The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

[studbucket]

Been a bit of a nightmare trying to catch up on everything honestly. All the page numbers and stuff have changed too.

nice to get back into the swing of things now. That San Francisco loss hurts over something as controllable as a turnover.

100% on both. I still need to go through and fix a bunch of small things, but haven't had time. I thought I had this game, but their quality won out in the end.

[marshdaddy]

Seeing the overall for San Francisco is wild. I would've thought a 90 overall team is reserved for the blue bloods, not USF. Tough L regardless. Got to find a way to turn that around come conference play.

[studbucket]

Seeing the overall for San Francisco is wild. I would've thought a 90 overall team is reserved for the blue bloods, not USF. Tough L regardless. Got to find a way to turn that around come conference play.

Yeah, they are a really solid team, and they were even better last year IMO. This is definitely going to be a better year for Oggy, it's just about how much better.

[studbucket]

2025-26 NBA Update: February 1 Edition

It’s been another month, and here’s an update on what’s been happening around the league.

The Cavs have been devastated by injuries
What a roller coaster it’s been for the Cavaliers. Just 2 years ago they traded Andre Drummond and very explicitly began tanking. They then went on an improbable run in the playoffs and won the NBA title. So far this season they’ve been the second best team in the NBA and looked to be in a good place to defend their title. Then, within a single week in January they saw both Darius Garland and Taquan St. Fort go down for the season with injuries. They are a mature and deep enough team that they haven’t fallen off a cliff and will certainly give someone trouble in the playoffs, but their hopes of repeating are effectively zero now.

Standings Update
The “month over month” changes table we showed last time was clarifying, so we’re going back to that’s same well again.

Once again this highlights how bad the West is compared to the East. Only 3 teams in the East lost more games than they won this month and only 5 Western teams had a winning record. The Hawks, Magic, and Nets have little-to-no hope of doing anything in the playoffs, but would be on the cusp of the 6 seed in the West.

1. The Celtics have been the best team in the league over the last month as the three-headed monster of Radja, Tatum, and Lillard have dominated opponents.
2. The Thunder and Suns are both still playing below their expectations and talent levels, but find themselves 4^th and 6^th in the West and within striking distance of the top of the conference.
3. The Rockets really suffered without Rudolph Butler and hope to rebound with him back.
4. Minnesota has been miserable this year and you have to wonder if Vince Carter or some of their stars are on the hot seat.
5. Charlotte has rebounded in a big way now that Sparks is healthy and have been the second best team in the league in January. The 4-9 teams in the East are a very scary group and any of them could make a run, the Hornets included.

[BlindSideNZ]

Hahaha, oh man. My Raptors are an embarrassment. The irony of seeing Justice tearing it up over on Marshdaddys dynasty.

[JoshNormanMane]

The East looks like what the West has to deal with in real-life every season lol. Wonder if the Cavs fall out of the playoff picture altogether but I'm calling shenanigans if they Nico-Dallas jump to the top of the lottery this year!

[studbucket]

Hahaha, oh man. My Raptors are an embarrassment. The irony of seeing Justice tearing it up over on Marshdaddys dynasty.

Yeah, they're a disaster. Trading for Kawhi a few years ago seemed like it should work. It didn't. They blew it up and got the talented-but-never-win-anything De'Aaron Fox to pair with their rookie big man.

The East looks like what the West has to deal with in real-life every season lol. Wonder if the Cavs fall out of the playoff picture altogether but I'm calling shenanigans if they Nico-Dallas jump to the top of the lottery this year!

It absolutely is a buzzsaw. What a crazy conference. I cannot believe the Cavs have still won a few games even after the injuries to their 2 stars. They just have great chemistry and depth.

[studbucket]

Coaches’ Corner: Episode 17 – February 5, 2026

It is KDKA Channel 2’s distinct privilege to present Coaches’ Corner with Pittsburgh’s adopted son, Ognyan Dragomirov. Live from Los Angeles, California, here is the head coach of Loyola Marymount University.

-----

Oggy:
Welcome and ‘zdraveyte’ to Coaches’ Corner! I’m Oggy and I’m here from sunny Los Angeles at the beautiful Loyola Marymount campus. With me is a miserable, suffering man who is currently buried under 3 feet of snow in Pittsburgh, Dinko.

