Post by kmatrixg on May 28, 2011 22:32:36 GMT -5
To Recap:
What Happened??
The landscape of SSBLv4 was changed dramatically 2 seasons ago, when 9 teams were faced with adversity when their previous leaders were either fired, or left the team for other reasons. The Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers all saw old regimes take a new step into the future by hiring their current managers.
Of those 9 teams, 2 managers were let go for the dreaded contract year - the effervescent and adored afro, who managed the Grizzlies to 2 championships, and the not so popular heelsguy25 who never had a clue, were let go without any choice of their own.
Three managers were fired due to incompetence; Streetballa who led the Clippers into the ground before being taken over by the legendary Schmaranz; crazymike, who believed posting DC's was garbage while his Suns somehow won the conference in a cloudy 2008 season; and lastly, verysilentone, who was just that, leaving the Nets vacant.
The other 4 teams were left by their managers for other reasons. When the Miami Heat failed to impress their previous owner during the teams training camp, Shawncro simply said he had enough of this team, in this league, and left immediately thereafter. In Charlotte, reke proclaimed he had a period of enlightenment which included a trip to heaven to speak with god. He too, left almost immediately, before returning to a heavenly franchise
Toronto was abandoned by Joel during a binge in which he was seen by paparazzi scaling a brick wall to the 2nd story of a crack house, then, miraculously flying out of the same window with a black garbage bag before a giant explosion nearly engulfed him mid-air. (Had to make it interesting, right?) Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers were dumped by life long leader Schmaranz after he was offered the Leprachauns gold stash by the Clippers to take over the dismal joke of a team.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We left off discussing the major trades made by the two teams playing in the Central Division: the Charlotte Bobcats, and Toronto Raptors, and the Memphis Grizzlies located in the Midwest Division. Next, we'll look at the division which had the most front office changes, making the biggest roster moves.
What Next??
Golden State Warriors:
2010 Record: 50-32
Major Trades:
(2009)
Warriors Receive:
Robert Swift
Yao Ming
Paccelis Morlende
Raps Receive:
Andris Biedrins
Predrag Stojakovic
Raymond Felton
2011 Warriors 1st
ssbl4.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trades&action=display&thread=4224
"Hard for me to part with Biedrins, but I get a better point guard, I drafted Yao when i was the jazz gm and he's still got it, and swift is a young prospect who fills my pf void." - iflip
I went back to 2009, to the only trade iFlip has made since being Warriors GM. Why? Because this is the trade that vaulted the Warriors into contention after being plagued by mediocrity for 8+ years beforehand. There are 2 reasons why this trade ended up being a brilliant move for the Warriors:
1) Anytime you get the chance to employ a skilled 7'6", 300 pound center - you do not pass it up. Yao was part of the Raptor team that won at least 50 games for 4 straight seasons, all while commanding less than Max salary. Yao will always be an imposing force in the post with his incredible size, almost a perennial lock for 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
2) Pac-Man. Morlende sports a career 5:1 A/TO ratio, and in the past 2 seasons for the Warriors, owns a 6.7:1 A/TO ratio - a number that clearly wins games. Morlende was a teammate of Yao during the 2008 season which saw the Raptors win a franchise high 62 games, and records show that when kmatrixg placed Pac-Man into the starting lineup, the team finished the year 51-12. He makes few mistakes, and is one of the most efficient Points in the league on offense.
The sole trade iFlip has made has clearly launched the Warriors into contention for at least the next 3-5 years, or as long as Yao wants to play at a high level. There has been one unmentioned factor of that trade - Robert Swift. I took a flier on him in the Indiana trade that shipped out Kobe Bryant, and Swift was nothing short of spectacular in the role he was given. Proving his worth, Swift averaged a career high 16 points per game in 2010, while shooting, again a career high, 46% from the field.
In essence, Biedrins was all iFlip had to give up in order to solidify 3/5 of his starting lineup, and all 3 starters have been absolutely crucial to the teams first 50 win season in over a decade.
Los Angeles Clippers:
2010 Record: 30-52
Major Trades:
Los Angeles Clippers Receive:
SF Omri Casspi
SG Eric Gordon
PG Nate Robinson
Miami Heat Receive:
PG Rajon Rondo
ssbl4.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trades&action=display&thread=4506
"I like what I'm seeing out of Casspi and Gordon. Nate Robinson ain't too shabby either. Hopefully gonna be giving the keys to the car to Rubio next season so I was gonna have to ship out Rondo eventually. Also I was a bit annoyed by the fact that he hasn't improved since I got him. Hopefully Gordon and Casspi will be important pieces to this team's rebuild. " - Brian
Brian only made one move this season - one we discussed earlier involving the Miami Heat. Rondo was a great player for the Clipps, and an even better player for the Grizzlies a few seasons back. The return which Rondo was able to net LA was respectable - Eric Gordon is finally showing glimpses of the star player he was supposed to be when he was drafted 3 years ago; Casspi is showing signs of being the next great defender in the SSBL and nothing beats a few million extra dollars off the books. However, what Brian stressed during the press conference after the trade was most important of all: Ricky Rubio will have full reigns when he joins the team in what could be as early as next season.
