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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Seal the deal
July 7th, 2018 - Las Vegas, Nevada
Start of Free Agency
Sometimes in life you just have to roll the dice and see how things play out.
That’s always been Dice owner Vik’s motto and he stuck by it his whole life.
It often got him in trouble, to the point he would regret a lot of his choices. But, like most succesful people, Vik never looked at the past. He always faced his challenges and came out stronger than before.
It was this mentality that made him into the billionaire NBA owner he was today.
You win some, you lose some.
There’s no such thing as low risk, high reward investments. To win big, you have to put big money on the line.
That always comes with uncertainty and doubt. This time was no different for Vik.
Was this guy really worth paying 20 mill per year?
Probably not.
“He’s injury prone”, they said. “He can’t shoot threes”, they said. “He’s not worth the money. He’s overrated”, they said.
But damned this dude could ball and Vik would hate regretting not getting him while he had the chance a few years from now.
He overpaid, most definitely. But that’s just where the NBA is at right now. And where there's demand (and it definitely was there), prices go up. It’s that simple.
But what did he have to lose?
He had a ton of cap space to use this summer and the team could only get better at this point.
So here we are.
For the first time ever in his career as an NBA owner, Viktor Belinsky convinced a free agent to commit to the city of Las Vegas and got him to ink a 4 yr/83 million dollar deal.
Boy, Mark Cuban’s going to be pissed when he finds out about this ...
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Love that deal for Noel. Dude is a great defender and is effective as a roll man. Him manning the 5 spot will allow you to deploy a shooter at the 4 (Bender perhaps if he improves enough) to really allow your team to space the floor.Comment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Chriss is my go-to guy at the 4 right now. He does it all. He hits threes consistently, scores inside & outside, gets boards and blocks shots. He's like a mini Draymond Green to me.
Warren will rotate with Chriss at the 4, which means I can play Bender at the 5 for small ball line-ups.
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
2018 FREE AGENCY RECAP
The 2018 Free Agency period comes to a close. Though it wasn't as wild as last year, we did see some remarkable moves and changes in the NBA landscape.
Here's an overview of the biggest winners and losers of the off-season:
WINNERS
Las Vegas Dice
After inheriting the Suns’ qualifying offer deal and their contract extension stalemate with center Alex Len, Vegas’ front office just decided to let him walk. They declined the injury prone PF Alan Williams’ Team Option as well after having played just 3 games last season.
Instead, Dice management drafted no less than 3 promising rookies and used their cap space to lure unrestricted free agent Nerlens Noël away from Dallas. Granted they can retain RFA's Booker and/or Mudiay next year, Vegas will have an intriguing and talented young core together for the next 3-4 years.
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OKC Thunder
The Thunder had a more than great off-season. Even though they did not make the finals last season, their new big three still looks in prime position to compete at the highest level. Despite his ambitions of playing for the Lakers, Paul George couldn't pass up on the prospect of chasing championships alongside Mister Triple Double himself and committed to a 5 year max deal with a Player ETO for year 5.
That was enough to keep Melo on board long term as well as convincing Amir Johnson to take a paycut and join the ring-chasing journey on a 1 year Mid-Level Exception deal. Plus: they picked up Tiago Splitter on a 1 yr veteran minimum deal, strengthening their defense down low.
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Minnessota Timberwolves
Minny kept their core intact AND acquired Kenneth Faried via trade. The Wolves missed Towns and Wiggins nearly all season last year and still finished 9th in the West. When healthy, with an energetic player like Faried in the starting line-up and Gibson coming off the bench, they could be a high play-off seed this season.
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Golden State Warriors
Never change a winning formula. They head into the new season with the exact same squad, except they now officially inked superstar Kevin Durant to a 4 year max deal AND they picked up shooting guard Monta Ellis to a 1 yr minimum deal for extra shooting power.
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Washington Wizards
The Wizards went all out this summer. With the downfall of the Cavs - and them owning the Bird Rights to resign Demarcus Cousins - it was now or never for Washington.
They went out and stole Trevor Booker away from Brooklyn to strengthen their PF position and persuaded Joe Johnson, Michael Beasley and Quincy Pondexter to 1 year minimum deals. Enough to get Cousins to commit his future to Washington. With this, the Wizards dive deep into the luxury tax and are set to win it all. Are the Wizards the new best team in the East??
They now have a serious logjam at the center position, sook for them to (try to) unload contracts like Ian Mahinmi and Omer Asik’s (maybe even Gortat?) to lower their luxury tax bill.
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Toronto Raptors
Again: never change a winning formula. After upsetting both the Cavaliers and the Wizards and advancing to the 2018 NBA Finals, the Raptors return with pretty much the same squad. In addition, they went and stole SF Tyreke Evans from the Grizzlies on an absolute bargain 2yr/16 million deal.
