The PLUS ONE concept...

Here’s the theory of the PLUS ONE principle just voted in. 

At the end of every JBL season, teams get an allotment of keepers for the next season based on where they finish in the JBL standings. We all know 1^st to 4^th gets up to 4 keepers; 5^th -8^th gets 3 keepers; 9^th-12^th gets 2 keepers; and now 13^th and 14^th will get 1 keeper and last place (15^th) gets ZERO keepers. 

Now, with the PLUS ONE concept, each team gets one EXTRA keeper spot over and above that allotment, as long as the PLUS ONE player has the R1*, R2*, R3*, R4* status. Even last place could now get at least 1 keeper with the new rule.  

Note: An R4* player can be protected in the PLUS ONE spot...and then the following year becomes a R5 - FINAL player (who would not be eligible for protection as that's the last year of keeper eligibility. Also, no more * noted)

Starting in 2022, rookies drafted in the JBL rookie draft will have the R#* status and 5 year keeper eligibility.  R for rookie. The # represents the year of the contact. The * indicates eligibility for the PLUS ONE spot. 

And since this is a new rule, only 2022 rookies, drafted in the 1^st or 2^nd round of the JBL rookie draft, will be eligible in this 1^st year. Of course, in the seasons coming, 2023, 2024, etc, all players picked in those JBL Rookie draft will also become eligible. 

Example: In the 2022 JBL rookie draft, some team will select Jaden Ivey. He will be given R1* status in the Contract field. At the end of the 22/23 JBL season, let’s say that the team that drafted Ivey finished 7^th. They get 3 keepers. So, they can keep 3 players plus they can keep Ivey in the PLUS ONE spot (because he’s a 2022 rookie and was drafted in the Rookie Draft). So ultimately, that 7^th place team now has 4 players heading into the following season.

 

Some Q&A

Q. Can I sign a 2022 rookie from the Free Agent pool during the season and then protect him in the PLUS ONE spot?

A. No. A rookie signed off the waiver wire would not get R* status. Sure, they can be protected, but not in the Plus One spot.

 

Q. Arctic has Jalen Green, who will be R2 this year. At the end of the season, can Arctic protect him in his PLUS ONE spot?

A. No. Jalen Green is a 2021 drafted rookie. Only 2022 (and beyond) drafted rookies will be eligible for the PLUS ONE spot.  A player with the R#* is eligible for the PLUS ONE spot. 

 

Q. In the example above, Jaden Ivey (R1*) can be protected in the Plus One spot for the 2023/24 season. Can I protect him again in the Plus One spot in future years?

A. Yes, any player, drafted as a rookie in the 2022 rookie draft (and beyond), as long as they have the R#* status, can be protected in the Plus One spot.

 

Q. How will I know the difference and whether a player can be protected in the Plus One keeper spot?

A. Any player with a R#* status (the asterix is the key) will be eligible for the keeper spot.

 

Q. If a rookie is drafted in the JBL rookie draft, then released, then signed as a Free Agent – will he be able to be protected in the Plus One spot?

A. No. Once released and signed, that player just has the regular 1, 2, FINAL, contract status. If eligible, they could still be protected under the normal team’s allotment of keepers.

Q. What if I have 2 rookies, both R1* status, do I get 2 extra keeper spots?

A. No. It's called Plus ONE. You can protect one of your eligible players in the PLUS ONE spot and the other player would/could be protected in your normal keeper allotment based on your finish in the Standings. 

 

The upcoming poll will be to determine one other piece of eligibility for the R#* players.  

There are 2 options.

1.    Any rookie/player drafted in the JBL rookie draft (and who has the R#* status) is eligible to be protected in the PLUS ONE spot provided they remain on the same team that drafted them in their original rookie draft  (DRAFT ONLY eligible)

 2. Any rookie/player with the R#* status is eligible for the PLUS ONE spot whether they were drafted by the original team or traded to another JBL team (DRAFT/TRADE eligible)

The Trophy moves to Maui

 

The trophy has moved back to the US and will be hanging out in Maui for the next JBL season. Well done again to the Maui Ribs!!

The JBL rookie lottery was also held last night and French Lick, with only 2 balls in the pot, somehow defied all the odds and won the lottery. That was until we clarified the situation regarding the now defunct Jizzlies squad. Since we are not adding an expansion team and simply relocating the Jizzlies, once we reviewed the video, it was actually the #12 ball that came out first. So our new owner will get the #1 rookie pick. 