The last thing a GM wants to deal with is a PG feud - as efficient or effective as they may be, nobody drafts a star PG to only get 50% of the player, they want 100%. With Rondo on board, Brian would have only gotten 50% from each player and while some may argue it's better than 0%, it's not better than 100% of one star, especially when both may command MAX dollars.
The result is simple: the Clippers have solidified 2 positions in SG and SF with Gordon and Casspi, while freeing up the most important position, PG, for Rubio in the future.
Phoenix Suns:
2010 Record: 36-46
Major Trades:
Hawks trade:
Kemba Walker
Peter John Ramos
Dajuan Wagner
2011 1st
2012 1st
$3000 dollars
Suns trade:
Joe Johnson
Mike Bibby
Jahidi White
2013 2nd round pick
ssbl4.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trades&action=display&thread=4547
Miketrain didn't really give a concrete reason as to why he decided to accept this package over many others as was eventually reported, but, one thing the deal was not short of was public opinion.
In what could only be described as the type of reaction that the Pau Gasol to LA trade received, the trade was sent to the Review Board for final judgment. Eventually, almost 24 hours later, the deal was sent through. All in all, he did receive a lot of pieces for the reigning MVP, however, there was nothing substantial in the package, rather lots of mediocrity coming from Atlanta.
In a heated discussion about the deal, M.T. revealed that Kemba Walker was not the player everyone seemed to be making him out to be - that he was better, and was the definite centerpiece that allowed him to make the deal.
Regardless of public opinion, the deal was a rather weak return for a reigning MVP, in any league. There were opportunities for M.T. to bring in one of the leagues best young bigmen, Ciao Torres, to put next to (in FlipU's terms) the best true center in the league, fortifying a frontcourt that could dominate for the better half of the next decade. However, M.T. chose to rely on the potential of a 21 year old Kemba, who now clearly has the pressure of an entire city sitting upon his shoulders.
What Happened??
The landscape of SSBLv4 was changed dramatically 2 seasons ago, when 9 teams were faced with adversity when their previous leaders were either fired, or left the team for other reasons. The Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers all saw old regimes take a new step into the future by hiring their current managers.
Of those 9 teams, 2 managers were let go for the dreaded contract year - the effervescent and adored afro, who managed the Grizzlies to 2 championships, and the not so popular heelsguy25 who never had a clue, were let go without any choice of their own.
Three managers were fired due to incompetence; Streetballa who led the Clippers into the ground before being taken over by the legendary Schmaranz; crazymike, who believed posting DC's was garbage while his Suns somehow won the conference in a cloudy 2008 season; and lastly, verysilentone, who was just that, leaving the Nets vacant.
The other 4 teams were left by their managers for other reasons. When the Miami Heat failed to impress their previous owner during the teams training camp, Shawncro simply said he had enough of this team, in this league, and left immediately thereafter. In Charlotte, reke proclaimed he had a period of enlightenment which included a trip to heaven to speak with god. He too, left almost immediately, before returning to a heavenly franchise
Toronto was abandoned by Joel during a binge in which he was seen by paparazzi scaling a brick wall to the 2nd story of a crack house, then, miraculously flying out of the same window with a black garbage bag before a giant explosion nearly engulfed him mid-air. (Had to make it interesting, right?) Finally, the Los Angeles Lakers were dumped by life long leader Schmaranz after he was offered the Leprachauns gold stash by the Clippers to take over the dismal joke of a team.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We left off discussing the major trades made by the two teams playing in the Central Division: the Charlotte Bobcats, and Toronto Raptors, and the Memphis Grizzlies located in the Midwest Division. Next, we'll look at the division which had the most front office changes, making the biggest roster moves.
What Next??
