TSE Fictional Dynasty

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Blazers and Celtics Make a Deal

Ian J. Vowell
ESPN.com
December 26, 2017


You can call it a Christmas gift exchange. A trade was made in the early hours of Christmas morning. A deal between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Boston Celtics, sending 32 year old three point sniper Joffrey Hollins to the Blazers in exchange for 7'2 283 pounds of Mel Patrick and a 2018 1st Round Pick to the Celtics, was finalized by the league office prior to yesterday's games began.

The Blazers front office executive was quoted commenting, "We have to be better in the now and we also needed some wing depth. So the move was made." Hollins averaged 10.9 PPG for Boston but is somewhat struggling to find the hoop this season (38.8 FG%, 31.5 3P%). "We are aware of his early struggles this season," went on the exectuve. "But we feel like bring Hollins in to play alongside our core will create easier opportunities for him." Hollins was 4 of 8 from the field and knocked in 1 of 4 three point attempts totaling 9 points in 25 minutes in his Blazers debut yesterday in a 102-104 loss to the Miami Heat.

For the Celtics, the move appears to signal that a rebuild may be under way. Boston's current record sits at 9-18 and the team sheds Hollins' $17.5 million contract this year and next year while picking up the 1st round pick. It will also allow 2nd year forward Garrett Nealy to slide into the starting lineup in order to continue his development.

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NBA Power Rankings Update

Ian J. Vowell
ESPN.com
January 1, 2018

The latest NBA Power Rankings were released last night right at the turn of the New Year. We saw Oklahoma City Thunder overtake the #1 slot in the latest rankings. We also saw the Washington Wizards move in the opposite direction as they fell from 12th all the way down to 21st. As we approach the halfway point of the season, it will be interesting to see which teams can continue to separate themselves from the pack.

POWER RANKINGS

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Thunder Surge Over Jazz Late

Oscar Ureja
ESPN.com
January 3, 2018


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The Oklahoma City Thunder used a big 38-18 4th quarter to overcome a 14 point deficit and walk away with a 104-96 against the Utah Jazz. The visiting Thunder shot 62% from the field in the final period while holding Utah to 38% shooting. Oklahoma City also attacked the basket hard and were able to knock in 9 of 11 free throw attempts. The 4th quarter surge from OKC showcased why the team is so dangerous and why they are favored to come out of the West for a return trip to the NBA Finals.

Ross Sparks finished with 36 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists for the Jazz but did not play particularly well in the 4th. He was 4 of 12 from the field and was 0 for 3 from beyond the arc. Utah also received 21 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists from Cody Nixon on 8-18 shooting. For the game Utah shot 46% from the field and made 9 of 29 three-point attempts (31%).


Ross Sparks after the game in the locker room:

Quote:

"I know we're the better team. We just didn't play like it for a full 48 minute stretch. When we see them in the playoffs, we'll be prepared."

Oklahoma City began the 4th trailing 66-80. They used a 20-6 run over the final period's first 8 minutes to tie the game 86. After that the Thunder's Big 3 each did their part to push their squad to a lead that they would not relinquish. Amari Peterson finished with 30 points (10 in the 4th), 9 rebounds and 3 assists on 11-19 shooting while Rico Dantley added 25 points and 5 assists shooting 9-16 from the field. Alan Andrews finished with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Thunder got contributions from what is regarded as the best bench in the NBA. Nick Fowlkes posted 11 points and 8 rebounds, Louie Sharp poured in 10 points on an off 4-13 shooting night for him, and Chucky Hutchinson finished with 8 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

The victory gets the Thunder back on track after dropping back to back contests to the Blazers and Heat. OKC now stands at 21-11 placing them a game behind Portland in the West playoff picture. Utah has now lost 6 in row and find themselves currently sitting outside of the playoffs with a 15-17 record. The team will look to end their losing streak as they welcome the NBA's leading scorer, Bobby Sloan, and the Sixers to town on Jan. 5th.

