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Umbrella · 04-30-2021, 03:02 PM

1953-54 NEW YORK KNICKS

PRE-SEASON

As we begin a new offseason, my lead scout informs me he is leaving to become the GM of Philly. Also, the Indianapolis Olympians fold, marking the second time a team from Indy has folded. They only have four available players and we pick 5th in the dispersal draft, so we don’t get anyone.

With the 5th pick in the rookie draft, we took PF Jim Neal. He is nothing special, as this is a terrible draft, but he is a decent defender and rebounder. His nickname is “Daddy”, in reference to his long arms and legs making him look like a daddy longlegs spider. In the second round, I select PG Ernie Barrett. He could be a good defender someday, but he’s pretty raw. The only thing I found interesting about him is that he has a restaurant named after him with a statue of him in front. Ft. Wayne selected PF Clyde Lovellette with the #1 pick.

I’m still over the cap, so this will be a boring free agency period. I would like sign three players; a center, a shooting guard, and then another warm body in case of injuries. The only player I have Bird rights to that I’m interested in signing is Boykoff, but he wants too much money for a guy who would be a backup for me. I started scraping the bargain bin, and settled on these three: C Bob Lavoy, who you may remember from a couple of seasons ago, C Howie Schultz, a defensive specialist who hasn’t had much playing time in his career, and SG Kenny Rollins, a good defender who has been a starter in the league for the last 5 seasons. Rollins immediately had interest from other teams, so I offered SG Bob Davies, who is older, but has been a reliable starter for several seasons. Davies also got attention from other teams, so plan C is SG Mel Payton. Looking closer at him, he should be plan A as he was all defense 2nd team last season. Rochester immediately trumped me with him as well. It’s looking bleak, so I am forced to offer career scrub SG Wally Osterkorn.

Schultz and Lavoy signed, all of the SG’s not named Osterkorn signed with other teams. Schultz actually played in the MLB for a few seasons before joining the NBA. Baltimore then outbid me for Osterkorn. At this point, all teams are over their cap, so I decided to see if SG Frank Brian would sign for a one year league minimum. He was first team all NBA last year, so I don’t know if he’ll sign, but he doesn’t have any other available options right now. He tells us he refuses to sign at that salary, but after a few days realizes he doesn’t have any other options, and takes the deal. In real life, Brian was a pretty good player, playing in the first two all star games.

In other signings, Baltimore signs reigning MVP Ed McCauley and also Red Rocha. They won the division last year, and have improved significantly.

PRE-SEASON

The media predicts another last place finish for us.

Our lineup this season will be C-Simmons, PF-Fulks, SF-Brian, SG-Berce, PG-Tannenbaum, with Braun and McGuire filling out the rotation. We went 2-3 in the pre-season. Looking at the other team’s rosters, Baltimore is loaded and Boston looks good as well. I think we could possible compete with Philly, but Syracuse looks to be a little better than us. Avoiding last place would be a good accomplishment. I’m already looking ahead to next years draft class, which looks like it could be strong.

REGULAR SEASON

Of all the players who were on the last year of their contract, Lavoy, Schultz, and Braun were the only ones interested in signing an extension. I have no interest in keeping Lavoy or Schultz, and Braun want to paid like a top tier player. I decided not to offer any extensions and see what next years draft and/or free agency offers.

We had another road heavy November, but actually did OK, finishing the month at 4-5. Midway through December, Brian received a minor jaw injury, but should only miss about a week. We maintained our mediocrity through December, finishing the month at 10-9, good enough for third place. The east is tight so far, as the top four teams (Baltimore, Boston, NY, and Syracuse) are all within 2 ½ games of each other. Fulks won player of the month for December.

January showed me that this team is not ready. We had almost the entire month at home, and played terribly. We finished the month at 14-19, a distant fourth place. Baltimore, Boston, and Syracuse have all pulled away from the pack, and are within a game of each other.

