Dex Erickson and the Milburn Honkers (FBPB)

[GoBlue2419]

Intro
Today started like nearly every other day. I got up, got ready for work, did a little quiet time, jumped in the car, and headed in to the office. Where my commute may be a little different than yours is my office is in Avery Arena, where the Milburn Honkers basketball team plays. And other days, my commute would bring me to Avery Arena so that I could continue my job as the Assistant General Manager of the team.

That is, that was my job until today. Today when I got in to my office I noticed a handwritten note from Jane, Mr. Moore’s (that would me Marcus Moore, the team owner) administrative assistant. The note stated that Mr. Moore would like to see me in his office. So I headed right down to his office, with a mix of excitement, trepidation, and not a little bit of sadness as well.

You see, I had heard, and read in the newspapers, the rumors talking about how Mike Leonard’s time was, or should be at least, coming to a close with the Honkers. Mike has been the General Manager for the last five years, and he hired me as his assistant. I like Mike. He is a really good guy. I do believe he knows basketball and how to run a team. But the team has struggled the last few years, and it was starting to affect attendance and fan interest. Mr. Moore is fairly patient, but that patience does have its tipping point.

So I walked down to Mr. Moore’s office with every possible scenario bouncing around in my noggin like one of the too many loose balls the team has had the last couple seasons. Was it possible that he was going to make me the fall guy? Was it possible that he did fire Mike, and wanted me to help with the search for his replacement? Was it actually possible that he would ask me to take over for Mike? Of course, that also meant that Mike had been fired. So many thoughts in that short walk down to his office . . . .

I saw Jane sitting at her desk, and while my heart did a little bit of the flutter it does whenever I see her, today was a lot less than usual because of everything running through my mind. Jane sure is beautiful, but Jane’s name happens to be Jane Moore, as in Mr. Moore, as in the daughter of Mr. Moore. I like coming down to talk to Jane. She makes me happy to be alive.
But not much of all that was running through my mind right now. Right now it is much more focused on why he had asked to see me.

As she was talking on the phone, her lovely hand motioned for me to head right in to his office. So I knocked on the door, cleared my throat a bit, wiped my palms on the sides of my trousers, and waited for him to either call for me to come in or open the door himself.
Open the door himself was the response. “Dex, thanks for coming right down to see me,” he said as he held out his hand to initiate the handshake greeting.

I shook his hand as I replied, “Sure thing, Mr. Moore,“ while at the same time muttering in my head, “you think I’m going to make you wait?”

He motioned to one of the chairs sitting in front of his desk as he urged me to have a seat. “Dex, would you care for any coffee or tea?” he asked.

“No, thank you sir, I have some in my office,” I answered in hopefully not too nervous a manner.

“Well, Dex, let me get right to the point here. I know you have heard all of the noise around our team from the fans and the media about Mike’s job security. And you know me, Dex. You know I don’t act based on what those yahoos in the papers or writing about or even what our fans are complaining about to a degree.”

As he was talking, I shifted anxiously in my seat.

“But Dex, you also know how our team has performed, or not performed, these last couple seasons. It’s not up to the standards we hold here in this organization. We haven’t been as successful as some other teams over the course of the team’s history, but we have been more successful than many teams. And we expect to be contending year in and year out. Dex, it’s been 10 years since we won a Championship. Heck, we haven’t been in the playoffs for the last four years, and even then, we have only been in the playoffs once in the last seven years.”

He continued, “I like Mike. I like Mike a great deal. But as I agonized over this, I knew I had to do something to change things up. I knew the team needed a different look. So Dex, this morning I told Mike that I was going to let him go.”

So there it was. He had fired Mike. While he was certainly my boss, I counted Mike as a friend as well. So I hurt a bit for him. Even though firings are a part of this gig, it is still real people, with real feelings, involved. And I knew Mike was feeling all sorts of hurt right now. But I also wondered if there was more to why he called me in here. There had to be.

“And Dex, a big part of why I felt like now was the time to make that move is because I knew who I wanted to give it a go next. If I wasn’t certain of that already, I may have given him one more year. But as it is, I fully believe that the person I have in mind to take over as General Manager of the Milburn Honkers is someone who is ready, someone who is talented, with a sharp mind and a strong basketball acumen, and a keen business sense. Even before I let Mike go, I knew who I wanted as the GM to right this ship. And Dex, that someone is you.”

I gulped a little (or maybe a lot) and hoped it was not too noticeable.

“Dex, I would like to offer you the position of General Manager of the Milburn Honkers of the PrimeTime Basketball League. What do you say to that?”

While I had thought about this as one of the possible outcomes of my meeting with Mr. Moore, the reality is I did not think it was very likely. For one, I’m only 36 years old. I have never been a GM, at any level. But I have been with this team for four years now as the assistant General Manager. And I have grown up loving this team. I grew up in Milburn. I attended Honkers games numerous times. I made my way to every event where I knew Honkers players were going to be. Honkers legends like Ethan Kwiatkowski, Jonathan Smith, Antonio Young, Harold Dennis. My dream was to play for the Honkers one day. And while a serious knee injury in college made that dream moot, my love for the Honkers never faded.

“Mr. Moore, I feel really bad for Mike. I think Mike had some unlucky circumstances with injuries and players not playing up to their potential. But Mr. Moore, if you feel like I am the right guy for this position, then absolutely, I will accept your offer.”

“Do you want to hear the terms before accepting, Dex?”

“I trust you Mr. Moore. I know you are fair. So I will accept without knowing the terms.”

“I appreciate that Dex. I promise I will do everything in my power to treat you fairly, to give you the resources you need to get this team back to winning fashion, and to cement your legacy as a Honkers icon. I fully believe you will lead this team back to glory.”

“Thank you, Mr. Moore. I promise as well that I will do everything in my power to get this team back to glory.”

“I know you will, son. Now, go see Jane and she has the paperwork for you to sign. Godspeed, Dex, and go Honkers!”

“Go Honkers,” I replied heartily.

[GoBlue2419]

This is the story of Dex Erickson and the Milburn Honkers. The Milburn Honkers are a professional basketball team in the PrimeTime Basketball League. The PBL exists in a world where there was no NBA, there was no Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson. The legends in this world go by the names of Helmfrid Scherzer, Kurtis Smith, James Kennedy. There was no Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls. Instead we have the Los Angeles Greyhounds, the Boston Whalers, and the Chicago Stags. In this made-up world, Milburn is a major Midwestern American city. It is located on the Great Lakes.



