Hi everyone, with the season a week and a half away (Oct 28 is opening night), I thought it was time to gather interest for a fantasy league and also start talking about whatever springs to mind about the league User @Oh So Shoddy organised the fantasy league last year, and I'm more than happy to let him (or someone else) organise things this year if he wants, but from what I can see he hasn't been active much lately so I thought I'd go ahead and kick things into motion. The league I'm thinking of is a pretty standard H2H league with a snake draft. All you'd need to join is an espn account. Dunno when the draft would be, probably aim to get it done on the weekend before the season kicks off. So if you're interested in joining a fantasy league, just post below. I also thought we might as well use this thread to discuss the coming season, post predictions about who'll make playoffs, which rookies will do well, etc. On that note I'll make some predicts for the west Spurs- only real competition was OKC, and now KD's injured. It's just too bad Patty Thrills is out for a while Thunder- They're still rlly good even with KD being out and Scott Brooks being their coach Clippers- Still good, Hawes is a nice addition imo Warriors- With their roster they should be a lot better than they have been imo. Hopefully Kerr makes things work better than Jackson did Trailblazers- Another year, another season with no bench. Rockets- I originally put the Mavs above them but maybe that's being a bit harsh. They still have Harden and Dwight so yeah Mavs- They were a solid team last year and then they couldn't defend. Now we've got Chandler back and he makes any team better defensively, unless they're the Knicks in which case there's no hope lol Suns- They really struggled last year with injuries. It was great for my fantasy team because Dragic was ballin hard, but it probably cost them a playoff spot. Not this year. Random thoughts- Drafting Embiid was rlly interesting. I mean sure, the 76ers front office have a raging boner for tanking, but doing basically the same thing as last year has to piss off fans and Embiid and Noel aren't that dissimilar from what I gather, besides Embiid having an amazing post game and practically being Olajuwon 2.0. I wouldn't know though because I don't watch college ball and don't even watch much NBA games despite following it pretty closely. Here's a fun game: Name 2 players on the Knicks that can actually be called good defenders. I'll start- Shumpert
Well I'm happy that Charlotte finally has the Hornet name back, I'm thinking this will definitely bring some more fans and hopefully our team will be successful. We got Lance Stephenson on a really good deal and if he meshes with Kemba and Al well there's a good chance we can make some noise in the postseason. As for the West I think the Clippers will come out as WC champs and honestly I believe they would beat whoever would come out of the East (Cleveland included). I just can't see Cleveland winning the title Year 1. I think in the West it goes: Clippers Spurs Thunder Grizzlies Mavericks Warriors Trail Blazers Rockets And East: Cavaliers Bulls Wizards Raptors Hawks Hornets Nets Pacers
I'm just hoping D-Rose can give my Bulls one more good season before all hell breaks loose with his knee and hopefully we will win the East with the help from McDermott who needs to pull his head out of his *** before the season starts. With Gasol now we should have another threat that will give us another option outside of the multiple threats we already have and take some pressure off of Rose. And @Domo Genesis I agree that its a good thing that Charlotte got the hornets logo back. It's better than the Bobcats and it's nice to make fun of the the Pelicans now. My prediction goes in order: West-Spurs, Clippers, Thunder, Warriors, Grizzlies, Mavs, Rockets, and Balzers East-Bulls, Cavs, Wiz, Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Pacers, and Raptors I would love to join the League also just let me know when and if it's gonna happen.