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San Antonio Spurs
Dwyane Wade will be spending the next 2 years of his career competing for a championship with the San Antonio Spurs (before eventually retiring in Miami?). Wade hasn’t exactly made it a secret he wants to do just that. But for now, he still wants to compete more than anything.
After Ginobili’s retirement, San Antonio had just the right situation for him. To accommodate Wade’s welcoming, Tony Parker took a paycut for the team and will spend his final career years on a veteran minimum deal. Rudy Gay and L. Aldridge also both return to the Spurs.
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Utah Jazz
After Gordon Hayward’s departure, the Jazz lacked a real go-to volume scorer on offense. So they went out and pulled off what may have been thé best move of the off-season. They stole UFA Avery Bradley from the Pistons and locked him up to a 3 year deal.
To realise this master piece, they had to let go of the likes of Joe Johnson and Dante Exum. By renouncing their rights however, they ducked just enough under the salary cap to use Rodney Hood’s bird rights to go over the cap limit again and lock him up with the rest of their core through 2021. Don’t sleep on the Jazz.
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Indiana Pacers
Indiana looks like a major winner this summer. With a **** ton of cap space to spend, they outbid a conflicted Lakers front office during Julius Randle’s restricted free agency. They then went on and did the same with Minny’s Shabazz Mohammed, who couldn’t really afford to pay Bazz 10 mill/year after trading for Kenneth Faried.
If Indiana manages to lock up young phenom center Myles Turner next year, they’ve got a solid young core that can compete in the East again.
Look for Thaddeus Young’s expiring contract to be in trade talks this season.
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Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have to pick up whatever crumbles other NBA teams have left behind on the ground (and sign those crumbles to ludicrous contracts before they escape). They did just that. After the Jazz let go of Dante Exum in lieu of signing A. Bradley, the Nets picked him up and secured the kid to a 3 year 40+ million dollar deal.
D. Exum and D. Russel manning the point next C. LeVert and A. Crabbe actually gives them a pretty solid young backcourt they can build around.
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LOSERS
Philadelphia 76ers
With the first year of Embiid’s massive extension kicking in this season, the Sixers let JJ Reddick and Amir Johnson walk. They were also wary to give N. Stauskas the big money extension deal he demanded, so extension talks ended up with him taking the qualifying offer. They now risk losing him as an UFA next summer.
On the plus side, the Sixers dodge the luxury tax and maintain a lot of cap space. They picked up another great young talent like Jaren Jackson Jr. with the 10th pick in the draft. They inked SG Joshua Langford with the #26 1st round pick as well.
Acquiring another top 10 PF/C rookie like Jackson Jr. makes Okafor even more expendable than he already was. He’s definitely out of Philly after this season, if they don’t already find a trade partner earlier.
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Cleveland Cavaliers
Other than resigning I. Thomas to a multi year deal and having LeBron decide to stay in town for at least one more season and one more championship run, the Cavs couldn’t really make any big free agency moves due to their cap situation.
They lost D. Wade and Derrick Rose, who both got a better payday elsewhere, and pretty much return with a similar, though less deep team.
PG Darren Collisson was still without a job after the summer, so the Cavs convinced him to take a paycut for the greater good and sign the MLE.
Andrew Bogut also returns on a 1 yr minimum deal for another shot with the team.
Cleveland faces a painful situation here. Their competition (Raps, Wizz, Bucks) got (a lot!) better and is much younger. The Cavs are old and have zero financial flexibility.
They’ll have to get active on the trade market and bolster their roster through trades. It’s all or nothing for them.
LeBron is clearly frustrated and looks willing to leave them again if they fail to reach the Finals again this year. Cleveland officially has this year's number 3 draft pick, Marvin Bagley III, under contract. But are they willing to give him up ...?
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Memphis Grizzlies
Is this the year Memphis breaks up the Grit’n Grind era? For starters they lost Tyreke Evans to the Raptors. They’re aging and don’t look like much more than a first round exit in this stacked Western Conference. Signing Alex Len in free agency might be their first step in preparing for life after Marc Gasol …?
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Detroit Pistons
Major setback in Detroit. They were caught by surprise as they let Avery Bradley slip away for nothing. The best they could get in return was a 30 year old JJ Reddick and they claimed SG Troy Daniels off waivers.
In the East, they probably still are a low seed play-off team. But it’s safe to say the Pistons just got worse. They may shift their focus to the trade market if things don't work out directly.
