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

[studbucket]

Re: Introduction

Man, those Finals match ups are all very appealing. I think the chalk match up is most likely BUT I will say my personal pick is gonna be Milwaukee vs. Denver - - The Greek Freak versus the Joker.

If Denver can stay healthy and avoid Golden State until the WCF, I like their chances. But that's a big if.

I would love to see Denver finally make it, and we'll see if that's possible.

The Nuggets and Warriors met up in the 2021 Western Conference Finals, with the Nuggets getting a 2-0 lead before losing 4 straight games. Golden State beat Milwaukee in those finals. Denver was a frisky 7 seed that year, while Golden State were a 4 seed.

[studbucket]

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

We're probably about a week away from me playing in the Drago Derby #5, which means I am going to start work on the preview article this weekend.

We've officially had twice as many people take the survey as any previous year, which is fantastic. Thanks everyone!

If you haven't taken it yet, please do so. You don't have to be heavily engaged or a commenter to do it, I am happy to have lurkers read and respond: https://forms.office.com/Pages/Respo...RaQkU2Q0lYNS4u

[marshdaddy]

Re: Introduction

That Charlotte team is sneaky good, feels like a 45 win roster but obviously talent level changes that.

Of the young recent top picks, what’s your top three on who are the best among them?

[R1zzo23]

Re: Introduction

Yup, I’m a fan of that Hornets squad and love seeing Lonzo at SF. Jerry Sparks is a beast and seems like he would be NBA Twitter’s binky lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[studbucket]

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

That Charlotte team is sneaky good, feels like a 45 win roster but obviously talent level changes that.

Of the young recent top picks, what’s your top three on who are the best among them?

The Hornets struggle mightily with 1 thing: defense. They are like Atlanta: they can score with anyone but can't stop anyone. If they can either become an elite offensive team or just an adequate defensive team (or both) this year, they could be threatening.

For top 3 picks, I could answer that a few different ways.

Top ratings:

1. Bruno Radja, PG, Boston (Croatia, 2020 draft, 3 year euro-stash) - may take Lillard's starting spot.
2. Trevor Merchant, PG, Detroit (Mississippi State, 2020 draft) - already made 2 All-NBA teams
3. Jerry Sparks, PF, Charlotte (Kansas State, 2021 draft) - scoring machine
4. (bonus) Ernesto Parkinson, SF/SG, Brooklyn (Kansas, 2020 draft) - 3rd scorer for BRK and NBA champ

Biggest Impact:

1. Trevor Merchant, PG, Detroit - has averaged 28+ points for 2 straight years and has taken Ja Morant's spot as the hyper-athletic young guard everyone loves.
2. Jarrett Pressley, PG, Golden State (North Carolina, 2020 draft) - I think he's won two straight 6th man of the year awards for the warriors and has starting PG numbers (15+ points, 6+ assists) off the bench
3. Matt Forney, PG, Milwaukee (Michigan State, 2020 draft) - averaged 20 ppg as a 6th man for the champion Bucks.

Only players from '21 and '22 drafts:

1. Jerry Sparks - ~25 ppg is worth calling out.
2. Arnold McNurlin, SF, Minnesota (Tennessee, 2022 draft) - won RotY last year, helped get Minnesota into the playoffs and looking like a possible contender after years of disappointment.
3. Pick a Thunder: Seth Valsin (SF, USC, 2021 draft) or Milos Jeffers (SG, Davidson, 2022 draft). They're similar ratings, solid stats, and very fun in their own way.

Honorable mention: Gordon Cousinard (SF, Syracuse, 2022 draft) and Christophe Perben (PF, Germany, 2020 draft) for the Trail Blazers.