Hornets>>>>>>>>>>>Bobcats, I mean one's a respectable team, the other's the league's longest-running punchline. What a difference a name makes. I actually have a fair bit of confidence in the Cavs. Sure, it's their first year together but it's not as though this is the first time LBJ has come together to form a super team and with the Heat they went all the way to the finals in just their 1st year together. So LBJ will probably play a pretty big role in helping things run smoothly, the rest will fall on their coach, who I know practically nothing about. I really can't see Clippers as contenders except maybe as a dark horse. The spurs are a freaking juggernaut, and once KD gets back, OKC are a cut above the Clips as well imo. Saying the Clips will have a better record is fair enough in the wake of KD's injury but by the time playoffs roll around, I'm taking OKC>Clips any day Pelicans I think are gonna be in a similar position to what the Twolves were in last year- a cut above the other non-playoff teams in west, but still a notable gap between them and a playoff berth I actually don't think the Pacers will make the playoffs. PG's injury combined with the mess they were at the end of last season means I just don't think they'll be that good. Meanwhile the Heat still has 2 of their big 3 (Maybe one and a half when you factor in Wade's health and the fact that LBJ is so much better than Bosh/Wade), Deng was a nice addition and Spoelstra's a good coach with a good system, so I'm taking them>Pacers. Predicts for East Cavs- lol this one's obvious imo Bulls- Obvious again... until Rose gets injured (hope he doesn't though) Hawks- Hawks were actually really good last season before Horford went down Raptors- Them and Hawks represent the tier 2 teams in the east imo Hornets- They're actually pretty decent, and only got better with Lance Wiz- Idk. They're better than the Nets so I guess they go here Nets- inb4 Lopez misses the entire season with foot issues... again Heat- Barely make it, but I don't really think that highly of the Pacers right now
meh, don't have high hopes for clippers warriors > clippers right now imo, now that they have steve kerr thunder will still be top or second after KD returns east is still a joke other than cavs and bulls
I know nothing of the NBA, nor am I a regular viewer of it, however I joined the fantasy league last year for the hell of it, and managed 2nd. I wish to have my revenge upon @Water and if he's up for it, I'm down for me and him co-managing it/starting it up again with the settings from last year. We'd just need a list of people (espn account/emails and shit ASAP) so we can set up the league. Chances are the draft if we do it, would be a few days before the start (either day or two before, but people should post best days they can do a draft + times. That is all. As far as the season goes, McDermdog representing Nebraska's college system, so best not make a retard of himself. GO SPURS *-* (not a bandwagoner of them, I've actually liked them since '07 just I forget to watch B-ball since I always forget when games are on). I literally don't know anything else that's going on at all from last year, when I still had no clue what I was doing. So, who's game?
I've talked with @MeowMix and @Dark Phoenix (who has 3 people he wants to join) about setting up a league and I'd be up to co-hosting it if you want. Predicts: West: 1) Spurs - The king stay the king 2) Clippers - Love the addition of Hawes to their bench as it helps their front court depth which was sorely lacking beyond Blake/Jordan and he'll create space for them if he plays beside them. They'll also have Redick for a full season. IF Paul stays healthy I think they have a great shot at a title. 3) Thunder - See them and the Clippers about even but with KD out for a month I think they'll finish behind them. 4) Suns - Probably overrating them but Isaiah Thomas is crazy underrated and this team is going to be a blast to watch. 5) Grizzlies - They had the second best record in the west once Gasol was healthy last year. Old Vince Carter should be better than Old Tayshaun Prince and they'll have Courtney Lee all year. 6) Trail Blazers - Still no bench, might be the most complete starting 5 in the West though. 7) Mavs - Chandler Parsons should make them better than last year and getting rid of the overrated Jose Calderon will help but the West is too stacked for them to make a serious run imo. 8) Warriors - Fun team but so many of their players are injury prone and they don't have a great bench. Teams also generally tend to start slow with new head coaches. East: 1) Cavaliers - This team has fairly large flaws but so does every other EC team and Lebron/Love/Kyrie is easily the best trio in the East. 2) Raptors - I think a lot of people are sleeping on them after their first round last year but this is a solid team and look at the division they are in. 3) Bulls - Not as high on them as a lot of people but Thibs makes sure his team plays to win every game and if Rose is actually healthy then this is great team. 4) Hawks - Horford should make a huge difference for them but I feel like it's a pretty big drop off from the top 3 teams in the conference and the next 5 or 6 best teams all seem fairly equal. 5) Hornets - Lance should help them but I kind of wonder about chemistry here as the Pacers struggled at times when he tried to take over and that he seems like such a volatile personality that I wonder about him having a negative impact on their younger players. 6) Heat - Losing Lebron hurts a lot but Wade and Bosh will still carry them to the playoffs and I could see them winning a round because Spoeltsra is fairly underrated as a coach. It also looks like they might have gotten a steal when they took Shabazz Napier in the draft. 7) Wizards - This ranking feels low but they have depth problems up front and I think and that's always a concern when Nene is on your team. 8) Nets - Brook Lopez still isn't healthy and they have a new head coach but the Eastern Conference is so shitty I think they can still sneak in. Also @[og]corbinj you should probably remove your email from that post as that's often how spammers will collect email addresses.
