The Dragon's Lair - Vancouver Dragons (NBA 2K20) - Expansion League

[K0ZZ]

The Vancouver Dragons

NBA 2K20
PS4

Starting Season: 2020

Spoiler

I've decided to try out another Franchise. I originally thought about playing as my hometown Bulls, but after playing around with them I decided against it. Instead I decided to start fresh with an expansion team settling on the Vancouver Dragons.

I plan on playing about 1 in 4 games to keep a good pace on the season. Updates will be a primary game then brief updates about the simmed games. I haven't decided on how I'll approach the playoffs , but I'll cross that road when I get there!

[K0ZZ]

Rogers Arena to host NBA Basketball starting in 2020

A group led by Jim Pattison has successfully petitioned NBA commissioner Adam Silver for the rights to a new franchise to start competing in the 2020 NBA Season. With a growing fervor over re-establishing the Seattle Supersonics, the NBA has decided to move forward with the proposal organized by the Jim Pattison to organize the Vancouver Dragons. The Vancouver Dragons will use the rights to the imagery and design of the team that had previously participated in the ABA before folding.

One of the primary factors in driving this approval? Rogers Arena. The home of the Vancouver Canucks will be sharing it's lease with the Vancouver Raptors meaning no undertaking the design of a new stadium. "This was an interesting opportunity to take advantage of existing assets to ensure the success of a new NBA franchise. With a storied league such as the NBA, accepting a new team into the fold brings about it significant risks. We wish to increase the reach of the NBA on a global level and being able to work with the Vancouver Canucks and have a franchise share that stadium will allow for more use of the facility and provide a home for the Dragons. Isolating and reducing variables is essential when stepping into a new venture and this gives an opportunity to leverage known assets to ensure the livelihood of this franchise."

In an era of increasing focus on star players uniting in super team tilts, the addition of another team hopes to bring about an opportunity for players to further diffuse talent and bring more competitive balance. This will also allow for more talent to be sent to the Eastern conference as the restructuring of the league will likely include a team heading to the Eastern Conference. The likeliest target being the New Orleans Pelicans which could slot in quite easily into the Southeastern division.

This means there will be an expansion draft prior to next year's NBA draft which could have some interesting implications. The last team to come into the NBA was the Charlotte Bobcats. Which much as this move did in Vancouver (who lost the Grizzlies now of Memphis), basketball is coming back to Vancouver. Fans in Seattle are unsurprisingly upset given the expectation that the Supersonics would return, but the commissioner hopes that the relatively close distance between Seattle and Vancouver will give the city one to root for.

Adam Silver didn't close the door on adding more franchises down the road, but stated at this time, "For the 2020 season we have finalized the addition of just one team. Competitive balance is a big focus of the NBA and adding two teams and the associated expansion draft would severely hurt both teams entering the league at the same time due to a limited pool of players. We hope to direct our efforts to ensure success in Vancouver before starting to look elsewhere."

For basketball fans in Vancouver this is exciting news. The 2019-20 season will be a long one as they prepare for their team and Rogers Arena prepares for their new tenant. This had been one of the most eventful offseason's in recent NBA history and as if to put his own mark on it, commissioner Adam Silver's approval of another NBA franchise will ensure the summer of 2019 will echo through the annals of NBA history.

[K0ZZ]

LeBron adds to his trophy cabinet with the 2019-20 MVP Award


Most Valuable Player - LeBron James (SF) - LOS ANGELES LAKERS

28.8 PPG - 6.4 RPG - 8.8 APG - 1.3 SPG - .547% FG - .373% 3PT - 30.1 PER
LeBron took his talents to the bright lights of Los Angeles to likely pen the final chapters of his career. Despite his age, LeBron showed no signs of slowing down. In fact in leading the Lakers to a 61-21 record, LeBron showed little signs of holding back. The Lakers took the top seed of the Western conference with the best record in the conference besting the Clippers 58-24 mark. LeBron in his 17th year picked up his 5th MVP award. An impressive accolade for the star. Unsurprisingly, his streak of 16 straight all-star game appearances remains unbroken and he returned to 1st Team All-NBA after falling short of the mark last season.

