interstellarshadow

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Everything posted by interstellarshadow

  1. Hey, My cousin goes to Bryant. This'll be a good one to watch.
  2. Awards Showcase: The League MVP is Shaun Horan. He averaged 33.4 points per game—to lead the league—while leading the Waves to a #1 seed and a Finals appearance, despite losing to the powerhouse Freedom. It was definitely a great year. The Defensive Player of the Year is McEverett Woods. We all knew he was going to be a defensive force when he entered the league. He averaged 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 3.9 blocks this year. His offense has been constantly improving, and he’s up to 14 a game. The Sixth Man of the Year is John Paben. He came off the bench for the Gears and had 17 points and 6 assists a game. His defense is not good at all, and that is what has been preventing him from earning a starting gig in Detroit. The Rookie of the Year is Jefferson Andrews. After somehow falling from the #1 spot to #8 (and complaining that he wasn’t #1), Andrews proved his abilities, averaging almost 19 a game, while shooting 50-40-80. He fit in well with the roster that Jamison put together, and won Rookie of the Month for every month except for November. The Coach of the Year is Aaron Pettaway, for the Waves. He led the team to the #1 spot in the West, after being projected 3rd, and finishing 42-40 last year. He also exceeded expectations by bringing Los Angeles out of the West, to the Finals, where they were, admittedly, ripped apart by Philadelphia in 5 games. 1st Team All-League PG: Griffin Harrington, PHI SG: Rowan Evans, PHI SF: Shaun Horan, LAW PF: Barry Jones, BOS C: Chris Shelton, SEA 2nd Team All-League PG: Wesley Nicholson, DEN SG: Dujuan Stewart, HOU SF: Terrell Cleaver, PHO PF: Josh Angeli, BKN C: Reggie McAfee, DET 3rd Team All-League PG: John Moore, SAC SG: Marcus Griffin, NYM SF: Luka Borstner, SDR PF: McEverrett Woods, NYM C: Georgi Stoickkov, NYM 1st Team All-Defense PG: Wesley Nicholson, DEN SG: Vernon Winkfield, ATL SF: Shaun Horan, LAW PF: McEverret Woods, NYM C: Georgi Stoickkov, NYM 2nd Team All-Defense PG: Dennis Thomas, DEN SG: DuJuan Stewart, HOU SF: Seth Forte, DEN PF: Tengiz Tsulukidze, CHI C: Jimmy Fishback, MIN 1st Team All-Rookie PG: Orlando Thomas, GSS SG: T.J. King, PHO SF: Jefferson Andrews, MXC PF: J.B. Linderman, CHA C: Elton Jones, WAS 2nd Team All-Rookie PG: Felipe Parker, DET SG: Frankie Springer, GSS SF: Ronald Cameron, ATL PF: Tyler Meekins, TOR C: Siegfried Kaempfer, MXC
  3. Lottery Selection: 14. Orlando (-) 13. Los Angeles (-) 12. Dallas (-) 11. Sacramento (-) 10. Utah (-) 9. Portland (-) 8. Seattle (-) 7. Phoenix (-) This is getting to be a boring lottery. (I hope I’ve jinxed it) 6. San Antonio (-) At least we haven’t dropped any. 5. Mexico City (-) Aww… BORING!!!! 4. Golden State (-2) Finally, some intrigue. It’s not like they need this pick, really. They do have Alexander. 3. Toronto (-2) Poor Canada. 2. Indiana (+2) 1. Charlotte (+2) And they already have a PF, so what are they going to do about having the ability to pick Rowe?
  4. Draft Lottery Preview & Leah Jamison’s Mock Draft: 1. Toronto (own Pick): PF Phillip Rowe Rowe is the undisputed #1 Pick. He can shoot, he can pass, he crashes the boards, and he has the tools to be a great defender. Of all draft candidates, he averaged the highest number of points, and was second only to Jerry Flannery, a 6’10 senior out of Wisconsin, in rebounds. 2. Golden State (own Pick): SF Darrell Rashaw While this pick may just as likely become Nick Goodwyn or Jon Crider, Darrell Rashaw is a force at the Small Forward position, and Charlotte already has a top 5 player at the PF spot—Cory Alexander. He missed almost all the season, coming back in the last 4 weeks for token minutes, and the team tanked its way to a #2 position. Rashaw averages almost 2 blocks and more than 1.5 steals per game, all while going 20 and 10 at USC. He’s slim, and his shot is pretty cooky, so it may take him a while to get used to the NBA game, but Golden State can afford it. 3. Charlotte (own Pick): SG Jon Crider Crider led the NCAA in scoring, with almost 27 a game, combine that with 10 rebounds and 7 assists per night, and you get one hell of a player. He also gets more than 2 steals a game (4th in NCAA), so he knows how to defend. Like Golden State, Charlotte is set at PF, with J.B. Linderman, whom they drafted last summer. 4. Indiana (own Pick): PF Nick Goodwyn This is a match made in heaven for Indiana. With Robert Radl, one of the league’s super-sophomores, Stotis Stekel, and Chad Williams, they are set for guards and Vulfas Sidlin is a very good wing. They need a big man, and Goodwyn should be more than able to take that spot. He may even get them contending for the 8th seed—but don’t expect that much. 5. San Antonio (own Pick): SF Courtney Cross The Outlaws are in a weird place, with Kurtis Scholl and Brandon Hughes, they have an exceedingly good, but aging backcourt, and then they don’t really have any pieces with them. So here, San Antonio just needs to draft talent, and then either market it for pieces that fit, or go for an all-out rebuild. 6. Mexico City (own Pick): C Jacob Williams We need a big man, preferably one who can defend well, and take care of the ball. Rebounding is also a plus. The two choices that are marketable for the 6th pick are PF Jeff Jones (20 ppg, 8 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 0.6 spg), a Freshman at LSU, or High Schooler C Jacob Williams (19.3 ppg, 7 apg, 11 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 1.7 spg). It looks right now that Williams is a better fit, but as we get closer, only time will tell. I know that we already have two centers, but I’ve planned on trading Kaempfer, and Chernyaev’s jump shot would make him a serviceable 4-man. 7. Phoenix (via Atlanta): PF Jeff Jones After drafting T.J. King, Phoenix isn’t in need of much, so they’ll just get whatever talent they can out of the draft, and hope to sell it later on, or at least get good role play out of him. 8. Seattle (own Pick): SF Jason Richardson Seattle needs a SF, and the Sophomore out of Arkansas is the best left on the board. He can score like few others—with 25 ppg, was able to put a lot of stats on the board. He’s not Rashaw, but he’s pretty close. If Cross wasn’t quite as physically gifted, Richardson would probably have his spot. 9. Portland (via Chicago): PG Brandon Crawford Crawford is not Orlando Thomas or Colin Edwards, nor even Brandon Helmsley, but he has the potential to become a very serviceable Point Guard in this league. Probably a future starter, but probably not an All-Star. 10. Utah (own Pick): SF Derion Cooper Another freshman from Western Kentucky playing on the wing, Cooper was a good player during his short college career. His play-style is much the same as Rashaw’s, though he passed a bit more, and his stats aren’t quite as good. It’s likely that his career arc will likely be much the same, though a little lower. Peg him for an eventual draft day steal for the Blues (or whomever he gets traded too). 11. Sacramento (own Pick): PF Devone Darby Darby is a great rebounder and a decent defender, so Sacramento, which has an All-Star point guard should be able to do something with him. 12. Dallas (via New Orleans): PG Kedrick Shelton At 5’11, Kedrick is a bit short, but he’s one of the fastest end-to-end dribblers and also has a pure jumper. He’s got the potential to play for a while in the league. 13. Los Angeles (via Washington): PG Bryan Baxter The six-foot-even junior from Florida State averaged 22 points, 8.5 dimes, and 7.5 rebounds, as well as 2.2 steals per game, and had a great season as far as anyone can be concerned. Whether or not he will be able to transfer that to the NBA, though… 14. Orlando (own Pick): PF Brian Green Orlando was above .500 this year, despite missing the playoffs. If Green can add anything to the team, that is a plus, but this is the point of the draft where the chances of getting anyone good is as much of a crapshoot as possible. He did average 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 1.5 steals as a High School senior.
