Post by Galo on Jul 1, 2020 17:38:14 GMT -8
Circle of Champions Round Table
We're here with an exclusive club roundtable discussion with the BBS20 Champions since 2000. These 4 GMs (ashes , Skillz , greeme & JR ) have captured titles in the first 4 seasons of BBS20. Let's a look at how they got there, their FBB insights/perspectives, predictions for the 04' campaign and beyond.
1- What was the recipe for success in your championship run?
Skillz - Opportunism and aggression. I think it’s really hard to maintain success if you are too conservative, and the year we won (with MJ and Robinson), we made the crazy moves for those two at the deadline. I never planned on going all-in with two geezers that season (we were retooling when that opportunity presented itself), but I saw a situation in a weak Eastern Conference that could be exploited. Luckily, it all worked out and we gave MJ his last dance.
ashes - Elite defense, good rebounding, and outside shooting. Ben Wallace is the best anchor in the league and I feel like I always have a good shot if I have him. Nash and Kobe are both monster shooters/deep threats so having two guys that can put up 30 a night is obviously going to be an advantage. After that it's all about filling out the rest of the squad with solid players. Plus if you have Massive Dong Reid you're not going to lose many games.
greeme - Defense. We might have had the best defensive frontcourt that we will see in this version. Big ben and Deke were great both at blocks and rebounding. Not to mention that MJ would shut down any wing he went against.
JR - it was great outside shooting low turnovers and a solid defensive big. I guess I should say defensive beast! Had a solid PG who kept the TOs down, had a little depth and a little luck. Always need role players places you cant have stars everywhere and thats what people have to understand. You have to get players that fit how you wanna play.
2- How much does FBB luck (injuries, stars or role players going off, fortunate playoff matchups) play a part in winning a title in your opinion?
skillz- Tons and ton and tons of luck is needed. The playoffs in FBB are notoriously a crapshoot. I think my title team was clearly my THIRD best team of the four I’ve built here. It was a very limited squad and we benefited from the perfect matchups on the way to the championship. My best team – season 1 – lost in the Conference Finals. Since the playoffs are such a luck fest, I think the best thing to do is just give your team a fighting chance to win it all every year. Over time, you’ll win a couple! It all evens out.
ashes- Luck is huge. FBB playoffs are such a crapshoot in general. My series with the Nuggets went 7 games! Injuries that happen in the playoffs can derail an entire season, so it's always rough luck when that happens. Sometimes you run into teams that may be worse overall in the league's big picture, but match-up very well with your squad. Having a variety of lineups you can use to better exploit/combat these match-ups is crucial and I think was a big part in my success the last few seasons. I like having versatile guys that can play multiple positions or super-sub.
greeme- Well if you are a star based team and your star gets hurt you could be dead in the water. Even worse if your pg gets injured and you only have a mediocre pg on the roster. Matchups also play a big part. There are some teams which have other team's numbers because of matchup reasons and a bad matchup in the playoffs can end a season. Even ignoring matchups and injuries you need luck or at least statistical luck. Even a dominating team probably doesn't have more than a 40% chance to win in any given year.
jr- It plays a huge part. FBB is a fickle game. You have to put togather a good team and get lucky on the road to a ship. I won what 3 game 7's where H20 had over 38+ in all 3 during my championship run.
3- What trade/move put you over the top in your title season?
skillz- The sequence of trades we puled off at the buzzer: Jamal Mashburn for Glen Rice, Matt Barnes, then Glen Rice+ for Larry Johnson, then Larry Johnson, Matt Barnes and Chucky Atkins for MJ. Michael was the finals MVP so we wouldn’t have come close to winning if it wasn’t for that sequence of trades.