Rookie of the Year

Ja Morant - PG Memphis Grizzlies

22.9 PPG - 3.2 RPG - 6.5 APG - 1.1 SPG - .546% FG - .355% 3PT - 21.2 PER


Ja Morant came into the league with much fanfare and brought about a certain tenacity to the music city that quickly brought him into the fold to endear him to a passionate sports city. Repeatedly standing up for his teammates and fighting to bring a turnaround to the Grizzlies which in recent years have undergone lackluster seasons. He got the team to buy-in and an offseason of improvement should be exciting for this team and for Morant who has a very bright NBA future ahead of himself. He proved himself to be the gritty player the Grizzlies envisioned him to be, a speedy guard that thrives getting to the paint.

Sixth Man of the Year

Dennis Schroder (PG) - Oklahoma City Thunder

18.8 PPG - 2.5 RPG - 4.4 APG - .512% FG - .359% 3PT 16.9 PER


Dennis Schroder has quietly been a productive guard. He doesn't receive much fanfare and had some legal troubles in the past that he is looking to leave in the past. For the Oklahoma City Thunder he proved to be a vital piece of the bench and helping the second unit behind Chris Paul be explosive. The Thunder's bench ranked near the top of the NBA and Schroder can be considered a big reason for that.

Defensive Player of the Year

Rudy Gobert (C) - Utah Jazz

10.9 PPG - 14.9 RPG - 1.4 APG - 3.6 BPG - .526% FG - 18.7 PER


Three-peat. Gobert picks up his third consecutive defensive player of the year and continues to anchor a young Jazz team that is hoping to turn the corner in the West and bring back the glory days that have been long missing for the team. Gobert is a force in the paint and his length allows for him to make plays outside of the paint as well. Playing the Jazz isn't easy and with the minutes Gobert plays, the paint is mostly clogged. Despite this accolade, Gobert continues to not be selected for the All-Star game.

Most Improved Player

Bam Adebayo CMiami Heat

14.4 PPG - 12.6 RPG - 2.1 APG - 2.3 BPG - .616% FG - 22.24 PER

Adebayo hopes to lead a resurgence of the Miami Heat who have struggled following the departure of LeBron James and the disbandment of the 'Heatles'. Adebayo joins a talented group of players that had previously won this award including Pascal Siakam, Victor Oladipo and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Heat's own Jimmy Butler also claimed the aware in 2014-15 as a member of the Chicago Bulls. The list of winners of this award in recent years has mostly risen to stardom, will Adebayo join those ranks? The Heat continue their tremendous run of big men, dating all the way back to Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, Hassan Whiteside and now Adebayo. Can he take the next step in 2020 to follow up his All-Star campaign?

Coach of the Year

Frank Vogel Los Angeles Lakers

Vogel came into Los Angeles with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Coaching in the Staples Center for such a storied franchise is never easy but anticipation mounted when the team went out and made a deal for Anthony Davis and became engaged in a win-now attitude. The moment came for them to need to rise to the occasion and Vogel helped guide this team to the heights that were expected to them. Vogel's name started to be popularized in NBA circles with his work with the Pacers. After a poor showing in Orlando, he landed on his feet in Los Angeles. Earning the top seed in the Western Conference, Vogel appears to have been a perfect hire for this team and the best coach that LeBron has had since Erik Spoelstra.

[K0ZZ]

Milwaukee claims their first championship since 1971

The Milwaukee Bucks are the NBA Champions after besting the Houston Rockets. The Rockets stunned the NBA world when they best the Lakers in the second round then knocked out the Clippers in the conference finals to keep the city of Los Angeles out of the NBA Finals. The Bucks had huge expectations last season but struggled some in finishing 47-35 good for the sixth best record in the Eastern Conference but claiming the Central Division none the less.

Milwaukee ran the table after sweeping the Celtics in the first round and taking care of business in the East to get to the finals where they would battle the Rockets. Many are arguing that Antentekoumpo is going to be the next face of the league to follow in the footsteps of LeBron James as the star reaching the end of his career. Giannis put on a show putting the Bucks on his shoulders with a 31.8 PPG average in the finals while also adding 7.2 APG and 9.3 RPG in earning the Finals MVP Award.