  5. April 1, @ Dallas (41-30): L 104-124 Lamont Hendrick scored 39 and 10, with decent all-around numbers. He also really shut down Kaempfer. Chernyaev had 23 points and 9 rebounds, and Harper had a double-double—he scored 14 with 10 boards. Casper had 14 points and 6 dimes, while Andrews had 15 and 8 dimes (with 5 turnovers). Our ball security was abysmal again, and we drop 21 turnovers. Our team’s 3-point shooting has fell into a hole for the past few weeks, and we shoot 6-25 as a squad. Record: 21-52 April 3, vs Denver (36-37): L 75-99 We make 2 of 17 threes as a team, and shoot 39%. 22 turnovers is what really lost us the game. That and 23 fouls—to the 9 fouls drawn. Record: 21-53 April 6, vs Indiana (19-56): L 102-117 Casper had a great night, with 10 points, 11 dimes, and 6 steals. But we gave up a bunch of turnovers, and just couldn’t convert on our shots, which led to our 3rd straight loss. Alysworth was mad about playing time, but it doesn’t matter anyways. Record: 21-54 April 8, @ Chicago (33-43): L 103-117 Harper exploded for 50 points, shooting 6-8 from three and 16-20 overall. But 17 team turnovers, to 10 forced turnovers, and 30 personal fouls give Jarrod Conway 33 points and 14 dimes, to take us down. Record: 21-55 April 10, @ Denver (39-37): L 90-106 Capser had 12 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals, but when that’s our best performance on the night, you know we’re screwed. Dennis Thomas was two assists from a triple double, and had five steals to boot. We had 25 turnovers, but did force 20. That still isn’t ever enough. We shoot 36% from three, so I hope we’ve gotten back on the right track for that. Record: 21-56 April 11, vs Seattle (29-48): W 133-117 Casper was 4 steals from a triple-double. He had 31 points, 3 rebounds, 14 assists, and 6 pilfers. We keep good care of the ball, with only 9 TO’s, and subsequently win. Andrews was a perfect 4-4 from three, going for 21, with 8 dimes. We had 7 players in double figures, and were a red-hot 14-21 behind the arc, and weren’t any cooler inside, shooting 58% overall Record: 22-56 April 13, vs Portland (47-31): L 102-120 Andrews had 20 points and 4 steals, and Casper nearly had a triple-double (20 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds), but Larry Hayes and Haydar Yigit shut us down. Yigit scored 30, and Hayes had 26 and 15 boards. Record: 22-57 April 15, @ Los Angeles (55-24): L 92-103 Shaun Horan had 42 points, 9 boards, and six dimes while demolishing our team, Andrews was only able to answer with a measly 16. However, we went 8 for 18 from behind the arc, despite shooting 43% overall. Los Angeles lived at the line, making 9 more free throws than us (and taking 12 more). That, the turnover advantage, and a slight rebounding advantage was more than enough to sway the game. Record: 22-58 April 16, @ Golden State (17-63): W 117-105 With our lottery chances all but set in stone, this win prevents us from tallying 60 losses on the season, making me very happy. Cory Alexander looks set to be 100% immediately following the start of the playoffs (to which he isn’t invited). On our side, 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals from Rahim Harper are what sealed the deal. Casper had 8 points and 11 dimes (despite 5 turnovers), but every starter had at least one steal, and we forced 24 turnovers (7 more than we committed). A six rebound margin helped us take 18 more shots than the Spartans, and even a slightly worse percentage wasn’t going to keep us from winning our 23rd game on the season. Chernyaev had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Record: 23-58 April 18, vs Dallas (46-35): W 119-105 Casper scored 25, with 8 dimes, and 2 steals to lead the team to its 24th win. Harper had 23, but 3 bench players scored in double digits to push us to the win, when neither Andrews nor Kaempfer could play the whole game due to foul trouble (and Kaempfer’s ejection). We were unstoppable, with 56% shooting, including an 8-17 night from behind the arc. We also forced 19 turnovers despite giving away 19 steals (to the tune of 24 turnovers). It was all due to a 42 point fourth quarter that we were able to win. Casper missed only a single shot all game (which he rebounded himself). Record: 24-58 Final Standing: 14th West (5th worst record overall).
