Montreal Saints: The Resurgence of Canada's Second Franchise

[vtcha]

Montreal Saints | The Resurgence of Canada's Second Franchise

Just days after the Golden State Warriors claimed their second consecutive NBA title, news broke out about the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.

Due to substantial financial losses incurred by the Memphis Grizzlies since ownership back in 2012, Chairman Robert Pera sold the franchise to an undisclosed holding company based in Quebec City. It is unknown how much the team was sold for but sources speculate the amount to have reached up to the $900 million range, with the owners also breaking the current contract with FedExForum, which does not expire until at least 2021, in order to relocate the team to Montreal effective immediately.

Although there was not as much backlash as the Seattle debacle, many questioned whether having another Canadian team was the right move or the inevitable doom of a franchise already on the decline...

Platform: NBA 2K16 (PS4) - MyLeague
Roster: Official 2K Roster (as of 6th June 2016)
Draft Class: 2016 & 2017 Draft Class courtesy of EmbraceThaPace
Additional notes:

• The season will pick off after the conclusion of the '15-16 NBA Finals
• The 2016 Draft order will reflect exactly the same as the real world
• All games will be simulated however I will manage the rotation/minutes
• 'Approve all trades' has been activated to minimise dumb/pointless trades made by the CPU
• Will begin using the Generic 2K Draft Class from 2018 onwards
• This will be a casual-style Dynasty highlighting significant parts of the season as opposed to a recap of all 82 Games during the season. The reason is because I went to try and get through as many seasons as possible. I will consider doing a full Dynasty story when 2K17 releases, but this is my trial after a long hiatus from doing these kind of things. Check out below for my Orlando Magic Dynasty back in 2012 ha!
  http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ndo-magic.html

[vtcha]

League Realignment

With the relocation, this shifts the Montreal Saints (formerly the Memphis Grizzlies) to the Atlantic Division thus instantly pairing them with fellow Canadian and rivals, the Toronto Raptors; dubbed 'The Battle of the North'

The move also shifts the Philadelphia 76ers to the Central Division and places the Milwaukee Bucks to the Western Conference.


Staff Movement

Following the firing of Dave Joerger last month after spending three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, the newly branded Montreal Saints have announced the hiring of Steve Nash as their new head coach. The deal is believed to be worth $10.77 million over four years.



During the press conference, Nash was quoted to be thrilled and excited for the challenges that lay ahead, "I am very honored and privileged, not only to be an NBA coach, but to be part of an organisation that is also home to my motherland. We've got a lot of work to do and we're a long way away from where we want to be but make no mistake, the 'real' North is coming!". Michael Crysdale will also join Nash on the sidelines as an assistant, signing to a one year, $839k contract.

Other coaching changes are listed below.

• Orlando Magic hire Adrian Griffin to a two year deal worth $4.43M
• Philadelphia 76ers hire Jack Marshall to a three year deal worth $7.86M
• Phoenix Suns hire Ime Udoka on a two year deal worth $6.46M
• Minnesota Timberwolves hire Sidney Lowe to a three year, $8.47M deal

[vtcha]

Looking to shake up the (ageing) roster and move on from their 'Grit & Grind' days, the Montreal Saints were able to strike up a deal with none other than their fellow rivals, the Toronto Raptors.

Saints trade: Zach Randolph, 2016 1st round (17th overall)
Raptors trade: DeMarre Carroll, 2016 1st round (9th overall)

After a historical 2016 Playoff campaign, the Raptors look to build off the success and sacrificed their lottery pick for a 'win now' mentality. Acquiring Zach Randolph finally filled the Power Forward void that has been sorely missed since the departure of Chris Bosh. The Raptors also take a gamble by offloading Carroll and acquiring the former All-Star in an attempt to re-sign DeMar DeRozan. With Carroll plagued by injuries for most of last season and rookie Norman Powell proving that he belongs in the league, the Raptors clearly wanted to fast-track the young man's development.


