Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

[AC]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

I can now ask for a difficulty increase again without being disingenuous right? Congrats.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

I can now ask for a difficulty increase again without being disingenuous right? Congrats.

Yes, yes you can. You got your prediction half-right -- it was a 4-0 sweep. Just the wrong team.

I'll continue to ponder the bump up to hall of fame, but I'm really hoping less regular season games played + less playoff games played=more competitiveness from the AI. If we get to the 2018 All Star Break and I'm killing the league, again, then there's really no choice by that point but to bump up to HOF.

[AC]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Less playoff games isn't ideal though. We all love watching intense playoff games. Especially with a gritty team like this one.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Less playoff games isn't ideal though. We all love watching intense playoff games. Especially with a gritty team like this one.

I agree, but my playoff record on Superstar is super good. I think I've lost three games, maybe four, over two seasons. If I bump it up to HOF, than I should have a harder time making the playoffs (as the regular season will be tougher) and playing every playoff game becomes viable again (if there's a legitimate threat of losing).

However, I really did like the play odds/sim even playoff format I did this postseason, as it made it so my team could lose playoff games -- and they did lose quite a few, forcing me into a Game 7 with OKC. That wasn't a bad series at all and definitely had a tight feel to it.

As it currently stands, I'm going to roll with a play 20 regular season, play the odd # playoff games, and let the chips fall where they may. I'll reevaluate at the all-star break to see where things go -- the league will be a different place next season (working on offseason stuff now), that's for certain.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

So, offseason notes, real quick ...

OH MY GOD THESE CONTRACT DEMANDS

They're insane for some of the players (no names, yet, but ... hot damn, there are some serious changes coming for the association next season).

[BlindSideNZ]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

As much as it pains me to say it this time congrats to max and his sonics again on a wonderful season. Wish my raps had put up more of a fight but you can't win them all lol.

This is where it gets most interesting though looking forward to see what you do with the squad especially where Westbrook is concerned

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

As much as it pains me to say it this time congrats to max and his sonics again on a wonderful season. Wish my raps had put up more of a fight but you can't win them all lol.

This is where it gets most interesting though looking forward to see what you do with the squad especially where Westbrook is concerned

Many, many consequences at play. I'm running through some of the numbers now and its eye-opening. Gonna be a different league next season, no matter what.

[ewing6]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Congrats on the title, the offseason should be fun. It'd be crazy if you could put Westbrook with RHJ and Noel, defense should be nice. Also traded for RHJ in myleague after seeing his success for you and the early returns are impressive, so I guess thanks for the inspiration, lol.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Congrats on the title, the offseason should be fun. It'd be crazy if you could put Westbrook with RHJ and Noel, defense should be nice. Also traded for RHJ in myleague after seeing his success for you and the early returns are impressive, so I guess thanks for the inspiration, lol.

I love RHJ. He's so darned good, but the AI coaches hate on his lack of shooting -- any time I've ever simmed a season without dictating rotations for RHJ, the AI coaches bury him on the bench and give him like, eight minutes a night.

He's a defensive, transition beast. Perfect for floor running and demolishing opposing SFs.

And as for Westbrook, Noel, RHJ ... well, it's a sick lineup on paper. But Westbrook has MANY places vying for his services in FA. (I will toss the most money at him and pitch him hard, but as we'll see, the NBA offseason has gone mad this year).

Stay tuned. Working out the offseason moves now.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return



June 12th, 2017

"Is this the year?" Teddy's eyes looked at Max questioningly, his curiosity shining through.

Max didn't look up from his laptop. "Year for what?" he asked, feigning ignorance. He felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth as he saw Teddy's eyes roll up in exasperation.

"The year I get to meet him!"

"Meet who?"

Teddy grabbed Max by the shoulder and shook him. "The Glove!"

Max laughed. "Oh, you mean him?" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm."

"Uncle Max!" Teddy looked at him with complete exasperation. "Come on!"

