneeky good squad here. 

Norfolk

The good Doctor takes the award for Draft Night dedication in that he skipped out on a wedding in Toronto to attend Chez Kok to do the draft in person. Well done Norfolk. The Doctor has paired his keeper Beal with Jimmy Buckets and also paid big bucks for Rubio.  I do like the late picks of Oubre and McGee as well as my fan favourite Nickeil Alexander-Walker.  Norfolk is coming off a 5th place finish. What’s in store for this team this season?

Seoul

If the JBL was just a points league, Seoul wins. Everyone on his team can score. The question is…what else do they do really well? Seoul begins the campaign without his prized acquisition (Zion) but he does have his boy KYLE to cheer on. I like the Gallinari and Valanciunas picks (as long as they stay healthy). Seoul is a deep team as well and opens with Bogdan Bogdanovic and Evan Fournier on the bench. Let’s see how this big scoring team does this season.

Vancouver

The Jizzlies made the big decision this past week to drop their 2 keepers and their rookie and start from scratch. I applaud the decision. I also commend them for landing KD for $21 bucks. He could be the key to Vancouver’s long term success in the JBL. It’s all about having great keepers and building a winner around them. This team does have very good players in Embiid, Vucevic, Draymond, and Booker. Some good role players in Favors and Dejounte Murray are also here. And finally I liked the late round picks of Rudy Gay $1 and Dario Saric for $3. Vancouver finished 9th last season so we’ll see how they do this season. As long as they end up in a spot where they can keep KD for next season then I would consider the year a success. 

So, here are my top 5 contenders after the draft.

French Lick, Golden, Bangkok, Chilliwack, Maui

That’s it for now boys. The season starts Tuesday night. Have those FA bids in by Friday evening (before 11pm PST). Best of luck to all. 

Appetizers

Well, with the 29th JBL Auction just 9 days away I thought I would share my thoughts on what I've seen in the NBA preseason. Without further ado...

Houston will score a lot of points thanks to The Beard. With Harden and Westy already in Arctic – how many more Rockets actually end up on a JBL roster is interesting. Capela will obviously be a big dollar ticket. Eric Gordon? Probably. But after that? I’m not sure how many more Rockets are JBL worthy.

  Chris Clemons is a straight jacker. Kid’s not shy. Might fit in Houston just fine when Harden’s on the bench. He’s the 3rd all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. He’s also NOT 5’9 that he says he is!

  Looks like Siakam is ready for another step up. Bangkok must be thrilled.

  Chris Boucher, a good Canadian kid, was very impressive in the first pre-season game with the
Raptors. Can he carve out a role?

  Defense is clearly optional in some of these games

  KAT put up a monster line in limited minutes. Benny is excited

  Ben Simmons hit a 3 pointer. I’m surprised we didn’t hear more from Idaho about this
accomplishment. Maybe Tuna is worried about Ben taking multiple 3’s per game and going 3 for
42 from downtown.

  Because I was in the UK last year, I had never seen Trae Young play. He’s impressive. Very quick.
I like that Hawks team. In a couple of years they could be very good.

  The Pelicans will be everyone’s League Pass favourite this season. Zion is a beast. He’s built like a
tank. They are a very deep team so it might be difficult to figure out who is going to play off their bench? What is Josh Hart’s role? E’twaun Moore’s role? Nickeil Alexander-Walker? A lot of interesting wing players to choose from.

  Who is this Chris Silva in Miami?

  Goran Dragic looks old and slow. Oh wait, he is.

  Tyler Herro looks like he’s ready to play. Right now. Will Spoelstra give him the chance?

  DeAndre Ayton put up big numbers in 21 minutes against KAT.

  Tony Bradley can play – he just won’t in Utah because he’s behind Rudy Gobert. Two nice games
from Tony.

  Hornets or Wizards? Who will be the worst team? Both look devoid of Fantasy talents – which
usually means there are a couple of guys who will have monster years because there is literally
no one else on the team. For the Hornets – who is going to score? Has to be Rozier right?

  Denver is too deep. They could roll out 12 guys every night. Bit of a fantasy buzzkill.

  Are DeMarre Carroll and Jae Crowder the same person? Crowder looks like he could be the
starter in Memphis at SF. Didn’t think he’d ever be a starter again – but someone has to score
for this Memphis team. After JJJ, Jonas and Morant is he the #4 scorer?