This dynasty starts in the year 1979. But while the year is 1979, the general aesthetic of this dynasty is much more 40s/50s (without some of the negative aspects of that era).

The PBL began play in 1946 with 11 teams. The original members of the PBL were the:
Boston Whalers
New York Monarchs
Philadelphia Warriors
Buffalo Braves
Toronto Huskies
Washington Capitols
Cleveland Hornets
Detroit Falcons
Pittsburgh Ironmen
Chicago Stags
St. Louis Bombers

In 1947 the Baltimore Barons joined the fray. Four more teams joined in 1949, including our very own Milburn Honkers.

In 1974, when six new teams were added, the PBL moved away from a Western/Eastern Conference setup, and instead went to four divisions without conferences.

The current make-up of the league is as such:

Atlantic Division
Baltimore Barons
Boston Whalers
Brooklyn Nationals
Buffalo Braves
New York Monarchs
Philadelphia Quakers
Washington Capitols

Central Division
Atlanta Flames
Cincinnati Royals
Cleveland Hornets
Detroit Falcons
Indianapolis Olympians
Pittsburgh Ironmen
Toronto Huskies

Midwest Division
Chicago Stags
Dallas Lone Stars
Houston Marshalls
Milburn Honkers
Milwaukee Muskies
Minnesota Loons
New Orleans Buccaneers
St. Louis Hawks

Pacific Division
California Redwoods
Denver Zephyrs
Los Angeles Greyhounds
Phoenix Rattlers
Portland Pioneers
San Diego Sailors
Seattle Sockeyes

We join this dynasty as the 1978-1979 season has just come to an end. The Chicago Stags have won the last two PBL Championships, beating the Toronto Huskies in 1977-1978 and the San Diego Sailors this past season.

The Honkers have just finished a season which saw them go 25-51 and finish last in the Midwest Division. The Stags are obviously the team to beat in the division. This past season they went 63-13 in the regular season

[GoBlue2419]

Reserved too

[Young Drachma]

Following

[GoBlue2419]

My first orders of business as the new GM of the Milburn Honkers includes:

1. Find and hire a coaching staff. Last year’s staff was let go along with Mike, so I need to start from scratch and find the right folks to lead this team on a day-to-day basis.
2. Take a look at finances and determine if we need to adjust ticket prices at all.
3. Take a look at the roster and identify who is under contract, who has a contract that is expiring and determine what to do with them, and identify our biggest needs from a personnel standpoint.

As I take a look at Head Coach possibilities, I see a few guys with experience as a head coach in the PBL. Those candidates are:
- Wesley Charles (57 years old) - Charles has been the GM for the New York Monarchs the past 7 seasons, but before that he was the Head Coach for the Detroit Falcons for two seasons. The Falcons went 26-34 and 30-30 in his two seasons. His strengths include Coaching Inside, Coaching Handling, Coaching Perimeter Defense, and Scouting Current/Potential Ability.
- Weldon Thomas (45 years old) - Thomas was our head coach the last three seasons. In those three seasons the team went 25-51, 18-58, and 25-51. Not stellar marks by any level. His strengths include Coaching Shooting, Coaching Perimeter Defense, and Scouting Current Ability.
- Daniel Davis (48 years old) - Davis has been the head coach of the Phoenix Rattlers for the last 5 seasons, but did not have his contract renewed after this past season. In his five seasons, the Rattlers went a combined 149-231 and never made the playoffs. Davis’s strengths include Coaching Inside, Coaching Shooting, Coaching Post Defense.
- Carlito Alas (40 years old) - Alas became a head coach at the age of 31, courtesy of the Seattle Sockeyes. He was coach of the Sockeyes from 1970-1975, and during his regime the team went 186-206, making the playoffs his last season. His contract was then not renewed, and he has spent the last three seasons as an assistant with the Chicago Stags. Strengths include Coaching Handling and Coaching Perimeter Defense.
- Pete McGee (59 years old) - McGee has been the head coach of the Milwaukee Muskies for the past 12 seasons. You might say he has had a bit of success as Muskies coach as well. Let’s say he has had success to the tune of 3 PBL Championships. For some reason though, Milwaukee chose to let him walk when his contract expired after this last season. But not only has he been a head coach for 12 seasons, but prior to getting the Muskies job, he was an assistant with our very own Honkers for 10 seasons. His career record is 489 wins and 311 losses. His strengths include Coaching Perimeter Defense and Scouting Current Ability.

Additionally, there are some intriguing candidates who have not been a head coach in the PBL yet. Amongst the strongest candidates in that category are:
- Royal Horne (57 years old) - strengths are Coaching Inside, Scouting Current/Potential Ability
- Arthur Williams (45 years old) - Williams has been the GM of the Cleveland Hornets the last 4 seasons. His strengths include Coaching Shooting and Handling, and Scouting Current Ability.
- Matthew Hibbard (46 years old) - strengths include Coaching Inside, Coaching Perimeter Defense, and Scouting Current/Potential Ability.

While there is some intrigue to starting with my own guy, with no previous ties to the Honkers, when I reached to Horne and Williams, both of them are asking for a salary I am not yet comfortable going with. McGee just wants to get coaching again and is willing to go with a smaller number in order to get back in the game quickly. The idea of hiring the former coach of a division rival, and one who has had great success to boot, does sound extremely inviting.

McGee is my target.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Following

Thank you sir!

[GoBlue2419]

Pete McGee is our guy. I called Pete, and after introducing myself, got right down to business. It didn’t take long to hash out the details, and I was able to get our next head coach signed. Pete agreed to a deal of $6,746 for this season. He wanted to go with a one-year deal, and then see where we stand after this season. While I would prefer to get him locked up for longer, I’m okay with that.

Pete and I then worked on getting his staff signed. We were able to complete his coaching staff with Jack Caballero, at $6,283 for 4 seasons, Dorian Hatfield at $1,600 for 2 years, and Corey Robinson at $1,600 for 2 seasons.