Other trades that occurred during the draft:

Clippers trade: 2016 2nd rd pick (33rd overall)
Nuggets trade: Jameer Nelson, 2018 2nd rd pick

NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Philadelphia 76ers	Ben Simmons	SF/PF
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Brandon Ingram	SF
3	Boston Celtics (from Brooklyn)	Buddy Hield	SG
4	Phoenix Suns	Jaylen Brown	SF/SG
5	Minnesota Timberwolves	Dragan Bender	PF
6	New Orleans Pelicans	Jakob Poeltl	C
7	Denver Nuggets (from New York)	Kris Dunn	PG
8	Sacramento Kings	Marquese Chriss	PF
9	Montreal Saints (from Toronto)	Jamal Murray	SG/PG
10	Milwaukee Bucks	Timothe Luwawu	SG/SF
11	Orlando Magic	Wade Baldwin	PG/SG
12	Utah Jazz	Demetrius Jackson	PG
13	Phoenix Suns (from Washington)	Denzel Valentine	SG
14	Chicago Bulls	Henry Ellenson	PF/C
15	Denver Nuggets (from Houston)	Furkan Korkmaz	SG
16	Boston Celtics (from Dallas)	Skal Labissiere	PF/C
17	Toronto Raptors (from Montreal)	Taurean Prince	SF
18	Detroit Pistons	Malachi Richardson	SG
19	Denver Nuggets (from Portland)	Tyler Ulis	PG
20	Indiana Pacers	Deyonta Davis	PF/C
21	Atlanta Hawks	Malik Beasley	SG
22	Charlotte Hornets	Thon Maker	PF/C
23	Boston Celtics	Cheick Diallo	PF/C
24	Philadelphia 76ers (from Miami via Cleveland)	Kahlil Felder	PG
25	Los Angeles Clippers	Ben Bentil	PF
26	Philadelphia 76ers (from Oklahoma City via Cleveland and Denver)	Diamond Stone	C
27	Toronto Raptors	Domantas Sabonis	PF
28	Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland via Boston)	Caris LeVert	SG
29	San Antonio Spurs	Patrick McCaw	SG
30	Golden State Warriors	Troy Williams	SF

And with the 57th pick, Montreal Saints selected Kentucky forward, Alex Poythress, thus reuniting him with Jamal Murray.

[vtcha]

The future is now! Saints sign Murray to rookie contract



The Saints have signed newly acquired rookie and Canadian product, Jamal Murray, to his rookie contract. Murray was ecstatic that he would be playing close to home but seemed quite bitter to those that passed up on him. "I'm not gonna lie, I was shocked when I fell to the ninth spot. But it is what it is. There's no better place, no better opportunity for me to show the whole world what I can do"

Fancy some UK flavor?


The Saints also selected Kentucky teammate Alex Poythress with the 57th pick whom was also delighted to be reunited with Murray. "We were in this journey together and I'm glad I get to continue my NBA journey alongside my brother".

[vtcha]

Free Agency 2016: Preview

Player/Team Options

Accepted: P.J. Hairston, Jordan Adams, JaMychal Green, Jarell Martin
Declined: Lance Stephenson, Xavier Munford

Free Agents:
Mike Conley, Matt Barnes, Chris Andersen (retired), Jordan Farmar

The end of an era?


With the Saints shipping off Randolph and drafting Jamal Murray, whom is capable of playing both guard positions, one must ponder whether the team will blow it all up and rebuild. Will they re-sign Conley? Will they move Gasol/Allen?

[vtcha]

Staying Put


Mike Conley has announced via Twitter that he will be re-signing with the Saints on a 4yr/$42.70M deal. Fans across Montreal can breathe a sigh of relief.

Conley cited the hiring of Steve Nash as the 'icing on the cake' on his decision in which he was already leaning towards re-signing. "I think it's going to be an exciting opportunity to work alongside one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game and I have my utmost faith that Coach Steve will deliver. He sees the game like no other and his experience throughout the years and what he brings is going to be huge for us".

Other notable free agents coming back:

• Thunder re-sign Kevin Durant to 4yr/$107.01M deal
• Cavs re-sign LeBron James to 2+1yr/$97.50M deal
• Heat re-sign Dwyane Wade to 3yr/$45.00M deal
• Bulls re-sign Pau Gasol to 3yr/53.01M deal
• Kings re-sign Rajon Rondo to 3yr/$35.46M deal
• Lakers re-sign Jordan Clarkson to 4yr/$42.80M deal
• Pistons re-sign Andre Drummond to 4yr/$89.18M deal
• Wizards re-sign Bradley Beal to 5yr/$68.22M deal
• Spurs re-sign Manu Ginobili to 2yr/$9.85M deal
• Hornets re-sign Courtney Lee ot 3yr/$18.03M deal
• Warriors re-sign Harrison Barnes to 5yr/$31.22M deal
• Clippers re-sign Jeff Green to 2yr/$9.34M deal
• Heat re-sign Joe Johnson to 3yr/$9.05M deal
• Rockets re-sign Roy Hibbert to 2yr/$7.34M deal

Saints sign former Gators, Al Horford and Joakim Noah!