ashes- The Iverson deal for sure. I feel like my team was good enough to win last year too, but after losing Camby and not wanting to pay Mashburn, I figured solidifying my big weakness at wing defense while replacing the lost scoring was the...answer! My team's rebounding/defense suffered from trading Walker and Ratliff, I think we were at like 60rpg and 86 oppg so I probably could've made a title run with that squad too, but I missed the days of having a star SG. Flipping Iverson for Kobe was a no-brainer deal offered to me, Kobe is 3 years younger, but my team was the same this season with Kobe or AI. Obviously the benefit is in the future assuming I don't lose Kobe to FA, then again AI tested too. Greedy bastards.
greeme- MJ. I don't even remember what I moved but it was worth it.
jr- It was obviously when I picked up Glenn Robinson. He was such a huge upgrade over Toni Kukoc. This move propelled me to the best team in the league IMO. Some say not enough people competed, I say I'm lucky bitches! Well not now my tooth is fucking killing me.
4- What opposing GM/team has posed the biggest challenge to you winning in BBS20?
skillz- The two guys in this roundtable: Greeme and Ashes! We lost to the Nets in a brutal Game-7 loss in Season 1 (we should have won!) and then lost to the Nets in the Conference Semis the year after. And we lost to the Kings in the finals this season after beating them the year before. Those are the only two teams we’ve lost a playoff series to which is kinda crazy.
ashes- Skillz. We've met in back-to-back Finals now, and our records are now 1-1. Looking to complete the trilogy this season and come out with the positive record against him next year. He just traded Billups because I guess he felt like it, but it's no real shocker. Skillz doesn't keep players past a year. I'm sure he'll pillage a few teams again and be back making a deep run again next year. Shout out to Nanz and Habes out West as well, I've run into them twice in the playoffs so far, with both series vs habes being very close. I've kind of bullied Nanz the last few seasons both regular and post, but his squad is always strong and I think he'll come out firing again. I'm expecting to run into him in the Conference Finals again next season.
greeme- Skillz. He never tanks and you always have to try to improve your team because you know that he is. I thought they would take a step back after losing mj but they didn't.
jr- Well only competed 2 seasons, the Clippers and Duncan knocked me out the second season so maybe them. LOL Im the only team to win a ship and tear it down completely and rebuild. FUN STUFF. Duncan is in the East now and I have LeBron, so I dont expect Duncan to stop me unless I make the Finals, but that wont be for a few season if I ever get back.
5- Any stark differences from the last BBS to this version to you? Anything you like better or worse?
skillz- My memory just sucks. I’m having a blast in this version and remember really like the previous versions as well. I can’t say I remember specifics all that well to be honest. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves!
ashes- It's so hard to remember the last BBS. It's pretty much the same. Great activity, consistent simming. Play is a bit more tame, but other than that you're seeing the same combination of Skillz deals, witty habes quips, shit-talking, and bro times. I guess the addition of the Hue crew is there. So more friend trades this time around!
greeme- Nope. Seems pretty much the same. Kobe still annoying. Skillz still trading. Play still bitter and Spencer still simming. I wish we could get aar back.
jr- I wasn't in the last BBS I was only in BBSBL6 I think. The baseball one. Spencer is a beast at simming sims on time and really does an awesome job with running the whole league. Im upset I was never in a BBS before now tbh.
6- What do you think about player ratings since the Creation Draft? Do you think Spencer has done a good job in corralling inflation of players thus far?
skillz- Yes, he’s done a fantastic job. One of the reasons I like this league so much is because of the low ratings. League’s get out of hand as soon as inflation kicks in, and the fact that we can have a league where specialists have value is a testament to the job Spencer has done. Ratings are perfect right now. Hope they stay that way.
ashes- Ratings are fine. The biggest thing is to just prevent inflation, which I do think is being done well. Ratings could be higher and still achieve that goal with proper draft building and reward management. I don't think the lower rating thing is a big deal here, it's been done before. The cool thing is Spencer's attempt to make very specialized players league-wide and keep the league at a point where you can see those players get minutes and have a meaningful impact in games/playoff runs. Being able to give a guy who's only real talent is rebounding minutes and be successful is pretty cool. Having a lock down wing defender who is garbage at offense but still has valuable minutes in playoff games is also fun. That's been the nicest thing so far, in my opinion.