yes put me in league EAST: Cavs - obv Bulls - obv, and not as dependent on Rose being healthy this year. Raptors - tons of momentum, Lowry/Derozan is best backcourt in the East, Valanciunas will have a breakout year Hawks - they were the 3rd best team in the East before Horford went down and the Raps became amazing. Coach Bud is solid Wizards - at this point Wittman and injuries (PP, Nene) are the only thing holding this team from a top 4 seed Hornets - nobody on this team can shoot but the D is solid as fuck Nets - they could fluctuate between around 5th and not even making the playoffs depending on how Deron and Lopez hold up Pistons - I think SVG will surprise everyone and they'll make the playoffs. the heat could be here but I think dwade is gonna be gimpy and I don't think bosh can carry this team to the playoffs. same with the melo and the knicks, although this year is an unacknowledged tank year for them while they wait for amare and bargs to get off the books. WEST: Clippers - Blake and CP3 are both fringe mvp candidates and they finally shored up their frontcourt. with KD out for a minute this will be their season Spurs - Pop will rest his dudes and not care too much about the regular season. someone will get hurt. I don't think they'll be as hungry as last year. Thunder (?) - It really all depends on Westbrook for the first two months; mvp caliber westbrook will keep the team around here, but if he can't carry the team is gonna plummet Warriors - godly during preseason, Curry and Klay look primed from their FIBA run and Kerr will be good the west is a fucking bloodbath and I literally have no idea past this lol. pretty sure the mavs and grizz will make the playoffs, then you get teams like the blazers / suns / rockets / pells who all have a ton of talent but are missing a piece or something that would make them a playoff mainstay
westbrook for mvp mark my words didn't pay attention to the suns much last season, i'll keep an eye on them this year also put me in the league
CP/Water, I'm all good if you wanna run the league, but I guess we'll wanna get things underway really soon, so I reckon go ahead and make a league. If nothing happens soon, I'll probably go ahead and make one so we should be good. In terms of draft time, because of my awesome time zone and my work schedule, I can't do Friday and Sunday evening/afternoon (Murica time). Any other day is good, and I prefer later times because it means I don't have to wake up as early If we wanna talk mvp, I really see LBJ as the favourite, KD 2nd and after that probably Davis, especially if the Pelicans do well (like appear to be in the playoff race, even if there's little chance they actually make it in the stacked west). Rose could get a mention since he's the difference between the bulls being a contender and just another playoff team in the (lol) east, but I doubt he'd put up the kind of numbers necessary for that discussion in just his 1st season back from all those injuries. Also I completely forgot the grizz had their own injury issues last year lol, otherwise I would've factored it into my predicts. Now I feel wrong about leaving them out of the playoffs, but I guess feeling wrong about something is inevitable when there are 9 solid playoff calibre teams there.
I am on phone at but I will make the league and give water Co league manager after when I get home tonight. Giving actual days and times exactly with get if you are not American would be great and giving it even if you are helps figure out best time for drafting because when me and water tried setting up the nfl league there was trouble changing times as we had to do it a few and encountered a cool down or wait. So I wanna get a time right with minimal needs to change. Also @Water or if he reads this @Dark Phoenix get the people Dark Phoenix wants in with emails and stuff asap. Depending on how many I will assume this is either a 10 or 12 man league. Since last year's league is still viewable I will just copy the settings and recreate so I have LM over the whole thing.
Waiting on people to accept the invite to the league everyone check spam or junk folders on emails I was given. Draft time is roughly 1030 est. On saturday. If that doesn't work for a majority post about it.