  6. March 19, @ Denver (34-32): L 113-120 Dennis Thomas had a very impressive triple double. He had 33 points, 14 assists and 16 rebounds. Despite that, there were some positives. We forced 20 turnovers on 15 steals. Interestingly, despite a -11 rebound margin, we managed to fire away exactly that many extra shots. Granted, we still missed enough to have fewer made field goals. We also committed more fouls than we drew, and couldn’t keep up with their efficiency. Andrews did score 26 points on 11 of 25 shooting. Record: 19-47 March 20, vs Utah (31-35): L 99-115 40 points and 10 boards from Ed Brown is easily enough to sink us when nobody manages to score twenty points. It Andrews 17 shots to score 17 points, and while Chernyaev was slightly better, our three steals as a team will always let us down, especially when we give up 14 turnovers. Utah took four more field goal attempts but made 11 more than we did, which was the biggest factor in the win. Record: 19-48 March 23, vs Boston (50-19): L 94-123 Andrews had four points before fouling out, and four players reached double figures. Our leading scorer was Harper with 24 points and 3 steals—he also had 2 dimes. Cherny had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocks, but we shot 43% and allowed the Irish to shoot 53%. Record: 19-49 March 25, vs San Antonio (21-50): W 127-117 Andrews regained some efficiency, making 10 of 14 on the way to 24 points, with 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Cherny also had 24, with 4 boards and 3 blocks, while Casper had a double-double, with 10 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Record: 20-49 March 27, vs Golden State (15-55): L 118-133 Erik McSwain had a double-double, and it wasn’t one of the good kinds. He had 25 points, 7 assists, and 10 turnovers, but despite that, the team was able to convert almost two thirds of its field goal attempts. Cory Alexander is almost fully returned from his torn ACL, and the Spartans are looking forward to next year. Andrews did manage 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 dimes, but it wasn’t without getting six turnovers of his own. Harper managed to get 18 points and 4 dimes before fouling out, and Dyer had 20 points and 5 rebounds. Record: 20-50 March 28, @ Miami (47-24): L 97-129 A blowout away loss is exactly what we’ve gotten this season. Andrews scored 18 points, and Cherny had 12, but besides that we were cold as ice. On the other hand, Jeffrey Baker had 21, and Marcus Alexander had 19 with 8 rebounds. Record: 20-51 March 30, vs Phoenix (37-34): W 107-99 Andrews scored 27 points with 3 steals, and 4 rebounds. A five offensive board margin directly led to 5 more made field goals, and an 8 point win. Record: 21-51 Standing: T-13th West (15 games below .500) Draft Watch: PF Phillip Rowe (6’8, 252, 19 Australia): The undisputed #1 pick is averaging about 27 points and 14 rebounds a game internationally—and his passing has been decent (5.5 apg) He needs work defensively, but beyond that, he should do well in the league. His extreme youth, and obvious potential really help him. PF Jeff Jones (6’10, 224, FR LSU): Jones has shown himself to be dominant at times at LSU. For a six-ten forward, he doesn’t rebound nearly well enough and his defense has holes, but he really knows how to score the ball. SF Courtney Cross (6’7, 231, FR Western Kentucky): He’s second in the country in scoring, at 26 points a game, and also manages 5 dimes and 10 boards a night as well. It looks like he’ll turn out to be a better defender than Jones, so I could see him jumping up on draft day. SF Darrell Rashaw (6’8, 209, FR USC): Rashaw is part of the 20 ppg elite, also averaging 12 boards, and flashing real defensive prowess. He’s getting 2 blocks and just under 2 steals a night. A team hurting on the defensive end (read Mexico City) could probably benefit from his play. C Jacob Williams (6’9, 247, HS): Jacob is dominating High School games throughout the country. His play is rock solid on all fronts. He’s got 21 points, 12 boards, 8 dimes, 3 blocks and 2 steals a night, and is one of the few high school players ever to record a 5x5.
  7. So, all you people out there. I think that it would be cool if I partner with somebody who enjoys playing DDS:CB and connecting it with my DDSPB dynasty. Since I use DDSPB3, just make sure that whatever you do is compatible.
  8. March 17, @ San Antonio (20-47): We’re a half-game back of the Outlaws for 13th place in the conference and while a loss would give us slightly better lottery odds, I still feel a strong urge to win this one and take the standing regardless. “Andrews receives the pass. He’s taking it up the court.” “He’s a heck of a player, for a rookie. He’s got nearly 19 points a game for the season, and he’s been showcasing decent passing of late. I’m really excited to see what kind of things he’ll do in this league for years to come.” “Definitely. That’s a screen by Chernyeav, one of Mexico’s other rookies. Andrews thinks about the drive, but lobs it inside to Cherny… That’s a nice spin—Oh a rim-rocker! The whistle gives him the chance to tie it at 11.” “And he’s got a pretty stroke. He can even knock down a three if you forget about him.” “Cherny proved you right here, Mike. He drilled it.” “Hughes gets the ball after the basket—he’s walking it up. It looks as if they’re setting a horns play. He snaps it to Jones. He’s looking to post it up. “He decides against it, and skips it across court to Dove. Dove dumps it to Scholl. Scholl fires! …Bad miss. “Harper with the defensive board. He outlets it to Casper—he’s been surprising with his passing all year—Harper screens Casper at the top of the key. That’s a handoff. Harper shimmy-shakes his way past Hughes, and a sweet dump to Kaempfer sets him up perfectly for… a dunk. Right in Jones face. He’s going to regret that challenge when it goes on Youtube.” “Mexico up 13-11 with 8:45 left in the first.” “And that’s quarter number 1. The home team Outlaws are up by 10, 34-24.” “Casper snuck through the box-outs and grabs his own miss. He immediately dumps to Rosales, sitting at the three point line. Straight through. That cuts the lead to 3. Its 48-45, with 45 seconds in the half.” “Dove takes it in, giving it to Scholl, who already has a double-double, with 11 points and 12 dimes. And he tosses it from beyond midcourt! LaFlem grabs it out of the air, and throws it down through Andrews’ foul. What a beauty of a lob!” “I’ve only really seen its like in the all-star game.” “Definitely. There’s 38 seconds left in the half. That’ll give the Vaqueros a chance to go 2 for one. It looks like their putting Kazlauskas in for Rosales. LaFlem drains the foul shot. “Andrews receives the inbounds. He’s bringing it up the floor. He spots Olev cutting to the basket, and snakes a nice bounce pass, but Stekel absolutely destroys him. Kazlauskas shooting two.” “That’s what being 7’5 and 295 pounds can help with. Protection around the basket. He’s not a great shot blocker yet, but his size still makes it difficult to get shots up around him.” “Absolutely. Olev’s had a rough night from the line so far, missing each of his four foul shots in the first quarter.” “That’s uncharacteristic for him, as he’s shooting about 78% for the season so far.” “He bricks the first one. This definitely isn’t his night. “He fires the second, high off the front of the rim—it’s definitely out, but Andrews come rushing in from behind the arc and slams it down with force! That’s his 4th rebound on the night, and while his shooting has been pretty cold, he has 6 points now—going 3 for 12. The San Antonio lead is back down to 4.” “Nice move by Andrews, but they have to box out better than that. 32 seconds left.” “Scholl has the ball again, and is pushing it up—Casper is hounding him though, and he needs to slow it down. 26 on the clock now. He drives hard, but Casper is keeping him locked down. Scholl dumps it to Hughes, who swings it. Dove with it and he launches the 3. Bang! It’s in. Andrews was caught sleeping. 