For the Rockets it was a bitter pill to swallow, finally getting to the finals after all of the moves that had made to try and pass to the pinnacle of the conference. Russell Westbrook and James Harden had a strong finals showing but the rest of the team couldn't elevate and the Rockets defense which was in the bottom half of the NBA last season proved to be their kryptonite in this 4-2 series defeat.

Final NBA Standings 2019-2020

NBA Standings - Updated: Jun 1, 2020
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB
Brooklyn Nets	55	27	--
Philadelphia 76ers	54	28	1
Boston Celtics	48	34	7
Toronto Raptors	48	34	7
New York Knicks	25	57	30
CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Milwaukee Bucks	47	35	--
Indiana Pacers	40	42	7
Cleveland Cavaliers	33	49	14
Chicago Bulls	27	55	20
Detroit Pistons	25	57	22
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB
Atlanta Hawks	48	34	--
Orlando Magic	42	40	6
Miami Heat	39	43	9
Charlotte Hornets	34	48	14
Washington Wizards	32	50	16
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB
Portland Trailblazers	48	34	--
Denver Nuggets	43	39	5
Minnesota Timberwolves	36	46	12
Utah Jazz	33	49	15
Oklahoma City Thunder	31	51	17
PACIFIC	W	L	GB
Los Angeles Lakers	61	21	--
Los Angeles Clippers	58	24	3
Golden State Warriors	50	32	11
Sacramento Kings	35	47	26
Phoenix Suns	32	50	29
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB
Dallas Mavericks	48	34	--
Houston Rockets	48	34	--
Memphis Grizzlies	44	38	4
San Antonio Spurs	38	44	10
New Orleans Pelicans	28	54	20

[K0ZZ]

Sam Cassell tabbed as the Dragon's first head coach - Expansion Roster revealed

Sam Cassell will be made the first head coach in the Dragon's history. Cassell had a 16 year career in the NBA with a championship pedigree. Sam Cassell won three NBA championships in the NBA, two with the Houston Rockets and one as a member of the Boston Celtics. Cassell was a bit of a hot commodity as the assistant coach to Doc Rivers for the Clippers. It wasn't too surprising to see him sign with the Dragons who were looking to find the coach that would best set them up for their entry into the NBA. With a roster that likely would have a very young nucleus, having a coach that has been through the league should be a boon to this team.

Cassell has been involved as a coach since 2009 when his playing career ended. He started with the Washington Wizards before joining the Los Angeles Clippers where he had been up until receiving the head coaching offer from the Dragons. This is an interesting move that some are applauding while others expected the Dragons to try and tab a former head coach to the job, as Cassell has no experience running his own team. It'll be a challenge for the rookie head coach, but the Dragon's feel confident in his ability to lead.

The announcing of the head coach which had been veiled in secrecy despite the expansion draft also being in close proximity, sources state that Cassell was involved in the pick process. It is important to remember that the expansion draft gives the players at their current contracts and there is no guarantee a drafted player will be on the roster come the start of the 2020 season. The players selected by the Dragons have been chosen as:

Vancouver Dragons Expansion Draft Selections

Elfrid Payton (PG)
Ricky Rubio (PG)
Delon Wright (SG)
Jeremy Lamb (SG)
Alex Caruso (SG)
Patrick McCaw (SF)
Thanasis Antetokounmpo (SF)
Mario Hezonja (SF)
Joe Ingles (SF)
James Ennis (SF)
Nicolo Melli (PF)
Trey Lyles (PF)
Daniel Gafford (C)
Daniel Theis (C)
Bol Bol (C)

[K0ZZ]

Dragons tab Cole Anthony with 6th pick in the NBA Draft

After the lottery came and went with the Dragon's falling from the top selections, there was some concerns in what many are considering to be a weaker draft. The Dragon's had identified two primary targets that they had spent most of their time working with in that slot. Point Guard Cole Anthony of North Carolina and Center James Wiseman of Memphis. The Dragons were impressed with Anthony's versatile skill set and ability to lead the floor. They also liked James Wiseman's skill set. Wiseman has huge upside but his draft stock took a hit due to eligibility issues he endured while at Memphis that prevented him to grow his stock.