Golden State Warriors:
2010 Record: 50-32
Major Trades:
(2009)
Warriors Receive:
Robert Swift
Yao Ming
Paccelis Morlende
Raps Receive:
Andris Biedrins
Predrag Stojakovic
Raymond Felton
2011 Warriors 1st
ssbl4.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trades&action=display&thread=4224
"Hard for me to part with Biedrins, but I get a better point guard, I drafted Yao when i was the jazz gm and he's still got it, and swift is a young prospect who fills my pf void." - iflip
I went back to 2009, to the only trade iFlip has made since being Warriors GM. Why? Because this is the trade that vaulted the Warriors into contention after being plagued by mediocrity for 8+ years beforehand. There are 2 reasons why this trade ended up being a brilliant move for the Warriors:
1) Anytime you get the chance to employ a skilled 7'6", 300 pound center - you do not pass it up. Yao was part of the Raptor team that won at least 50 games for 4 straight seasons, all while commanding less than Max salary. Yao will always be an imposing force in the post with his incredible size, almost a perennial lock for 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
2) Pac-Man. Morlende sports a career 5:1 A/TO ratio, and in the past 2 seasons for the Warriors, owns a 6.7:1 A/TO ratio - a number that clearly wins games. Morlende was a teammate of Yao during the 2008 season which saw the Raptors win a franchise high 62 games, and records show that when kmatrixg placed Pac-Man into the starting lineup, the team finished the year 51-12. He makes few mistakes, and is one of the most efficient Points in the league on offense.
The sole trade iFlip has made has clearly launched the Warriors into contention for at least the next 3-5 years, or as long as Yao wants to play at a high level. There has been one unmentioned factor of that trade - Robert Swift. I took a flier on him in the Indiana trade that shipped out Kobe Bryant, and Swift was nothing short of spectacular in the role he was given. Proving his worth, Swift averaged a career high 16 points per game in 2010, while shooting, again a career high, 46% from the field.
In essence, Biedrins was all iFlip had to give up in order to solidify 3/5 of his starting lineup, and all 3 starters have been absolutely crucial to the teams first 50 win season in over a decade.
Los Angeles Clippers:
2010 Record: 30-52
Major Trades:
Los Angeles Clippers Receive:
SF Omri Casspi
SG Eric Gordon
PG Nate Robinson
Miami Heat Receive:
PG Rajon Rondo
ssbl4.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trades&action=display&thread=4506
"I like what I'm seeing out of Casspi and Gordon. Nate Robinson ain't too shabby either. Hopefully gonna be giving the keys to the car to Rubio next season so I was gonna have to ship out Rondo eventually. Also I was a bit annoyed by the fact that he hasn't improved since I got him. Hopefully Gordon and Casspi will be important pieces to this team's rebuild. " - Brian
Brian only made one move this season - one we discussed earlier involving the Miami Heat. Rondo was a great player for the Clipps, and an even better player for the Grizzlies a few seasons back. The return which Rondo was able to net LA was respectable - Eric Gordon is finally showing glimpses of the star player he was supposed to be when he was drafted 3 years ago; Casspi is showing signs of being the next great defender in the SSBL and nothing beats a few million extra dollars off the books. However, what Brian stressed during the press conference after the trade was most important of all: Ricky Rubio will have full reigns when he joins the team in what could be as early as next season.
The last thing a GM wants to deal with is a PG feud - as efficient or effective as they may be, nobody drafts a star PG to only get 50% of the player, they want 100%. With Rondo on board, Brian would have only gotten 50% from each player and while some may argue it's better than 0%, it's not better than 100% of one star, especially when both may command MAX dollars.
The result is simple: the Clippers have solidified 2 positions in SG and SF with Gordon and Casspi, while freeing up the most important position, PG, for Rubio in the future.
Phoenix Suns:
2010 Record: 36-46
Major Trades:
Hawks trade:
Kemba Walker
Peter John Ramos
Dajuan Wagner
2011 1st
2012 1st
$3000 dollars
Suns trade:
Joe Johnson
Mike Bibby
Jahidi White
2013 2nd round pick
ssbl4.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trades&action=display&thread=4547
Miketrain didn't really give a concrete reason as to why he decided to accept this package over many others as was eventually reported, but, one thing the deal was not short of was public opinion.
In what could only be described as the type of reaction that the Pau Gasol to LA trade received, the trade was sent to the Review Board for final judgment. Eventually, almost 24 hours later, the deal was sent through. All in all, he did receive a lot of pieces for the reigning MVP, however, there was nothing substantial in the package, rather lots of mediocrity coming from Atlanta.
In a heated discussion about the deal, M.T. revealed that Kemba Walker was not the player everyone seemed to be making him out to be - that he was better, and was the definite centerpiece that allowed him to make the deal.
Regardless of public opinion, the deal was a rather weak return for a reigning MVP, in any league. There were opportunities for M.T. to bring in one of the leagues best young bigmen, Ciao Torres, to put next to (in FlipU's terms) the best true center in the league, fortifying a frontcourt that could dominate for the better half of the next decade. However, M.T. chose to rely on the potential of a 21 year old Kemba, who now clearly has the pressure of an entire city sitting upon his shoulders.
2000