20 seconds left in the half. Mexico City will hold here.” “Definitely, they’ll play for the last shot.” “Casper is bring it up, sitting at about 30 feet out to wind down the clock.” “He’s using too much time.” “Yeah. There’s only 8 seconds on the clock now. He initiates a pick and roll with Cherny, but crosses back at the last second, leaving Scholl in the dust. There is his patented floater from just outside of the restricted area. The basket is good, with 1.2 seconds left.” “We say too much time, he says just right. Casper stays back, and gets a finger on the inbounds, and time expires. That’s the second half, Mexico’s cut the lead to 5. San Antonio leads 54-49.” “4:30 to go in the third, and it’s been a rough and tumble game. Mexico’s gotten out to a seven point lead, by scoring the first twelve points of the quarter, but now Kurtis and the Outlaws have regained control with a run of their own. They’re up by 8 after an 18-4 run. Now, its Mexico City’s ball out of a timeout. Casper receives the inbounds. He’s approaching triple-double ranges, with 9 points, 7 dimes, and 7 rebounds now. He dumps it to Kazlauskas, who tosses it way over the top to old man Dyer, who’s been the Vaquero’s entire veteran presence for the season. Dyer rams it off front iron in a spectacular spine tingler. Scholl tips it forward to Dove, who was running the floor. He gathers… and Casper comes away with it. He stripped him on the way up. “Casper tosses it forward, Kazlauskas catches, and swings to Harper. He fires. Swish! That’s three on the board. The lead’s back at five for the Outlaws.” “I know everyone’s been cold all night, but you can’t just leave a shooter open like that.” “I totally agree. Harper has 13. That’s a team high. Andrews has come off the bench and looks to check in. We’ll see him after the dead ball.” “Scholl brings it up as the Outlaws set into a flex action. Flex is probably one of my favorite actions for this team to run. He tosses to Stekel. Stekel to Hughes. He puts it on the floor, going for a stepback shot, but Casper rips him for yet another steal. He flies down the court—I hadn’t realized that he could be this fast! Dove wraps him up—but he still got the shot off. It rolls around the rim—and in! That’s an and-one.” “Good on Casper for trying to finish the play even after a hard foul.” “His free throw is good. Outlaws lead is down to 2 with 3:45 left in the third.” “At the end of the third, Kurtis Scholl and the Outlaws up by 7, 80-73.” “Kurtis hits the three and San Antonio is enjoying its largest lead of the game—they’re up by 17. But there is still time left-8:40 left in the game. “But Kaempfer fires a long pass from under the basket to Nathaniel Toney, who is standing at the low block on the other side. It’s right on the money, allowing an easy dunk. Toney has 4.” “You always have to watch out for that. Most players can through a pretty accurate pass down-court like that.” “Scholl is bringing it up again. He tries an entry pass to Jones, but Kaempfer tipped it, and is off to the races. This will be fun. He leaps from just inside the foul lane—I can’t believe it. Oh, it bounced off the back rim—that’s embarrassing. But it goes in anyways! He’s one of the few people having a good scoring night for the Vaqeuros—He’s got 12 on six of nine shooting. “Time out Outlaws. Let’s take another look at that last shot from Kaempfer.” “There’s 33 seconds left on the clock, and Mexico’s brought it back to within four. 102-106. Casper has it at the top of the key. Dyer initiates the pick, and Casper penetrates. He passes it to Chernyaev, who is facing up on the weak-side elbow. He thinks about the shot, but then hands it off to Kazlauskas. He fakes a little drive, then pulls back. A jabstep-crossover clears some space out and he fires—but Dove comes out from nowhere and tries to erase the shot. “The ref blows the whistle as the shot banks in! That’s a four point play opportunity for Olev. He’s been really cold tonight, now 2 of 7, and he’s 3 for 9 at the line. He makes the free throw and ties the game. There’s 12 seconds left. The Outlaws just need a good shot, and they can come away with the win.” “No need to rush it here. They should try to take their shot with about 4 on the clock. That gives them an opportunity to rebound if they miss.” “Sounds like a plan, let’s see if they can execute. The Outlaws are using their last 20 second timeout here—The Vaqueros don’t have any. “They pass it in to Scholl, he has 17 assists on the night, to go with 22 points. He fakes a drive, and snaps it to Hughes. He considers shooting, but chooses to stick to the plan. He drives and tries a skip pass to Dove, but Dyer leaps for it, and bats the ball into the backcourt. “Andrews and Scholl are racing for it. Andrews gets it at the three point line—3 seconds left. He ignores the three-point opportunity, barreling towards the basket. Goes under, and slams the tomahawk reverse as time expires. That’s game.” “Good choice for Andrews. He’s missed more threes than he’s made tonight, so he goes for the dunk—albeit a fancy one.” “I would have gone with something simpler, but perhaps he wanted to make sure that there was no time left on the clock as he threw it in. Anyways. Mexico wins 108 to 106. Casper was the player of the game for the Vaqueros, with 14 points, 9 assists, and 8 boards.” Record: 19-46
  9. March 2, vs Chicago (24-32): L 78-138 A sixty-point blowout saw Kaempfer (our only rook not nursing injuries) score 21. However, Casper had only one point, and our team shot only 32%, making only 1 of our 18 threes. On the other side, we allowed the Bison to score at will. Six players were in double figures, and 3 of them had 20+ points. Record: 17-40 March 4, @ Seattle (24-34): L 83-113 Hilarion Genovelis had 37 points and 7 rebounds (with 2 blocks and 4 steals) for the Speed as we cannot overcome their home-court advantage. Monroe had 27, and that tandem far outperformed Kaempfer and Olev (who are trying to take up the slack with Cherny and Andrews hurting). Kaempfer had just 14, with 4 turnovers. Olev scored 15. Record: 17-41 March 5, @ Phoenix (31-29): L 96-114 Cleaver had 37 points and 10 rebounds for the Beams as they cleaved our defense in two. Andrews tried to match it with 29 points and 6 assists, but very little can really offset that type of domination from a player. Cherny did have 19 points, including 1 three (he was 1 of 1). Cherny is actually showing some of a stroke, despite taking less than a 3 a game. He is shooting 42% on 38 attempts. Record: 17-42 Because of Cherny’s stroke, I ask Coach to encourage him to step beyond the arc more often. He said he’d pass the message along though if it goes over poorly, he’s gonna lay the blame on me. I don’t particularly mind, as long as he tries it. March 7, @ Houston (35-25): L 103-120 Andrews was the game-high scorer tonight, with 27, but we still can’t manage the win. Leo Blevins and Dujuan Stewart scored 25 apiece, and Ron Scholl wasn’t far behind with 18. Kaempfer had 20 and 10 rebounds, and Andrews Stats were pretty well rounded with 6 rebounds and 8 dimes, despite a bunch of TOs. Record: 17-43 March 9, vs Washington (29-32): L 106-131 Keady had 29 points, 10 dimes, 9 rebounds, and 6 steals in a great showing against us. They had four players with more than 20 points (though, only 4 players scored in double figures), to offset 21 points from Olev, Casper nearly had a double-double, with 10 points and 9 dimes. He also had 5 boards. Kaempfer had 18 points and 4 rebounds. Record: 17-44 March 11, vs Sacramento (31-31): L 92-114 Rahane Joseph scored 31 with 9 rebounds against us, leading the Royals to shoot 59% from the field. They made 10 of 14 threes, and more than made up for an early 11-point deficit. We shot 41% from the field, missing more than a few threes, and most of our free throws too. Andrews was still pretty good on the night. He had 19 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Record: 17-45 March 13, vs Charlotte (17-46): W 126-114 With an almost identical record in the East, the Wildcats are looking like a decent expansion team and are doing better than the Dinos. That just made this game all that much more important. Andrews had 23 points, but Casper was even better—he had 20 points and 11 dimes (all with only a single turnover). Tim Dyer also had a double-double, with 15 points and 11 boards (five on the offensive end). Kaempfer was close to one himself. He had 20 points, and 8 rebounds before fouling out after 26 minutes of play. Record: 18-45 March 15, vs San Diego (32-32): L 108-132 With teams ramping up for the playoffs, 34 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block from Andrews wasn’t enough, as reigning ROY scored 30 to lead the Riders to a blowout victory. We were badly outrebounded (a theme for the year) and outmatched across the field. Only Andrews was able to convert against the San Diego defense with any regularity. Record: 18-46 Standing: 14th West.