Additionally, I hired Fabricio Lianos, a Milburn native, has our Scouting Coordinator. First task for Fabricio is to get scouting our guys, and see where we stand, along with scouting for the upcoming Rookie Draft.

Up next for me is to prep for the Rookie Draft as well. That will be here before we know it.

[GoBlue2419]

Before we take a further look at the Rookie Draft prep, let’s take a look at the current roster.

Last year’s main starting five all return at this point:
PG - Joe Chadwick (22 years old) - 3 years in the league. Last year he averaged 33.4 minutes per game, and 10.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, and 3.5 RPG. Coming off of his best season thus far. He was the 11th pick in the 1976 draft.

SG - Arthur Good (23 years old) - 2 years in the league. Our top player. Averaged 20.8 points per game last year, along with 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Averaged 20.0 points per game in his rookie season. All-Star last season as well as the All-Star Weekend 3 Point Champion. Was the 4th pick in the 1977 draft.

SF - Michel Sory (21 years old) - 1 year in the league. Rookie year interrupted by a couple long-term injuries. Missed 55 days with a broken arm and then 47 days with patellar tendonitis. When he played, he compiled numbers of 16.8 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Still played enough to be named to the All-Rookie Team. Was the 2nd pick in the 1978 draft.

PF - Shannon Larios (35 years old) - 13 years in the league. Averaged 14.4 points per game last season, with 5.6 rebounds per game. Age is catching up with him though, as these numbers were his lowest since his rookie season. Signed as a free agent before the 1977 season.

C - Herminio Pacau (30 years old) - 9 years in the league. Averaged 7.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.4 blocks per game last season. Mediocre defender. Signed a 4 year contract with us before last season.

Other Players
Guards - Virgil Gates and Calvin Vaughn. Gates is 36 years old, and averaged just 4.9 minutes in 13 games last season. Adds a veteran presence and not much else at this point of his career. One more season remaining on his contract. Vaughn did not see any action last season.

Forwards - Karl Molina (28 years old), Chris Hall (27 years old), and James Verdugo (34 years old). Molina was our first man off the bench this past season, averaging 26.9 minutes per game after coming over from Milwaukee midway through last season. In his time on the floor he averaged 12.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game. Hall averaged 27.5 minutes per game, and 13.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game. Verdugo averaged 19.5 minutes, 8.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists per game. Hall is probably our best inside scorer, while Molina may have the best jumper on the team. Verdugo is our strongest interior defender, though that is not saying much. Hall is a very strong perimeter defender.

So that’s it. Ten players currently under contract. Power forward and Center are our biggest areas of need. We need to get much better at those two positions if we are going to improve.

Here are last season's stats for informational sake as well:

[GoBlue2419]

We have the 4th pick in the upcoming Rookie Draft. The top 5 ranked draft prospects are:

1) SF Buddy Smith (21 years old, Washington) - 6'10, 240 lb. Averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game this past season in college. Tremendous athlete. More of a perimeter player. Should be the top pick.
2) SG Patrick Swan (20 years old, UCLA) - 6'5", 202 lbs. Strong athletic skills. Not a great 3-point shooter, but excellent midrange game. Average defender. Strong rebounder as well.
3) C Mac Jackson (17 years old, High School) - 7'1", 232 lbs. Very good defensively, strong shot-blocker and rebounder. Decent inside game, better midrange game.
4) SG Broderick Music (21 years old, Southern) - 6'6", 172 lbs. Good athletic skills. Very good defensively. Strong midrange game, decent to good 3 point shooter, excellent free throw shooter. Averaged 25.4 points, 3.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds a game this season in college. Needs to grow stronger physically.
5) PG Edgar Maus (22 years old, Binghampton) - 6'1", 189 lbs. Averaged 16.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists in college this past season. Excellent quickness and can jump out of the gym. Very good defensively, and strong handling and passing skills. Is a slash and drive kind of player with a decent midrange jump shot.

Would love to have Mac Jackson fall to us at #4, but the chances of that are slim to none. There is no other center/power forward worthy of a top 10 pick, so our options are to draft based on talent or perhaps trade down. We'll see how the top 3 picks go, and then make a decision on that.

The latest mock draft from PBL Analyst Dirk Antonelli looks like this:



We have Arthur Good at Shooting Guard already, so Music would not be the ideal pick for us. But talent is talent, so not always a bad thing to some redundancy.

[thehitcat]

Interesting and following along.

Some completely unsolicited advice (and I don't know the game well either so take it for what it's worth...)

I know Good is relatively young (and good) but what about seeing if New York or Cleveland are interested. Then you could get your big man at 1.1 or 1.2 and potentially a Good replacement at 1.4.

Or forget the big man and take the best shooter you can at 1.4 and go with a small (3 guard) line up and try to run teams out of the gym for a season.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by thehitcat

Interesting and following along.

Some completely unsolicited advice (and I don't know the game well either so take it for what it's worth...)

I know Good is relatively young (and good) but what about seeing if New York or Cleveland are interested. Then you could get your big man at 1.1 or 1.2 and potentially a Good replacement at 1.4.

Or forget the big man and take the best shooter you can at 1.4 and go with a small (3 guard) line up and try to run teams out of the gym for a season.

Thanks thehitcat! Appreciate your following along, and the advice as well.

Your thought on trading Good is a "good" one as well. Some things to ponder through as we approach the draft.

[GoBlue2419]

PBL Draft Concludes As Teams Plot Their Futures
LOS ANGELES (JULY 7th, 1979) - PBL executives met today at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena to plot the future courses of their respective teams, as the PBL Rookie Draft took place. One of most exciting events of the PBL calendar brings the promise of hope and a new direction for so many teams, most of which will end up as nothing more than pipe dreams and trampled plans for more than a few.



The New York Monarchs held the first pick, and as expected, selected University of Washington small forward Buddy Smith with that pick. Smith, 6-10, 240 lbs., averaged 21.6 points per game along with 10.1 rebounds in his last season of intercollegiate ball.

After rumors were floating that the Cleveland Hornets were in discussions with the Milburn Honkers revolving around the second pick, the Hornets ended up keeping the pick, and surprised many with their pick. The consensus for much of the offseason has been that the Hornets would select UCLA shooting guard Patrick Swan. But they instead went big, drafting high schooler Center Mac Jackson.

With the third pick, the Los Angeles Greyhounds then went for Swan.

