[Izulde]

Originally Posted by C-Bailey24

Yea teams like the Wizards, Portland, Charlotte, etc are in no man's land as you say and that's the worse place to be. You either need to be clearly in a position to contend or at the bottom trying to draft your next franchise player.

Anyway, hopefully you keep this going as there usually aren't any interesting dynasties to read outside of the DDSCB forum. I like to see how other people are playing the game and specifically their thought process while team building which i would like to get better at and not just play the game and going through the motions so to speak. Also the reason i've yet to join an online league cause i don't wanna lag behind all the other GM's.

Honestly, jumping into an MP league is one of the best ways you can get better at the game. Just talking to the successful GMs and picking their brains will help you gain more knowledge. And because the sim speed is slower than single-player, you can dig deeper into the granular aspects. Like in a league I'm in that's investigating a switch from DDS3 to DDS19, a couple guys have already figured out how to de facto replicate the all 10s strategy that used to lead to imbalanced results and turned into MP leagues implementing house rule limitations to stop that exploit. (Note: In SP, I have the AI set the Depth Chart and Sub Matrix even in Global Mode).

I think Mo Bamba can be our next star player, though, and John Wall already is a star - 3.5 overall rating notwithstanding.

***
We need a scoring big man, but there's nobody out there who's a reasonable get. So we'll just roll the dice with what we have, though I put a bunch of guys on the block to see what offers come my way.

The bleeding continues with a 9 point loss at home to Toronto, but the Raptors have been hot lately. 27 points and 10 rebounds by JaMychal Green pairs with 20 and 10 from John Wall to carry us in a dull defensive win over the Magic in Orlando. Bradley Beal hasn't had the expected positive impact the Magic hoped for. Game 7 point loss to the powerhouse Pacers in Indiana without the injured Evan Fournier.

There are trades that don't involve us!

Boston Celtics receive
PG Ish Smith
Detroit Pistons 2019 2nd round pick

Detroit Pistons receive
PF Marcus Morris

What This Means For The Celtics
With Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart both battling nagging injuries, Smith comes in as an exceptional ballhandler who plays respectable defense. Won't move the needle as a passer, but doesn't need to. $6 million expiring contract.

Pistons Take
Motown's SF situation is so deplorable, Morris slots right in as a starter there, but he's also an expiring contract. This essentially means the Pistons are fighting to get into the playoffs, though they're behind the Orlando Magic.

Philadelphia 76ers receive
SG Kent Bazemore
Atlanta Hawks 2019 2nd round pick

Atlanta Hawks receive
SG Markelle Fultz
PG TJ McConnnell
SG Furkan Kormaz
C Amir Johnson

76ers Take
Bazemore is obscenely overpaid at almost $20 million, but he's a microwave scorer for the bench with strong ball skills as a passer and handler for his swing position group. Becomes the new 6th man as Philly seeks to lock in the #3 seed in the East

Hawks Take
Fultz is the sexy name here, but it's uncertain as to if he'll ever be anything more than a mid-tier rotational guy - his mental damage is just that strong. Nor will he get starter minutes on the Hawks. Everyone else here is a bench guy, broken up into much more managable dollars. Johnson was released following a later deal. And it's at this point I'm tired of going through them all, so I'll only note the major deals.

Indiana Pacers receive
C Dewayne Dedmon
Atlanta Hawks 2019 2nd pick

Atlanta Hawks receive
C Ike Anigibou
PG Darren Collinson

Milwaukee Bucks receive
SG Terrence Ross
Orlando Magic 2019 2nd round pick

Orlando Magic receive
C John Henson

Houston Rockets receive
PG JJ Barea
Dallas Mavericks 2019 2nd round pick

Dallas Mavericks receive
PF Marquese Chriss
PG Michael Carter-Williams

New Orleans Pelicans receive
PG Jeremy Lin
Atlanta Hawks 2019 2nd round pick

Atlanta Hawks receive
PG Fred Jackson
PF Cheick Diallo
SG Ian Clark
SF Wesley Johnson

Pelicans Take
What an amazing grab for New Orleans. They just shored up their weakest position by grabbing Lin, one of the best two-way point guards available. The move should make them challengers to Golden State's throne in the West and is exactly what they needed to try and face off against the Warriors.

Hawks Take
It's a struggle to see where this move makes sense for Hotlanta. Clark and Johnson were later cut so this becomes Diallo and Jackson for Lin and a 2nd round pick. Jackson does have another year on his contract and could become a respectable #2 PG, but mostly this is young prospects with low upside. Feels like they really sold low on Linsanity here.