For the Dragons, their choice was made for them when with the fifth pick of the draft the Pistons who had moved Andre Drummond to the Cavaliers had a spot to fill for their previous all-star and filling that void with Wiseman plugs a hole with a player with all-star upside. This meant that Cole Anthony fell to their laps and the Dragons with their sixth pick scooped him up. Anthony is a high energy guard that should bring a good tempo to this young Dragons squad in 2020. The Dragons also added Jay Scrubb in the 2nd round, the 2 guard will likely play for the Dragon's G-League squad come the regular season. He's an athletic guard that thrives on-ball. He projects to be a 6th man off the bench at the NBA.

NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Oklahoma City Thunder	LaMelo Ball	PG	6'7	196
2	New York Knicks	Anthony Edwards	SG	6'5	225
3	Sacramento Kings	Isaac Okoro	SF	6'6	225
4	Cleveland Cavaliers	Obi Toppin	PF	6'9	220
5	Detroit Pistons	James Wiseman	C	7'1	240
6	Vancouver Dragons	Cole Anthony	PG	6'3	190
7	Chicago Bulls	Deni Avdija	SF	6'8	211
8	New Orleans Pelicans	Tyrese Haliburton	PG	6'5	175
9	Phoenix Suns	R.J. Hampton	PG	6'5	185
10	Washington Wizards	Theo Maledon	PG	6'5	182
11	Utah Jazz	Jaden McDaniels	SF	6'10	190
12	Charlotte Bobcats	Josh Green	SG	6'6	210
13	Minnesota Timberwolves	Nico Mannion	PG	6'3	190
14	San Antonio Spurs	Killian Hayes	PG	6'5	216
15	Miami Heat	Devin Vassell	SF	6'6	180
16	Milwaukee Bucks	Onyeka Okongwu	C	6'9	245
17	Orlando Magic	Tyrese Maxey	SG	6'3	198
18	Detroit Pistons	Patrick Williams	SF	6'8	225
19	Detroit Pistons	Jahmi'us Ramsey	PG	6'4	195
20	Boston Celtics	Isaiah Stewart	PF	6'9	250
21	Denver Nuggets	Precious Achiuwa	PF	6'9	225
22	Toronto Raptors	Ashton Hagans	PG	6'3	198
23	Dallas Mavericks	Ty-Shon Alexander	PG	6'4	195
24	Atlanta Hawks	Aaron Nesmith	SG	6'6	213
25	Portland Trailblazers	Amar Sylla	PF	6'9	195
26	Golden State Warriors	Aleksej Pokusevski	C	7'0	201
27	Brooklyn Nets	Leandro Bolmaro	SG	6'7	190
28	Minnesota Timberwolves	Vernon Carey Jr.	C	6'10	270
29	New York Knicks	Jimma Gatwech	PG	6'4	180
30	Los Angeles Lakers	Tre Jones	PG	6'3	185
31	Boston Celtics	Desmond Bane	SG	6'6	215

[K0ZZ]

Dragons nab Drummond in free agency after missing out on The Brow

The free agency class of the 2020 offseason was headlined by three players though one took the bulk of the attention. Anthony Davis after the blockbuster trade to land him in Los Angeles went to free agency with there being a very real possibility to leave Los Angeles after trading away so much capital for the talented big man. Needless to say, the NBA lavished the star with offers, receiving max offers from several NBA teams including the Lakers. A few days before free agency would start Davis would make his decision on a privately held press conference.

"There is unfinished business in Los Angeles. We had a great run last year but we fell short. I liked what we had and I expect us to make a run this year for that title. I'm coming back to the Lakers!" stated the veteran big man. Anthony Davis signed for a 5 year deal totaling $183 million to return to the Lakers. With the first big domino falling in this years free agency, the attention turned to the next two biggest prizes. DeMar Derozan and Andre Drummond.