The JBL chat feed is active this morning. Seemingly OK with a round 2 of the JBL rookie draft. The key part is allowing teams to "PASS" on making a 2nd rookie pick. I'd like to think we could make this happen quite easily. A 2nd round, inverse order, all 2nd round picks are $1, and JBL teams could PASS if they didn't want a 2nd rookier.

A 15th team thru expansion didn't pass its vote from last year. So we'll be adding one owner to get us back to 14 teams.

Also, I fully support just eliminating the Injured Reserve spot and just allowing 16 players per team from Auction night. 12 active, 4 bench. Means we would be drafting one extra player each on draft night (except for hose teams that select a 2nd rookie).

I still support moving to 51% majority on potential rule changes. Needing 11 of 14 votes to reach the 75% threshold is seemingly impossible. But suggesting that move to 51% -would need 10 of 13 (current # of JBL teams) to happen. 

You can read my previous Chronicle from June 24th for a scoring suggestion (which was floated to me) as well as an additional idea about dynasty options (allowing more keepers)

So...here's where I'm at on all these changes for now:

- Move to 16 roster spots (12 active, 4 bench) - no IR (it's merged into a full-time spot)

- Add 2nd round of rookies; inverse order; all 2nd rounders are $1; teams have ability to pass 

- Replace the 14th team to fill the Jizzlies spot. This is a relocation situation so it means the new owner will inherit the Jizzlies roster, get 2 keepers and it also means that, based on the video review, they get the #1 pick in the JBL rookie draft. 

- propose to move to a 51% majority for rule changes

The Ideas

Some thoughts around potential changes for the JBL....

51% for rule changes (currently require 75% which makes is virtually impossible to implement any new rules). This is the biggest one to get done if we want to consider any changes…

 

Expansion – JBL currently at 13 teams with 3 interested parties

We should add the 14^th team for sure….but what about adding a 15^th as well

What roster adjustments should be considered if we went to 15 teams. Anything?

14 teams x 16 players = 224 roster spots.

15 teams x 16 players = 240 roster spots

As previously mentioned in the Chronicles (March 7, 2022) I would also support dropping the IR spot (16^th spot) and just allowing 4 bench players.

 

2^nd round of rookie draft.

Option to pass if you don’t want to draft a 2^nd rookie

All 2^nd round picks would be $1 dollar.

TBD – the 2^nd round draft order – determined by lottery balls? Inverse of first round? Same as 1^st round?

 

Weekly lineup vs. Daily lineup moves

-      If we went to Daily moves – huge advantage to those who spend every waking minute reading boscores

-      Personally, weekly lineups would still be the fairest and simplest approach.

 

7 category vs 8 cat or 9 cat

Should the JBL consider adding a category?

What about the weightings – should the JBL tweak it?

Heavier weighting on scoring? 

Current - 20-15-13-13-13-13-13 (Pts is 20% and Rebs 15%)

Option 1 - 25-13-13-13-13-13-10 (Pts 25%, blocks to 10%)

Option 2 - 28-12-12-12-12-12-12- (Pts 28%)

 

If it was just French, Golden, Seoul and Wack winning every year (which it was for awhile) then I would say it’s time for a change.

However, we’ve now seen Brussels and Maui win in back to back years. So, let’s keep it the same as other teams are figuring out what it takes to win the JBL title. If there was interest in changing the model, then I would vote for option 2 where everything is equal but there is more emphasis on scoring. 

Dynasty option expanded to include rookies and their development over the years.  

What if anyone on a rookie contract didn’t count against your keeper count total?

So Maui, our champion, has 4 keeper spots, but LaMelo and Mobley are both on rookie contracts – so Maui could keep his 2 rookies plus 4 more keepers. 

This places more emphasis on rookies and would work well with our proposed 2nd round of rookie picks. 

Encourages teams to draft and acquire rookies to build around for the long term. Might increase their trade value as well knowing that a rookie keeper doesn’t count against your keeper limits. 

Could the last place team still protect a rookie then? So 14th place gets no keepers but could keep multiple rookies for the following season? 

We could limit the additional rookie keeper spots to 2 or 3 rookies so we don’t have a JBL team with zero keepers but 9 rookies coming back…or would that really be a concern?

