Post by yesisme1 on Jan 4, 2011 11:38:39 GMT -5
I think a lot of luck goes into whether a team turns out to be good or not. I honestly have had a lot of things go my way. I have had a plan all the way through and that was to build slow and around my Center, who along with Wright are actually the only two players left from my original team. I did that for two reasons. First, I do not know a lot of the GMs in this league well and this is only the second league of this type of sim I have played in, although I have played in a lot of other sim leagues of other types for about the last 10 or 15 years. Second, I work about 55 hours a week and I am working on a PhD in Psychology. Most of the time I squeeze fun in, but every once in a while I start getting overwhelmed and then I am doing well just to say same for my depth charts. For those two reasons building slow around a core and each season adding a piece or two has worked for me. It may have seemed by accident, but I assure you it was not for the most part. Here is how I have built my team so far which considering the franchise I took was the Clippers and I have had two straight 50 win seasons and have a team that should be a contender this season I don't think is too bad. Part of the reason I am writing this is I feel like I have made a wrong impression with some of the older GMs and I just want to clear things.
Center: Michael Olowokandi ,Lorenzen Wright When I got the team I felt like they were the two best young pieces I had to build around. I almost gave up on Olowokandi at one point and then he had a break out season and has been a 20 and 10 player every since. Wright is a guy other teams have wondered why I have kept when he normally does not start for my team. He has been Mr. Versatile for me at the front line. He backs up both positions and if there is an injury such as last season with Olowokandi he can start at either big. He has helped my team maintain consistency even when inevitable injuries hit. I see Kwame Brown as my Center of the future. He can already score and rebound and I am going to max out his camps on defense. I traded Battier who I felt did not fit my team and what should be a low first for Brown. If he proves to be the player I think it will have been a steal.
Power Forward: I drafted Eddie Griffin and honestly until recently I have not been that high on him. I think he is the dirty player on my team though that every team needs. I am camping his offense so when I retool in a season or two he and Kwame will be the foundation of my front line.
Small Forward: When I traded away two first rounders for Quentin Richardson at a time when my team was missing the playoffs a lot of teams were scratching their heads. I did it because I had a team that played very good defense, but seemed to lack that go to scorer that it needed to break into the playoffs. I felt that if I was right those picks would be mid to low and then it would be a great move. Lucky for me I have been right. Corliss Williamson is a player I traded for early and really I think he has been the most undervalued player on my team. All he does is score and play defense and never wants a lot of money to extend. I wish I had a few more players like him.
Shooting Guard: I really have a glut here and one will probably be moved, but the luxury I have is I don't need to move any of them right away. Freddy Jones is a guy I almost offered more money on a longer deal to. He is a Duck and I am a big Oregon Duck fan. He also blew up in TC and I think was my big FA steal. Jamal Crawford yes I over paid. I felt like he was a missing piece to not just contending, but to try and win a title so I felt like how much cash is that really worth. I am using him as a sixth man scorer at both guard positions. Murray is a player I traded Andre Miller to draft. He really should be either starting or a main sixth man off the bench, but obviously my team is kinda stacked. Tony Allen is my project. He came in with great defense and I am working to develop his offense. If all goes well he will be there with Kwame and Eddie when I retool.
Point Guard: When I got my team this position sucked. I played slow down ball because I had no offense and I think it is part of why my production out of Michael Olowokandi and Wright sucked. They needed somebody to dish the ball and I wanted a PG that could also play defense. Scoring would be a bonus. I drafted Andre Miller, but I was never that high on his defense when he was with my team. The draft with Jaric I was not drafting that high and the draft kind of sucked. I did not see anybody that I really liked so I drafted Jaric hoping to stuff him away for a couple seasons then see what I had. The season before he became eligible to play I was already looking for moves to make with Andre because I felt like Jaric was perfect for my team in getting the ball to my front court players playing defense and scoring just enough to keep other teams honest. Snow has been a player I have liked to keep on the cheap behind Jaric just because he doesn't turn the ball over and plays defense well.
Overall, I am normally a realist about my team so I never get over optimistic, but I feel really good about the squad I have right now. The only real move I could see me doing would be to send Murray to a place where he can get some playing time. I have actually toyed with moving Michael Olowokandi which is why I didn't play him in preseason, but I feel like my team is a half step better with him right now than without. I wish I would have had him in the finals against the Hawks.
Center: Michael Olowokandi ,Lorenzen Wright When I got the team I felt like they were the two best young pieces I had to build around. I almost gave up on Olowokandi at one point and then he had a break out season and has been a 20 and 10 player every since. Wright is a guy other teams have wondered why I have kept when he normally does not start for my team. He has been Mr. Versatile for me at the front line. He backs up both positions and if there is an injury such as last season with Olowokandi he can start at either big. He has helped my team maintain consistency even when inevitable injuries hit. I see Kwame Brown as my Center of the future. He can already score and rebound and I am going to max out his camps on defense. I traded Battier who I felt did not fit my team and what should be a low first for Brown. If he proves to be the player I think it will have been a steal.
Power Forward: I drafted Eddie Griffin and honestly until recently I have not been that high on him. I think he is the dirty player on my team though that every team needs. I am camping his offense so when I retool in a season or two he and Kwame will be the foundation of my front line.
Small Forward: When I traded away two first rounders for Quentin Richardson at a time when my team was missing the playoffs a lot of teams were scratching their heads. I did it because I had a team that played very good defense, but seemed to lack that go to scorer that it needed to break into the playoffs. I felt that if I was right those picks would be mid to low and then it would be a great move. Lucky for me I have been right. Corliss Williamson is a player I traded for early and really I think he has been the most undervalued player on my team. All he does is score and play defense and never wants a lot of money to extend. I wish I had a few more players like him.
Shooting Guard: I really have a glut here and one will probably be moved, but the luxury I have is I don't need to move any of them right away. Freddy Jones is a guy I almost offered more money on a longer deal to. He is a Duck and I am a big Oregon Duck fan. He also blew up in TC and I think was my big FA steal. Jamal Crawford yes I over paid. I felt like he was a missing piece to not just contending, but to try and win a title so I felt like how much cash is that really worth. I am using him as a sixth man scorer at both guard positions. Murray is a player I traded Andre Miller to draft. He really should be either starting or a main sixth man off the bench, but obviously my team is kinda stacked. Tony Allen is my project. He came in with great defense and I am working to develop his offense. If all goes well he will be there with Kwame and Eddie when I retool.
Point Guard: When I got my team this position sucked. I played slow down ball because I had no offense and I think it is part of why my production out of Michael Olowokandi and Wright sucked. They needed somebody to dish the ball and I wanted a PG that could also play defense. Scoring would be a bonus. I drafted Andre Miller, but I was never that high on his defense when he was with my team. The draft with Jaric I was not drafting that high and the draft kind of sucked. I did not see anybody that I really liked so I drafted Jaric hoping to stuff him away for a couple seasons then see what I had. The season before he became eligible to play I was already looking for moves to make with Andre because I felt like Jaric was perfect for my team in getting the ball to my front court players playing defense and scoring just enough to keep other teams honest. Snow has been a player I have liked to keep on the cheap behind Jaric just because he doesn't turn the ball over and plays defense well.
Overall, I am normally a realist about my team so I never get over optimistic, but I feel really good about the squad I have right now. The only real move I could see me doing would be to send Murray to a place where he can get some playing time. I have actually toyed with moving Michael Olowokandi which is why I didn't play him in preseason, but I feel like my team is a half step better with him right now than without. I wish I would have had him in the finals against the Hawks.