The Dragons had been heavily involved in their efforts to pitch Anthony Davis as the big man to bring the Dragons into the league but shifted their attentions to Andre Drummond feeling he would bring more of an improvement and given him being younger than DeMar Derozan. The Dragons were able to come to terms with Drummond on a 4 year $141 million dollar contract. The big man is talented at hitting the boards and should bring a strong presence at center.

"I'm excited to be here man, to lead this new franchise. They have some exciting players in place and I'm looking forward what we can do. I'm ready to get to work and bringing it all to the fans every night." Spoke Drummond sporting a Dragons hat in the press conference on the opening day of free agency. Leaving

the final significant piece of the NBA offseason yet to fall, DeMar Derozan. The USC veteran decided to move on from the Spurs who appear to be heading to their first rebuild in a very long time. He was courted by several east coast teams before finally settling on the Atlanta Hawks. This should give an interesting dynamic to this squad, especially with how well the Hawks did a year ago. Can he help them turn the edge and become a true championship contender?

With the significant pieces moved, the NBA offseason was significantly more tame than the previous years. The Vancouver Dragons finalized their roster for the 2020 opening season, not matching the contract of some of their draft choices including Elfrid Payton who remained unsigned through the end of free agency. The fervor for this team is growing, and while many NBA pundits are more muted on the expectations for this team in year one, Vancouver faithful are hoping this Dragons team can do the improbable and be the NBA's Las Vegas Golden Knights, rather than the NFL's Houston Texans in Year One.

Vancouver Dragons 2020 Opening Day Roster
#	NAME	POS	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
15	Cole Anthony	PG	20	6'3	190	3,810,000
12	Ricky Rubio	PG	30	6'3	190	17,400,000
55	Delon Wright	SG	28	6'5	183	8,765,000
26	Jeremy Lamb	SG	28	6'5	185	10,500,000
4	Alex Caruso	SG	26	6'5	186	2,750,000
1	Jay Scrubb	SG	20	6'6	220	928,000
45	James Ennis	SF	30	6'6	210	5,560,000
5	Patrick McCaw	SF	25	6'7	185	4,000,000
43	Thanasis Antetokounmpo	SF	28	6'6	216	1,700,000
20	Nicolo Melli	PF	29	6'9	235	3,900,000
50	Zach Randolph	PF	39	6'9	250	5,040,000
3	Andre Drummond	C	27	6'10	279	35,367,500
10	Bol Bol	C	21	7'2	208	1,420,000
12	Daniel Gafford	C	22	6'10	238	1,520,000

[K0ZZ]

l

The Klaw reigns supreme, spoils home opener for the Dragons

The home opener for the Dragons and their first ever game in the Rogers Arena came with much fanfare. This would be a game that would dictate how the season would go for the newfound franchise. The Clippers are among the class of the Western Conference and the entire NBA. A strong showing would mean this team could be playoff bound. Getting bested could easily turn into the team struggling to gain any traction in their inaugural season.

This one started off about as bad for the Dragons as it possibly could. From the opening tip off the Clippers looked to come out firing on all cylinders and they truly did. Holding the Dragons to just 13 points in the first frame and a paltry .258% field goal percentage from the field. Kawhi outscored the dragons with 15 points in the first frame, leading the way to his game high of 43. Worse yet, Andre Drummond looked outmanned in the paint against the Clippers bigs, not getting a single rebound in the first and being held off the scoreboard. Things wouldn't get much better throughout for Drummond who would manage 12 points by the end of the game but just 4 rebounds in one of his worst performances in recent years.

In the second quarter, Cole Anthony ignited the crowd by piling up 6 points on three consecutive possessions and assisted on the next two possessions. Unyielding in his desire to bring his team back in. Unfortunately for the Dragons they wouldn't be able to turn this into an advantage. The two deadlocked in the second quarter both scoring 24 points a piece. An important intermission for both squads loomed. The Clippers held a 10 point lead and were looking to extend and drive home this victory, while the Dragons wanted to clear the way to a victory in their first contest in front of their home crowd.

