[KBLover]

Just came up with this on the fly, so no idea how this would work or if it's "balanced" or whatever.

If you remember what your budget room was, maybe add 0.5 per game over .500, +2% for making the playoffs, -2% for no playoffs, and +1% per round advanced, and +5% for winning it all.

Calculate that and then apply that to your last year budget. Then in year 3 and beyond, instead of comparing to .500, you compare to a moving average of your last two seasons. If you make the playoffs in any year, that also becomes part of the benchmark. If you make it, you get the 2%, but no round bonus unless you advanced further than you did before. If not, -1% for every round earlier you exited. If you DON'T make it at all, -5%.

Once you make the playoffs - that part of the benchmark remains (the fans and GM now expect you to field a playoff team every year). So if you win 90 games and miss the playoffs - still a -5% for that part of the result.

For example:

Year 1: 76 Wins (result is -2.5% from your budget since you were 5 games under .500. -2% for no playoffs. Total is -4.5%. Benchmark is still .500)

Year 2: 84 Wins, no playoffs (result is +1.5% for your budget since you were 3 games over .500, -2% for no playoffs so net result is -0.5%. Benchmark is now the average of Year 1 and 2, 80 wins in this case).

Year 3: 83 Wins, no playoffs (result is +1.5% for your budget since you were 3 games over your benchmark. No playoffs, so -2%. Net result is -0.5%. New benchmark is the average of Year 2 and 3, 84 wins [83.5, but round up])

Year 4: 73 Wins, no playoffs (result is -5% for your budget, -2% for no playoffs for total loss of 7%. New benchmark is average of years 3 and 4, 78 Wins now)

Year 5: 91 Wins, Eliminated in ALCS (result is +6.5% for record, +2% for playoffs, +1% for advancing beyond ALWC Round, +1% for advancing past ALDS = total of +10.5%, New benchmark is average of Years 4 and 5, 82 Wins and Playoffs)