The Stonecutter's Credo
When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
-Jacob Riis
I play a lot of offline 2K every year, and this year I have decided to play a MyLeague and post updates on OS.
I only ever play as one team in 2K - my beloved Spurs. I was born and raised in San Antonio (although I call Dallas home now) and I'm a lifelong Spurs fan.
At 42 years old, I've watched the Spurs through a number of eras – the end of Gervin's career, the excitement and disappointment of David Robinson, the Tim Duncan dynasty, the Kawhi saga and now this- rebuilding around DeRozan and Aldridge.
Over the years I have been to a ton of games, regular season, playoffs and a number of Finals games. So I consider myself an expert on this team, and I'm excited to get started with my interpretation of the Spurs story going forward.
My primary focus for 2018-19 is to begin picking up the pieces after the Kawhi trade and rebuild the team into a championship contender. That means evaluating players, building an offense and defense around the talent we have, and developing the young guys. I want to mix elements of the Spurs tradition while adapting to this era of pace-and-space and super teams. Based on my feel for the roster, I will probably make a realistic trade after 20 or 30 games.
Welcome to the thread! Any and all comments, questions, etc. are welcome!
GO SPURS GO
Cleveland Cavaliers. With the departure of LeBron James (again), Cleveland finds itself in rebuilding mode once more. Still, this roster has a number of veterans that could fetch young assets or draft picks from teams hungry to win now. This season should be about evaluating 8th overall pick Collin Sexton and finding trades for Kevin Love, JR Smith, and Tristan Thompson. 
Chicago Bulls. Last season got off to rough start when Bobby Portis broke a bone in Nicola Mirotic's face in training camp. With Mirotic now in New Orleans, hopefully no one's face gets caved in before the games start. Seventh overall pick Wendell Carter Jr, $80 million Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker is a core that has Chicagoans pining for the days of Pippen and Jordan.
Phoenix Suns. Its early, but DeAndre Ayton looks like he could become a franchise cornerstone big man for the Suns. They bring back Devin Booker and Justin Jackson, and are probably one player away from being a playoff team again. 
Atlanta Hawks. The Trae Young trade will be make-or-break for this front office. With Luka Doncic already wowing crowds in Dallas, will this be another Oden-over-Durant fiasco? This team has a couple useful veterans like Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Lin that they may be able to flip to a playoff team for a future pick or developmental player.
New York Knicks. For New York, this year is all about next year. Kristaps Porzingis's ACL tear means that he won't see the court until January at the earliest, making this a prime opportunity to tank for a good pick and hopefully entice a prime free agent like Kevin Durant next summer. 
Detroit Pistons.The Stan Van Gundy project ended in failure as Detroit now has two awful contracts in Blake Griffin (3 years, $108 million left after this year), Andre Drummond, and not much else.
Charlotte Hornets.The Hornets were awful last year with all-world point guard Kemba Walker off the floor. Enter Tony Parker, the 36 year old Frenchman who sought employment elsewhere when told he would be the Spurs 5th point guard this year. Just blow this thing up and start over. 
Brooklyn Nets.Brooklyn is developing a nice stable of young, complimentary players in DeAngelo Russell, Spencer Dinwidde and Caris LeVert. That could pay off in a headline star or two next summer when the Nets will have enough room to bring in 2 max players. 
Dallas Mavericks. Brighter days are ahead for the Mavericks with the addition of Luka Doncic, who has a chance to become a generational talent. For now, the Mavs should be content to develop the youngster alongside Dennis Smith Jr, enjoy Dirk's farewell tour, and finally be rid of the blue balls DeAndre Jordan gave them with his 2015 free agency.
Orlando Magic.A Nicola Vucevic trade looms as he will be a free agent at the end of this year, and the Magic drafted his replacement in Mo Bamba with the 6th pick in the draft. Aaron Gordon resigned with the team for 4 years and $84 million, but with his limited skillset, I'm not sure if that is a positive or not. 
Los Angeles Clippers. Tobias Harris. $58 million in cap space next summer for free agents. That's all I got. 
Minnesota Timberwolves.Jimmy Butler's trade demand has cast a shadow over this team in what should be a promising year. Before Butler got injured last season, the Wolves had climbed to the 3rd seed in the West. A lot will depend on what sort of players Minnesota can get in return from the disgruntled All-Star. 
Miami Heat.This team has the worst cap sheet in the league. How much can Hassan Whiteside play in this pace-and-space era? A first round playoff exit is probably their ceiling. If injuries pile up, they may have a lottery pick in their future. 
