Post by the original michael on Jun 15, 2020 12:00:29 GMT -8
A Sit-Down With SARGO: Roundtable!!
Skillz - No! I think it will be really tough. Beyond the flurry of trades we made after winning the title, both MJ and David Robinson retired. This really was the Last, Last Dance and it was intentionally a one-year window. We’ll figure out a way to be good, but I don’t think we have a direct path to title contention right now. Hopefully that changes. I think the favorite will be the Cavs. As long as Svedda doesn’t get stir crazy, he has the most complete roster and by far the best team in the league IMO.
manasrai - I have a sneaking suspicion Marquis Daniels will end up being a steal for the Kings at 26. Good fit for a team that won't need to over rely on him.
The run on PG's amused me. I'm not a big fan of Mo Williams or Jose Calderon, but Mo Williams takes the cake for worst pick IMO. I think this pick only makes sense if he's planning on flipping him? Wouldn't he have gotten more value trading him during the draft to support his CY efforts?
Frangie - I didn’t really follow the draft because I didn’t have a pick. Lebron and Wade seem like they will be cheat codes.
Skillz - Beyond the top picks…
My favorite pick was Kyle Korver at 20. Not really sure how he fell so far, but he’s going to be an “A” or “A+” outside shooter and should have a direct path towards developing into a legitimate starter.
I’ll say the worst pick was Kendrick Perkins at 19. Didn’t spence say he basically sucked and was going to have 0 potential in the notes?
manasrai - #1: Kirk Hinrich: Obviously this is a homer decision. That said, he will be given the keys to the PG kingdom in Golden State. He'll be given every opportunity to succeed.
#2: Kyle Korver: We know what he is. I think he'll have an opportunity to be a real life Peja style player. The fact that he's already over 85 in handles is pretty sexy too.
#3: Boris Diaw: A lot of people are pretty low on him, but I loved his notes. Having the flexibility to backup 1-5 is pretty awesome. Will be interesting to see what he ends up being RC'd and AC'd in. Seems like a fun player!
4: Leandro Barbosa: Looks like a Crawford clone, but I think this one is quite boom/bust as looks can be deceiving in this league...
5: Josh Howard: He plugs in snugly in Toronto. Love what TOR has done at 1/2/3. If Howard has any juice for TC's, he'll be an easy steal in this draft.
Skillz - I bet Jerome Moiso, Rashard Lewis, Andre Miller, Stephen Jackson and Jamal Crawford ultimately sign with different teams. To whom? It is anyone’s guess.
Skillz - Change the AC limit to 4 per season and change the POSTING RC’s to 4 per season (1200 posts total). I just think this directs activity in a positive way and think they are just better limitations. 1200 posts is still a lot, and 4 articles/AC’s are limited enough to keep ratings constrained.
Frangie -The Cavs if they decide to run it back. The Kings should be good. The Clippers if we have a good off season. I like some of the guys on the Heat Celtics and Wizards too.
Skillz - Kinda silly before FA, but…
1. Cavs – Most talented team in the league
2. Kings – Ashes still has a ton to work w/
3. Lakers – When healthy, the team is dangerous
4. Wizards – Hot take, but I think they are well-positioned given the state of the league right now
5. Hornets – They just made some big-time moves. Tema looks good.
manasrai - 1: Warriors
2: Hawks
3: Jazz
4: Timberwolves
5: Rockets
(Note though, all of these teams have significant cap space, so this this is entirely fluid. I think tanking leaders will be determined by how cap space is used.)
Frangie - Well a lot of teams are empty right now, but there aren’t enough good FAs to go around. So whoever strikes out in FA tbh
Skillz - 1. Bucks – Team looks hapless. Chipper has gotten some bad luck
2. Wolves – I know they just got Bosh, but I don’t see a defined direction
3. Nets – They will be intentionally losing
4. Bulls – They will be intentionally losing
5. Hawks – They are trying to win but are in TROUBLE
manasrai - Does Spence have a crush on Euro players? Or was he just trying to balance out draft classes with an influx of Euro players? I think he was just using this as a way to balance out classes...but that's just my guess.