I fished around for some trade possibilities to try and get some future assets, but couldn’t find any takers. Berce and Fulks were both named all stars. Then Tannenbaum had a hernia in mid-February, probably sidelining him for the season. Fulks followed him to the bench the next game with appendicitis. It doesn’t seem too severe, as he is only listed out for a week. We finished the month at 18-26, seven spots out of the last playoff spot.
March looks to be a brutal month, with a very busy schedule, and most of the games on the road. Fulks has a slight knee sprain, but Braun, perhaps playing for a contract next season, picks up the slack. Neal, who has been getting more playing time lately, also picks up a minor hip injury. Yet all things considered, we didn’t play too badly. We finished the month at 27-34, still five games out of the last playoff spot.

I think Fulks’ age is catching up to him, and he picks up yet another minor knee injury in the first game of April. We were eliminated from playoff contention on April 9th, so I let the youngsters play out the season. We finished the season at 30-42. We ended up tied with Milwaukee, so I don’t know if we will get the 3rd or 4th pick in the upcoming draft. Either way, there are only two players in the draft that will provide immediate help. Syracuse shocks everyone by running away with the East.

Fulks continues to be amazing, leading the league in scoring again.

PLAYOFFS

Berce was named 1st team defense, Neal was 2nd team rookie, and Fulks was 2nd team all NBA. Vern Mikkelsen from Boston won MVP, and Clyde Lovellette from Ft. Worth took rookie of the year.

Syracuse showed the regular season wasn’t a fluke by sweeping Boston, then winning a thrilling seven game series against Rochester to win their first championship.

I think it is time to tear this team down and rebuild. Fulks is still effective, but he’s getting old. Simmons never quite panned out like I had hoped, and is overpaid for his production. Unfortunately, they are both still signed through two more seasons. Henriksen could be a piece for the future, but still needs work. Nobody else fits into my long term plans. We’ll still be over the cap next season, and possibly the season after that if I can’t unload either Fulks or Simmons. Next year’s team looks to be pretty bad.