greeme- So far I like it. Nothing I hate more than inflation. It makes the game a lot more fun when you have to find players that fit and not just have a bunch of superstars.
jr- I mean so far so good. Young players have come in and made a name for themselves for sure. So yeah but lets wait and see 6 seasons in when the draftees get more TC's under their belts, thats normally when inflation kicks in. IDK the type of potential he gave guys but so far I love the ratings and how everybody sims.
7- Who do you think will emerge as the best player in the 04’ draft when it’s all said and done? Any sleepers you’ve identified to this point?
skillz- Probably Spence’s 2nd round steal? IDK. I don’t like the top of this draft at all. I don’t see a true superstar in the midst here. I’m going to go out on a limb and try to guess the 2nd round steal: the Bulls Jackie Butler! I have no idea why. But I don’t think any of the top 10 guys will be all-league type players. I think many of them will be good starters. Especially Livingston! Should have gone top 5.
ashes- Kevin Martin! I think he's going to be a beast, not just a scorer. I just have a feeling that he's going to be solid everywhere and his D+s are all the product of garbage, meaningless ratings. His rebounding is the big question, but I wouldn't be surprised if Spencer got real spicy and even gave him like 5 Quickness to go along with his 5 Jumping 5 Passing and 5 Drive Defense! I don't know how that will work but I think it might still be fine! Who knows, but I just have a feeling he's going to be a ridiculous scorer, solid at defense, and like 0 turnovers. Should be fun to see how it plays out.
greeme- I wanted allen at 15 and biedrins at 20. Big fan of both. Allen could start from day 1. I think defense is very underrated. Very interested to see how Telfair turns out. I feel like spence overstated handling problems and that he will be a stud. We will see. Best player in draft will be the guy taken 1.
jr- I think Iggy will be the best player in this draft. He is a Spencer favorite apparently. If he can get his scoring ratings up I believe hell be a very good player. No real superstars in this draft though so tough to say. I hope Viktor is a sleeper! C+ rebounding at SF!
8- Any 04’ free agency predictions? Which players will move and who’s staying put in your mind?
skillz- None of the superstars change teams. All of the idiots who saved max cap for a Free Agency period where they can’t offer close to as much as the incumbent team will feel dumb. Maybe Elton Brand and Baron Davis switch teams because they aren’t worth the max but someone will still give them a big deal.
ashes- All the big players stay. Someone overpays for Elton Brand and ruins their franchise (erbes). Someone overpays for Rush and he is a no volume sub (erbes). Someone wastes 40+M of cap space and remains a gutter squad (erbes). Baron Davis might go somewhere else, but I don't know if that matters much. The only way I see the true max-worthy guys leaving is if one of the GMs gets cute with their bids. Just offer the full max fellas, don't risk it!
greeme- 1 birdmax will change teams, probably because somebody messed up their bids. Besides that overpays on second-third tier guys like brand and baron. Gonna be a boring fa. Last year was probably a better fa for the guys that will switch teams.
jr- The only players with a chance to move in my opinion are the guys that arent deserving a max but will get one. Baron Davis, Elton Brand etc. The top guys can offer more in year 1 than anybody else so itll be very surprising if anybody leaves that is at the top of anybody's wishlist.