Not able to make a trade to move up, the Honkers then selected SG Broderick Music out of Southern.

The rest of the Top 10 followed as:
5. Baltimore Barons - PG Edgar Maus, Binghampton
6. Seattle Sockeyes - PG Scott Mitchell, Michigan State
7. Buffalo Braves - SF Carl Peterson, Wichita State
8. Houston Marshalls - C Archie Cauthen, Oklahoma
9. Milwaukee Muskies - C Kenneth Zimmerman, Creighton
10. Detroit Falcons - PG Franklin Wilton, IPFW


We ended up deciding to go with whatever/whoever fell to us with the #4 pick. We selected Music, though we may not end up keeping him. We are in discussions with a couple teams on some options. But we also may decide just to keep him. We could certainly do much worse.

[GoBlue2419]

MILBURN (JULY 9, 1979) - Honkers GM Dex Erickson has made the first trade of his rule as GM of the team today, sending Broderick Music, the 4th pick in this year's PBL Rookie Draft, to the Houston Marshalls in return for the 8th pick in the draft, center Archie Cauthen, along with Houston's 1st Round draft pick in next year's draft.

Cauthen, 6'11", 253 pounds, played collegiately at Oklahoma. In his final season with the Sooners, he averaged 18.5 points per game, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks.


The fact that Houston was willing to add a 1st to this deal made it a go. Cauthen may not start from Day 1, but I like his potential to be not only a defensive presence, but also an inside scoring presence for us as well.

Music has the higher ceiling, but with Cauthen and another 1st, hopefully the sum of the parts is better than the single piece. We'll see how this plays out over the next few years.

[GoBlue2419]

Time to figure out our plan/strategy for free agency. We got a center in our trade with Houston, so we have hopefully addressed that need. But we still could use some improvement at Power Forward. We have about $274,000 available in Salary Cap room, so not a huge amount to work with, but we should be able to something.

We do hold Bird Rights on C Gaylord Spikes. Gaylord, 32 years old, averaged 16.4 minutes per game last season for us, scoring at a clip of 6.4 per game and 2.4 rebounds. He clearly is not the answer to our big man needs, and we will not be offering him a contract.

The top centers available in free agency are:

• Eugenio Aguirre (25 years old) - Aguirre, a University of Kentucky product, has played the first four years of his career with the Philadelphia Quakers. He is 7’2”, but just 246 pounds, so not a bruiser by any means. Last season he averaged 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds a game, along with 0.8 blocks. He is a very strong post defender though. He is looking for a contract worth $1,663,200 over 5 years.
• Reed Goodman (23 years old) - Hailing from UNC-Asheville, Goodman has played the first four years of his career with the Dallas Gunslingers. Last season he was named All-League 2nd team, and averaged 26.4 points a game along with 5.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks. Goodman is 7’1”, 265 lbs. He is looking for a 5-year contract worth $1,824,480.
• Sunday Akinmunde (30 years old) - From Senegal, Akinmunde is 6’10”, 270 lbs. He has spent his entire 10 year career with the San Diego Sailors, where he has been a 3-time All-Star, including last season, and a 2-time All-League 3rd Team selection. Last year he averaged 14.4 points per game, with 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He is looking for $3,370,500 over 6 years.

The top power forward available is 30-year-old Edison Thomas, who has spent his entire career with the Brooklyn Nationals. Thomas is 6’6”, 232 lbs., and is an 8-time All-Star, 3-time PBL Scoring Champion, and has been a 1st Team, 2nd Team, and 3rd Team All-League selection. Last season he averaged 30.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He is looking for a deal worth $3,458,700 over 6 years.

Andrew Adkins is probably the second best power forward available on the free agent market. Adkins is 6’7”, 249 lbs., and has spent the last four seasons with the Pittsburgh Ironmen. The 29 year old averaged 14.7 points per game last year in 32.6 minutes per game, along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He is a product of the Oregon Ducks.

Also, we could use some improved depth at point guard. Joe Chadwick is our starter, and is coming off of the best year of his career. But the options after him are pretty limited. So we will look to upgrade our depth/bench strength in free agency also.

[GoBlue2419]

We submitted offers to Reed Goodman, Sunday Akinmunde, and Edison Thomas, but they were fairly low and I didn’t expect them to accept them at all. We also made a small play for PG Lazaro Luce, who would be a major upgrade at the point guard spot. But like the big men, probably outside our price range.

Also made offers to PF Andrew Adkins, as well PG John Black. Adkins would become a starter, while Black would back up Joe Chadwick.

[GoBlue2419]

Mallards Sign Pair of Free Agents

MILBURN (July 23, 1979) - The Milburn Honkers announced today that they have signed a pair of free agents to contracts. Power forward Andrew Adkins, 29, formerly of the Pittsburgh Ironmen, signed a 4-year deal worth a total of $595,056. Also signing with the Honkers is 30-year-old point guard John Black. Black signed a one-year deal with Milburn after spending the last three seasons with the Toronto Huskies. Last season he started every game for the Huskies, averaging 8.1 points, 8.4 assists, and 0.7 steals per game. Black’s contract will pay him $33,600 this season.

Other notable free agent signings this offseason included:

• PF Walker Rozier - $170,861 over two years with the Denver Zephyrs
• C Laestrygones Manos - Re-signed for $279,585 over 3 years with the Pittsburgh Ironmen
• SF Ray Hoch - Re-signed with the Baltimore Barons for $2,203,291 over 6 years
• PF Daniel Brown - $645,978 over 4 years with the Los Angeles Greyhounds
• PF Lynn Parker - $1,100,705 over 5 years with the Miami Tropics
• PG Lazaro Luce - Re-signed with New Orleans Buccaneers for $3,850,000 over 7 years
• C Sunday Akinmunde - Re-signed with the San Diego Sailors for $4,620,000 over 7 years
• C Reed Goodman - Re-signed with Dallas for $3,850,000 over 7 years
• C Eugenio Aguirre - Re-signed with Philadelphia Quakers for $3,850,000 over 7 years
• PF Edison Thomas - Re-signed with Brooklyn Nationals for $5,390,000 over 7 years

[GoBlue2419]

Pre-Season Review/Season Preview

Not a great pre-season, as we go 1-5 over the six games. Our lone win was against the Toronto Huskies, beating them 102-92.