Ricky Rubio started at point guard in the second half and piled up 10 of his 14 points in this frame, along with 5 assists, involving himself significantly in all of the points scored in this frame. The veteran was selected in the expansion draft and has been slotted into a role of mentoring Cole Anthony and with a performance like this one he gave the rookie a lot to learn from, the rookie had a fairly solid performance himself leading the Dragons in scoring in his first game.

Kawhi continued to look difficult to stop, Paul George was getting his throughout this game but Kawhi seemed to turn it on whenever his team began to stumble. When they began to give up runs to the Dragons, Kawhi would storm back seemingly piling up buckets at will on James Ennis and the double teams that followed. He was absolutely unstoppable, though his best work was yet to come. Heading into the 4th frame with 27 points. His least effective frame was the final one, getting some of his rest in this quarter along with rare shooting struggles, the Dragons were able to fight back and tied the game on a late three pointer from Cole Anthony at the top of the key to send this game to overtime.

Kawhi took it over in overtime. It felt every time he touched the ball he was going to score and he'd add ten points in the extra period. As a star player is expected to do, he put the Clippers on his shoulders and Paul George hit some clutch shots, including a late dagger to ice the lead by 5 with just 10 seconds left in the game. The Dragons would hit a quick lay up but the inbound pass would be enough to burn out the remainder of the clock and secure the win for the Clippers in a frantic opening night performance for both squads.

The loss knocks the Dragons down to 0-1 to open the season, a disappointing loss but one that gives them a lot of hope. Especially considering the amount of struggles Andre Drummond had this one. Playoffs may be a very real possibility if this team can continue to compete with teams of the Clippers caliber. Of course, it is opening night of an 82 game season. There's far too much basketball to be played. But on opening night, the Dragons put on a show in front of a capacity crowd that including commissioner Adam Silver, who had announced that this years All-Star Game would be held in Vancouver late in the offseason, the clip being played on the jumbotron bringing about a roar from the crowd.

Los Angeles Clippers at Vancouver Dragons
Oct 27, 2020	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Los Angeles (1-0)	23	24	23	23	25	118
Vancouver (0-1)	13	24	25	31	22	115

Los Angeles Clippers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Patrick Beverly	37	5-14	0-3	1-4	4	10	2	0	5	11
Paul George	37	11-17	1-1	6-6	3	0	1	0	3	29
Kawhi Leonard	44	17-31	1-3	8-8	7	4	4	0	1	43
Montrezl Harrell	35	2-6	1-2	0-0	14	1	3	1	0	5
Dario Saric	37	2-7	0-1	4-4	10	5	0	0	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ivica Zubac	23	1-1	0-0	0-0	9	0	1	1	0	2
Landry Shamet	17	1-4	0-0	3-3	3	1	0	0	0	5
Terance Mann	17	1-4	0-1	2-2	1	3	1	0	0	4
Lou Williams	15	3-8	1-4	4-6	0	1	0	0	2	11
TEAM TOTALS		43-92	4-15	28-33	59	25	12	2	11	118

Vancouver Dragons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Cole Anthony	30	6-15	2-8	2-2	6	7	0	0	4	16
Deleon Wright	33	3-7	2-6	2-4	4	9	3	0	0	10
James Ennis	33	0-1	0-0	0-0	3	1	0	1	0	0
Daniel Gafford	26	3-7	0-0	0-2	4	3	1	0	1	6
Andre Drummond	28	5-12	0-0	2-4	4	2	1	1	3	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Alex Caruso	11	6-7	4-5	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	16
Ricky Rubio	20	3-8	3-5	5-6	3	11	2	0	3	14
Jeremy Lamb	22	2-8	1-3	2-2	2	3	1	0	2	7
Bol Bol	19	3-5	0-0	0-0	6	1	0	0	0	6
Zach Randolph	14	1-5	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	0	2
Nicolo Melli	16	6-8	2-2	0-0	3	1	0	0	0	14
Joe Ingles	9	1-2	1-2	0-0	1	4	0	0	1	3
Patrick McCaw	6	3-3	3-3	0-0	1	4	0	0	1	9
TEAM TOTALS		42-88	18-34	13-20	48	33	8	2	15	115