I love basketball but I have zero idea who the next no name Euro star would be. Just don't follow it THAT closely.
manasrai - Already met Habes and Andrew. Love those guys. Other than that I guess it would be interesting to meet Pig, Galo, and Dan or Nanz. Basically the old timers.
manasrai - My backstory? Born in India, immigrated to the US as a kid. Work in tech sales for a subsidiary of Dell at the moment. Bay Area boy. Cat person. Warriors season ticket holder until this year (what a great run...). Love basketball, but I think soccer is my #1. Arsenal fan.
Frangie - I have a data background. My strength in FBB is analyzing how players have performed but I’m not so good at predicting how they will do in the future, imo. Obviously love sports and this is filling the gap. I’ve been working the whole time so it can be hard to keep up.
Skillz - About to move to Cincinnati after working in NYC for 5-years! Big change. Nice change of pace. Grew up in CT. Outside of sports, I am a huge TV nerd. I have written a couple of screenplays myself. Just got a 2nd dog, names Risa. Yep!
1. The mighty Skillz and the New York Knicks took home their first BBS title this past season, defeating ashes and the Sacramento Kings. However, the Knicks have already torn down their title team and appear to be overhauling the roster. Do we think the Knicks can go back to back with their new look roster, or is another team the new favorite, and why?
manasrai - First off, congrats to Skillz on winning it all! Feels like he alone is responsible for 1/3 of the trade output in this league. Given there is no guarantee that any of the players on his team right now will be there come the start of the season, I have no idea how to tell if he'll be championship worthy this year. I'd say the Cavs and the Kings look best positioned to win this year, just due to roster continuity. For the first time, FA will likely determine everything though.
JR - The Knicks will definitely be in the mix in the Eastern Conference. Unless Skillz literally strikes out. He could sell anything to some of these GMs. Great negotiator, only reason I got LeBron tbh. Thanks again Skillz.
JR - The Knicks will definitely be in the mix in the Eastern Conference. Unless Skillz literally strikes out. He could sell anything to some of these GMs. Great negotiator, only reason I got LeBron tbh. Thanks again Skillz.
frangie - Skillz can absolutely go back to back. He is great at trading. He has the ability to trade vets for prospects then trade the prospects for better players than he originally had. It’s funny because a lot of the deals he does aren’t obvious home runs but then you add them up and the end result is an obvious win over the whole batch of trades. So I’m not concerned about who is on his roster right now, he can compete if he decides to.
Skillz - No! I think it will be really tough. Beyond the flurry of trades we made after winning the title, both MJ and David Robinson retired. This really was the Last, Last Dance and it was intentionally a one-year window. We’ll figure out a way to be good, but I don’t think we have a direct path to title contention right now. Hopefully that changes. I think the favorite will be the Cavs. As long as Svedda doesn’t get stir crazy, he has the most complete roster and by far the best team in the league IMO.
2. The long anticipated 2003 offseason is finally here! The draft flew by in like 6 hours last night. Was was your favorite and least favorite picks in the draft, and why?
manasrai - I have a sneaking suspicion Marquis Daniels will end up being a steal for the Kings at 26. Good fit for a team that won't need to over rely on him.
The run on PG's amused me. I'm not a big fan of Mo Williams or Jose Calderon, but Mo Williams takes the cake for worst pick IMO. I think this pick only makes sense if he's planning on flipping him? Wouldn't he have gotten more value trading him during the draft to support his CY efforts?
JR - Well knowing what I know now, Kyle Korver is my favorite pick of the draft. While, Boris Diaw was my least favorite pick. If you swapped them where they got drafted I would still probably feel the same way. Korver will be a good player in this league. If Diaw's best weapon is passing he shouldn't have got drafted. He looks like hes a wlaking TO but who knows th.
Frangie - I didn’t really follow the draft because I didn’t have a pick. Lebron and Wade seem like they will be cheat codes.
Skillz - Beyond the top picks…
My favorite pick was Kyle Korver at 20. Not really sure how he fell so far, but he’s going to be an “A” or “A+” outside shooter and should have a direct path towards developing into a legitimate starter.
I’ll say the worst pick was Kendrick Perkins at 19. Didn’t spence say he basically sucked and was going to have 0 potential in the notes?
3. Let’s piggy back off the previous question here. Obviously we all think LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and Anthony will be elite, or near elite players in this league. Outside of those 4 guys, rank your top 5 draftees for 2003 and why you think each will succeed in this league.
manasrai - #1: Kirk Hinrich: Obviously this is a homer decision. That said, he will be given the keys to the PG kingdom in Golden State. He'll be given every opportunity to succeed.