Unbelievable! A week ago, many speculated the Saints to tear the the core apart and rebuild from the ground up. Now, they're looking to give the Cavs a run for their money and contend in the East.

During the press conference, Horford was quoted saying that he chose Montreal because it was a sign of a new chapter in his career and the fact that he finally gets to play at his natural position, at the four spot. "With this new city, I think we have the tools to do what it takes to compete. I mean on paper, we can easily be the top defensive team in the league. You got guys like Mike, Tony, DeMarre, Marc, and Joakim ... man I'd hate to go up against that".

Horford, who signed on a 3yr/$47.03M deal, said that after he verbally committed to the team, he immediately contacted Noah and persuaded him to jump on board. Noah, who signed a 1+1yr/17.38M deal, stated that the city itself played a big part in his decision, citing his liking of the french-speaking environment.

Horford and Noah were teammates back in college for the Florida Gators that won the NCAA Tournament during their final years.

To round out the Free Agency festivities, the Saints also signed Tony Snell to a 1+1yr/$5.83M deal. He will serve as the primary backup to DeMarre Carroll, after the team decided to part ways with Matt Barnes.


Big fishes on the move!

Dwight Howard signs with the Trail Blazers

The deal is reportedly to be worth $55.90M over three years.

Charlotte lands Whiteside

Miami were unsuccessful in their attempts as the big man signs with the Hornets to a 3yr/$58.37M deal.

DeRozan announces Nuggets signing

Through a two minute video uploaded through Instagram, DeRozan announces that he will be joining the Denver Nuggets. The deal is reportedly 4yr/$90.65M.

Other signings around the league

• Suns sign Eric Gordon to 4yr/$33.49M deal
• Clippers sign Evan Turner to 3yr/$23.81M deal
• Trail Blazers sign Marvin Williams to 2yr/$16.17M deal
• Suns sign Jared Sullinger to 3yr/$23.68M deal
• Spurs sign Nene to 2yr/$7.17M deal
• Hornets sign Shaun Livingston to 3yr/$13.22M deal
• Kings sign Lance Stephenson to 3yr/$13.68M deal
• Kings sign Dion Waiters to 2yr/$7.50M deal
• Heat sign Ty Lawson to 4yr/$18.20M deal
• Thunder sign Shawn Marion, who has come out of retirement, to 1yr/$618k deal
• Bulls sign Dante Exum to 3yr/$11.20M deal
• Heat sign Al Jefferson to 3yr/$34.04M deal
• Hawks sign Luol Deng to 3yr/$15.41M deal
• Spurs sign Bismack Biyombo to 2yr/$16.48M deal
• Pelicans sign J.R. Smith to 2yr/$15.52M deal
• Knicks sign Ish Smith to 3yr/$18.02M deal
• Pistons sign Meyers Leonard to 3yr/$13.19M deal
• Kings sign P.J. Tucker to 3yr/$8.60M deal
• Suns sign Amir Johnson to 2yr/13.27M deal
• Jazz sign Kent Bazemore to 3yr/$15.33M deal
• Spurs sign Michael Carter-Williams to 4yr/$15.59M deal
• Mavericks sign Ian Mahinmi to 4yr/$25.08M deal
• Rockets sign Jarrett Jack to 2yr/$10.69M deal
• Knicks sign Brandon Jennings to 2yr/$9.96M deal
• Rockets sign Jeremy Lin to 4yr/$14.63M deal
• Lakers sign Gerald Henderson to 2yr/$6.00M deal
• Rockets sign Larry Sanders, who comes out of retirement, to 2yr/$11.67M deal
• Bucks sign Matthew Dellavedova to 2yr/$8.59M deal

[vtcha]

The Top 5

#1 - Golden State Warriors
Much the same for the back-to-back champs. The successfully re-signed Barnes however did lose Livingston in the process. Time will tell whether they'll sorely miss the length point guard.