We open the season against the Denver Zephyrs. Our starting lineup for the season-opener looks like this:
PG - Joe Chadwick
SG - Arthur Good
SF - Michel Sory
PF - Andrew Adkins
C - Archie Cauthen

Black ended up winning the point guard battle over Joe Chadwick, but Chadwick should play a bunch as well. Also, Karl Molina ended up nudging out Michel Sory for the small forward starting role.

The full depth chart is:
C-Archie Cauthen
PF - Andrew Adkins
SF - Karl Molina
SG - Arthur Good
PG - John Black
6th - Karl Molina (SF)
7th - Herminio Pacau (C)
8th - Shannon Larios (PF)
9th - John Black (PG)
10th - James Verdugo (C/PF)
11th - Chris Hall (SG)
12th - Virgil Gates (PG)
13th - Calvin Vaughn (PG)
14th - Reed Carey (C)

[GoBlue2419]

Annual FBB News Season Preview 1979

Atlantic Division:
1. Brooklyn Nationals
2. Miami Tropics
3. Buffalo Braves
4. Boston Whalers
5. Philadelphia Quakers
6. Washington Capitols
7. New York Monarchs
8. Baltimore Barons

Midwest Division:
1. St. Louis Hawks
2. Milwaukee Muskies
3. Chicago Stags
4. Houston Marshalls
5. Minneapolis Loons
6. Milburn Honkers
7. New Orleans Buccaneers

Central Division:
1. Atlanta Flames
2. Cincinnati Royals
3. Indianapolis Olympians
4. Toronto Huskies
5. Detroit Falcons
6. Pittsburgh Ironmen
7. Cleveland Hornets

Pacific Division:
1. San Diego Sailors
2. Denver Zephyrs
3. Portland Pioneers
4. Phoenix Rattlers
5. Seattle Sockeyes
6. Los Angeles Greyhounds
7. California Redwoods

All-League Team:
C - Sunday Akinmunde, Sailors
PF - Edison Thomas, Nationals
SF - David Frazier, Stas
SG - Teague Gerou, Huskies
PG - Espiridion Olmos, Royals

All-Rookie Team:
C - Archie Cauthen, Honkers
PF - Gorkem Turker, Redwoods
SF - Buddy Smith, Monarchs
SG - Broderick Music, Marshalls
PG - Edgar Maus, Barons

[GoBlue2419]

Season Opener - vs. Chicago Stags


Starting Lineups:
Milburn
PG - Joe Chadwick
SG - Arthur Good
SF - Michel Sory
PF - Andrew Adkins
C - Archie Cauthen

Chicago
PG - Houston Jensen
SG - Lynwood Chandler
SF - Nathaniel Hernandez
PF - Armand Toon
C - Dobrogost Krizan

Milburn Box Score

Stags Box Score



Not a "good" shooting night for Good. Sory did come to play however. Hoping for a big step forward from him this year. Cauthen was fairly quiet, but played pretty well. Hope to see him become a bigger part of the offensive flow.

One item of note is that Gaylord Spikes, who we chose not to re-sign, ended up playing 33 minutes for the Stags, scoring 17 points. But I still feel confident in the decision not to sign him.

[GoBlue2419]

10/30 - 11/10/1979
Overall Record: 2-3
Position: 5th in Central (2.5 games back)
Power Rating: -5.004 (29th)

Results (2-3)
10/30 - Honkers 105, Chicago 97 - see above
10/31 - Honkers 90, Detroit 77 - 33 pts. for Good, 16 for Adkins. 11 rebounds by Adkins. 6 assists by John Black.
11/4 - San Diego 94, Honkers 79 - 21 points for Shannon Larios, 16 for Karl Molina. 7 rebounds by Adkins. 7 assists for Chadwick.
11/5 - Baltimore 117, Honkers 78 - 27 points for Good. 8 rebounds for Chauthen
11/9 - Houston 119, Honkers 101 - 20 points for Good, 18 for Sory, 17 for Adkins. 9 rebounds for Adkins, 8 for Pacau. 7 assists for Chadwick. Broderick Music scored 2 points in 16 minutes for Houston. Cauthen scored 6 points with 6 rebounds for us in 22 minutes.

Player Notes
* Good leading team with 20.0 PPG, followed by Sory with 14.8, and Adkins and Larios both at 12.2.
* Adkins averaging 8.8 rebounds, Sory 6.2, and Cauthen 5.8.
* John Black averaging 4.6 assists, Chadwick 4.4 per game.
* Cauthen averaging 1.2 blocks per game
* Sory leading in minutes with 36.6 per game, followed by Good at 31.8, and Chadwick at 30.8.

Other Team Notes
* We’re averaging 90.6 points per game, giving up 100.8
* 1-0 at home
* 1-3 on the road

Next Two Weeks
* 11/11 @ Los Angeles Greyhounds (0-5)
* 11/15 @ Boston Whalers (2-3)
* 11/16 vs. Los Angeles Greyhounds (0-5)
* 11/20 @ Cincinnati Royals (3-1)
* 11/22 vs. Chicago Stags (2-2)

Standings Notes
* In the Atlantic, New York leads Washington, Buffalo, and Philadelphia by 1/2 game.
* Minneapolis has a 1/2 game lead over Milwaukee in the Midwest Division. The Honkers are 2.5 games back.
* Atlanta has a 1 1/2 game lead over Cincinnati in the Central Division.
* San Diego leads Phoenix by 1 1/2 games in the Pacific Division.