Dinko:
It’s very beautiful outside right now.

Oggy:
Yeah, but it’s hazardous to leave the house. I am so glad to be here in warm and sunny SoCal.

Dinko:
But for how much longer? What’s your next stop?

Oggy:
I’m all in on LA for now, and our first question is related to me changing jobs. This is from Sarah in DeLand, Florida, home of the Stetson Hatters. "Coach Oggy, the Stetson program you built made the NCAA Tournament. How does it feel to see your former players and the program continue to grow even after your departure?"

Dinko:
The Hatters really have quite a program there. They were good before you arrived, great with you there, and have continued to be good after you left.

Oggy:
Yeah, they have been. I feel mostly good about it. I am really happy for the guys and it’s proof that we had a good thing going there. It’s really cool to see them keep doing well and I’m cheering for them and coach Havens. Of course, it hasn’t felt great to have them beat me handily twice or to have a team that has struggled a bit more than them in the short term. Of course, I know the WCC and Loyola give me more resources to succeed and playing against Gonzaga and San Francisco is undoubtedly a bigger challenge than Jacksonville and Campbell.

Dinko:
And Lennox Evertsen has been great.

Oggy:
He absolutely has been. He, Arnaud Dahi, Ray Rowe, Marko Nevill, and the rest of the crew are doing great. I can’t wait to see what’s next for some of those seniors.

Let’s turn to a question for you dear brother. This one is from the Pittsburgh area, as Maria asks “Coach Dinko, St. Francis has become a consistent winner in the NEC. With your brother coaching in the more prestigious WCC, do you ever feel pressure to also seek a job in a bigger conference?

Dinko:
Yes, I certainly do feel that pressure. Though it’s not necessarily from Oggy’s success and trajectory. More from the phone calls I get each and every offseason from other schools. I’m now in my 7^th season at St. Francis – which is not an excessively long tenure at all – and I am really enjoying my time here. There is still plenty left I hope to achieve for the Red Flash, so I don’t feel like I must move on.

I know the job market is out there for me – which I don’t take for granted – and Stephanie and I are having regular conversations about what the right thing to do for our family and my career is. My parents are also starting to understand that my family, and maybe even them, may be moving at some point. We aren’t there yet though, and this is all speculative.

Oggy:
And you shouldn’t feel pressure. I sometimes feel pressure because of your loyalty. There have been a lot of questions to me about if I’m doing the wrong thing, especially as it compares to your path. But as you and I have talked about many times over beers and into the night: we both stand behind our decisions. There isn’t a whole lot we would change about our paths and we think that both of us are doing great things, albeit with different motivations.

Dinko:
That’s right, and a great point. Some folks seem to enjoy highlighting our differences, even pitting us against one another. But this isn’t a competition, it’s not a zero-sum game. What both of us want more than anything is for mutual success. When this is all done and ESPN is running our retirement speeches, I hope it contains details about the multiple championships we’ve both won.

Oggy:
Spot on. Can’t wait to see how this season goes and what happens next. Here’s our final question of the episode, and this one is for me from David in LA. “Coach Oggy, now that you’re in the talent-rich and gorgeous Southern California, what are some of the biggest differences you’ve noticed when recruiting compared to your time at Northern Colorado and Stetson?”

Dinko:
Great question. Would love for you to explain how Florida and California differ in terms of recruiting culture.

Oggy:
They’re both great, but ultimately Southern California is the more talent-laden of the two. Maybe it’s the heat and humidity in Florida, or the distinct Caribbean and South American influence, but they just aren’t quite as basketball-focused as in LA. We’ve also got a bigger population base here as well.

All that adds up to more 4 and 5-star prospects, more All-Americans, and more players taken in the NBA draft. Florida has schools like IMG and DME Academy, but those aren’t “homegrown talent”, but players recruited from all around the world, while schools like Mater Dei and Sierra Canyon are the culmination of a fantastic youth basketball pipeline in LA.

Dinko:
I’m excited to see what you can do in the area and if you can help make the Lions a national story once more. So far you haven’t deeply tapped into the talent base there, as your star freshman Estrada is from Hawaii, but I’m sure you’ll get there.