Theme: Draft and build around your 5 year rookie players knowing that they don’t count against your keeper allotment. 

My preferences:

- 51% voting to enable a change

- 15 teams, 16 players per roster (no IR required) – 240 players total (up from 224 today)

- 2 rounds of rookie picks

- No changes to the JBL scoring system

- 2 rookies can be protected, per team, in addition to the standard keeper rules we have today

Offseason Power Rankings

 

OK, I was feeling JBL inspired after recently going for lunch with our reigning champ, Maui Ribs.

 

As promised, I said I would do an offseason power rankings post. Well, it’s time.

 

It will be difficult as I’m not sure who everyone is keeping just yet or if players will get traded this offseason – but you know me – I will give it a go based on what I know/think right now.

 

So what are my criteria for these rankings? These are my thoughts:

 

-          I’m going to assume that all of the players stay healthy and play the majority of the 22/23 season

-          I’m going to assume that they play to at least the level they’ve shown or even with some improvement

-          I’m looking at the JBL salary compared to what I believe that player would go for at auction (best value)

-          I’m considering JBL owner history and recent run of form

-          And I’m considering that more keepers is often likely better than maybe just one good keeper

 

Without further ado…here’s my offseason power rankings by team, number of keeper spots available, possible keepers and a reason for the ranking.

 

#1 – Maui Ribs (4)

Possible keepers - LaMelo Ball, Evan Mobley, Joel Embiid and Desmond Bane.

All undervalued compared to what they would go for at Auction. The defending champs deserve top billing since they get to bring this strong core back.

 

#2 – French Lick (4)

Possible keepers – Klay Thompson, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mitchell Robinson, Ivica Zubac, Al Horford, Norman Powell

Other teams below likely have stronger keepers but French has finished 1^st or 2^nd for eight straight seasons. 8. Count them. He gets this ranking out of sheer respect.

 

#3 – Bangkok (4)

Possible keepers – Haliburton, Dejounte, Edwards, Rozier, Jones, Hart, Johnson

A strong core of potential keepers available. Not the cheapest bunch but assuming the Kok picks the right 4 guys he’s got a strong base for yet another attempt at a JBL title.

 

#4 – Idaho (3)

Possible keepers – Trae, Zion, Jamal Murray, Grant

This is assuming Zion and Jamal are healthy of course. Idaho gets a final year of Trae and 2 years of Zion potentially to try and capture a JBL title. 

 

#5 – Brussels (3)

Possible keepers – Poeltl, Bridges, Sengun, Okongwu, Fultz, Clarke

The team with a lot of cheap keeper options should be ready to load up and aim to prove his JBL title was no fluke.

 

#6 – Arctic (2)

Possible keepers – Maxey, Kyrie, Jalen Green, Herro, Love

Only 2 spots and loads of guys who are undervalued compared to their auction price. Could this be the year the Arctic stays for the whole draft so we don’t have to deal with Autopilot bids? I really like this crop of potential keepers.

 

#7 – Golden (3)

Possible keepers – Bridges, Garland, Giddey, SGA

It’s been 4 years now since Golden last won a JBL title. Can the Godfather find his mojo and not overthink things?

 

#8 – Seoul (3)

Possible keepers – Morant, Siakam, Barnes, Trent Jr.

A strong 3-man core available for Seoul. It’s been 11 years since their last title and only 3 money spot finishes in that same timeframe. Is Seoul still an annual contender? Do they still get that respect?

 

#9 – Chilliwack (4)

Possible keepers – Doncic, Barton, Claxton, Wiggins, Brogdon, Barnes

Luka is a star but I’m not sure about those other keeper spots just yet. 8 years since their last JBL title and only 2 money spots in those 8 years. One year left on Luka’s rookie deal to get things done.

 

#10 – Juan (2)

Possible keepers – Wagner, Portis, Simons

Solid keeper options for 2 spots. No stars but some good value. Strong track record of money spot finishes over the last 10 years.

 

#11 – Cali (2)

Possible keepers – Jokic, Timelord, Duarte

While I like Cali’s keepers more than Juan’s, the track record for success is not the same yet.

 

#12 – Bellingham (1)

Better be keeper – Kawhi Leonard

This is the keeper. Has to be the guy. Can this be the building block that Ham has been waiting for? 13^th, 9^th, 13^th in the first 3 years so maybe this is the year the breakthrough begins.