Max held up his hand, waving off the comment. "Don't call me 'Uncle'."

"I'll keep calling you it till you tell me!"

Max held up both his hands now. "Well, with that type of threat, I must answer: yes, this is the year. Gary Payton will be there at our first home game to have his jersey retired."

Teddy's arms shot up into the air. "Yes!" He bolted outside, screaming at top of lungs, "This is the year!"

Max gripped his side as he laughed; it hurt, but it hurt good. He cast a glance outside to the spacious, but not overly large, backyard and stifled a yawn. The evening was here and the sun, as often it did in the summer time, was slowly inching its way down the horizon.

Fall was his favorite time of year -- as a basketball addict, that was a must -- but summer ranked a close second. Not only did the Finals happen then (which nearly every fan looked forward to, if only in the vain hope that their squad was participating), but it was also warm.

It meant he could wear shorts and have not a care in the world.

The front door popped open and the familiar jangle of keys echoed as they were tossed into the bowl on the hallway table. Wordlessly, Max scooted over and Abby promptly plopped down beside him.

She blew a stray blonde hair out of her eyes and sighed. "Well, that was a day."

He cocked an eyebrow up. "Long, horrible, or both?"

"Long," she responded. She leaned her head back. "Flying around multi-millionaires is a pain in the *ss sometimes."

Max smirked. "Well, you have a nice *ss."

She winced, but laughed. "I hate you some days." She took his hand with hers and rubbed it slowly. "So, what did you do? Engineer any back-breaking trades? Cripple another franchise? Sign a virtual unknown who'll rock the league four years from now?"

The sarcasm was dripping from every word she said, and it only made him laugh. "No, I was doing research. Running numbers, figuring out some cap maneuvers." He shook his head. "If we're going to make a run at Westbrook, we'll have to renounce our rights on virtually all our free agents."

It wasn't a pleasant thought. He knew Brandon Jennings and Larry Sanders weren't coming back -- Max had no interest in either, and both players were looking for a measure of payback against the Bucks. Now champions, the two players planned to stay together the rest of their careers if they could.

Where it really hurt was Bogdanovic. Bogdog was willing to take a minor discount to stay on the team, but he wanted his money -- he had more than earned it and Max was willing to pay it, but he wanted to wait till after Westbrook signed, either with them or someone else.

Bogdog wasn't keen on waiting. He was going to field offers and other teams were going to go after him. He was likely lost.

"We're going to lose Bogdanovic," Max said after a long moment.

Abby frowned. "He's really nice, a fan favorite."

"I know." Max shook his head as he eyed the ceiling. "But I have to make a run at Westbrook. He's out there and he's free. We offer him something no one else can ... but I have to convince him of it."

She kicked off her shoes and nestled herself into him. "Has he set his schedule?"

He shook his head as a feeling of warmth encompassing him. "No, not yet ... " He yawned. "You're making me sleepy."

The only response he got was a light snore.

He soon followed after.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return



June 17th, 2017


The draft was days away and spinning their current predicament was going to be tough. Not impossible -- she was the best, after all -- but really hard. "Let's review this from the top," she started again, her eyes dancing over the haphazard notes she'd already jotted down. "We're going to wish him good luck in his endeavors --"

"I wish him nothing but bad luck," her boss, and owner of the Thunder, Clay Bennett muttered. His chest heaved. "He was given every chance, every opportunity, and this is how he repays us?!" He shot out of his chair once more, the big body moving surprisingly fast.

Veronica stifled a sigh and stayed in her place. If he was going to romp and stomp, she wasn't going to get in his way. "Clay, we've been over this: you win some, you lose some. Not everyone is as enamored with this city as you are."

Clay's nose flared out like a bull. "He was ours. No one else invested the money, the resources, the time, and the pure damned effort in him that we did!" Fists clenched, the man swung his arm at air. "If I could punch that smug look on his face, I would."