  10. Names are fudged. Also Remember to use DD/MM/YYYY to make this game run.
  11. February 20, @ New York (37-15): L 112-119 McEverett Woods had 29 points and 10 rebounds in a close game at the Madison Square Garden. Marcus griffin had a huge double-double as well, with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Six New Yorkers had double figure scoring, while for us. The night was defined by 24 from Andrews, 20 from Chernyaev, and only six free throws all night (the Metros had 13 made free throws). Despite 18 lead changes, we only ever lead by two, after coming back from a big 1st quarter deficit to tie the game at the beginning of the fourth. Record: 15-37 February 22, @ Detroit (34-18): L 113-92 Andrews only had 13 points in his lowest scoring output for a little while Kazlauskas had 20 points and Casper had a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. Chernyaev had 17 points, but we allowed a 12 rebound margin, 13 more free throws, and an 11% better mark from the field. On the plus side, our perimeter D was solid, allowing only 1 of 10 threes to fall. Record: 15-38 February 24, @ Washington (27-28): L 85-122 We allowed 7 players to score in double-figures, with 4 of them managing 18 points or more. Darius Keady was exceedingly close to a double-double—he had 20 points 8 rebounds and 8 assists. We allowed a 23 rebound advantage to go to the Americans, and a very good shooting percentage across the board. Record: 15-39 February 27, vs Houston (32-23): W 107-95 The night was Cherny’s He had 20 points and 9 rebounds. However, had Andrews not fouled out defending Ron Scholl and the other guards, his night would have been spectacular. He had 21 points and 6 rebounds on 10 of 15 shooting. We were rolling on the night, making 52% of all shots, 5 of our 10 threes, and had a 4 rebound advantage. We forced 23 turnovers (-3), but had 7 blocked shots. Cherny had 2, Rosales had two, and Nathaniel Toney had 3. Record: 16-39 February 28, vs Seattle (24-32): W 107-100 Charlie Casper had 25 on the night, while Andrews took the role of Point Guard. He had 16 points and 11 dimes, and Tim Dyer gathered 15 rebounds off the bench (with only 8 points). Chris Shelton, the league-leading rebounder, had 22 points and 14 boards on the night, but we made 9 of 24 threes and the right free throws when it mattered. We also had 11 steals (+1) to force a +8 turnover margin to win despite a -6 rebounding gap. It was all due to a late fourth quarter surge that we came out with the win. Record: 17-39 Draft Class Watch: Philip Rowe Courtney Cross Nick Goodwyn Jacob Williams Jeff Jones
  12. January 17, vs San Diego (18-19): L 115-131 Despite a game-high 31 from Andrews, and a +4 turnover margin, we fall by a big margin. It was the rebounds that did us in. We had only 29 on the night, yielding 40. We also didn’t adequately defend shots, allowing the Riders to shoot 60% from the field, and behind the arc, converting 12 of 19 threes. Bishop Popp was tops for San Diego, with 28 and 8 boards. Record: 12-25 January 19, @ Brooklyn (26-12): L 103-121 Ivan Salinas had 27 for the Hoops, with 4 steals. Every single one of their starters was flirting with having 20 points on the night (and only one was beneath it, with 19). We turned the ball over 24 times (-9), and it was all due to their 18 steals (+9). Neither team shot particularly well, but they had ten more field goal attempts. Cherny had a team-high 20. (And Casper and Kaempfer started). Record: 12-26 January 20, @ Milwaukee (19-21): L 89-110 Jason Ray had a career-high 17 rebounds for the Moose, whose lead was as big as 24. We get outrebounded by 10, and allow 14 turnovers to their 9. Additionally, we shot 29% to their 50%. All-in-all, they dominated us inside, with 56 points in the paint to our 24. Andrews had 18, and Casper had 21 with 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. Record: 12-27 January 22, @ Charlotte (11-29): L 120-123 In this close game, it came down to the fact that we allowed 11 threes, while only making 8 of our own. Of course, allowing 19 free throws, while going 12-18 from the charity stripe doesn’t help either. After ceding a 14 point lead midway through the second quarter, we started really playing much more physical. We narrowed the lead to 7 by halftime, and slowly started whitling away. At the end of the third, we had finally narrowed the gap to five, after getting as close as 1 point behind. We spent most of the fourth within 2 points, either ahead, or behind, until we were tied with 36 to play. Both coaches had used their last timeouts somewhat earlier. We brought it up the floor, and quickly set up into a pick-and roll, which opened Andrews up for a three. He passed the shot up, when a defender came running at him, stepping in and instead calmly nailing a long 2 (He was 10 of 14—3 of 4 from deep—and scored 26 points). 22.2 on the clock. From there, Nikica Tepavac pushed the ball up quickly, and passed to J.B. Linderman, whose dunk was foiled by none other than Andrews. However, the ref blew his whistle, and Andrews’ great defensive play became one that would cost us the game. Linderman nailed both free throws, and Andrews’ sixth foul sent him to the bench for the last 14.8 seconds. Now, here is where it gets hairy. Coach thinks we can win in OT, so he tells everyone to waste time. We take all eight seconds to bring the ball to half-court, but with 3 seconds left, Kaempfer commits an illegal screen, trying to get Rahim open for a shot. Turnover. Romain Clark takes the inbound pass. After receiving the ball from the ref he fires it off, all of the way down and across court, to Nikica Tepavac, who had make 6 of 13 threes on the night to this point. He squares up, takes the pass, and lets fly. Game over. Record: 12-28 January 23, vs Indiana (7-34): L 92-113 Chad Williams gets 19 and 10 rebounds to send us home with our 8th loss in a row. We gave up 11 more shots (for 12 more makes), which is basically all that anyone needs to know. Again we were devastatingly outmatched in the paint, allowing 56 inside, while only providing 28. Andrews and Cherny had 15 apiece, and Casper had 12, with 7 boards and 5 dimes. Record: 12-29 January 26, vs Philadelphia (35-7): I left the Philadelphia team in good hands. Of course, it would be pretty hard to actively screw the team up. They are currently in sole possession of the league’s best record, on pace to come close to the record for the most wins in a single season. Coming off of a tough loss on the road against Dallas, they will be looking hard to turn things around. Harrington is averaging 19.6 points and 10.1 assists per game, and his defense has taken another stride. He now has 3 career triple doubles, and is well on the way for another All-Star selection. Evans has moved up the ladder to a strong #2 option, also averaging in excess of 19 points per game, with an unreal shooting percentage. He is