BOX SCORE

Oklahoma City Thunder (21-11) at Utah Jazz (15-17)
Jan 3, 2018 1 2 3 4 Final Oklahoma City 24 15 27 38 104 Utah 24 22 32 18 96 Top Performers Oklahoma City Thunder A. Peterson- 30 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST R. Dantley- 25 PTS, 2 REB,, 5 AST Utah Jazz R. Sparks- 36 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST C. Nixon- 21 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST	Team Stats Comparison OKC UTH FG Made-Att 38-78 (49%) 38-83 (46%) 3PT Made-Att 5-13 (38%) 9-29 (31%) FT Made-Att 23-27 (85%) 11-17 (65%) Rebounds 52 43 Assists 20 22 Turnovers 8 10 Steals 9 7 Blocks 2 2
Oklahoma City Thunder STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS C. Gentry 22 2-5 0-2 1-2 4 3 0 0 1 5 R. Dantley 35 9-16 1-2 6-6 2 5 2 1 0 25 A. Peterson 32 11-19 2-2 6-8 9 3 1 0 1 30 A. Andrews 31 5-10 0-0 1-1 10 0 0 1 0 11 S. Bremer 25 1-2 0-0 1-1 4 2 2 0 1 3 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS C. Hutchinson 27 2-5 2-3 2-2 1 4 4 0 3 8 L. Sharp 20 4-13 0-3 2-2 0 0 0 0 0 10 N. Fowlkes 19 4-5 0-0 3-3 8 2 0 0 1 11 D. Tate 13 0-1 0-0 0-0 4 1 0 0 1 1 O. Crawford 10 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 N. Byars 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 0 0 0
Utah Jazz STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS R. Sparks 36 16-28 2-5 2-3 4 7 3 0 4 36 M. Hardin 24 1-4 1-4 0-0 1 5 0 0 2 3 C. Nixon 33 8-18 3-7 2-3 4 4 2 1 0 21 G. Swift 29 3-10 0-0 3-5 3 0 1 0 1 9 G. Bender 28 3-3 0-0 1-2 11 2 1 1 2 7 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS J. Mercer 20 2-3 0-0 1-2 11 0 0 0 0 5 M. Paciani 20 3-8 2-7 0-0 0 1 0 0 1 8 D. Giles 20 1-3 1-3 2-2 2 0 0 0 0 5 K. Wiley 16 1-5 0-3 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 2 V. Jensen 8 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0 D.J. Miller 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0

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3 Team Deal Shakes Up Philadelphia Roster


Brian Collins, NBA Insider
January 21, 2018

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Leo Wilkins and Boyd Carr communicate at half court in their last game as Sixers together.


3 Team Deal
Months of rumors around the league have become the truth. It was circulating within NBA circles that now former Sixers F Boyd Carr was no longer happy playing in Philadelphia alongside Bobby Sloan. Insiders say that Carr is not the type to demand a trade but have informed us that he spoke with the Philadelphia front office to ask to be moved after the Sixers 3-0 collapse against the Wizards in last year's first round. We have learned that Boyd Carr felt as if too much of the credit went to Bobby Sloan whent the team played it's way to the 3-seed in the East with all of the blame falling on the rest of the roster after the collapse.Now with the team sitting at 16-23 and 1.5 games out of the playoff it seems as if the tension in the Philadelphia locker room reached a point of no return. Boyd Carr along has been shipped out of Philadelphia along with Leo Wilkins in a 3-team deal including the Lakers and Raptors.

In the deal: the Sixers will receive Lakers F Jimmie Ryan and a 2019 Lottery Protected Lakers 1st Round Pick and Benjamin Underwood from Toronto, the Lakers will receive the aforementioned Boyd Carr, and the Raptors will receive Leo Wilkins and his $19 million expiring contract and the 2018 Philadelphia 2nd Round Pick.