San Antonio Spurs receive
SG Demarre Carroll

Brooklyn Nets receive
C Pau Gasol
SF Dante Cunningham

Spurs Take
Carroll is a good rebounder on the wing who can create his own shot, stepping in as a starter for a still elite team behind LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. But Carroll's biggest value might be his $15.4 million expiring contract.

Nets Take
Ruin your finances this summer for a faded Pau? Check. There's a reason why Brooklyn has just 13 wins on the season - stupid moves like this. Maybe they're hoping for a mentor effect on Jarrett Allen, but overall, this just doesn't make any sense.

Oklahoma City Thunder receive
SG Wayne Ellington

Miami Heat receive
SG Alex Abrines

Golden State Warriors receive
SG Rodney Hood

Cleveland Cavaliers receive
PG Quinn Cook
C Jordan Bell

Warriors Take
Why is Hood a starter and Klay Thompson a super 6th man? I have no idea - there's no reason for it. Also coming off the bench - Draymond Green. It's like the Ws are trying to make it artificially more difficult.

Cavs Take
Mediocre prospects for a mediocre player on a mediocre team.

Los Angeles Clippers receive
C Robin Lopez

Chicago Bulls receive
SG Avery Bradley
C Alexis Ajinca

Los Angeles Lakers receive
C Tyson Chandler
2019 2nd round pick

Phoenix Suns receive
PF Michael Beasley

Lakers Take
Chandler may be ancient, but he's still superior to every other center on this roster. Smart pickup for LeBron James' team. Still an excellent rebounder who can play defense.

Suns Take
Michael Beasley returns to Phoenix. No one really cares.

Seeing all those moves made me hungry, soooo...

Washington Wizards receive
PG Ricky Rubio

Utah Jazz receive
Wilson Chandler
Tomas Satoransky
Philadelphia 76ers 1st round pick

Wizards Take
Interesting move by the Wizards, acquiring 28 year old Rubio, a skilled ballhandler and thief with improved shooting range. He'll shift over to SG because no one is going to dislodge John Wall. It was clear that Evan Fournier wasn't going to cut it, so Washington pays a fairly steep price for talent that might not be quite what they need.

Jazz Take
Yes, it's a late first. But it's still a first. Satoransky will get more playing time - the Wizards front office loved him, but there were limited minutes available. Dante Exum now takes over at PG, but it's hard to get too excited about that - more and more, the former highly drafted prospect looks like a bust.

Winner: Utah
I don't see this Rubio experiment working out, and the 22-31 Jazz get a first for their rebuilding project around Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

And yet, we beat the Celtics by 12 in our first post-trade game. Robert Covington scores 33 and John Wall nets 20 points, with Ricky Rubio's +12 the team high. DJ Augustin chipped in 16 off the bench. There's a couple other moves on deadline day, but I don't feel like reporting them.

The Bulls embarrass us in Chicago, but we snap back for an ugly win in New York. We shot 37.9% as a team and won because of FTs and Kelly Oubre Jr ripping off 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks off the bench.

Mohamed Bamba makes the All-Star Rookies team as a backup and records a board and 3 blocks in just 5 minutes. Sophs still won though, on Donovan Mitchell's 32 point game. John Wall nets 10 points and 3 assists in 9 minutes for the East, but they lose to The Beard's West squad.

No excuse for losing to the Cavaliers, even in Cleveland. Evan Fournier is back in the starting lineup and scores 25, but it's John Wall's near-triple double of 25 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds that takes the plaudits in a win over the Hornets.

3 point thriller win at home against Philadelphia, John Wall posting 22 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals, as we eke out the win despite being outshot 36.4% to 41.9%. Evan Fournier just misses the double-double at SF with 18 points, 9 rebounds. Vital position game against the Bucks and we destroy them, 104-83. JaMychal Green scores 22 and holds Greek Freak to a 3 of 9 night in just 22 minutes. 14 points off the bench for Robert Covington, who can't be too enthused about his demotion, but we're just trying to get wins here.

I'm not going to be mad about an 8 point loss to the Warriors to end our 3 game win streak.

35-27. We're 7 games up in the Southeast, but the Bucks are 37-24. I don't see much chance of Milwaukee catching Philadelphia, and the Celtics and Pacers are the clear class of the East this year. But who knows? Stranger things have happened. We'll see what the coming months bring.