converting better than 60% of his shots, and 47% of his threes. So, there was quite a bit of hype about these two teams meeting. Of course, it shouldn’t be a competitive match, with the best team in the league facing off against a scrappy, but young and untalented expansion squad. Certain pundits suggested that the match could be closer than most people realized, but no one would bet against the Freedom (Even I wouldn’t). We all knew it was going to be a fun game to watch when Jefferson Andrews took his first shot from about 30 feet. He had tripped while receiving a pass, and launched the shot to avoid travelling. It didn’t touch the rim, or really anything else, as it flew through the cylinder. The first quarter wasn’t a particularly good one for us. Philly was showing its talent. Harrington threw the rock around like it was magnetically attracted to open teammates, and everyone was draining their shots. We made some of our baskets and were playing solid basketball, but, there wasn’t really a way that we could keep up. Harrington had 10 dimes before sitting down with 3 minutes left in the quarter. Philadelphia comes out of the first with a 6 point lead. We had shaved a few points off after they subbed in their bench for the last couple minutes. Andrews was a little quiet in the first. He had 8 points on 3 for 4 shooting, preferring to let others take the fun in the period. But when the second quarter started, he came out with a bang. On the first possession, he jumped into the passing lane, grabbed the ball, and flew to the other end of the court, where he converted a powerful tomahawk jam. This opened up the way for him in the period. He scored 18 in the second quarter all on layups and dunks (he was 9 of 11), crushing the Philadelphia lead and tying the game up at 57. Baykurt had been rolling all game, but in the third quarter, Cherny really used his long reach to keep any passes from getting inside. Our +2 turnover margin quickly became +8. At that point the lead was getting insurmountable. Andrews and Kaempfer were relegated to the pine before the end of the third, and the other starters were soon to follow. Rahim Harper stomped around a bit in the fourth, racking up points in garbage minutes, and our 15 point lead dwindled to 11. Interesting stats: Jefferson Andrews had 36 points. Griff Harrington was flirting with his 4th triple double. He had 15 points, 21 assists, and 7 rebounds. He did, however, have 8 turnovers. Rowan Evans had 27, with at least two in every statistical category. Game Over. Good guys WIN: 117-106 Record: 13-29 January 28, @ San Diego (22-20): L 102-117 That last game was some storybook stuff, and everyone knew it. We came out a little sluggish, allowing 65 in the first half, and our rally, which began midway through the third quarter, ended up being too little, too late. We shot 6% worse than the Riders, whose David Burke is still injured, and also had negative margins in most other statistical categories. Our lead rookies both had more than 20; Andrews had 25 points on 9-17 shooting, and Chernyaev made 9 of 15 for 20 points and 9 boards. Casper had a 12 point, 12 dime, double-double and led the team with 3 steals. Record: 13-30 January 30, @ Portland (26-19): L 76-112 We couldn’t buy a bucket all night, going 35% from the floor (2 of 13 from deep). On the other end, we couldn’t stay in front of our opponents and, as expected, lost big. Larry Hayes had 20 and 7 boards to lead Portland to yet another victory. Record: 13-31 January Rookie of the Month: Jefferson Andrews, MXC January Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, LAW February 1, @ Sacramento (24-19): L 84-116 I will say this. It was a closer game. Rahim Harper had 25 for us, as what would be basically the only real bright spot. This time, however, we shot better, about 43%, and allowed less than 50% of opposing shots to go in, but the real difference make was based on fouls. We made only 7 free throws all game (of 17), while allowing Sacramento to make 29 of its 33. If that margin were closer, we would have only lost by about 10. John Moore was tops for Sac-town, with 36 points and 7 rebounds. Record: 13-32 February 2, vs Dallas (27-15): W 125-121 This was an extremely tough set of games, and beside a Golden State match on the 5th, it doesn’t look to get much easier. I am, however, super stoked to get wins against both the reigning champions and the runners-up. In this game, 7 Vaqueros scored in double figures, including Rosales. Tim Dyer (who leads the team in rebounding off the bench) had a double-double with 13 and 10 boards; he also had 3 blocks). Casper had 20 points and 6 dimes. Andrews had 25 points and 4 dimes before fouling out; he also recorded a steal and two blocks to take home Player of the Game honors. We shot 57% from the field and converted 86 points in the painted area. George Brown had 23 points and 15 dimes for the Rangers, who just couldn’t complete the rally. We never trailed in the game, and led by as much as 15. Record: 14-32 February 5, @ Golden State (9-39): L 118-138 Allowing a 61% conversion rate from the field isn’t going to win games. Stevie Perine had 33 and 10 rebounds for the Spartans, while Brandon Huss had 29 to go with 5 steals. On our side a near-perfect 30 points and 7 assists from Charlie Casper (8-11, 4-5 from three, 10 of ten from the charity stripe), along with his 4 steals, proved to not be enough. We fell behind to a 42 point 1st quarter, and despite a rally in the second, we weren’t able to even the game, and we couldn’t keep up with the scoring pace of the Spartans. They had an impressive 34 team assists, to our above average 26. Also, Andrews had 21 points, shooting 9 for 12. Record: 14-33 February 6, @ Minnesota (29-18): L 97-120 We did managed to have every player score in the game, but only two players exceeded 10 points, Kaempfer had 10, and Kazlauskas (he hasn’t done big things all that lately) had 18. As a team only Olev and Dyer attempted more than ten field goals. We shot 40%, and allowed Minnesota to go wild in the paint. Carl Timon (SG) had 32 points, Jimmy Fishback ©, had 22 and nine rebounds, and Wolf Ludendorff (SF|C) had 29 and 8. Record: 14-34 February 11, @ Boston (37-25): L 116-139 We allowed Barry Jones to score 52 on us. And what a 52 it was. He was 24-28 from the field, also gathering 9 rebounds. Brandon Hemsley had 21 assists to help him out, and the Irish shot 62% as a team. On our side, it took Andrews 33 shots to score 36 points, and Rahim Harper took over for Kazlauskas at the SG position. He had 17. We never held a lead in the game, it was just a dominating performance from Jones. Record: 14-35 February 13, @ Philadelphia (40-12): L 114-133 Jefferson Andrews made 24 of 29 shots for a career-high 51 points. He became the youngest player (at 20 years old, to score at least 50 points in a game. With that line, he broke his own record for largest scoring