The Lakers front office offered the following comments regardin the trade: "We saw an opportunity to get younger while adding a very promising player in Boyd. We loved what Jimmie brought to us in his time here in L.A. and we wish him well"

The Lakers intentionally or not have made their roster a lot more flexible with this deal. The team sheds Ryan's $20 million per year deal and will now have some cap space to navigate Keon Wilcox's pending free agency and Dave Cato's looming retirement which will be sooner rather than later. The Lakers were the only 60 win team last season but lost in the 2nd Round after Dave Cato was injured in the final game of the regular season. They sit at 23-17, 7th in the West, at the time of the trade. The Lakers are currently the 2nd best defensive team by the advanced metrics and adding one of the league's top perimeter defenders will only make them better. If that is even possible.

The Raptors in this deal will take on Wilkins contract for the rest of the season and will aslo add a draft pick in the upcoming draft to continue to build their young roster.

Sixers G Bobby Sloan gave a quick statement about the trade after Sixers practice today.

Quote:

"You know all I can do, all we can do, the rest of us that's left, can do is get ready for the next game in Milwaukee. We'll welcome the new guys in tomorrow and try to make this push for the playoffs man."

As we get closer and closer to the halfway point and the league trade deadline, it will be interesting to see what other rumors turn into truth.

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First Half Recap

Ian J. Vowell
ESPN.com
January, 23 2018


First Half In Review

We are now half way through the the 2017-18 NBA season and we will now take an overview of the landscape of the league. At the top of the standings are the usual suspects along with a couple of surprises. There are front offices assessing their rosters trying to decide if they have enough for potential playoff push. On the other end, there are other teams looking forward to the draft and free agency.

Eastern Conference:
The Charlotte Hornets surprised many as they blazed out of the gates and held the top seed in the East for the majority of the first half of the season. They have cooled off as of late but still sit at 2nd in the East with a record of 26-15 and 1.5 games behind Cleveland. Rounding out the top 4 seeds of the East are the defending champions, Chicago Bulls (25-17) and the Miami Heat (24-17). The Heat started slowly after the addition on Dylan Padgett in the offseason but have now won 15 of their last 18 and seem to be clicking on all cylinders. Detroit and Indiana currently find themsleves in the playoffs after missing out last year. Then you have the Knicks, Nets, and 76ers playing sub .500 basketball after having title hopes entering the season. And at the bottom of the conference sit two of the league's best point guards and there hapless franchises. Boston and Atlanta will both be picking high in the lottery in June. Donnell Caldwell numbers have dropped off a bit this season and has yet to sign an extension with the Hawks. Many expect him be the biggest free agent in the upcoming offseason.

Western Conference:
Oklahoma City has begun to take control out West and posses the league's best record and a 3.5 game lead. After that it is really hard to guage what the 2nd half of the season will hold due the 2nd best and 9th best teams being separated by 3.5 games games. Wayne Cheaney has played at an MVP level and has his Rockets sitting 2nd in the conference. In Portland, the dynamic duo of Homer Cook and Zack Grace have the Blazers playing like a contender. Dallas, Golden State, and New Orleans believe that they can overtake the Thunder. The Clippers, Lakers, Jazz, and Spurs, 4 of the top 6 seeds in the West last season, currently find themselves jockeying for a couple of playoff slots. Then you have the Memphis Grizzlies, a team thought to be a potential playoff contender at the beginning of the season, rounding out the bottom of the West. With 10 teams with records of .500 or better, the West will definitely gives us the suspense we love in a good playoff race.


MVP Race:
There are a number of players performing well enough to be crowned MVP at the end of the season. Leading the way at the halfway point is Kameron Justice of the Miami Heat. Justice is averaging 30.0 PPG (2nd in NBA), 7.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.1 SPG and 1.2 BPG. Justice is also making shots with marksmen like accuracy with a 53.3 FG% and knocking in 49.2% of his 3 point attempts. The Heat got off to a slow start, but Justice met the challenge and now looks to be on track for his 1st MVP trophy.