9- Thoughts on the Pacers-Clippers blockbuster and ramifications in the West and East conferences?
skillz- All of my thoughts are clear in the thread. Frangie should have been able to control the price on the trade, and he did a poor job extracting the necessary value in the Duncan deal. With that said, I don’t view the Pacers as a real threat. That roster is similarly limited sans Duncan and likely maxes out as a 53-win team with limited championship hopes. The Clippers will be fine, too.
ashes- Clippers get great young guys, don't get me wrong. Just the thought of adding to Tim Duncan is just dumb to me. LJ just got traded for some kind of value, right? And you add a 1st?? Weird, weird stuff. Even if both aren't super significant, it's the principle! I heard Sargo asked for an LAC 1st! The nerve of this guy! I think if frangie says nah, you do this for TD and Amin and that's it, Sargo definitely does the deal. Crazy job by him to somehow get additional assets. In terms of affecting the conferences? I don't know, I think the Pacers are just looking like the Clippers did before and they couldn't quite get the job done. LAC is probably worse, but should still be a playoff team I think.
greeme- I feel for the Clippers. They weren't really a threat with Duncan so I hear moving him but that wasn't great value. Gil and Joe is an automatic backcourt but will they be able to put the pieces around them? Smalls are so much easier to get than bigs. I must have sent out a million pms trying to get bigs last year. Really happy with pryz and griff now.
jr- I mean the Clippers were the Clippers. Now the Pacers are the Clippers. I think Sargo puts a better team around Duncan though so the East should watch out. Duncan is obviously the best player still in the league and just needs a GOOD player and a solid team around him. GOOD LUCK.
10- Lastly, with the NBA returning in a few weeks, who plays in the Finals and what team takes home the title in Orlando? Who gets named the Finals MVP?
skillz- Clips over Bucks – Kawhi Finals MVP.
ashes- I have no idea! I haven't watched a basketball game all season! Was too busy when the season started, then moved to a wildly different timezone, and then covid of course. The Lakers are good right? Lakers Bucks maybe? I'll just say Lakers win because I know they have LeBron and Davis. LeBron MVP I suppose.
greeme- Lakers over Bucks – Bron Finals MVP.
jr- I doubt it returns but I got Clippers over Celtics in 6 games and Kawhi is MVP obviously since he's a FUN GUY like me.
Will Kawhi or LeBron lift the Finals MVP in Orlando??
A Special Thanks to the defending champs and the past champs for being part of this roundtable and sharing their winning experiences!
We're here with an exclusive club roundtable discussion with the BBS20 Champions since 2000. These 4 GMs (ashes , Skillz , greeme & JR ) have captured titles in the first 4 seasons of BBS20. Let's a look at how they got there, their FBB insights/perspectives, predictions for the 04' campaign and beyond.
1- What was the recipe for success in your championship run?
Skillz - Opportunism and aggression. I think it’s really hard to maintain success if you are too conservative, and the year we won (with MJ and Robinson), we made the crazy moves for those two at the deadline. I never planned on going all-in with two geezers that season (we were retooling when that opportunity presented itself), but I saw a situation in a weak Eastern Conference that could be exploited. Luckily, it all worked out and we gave MJ his last dance.
ashes - Elite defense, good rebounding, and outside shooting. Ben Wallace is the best anchor in the league and I feel like I always have a good shot if I have him. Nash and Kobe are both monster shooters/deep threats so having two guys that can put up 30 a night is obviously going to be an advantage. After that it's all about filling out the rest of the squad with solid players. Plus if you have Massive Dong Reid you're not going to lose many games.
greeme - Defense. We might have had the best defensive frontcourt that we will see in this version. Big ben and Deke were great both at blocks and rebounding. Not to mention that MJ would shut down any wing he went against.
JR - it was great outside shooting low turnovers and a solid defensive big. I guess I should say defensive beast! Had a solid PG who kept the TOs down, had a little depth and a little luck. Always need role players places you cant have stars everywhere and thats what people have to understand. You have to get players that fit how you wanna play.