  Who will be the SG in Memphis? Is it really Dillon Brooks? Hasn’t the coach seen him play?
Maybe Grayson Allen steals the spot? Allen looks decent thru 2 games against non-NBA
opponents.

  Wait. The Bulls are still giving Kris Dunn a chance? You draft White at #7 and then spend 30
million on Satoransky. So, of course, let Dunn play. They have to be show-casing him for a potential deal. Praying and hoping he does well so some desperate team will make them an offer. Dunn playing any PG minutes is just not right.

  Christiano Felicio is a NBA player. Please, someone look at this man. How did he get a 4 year/32 million dollar NBA contract? Please, someone explain this to me.

  Watching Coby White play – I think he could be good and those who were picking late in our JBL rookie draft may regret not taking a flyer on him.

  The Lopez brothers together on the same team and on the floor at the same time just makes me happy.

  Steven Adams looked like he was playing in the over 45 Kits Basketball league. He looked scraggly and old; wearing a T-Shirt under his jersey; wearing legging and knee pads; and wearing elbow pads. Dude just looked out of place. That’s why we love him.

  Dragan Bender sighting in Milwaukee. Just move along. Nothing to see here.

  Mo Bamba. Oh my. But where does he get minutes?

  If Christian Wood doesn’t make the Pistons then someone call the police. A crime will have been
committed.

  I believe a Jonathan Isaac breakout is near

  Brandon Ingram does not weigh 150 pounds. He’s stick and bones. Can he survive 82 games and
the pace the Pels are about to run at?

  Could this be the year the Spurs start to fade? I think it’s 22 straight years in the playoffs? Is that
streak in jeopardy? I’m on the fence about how good they are – but I can’t doubt Popovich. So
I’m saying the Spurs will be a playoff team. Oh yeah.

  DeJounte Murray must be excited to finally be back playing. I drafted him last year for $20 and
then he tore his ACL in the pre-season.

  Devin Booker might get some more open shots if Ayton is going to be a monster and with Rubio
pulling the strings. Did Phoenix really run with Elie Okobo, De’Anthony Melton and Tyler Johnson as their point guards last year?? Yeah, I’m boldly predicting some bigger stats for Booker, Ayton and others this season. Shocker.

  The Blazers looked out of sorts last night. I think they will miss Harkless and Aminu – even though both of them didn’t put up great fantasy numbers – I think they were decent NBA’ers. Not sure about Hood/Bazemore and others.

  Are the Celti

cs actually going to be good?

  Boban played 31 minutes last night! Is that a real thing? Boban and Porzingis out there together.
Would that be the tallest combo in the NBA?

  Rajon Rondo played 34 minutes and Derrick Rose played 31 minutes. Both appear to have roles
with their teams. Rose I figured as much but Rondo, geesh. And Rondo just did it again vs. a
Kyrie-less Nets team. Is it 2019 or 2013 Rondo?

  AD had 22 and 10 in 18 minutes? Yikes. It’s been 7 years since the JBL saw a $100 dollar player.
Could this be the year?

  Jordan Clarkson showed his coach – hey, don’t just give the keys to the SexLand backcourt duo
(Collin Sexton + Darius Garland = Sexland). He actually looked decent.

  Andre Drummond took a couple 3 pointers. It did not go well. If he’s jacking those, that’s a big
negative.

  Detroit is really just Griffin and Drummond. Without those 2 guys, I’m not sure how many games
the Pistons win.

  The Jarrett Allen & DeAndre Jordan center combo could put up monster numbers. Could they
both average a double-double?

  Ummm, Taj Gibson? One of the Knicks 6 power forwards lit it up. Your guess is as good as mine which of these guys are going to play on a nightly basis. Have to figure all of them will have big nights at some point. Seems like Randle and Bobby Portis will be guys they will lean on for frontcourt scoring. 

  Can’t wait to see Marcus Morris play in San Antonio. Remember the Spurs signed him to a 2 year 20 million dollar deal. However, the Spurs needed to make some cap room so they traded Davis Bertans away and then re-structured DeMarre Carroll’s deal. Once they did that, Morris said screw you and signed a 1 year 15 million dollar deal in New York. Dickhead.

  Isn’t LeBron poised for a big year? Guy had been to 8 or 9 straight NBA finals and must have been exhausted. In 2019, he missed a tonne of games, got shut down at the end of the season, and has been resting and recovering for 6 months. Now he has Anthony Davis as a wing man...how can he not be ready for a monster season?