Other players worthy of being mentioned in the MVP race:
B.J. Irving-Bulls: 23.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 6.5 APG
Jalen Buchanan-Pelicans: 24.7 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.6 APG
Wayne Cheaney-Rockets: 26.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.0 APG
Amari Peterson-Thunder: 24.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.8 APG
Rico Dantley-Thunder: 23.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.2 APG
Zack Grace-Trail Blazers: 24.3 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 2.6 BPG


Rookie of the Year:
Toronto chose Lou Clancy out of Clemson with the 1st pick in last summer's draft to being the focal point of their rebuild. Clancy came in with expectations of being the league's next superstar. While it may be too early to judge if Clancy is a superstar or not, he has delivered as expected thus far in his young career. The rookie is averaging 19.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG,a and 3.5 APG on 47.2 FG% and 36.2 3P%. He has accepted being the focus of opposing team's defensive gameplans and has still managed to get the ball in the hole.Toronto may not be in a position to win in the near future, but team definitely seems have the type of cornerstone that teams at the top of the lottery hope to land.

While Clancy may be running away with the Rookie of the Year title, these other first year players are making good first impressions on their hometown fans:
Lonne Hendrix-Bucks (2nd pick): 14.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG,, 2.6 APG
J'Covan Kennedy- Magic (4th pick): 14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG
Bradley Toney- Suns (7th pick): 14.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.7 APG
Esteban Cortez-Kings (6th pick): 13.1 PPG 7.6 RPG, 2.8 APG


The All-Star Break and Trade Deadline soon approach. The are rumors of maybe Memphis shipping out some of its veterans to commence a full rebuild. Whispers have been heard from Atlanta regarding a possible trade of the very unhappy Donnell Caldwell before he walks away in the offseason. Draft experts are putting together mocks. We've been gifted an exciting first portion of the season and we should all strap in for repeat in the 2nd half.

STANDINGS
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POWER RANKINGS:
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NBA All-Star Weekend

Oscar Ureja
ESPN.com
February 22, 2018

2018 All-Star Break
The All-Star Break is upon us. Players, celebrities, fans, and media are making the journey to Atlanta to participate in all of the festivities. Even though their hometown Hawks currently hold the worst record in the league, the city of Atlanta is more than ready to host the event. Now that we have reached the break, the teams contending for playoff slots will refresh and regroup. As for the teams that find themselves towards the bottom of the standings, well they will begin to comb through the film and numbers of this summer's draft prospects.

The fans have let their voices be heard loud and clear. Our 2018 All-Star game participants are as follows:

2017-2018 NBA All-Star Game Rosters
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Head Coach: Owen Taylor (CLE)		Head Coach: Andrew Moore (OKC)
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
G	Cedric Meekins (BOS)	G	Ross Sparks (UTA)
G	Bobby Sloan (PHI)	G	Rico Dantley (OKC)
F	B.J. Irving (CHI)	F	Frank Rooks (LAC)
F	Kameron Justice (MIA)	C	Zack Grace (POR)
F	Marvin Byrd (BKN)	C	Jalen Buchanan (NOP)
Pos	Reserves	Pos	Reserves
G	Alex Rowland (NYK)	G	Wayne Cheaney (HOU)
G	Branden Ford (CHI)	G	Eric Russell (DAL)
G	Clint Woolridge (ORL)	G	Homer Cook (POR)
G	Bernie Willis (NYK)	G	Brian Early (SAS)
F	Stuart Meyer (MIL)	F	Amari Peterson (OKC)
F	Dylan Padgett (MIA)	F	Jessie Taft (GSW)
C	Willie Garnett (MIL)	C	Chandler Oakley (MEM)

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NBA Trade Deadline: 2018


Brian Collins, NBA Insider
February 23, 2018

Trade Deadline:
With the arrival of the All-Star Break, the NBA Trade Deadline has now come and gone. We saw a couple trades made in the days leading up to the deadline.

Sixers Continue To Unload:
The 76ers seem to be fully committing to a "re-tooling" of the roster. Philadelphia sent veteran swingman, Antoine Clark, to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for spot-up shooter Casey Snyder and a Top 10 Protected 2019 1st Round Draft Pick. Antoine Clark will give New Orleans a much needed offensive threat on the wing.

