Post by TooSmoove on Jun 30, 2011 11:42:16 GMT -5
SSBL Fastbreak - 30 Day Recap
We are at the 30 day stage in the 2012 SSBL season. We are going to take a look various things that have happened so far this season including trades, the top teams so far and MVP watch among other things. We start off by looking at some of the recent trades.
Trades
Nuggets Trade
Charlie Villanueva
2012 Nuggets 1st (Anthony Davis)
2012 Nuggets 2nd
Bucks Trade
Carmelo Anthony
This trade happened on draft night, the Bucks had be shopping Carmelo Anthony for the past season but didn't seem to like a deal enough to pull the trigger on moving the all star small forward. The Nuggets had the worst record in the league last season and although the pick was projected to be #1 overall in slipped to #4 in the lottery. The draft according to experts is one of the most talented in SSBL history so we do like this move for both. The Bucks ended up selecting Anthony Davis with the #4 overall pick so they have a nice young core of Anthony Davis, Josh Selby and Myck Kabongo while the Nuggets will look to get back to winning ways behind Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin.
Melo traded to the Nuggets
Kings Trade
Travis Leslie
Will Bynum
Hilton Armstrong
$1000
Kings 2014 1st
Suns Trade
Ha Seung Jin
This is a trade between two teams heading in different directions. Ha Seung Jin has been one of the surprise packages in SSBL, when he was drafted in 2004 late in the first round by the Suns no one would of expected him to have the career he has had. But the Suns are heading into a rebuild mode and opted to trade him for a nice young player in Travis Leslie along with Will Bynum, Hilton Armstrong, a first round pick and cash considerations. The Kings had a clear gap at the center spot and Ha Seung Jin will fit in well. We like this move for the Kings but the Suns got a solid return for Jin.
Magic Trade
Sofoklis Schortsanitis
Bojan Bogdanovic
$500
Bulls Trade
Ryan Hollins
Arron Afflalo
Al-Farouq Aminu
This trade makes sense for both teams, Sofoklis Schortsanitis will bring an inside presence for the Bulls to go alongside O.J. Mayo who is the Bulls main scoring threat. The Magic pick up Ryan Hollins a former defensive player of the year who will bring a defensive and shot blocking presence and we also like Arron Afflalo's game he should fit the Magic's style of play perfectly. We will give the Magic the edge on this one.
Power Rankings (Top 5 - Bottom 3)[/u]
#1 - Minnesota Timberwolves: 17-5
On top of our mini power rankings we have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Who would of thought it after winning the championship last season and Tim Duncan's retirement following that many thought the Timberwolves would have to rebuild but GM Lenb1as didn't like the market and decided to have another run at a Championship. At the age of 33 Ron Artest is having a breakout season in terms of scoring averaging 28.PPG, his previous high was 20PPG. Luke Ridnour is also having a great season averaging 20PPG and 10.4APG and the Timberwolves are currently 10-0 at home.
Artest is having a career year.
#2 - New Jersey Nets: 20-7
The Nets are the top team out East and the only team in our top 5. They are lead by their two superstars in Amar'e Stoudemire and Danny Granger who are averaging 48PPG and 20RPG between them. They are also getting solid play from role players Boris Diaw, Corey Maggette and Leandrinho Barbosa. We expect the Nets to carry on this early form and have a very good season.
#3 - Sacramento Kings: 17-7
The Kings are having a great season after a slow start and are currently 13-1 in their last 14 games. The Kings are one of the best scoring teams in the league lead by Brandon Roy who is averaging 30PPG while Evan Turner and Josh Smith are chipping in with 22PPG and 19PPG. The Kings are a deep team with the likes of Saer Sene, Brad Newley and Kyle Lowry coming off the bench who could start for many teams in the league.
Roy's having a great year
#4 - Utah Jazz: 15-6
The Utah Jazz are a talented team lead by 24-year-old Small Forward Kevin Durant. Durant is currently averaging 27PPG and 8.5RPG. The Jazz are a top defensive team behind the play of defensive player of the year candidate Sergei Karaulov and Kevin Durant who is one of the best defenders at the SF spot. LaMarcus Aldridge is also having a great season averaging 18PPG and 12RPG, we expect the Jazz to fight for the #1 seed out West.
#5 - San Antonio Spurs: 13-5
Maybe a surprise package this high up the rankings is the San Antonio Spurs but they have had a great start to the season lead by Dirk Nowitzki and Marcus Williams. Two unsung hero's we like for the Spurs are Paul Millsap who the Spurs picked up on the MLE in free agency and second year forward Kawhi Leonard who brings hustle and energy every night. Maybe the Spurs will start to drop off but for now they deserve this spot.
---
Valanciunas a bright spark for the Heat
#27 - Miami Heat: 6-12
The Heat have struggled this season, they lack a real go to guy they have some good talent in Rondo, Blatche and Valanciunas but without that main go to guy this could be a long season for the Miami Heat.
