Funkycorm Presents: A New NBA, 1983 and Beyond

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Re: Funkycorm Presents: A New NBA, 1983 and Beyond

The 4-0 finals sweep was a surprise for sure.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Funkycorm Presents: A New NBA, 1983 and Beyond

The 4-0 finals sweep was a surprise for sure.

Without a doubt. I simmed that and had to double take. For the finals I do the simulation where you can change the speed. Only game 2 was close, the others were all blowouts.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Funkycorm Presents: A New NBA, 1983 and Beyond

NBA News

by Wally Carlisle



In the news in the NBA today, the San Diego Clippers have finalized their relocation to Los Angeles and will now be the Los Angeles Clippers. In rebranding news, the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz have updated their looks.




1984 Draft Lottery

1. Portland Trailblazers (via Indiana)
2. Kansas City Kings
3. Portland Trailblazers
4. New Jersey Nets
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Dallas Mavericks (via Cleveland)
7. Philadelphia 76ers (via Los Angeles Clippers)


Sorry for the delay in this. Microsoft Word, where I write everything up, has been giving me some problems. I finally got the document opened and converted everything to a google doc. Thankfully I did not lose my writing progress.

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Re: Funkycorm Presents: A New NBA, 1983 and Beyond

Trailblazers Own 2 of the First 3 Picks in the Draft




by Wally Carlisle



Portland, OR: The Portland Trailblazers own the first and third pick in the 1984 NBA Draft coming up. The Kansas City Kings sit in between them with the second pick. The Trailblazers have fielded multiple trade offers for the third pick but have yet to pull the trigger. With 4-5 potential franchise altering players in this draft, it is hard to imagine that the Blazers would trade one of those picks. This draft features Akeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Sam Bowie, and the junior from North Carolina, Michael Jordan. The New Jersey Nets and Chicago Bulls also hold picks in the top 5.

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NBA Draft Top 5 Pick Analysis


1. Portland Trailblazers: C Akeem Olajuwon: Big men and defense win championships. This is a great pick for the Trailblazers.

2. Kansas City Kings: SG Michael Jordan: Jordan is a competitor. He will immediately improve this Kings team who is rumored to be moving to Sacramento at the end of the 1984-85 season. Our pick for Rookie of the Year.

3. Portland Trailblazers: PG John Stockton: The Blazers stood pat at 3 and I think they will be glad they did. They get a point guard who is a natural distributor and will make a great pick and roll partner for Olajuwon.

4. New Jersey Nets: C Sam Bowie: Like Olajuwon, Big men win championships. The Nets hope that Bowie can bring the Nets to respectability.

5. Chicago Bulls: PF Charles Barkley: Barkley is a fierce presence inside and the Bulls end up with a great pick here at 5. Definitely a key piece to build around.

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1984 NBA Free Agency



Golden State signs C Bill Cartwright to a 3 year/$2.49M deal.
Cleveland signs C Bob Lainer to a 2 year/$1.23M deal.
Indiana signs C Joe Barry Carroll to a 4 year/$3.61M deal.
Denver signs PG Gerald Henderson to a 2 year/$537K deal.
Golden State signs SG Jim Paxson to a 4 year/$3.83M deal.




NBA Free Agency Recap

by Wally Carlisle



There was not a lot of movement in free agency this summer as the trade market stayed quiet. Golden State lost Joe Barry Carroll to Indiana in free agency but they made 2 quality signings in free agency in Bill Cartwright and Jim Paxson. They should make them a better team next season. Indiana signed C Joe Barry Carroll hoping to put their 12-70 season behind them.

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1984-85 NBA Power Ranking by Wally Carlisle



(Sorry for the delay. We were on vacation then I had to handle some things. But we are back!)