2- How much does FBB luck (injuries, stars or role players going off, fortunate playoff matchups) play a part in winning a title in your opinion?
skillz- Tons and ton and tons of luck is needed. The playoffs in FBB are notoriously a crapshoot. I think my title team was clearly my THIRD best team of the four I’ve built here. It was a very limited squad and we benefited from the perfect matchups on the way to the championship. My best team – season 1 – lost in the Conference Finals. Since the playoffs are such a luck fest, I think the best thing to do is just give your team a fighting chance to win it all every year. Over time, you’ll win a couple! It all evens out.
ashes- Luck is huge. FBB playoffs are such a crapshoot in general. My series with the Nuggets went 7 games! Injuries that happen in the playoffs can derail an entire season, so it's always rough luck when that happens. Sometimes you run into teams that may be worse overall in the league's big picture, but match-up very well with your squad. Having a variety of lineups you can use to better exploit/combat these match-ups is crucial and I think was a big part in my success the last few seasons. I like having versatile guys that can play multiple positions or super-sub.
greeme- Well if you are a star based team and your star gets hurt you could be dead in the water. Even worse if your pg gets injured and you only have a mediocre pg on the roster. Matchups also play a big part. There are some teams which have other team's numbers because of matchup reasons and a bad matchup in the playoffs can end a season. Even ignoring matchups and injuries you need luck or at least statistical luck. Even a dominating team probably doesn't have more than a 40% chance to win in any given year.
jr- It plays a huge part. FBB is a fickle game. You have to put togather a good team and get lucky on the road to a ship. I won what 3 game 7's where H20 had over 38+ in all 3 during my championship run.
3- What trade/move put you over the top in your title season?
skillz- The sequence of trades we puled off at the buzzer: Jamal Mashburn for Glen Rice, Matt Barnes, then Glen Rice+ for Larry Johnson, then Larry Johnson, Matt Barnes and Chucky Atkins for MJ. Michael was the finals MVP so we wouldn’t have come close to winning if it wasn’t for that sequence of trades.
ashes- The Iverson deal for sure. I feel like my team was good enough to win last year too, but after losing Camby and not wanting to pay Mashburn, I figured solidifying my big weakness at wing defense while replacing the lost scoring was the...answer! My team's rebounding/defense suffered from trading Walker and Ratliff, I think we were at like 60rpg and 86 oppg so I probably could've made a title run with that squad too, but I missed the days of having a star SG. Flipping Iverson for Kobe was a no-brainer deal offered to me, Kobe is 3 years younger, but my team was the same this season with Kobe or AI. Obviously the benefit is in the future assuming I don't lose Kobe to FA, then again AI tested too. Greedy bastards.
greeme- MJ. I don't even remember what I moved but it was worth it.
jr- It was obviously when I picked up Glenn Robinson. He was such a huge upgrade over Toni Kukoc. This move propelled me to the best team in the league IMO. Some say not enough people competed, I say I'm lucky bitches! Well not now my tooth is fucking killing me.
4- What opposing GM/team has posed the biggest challenge to you winning in BBS20?
skillz- The two guys in this roundtable: Greeme and Ashes! We lost to the Nets in a brutal Game-7 loss in Season 1 (we should have won!) and then lost to the Nets in the Conference Semis the year after. And we lost to the Kings in the finals this season after beating them the year before. Those are the only two teams we’ve lost a playoff series to which is kinda crazy.
ashes- Skillz. We've met in back-to-back Finals now, and our records are now 1-1. Looking to complete the trilogy this season and come out with the positive record against him next year. He just traded Billups because I guess he felt like it, but it's no real shocker. Skillz doesn't keep players past a year. I'm sure he'll pillage a few teams again and be back making a deep run again next year. Shout out to Nanz and Habes out West as well, I've run into them twice in the playoffs so far, with both series vs habes being very close. I've kind of bullied Nanz the last few seasons both regular and post, but his squad is always strong and I think he'll come out firing again. I'm expecting to run into him in the Conference Finals again next season.
greeme- Skillz. He never tanks and you always have to try to improve your team because you know that he is. I thought they would take a step back after losing mj but they didn't.
jr- Well only competed 2 seasons, the Clippers and Duncan knocked me out the second season so maybe them. LOL Im the only team to win a ship and tear it down completely and rebuild. FUN STUFF. Duncan is in the East now and I have LeBron, so I dont expect Duncan to stop me unless I make the Finals, but that wont be for a few season if I ever get back.