output in our team’s young history. However, Griffin Harrington had 33, 19 assists and 7 rebounds. Both Baykurt and Evans had 25, and together, they created such a well-organized attack that we never held a single lead. Of course, we only had two players with double figure scoring. Record: 14-36 February 15, @ Toronto (8-46): W 99-91 Andrews scored 18, but the real MVP was Rodriguez Rosales, who had 5 steals, and 9 rebounds, despite having only 4 points. Harper had 11 and 8 dimes. Tyler Meekins had 16, which was good, but my pick, one spot later still outperformed him. Cliff Dodson had 20 for the Dinos, but we won behind great defense, allowing only a 40% mark from the field. Record: 15-36 All-Star Weekend 20143 Point Contest: Field: Rowan Evans, PHI; Jim Austin, UTA; Alfons Korda, ORL; Romaine Rodenbach, D-League; Jack Andreson, SDR; Leroy Johnson, TOR; Kenny Besecker, DET. Champion: Alfons Korda (1st round 23, Final: 21) Dunk Contest: Lineup: Jody Jones, MIL; Alojzy Kapuscinski, DAL; Ronald Cameron, ATL; Carl Regis, PHI; Champion: Carl Regis (61 first round, 67 final) Rookie Sophomore Game: I had 5 players in the game, Charlie Casper and Olev Kazlauskas for the sophomores, and All three of my first round draftee’s for the rookies. As expected, it was a blowout win for the Sophomores as Riley Monroe scored 37, with 8 dimes, and 11 rebounds in a near triple-double. Casperhad a double double, with 10 points, 11 dimes, and 6 boards. Olev had 4 points in 9 minutes. But on the other side, while Kaempfer and Chernyaev didn’t have the best of games, Andrews scored 30, with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, showing out as the best rookie of the night. All Star Game: Expectedly, I didn’t get an All Star this year. Andrews hasn’t quite made the cut yet. The East won in a relatively close one: The West was ahead at the end of the third, but a 43 point quarter from the East, led by Barry Jones, who had 30 on the night, was a big difference maker. Griffin Harrington had 14 and 14 on the night, with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. They won despite going 3 for 13 from behind the arc. West: 143, East: 150
  13. Rahim is a decent guard, which will help our problems in the backcourt--he may even start over Casper. Despite losing Akakide and temporarily gutting our frontcourt, I know we are going to be getting a decently high pick in the draft, so we have a good chance to replenish that position for next year. Hopefully coach decides to play Kaempfer, in order to get him more playing time and experience.
  14. January 2, vs Cleveland (20-11): W 113-108 With that win, our inter-conference record moves back above .500, which is very impressive for such a young team. Casper had 17 points, 6 assists, 5 boards, and 4 steals. Cherny returned for his first game since breaking his hand. He had 11 points and 5 rebounds, with 4 steals of his own. Kaempfer played 20 minutes off the bench, scoring 20 on 8 for 10 shooting. Our key advantage was the turnover battle, which we had a +3 margin in. That and our 33 made free throws (of 36). Record: 10-21 January 5, @ New Orleans (13-29): W 112-104 Cherny’s return has definitely spurned our team to play at the top of their form. Jefferson Andrews’ play was particularly top notch. With nary a turnover, he had 24 points, 5 boards, a block and 2 steals. We held a 19 point lead midway through the third quarter, before playing our bench for heavy minutes. Kaempfer was the best off the pine with 11 points and 7 rebounds. We also had a 13 board margin, including 14 offensive rebounds (+8) in the victory. Record: 11-21 January 6, vs Brooklyn (23-9): W 112-92 I was worried going into this game. I shouldn’t have been. 7 players scored in double figures, and we forced 21 turnovers to take the win. Andrews was tops for us with 18 points and 6 boards. He also had a hat-trick of steals. Double-doubles belonged to both Akakide Turkestanov, with 13 points and 10 boards, while Fred Aylsworth had 12 and 10 dimes. Record: 12-21 January 8, @ Atlanta (14-18): L 91-112 Our winning streak ends at 3, as we fall to the Eagles despite 25 and 10 from Turkestanov (Turks). Vernon Winkfield had made his way to them, and had 35 and 11 rebounds against us. Point Guard Andre Evans had 26 points, and we are sunk against such an offensive onslaught. Only for players had double digit scoring for us, Andrews, Turks, Cherny, and Kaempfer. The rest of the team shot 8 for 38. That isn’t going to get it done. Besides the ball not going in the net, we were pretty good on the night. I would have liked to have dropped their shooting a few more points, but that was pretty much it. Record: 12-22 January 11, vs Phoenix (15-19): L 81-95 Terrell Cleaver had 34 on the night, but we kept rookie T.J. King down to 8 points on four of 13 (0-7 from deep). We give up a 6 rebound margin (including 16 offensive boards) and also a -13 TO disadvantage. The best part of the game was our field goal defense. We prevented each of their 17 three-point attempts from going in, and limited them to a 33.7% mark from the field (32-95). They actually had only one more field goal than we did, but had 16 more free throws made. If we could have limited our fouling we would have won this one. Record: 12-23 January 14, vs Orlando (23-13): L 105-119 Our good run against Eastern Conference opponents has taken a (hopefully short) hiatus. We only score 34 in the paint, allowing 60 from the Mystics close in. 14 turnovers led to 25 fast break points and we never had the lead. Andrews had 17 (and 7 dimes, with only 1 TO), but he wasn’t the leading scorer. Casper had 22 and 8 dimes, while Cherny had 20 and 12 boards. Jason Herron was the leader for the Mystics, with 23 points, 9 dimes, four rebounds, four steals, and 2 blocks, in a dominant performance. Sophomore number 1 pick Justin Wells had 23 and 8 boards on the night. Record: 12-24 Standing: 13th West (+5.5 games from 14, and -3 games from 12) Draft Class Watch: 1 (1). Phillip Rowe (PF, 6’8, 252, 19, Australia) 2 (2). Jeff Jones (PF, 6’20, 224, FR, LSU) 3 (5). Devone Darby (PF, 6’10, 216, HS) 4 (4). Darrell Rashaw (SF, 6’8, 209, FR, USC) 5 (N/R). Jacob Williams (C, 6’9, 247, HS) Whoever gets the number 1 pick will be fired if he doesn’t pick Rowe (or if Rowe doesn’t pan out). He’s currently averaging 25 and 12, with great passing numbers. Yet, if his defense continues to nose dive, you could see Rashaw and Williams look to dethrone him. Still a crappy year to be in the market for a guard. I got called for a couple trades: A three team trade has been announced: Vaqueros Receive: PG Rahim Harper (from Speed) 2014 1st Round Pick (MIL) Moose Receive: SG Matej Metelko SF Chris Kante (from Speed, Released) SF Dermek Eddins (from Speed) 2015 1st Round Pick (MXC) Speed Receive: PF Akakide Turkestanov (MXC) 2014 2nd Round Pick (MXC) 2014 2nd Round Pick (BKN, via MXC) 2014 2nd Round Pick (MXC)