"Russell's face? Really? You realize he's angry." She gave him a dry look. "All the time."

"Westbrook betrayed us." The words were icy, but his face was heated. "He betrayed us and he betrayed Kevin."

Here we go. She knew what was coming next, but held her tongue; better to let him say it than try to talk him down.

"And it's all because of that Seattle trash, Newman," Clay seethed. "He shows back up with that dead team and suddenly Westbrook has problems with us? He has problems with Kevin? He has problems with the city?"

Veronica gripped her pen a bit harder. "It's a coincidence. Russell had problems before the Sonics --"

"Seattle," he corrected her. He held up a finger. "They don't have a name, they're just Seattle. I don't want to hear their name."

"Seattle," she continued, "didn't have anything to do with it. Russell wanted to be the lead dog on his own team, so he left us. There's no telling where he goes."

He walked over to his desk and ripped a printed sheet of paper off it. "His schedule, courtesy of his agent; the weasel faxed every office in the league." He flipped it around and read it off. "Houston, LA, and then Seattle." He crumpled the paper up and tossed it behind his desk like he was throwing a fastball. "All rivals of ours, all teams we hate, all places we definitely would have not traded him to."

Veronica remained in her place and flashed him a frown. "He's never liked playing out East, he wasn't about to join the other conference."

"Well fat good that does us!" He turned around and placed his hands on his hips, his chest heaving again.

Well, looks like he's done. Sensing an opportunity to get more than a few sentences in, she picked up her notepad and read on. "I think we should mention how Cameron Payne will take Russell's place in the starting lineup, and I think we should also mention that we're exploring avenues to improve the team."

He took a minute, but nodded. "Fine."

She scribbled down a note and gave a short nod. "Good. I imagine you don't want a press conference?"

He shot her a glare. "Unless I'm allowed to speak without any censors, no, I do not want a press conference."

She smirked. "Relax, Clay. We'll be fine. We have Durant, we have youth, we have cap space ... we'll bounce back."

He stared at her for a long moment before he nodded. "We'll bounce back with a vengeance. And anyone who gets in our way will regret it."

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

LEAGUE NEWS: RETIREMENTS

[mpac]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Hope you get westbrook and run for three peat!

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return



June 22nd, 2017

The draft was an hour away and they were still at a deadlock. Something had to give, someone had to change their mind, but the three men in the room all seemed glued to their positions.

"We have to come to a consensus." Ray Allen leaned forward, hands on the table, eyes darting between Max and Lionel Hollins. "If we're truly looking for the best possible fit at the four, we should look no further an Markkanen. He's tall, he's lanky, and he can actually shoot the three."

Lionel shook his head vehmently. "And he's also a poor rebounded and a turnstile on defense. He'll be of no use to us if he can't get better there and there's no guarantee he will; he's another Spencer Hawes, another Josh McRoberts -- limited defensively, boasting only a singular skill offensively." The head coach swiveled in his chair and faced Max. "We need Carlton Bragg."

Ray let out a groan. "Bragg is athletic, but he's just like McCullough -- he has no definable skills other than his athleticism."

"His mid-range game is already above average and he runs the floor extremely well. He's right in the mold of Carl -- can hit that sweet mid-range jumper and rotate defensively between the three, four, or five."

"And be gutted defensively at anything other than the four." Ray pointed at his head. "I'm not sure how smart he is, honestly. His basketball IQ is not where you'd like it to be."

Max pointed at Ray. "If you want IQ, we should look at Hartenstein."

Both Ray and Lionel sat back. "What's you angle, Max?" Lionel asked.

Max tossed up his hands. "Look, I get what you both want, but we're talking extremes here. Bragg is super-athletic, but are we even sure he's really a four and not a three?"

Lionel shrugged. "We're not sure of anything, it's the NBA draft. It's a crap shoot. We make some, we miss some. I think we missed last year, truthfully -- Malik is not a point guard. He's a shooting guard in this league."