#2: Kyle Korver: We know what he is. I think he'll have an opportunity to be a real life Peja style player. The fact that he's already over 85 in handles is pretty sexy too.
#3: Boris Diaw: A lot of people are pretty low on him, but I loved his notes. Having the flexibility to backup 1-5 is pretty awesome. Will be interesting to see what he ends up being RC'd and AC'd in. Seems like a fun player!
4: Leandro Barbosa: Looks like a Crawford clone, but I think this one is quite boom/bust as looks can be deceiving in this league...
5: Josh Howard: He plugs in snugly in Toronto. Love what TOR has done at 1/2/3. If Howard has any juice for TC's, he'll be an easy steal in this draft.
JR - Josh Howard, reminds me of Tayshaun more league ready and slept on.
Kirk Hinrich, I feel he has been overrated by some, but he will be a starting PG for a long time
Kyle Korver, he is capped in 3 pt and handles ok spencer calm down buddy lol
Leandro Barbosa, I think hes gonna be better then Bobby in an outside if TOs are low wouldve been my target if i landed outside of the top 4.
David West, another guy like Prince BBS ready mid potential most likely. Camp ASAP and be happy.
Frangie - Oof not really sure but I assume Hinrich and Ford will have value relative to the PG position. West should be good. Howard looks interesting. Diaw could work as a super sub? Kind of like the idea but not sure it will pan out.
Frangie - Oof not really sure but I assume Hinrich and Ford will have value relative to the PG position. West should be good. Howard looks interesting. Diaw could work as a super sub? Kind of like the idea but not sure it will pan out.
Skillz - 1. David West – I took him # 5 for a reason, just behind those guys!
2. Kirk Hinrich – Low TO PG with solid defense who should develop into a slightly worse version of Bobby Jackson
3. Boris Diaw – Too fun to not be useful
4. Kyle Korver – For the aforementioned reasons
5. Marquis Daniels – Like his ratings profile and think he can provide scoring punch off the bench
2. Kirk Hinrich – Low TO PG with solid defense who should develop into a slightly worse version of Bobby Jackson
3. Boris Diaw – Too fun to not be useful
4. Kyle Korver – For the aforementioned reasons
5. Marquis Daniels – Like his ratings profile and think he can provide scoring punch off the bench
4. Free Agency could happen happen at any minute, which key guys do you see bolting for greener pastures in FA?
manasrai - Marcus Camby seems like a good candidate to jump ship. Maxing him and then Nash next offseason could lead to some hard cap challenges down the road.
Zo will likely get multiple MAX offers. Given his loyalty pretty low (if that means anything??), he could be a wildcard. Would be a big blow for the Blazers if he leaves.
Jason Williams also has low loyalty and high play for winner/greed. Are the Sonics even looking to keep him given they signed Mo Williams?
manasrai - Marcus Camby seems like a good candidate to jump ship. Maxing him and then Nash next offseason could lead to some hard cap challenges down the road.
Zo will likely get multiple MAX offers. Given his loyalty pretty low (if that means anything??), he could be a wildcard. Would be a big blow for the Blazers if he leaves.
Jason Williams also has low loyalty and high play for winner/greed. Are the Sonics even looking to keep him given they signed Mo Williams?
JR - I see most returning, JCraw is the guy who is most vulnerable to leave. Only 3 bird years and he has 3 years of experience only. Guys coming off rookie deals are most vulerable to leave I believe.
Frangie -I hope Finley doesn’t bolt! I could see Crawford jumping ship. Ernest probably loses one of his guys too. It’s very hard to say of course. There was some discussion around if Z is a max player or not on the forum.
Frangie -I hope Finley doesn’t bolt! I could see Crawford jumping ship. Ernest probably loses one of his guys too. It’s very hard to say of course. There was some discussion around if Z is a max player or not on the forum.
Skillz - I bet Jerome Moiso, Rashard Lewis, Andre Miller, Stephen Jackson and Jamal Crawford ultimately sign with different teams. To whom? It is anyone’s guess.
5. If you could change one rule in this league, or add a rule to make it an even better league, what would it be, and why?
manasrai - League expansion. Let's add a team or two! We have some talented AGM's, and would help keep the talent level relatively diluted so that roster makeup is key.
JR - Honestly wouldnt add or change anything. This is BBS, I like the league for what it is. If I had to chose maybe add the podcast thing to articles. IDK its a great league already.