For reference:
2020 Draft
2021 Draft
2022 Draft
2023 Draft

Yup, I’m a fan of that Hornets squad and love seeing Lonzo at SF. Jerry Sparks is a beast and seems like he would be NBA Twitter’s binky lol.

in the '21-22 season the Hornets had a very similar roster but also had Collin Sexton and Ball as a 6th man. The setup did not work at all. Since Lavine has come back from injury, Fox, Sparks, and Lavine rotate being the main scorer and Ball is among the league leaders in assists.

Sparks is a lot of fun and has a new haircut and beard (and looks less goofy) this year. He has 1 flaw: his shot is very low (from his chest) and can get easily blocked. But I think he still managed to up his scoring to 25 ppg last year.

[studbucket]

Coaches’ Corner: Episode 4 (October 13, 2023)

It is KDKA Channel 2’s distinct privilege to present Coaches’ Corner with Pittsburgh’s adopted son, Ognyan Dragomirov. Live from DeLand, Florida, here is the coach of Stetson University.

-----

Oggy:
Welcome and ‘zdraveyte’ to all of the viewers tonight. As we get ready for the college and NBA seasons to begin once more, we bring back little brother and big boy, Kostadin to join us for a fan Q&A.

Dinko, I don’t know if you know this, but you’re filling some big shoes: last episode we had a former national champion in that seat. How are you going to live up to the expectations?

Dinko:
Coach Roberts is a man to be admired. I am but your humble servant and have done very little to deserve comparison to a coach of his stature.

Oggy:
As always, you show that self-awareness is one of your best traits. Last show, Norm Roberts had a question for both of us that I promised I’d ask next time you were on: do you recruit players to fit your offensive system or do you tailor your offensive system to fit the talent on your roster?

Dinko:
Ideally I’d recruit players to fit my system. At a small school like St. Francis that’s not always possible though and I need to be pragmatic. I have certain ideas about what I want for each position, for instance I like quick and defensively-minded point guards, and I also know that there are themes I want across my entire team: length and shooting. I feel like my team is currently constructed in a way that roughly represents this.

There’s room to grow as it comes to recruiting, but I think both of us are finding ways to bring in talented players and improve our programs.

Oggy:
I look at your roster and see Vern Quick as the prototype of the type of player you want to fill your team with: tall and a great shooter. He’s good enough elsewhere, but excels in those areas. Of course, you’re flexible – look at what you and Muhamed Payne were able to do together. He was an average shooter and under-sized when you put him at the four, but his athleticism allowed him to excel and be the best St. Francis player in 50 years.

Dinko:
That’s exactly right. Those players are wonderful and it’s too bad they couldn’t have played together.

Oggy:
Certainly. Let’s move onto our question for the day. After the last mailbox resulted in me needing to answer a very pointed question, I made the editorial decision to choose a question for both of this this time. Our question comes all the way from South America via YouTube viewer KB:

“¡Hola Amigos! I have two questions for you:
1 - Do you feel you need to make the jump to a bigger program to be a little more recognized around the NCAA?
2 - Would you ever make a direct transition to the NBA from Stetson or St. Francis?
Gracias, and vamos Red Flash.”

Well Dinko, he’s your fan, so you get to go first.

Dinko:
A man with discerning taste. Thank you for those questions KB. I’ll go first, but my answers will certainly just be the appetizer for what my brother has to say.

Personally, I do not feel the need to force a jump elsewhere. The idea is wonderful and tantalizing, but I’m only in my early 30s. There’s so much of life left and there’s a lot that’s keeping me in Pittsburgh. Because my family is my #1 priority and they have some very specific needs, I can’t really worry about being more recognized around the NCAA. And for what it’s worth, I feel like there’s been quite a bit of recognition anyway thanks to our NCAA tournament games and the interviews with CBS folks.

In terms of going to the NBA – sure! If somebody is foolish enough to let me coach an NBA team, that’s certainly something I would consider doing directly from St. Francis.

Oggy:
Yeah, Dinko’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Unless yo boys in Duquesne finally decide they want a good basketball program and give you a call, right brother?