Nets Bolster Bench:
The Brooklny Nets find themselves fighting for a playoff berth just a season removed from owning the top seed in the East. The team has now acquired bench spark plug Bo Mcalebb in exchange for two-guard Rob Farley and a couple of 2nd Round Draft Picks. The Nets will extend franchise cornerstone Marvin Byrd this offseason and this trade will provide him with vital outside shooting to space the floor for his attacks. For the Hawks, they will clear up cap space and playing time to aid in their rebuild process.

Heat Acquire Cowens:
The Miami Heat acquried Dylan Padgett from Minnesota last summer in a trade that left the team without much wing depth. The front office has now made a move to correct this issue. Doug Cowens will be leaving Sacramento and heading to South Beach along with bench bigman Todd Royal with veteran center Theodore Rhodes, backup lead guard Justin Slaughter and a 2020 1st Round Pick heading out West. This move matches the Heat's win now mentality and for the Kings they get an expiring contract and a future 1st rounder.

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Playoff Race Heats Up as Season Starts to Close

Oscar Ureja
ESPN.com
March 25, 2018

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The regular season is quickly coming to a close and teams are jockeying for playoff positioning. Every game in a 82 regular game season is important in the overall picture, but teams have transitioned effectively to playoff mode and are placing greater importance on the remaining regular season games that they have left.

Eastern Conference:
In the East, Chicago, Cleveland, Charlotte, and Detroit are all making their case for the top overall seed. The teams have been tradinng the 1-4 positions for the last couple of weeks. Then you have Indiana, Miami and the New York Knicks with a battle amongst themselves for seeds 5-7 currently. However as of today, either one of those 3 teams could make a push for a top 4 seed. Bobby Sloan and Marvin Byrd are trying to drag both of their squads to 8th and final slot. The Nets and Sixers both readjusted their rosters before the the deadline with different intentions from an outside prospective. Many expected Philadelphia to drift out of playoff contention after trading away 3 of their top players in a sell off due to reported locker room conflict. The Nets acquired instant-offense Bo Mcalebb from the Hawks before the deadline, but nagging injuries to John Watson and Wes Wright have prevented them from developing any real chemistry.

Western Conference:
No one is surprised to the see the Thunder running away with the Western Conference and lead the way in terms of title favorites. The real fun in the standings is going on below them as seeds 2-7 are separated by 3 games.The Warriors, Mavericks have surprised us all season and currently hold the 2nd and 3rd seeds respectively. Then we have the Clippers, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Lakers all trying to position themselves for a deep playoff run. With these teams so close together we could see a dramatic shift in the seeding in just a couple days time. Fans of the Western Conference playoff hopefuls will be glued to the standings as things continue to shake out.

NBA Standings - Updated: Mar 24, 2018
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
1. Chicago Bulls	43	27	-
2. Cleveland Cavaliers	42	26	-
3. Charlotte Hornets	41	28	1.5
4. Detroit Pistons	40	28	2.0
5. Indiana Pacers	38	31	4.5
6. Miami Heat	38	31	4.5
7. New York Knicks	37	32	5.5
8. Philadelphia 76ers	31	37	11.0
9. Brooklyn Nets	31	38	11.5
10. Orlando Magic	30	39	12.5
11. Toronto Raptors	25	43	17.0
12. Boston Celtics	24	45	18.5
13. Milwaukee Bucks	22	47	20.5
14. Washington Wizards	21	48	21.5
15. Atlanta Hawks	19	51	24.0
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB
1. Oklahoma City Thunder	49	20	-
2. Golden State Warriors	42	27	7.0
3. Dallas Mavericks	42	28	7.5
4. Los Angeles Clippers	42	28	7.5
5.San Antonio Spurs	40	28	8.5
6. Portland Trail Blazers	40	29	9.0
7. New Orleans Pelicans	40	30	9.5
8. Los Angeles Lakers	39	30	10.0
9. Houston Rockets	35	33	13.5
10. Utah Jazz	35	34	14.0
11. Sacramento Kings	33	36	16.0
12. Phoenix Suns	32	37	17.0
13. Minnesota TImberwolves	32	38	17.5
14. Denver Nuggets	31	38	18.0
15. Memphis Grizzlies	21	48	28.0