Post by aar on Jun 15, 2012 12:22:28 GMT -5
1) What do you think was the most significant trade of the offseason?
Repole: The Celtics picking up Dr. J. That trade pretty much made it official that DBW was going to go all out to win from the moment Magic showed up on his roster, and really his decision to do so is going to have a huge impact on the East for the duration of Magic's tenure in Boston.
Aar: The Knicks picking up Elvin Hayes. It shows that they're for real and that they want to try and make a statement in a very crowded Eastern Conference. I think that the Knicks are a huge darkhorse that few people are talking about right now.
2) If you're setting odds for the BBS Championship this year, who are the top-5 teams and what are their odds?
Repole:
Celtics: 5-1
Bucks: 5-1
Blazers: 5-1
Bulls: 8-1
Nuggets: 8-1
I don't really know, it's tough to tell without seeing a few non preseason games what the defenses on these teams are going to be like. It's usually pretty easy to get a feel for the offenses, but I have no idea if the Bucks are going to give up 115 a game again or 105.
Aar:
Blazers: 9-2
Bucks: 5-1
Celtics: 11-2
Bulls: 7-1
Knicks: 7-1
The Cavs have improved to an extent, but so have the Knicks and that's why I give them a slight nod. The Bulls are still strong, the Celtics are obviously really sick and my Bucks are a better squad as well.
The reason the Blazers are favored is because they're far and away the favorites in the West and with the way the East is crowded, they have the best chance of getting to the Finals.
3) Who looks like the biggest steal of the 2048 BBS Draft?
Repole: So I don't want to toot my own horn, but I will anyways, and go with Hollis Copeland. 2nd round pick who had a +4 TC (note: he's a B- defender at SF) along with a potential bump, can block and steal, doesn't turn it over, and has a mid range jumper over 85. Doesn't look like he's a great inside scorer and he won't put up volume yet, but I'm pretty damned excited about him.
Aar: I'll give you another shout out. Rick Robey looks really solid. High percentages and already a top-10 rebounder in the league. He'll never be a great shot blocker, but with some improvements, he could be a 20/12 career guy.
4) Which player had the most impressive preseason?
Repole: Eric Money. The guy's been on the verge of breaking through for a few years, but it looks like this season he's finally going to step into the elite. I mean, 36 points, 7 boards, 2.3 steals, 54-90-50 percentages, that's absurd. If you're Styro would you trade him for Magic if those numbers are legit? I don't see how you could.
Aar: I expected Money to be awesome, so I'm going to go with Adrian Dantley. To put up 35/9 for a contending team as a third year player with those kind of percentages is no small feat.
5) Contender or Pretender and why?: Cavs, Nets, Bulls, Nuggets, Spurs, Blazers, Hornets
Repole:
Cavs - Contender. Marty had a rough start last year, but down the stretch he proved to have as productive of a roster as pretty much anyone in the league. Another year older should make guys like Dantley and Roundfield better.
Nets - Pretender. They just don't have quite enough talent unfortunately. M.L. is still great, but I'm not sure he's best as a top option, Barnett's declining, NVL is solid but unspectacular, and Cowens is a nice anchor, but at the end of the day there really isn't any sort of wow factor there that makes me think they can keep up with the Celtics, Bucks, or Bulls.
Bulls - Contender. Their roster is the same as it was last year for the most part with some mild changes, and they were the top seed in the East last year. Even with the disappointing playoff performance, there's no doubting that Dickey, Brown, and Gus give them a shot against anyone.
Nuggets - Contender. I think swapping Skeeter and Gilmore for Gervin is clearly a step back in the present, but it isn't so much of a step back that they won't be competing with the best of the West.
Spurs - Pretender. I like what they've done, Lanier's a great pickup and they have some solid talent, but I'm not sold on Karl at PG, and on the whole I think they're just a bit short of actually being able to contend. It wouldn't shock me if they made a deep playoff run, but I don't expect them to.
Blazers - Contender. They were in the WCF last season, had a nice TC, and the talent they lost was insignificant to them. They'll be in the WCF barring a surprise in my opinion.
Aar:
Cavs - Pretender. Solid team, but I really think that they should have kept Jo Jo. Birdsong isn't going to win you anything.
Nets - Pretender. Good team, but not a great team.
Bulls - Contender. Gus looks amazing and Dickey IS amazing. This team is going to be bad news.
Nuggets - Pretender. Basically a brand new team with their best players gone.
Spurs - Contender. The West is thin and they have a rock solid team from top to bottom.
Blazers - Contender. Certainly the best team in the West.
6) Post-TC: Magic or Bird?
Repole: Neither was great in preseason, and though Bird's TC may have been more impressive, Magic's skillset is still far more valuable. I'd love personally to have Bird just because I love guys who can shoot and rebound, but at the end of the day Magic has more value around the league. I'm not even sure Bird is the 2nd most valuable player in the league at this point.