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Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks are in a weird situation entering the Post Dirk Era. They let Nerlens Noel walk for nothing and ended up with a ton of cap space. Yet they couldn't attract any notable big name free agents. They ended up signing Greg Monroe though, who is turning 28 but isn't exactly regarded as starter-material. They also decided to experiment with Derrick Rose and threw big money at him for one season.
The Mavs look in absolutely no position to compete in the wild, wild West but they aren't exactly in full rebuild either. This might have been a play-off squad in the East, but they'll probably be stuck in mediocrity out West.
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Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers could fit both categories here. Portland had no cap space, so their options were limited. On one hand, they resigned all of their core player (incl. Nurkic) for the long term. On the other hand, they just don't look built to win it all.
The Blazers will face a hefty luxury tax bill this season and frankly, it isn't really worth it. They'll be looking to move some of their bigger contracts to at least lessen their luxury tax penalty.
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Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers were planning on signing Paul George, LeBron James, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, Deandre Jordan and every other big name free agent out there. Instead, they re-signed K. Caldwell-Pope to a 2 year 50 Mill deal and let Brook Lopez walk to save cap space for next year. Oh, and they are also still paying Luol Deng 18 mill per year ...
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Honorable under the radar mentions:
Clippers re-sign D. Jordan
Bulls re-sign Z. Lavine
Knicks re-sign E. Kanter
Magic re-sign A. Gordon & E. Payton
Rockets sign S. Dinwiddie
Hawks sign B. LopezComment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Surprised to see the Thunder get everyone back (even Melo!). I suspected either he or George would bolt in the offseason.
Cleveland is definitely locked in, but I don't think they'll punt on MB3's future -- Kevin Love is serious trade bait at this point, as Bagely is way cheaper to play at the four and has a higher long-term ceiling.
The Mavs are desperate for good fortune in free agency and it just won't happen for them -- they've struck out on so many guys over the last six or so years.
Interesting moves by the Jazz ... I'm not sure if I like the Bradley signing (a backcourt of him and Rubio, defensively, is awesome ... offensively, I think poor).
The Wizards are WAYYYYYY all-in on winning. Can they actually, finally, get out of the East? This is their best chance ever.
And the Lakers REALLY struck out. I strongly suspect they'll be in play for a disgruntled superstar/trade for someone, but there aren't a lot of guys to move the needle -- maybe LA makes a play for K-Love (he is a former UCLA guy) but is that enough for the Lakers to give up one of their younger pieces and cap flexibility? Ehhhh.Comment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
I think Melo is tired of moving. He's found a place where he can compete and play up to his full potential again, without having to take on all the heavy load himself. Surrounded by guys who are motivated to do the same for the next few years, it seems like an ideal situation for him.
Why would he leave that for a bad team like the Hawks/Mavs/Lakers/... (since they were the only ones with cap space)
@ Cavs: This is tricky. On one hand, you're right. But they have to win short term, and it seems like a lot to ask for a rookie (even a top 3 pick) to immediately fit in and play on a championship level.
The Wizards, in their situation, just HAD to take their chances now. It's exciting, they look like they could even challenge the Warriors this year ...Comment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
I was messing around with a Trail blazers gm and was able to move Turned and Leonard's bad contracts through the expansion draft so I offers Melo big money to get him to make a Big 3 in Portland and he turned down my offer and the chance to resign in OKC to return to the Knicks. I found that very funny.Comment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Haha. As good as 2K is, it still has it's flaws. That's exactly why I always do 30 team control.
I ran multiple simulations where Paul George would end up resigning with the Pacers in the offseason. Just imagine how great of a troll that'd be IRL
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
The breathtaking silence during our nation's national anthem quickly made way for the crowd's cheers. The smell of beer and popcorn rose from the stands. Uplifting medleys started blasting from the speakers, accompanied by an impressive spectactle of lights, visuals and fireworks.
"Starting at small forward for Las Vegas. Number 20. Joooooooooooosh Jacksooooonnn!"
People rose from their seats as the announcer began introducing the home team. You could feel the excitement buzzing through the arena.
Ahhhh ... A new NBA season was underway!
The addition of Nerlens Noel put our roster at 16 players, so unfortunately we had to cut SG Troy Daniëls from the team to clear up a roster spot before the start of the season. He eventually found a new home in Detroit with the Pistons.
Here’s what our roster looked like for our season opener:
STARTERS
E. Mudiay
D. Booker
J. Jackson
M. Chriss
N. Noel
BENCH
C. Sexton / T. Ulis
I. Shumpert / M. Bridges
M. Bridges
T.J. Warren
D. Bender / A. Zizic
RESERVES
B. Knight
J. Dudley
We put up a great fight. Really gave the fans their money's worth. But facing an elite team like Houston on opening night was no easy task. Especially when James Harden drops 33 on you like it's an exhibition game.