Frangie - I wouldn’t change any rules but I would say slowing down a little could help Spencer to not get burned out maybe. He’s doing a tremendous job so whatever works for him I would be in support of.
JR - Honestly wouldnt add or change anything. This is BBS, I like the league for what it is. If I had to chose maybe add the podcast thing to articles. IDK its a great league already.
Frangie - I wouldn’t change any rules but I would say slowing down a little could help Spencer to not get burned out maybe. He’s doing a tremendous job so whatever works for him I would be in support of.
Skillz - Change the AC limit to 4 per season and change the POSTING RC’s to 4 per season (1200 posts total). I just think this directs activity in a positive way and think they are just better limitations. 1200 posts is still a lot, and 4 articles/AC’s are limited enough to keep ratings constrained.
6. I know it’s early and there will be a lot of movement here trade wise, but let’s see your power rankings for the top 5 teams in the league.
manasrai -
1: Kings
2: Cavs
3: Clippers
4: Lakers (assuming Kidd comes back)
5: Mavs (I can never count Aaron out)
JR - 1. Kings, 2. Knicks, 3. Cavs, 4. Nets, 5. Pacers. All good teams, all with good GMs.
1: Kings
2: Cavs
3: Clippers
4: Lakers (assuming Kidd comes back)
5: Mavs (I can never count Aaron out)
JR - 1. Kings, 2. Knicks, 3. Cavs, 4. Nets, 5. Pacers. All good teams, all with good GMs.
Frangie -The Cavs if they decide to run it back. The Kings should be good. The Clippers if we have a good off season. I like some of the guys on the Heat Celtics and Wizards too.
Skillz - Kinda silly before FA, but…
1. Cavs – Most talented team in the league
2. Kings – Ashes still has a ton to work w/
3. Lakers – When healthy, the team is dangerous
4. Wizards – Hot take, but I think they are well-positioned given the state of the league right now
5. Hornets – They just made some big-time moves. Tema looks good.
7. Now, let’s flip it. Give me the bottom 5 teams in the league, the 5 shittiest, hopeless teams.
manasrai - 1: Warriors
2: Hawks
3: Jazz
4: Timberwolves
5: Rockets
(Note though, all of these teams have significant cap space, so this this is entirely fluid. I think tanking leaders will be determined by how cap space is used.)
JR - This one is a lot easier, 1. Magic, 2. Hawks, 3. Sonics, 4. Warriors, 5. Nuggets. All these teams have 1 good player and thats it except the Nuggets they have 2.
Frangie - Well a lot of teams are empty right now, but there aren’t enough good FAs to go around. So whoever strikes out in FA tbh
Skillz - 1. Bucks – Team looks hapless. Chipper has gotten some bad luck
2. Wolves – I know they just got Bosh, but I don’t see a defined direction
3. Nets – They will be intentionally losing
4. Bulls – They will be intentionally losing
5. Hawks – They are trying to win but are in TROUBLE
8. The league has seen some crazy Europeans enter the league. Some no named guys turn into legit stars. Do we think this trend will continue? Who will be the next elite no name Euro?
manasrai - Does Spence have a crush on Euro players? Or was he just trying to balance out draft classes with an influx of Euro players? I think he was just using this as a way to balance out classes...but that's just my guess.
I love basketball but I have zero idea who the next no name Euro star would be. Just don't follow it THAT closely.
JR - Honestly none were hyped as much as the last few drafts but if I had to chose one it would be Pietrus. He also had some solid years on the warriors so maybe the biased lives on.
Frangie - I have no idea. Not my favorite aspect of the league but Spencer likes it so it’s cool with me. It definitely does contribute to inflation. But, I get the need to give the worse teams hope and a reason to get excited.
Frangie - I have no idea. Not my favorite aspect of the league but Spencer likes it so it’s cool with me. It definitely does contribute to inflation. But, I get the need to give the worse teams hope and a reason to get excited.
Skillz - How am I supposed to know the next no-name Euro if I don’t know any of their names!? He is going to have a name and his name will be LUKA DONCIC!
9. Pick 3 GMs you’d like to sit down and have a few beers with while watching some sports (Damn, I miss sports). Try not to pick guys you know in real life.
manasrai - Already met Habes and Andrew. Love those guys. Other than that I guess it would be interesting to meet Pig, Galo, and Dan or Nanz. Basically the old timers.