5- Any stark differences from the last BBS to this version to you? Anything you like better or worse?
skillz- My memory just sucks. I’m having a blast in this version and remember really like the previous versions as well. I can’t say I remember specifics all that well to be honest. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves!
ashes- It's so hard to remember the last BBS. It's pretty much the same. Great activity, consistent simming. Play is a bit more tame, but other than that you're seeing the same combination of Skillz deals, witty habes quips, shit-talking, and bro times. I guess the addition of the Hue crew is there. So more friend trades this time around!
greeme- Nope. Seems pretty much the same. Kobe still annoying. Skillz still trading. Play still bitter and Spencer still simming. I wish we could get aar back.
jr- I wasn't in the last BBS I was only in BBSBL6 I think. The baseball one. Spencer is a beast at simming sims on time and really does an awesome job with running the whole league. Im upset I was never in a BBS before now tbh.
6- What do you think about player ratings since the Creation Draft? Do you think Spencer has done a good job in corralling inflation of players thus far?
skillz- Yes, he’s done a fantastic job. One of the reasons I like this league so much is because of the low ratings. League’s get out of hand as soon as inflation kicks in, and the fact that we can have a league where specialists have value is a testament to the job Spencer has done. Ratings are perfect right now. Hope they stay that way.
ashes- Ratings are fine. The biggest thing is to just prevent inflation, which I do think is being done well. Ratings could be higher and still achieve that goal with proper draft building and reward management. I don't think the lower rating thing is a big deal here, it's been done before. The cool thing is Spencer's attempt to make very specialized players league-wide and keep the league at a point where you can see those players get minutes and have a meaningful impact in games/playoff runs. Being able to give a guy who's only real talent is rebounding minutes and be successful is pretty cool. Having a lock down wing defender who is garbage at offense but still has valuable minutes in playoff games is also fun. That's been the nicest thing so far, in my opinion.
greeme- So far I like it. Nothing I hate more than inflation. It makes the game a lot more fun when you have to find players that fit and not just have a bunch of superstars.
jr- I mean so far so good. Young players have come in and made a name for themselves for sure. So yeah but lets wait and see 6 seasons in when the draftees get more TC's under their belts, thats normally when inflation kicks in. IDK the type of potential he gave guys but so far I love the ratings and how everybody sims.
7- Who do you think will emerge as the best player in the 04’ draft when it’s all said and done? Any sleepers you’ve identified to this point?
skillz- Probably Spence’s 2nd round steal? IDK. I don’t like the top of this draft at all. I don’t see a true superstar in the midst here. I’m going to go out on a limb and try to guess the 2nd round steal: the Bulls Jackie Butler! I have no idea why. But I don’t think any of the top 10 guys will be all-league type players. I think many of them will be good starters. Especially Livingston! Should have gone top 5.
ashes- Kevin Martin! I think he's going to be a beast, not just a scorer. I just have a feeling that he's going to be solid everywhere and his D+s are all the product of garbage, meaningless ratings. His rebounding is the big question, but I wouldn't be surprised if Spencer got real spicy and even gave him like 5 Quickness to go along with his 5 Jumping 5 Passing and 5 Drive Defense! I don't know how that will work but I think it might still be fine! Who knows, but I just have a feeling he's going to be a ridiculous scorer, solid at defense, and like 0 turnovers. Should be fun to see how it plays out.
greeme- I wanted allen at 15 and biedrins at 20. Big fan of both. Allen could start from day 1. I think defense is very underrated. Very interested to see how Telfair turns out. I feel like spence overstated handling problems and that he will be a stud. We will see. Best player in draft will be the guy taken 1.
jr- I think Iggy will be the best player in this draft. He is a Spencer favorite apparently. If he can get his scoring ratings up I believe hell be a very good player. No real superstars in this draft though so tough to say. I hope Viktor is a sleeper! C+ rebounding at SF!