Dinko:
I fully support the Duquense athletic department and look forward to what they are building.

Oggy:
Beautiful non-answer. There’s a reason you’re not on every show.

KB – to your questions. I absolutely feel I need to make the jump. I feel like I’ve been open about this. I have national championship aspirations. I want to win multiple titles at the NCAA and NBA level. Stetson is a wonderful program and I am so glad I came here two years ago. I’ve learned so much, but I also know that it’s not the place where I win multiple titles. That’s somewhere else, and when a good opportunity comes along, the administration is going to work with me on a smooth transition.

As far as the NBA goes – I can’t wait to coach there, but I also want to win an NCAA title first. I suppose I could come back to the NCAA if I go to the NBA, but there’s a vision I have for my career and it starts with 1, maybe 2 or 3, NCAA titles before I move on and try to conquer the world’s biggest stage.

Dinko:
You’ve always been the dreamer.

Oggy:
That’s me. With that, we’ll wrap up Coaches’ Corner for Friday October 13, 2023. Remember – keep dreaming boys and girls.



Please take the Bulgarian brothers 2023 survey. Your responses will help shape the future of this dynasty! https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAA AAAAAMAAII8-q9UM0FHNko3RkZWNE8yOVg5MzRaQkU2Q0lYNS4u

[marshdaddy]

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

Love the coaches interviews. Great way to personalize them. And nice write up on the players. Who do you think will be the best of them?

[studbucket]

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

Love the coaches interviews. Great way to personalize them. And nice write up on the players. Who do you think will be the best of them?

I think Trevor Merchant is on track to be generational. The other players will be good, but while they are a ceiling of Lillard, he could reach the heights of someone like Dwyane Wade - perhaps become a top 5-10 PG of all time.

[studbucket]

NBA Opening Night: Honu at SuperSonics

The third game of the NBA season took place on opening night and was very special: it was the first game for both expansion teams. To honor this, and because I knew R1zzo would really want some details, I decided to play the entire game. 1^st and 3^rd quarters as the visiting Honu, 2^nd and 4^th as the hosting Sonics. The best way to see how the game went will probably be via the highlight video at the end, but here’s some abbreviated storytelling via a few screenshots.

Before the game between the two expansion teams kicked off, we saw Darius Garland score a career high and lead the Cavs to a win over Minnesota. Kawhi and Pascal also easily handled the Hornets, who still can’t play defense.

Rashad Konare had a great play early on, weaving through the defense, hop-stepping, and throwing down a dunk in front of seven-foot rookie Bobby Drake.

Anything was possible for the Honu early on thanks to Rashad Konare’s sorcery. The Honu ended the first quarter with a small lead.

Rookie Bobby Drake started to heat up and show the home crowd why he is such a tantalizing prospect. Here’s him skying over Jalen McDaniels for a 2 of his game-high 21 first half points.

It was still a very close game midway through the second quarter as young PG Brant Toole went to the free throw line. This also provides a beautiful view of Sonics’ remodeled Key Arena.

The SuperSonics started to pull away in the second half, and the Honu were floundering. Rashad Konare’s face says it all here as Bobby Drake shows him who the best young player in this game is.

It was a 1 point game at half, and then Seattle got hot and the Honu stayed the same. That 11% difference in shooting in the second half ended up making it a Seattle showcase and a raucous home crowd.

Bobby Drake was effervescent in the very first game of his young career. It’s hard to imagine a better start than 39 points in 17-26 shooting and a 22-point home win. Tyler Herro and Markelle Fultz played relatively well for the Honu, but it wasn’t enough.

Here’s 7:27 of highlights from both teams:

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[trekfan]

Re: NBA Opening Night: Honu at SuperSonics

Fun game between the expansion squads! Glad Seattle got the win.

[R1zzo23]

Re: Introduction

Cannot wait to check out the full highlight package tonight!