1. Boston Celtics: Coming off a championship, they are still the team to beat in the East. Larry Bird and company will keep them championship contenders.
2. Los Angeles Lakers: The Western Conference champions will be back in the mix again led by Magic Johnson.
3. Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers have Moses Malone, a defensive juggernaut, and Julius Erving. Together they make the 76ers very competitive. But can they get past the Celtics?
4. San Antonio Spurs: George Gervin is a great scorer. Their ceiling is the conference finals.
5. Milwaukee Bucks: Sidney Moncrief needs help to keep the Bucks in games. They are able to reach the conference finals potentially, but not a championship.
6. Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have 2 solid players in Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe. The reach their potential, they need one more piece.
7. Golden State Warriors: They lost Joe Barry Carroll but signed Jim Paxson to a 4 year deal. They will be my candidate for most improved team in the West.
8. New York Knicks: Bernard King can't do it by himself. He will burn himself out trying.
9. Atlanta Hawks: They are a fun watch with Dominique Wilkins. They could make some noise in the East but not yet.
10. Washington Bullets: Jeff Ruland is a beast inside. If they want out of the first round, he needs help.
11. Detroit Pistons: Isiah Thomas is the second best point guard in the league. They consider themselves the biggest competition to Boston in the East.
12. Seattle Supersonics: They know their potential is higher than a first round exit. They will look to avenge themselves this year.
13. Phoenix Suns: They got past Seattle in the playoffs last year. Can Walter Davis lead them further in the playoffs by himself?
14. Portland Trailblazers: With 2 new rookies in tow this year from the lottery, this will be a year of chemistry building along with Clyde Drexler. Talent will get them into the playoffs but not much further. This team will be dangerous in a few years.
15. Chicago Bulls: They have a piece to build around in Charles Barkley but with Orlando Woodridge saying he will walk at the end the year, that will be the storyline in Chicago in 1984.
16. Houston Rockets: Ralph Sampson has quickly developed into a beast in the middle but without someone to get him the ball, that means nothing.
17. New Jersey Nets: Led by Otis Birdsong and an emerging Buck Williams, the Nets could squeeze into the 8 seed in the East.
18. Kansas City Kings: With rookie Michael Jordan now on the team, the team has a bright future ahead. Likely still outside looking in.
19. Los Angeles Clippers: They are still the least talked about team in California. Now they are the least talked about team in Los Angeles.
20. Dallas Mavericks: Mark Aguirre is a great all around player but with the potential for 4 first round picks in the draft next summer and 2 of those in the lottery, this feels like a transition year in Dallas.
21. Utah Jazz: Led by Adrian Dantley, the Jazz are underdogs again looking to prove that they deserve a higher spot here.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs are still years away from being a contender or a playoff team for that matter. They once again do not own a first round pick this year so look for more futile times in Cleveland. At least new ownership has said the Cavs will stay in Cleveland.
23. Indiana Pacers: After a dismal season last year, they added center Joe Barry Carroll. Along with continued growth from forward Clark Kellogg, the Pacers ceiling is growth this year. Still going to end up in the lottery.



Predictions by Wally Carlisle:

East Finals: Celtics vs. 76ers
West Finals: Lakers vs. Spurs
NBA Finals: Celtics def. Lakers



Analysis by Wally Carlisle:

It is a similar tale to the 83-84 season. A few teams are there to try and challenge Boston in the East but likely will not succeed. Throw Detroit into the mix with Philadelphia. Out West, the Lakers are still the team to beat and no one will catch them this season.

[Funkycorm]

Re: Funkycorm Presents: A New NBA, 1983 and Beyond

Top 5 Players Per Position (1984-85)



Point Guard:

1. LAL Magic Johnson
2. DET Isiah Thomas
3. LAC Norm Nixon
4. UTA Ricky Green
5. SEA Gus Williams



Shooting Guard:

1. MIL Sidney Moncrief
2. SA George Gervin
3. GS Jim Paxson
4. PHI Andrew Toney
5. KC Michael Jordan



Small Forward

1. DAL Mark Aguirre
2. UTA Adrian Dantley
3. NY Bernard King
4. ATL Dominique Wilkins
5. PHI Julius Erving



Power Forward

1. BOS Larry Bird
2. LAC Terry Cummings
3. LAL James Worthy
4. DEN Kiki Vandeweghe
5. BOS Kevin McHale



Center:

1. PHI Moses Malone
2. LAL Kareem Abdul Jabbar
3. HOU Ralph Sampson
4. WAS Jeff Ruland
5. BOS Robert Parish

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NBA News by Wally Carlisle


After an 8-24 start to the season, New York Knicks GM Dustin Moore decided it was time for a change and fired Head Coach Hubie Brown. Assistant Coach Cody Blount has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.



NBA Trade Deadline News


In NBA news today, there are 2 trades to report. The first involves the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks. The second involves the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers.


Denver trades C Dan Issel to Atlanta for C Tree Collins and an '87 first round pick (top 5 protected)

Trade Grades:
Nuggets: C
Hawks: C

This was not a bad trade for either team but not a fantastic one either. Denver was out of contention and Atlanta needed a better center because of injuries.



New York trades SF Bernard King, PF Truck Robinson, and an '88 second round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for C Bill Walton, PF Kevin Willis (rookie), an '88 first and second round pick.

Trade Grades:
Clippers: A
Knicks: D


The Clippers won this trade. GM Martin Dunlap should win GM of the year for this one. Giving up only 1 first round pick for Bernard King, who is one on the top SF in the league, was brilliant. On the other hand, what was GM Dustin Moore thinking? He fired his head coach a few weeks ago and now is trading his best players for pennies on the dollar. The rebuild is on in New York. An aging Bill Walton can provide leadership in the locker room but how long will he be around? Who is next on the chopping block in New York. Clearly, GM Dustin Moore is looking ahead to this deep 1985 draft class. But more assets would have helped. I would look for the Knicks to shop Walton this summer.



In other NBA News

Kansas City Kings rookie shooting guard Michael Jordan is well on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award. He is averaging 24.8 PPG and has the Kings on pace to make the playoffs. He is also slated to make the Western Conference All Star Team as a rookie.