 

#13 – Norfolk (0)

Norfolk has no keepers. He’s starting from scratch. We knew this was likely after one of the biggest draft night blunders in recent memory. But hey, it was fun and sometimes starting fresh is good and having the most money allows you to control the draft.

 

#14 – EXPANSION TEAM

#15 – EXPANSION TEAM

Final Standings - JBL 31

 

Season in Review - All the rest....

Our 9^th place theme team from Cali just couldn’t keep up with the pace. Having Giannis and Jokic is an amazing combo but the surrounding foreigners (and Timelord) just didn’t measure up. The team’s big guns stayed relatively healthy with 8 players appearing in more than 60 games for Cali. I always love a good theme team effort. I think Cali could have done more and taken a few more late season risks. Did we really need to see Chimezie Metu for 42 games? Bjelica for 30 games when he averaged 6 and 4? Anyways, while I don’t think Cali will go the theme team route next season, I do know that he has the Timelord as a fantastic keeper for next season. Who the 2^nd keeper will be is up for debate still. Duarte for $6? What about Jokic for $84? Hachimura? Bojan? There are a few options for Cali to choose between.

 

10^th place Arctic should have been better if they could have stayed healthy. AD only managed 38 games. Kyrie only saw 28 games. Imagine this squad with a healthy AD, Kyrie, KAT, Maxey, Herro, Russell, Kuzma, Green, and on and on. I think they could have pushed for the top 8 quite easily. While Tyler Herro is likely to win the 6^th man of the year – Haliburton on this squad would have been really nice. Acquiring Maxey from Brussels was a great move for the squad and now creates maybe the hardest keeper decision for any JBL team (along with the Kok). Arctic has just 2 spots and will have to choose between Kyrie, Maxey, Herro, and Jalen Green. Some might say Kuzma or OffNight Mitchell should get a look too. Good luck to Arctic trying to figure that dilemma out.  

 

Juan de Fuca was rolling along. Pushing for a top 4 spot and then the injuries began to hit. It all started with losing Michael Porter Jr and Collin Sexton just 9 and 11 games into the year. Myles Turner only played 42 games for Juan. John Collins went down. Steph Curry went down. Hardaway Jr gone. LeVert down. The list goes on. Only prized rookie Franz Wagner stayed healthy (he played 79 games for Juan). Simons and Portis were pleasant surprises but there were just too many injuries on this roster to be able to compete. Juan will have to decide on who their 2 keepers will be. Simons, Wagner, and Portis appear to be the top options. Add in 11 ping pong balls and maybe another high end rookie and Juan should be right back into the mix.

 

Vancouver held onto 12^th despite a late season swoon. The Commish will be checking in on this squad in advance of the 22/23 season. Their last Free Agent signing was Jan 24^th – so almost 3 months ago. They made the least amount of moves in the JBL. Not a single trade. It’s time to ask if they want to continue in their JBL efforts with our list of potential owners waiting in the wings. The squad had some talent, as all JBL teams do, but there wasn’t enough of anything to ever compete this season. Cade Cunningham is the prized piece for next season. I’m not sure there is a 2^nd great keeper option. But, first, we need to know if they will be back as they appear to have lost interest. Which is fine. Let some others have a chance in the JBL.

 

Bellingham almost pulled off the miracle to grab the 12^th spot (and the 2^nd keeper). Instead, it looks like it will just Kawhi coming back for the Ham ‘n’ Eggers. Still love this team name - https://www.yourdictionary.com/ham-and-egger.  This team never really got off the ground this year as they took a chance on acquiring Dame Lillard (and Kawhi) and of course Dame shut it down pretty quickly. Did you know that Saddiq Bey was one of very few NBA players to suit up for all 82 games. Sabonis and Allen only suited up for 59 and 56 games respectively so that also was a big challenge. Maybe my favourite pickup was Malik Monk. He averaged 15ppg while shooting 48/40 in Bellingham. The good thing for Ham is the 13 lottery balls and Kawhi. That should be a very good starting duo for next season.

 

Norfolk was destined for 14^th about halfway through our Auction. Again, I give Norfolk credit for trying to the bitter end. I also admire his attempt to follow French’s draft strategy in attempt to replicate French’s success. The problem was he didn’t have all the top end players that French did when he began to look for bargains. I don’t need to repeat myself on what happened in Norfolk this season. I think the Doctor will want to forget it and move on. With 14 lottery balls he will have a really good shot and getting the #1 overall rookie pick. With this year’s draft class, it looks like there are a few gems out there so any top pick might be good.