#28 - Phoenix Suns: 6-15
The Suns look in good shape for the future with the likes of Perry Jones, Tristan Thompson, Joshua Smith, Kemba Walker and Bradley Beal but maybe this season is a season two soon for these guys. A scary team down the line though if these guys reach their potential.
#29 - Houston Rockets: 4-13
The Rockets are an interesting team with the likes of Elton Brand, Michael Beasley and Brandon Jennings on the team but the Rockets have started off the season badly. Beasley and Jennings are still young at 23 but with Elton Brand at 33 it will be interesting to see weather he will demand a trade to get to a winning team and maybe it will be a good move for the Rockets to move him to focus on youth and the draft.
MVP Watch (top 3)
#1 - LeBron James - 30PPG / 8.8RPG / 9.2APG
Granted the Celtics are 7-13 but LeBron James has been nothing but amazing so far for the Celtics, don't know quite where they would be without him. Averaging nearly a triple double LeBron's stat line is no doubt the best in the league but what might hurt him in the long run might be the Celtics overall record.
MVP?
#2 - Joe Johnson - 27PPG / 7RPG / 9.3APG
The 5 time SSBL MVP Joe Johnson is #2 on our list. Averaging 27PPG, 7RPG and 9APG while shooting great numbers from the field is again in line for another MVP award and we would not be surprised to see him get one. One thing that Johnson hasn't got is a Championship ring, we feel that he would prefer one of those this season.
#3 - Monta Ellis - 26.7 PPG / 9.3APG / 3.4SPG
Monta Ellis leads the league in steals per game whilst being 7th in point per game and 11th in assists per game. Although the Sonics have had a slow start at 9-9 we expect Monta Ellis to lead the Sonics to the playoffs that is of course if the Sonics don't move him which they has been whispers off.
On the Block?
Surprises & Rumours
We take a quick look at some surprises and rumours around the league. Firstly the Orlando Magic's start to the season, currently sitting at 8-8 the Magic were expected to be one of the top teams in the East this year behind the likes of Trevor Ariza and Russell Westbrook. They has been rumours that the Magic are quietly shopping Westbrook but we believe they will keep him and soon sort themselves out a shoot up the East. Next is the 7'5 Pavel Podkolzin from the Denver Nuggets, currently averaging 17PPG, 11RPG and 3.5BPG will be interesting to see if he can keep those sort of numbers up. Another rumour we are hearing is that the 76ers are open to moving Dwyane Wade, Wade is currently averaging 25PPG but the 76ers are looking for a bigman so they can give the SG starting spot to Jimmer Fredette. Steph Curry may also be on the block, the Knicks value him highly but we understand if an all star type pg is in the deal Curry could be had.
We are at the 30 day stage in the 2012 SSBL season. We are going to take a look various things that have happened so far this season including trades, the top teams so far and MVP watch among other things. We start off by looking at some of the recent trades.
Trades
Nuggets Trade
Charlie Villanueva
2012 Nuggets 1st (Anthony Davis)
2012 Nuggets 2nd
Bucks Trade
Carmelo Anthony
This trade happened on draft night, the Bucks had be shopping Carmelo Anthony for the past season but didn't seem to like a deal enough to pull the trigger on moving the all star small forward. The Nuggets had the worst record in the league last season and although the pick was projected to be #1 overall in slipped to #4 in the lottery. The draft according to experts is one of the most talented in SSBL history so we do like this move for both. The Bucks ended up selecting Anthony Davis with the #4 overall pick so they have a nice young core of Anthony Davis, Josh Selby and Myck Kabongo while the Nuggets will look to get back to winning ways behind Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin.
Melo traded to the Nuggets
Kings Trade
Travis Leslie
Will Bynum
Hilton Armstrong
$1000
Kings 2014 1st
Suns Trade
Ha Seung Jin
This is a trade between two teams heading in different directions. Ha Seung Jin has been one of the surprise packages in SSBL, when he was drafted in 2004 late in the first round by the Suns no one would of expected him to have the career he has had. But the Suns are heading into a rebuild mode and opted to trade him for a nice young player in Travis Leslie along with Will Bynum, Hilton Armstrong, a first round pick and cash considerations. The Kings had a clear gap at the center spot and Ha Seung Jin will fit in well. We like this move for the Kings but the Suns got a solid return for Jin.
Magic Trade
Sofoklis Schortsanitis
Bojan Bogdanovic
$500
Bulls Trade
Ryan Hollins
Arron Afflalo
Al-Farouq Aminu
This trade makes sense for both teams, Sofoklis Schortsanitis will bring an inside presence for the Bulls to go alongside O.J. Mayo who is the Bulls main scoring threat. The Magic pick up Ryan Hollins a former defensive player of the year who will bring a defensive and shot blocking presence and we also like Arron Afflalo's game he should fit the Magic's style of play perfectly. We will give the Magic the edge on this one.