Ray nodded. "He's made great progress as a shooter, but his passing leaves a lot to be desired. We're in good shape, though, but we didn't hit our objective."

"And we have to make it count, this year." Max leaned back in his chair. "Thanks to Billy King and our past lives as Nets, we don't have a pick next season. We'll have to make this one count for both years, and Hartenstein is the guy."

Ray brought up Hartenstein's stats. "He's inconsistent -- look at how crazy his stat line is from game to game. Some days he's there and others he's a ghost."

"And we need a difference maker, someone who can step in and knock down his shots -- with limited minutes and veteran leadership, he can be good for is as a role player for the first year or two." Max smiled. "Guys, he's a high upside pick."

"He's a compromise candidate," Lionel said with a grunt. "Not as good a shooter as Mar ... Mar ... the other guy." Ray stifled a chuckle as Lionel continued, "And he's not as athletic or as much a difference maker as Bragg."

"He's projected to be in our range," Max countered.

Ray brought up a number of mock drafts. "Yes, and half the draft have him dropping into the middle of the second round. We could wait for him, take someone else, then come back."

Max sighed. He stood and took a breath. "Gentlemen, if he's there, I'm picking Hartenstein."

Ray tossed his pad lightly upon the table. "If that's your call, fine."

Lionel shrugged. "You're the boss, boss ... at least I can say his name."

At that, the room's mood lightened just a bit.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

2017 NBA Draft Recap: 1-5

June 22nd, 2017

By Vonny Lee


The 2017 NBA Draft saw some surprising picks but it lived up to the hype. The 2017 class looks to be the deepest in years, especially when compared to the relatively shallow looking 2018 class. Here's how it all shook out.



The Jazz once again got the first overall pick (making it twice in two years) and once again took a player many believe will be ready on day one to make a big contribution in Dennis Smith Jr. Smith's drafting doesn't eliminate Dante Exum from the equation -- quite the opposite, actually, as the Jazz want to move Exum to the two. With new head coach David Blatt (formerly of Cleveland) aboard, Utah is not expecting anything other than development from their players and an improvement -- however small -- in the standings. That's something this roster might be able to accomplish.



The Pelicans weren't supposed to be at this spot, but the lottery balls smiled upon them and they took off running with the pick of Tatum. Tatum immediately fills a hole left by the sudden and unexpected retirement of Joe Johnson and, as an added bonus, Tatum is much cheaper. With him aboard, NOLA may finally have found Anthony Davis a running mate as dynamic as him.



The Celtics didn't expect to be in the top three either, but made the most of it with the addition of Fox. Fox is an electric passing point, tall for his position and fast on the floor. His upside is through the rough and he can arguably be better than the first overall pick, Smith; what holds Fox back is his lack of shooting, but defensively he's likely the best point guard in this class. Boston is looking forward to the future with this pick, but Fox may find himself starting sooner rather than later if Brad Stevens takes a liking to him.



This is a straight potential pick and probably the first reach of this draft. With the Nuggets already stacked with Mudiay and Bender, and with no clear answer at the two in this draft, Denver grabbed Jackson. Jackson has plenty of upside and a few definable NBA skills, but he's not ready to contribute in a big way yet and might not be for a few years. Still, with Batum's play declining, having Jackson in the wings is a good move for the rebuilding Nuggets.



The 76ers get this pick thanks to swap rights from the Nic Staukis salary dump from a few years back (thanks, Kings!).

The point guard position is just one that Philly has had a hard time finding a legitimate starter at. Jackson, Caanan, and Barea all split time their last year with varying results, but Philly's unexpected playoff appearance showed two things -- one, this team is ahead of schedule and, two, this team needs a legitimate point guard beside Okafor. Enter Brunson, who isn't known for being much of a shooter, but will gladly get everyone involved and play competent defense. That's a major upgrade over what the 76ers had before.