04-30-2021, 03:02 PM	#22
Umbrella High School Varsity Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Back in the desert	1953-54 NEW YORK KNICKS PRE-SEASON As we begin a new offseason, my lead scout informs me he is leaving to become the GM of Philly. Also, the Indianapolis Olympians fold, marking the second time a team from Indy has folded. They only have four available players and we pick 5th in the dispersal draft, so we don’t get anyone. With the 5th pick in the rookie draft, we took PF Jim Neal. He is nothing special, as this is a terrible draft, but he is a decent defender and rebounder. His nickname is “Daddy”, in reference to his long arms and legs making him look like a daddy longlegs spider. In the second round, I select PG Ernie Barrett. He could be a good defender someday, but he’s pretty raw. The only thing I found interesting about him is that he has a restaurant named after him with a statue of him in front. Ft. Wayne selected PF Clyde Lovellette with the #1 pick. I’m still over the cap, so this will be a boring free agency period. I would like sign three players; a center, a shooting guard, and then another warm body in case of injuries. The only player I have Bird rights to that I’m interested in signing is Boykoff, but he wants too much money for a guy who would be a backup for me. I started scraping the bargain bin, and settled on these three: C Bob Lavoy, who you may remember from a couple of seasons ago, C Howie Schultz, a defensive specialist who hasn’t had much playing time in his career, and SG Kenny Rollins, a good defender who has been a starter in the league for the last 5 seasons. Rollins immediately had interest from other teams, so I offered SG Bob Davies, who is older, but has been a reliable starter for several seasons. Davies also got attention from other teams, so plan C is SG Mel Payton. Looking closer at him, he should be plan A as he was all defense 2nd team last season. Rochester immediately trumped me with him as well. It’s looking bleak, so I am forced to offer career scrub SG Wally Osterkorn. Schultz and Lavoy signed, all of the SG’s not named Osterkorn signed with other teams. Schultz actually played in the MLB for a few seasons before joining the NBA. Baltimore then outbid me for Osterkorn. At this point, all teams are over their cap, so I decided to see if SG Frank Brian would sign for a one year league minimum. He was first team all NBA last year, so I don’t know if he’ll sign, but he doesn’t have any other available options right now. He tells us he refuses to sign at that salary, but after a few days realizes he doesn’t have any other options, and takes the deal. In real life, Brian was a pretty good player, playing in the first two all star games. In other signings, Baltimore signs reigning MVP Ed McCauley and also Red Rocha. They won the division last year, and have improved significantly. PRE-SEASON The media predicts another last place finish for us. Our lineup this season will be C-Simmons, PF-Fulks, SF-Brian, SG-Berce, PG-Tannenbaum, with Braun and McGuire filling out the rotation. We went 2-3 in the pre-season. Looking at the other team’s rosters, Baltimore is loaded and Boston looks good as well. I think we could possible compete with Philly, but Syracuse looks to be a little better than us. Avoiding last place would be a good accomplishment. I’m already looking ahead to next years draft class, which looks like it could be strong. REGULAR SEASON Of all the players who were on the last year of their contract, Lavoy, Schultz, and Braun were the only ones interested in signing an extension. I have no interest in keeping Lavoy or Schultz, and Braun want to paid like a top tier player. I decided not to offer any extensions and see what next years draft and/or free agency offers. We had another road heavy November, but actually did OK, finishing the month at 4-5. Midway through December, Brian received a minor jaw injury, but should only miss about a week. We maintained our mediocrity through December, finishing the month at 10-9, good enough for third place. The east is tight so far, as the top four teams (Baltimore, Boston, NY, and Syracuse) are all within 2 ½ games of each other. Fulks won player of the month for December. January showed me that this team is not ready. We had almost the entire month at home, and played terribly. We finished the month at 14-19, a distant fourth place. Baltimore, Boston, and Syracuse have all pulled away from the pack, and are within a game of each other. I fished around for some trade possibilities to try and get some future assets, but couldn’t find any takers. Berce and Fulks were both named all stars. Then Tannenbaum had a hernia in mid-February, probably sidelining him for the season. Fulks followed him to the bench the next game with appendicitis. It doesn’t seem too severe, as he is only listed out for a week. We finished the month at 18-26, seven spots out of the last playoff spot. March looks to be a brutal month, with a very busy schedule, and most of the games on the road. Fulks has a slight knee sprain, but Braun, perhaps playing for a contract next season, picks up the slack. Neal, who has been getting more playing time lately, also picks up a minor hip injury. Yet all things considered, we didn’t play too badly. We finished the month at 27-34, still five games out of the last playoff spot. I think Fulks’ age is catching up to him, and he picks up yet another minor knee injury in the first game of April. We were eliminated from playoff contention on April 9th, so I let the youngsters play out the season. We finished the season at 30-42. We ended up tied with Milwaukee, so I don’t know if we will get the 3rd or 4th pick in the upcoming draft. Either way, there are only two players in the draft that will provide immediate help. Syracuse shocks everyone by running away with the East. Fulks continues to be amazing, leading the league in scoring again. PLAYOFFS Berce was named 1st team defense, Neal was 2nd team rookie, and Fulks was 2nd team all NBA. Vern Mikkelsen from Boston won MVP, and Clyde Lovellette from Ft. Worth took rookie of the year. Syracuse showed the regular season wasn’t a fluke by sweeping Boston, then winning a thrilling seven game series against Rochester to win their first championship. I think it is time to tear this team down and rebuild. Fulks is still effective, but he’s getting old. Simmons never quite panned out like I had hoped, and is overpaid for his production. Unfortunately, they are both still signed through two more seasons. Henriksen could be a piece for the future, but still needs work. Nobody else fits into my long term plans. We’ll still be over the cap next season, and possibly the season after that if I can’t unload either Fulks or Simmons. Next year’s team looks to be pretty bad.