Power Rankings (Top 5 - Bottom 3)[/u]
#1 - Minnesota Timberwolves: 17-5
On top of our mini power rankings we have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Who would of thought it after winning the championship last season and Tim Duncan's retirement following that many thought the Timberwolves would have to rebuild but GM Lenb1as didn't like the market and decided to have another run at a Championship. At the age of 33 Ron Artest is having a breakout season in terms of scoring averaging 28.PPG, his previous high was 20PPG. Luke Ridnour is also having a great season averaging 20PPG and 10.4APG and the Timberwolves are currently 10-0 at home.
Artest is having a career year.
#2 - New Jersey Nets: 20-7
The Nets are the top team out East and the only team in our top 5. They are lead by their two superstars in Amar'e Stoudemire and Danny Granger who are averaging 48PPG and 20RPG between them. They are also getting solid play from role players Boris Diaw, Corey Maggette and Leandrinho Barbosa. We expect the Nets to carry on this early form and have a very good season.
#3 - Sacramento Kings: 17-7
The Kings are having a great season after a slow start and are currently 13-1 in their last 14 games. The Kings are one of the best scoring teams in the league lead by Brandon Roy who is averaging 30PPG while Evan Turner and Josh Smith are chipping in with 22PPG and 19PPG. The Kings are a deep team with the likes of Saer Sene, Brad Newley and Kyle Lowry coming off the bench who could start for many teams in the league.
Roy's having a great year
#4 - Utah Jazz: 15-6
The Utah Jazz are a talented team lead by 24-year-old Small Forward Kevin Durant. Durant is currently averaging 27PPG and 8.5RPG. The Jazz are a top defensive team behind the play of defensive player of the year candidate Sergei Karaulov and Kevin Durant who is one of the best defenders at the SF spot. LaMarcus Aldridge is also having a great season averaging 18PPG and 12RPG, we expect the Jazz to fight for the #1 seed out West.
#5 - San Antonio Spurs: 13-5
Maybe a surprise package this high up the rankings is the San Antonio Spurs but they have had a great start to the season lead by Dirk Nowitzki and Marcus Williams. Two unsung hero's we like for the Spurs are Paul Millsap who the Spurs picked up on the MLE in free agency and second year forward Kawhi Leonard who brings hustle and energy every night. Maybe the Spurs will start to drop off but for now they deserve this spot.
---
Valanciunas a bright spark for the Heat
#27 - Miami Heat: 6-12
The Heat have struggled this season, they lack a real go to guy they have some good talent in Rondo, Blatche and Valanciunas but without that main go to guy this could be a long season for the Miami Heat.
#28 - Phoenix Suns: 6-15
The Suns look in good shape for the future with the likes of Perry Jones, Tristan Thompson, Joshua Smith, Kemba Walker and Bradley Beal but maybe this season is a season two soon for these guys. A scary team down the line though if these guys reach their potential.
#29 - Houston Rockets: 4-13
The Rockets are an interesting team with the likes of Elton Brand, Michael Beasley and Brandon Jennings on the team but the Rockets have started off the season badly. Beasley and Jennings are still young at 23 but with Elton Brand at 33 it will be interesting to see weather he will demand a trade to get to a winning team and maybe it will be a good move for the Rockets to move him to focus on youth and the draft.
MVP Watch (top 3)
#1 - LeBron James - 30PPG / 8.8RPG / 9.2APG
Granted the Celtics are 7-13 but LeBron James has been nothing but amazing so far for the Celtics, don't know quite where they would be without him. Averaging nearly a triple double LeBron's stat line is no doubt the best in the league but what might hurt him in the long run might be the Celtics overall record.
MVP?
#2 - Joe Johnson - 27PPG / 7RPG / 9.3APG
The 5 time SSBL MVP Joe Johnson is #2 on our list. Averaging 27PPG, 7RPG and 9APG while shooting great numbers from the field is again in line for another MVP award and we would not be surprised to see him get one. One thing that Johnson hasn't got is a Championship ring, we feel that he would prefer one of those this season.
#3 - Monta Ellis - 26.7 PPG / 9.3APG / 3.4SPG
Monta Ellis leads the league in steals per game whilst being 7th in point per game and 11th in assists per game. Although the Sonics have had a slow start at 9-9 we expect Monta Ellis to lead the Sonics to the playoffs that is of course if the Sonics don't move him which they has been whispers off.
On the Block?
Surprises & Rumours
We take a quick look at some surprises and rumours around the league. Firstly the Orlando Magic's start to the season, currently sitting at 8-8 the Magic were expected to be one of the top teams in the East this year behind the likes of Trevor Ariza and Russell Westbrook. They has been rumours that the Magic are quietly shopping Westbrook but we believe they will keep him and soon sort themselves out a shoot up the East. Next is the 7'5 Pavel Podkolzin from the Denver Nuggets, currently averaging 17PPG, 11RPG and 3.5BPG will be interesting to see if he can keep those sort of numbers up. Another rumour we are hearing is that the 76ers are open to moving Dwyane Wade, Wade is currently averaging 25PPG but the 76ers are looking for a bigman so they can give the SG starting spot to Jimmer Fredette. Steph Curry may also be on the block, the Knicks value him highly but we understand if an all star type pg is in the deal Curry could be had.
2000