Oggy:
I most certainly will.

And you our precious viewers, I hope you have a chance to enjoy the California sun sometime this year. Thanks for tuning in once again.

[JoshNormanMane]

Good in-depth piece, I feel it's very easy to 'yeet' coaches and players around in dynasties without considering how heavy the ramifications would be in real-life. Also, good piece about the talent pipeline.

[studbucket]

February Trade Deadline Moves

The NBA’s trade deadline has come and gone and there were some truly league-changing moves that happened once again. The theme of these moves was teams that have been doing OK looking to take that next step into championship contender. We’ll start with a mid-season swap of All-Stars.

The Nets and Suns swap stars
Phoenix has never quite seemed to play up to their talent regardless of the roster composition. Adrian Stewart has played alongside both Zion Williamson and Bam Adebayo, yet neither time resulted in a dominant frontcourt. Phoenix brass decided that Adrian Stewart is the guy they wanted to build around and wanted to find a playmaker to pair with him.

They found that in Kyrie Irving of the Nets. Brooklyn has a much worse record than last year. And although they’re around .500, that’s way outside the playoffs in the East and their management decided that building around an aging star was no longer the way to go. They sent the 33 year old Kyrie Irving, former UCLA man Stewart Mobley, this year’s first round pick K.J. Mendiola, and a 2028 first round pick. In return they received the 28 year old Adebayo to improve their frontcourt and defense and pair with Parkinson and Lavine. They also added Uros Dragic to step into the starting point guard role.

The Nets may or may not be better this season, but the pairing of Parkinson and Adebayo should be a good foundation for at least 5 years or so.

For the Suns, they are hoping that Mobley makes a better big man partner with Stewart and the talented power forward is also unlocked playing alongside Kyrie Irving.

Detroit is betting they can turn losers into winners
For most of the last 6 seasons two things have been true:

1. The Timberwolves have been quite talented yet underwhelming.
2. The Pistons have been pretty good with Trevor Merchant, but never true contenders.

While the Timberwolves have been bad this year, they’ve actually been solid in the 3 previous seasons with Vince Carter at coach. Minnesota’s leadership decided that they had to make a decision between KAT, D’Angelo Russell, and Vince Carter. They could have cleaned house, but decided they believed in Carter’s coaching and unloaded the 2 long-time Timberwolves.

And they found a very willing partner in Detroit. Trevor Merchant has had a number of solid teammates, but they’ve struggled to add a great second scorer to the team and Kawhi Leonard has largely been a disappointment in his time in Detroit. They addressed this in a big way by adding 2 offense-first players from the Timberwolves, hoping they create a great offense while maintaining a reasonable defense in a very tough Eastern Conference.

The Pistons ultimately added Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell (who will move to the 2), and Rui Hachimura (for salary matching) in exchange for Marvin Bagley III, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Huerter, a first round pick, and a swap. Detroit is better on paper, but we’ll see how the players mesh together.

For Minnesota, the haul isn’t terrible for trading 2 stars who are 30+ and the team is having a terrible season. It can’t get much worse, and maybe this will even be the boost they need to get into the playoffs in a terrible Western Conference. Minnesota fans are happy to rebuild around young SF Arnold McNurlin, who is a dynamic scorer despite not having a three-point shot.

Detroit is trying to do whatever they can to get a title run out of Merchant’s prime. Is this desperation or is it savvy?

The Honu add a third scorer
This has been Ben Long’s breakout year in Indiana. The former LSU star who spent a few seasons on the bench in OKC has become a 25 point per game scorer for the Pacers this season and a fan favorite. Unfortunately for those fans, Hawaii came knocking. They were up to 3^rd in the West despite missing Tyler Herro to injury and knew they needed something to get them to the next level.

Hawaii brass decided that was a third big-time scorer to pair with Herro and Fultz and went looking for one. They found a possible target in Long who was having a great season in Indiana, but Pacers’ leadership didn’t view him as an untouchable future star. The Honu made the deal sweet enough for Indiana to send Long packing and headed to Hawaii.