Golden State Warriors Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Stephen Curry	Ian Clark
SG	Klay Thompson	Jordan McRae
SF	Harrison Barnes	Andre Iguodala	Troy Williams
PF	Draymond Green	Kevin Looney	James McAdoo
C	Andrew Bogut	Festus Ezeli	Anderson Varejao

#2 - Oklahoma City Thunder
Thunder fans brief a sigh of relief after bringing back KD. Their roster hasn't changed much but surely this is news that Westbrook will resign too right?

Oklahoma City Thunder Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Russell Westbrook	Cameron Payne
SG	Randy Foye	Dejounte Murray
SF	Kevin Durant	Kyle Singler	Shawn Marion
PF	Serge Ibaka	Mitch McGary	Anthony Bennett	Nick Collison
C	Steven Adams	Enes Kanter

#3 - San Antonio Spurs
These guys just won't go away, will they? What do you do when the greatest Power Forward of all time retires? You restock and refill and that's exactly what the Spurs did by signing Biyombo, MCW and Nene whilst keeping the rest of the core intact.

San Antonio Spurs Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Tony Parker	Patrick Mills	Michael Carter-Williams
SG	Danny Green	Manu Ginobili	Jonathon Simmons	Patrick McCaw
SF	Kawhi Leonard	Kyle Anderson
PF	LaMarcus Aldridge	Boris Diaw
C	Bismack Biyombo	Nene

#4 - Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron resigns and all is right!

Cleveland Cavaliers Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Kyrie Irving	Tyrone Wallace	Tim Quarterman
SG	Iman Shumpert	Nik Stauskas
SF	LeBron James	Michael Beasley	Richard Jefferson	Matt Barnes
PF	Kevin Love	Channing Frye
C	Tristan Thompson	Elton Brand

#5 - Los Angeles Clippers
Clippers retain most of their core and also added Turner, who replaces Crawford and gives the team an additional playmaker.

Los Angeles Clippers Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Chris Paul	Brian Roberts	Tim Quarterman
SG	J.J. Redick	C.J. Wilcox	Leandro Barbosa
SF	Evan Turner	Jeff Green
PF	Blake Griffin	Jarnell Stokes	Branden Dawson	Ben Bentil
C	DeAndre Jordan	Ivica Zubac

The Others

NBA Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Next Game
6 ()	Miami Heat
7 ()	Milwakee Bucks
8 ()	Charlotte Hornets
9 ()	Washington Wizards
10 ()	Indiana Pacers
11 ()	Detroit Pistons
12 ()	Atlanta Hawks
13 ()	Toronto Raptors
14 ()	Chicago Bulls
15 ()	New Orleans Pelicans
16 ()	Portland Trailblazers
17 ()	Denver Nuggets
18 ()	Sacramento Kings
19 ()	Houston Rockets
20 ()	Phoenix Suns
21 ()	New York Knicks
22 ()	Minnesota Timberwolves
23 ()	Boston Celtics
24 ()	Brooklyn Nets
25 ()	Montreal Saints
26 ()	Orlando Magic
27 ()	Philadelphia 76ers
28 ()	Los Angeles Lakers
29 ()	Dallas Mavericks
30 ()	Utah Jazz

[vtcha]

Season Outlook

Feeling disrespected, fans showed their displeasure at how low NBA.com and many experts, including Marc Spears have placed the Saints on their Power Rankings. One fan tweeted "Spears is going to eat his words come April!!!!"

Fair call? The fans do seem to have a point though. This team has definitely improved their roster compared to last season, and yes, that same team that made the Playoffs! Adding Horford, Noah and Carroll whilst retaining Conley along with Gasol and Allen makes this team defensively scary.
The big question mark surrounding the Saints is can they stay healthy? Carroll, Gasol, Conley, and Noah all missed major time last season, with the latter three all requiring season-ending surgery. Another point that many analysts ponder upon is, come crunch time, who is their go-to guy? Every player is a terrific role player or B-guy, but there is no Alpha dog in this team. Who will rise when the pressure is at its' highest?

Another concern is how Steve Nash will handle the situation in his first year as an NBA head coach. The expectations are high and many believe he would have better suited a lottery team rather than a team trying to compete in the Playoffs.

Montreal Saints Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Mike Conley	Jamal Murray
SG	Tony Allen	Jordan Adams	P.J. Hairston
SF	DeMarre Carroll	Tony Snell	Alex Poythress
PF	Al Horford	Brandan Wright	JaMychal Green	Jarell Martin
C	Marc Gasol	Joakim Noah