Around the League
* Dallas Gunslingers center Reed Goodman was named PBL Player of the Week after scoring 25.9 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game this week. The Gunslingers went 0-3 on the week though.
* Atlanta Flames All-Star PF Jeff Smith is out for 28 days or so after dislocating his knee.
* After being named Player of the Week, Goodman then went out and suffered a dislocated shoulder, and is expected to miss about a month.
* Goodman leads the league in scoring with 35.5 PPG, followed by Darrick Morgan (ATL) at 30.2 PPG, and Brooklyn’s Edison Thomas at 28.2 PPG.
* Detroit’s Ellis Hall leads the PBL in rebounding at 15.0 per game, followed by Cincinnati’s Duane Harvey at 14.8, and Indianapolis’s Bryce Taylor at 14.2.
* Power Ratings Top 10

1. Atlanta Flames (5-0)
2. Milwaukee Muskies (4-1)
3. San Diego Sailors (4-1)
4. Minneapolis Loons (4-1)
5. Baltimore Barons (3-2)
6. Pittsburgh Ironmen (4-2)
7. Buffalo Braves (4-2)
8. New York Monarchs (4-1)
9. Chicago Stags (2-2)

[GoBlue2419]

11/11 - 11/24/1979

Record: 3-7
Position: 7th place (4 games behind Houston )
Team Points Per Game: 92.0 (29th in PBL)
Team Points Against Per Game: 98.0 (3rd in PBL)
Home Record: 2-1
Road Record: 1-6
Power Ranking: -1.116 (27th in PBL)

Results (1-4)
11/11 - loss to LA Greyhounds, 96-93 - 21 points from Cauthen, 18 from Adkins and Sory, 13 from Good. 7 rebounds by Sory. 6 assists by Chadwick.
11/15 - loss to Boston Whalers, 88-80 - 20 points from Good, 17 from Adkins. 8 rebounds by Cauthen. 8 assists by Chadwick. 6 turnovers by Cauthen.
11/16 - beat LA Greyhounds 92-73 - 27 points from Sory, 18 from Good, 15 from Adkins. 11 rebounds by Cauthen. 7 assists by Chadwick.
11/20 - loss to Cincinnati Royals 115-100 - Sory with 25 points, Adkins with 22, Cauthen with 20. 9 rebounds by Sory. 9 assists by Chadwick. 6 turnovers by Good.
11/22 - loss to Chicago Stags 104-102 - 26 points from Good, 21 from Adkins, 18 from Sory, 17 from Cauthen. 11 rebounds by Pacau, 9 by Cauthen. 4 assists by Molina.

Player Notes
* 18.9 PPG for Good, 17.2 for Sory, 15.4 by Adkins, 11.8 from Cauthen, 8.9 by Larios.
* 7.3 rebounds per game by Adkins, 7.0 by Cauthen, 6.1 by Sory.
* 5.5 assists per game by Chadwick, 3.8 by Black.
* 1.3 blocks per game by Cauthen.
* 1.3 steals per game by Sory.

Other Team Notes
* Head Coach Pete McGee is employing a 9 man bench essentially. The five starters, plus Molina, Larios, Pacau, and Black have played all 10 games. Chris Hall has played in 6, averaging about 6.7 minutes per game. Virgil Gates and James Verdugo have each appeared in 1.

Next Two Weeks
* 11/25 - @ Indianapolis Olympians
* 11/26 - vs. Baltimore Barons
* 12/1 - vs. Atlanta Flames
* 12/2 - @ Portland Pioneers
* 12/5 - vs. Denver Zephyrs

Standings Notes
* New York leads the Atlantic Division with a 9-1 record, 1/2 game ahead of Buffalo.
* Houston leads the Midwest Division with a 8-4 record, 1/2 game ahead of Milwaukee.
* Pittsburgh leads the Central Division with a 8-3 record, 1/2 game ahead of Atlanta.
* San Diego leads the Pacific Division with a 8-3 record, 1 game ahead of Denver.
Around the League
* Ervin Catalano of the Phoenix Rattlers was named Player of the Week November 19th. He averaged 39.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 blocks for the week.
* William O’Neill of the Boston Whalers named Player of the Week November 12th. He averaged 23.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals for the week.
* The Dallas Gunslingers had their third starter go down with an injury in the first month of the season. They lost SG Brian McKee with Patellar Tendinitis for about 6 weeks.
* The New York Monarchs lost reserve Center Conrad Edwards to a broken arm for about 2 months.

[GoBlue2419]

Joe Chadwick has requested a contract extension, as he is a free agent at the end of the season. His initial request is $474,249 over 3 years. He has stated if an extension is not completed by the offseason, he will test free agency.

I’m not so inclined at this point to offer him an extension. I need to see a little more out of him before I’m comfortable offering one.

[GoBlue2419]

11/25 - 12/8/1979

Record: 5-10
Position: 7th place (5.5 games behind Houston )
Team Points Per Game: 93.3 (28th in PBL)
Team Points Against Per Game: 97.7 (4th in PBL)
Home Record: 3-3
Road Record: 2-7
Power Ranking: -0.289 (23rd in PBL)

Results (2-3)
11/25 - loss to Indianapolis 97-95 - 26 points for Good, 17 for Sory. Cauthen with 10 rebounds, 9 for Sory. Good with 6 assists, 4 for Chadwick.
11/26 - loss to Baltimore 108-90 - 22 points for Sory, 13 for Good and Adkins. 13 rebounds for Cauthen. 7 assists for Chadwick. 27 points, 11 assists for Baltimore’s rookie PG Edgar Maus.
12/1 - loss to Atlanta 106-96 - 19 points for Sory, 18 for Adkins, 13 for Good. 8 rebounds for Cauthen. 8 assists for Black. 29 points for Atlanta’s Charles Leach, 27 for Darrick Morgan.
12/2 - beat Portland 99-85 - 26 points for Sory, 22 for Good, 19 for Adkins. 13 rebounds for Adkins, 12 for Cauthen. 6 assists for Adkins.
12/5 - beat Denver 100-90 - 26 points for Adkins, 19 for Good, 18 for Sory. 14 rebounds for Adkins, 9 for Cauthen. 7 assists for Chadwick.

Player Notes
* Scoring Leaders - Good (18.8), Sory (18.3), Adkins (15.9), Cauthen (11.4)
* Rebounding Leaders - Cauthen (8.1), Adkins (7.8), Sory (5.7)
* Assists Leaders - Chadwick (5.6), Black (4.0), Sory (3.0)
* Minutes Leaders - Sory (38.4), Good (35.7), Cauthen (34.0), Chadwick (32.0), Adkins (30.7)
* Chadwick averaging 6.1 PPG, down from 10.1 last year.

Other Team Notes
* We are 21st in Field Goal % at .454
* We are 26th in Free Throw % at .700
* We are 16th in 3-Point % at .323
* We are 28th in Offensive Rebounding, and 26th in Defensive Rebounding, so obviously not good.