JR - Definitly picking DB, Habes and Galo. Never met these guys till this league but DB seems like a nice good guy, likes the Knicks so that helps, Habes is actually pretty funny, whou wouldve thought? Galo is a cool dude, real low key
Frangie - Pretty much anyone! If I have to name people, maybe Ashes, Manas, Steve. Anyone who doesn’t dump on me/the clips lol.
Frangie - Pretty much anyone! If I have to name people, maybe Ashes, Manas, Steve. Anyone who doesn’t dump on me/the clips lol.
Skillz - Nanz, Frangie, Galo. I’m all about good vibes these days and these 3 seem to be three of the more positive fellas in the league! I just want to have a good time.
10. Let’s get a bit personal here. Give us your back story, tell us something about yourself (job, interests, etc.)
manasrai - My backstory? Born in India, immigrated to the US as a kid. Work in tech sales for a subsidiary of Dell at the moment. Bay Area boy. Cat person. Warriors season ticket holder until this year (what a great run...). Love basketball, but I think soccer is my #1. Arsenal fan.
JR - Well theres a lot to me, played basketball 2 years in college! I eat ass, you all know that by now. Work sucks doing all the numbers for a restaurant, but its work lol.
Frangie - I have a data background. My strength in FBB is analyzing how players have performed but I’m not so good at predicting how they will do in the future, imo. Obviously love sports and this is filling the gap. I’ve been working the whole time so it can be hard to keep up.
Skillz - About to move to Cincinnati after working in NYC for 5-years! Big change. Nice change of pace. Grew up in CT. Outside of sports, I am a huge TV nerd. I have written a couple of screenplays myself. Just got a 2nd dog, names Risa. Yep!
11. Ok guys, thanks for sitting down with me and having this fine chat on this shitty Monday afternoon. Now, I’m an open book. What kind of questions do you clowns want to ask me?
JR - Why have you not traded for Melo yet?
SARGO - I haven't traded for Melo yet because... I can't. The Nuggets won't accept Arenas for Carmelo. Not much else I can offer at this point. Oh well, he's saving me from making that mistake.
Frangie - How many sim leagues are you in currently and how do you rank them?
SARGO - oof. Afraid to admit this, but 4 with the new topflight I recently joined. NBN sims 5 days and is super slow so that takes no attention. Basically, it's BBS, then the rest. I'm not that active in the other leagues.
Skillz - How do you feel about the Gilbert/VC swap after enjoying a nice run in the playoffs? Any buyer’s remorse? I have remorse!
SARGO - None from me. I'm happy with Gil, just not sure he and Milos will be able to coexist. This may lead to me having to deal Milos.
manasrai - A/S/L? (Remember when that was a thing, haha! Or am I dating myself?...)
How many people from the league have you met in person?
If you met Spencer, what are the 3 things you'd ask him?
Who do you think are the top 5 players in next year's draft?
Who will be CY'd first?
30/M/CT - lmao
None
If I met Spencer I'd ask him why he is such a selfless person and runs this league for us.
Top 5 in the next draft, hmmm...Dwight Howard, Iggy, JSmoove, Al Jeff, Deng
Tough, not sure anyone gets CYd soon. It would be a tough look.
Frangie - How many sim leagues are you in currently and how do you rank them?
SARGO - oof. Afraid to admit this, but 4 with the new topflight I recently joined. NBN sims 5 days and is super slow so that takes no attention. Basically, it's BBS, then the rest. I'm not that active in the other leagues.
Skillz - How do you feel about the Gilbert/VC swap after enjoying a nice run in the playoffs? Any buyer’s remorse? I have remorse!
SARGO - None from me. I'm happy with Gil, just not sure he and Milos will be able to coexist. This may lead to me having to deal Milos.
manasrai - A/S/L? (Remember when that was a thing, haha! Or am I dating myself?...)
How many people from the league have you met in person?
If you met Spencer, what are the 3 things you'd ask him?
Who do you think are the top 5 players in next year's draft?
Who will be CY'd first?
30/M/CT - lmao
None
If I met Spencer I'd ask him why he is such a selfless person and runs this league for us.
Top 5 in the next draft, hmmm...Dwight Howard, Iggy, JSmoove, Al Jeff, Deng
Tough, not sure anyone gets CYd soon. It would be a tough look.