Fan favourite Chriss balled out and put up 18-5-3 stats. Booker is always going to get his. He scored 17 points and pulled down an amazing 10 rebounds.
Then there was our rook: Collin Sexton. His performance in the Las Vegas Summer League Tournament turned a lot of heads among fans, scouts and GM's. Being selected 9th overall, people had high expectations for him. He was easily the best point guard in the draft. And right now, our franchise was craving a solid point guard who could be a true leader for this team.
Mudiay had shown flashes of what he could do, but he wasn't there yet. So everyone was hoping this 19 year old would blossom into our point guard of the future. A heavy burden on the shoulders of such a young kid.
But Sexton didn't shy away from the challenge at all. In his first NBA game, he dropped 11 points off the bench in 18 minutes, earning himself some high praise from The Bearded One himself.
"He's a good kid. It's amazing what he can do at such a young age, already playing with such confidence. This team has some amazing talent. They're still young. But if they can keep growing and developing, they're going to be really dangerous in a few years", Harden said after the game.
Despite our effort we gave the game out of hands in the final quarter and lost 95-106. Not too bad, considering we're maybe the youngest squad in the league on average. We had a lot of new players and faces, a new coach, a new rotation ... It takes some time figuring things out.
And it showed.
We lost the next three games in a row, went an ugly 0-4 to start the season and were just about to hit the panic button.
Until the Celtics showed up on our doorstep ...Comment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
November 3rd, 2018
It wasn't until 5 games into the season things finally seemed to start clicking.
There's something about the Celtics, I don't know ... We just seem perfectly built to beat them. We can match their offensive scoring power on pretty much every position, outpace them on fast breaks and we're simply too big for them.
After winning the regular season series against them last year, we were confident for this one. And rightfully so. We broke loose right before the half and made a gap. A spectacular breakaway dunk from Jackson put an exclamation mark on our hot streak. It set our team and crowd alike on fire. The bench was absolutely loving it.
Once we established a 20-point lead, it seemed like Boston just gave up. Frustrations grew big time and things got very physical. To make this even more embarrassing for the Celtics, Al Horford fouled out with under a minute before the final buzzer after a hard foul on Booker's lay-up attempt.
What a game Booker had. Driven by the ecstatic home crowd's MVP chants,
he nailed both free throws, putting his points total at 31.
The rest of the team acted as a great supporting cast, putting up some great numbers. Newly acquired Nerlens Noël registered 14 pts and 13 rebs and did exactly what we'd expected from him when we offered him big money this summer.
We blew out the Celtics 107-80.
Hopefully a sign of things to come ...
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
November 12th, 2018
Would you look at that guy …?! That overly confident smirk on his face …
It was the face of a man on a mission.
A man who knew deep down there was no doubt he was one of the best - if not thé best - point guards in the league.
A man who knew his team was already one of the best squads in the East ... and they just went out and added thé best big man in the game today: DeMarcus Cousins, and a whole bunch of other big time players.
A man who knew he had a very legit shot at winning it all this year. And he was going to do everything within his powers to do just that.
This game meant nothing to him.
A bunch of clueless 20 year olds with a 4-7 record, struggling to play above .500 basketball.
We were like a ball he could toy with.
Wall and Cousins were clicking beautifully. They showed amazing on court chemistry after playing together for just a couple of months now.
Having Cousins as a major defensive presence down low, grabbing boards, was big. But it’s his ability to step out and spread the floor with his three point threat that makes this new look Wizards squad so dangerous.
This really allows John Wall to just sit back, do his thing, and step in and take over games whenever he wants to.
It was embarrassing for us.
Wall rained down an incredible 55 point performance on us and dished out 12 assists.
His supporting cast did the rest.
We never stood a chance.
The worst part? Bradley Beal wasn’t even playing (injury)!
These Wizards man … Damned, they’re scary good this year!
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
I don't think I have replied yet just wanted to say keep up the good work. I enjoyed the offseason stuffRetro Redemption - Starting over with a oldschool PowerBone Offense
My Youtube
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PS5 ID = BubbasCruiseComment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Man, 55 from John Wall?! Lordy.
The Wizards are quickly becoming the team I hate playing in this year's 2K. In past years, it was the D-Rose Bulls, the Thunder, the Warriors, but the Wizards just make me tense -- even if I'm winning, I feel like they can hit that extra gear with John Wall.Comment
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Re: Roll The Dice - A Las Vegas Dynasty
Thanks man! 2K off-season is what it’s all about innit?
That’s where everyone’s fantasy really comes to life ...
I actually enjoy doing the trades and contract stuff etc. more than playing the game itself
Stay tuned! There’s lots more developments and drama on the way.
(Coming up right away actually ...)Comment
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