Next Two Weeks
* 12/9 - vs. San Diego Sailors (13-3)
* 12/10 - @ Chicago Stags (11-5)
* 12/14 - @ Miami Tropics (8-9)
* 12/18 - @ Philadelphia Quakers (10-6)
* 12/20 - vs. Cleveland Hornets (3-14)
* 12/22 - vs. Toronto Huskies (7-9)

Standings Notes
* New York leads the Atlantic Division with a 12-4 record, 1.5 games ahead of Washington.
* Chicago leads the Midwest Division with a 11-5 record, 1 game ahead of St. Louis.
* Pittsburgh leads the Central Division with a 14-3 record, 2 games ahead of Atlanta.
* San Diego leads the Pacific Division with a 13-3 record, 4 games ahead of Denver.

Around the League
* Ahmed Jones of the California Redwoods was named Player of the Week November 26th after averaging 28.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists for the week.
* SG Grant Anderson of the Minneapolis Loons has demanded a trade due to lack of playing time. He is averaging 6.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game this season.
* St. Louis Hawks SF James Hernandez also demanded a trade due to lack of playing time. He is averaging 3.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
* Darrick Morgan of the Atlanta Flames was named Player of the Month after scoring 26.5 points per game this month, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals during November.
* Baltimore Barons point guard Edgar Maus was named Rookie of the Month after a 19.2 PPG, 3.4 rebounds per game, 8.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game performance.
* PG Octavio Quevedo of the Baltimore Barons has demanded a trade due to playing time concerns. He is averaging 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game this season.
* Power Ratings Top 10

1. San Diego Sailors (13-3)
2. Atlanta Flames (12-5)
3. Pittsburgh Ironmen (14-3)
4. New York Monarchs (12-4)
5. Chicago Stags (11-5)
6. Milwaukee Muskies (10-7)
7. Washington Capitols (11-6)
8. St. Louis Hawks (10-6)
9. Phoenix Rattlers (8-7)
10. * Buffalo Braves (9-7)

[GoBlue2419]

Baltimore Barons PG Octavio Quevado has demanded a trade due to lack of playing time. He has been the starter in Baltimore the last three seasons, but with the drafting of Edgar Maus, Quevado has seen his playing time cut drastically.

The 27-year-old, 5’11” point guard, averaged 10.7 points and 6.4 assists per game last season. He started 62 of the 63 games he played in, missing a month or so with a dislocated shoulder.

Chadwick is a better 3-point shooter, and a slightly better passer, but Quevado is better offensively overall. They are pretty even defensively, but Quevado is quicker and has more stamina.

He is making $111,822 for the next 3 seasons, so there is that factor. But Chadwick is looking for at least that much. Chadwick is younger though, so that comes into play as well.

For now, I will monitor Quevado and see how he is playing, how his attitude is, and consider pursuing him.

[GoBlue2419]

12/9 - 12/22/1979

Record: 10-11
Position: 5th place (4.5 games behind Houston )
Team Points Per Game: 94.6 (27th in PBL)
Team Points Against Per Game: 96.2 (3rd in PBL)
Home Record: 5-4
Road Record: 5-7
Power Ranking: -0.289 (23rd in PBL)

Results
12/9 - beat San Diego 110-91 - 25 points from Good, 19 from Sory, 16 from Adkins. Chris Hall had 10 points in 7 minutes, including 2 three-pointers. Cauthen with 7 rebounds, Pacau with 6. 5 assists from Sory and Chadwick.
12/10 - beat Chicago 90-86 - Monster game by Archie Cauthen! 30 points from Cauthen, 21 from Adkins, 15 for Good. 16 rebounds from Cauthen, 16 rebounds by Adkins. 5 assists by Sory. Cauthen shot 13-20 from the field.
12/14 - beat Miami 87-86 - 22 points by Sory, 19 by Adkins, 11 by Cauthen. 12 rebounds by Cauthen, including 10 offensive boards. 4 assists by Chadwick.
12/18 - beat Philadelphia 104-94 - 26 points from Good, 19 by Sory, 14, from Adkins, 13 from Chadwick, 12 from Cauthen. 13 rebounds by both Adkins and Cauthen. 2 blocks by Cauthen. 8 assists by Chadwick. Down by 9 at end of 1st quarter. Outscored the Quakers 31-18 in the 2nd quarter.
12/20 - beat Cleveland 106-92 - 23 points from Good, 18 from Adkins and Cauthen. 18 rebounds by Cauthen. 12 assists by Chadwick. 2 blocks by Cauthen. Cleveland SG Steven Patrick scored 43 points on 18 of 26 shooting.
12/22 - lost to Toronto 106-90 - 17 points by Cauthen and Sory. 16 from Good. 11 rebounds by Cauthen and Adkins. 10 assists by Chadwick. 3 blocks by Sory. Toronto All-Star SG Teague Gerou scored 32 points in the win.

Player Notes

• Herminio Pacau is unhappy with his playing time, and is demanding a trade. He is averaging 14 minutes per game. Cauthen has been playing better and better, so at this time it does not look like Pacau’s minutes will improve. But we also don’t have any other center with experience on the roster, so don’t want to lose that.
• Scoring Leaders - Good (18.9), Sory (17.7), Adkins (16.1), Cauthen (12.8)
• Rebounding Leaders - Cauthen (9.5), Adkins (8.5), Sory (5.6)
• Assists Leaders - Chadwick (6.0), Black (4.0), Sory (3.4)
• Minutes Leaders - Sory (38.3), Good (35.9), Cauthen (34.0), Chadwick (31.6), Adkins (31.3)
• Chadwick played better these two weeks, so will continue to monitor Quevado, but not ready to make a move of any sort yet.

Other Team Notes

• We are 17th in Field Goal % at .457
• We are 29th in Free Throw % at .683
• We are 16th in 3-Point % at .324
• We are 24th in Offensive Rebounding, and 22th in Defensive Rebounding

Next Two Weeks

• 12/24 - vs. California Redwoods (11-10)
• 12/26 - @ New York Monarchs (15-6)
• 12/28 - @ California Redwoods (11-10)
• 12/30 - @ Atlanta Flames (15-7)
• 12/31 - vs. Brooklyn Nationals (10-13)
• 1/2 - @ San Diego Sailors (16-6)
• 1/4 - @ Phoenix Rattlers (11-10)

Standings Notes

• New York leads the Atlantic Division with a 12-4 record, 1.5 games ahead of Washington.
• Chicago leads the Midwest Division with a 11-5 record, 1 game ahead of St. Louis.
• Pittsburgh leads the Central Division with a 14-3 record, 2 games ahead of Atlanta.
• San Diego leads the Pacific Division with a 13-3 record, 4 games ahead of Denver.