Joining him in Hawaii is C.J. McCollum’s corpse contract and Freddie Chandler, this year’s second round pick from Virgina. In return Hawaii had to send out second-year Artie Tyler, second-year Esteban Martinez, rookie Raphael Mallory, two firsts, and a pick swap.

It’s a steep price to pay, but if the Honu can boast 3 players scoring a combined 70 points per game and a shot at the NBA Finals, they think it will be worth it.

Lakers bolster their roster
The Sonics and Spurs were looking to unload veterans for assets and the Lakers wanted to get more depth and talent around Anthony Davis and Milos Jeffers. They grab unhappy vets Juan King and Paul George to put into their rotation.

The Sonics add former fan favorite Sagana Dupree and a few second rounders while the Spurs get more future potential with former Arizona Wildcat McCollum.

[JoshNormanMane]

Don't hate the BKN - PHX deal for BKN, it seems like they're getting the better, younger player and a 1st. I get why PHX would pull the trigger.

DET moves seems like total desperation to take on both KAT and D'Lo. I know 2k loves D'Lo but unless Merchant is All-Defense, that team is going to score 140 but give up 150.

Interesting move from IND, I would equate this to the Bucks trading Brandon Knight a decade ago after putting together a near All-Star level season. Is IND trying to improve draft positioning or do they have a franchise star that Long is taking shots from?

The 3-way trade will go down as one of the trades of all-time lol. Juan King seems like he'll be a good backup option at the 5 at least but idk what an old PG13 will offer.

[studbucket]

Don't hate the BKN - PHX deal for BKN, it seems like they're getting the better, younger player and a 1st. I get why PHX would pull the trigger.

Technically BKN didn't get a first, just a couple seconds and a serviceable PG. Bam is the best asset in the deal, which is why BKN sent so much to PHX. The Suns just haven't had any success despite all their recent talent. The hope is that Kyrie + Stewart can be good together for 2 years or so since the West is so weak.

DET moves seems like total desperation to take on both KAT and D'Lo. I know 2k loves D'Lo but unless Merchant is All-Defense, that team is going to score 140 but give up 150.

Absolute desperation move by Detroit. Merchant is a top 10 player in the NBA and the Pistons are underperforming. However, Kawhi was pretty close to washed and neither Huerter or Bagley played much defense either. They gained talent, got a bit older, added better second and third scorers, and didn't appreciably get worse on defense.

Interesting move from IND, I would equate this to the Bucks trading Brandon Knight a decade ago after putting together a near All-Star level season. Is IND trying to improve draft positioning or do they have a franchise star that Long is taking shots from?

The Pacers are rudderless. Long is a nice player, but think of him as maybe the 2nd or 3rd guy on a championship team who is getting buckets because the Pacers stink. When Hawaii offered them three firsts and three under-25 players with potential, it was easy to say yes. They don't have a plan, but now they have more assets and capital than they did last week.

For the Honu, this gives them three 20+ ppg scorers and could give them the best backcourt in the NBA, provided these 3 mesh. Long doesn't need to be ball-dominant to score, so he should slot in well. I'm excited to see what it looks like.

The 3-way trade will go down as one of the trades of all-time lol. Juan King seems like he'll be a good backup option at the 5 at least but idk what an old PG13 will offer.

Haha. Juan King is on his 6th team already, not great for the former #3 overall pick from Georgetown. But he's definitely good enough to help teams, but constantly wears out his welcome. PG13 will probably offer nothing. But this is a definite Lakers trade.

[marshdaddy]

I feel bad for St. Francis fans, man. Every time Dinko is asked if he's going to leave, his answer is always, "Yeah, well, it could happen. I get a lot of offers. Maybe. We'll see." Then he comes back for next season and the process starts over. They must be in fits 😂

[studbucket]

I feel bad for St. Francis fans, man. Every time Dinko is asked if he's going to leave, his answer is always, "Yeah, well, it could happen. I get a lot of offers. Maybe. We'll see." Then he comes back for next season and the process starts over. They must be in fits 😂

It's a good point. The story is getting tiresome to those in Western PA, but it's a small enough school, many aren't aware of the conversations that have already been had.

[studbucket]

Just got back from 2.5 weeks in Europe. Hope to get some more posts up soon.