Aar: Bird. Magic will put up nice numbers, but I think that a team with Bird as its centerpiece is in a better position than a team with Magic because of the defensive liability at point guard with Magic.
7) If you were the Dallas Mavs GM, what would you do?
Repole: Bleh, I'd do something, that's for sure. David Thompson is a dime a dozen SG, they have nothing at PG, SF is a black hole, and Corzine probably isn't ready to be much more than a third big yet. Moses is really all they've got, so they don't have any choice other than to tank. But to do that properly, they should be giving away guys like Thompson who just don't have value around the league but are helping them win.
Aar: Trade Moses Malone for prospects and rebuild again. The prospects, other than Corzine, around Malone are putrid. Go back to square one and try again. Either that or get someone to overpay for Malone, win 42 and then rebuild.
8) Who is the most valuable player on the Cavs?
Repole: Dantley. I've stood by my Dantley > Tree eventually claim from the draft a few years back, and if preseason is any indication, this might finally be the year where Dantley starts showing it. I love his rebounding at SG, he doesn't really have any huge weakness, and he should be a quality first option from this point forward.
Aar: Clifford Ray. He's not the most valuable trade-wise, but without him up front, they're going nowhere fast. Ray is the X-Factor for the Cavs success and as much as Dantley will help score, Ray is the glue.
9) Recently Marty claimed that he will have the best record in the East. Who do you think will?
Repole: Tough question, though the Cavs are one of the few teams that I don't really think has a shot at most wins in the conference. I suppose I'll go with the Bucks. Though I don't think some of the deals you made were great value wise, I think you're closer to having the right pieces around Bingo then you were last year. Really depends on what DBW does with his roster from this point forward though, a few small acquisitions could have a huge impact.
Aar: Since I have to play devil's advocate, I'll go with the Knicks. They've got such a solid two-way team and I wouldn't be surprised to see them rack up regular season wins in true Skillz fashion.
10) Over under 63 wins for the Blazers?
Repole: I'd like to say push, because honestly it's hard to know, but I'll go under just because a lot of things can go wrong during a season. They're certainly talented enough to win 65 though. Kermit-Tree-Bobby-Larry-Bernie is just a ridiculously talented starting lineup. Really no excuses for Broph if he doesn't get a championship out of that group in the near future.
Aar: Push?? What a cop out! I'm going over. The Blazers have a really nice team and I wouldn't be surprised to see them have the league's best record.
Repole: The Celtics picking up Dr. J. That trade pretty much made it official that DBW was going to go all out to win from the moment Magic showed up on his roster, and really his decision to do so is going to have a huge impact on the East for the duration of Magic's tenure in Boston.
Aar: The Knicks picking up Elvin Hayes. It shows that they're for real and that they want to try and make a statement in a very crowded Eastern Conference. I think that the Knicks are a huge darkhorse that few people are talking about right now.
2) If you're setting odds for the BBS Championship this year, who are the top-5 teams and what are their odds?
Repole:
Celtics: 5-1
Bucks: 5-1
Blazers: 5-1
Bulls: 8-1
Nuggets: 8-1
I don't really know, it's tough to tell without seeing a few non preseason games what the defenses on these teams are going to be like. It's usually pretty easy to get a feel for the offenses, but I have no idea if the Bucks are going to give up 115 a game again or 105.
Aar:
Blazers: 9-2
Bucks: 5-1
Celtics: 11-2
Bulls: 7-1
Knicks: 7-1
The Cavs have improved to an extent, but so have the Knicks and that's why I give them a slight nod. The Bulls are still strong, the Celtics are obviously really sick and my Bucks are a better squad as well.
The reason the Blazers are favored is because they're far and away the favorites in the West and with the way the East is crowded, they have the best chance of getting to the Finals.
3) Who looks like the biggest steal of the 2048 BBS Draft?
Repole: So I don't want to toot my own horn, but I will anyways, and go with Hollis Copeland. 2nd round pick who had a +4 TC (note: he's a B- defender at SF) along with a potential bump, can block and steal, doesn't turn it over, and has a mid range jumper over 85. Doesn't look like he's a great inside scorer and he won't put up volume yet, but I'm pretty damned excited about him.
Aar: I'll give you another shout out. Rick Robey looks really solid. High percentages and already a top-10 rebounder in the league. He'll never be a great shot blocker, but with some improvements, he could be a 20/12 career guy.
4) Which player had the most impressive preseason?
Repole: Eric Money. The guy's been on the verge of breaking through for a few years, but it looks like this season he's finally going to step into the elite. I mean, 36 points, 7 boards, 2.3 steals, 54-90-50 percentages, that's absurd. If you're Styro would you trade him for Magic if those numbers are legit? I don't see how you could.