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[R1zzo23]

Re: Introduction

Ok, just sat down with my popcorn and adult beverage to catch the Honu/Sonics season and franchise openers!

First thing I noticed: Seattle with that A+ home crowd! Love it for those fans that have been dying for their Sonics to return. The stadium looks incredible as well!

Daniel Theis looked like he was ballin’ out early and I was legitimately shocked by that step back he hit in the right corner. As the young’ns say nowadays: Theis was in his bag tonight!

Encouraging to see Herro and Fultz score effectively and efficiently but I fear that Ime Udoka’s group doesn’t have what it takes on the defensive end of the court to get it done on a consistent basis.

Also, Dave Tran has to lead the league in alley-oops finished without dunking. [emoji23]

The real story in this game has to be Bobby Drake. This just seems like a classic case where the college game isn’t all that suited for a 7-foot wing, much like we are seeing with Chet Holmgren in summer league now. Instead, the NBA gives him much more spacing and being the face of the Sonics there is no doubt he’s going to be their featured player at all times. I wonder if Drake’s defense is as questionable as nearly all of Jim Boeheim’s recruits since he plays that 2-3 zone at all times like a coward.


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[studbucket]

Re: Introduction

Ok, just sat down with my popcorn and adult beverage to catch the Honu/Sonics season and franchise openers!

First thing I noticed: Seattle with that A+ home crowd! Love it for those fans that have been dying for their Sonics to return. The stadium looks incredible as well!

Daniel Theis looked like he was ballin’ out early and I was legitimately shocked by that step back he hit in the right corner. As the young’ns say nowadays: Theis was in his bag tonight!

Thanks for this recap, it was fun to read

Theis is going to be very important for the Honu. He's their only true big man. Tran is 6'7" and McDaniels is too finesse. Theis can go inside-out though, which is good. I put him as the 3rd most important player on this team: Fultz, Herro, then Theis. Konare is probably 4th.

Encouraging to see Herro and Fultz score effectively and efficiently but I fear that Ime Udoka’s group doesn’t have what it takes on the defensive end of the court to get it done on a consistent basis.

Also, Dave Tran has to lead the league in alley-oops finished without dunking. [emoji23]

I've simmed several weeks ahead in the NBA season as I prepare for the next few posts and the Honu actually don't do too bad in this regard. Herro and Fultz have both really stepped up.

Tran has a weird game, but he's really good at playing bigger than 6'7". He's a nice role player.

The real story in this game has to be Bobby Drake. This just seems like a classic case where the college game isn’t all that suited for a 7-foot wing, much like we are seeing with Chet Holmgren in summer league now. Instead, the NBA gives him much more spacing and being the face of the Sonics there is no doubt he’s going to be their featured player at all times. I wonder if Drake’s defense is as questionable as nearly all of Jim Boeheim’s recruits since he plays that 2-3 zone at all times like a coward.

Drake is amazing in that he plays well:
1) For me
2) For the CPU against me
3) In the sim engine


For only being 77 overall, he's having a heck of a season, but he's also proving to be somewhat injury prone. I think Seattle got a steal with Drake at pick 5 and he is the early favorite for rookie of the year.

[marshdaddy]

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

Nice spin move from Konare! I haven't been able to master that so very jealous you pulled that off so smoothly. Drake looks like a problem, good to see Seattle adding a potential star in their rebuild. Big KD vibes coming from him.

[studbucket]

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

Nice spin move from Konare! I haven't been able to master that so very jealous you pulled that off so smoothly. Drake looks like a problem, good to see Seattle adding a potential star in their rebuild. Big KD vibes coming from him.

I used to use the spin move with Giannis or Larry Johnson a lot in 2K16 but it's usually not good in 2K20. I've been able to use it effectively maybe 5 times or less, but when it works it's great. Too often it creates a really slow spin animation that creates no space.

Drake is definitely a Giannis-KD hybrid. I'm interested to see what his ceiling ends up being. He's better than I expected for sure.