8- Any 04’ free agency predictions? Which players will move and who’s staying put in your mind?
skillz- None of the superstars change teams. All of the idiots who saved max cap for a Free Agency period where they can’t offer close to as much as the incumbent team will feel dumb. Maybe Elton Brand and Baron Davis switch teams because they aren’t worth the max but someone will still give them a big deal.
ashes- All the big players stay. Someone overpays for Elton Brand and ruins their franchise (erbes). Someone overpays for Rush and he is a no volume sub (erbes). Someone wastes 40+M of cap space and remains a gutter squad (erbes). Baron Davis might go somewhere else, but I don't know if that matters much. The only way I see the true max-worthy guys leaving is if one of the GMs gets cute with their bids. Just offer the full max fellas, don't risk it!
greeme- 1 birdmax will change teams, probably because somebody messed up their bids. Besides that overpays on second-third tier guys like brand and baron. Gonna be a boring fa. Last year was probably a better fa for the guys that will switch teams.
jr- The only players with a chance to move in my opinion are the guys that arent deserving a max but will get one. Baron Davis, Elton Brand etc. The top guys can offer more in year 1 than anybody else so itll be very surprising if anybody leaves that is at the top of anybody's wishlist.
9- Thoughts on the Pacers-Clippers blockbuster and ramifications in the West and East conferences?
skillz- All of my thoughts are clear in the thread. Frangie should have been able to control the price on the trade, and he did a poor job extracting the necessary value in the Duncan deal. With that said, I don’t view the Pacers as a real threat. That roster is similarly limited sans Duncan and likely maxes out as a 53-win team with limited championship hopes. The Clippers will be fine, too.
ashes- Clippers get great young guys, don't get me wrong. Just the thought of adding to Tim Duncan is just dumb to me. LJ just got traded for some kind of value, right? And you add a 1st?? Weird, weird stuff. Even if both aren't super significant, it's the principle! I heard Sargo asked for an LAC 1st! The nerve of this guy! I think if frangie says nah, you do this for TD and Amin and that's it, Sargo definitely does the deal. Crazy job by him to somehow get additional assets. In terms of affecting the conferences? I don't know, I think the Pacers are just looking like the Clippers did before and they couldn't quite get the job done. LAC is probably worse, but should still be a playoff team I think.
greeme- I feel for the Clippers. They weren't really a threat with Duncan so I hear moving him but that wasn't great value. Gil and Joe is an automatic backcourt but will they be able to put the pieces around them? Smalls are so much easier to get than bigs. I must have sent out a million pms trying to get bigs last year. Really happy with pryz and griff now.
jr- I mean the Clippers were the Clippers. Now the Pacers are the Clippers. I think Sargo puts a better team around Duncan though so the East should watch out. Duncan is obviously the best player still in the league and just needs a GOOD player and a solid team around him. GOOD LUCK.
10- Lastly, with the NBA returning in a few weeks, who plays in the Finals and what team takes home the title in Orlando? Who gets named the Finals MVP?
skillz- Clips over Bucks – Kawhi Finals MVP.
ashes- I have no idea! I haven't watched a basketball game all season! Was too busy when the season started, then moved to a wildly different timezone, and then covid of course. The Lakers are good right? Lakers Bucks maybe? I'll just say Lakers win because I know they have LeBron and Davis. LeBron MVP I suppose.
greeme- Lakers over Bucks – Bron Finals MVP.
jr- I doubt it returns but I got Clippers over Celtics in 6 games and Kawhi is MVP obviously since he's a FUN GUY like me.
Will Kawhi or LeBron lift the Finals MVP in Orlando??
A Special Thanks to the defending champs and the past champs for being part of this roundtable and sharing their winning experiences!
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