 

Up next, my first look at some offseason Power Rankings of JBL teams. This will be based off projected keepers (and assuming they will be/stay healthy), potential rookie pick, JBL history and acumen, and some gut feelings. Stay tuned.

Season in Review - The Middle Tier

Finishing 5th just sucks. You miss out on the 4th keeper and you only get 5 ping pong balls. So yes, Golden has the distinction of being that team this season. The Golden squad just couldn't keep up with the big boys this season. For starters, way too many injuries. Just look at these man game totals for the core of the Showers squad - SGA (55), Ingram (50), Hayward (45), Nurkic (56), Giddey (39). Add in a shockingly poor season from Richaun Holmes and all the other things and there is any wonder how Golden was even competing for the top 4. Golden worked the waiver wire pretty hard and ultimately used 41 players over the course of the season. Ultimately, the disastrous start to the season in 3PT% could never be recovered. Looking back at how guys like Lillard and SGA and others all shot to start the year was just shocking. Oh well, as they say. On to the next season. With just 3 keeper spots it's looking like Miles Bridges, Darius Garland and Josh Giddey could be the core. Why Giddey? Because I have anxiety over letting another young guard go. If you remember, my rookie pick 2 years ago was Tyrese Haliburton for $2. I could have protected him for $7. Instead I went with Holmes, Nurkic and SGA. So, yes, I have trust issues. I have to keep Giddey in case he goes off. Besides, who doesn't love having a nightly 3x2 threat that allows you to shotgun a beer or two during the season. 

Our defending champs from Brussels finished 6th this season. As usual, they ran out of FA dollars just after the New Year. That always limits the options to improve the squad. The defending champs didn't exactly 'run it back' either with the team sending out Luka and Cam Reddish to the Wack for Bam Adebayo and Derrick White. Unfortunately, Bam got injured and only played 48 games for Brussels. This team did set a JBL record for FG%. With Poeltl (62%), Gafford (71%), Clarke (65%), Okongwu (69%) leading the way it's easy to see how they finished about the 50% mark. Brussels is a staunch supporter of more keepers as this squad had so many undervalued guys that would be the ultimate role players on any team. This team was 1st in blocks and FG% but really struggled in scoring (13th). With 3 keepers for next season I would expect to see Poeltl, Sengun, and the ironman Mikal Bridges back. Did you know Mikal has not missed a single game in 4 NBA seasons? He also didn't miss any in college or high school either. True gamer. 

Phil and his Seoul squad were about to finish 8th. But the last second heroics of Klay Thompson bumped Seoul back to 7th. It feels like Seoul was in 7th for about 4 months.  He sold the farm awhile ago to make sure he had good keepers for next season so he's starting with Ja Morant, Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam. Or he could go the cheap route and keep Gary Trent Jr.. Regardless, this is a very good core for next season. Seoul was middle of the pack in just about every category this year. Who played the most man games for Seoul? Mo Bamba. 71 games. It's hard to really comment any further on such a middling squad. Seoul saw there was no route to the title - so he cashed in and grabbed Scottie and Ja and just waits for next season. He could get a decent rookie pick with his 7 ping pong balls and add another young stud too. Until then, Phil hits the golf links without a care in the world.

Idaho was floundering in the 9-12 range for quite some time this year. Then he decided to 'give up' and build for the future and traded All Star Rudy Gobert for the injured Zion. What happened? Idaho climbed to 8th. Behind a true stars and scrubs approach, Idaho almost pulled off the unthinkable. Trae Young, Devin Booker, James Harden, and De'Aaron Fox made up the core of this squad. Solid role players in Thubulle, Boucher, Morris, Quickley (not Quincy), Okeke and others led to a very solid 8th place finish. Look, if you're going to finish outside the top 4 then 8th is the place to be. 3 keepers and 8 lottery balls. Idaho will look to build around Zion, Trae and likely Jamal Murray. That could be a very strong core if Zion and Murray are truly healthy. Idaho is calling Zion to New York so we'll see if that happens. When it comes time to ranking the JBL teams for next season, based on keepers, Idaho is likely to be higher than 8th that's for sure. 

Alright....taking a break....back later with 9th and beyond....