It will be PM since nights are easier for almost everyone involved. It can still be changed but people need to let me know if something is entirely better.
I'd prefer Sunday but I should be able to do Saturday. The later the better but I should be able to make it work.
Well I guess I'll set it for 10:00 PM Est on sunday then. Do remember to actually confirm your email to join the league, that way I or @Water (you have LM powers now) don't have to find new people on the fly, or change the size down depending if people are actually going to play or not. That means @Dark Phoenix get your GF to join the league, @diamondslight confirm the invite through the email you gave me, water or @MeowMix or Dark Phoenix, whoever has OSS on skype get him to confirm his email and get him to have hamek confirm too. @Email I have no idea if he's gonna still be in or not, but if he is then we need to find 1 more person for a 14 team league, otherwise if he's out, then we'll do a 12 man league. So if anyone sees him on get him to confirm he's joining up or not. Also, @Duster you can confirm your invite now too.
Turns out that I'm fucking retarded and I'll still be at work at that time, I'll be free from 11 onwards though, I swear
In. Bulls front court is so deep that it's going to be interesting to see what kind of numbers they can put up for fantasy.
Thoughts about reducing roster size by a spot or 2? Last year I picked up people like Nick Calathes and Jeff Adrien for periods of time and by adding 4 teams we are removing 68 (if I'm doing my math right) more players from an already thin waiver wire. Reducing the roster size would help this a little bit and also help some with shortening the draft (and ESPNs projections start flat out sucking right around pick 100) and help lessen the impact of injuries just a tad.
I agree with water taking away a few spots would help with the amount of players up for grabs. If we take out some of the multiple player positions we should be good.
OSS suggested to me earlier this week to reduce the roster size by one, as well as IR by one as well. Though we could also do reducing by 2, and maybe IR by one as well. I mean bigger league by 4 people this year (last year's was 10). Though we still need some people confirming and getting signed up.
That was actually reduce the bench by 1 (to 3) and IR by 1 (to 1). But yeah based on results from the last two years thats one of the main changes that were necessary going forward. ESPN ranks the top 200 players so if we wanted to contain our draft to that it would be about 14 rounds - assuming 14 man league. Whether we include the IR spot in that is up for debate but with 14 spots we could have something like this Spoiler: 14 man roster PG SG SF PF C G F SG/SF or UTIL PF/C UTIL UTIL BENCH BENCH BENCH IR This cuts 1 bench spot and 1 starting roster spot (UTIL - I like having SG/SF and PF/C since those positions force everyone to build balanced teams rather than hogging all the guards and getting easy wins) EDIT: last year's league was 12 starting spots and 4 bench. 16 spots for 10 teams. 160 players and we still had a thin waiver wire. So maybe we need to cut even more spots. In which case I vote for cutting another UTIL spot. Spoiler: 13 man roster PG SG SF PF C G F SG/SF or UTIL PF/C or UTIL UTIL BENCH BENCH BENCH IR This would leave us with 10 starting spots (same as ESPN standard leagues).
warriors in four is pretty bold they're really good but i dobut they'll sweep the rockets hoping for the cavs to win it all i'd be fine if the rockets or warriors won their series
maybe a sweep is a bit of a stretch but i'd say 4-1 max warriors already swept rockets in the season series (although yea dwight was injured i think), and in wcf harden's probably not going to get as many fouls as in the reg season also warriors have a shit ton of wing guys to throw on harden MAYBE the only way i can see this going to 6/7 is if josh smith goes crazy or something and dwight stops sucking at defense if dwight starts playing then idk if the warriors have enough size to beat him all the time...
I would've said Warriors in 5 or 6, have the Rockets got any good perimeter defenders besides Ariza? I can't see them not getting absolutely smoked by Klay+Curry. Cavs-Hawks I have no clue lol, Cavs are too injured and Hawks too erratic. Probably agree with Cavs here
THE BASED CURSE STRIKES AGAIN these games are actually alot closer than i thought they would be, mostly because hardens playin like a monster (EXCEPT AT CLUTCH TIME) also carroll got injred rip cavs in 5/6 :(