Washington Wizards.This season will largely depend on which version of John Wall the Wizards get. If he returns to being the all-NBA player he can be, the Wizards may be able to have homecourt in the 1st round and win a playoff series. If not, this team will be lucky to make the playoffs. 
San Antonio Spurs.The Kawhi Leonard trade saga finally accomplished what the rest of the NBA could not – holding the Spurs under 50 wins in a season. Before last year, you had to go back all the way to 1996-97 to find a season where the Spurs failed to win 50 games. This will be a transition year for the Silver and Black. 
New Orleans Pelicans.To trade or not to trade? The Anthony Davis situation will linger like a stale fart around this team all season. If the wins don't come (early and often), expect the trade rumors to swirl as Davis has one year left on his contract after this one. Boston or the Lakers would be the most likely destinations. 
Portland Trailblazers.Last year's sweep at the hands of the Pelicans felt like a referendum on this roster as currently constructed. With no real changes in the offseason, have we seen the best of this group?
Memphis Grizzlies.Mike Conley is healthy again after injuries limited him to 12 games last year. The loss of Tyreke Evans will sting, but the Grizzlies added Jaren Jackson Junior with the 4th overall pick, who looks fantastic so far and has a chance to learn from Marc Gasol. 
Oklahoma City Thunder.The minute Paul George resigned in OKC, the offseason was a success. Turning Carmelo Anthony and his “untradeable” contract into a useful player in Denis Schroder was a shrewd move (forgive me) that could pay dividends in the playoffs when playmaking is at a premium. Nerlens Noel lost a season feuding with Rick Carlisle in Dallas but is still just 24 years old and may provide a quality option behind Steven Adams. 
Milwaukee Bucks.The Bucks biggest pickup is former Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer. If he could coax 60 wins from the 2015 Atlanta Hawks, heavens knows what he might do with this roster. This is another team that could vault into Eastern Conference contention if the pieces gel around The Greek Freak. 
Philadelphia 76ers. The losses of Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova have depleted their perimeter shooting. The team will begin the year with Markelle Fultz as the starting PG and will need to add three point shooting if they are to fulfill their potential and make a deep playoff run.
Utah Jazz.The Jazz were one of the best teams in the league down the stretch last year, before eventually falling to the Rockets in 5 games. Head Coach Quin Snyder will count on continued improvement from rookie star Donovan Mitchell in order to take the next step and reach the Conference Finals. This is one of the handful of teams that will vie for the 2nd position in the West behind the Warriors. 
Denver Nuggets.The Nuggets are another team that is in the mix for the 2nd seed in the West. Free agent pickup Isaiah Thomas could provide some much-needed scoring punch off the bench to stabilize their 2nd unit.
Los Angeles Lakers.The addition of LeBron James means that the Lakers now have a window to maximize his potential by surrounding him with the right talent. At first blush, it may be an awkward fit with the young players currently on the team. The addition of veterans such as Tyson Chandler, Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson could help LeBron compete now while determining the best way forward with their young guns. 
Indianapolis Pacers.The Pacers got a pleasant surprise with the play of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis last season. Finding the balance between Myles Turner and Sabonis will be key to the roster going forward, but this is a team that could be in the mix at the top of the Eastern Conference this year. A lot will depend on Tyreke Evans and his ability to carry over last year's 40% three point shooting in Memphis. 
Boston Celtics.Gordon Hayward's season ending injury on opening night provided real opportunity for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Celtics pushed LeBron's Cavs to the brink last year, forcing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. That being said, this year's outcome will depend on Hayward's recovery, the continued development of their young stars, and the ability to mesh all the talent on the team. 
Toronto Raptors.The Raptors' trade for Kawhi Leonard (and to a lesser extent, 3 and D specialist Danny Green), has vaulted them to the top of the Eastern Conference. New coach Nick Nurse will attempt to balance winning at a high clip with convincing Kawhi to re-sign next summer with the club. 
Houston Rockets.After giving the Warriors all they could handle last Spring, the Rockets sacrificed some of their depth to acquire Carmelo Anthony. Early returns in the preseason have not been promising and challenging the Warriors again may be just out of their reach. 
Golden State Warriors.In a move that sent shockwaves through the NBA, DeMarcus Cousins joined the Warriors on a veteran-minimum deal this summer. Even though he is coming off an Achilles injury and probably won't be available until January, Cousins basically took all the air out of the 2018-19 season. Adding a player of his caliber to a team that was already one of all time means that no team will have a legitimate shot to beat the Warriors 4 out of 7 times this June.
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