Aar: I expected Money to be awesome, so I'm going to go with Adrian Dantley. To put up 35/9 for a contending team as a third year player with those kind of percentages is no small feat.
5) Contender or Pretender and why?: Cavs, Nets, Bulls, Nuggets, Spurs, Blazers, Hornets
Repole:
Cavs - Contender. Marty had a rough start last year, but down the stretch he proved to have as productive of a roster as pretty much anyone in the league. Another year older should make guys like Dantley and Roundfield better.
Nets - Pretender. They just don't have quite enough talent unfortunately. M.L. is still great, but I'm not sure he's best as a top option, Barnett's declining, NVL is solid but unspectacular, and Cowens is a nice anchor, but at the end of the day there really isn't any sort of wow factor there that makes me think they can keep up with the Celtics, Bucks, or Bulls.
Bulls - Contender. Their roster is the same as it was last year for the most part with some mild changes, and they were the top seed in the East last year. Even with the disappointing playoff performance, there's no doubting that Dickey, Brown, and Gus give them a shot against anyone.
Nuggets - Contender. I think swapping Skeeter and Gilmore for Gervin is clearly a step back in the present, but it isn't so much of a step back that they won't be competing with the best of the West.
Spurs - Pretender. I like what they've done, Lanier's a great pickup and they have some solid talent, but I'm not sold on Karl at PG, and on the whole I think they're just a bit short of actually being able to contend. It wouldn't shock me if they made a deep playoff run, but I don't expect them to.
Blazers - Contender. They were in the WCF last season, had a nice TC, and the talent they lost was insignificant to them. They'll be in the WCF barring a surprise in my opinion.
Aar:
Cavs - Pretender. Solid team, but I really think that they should have kept Jo Jo. Birdsong isn't going to win you anything.
Nets - Pretender. Good team, but not a great team.
Bulls - Contender. Gus looks amazing and Dickey IS amazing. This team is going to be bad news.
Nuggets - Pretender. Basically a brand new team with their best players gone.
Spurs - Contender. The West is thin and they have a rock solid team from top to bottom.
Blazers - Contender. Certainly the best team in the West.
6) Post-TC: Magic or Bird?
Repole: Neither was great in preseason, and though Bird's TC may have been more impressive, Magic's skillset is still far more valuable. I'd love personally to have Bird just because I love guys who can shoot and rebound, but at the end of the day Magic has more value around the league. I'm not even sure Bird is the 2nd most valuable player in the league at this point.
Aar: Bird. Magic will put up nice numbers, but I think that a team with Bird as its centerpiece is in a better position than a team with Magic because of the defensive liability at point guard with Magic.
7) If you were the Dallas Mavs GM, what would you do?
Repole: Bleh, I'd do something, that's for sure. David Thompson is a dime a dozen SG, they have nothing at PG, SF is a black hole, and Corzine probably isn't ready to be much more than a third big yet. Moses is really all they've got, so they don't have any choice other than to tank. But to do that properly, they should be giving away guys like Thompson who just don't have value around the league but are helping them win.
Aar: Trade Moses Malone for prospects and rebuild again. The prospects, other than Corzine, around Malone are putrid. Go back to square one and try again. Either that or get someone to overpay for Malone, win 42 and then rebuild.
8) Who is the most valuable player on the Cavs?
Repole: Dantley. I've stood by my Dantley > Tree eventually claim from the draft a few years back, and if preseason is any indication, this might finally be the year where Dantley starts showing it. I love his rebounding at SG, he doesn't really have any huge weakness, and he should be a quality first option from this point forward.
Aar: Clifford Ray. He's not the most valuable trade-wise, but without him up front, they're going nowhere fast. Ray is the X-Factor for the Cavs success and as much as Dantley will help score, Ray is the glue.
9) Recently Marty claimed that he will have the best record in the East. Who do you think will?
Repole: Tough question, though the Cavs are one of the few teams that I don't really think has a shot at most wins in the conference. I suppose I'll go with the Bucks. Though I don't think some of the deals you made were great value wise, I think you're closer to having the right pieces around Bingo then you were last year. Really depends on what DBW does with his roster from this point forward though, a few small acquisitions could have a huge impact.
Aar: Since I have to play devil's advocate, I'll go with the Knicks. They've got such a solid two-way team and I wouldn't be surprised to see them rack up regular season wins in true Skillz fashion.
10) Over under 63 wins for the Blazers?
Repole: I'd like to say push, because honestly it's hard to know, but I'll go under just because a lot of things can go wrong during a season. They're certainly talented enough to win 65 though. Kermit-Tree-Bobby-Larry-Bernie is just a ridiculously talented starting lineup. Really no excuses for Broph if he doesn't get a championship out of that group in the near future.
Aar: Push?? What a cop out! I'm going over. The Blazers have a really nice team and I wouldn't be surprised to see them have the league's best record.