Around the League

• New Orleans Buccaneers Jackie Trevino has demanded a trade due to lack of playing time. On the season he is averaging 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game.
• Leslie Lopez of the Houston Marshalls was named PBL Player of the Week ending December 10th, after his 31.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists performance that week.
• For the week ending December 17th, Cincinnati Royals Espiridion Olmos was named Player of the Week, after dropping 24.8 points a game, 5.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists, and 2.0 steals in 4 games.
• Power Ratings

1. Atlanta Flames (15-7)
2. Pittsburgh Ironmen (17-4)
3. San Diego Sailors (16-6)
4. Washington Capitols (16-7)
5. New York Monarchs (15-6)
6. St. Louis Hawks (15-7)
7. Phoenix Rattlers (11-10)
8. Toronto Huskies (13-9)
9. New Orleans Buccaneers (11-11)
10. Chicago Stags (12-10)

[GoBlue2419]

12/23 - 1/2/1980

Record: 11-17
Position: 7th place (9.0 games behind Houston )
Team Points Per Game: 93.2 (27th in PBL)
Team Points Against Per Game: 98.3 (3rd in PBL)
Home Record: 5-6
Road Record: 6-11
Power Ranking: 0.017 (27th in PBL)

Results (1-6)
12/24 - lost to California 110-99 - 33 points from Good. 20 points from Sory. 15 for Adkins. 10 rebounds by Sory. 6 assists by Chadwick. Cauthen was a non-factor in this one. Scored 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 of 8 shooting, with no free throw attempts.
12/26 - lost to New York 115-92 - 20 points for Adkins, 14 for Cauthen, 13 for Good and Molina. 6 rebounds from Cauthen. 3 blocks by Adkins. 7 assists by Chadwick. Sory was in foul trouble for much of this game. Played 22 minutes, was 0-6 shooting, 6 points on free throws, 4 rebounds. 8 turnovers by Chadwick. Monarchs PF Norbert Douglas scored 45 points in the win.
12/28 - beat California 112-106 - 25 points each from Good and Sory, 18 points from Cauthen, 16 from Adkins. 11 rebounds by Cauthen. 8 assists by Chadwick. Redwoods PF Ahmed Jones scored 32 points and 8 rebounds.
12/30 - loss to Atlanta 105-77 - 12 points by Chadwick and Molina to lead the way. 7 rebounds for Cauthen. 8 assists by Black. Really poor game by the Honkers. Shot 33% as a team - Good was 4 for 15, Molina 5 for 15, Larios 2 for 14. Atlanta PF Jeff Smith scored 38 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
12/31 - loss to Brooklyn 89-83 - 27 points for Good. 13 rebounds for Cauthen, 12 for Sory. 6 assists for Chadwick. 4 steals by Good.
1/2 - loss to San Diego 106-64 - YIKES!! This was a horrendous game. We scored 14-21-11-18 points in each quarter. We shot 33% as a team. Molina 6 for 15, Sory 2 for 12. Cauthen with 15 points, Molina with 12. Sory had just 5 points. 7 rebounds for Shannon Larios. 4 assists by Larios as well to lead the team.
1/4 - loss to Phoenix 99-96 - 21 points for Adkins, 20 for Cauthen, 18 for Good. 8 rebounds by Cauthen. 10 assists by Chadwick.

Player Notes
* Pacau still unhappy with playing time and demanding a trade.
* Scoring Leaders - Good (19.0), Sory (16.5), Adkins (15.5), Cauthen (12.6)
* Rebounding Leaders - Cauthen (9.2), Adkins (7.6), Sory (5.9)
* Assists Leaders - Chadwick (6.0), Black (4.0), Sory (3.2)
* Minutes Leaders - Sory (37.4), Good (34.6), Cauthen (33.7), Chadwick (31.9), Adkins (31.0)
* Chadwick is shooting just 36.8% from the field.

Other Team Notes
* Received a trade offer from the LA Greyhounds - Arthur Good for their SF Thomas Merriman. Uh, no. Merriman is in his fourth season, and is starting for the first time. Averaging 13.9 points per game.

Next Two Weeks
* 1/6 - vs. Phoenix Rattlers (15-12)
* 1/8 - @ Washington Capitols (19-9)
* 1/9 - @ Buffalo Braves (15-15)
* 1/11 - @ Minneapolis Loons
* 1/13 - vs. Seattle Sockeyes (7-23)
* 1/15 - @ Brooklyn Nationals (13-14)
* 1/17 - vs. California Redwoods (15-12)
* 1/18 - vs. Washington Capitols (19-9)

Standings Notes
* New York leads the Atlantic Division with a 19-8 record, 0.5 games ahead of Washington.
* St. Louis leads the Midwest Division with a 20-8 record, 3 games ahead of New Orleans.
* Pittsburgh leads the Central Division with a 21-5 record, 1.5 games ahead of Atlanta.
* San Diego leads the Pacific Division with a 19-8 record, 4 games ahead of Phoenix.
* Power Ratings

1. Atlanta Flames (20-7)
2. Pittsburgh Ironmen (21-5)
3. San Diego Sailors (19-8)
4. St. Louis Hawks (20-8)
5. New York Monarchs (19-8)
6. Washington Capitols (19-9)
7. New Orleans Buccaneers (17-11)
8. Phoenix Rattlers (15-12)
9. Chicago Stags (16-12)
10. Miami Tropics (15-13)

Around the League
* California Redwoods SF Ahmed Jones was named Player of the Month for December. For the month he averaged 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals per game.
* Baltimore Barons rookie PG Edgar Maus was again named Rookie of the Month, this time for December. In this festive season he averaged 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 8.9 assists per game.
* Interesting news - Houston rookie SG Broderick Music has already requested a trade from the Marshalls. He is averaging just 3.3 points and 1.0 rebounds per game in limited playing time.