  15. Also, I realised that I got the top two prospects without a pick higher than 6.
  16. Yes. Once Cherny's hand gets better, we should be less crappy. We need another offensive presence.
  17. Maybe a little... Somehow I managed to get a decent draft without a Latvian.
  18. December 17, vs Denver (10-14): L 81-109 Andrews had 18 with 7 boards, with 2 blocks, as we fall yet again. Only Andrews is consistently able to get his, though he shot significantly below 50% tonight. Metelko, Kazlauskas, and Aylsworth were the only others able to break double digits. Dennis Thomas was the best in the Peaks all point-guard lineup, scoring 24 with 6 dimes and 7 rebounds. We also are outpaced in the assist category with 15 to their 25 (and our 21 TOs) Record: 6-17 December 20, @ Dallas (14-7): L 94-126 O.J. Mann had 26 points and 8 rebounds off the bench for Dallas to take the player of the match against us. We continue to be downright terrible from the floor, and I can only hope that we figure out how to put points on the board. Only 50% of our shots were assisted, and I think that we need to fix that. Record: 6-18 December 21, @ Orlando (16-9): L 88-125 Siegfried Kaempfer got the start tonight, and had 15 points and 6 boards. 6 players were able to score in double figures tonight, with Kaempfer leading the way, but we were outrebounded by double-digits and shot 38% on the way to a 38 point blowout loss. Alfons Korda had 34 for the Mystics. Record: 6-19 December 23, vs Toronto (4-22): W 117-92 One of very few games that we were supposed to win this season, we take care of business. Akakide Turkestanov had a great night, with 22 points and 8 rebounds, shooting 9 for 12 and 4 of 7 from the line. Andrews had 18, Kaempfer 15, and Metelko had 14 in 16 minutes. Rosales had been struggling ever since returning to the bench. Cliff Dodson had 20 to lead the Dinos but Meekins had only 9 and their other starting forward was unable to convert a basket in eight tries. We had 50 rebounds on the night, which created a 19 board margin. Record: 7-19 December 25, vs Los Angeles (16-12): L 102-115 Shaun Horan had 42 points, with 6 dimes and 5 boards. Andrews had one block, but otherwise made no positive statistical contribution other than his 24 points. Olev had 19, and Casper had 11 dimes to go with 9 points and 6 rebounds. Record: 7-20 December 26, vs Utah (13-13): W 118-110 Jefferson Andrews had a similar statline to yesterday’s outburst by Horan. Of course, he didn’t score 42, but had a big 31. We gained a slight lead in the first and never really relinquished it, only letting the lead change a couple times. Olev was second in the team for scoring, with 15. Three others were able to get double digits, and Rosales had 9 points and 7 boards, with 2 steals and a block. We only had 4 turnovers on the night, and had 10 steals on the other end. Ed brown had 24 and 7 for the Blues. Record: 8-20 December 28, @ Sacramento (15-12): L 72-86 An ugly result for an ugly game. It was close until the fourth quarter, where Sacramento regained some semblance of an offense. We made all of our sixteen free throws, but that was really the only good part of the game. Only Aylsworth and Andrews had double-digits on the night, and we had a total of 19 turnovers as a team. Record: 8-21 December 30, vs New Orleans (11-18): W 102-86 They had just come off a back to back, and had to travel to another country before playing us. Jefferson Andrews had a season-high 44 points to claim the player of the game award. Charlie Casper stopped looking to score after missing his first three attempts, making only 1 of 2 free throws for a single point. He did have 11 dimes, 5 boards, and 5 steals. Turkestanov had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks to anchor a defense that allowed only 36% of opposing shots to fall. Mapp had 27 for New Orleans, but that was it. Record: 9-21 After 30 games, we are hovering around a .300 winning percentage, and showing definite promise despite not having our highest pick, Aleksandr Chernyaev. We are still, interestingly, .500 against the East. Standing: 13th West. Player of the Month: Shaun Horan, LAW (32.2 ppg, 4.0 apg, 5.8 rpg, 2.6 spg, 1.2 bpg) Rookie of the Month: Jefferson Andrews, MXC (17.4 ppg, 1.0 apg, 2.7 rpg, 0.6 spg, 0.4 bpg) League Leaders: Points: Shaun Horan, LAW: 32.2 ppg Assists: Steve Lawrence, ORL: 11.3 apg Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 13.0 rpg Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, CHI: 3.7 bpg Steals: Carl Timon, MIN: 2.8 spg Rookie Leaders: Points: Jefferson Andrews, MXC: 17.4 ppg Assists: Orlando Thomas, GSS: 3.9 apg Rebounds: J.B. Linderman, CHA: 5.8 rpg Blocks: Aleksadr Chernyaev, MXC: 0.8 bpg Steals: J.B. Linderman, CHA: 1.3 spg
  19. December 1, vs New Orleans (6-9): W 120-104 Jefferson Andrews didn’t take long to show his potential. He drops 40 points, with 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. Olev had 21, and we force 19 TO’s despite only having 6 steals. We had a huge rebounding margin, and 34 team assists. Leading by as much as 25, it feels really nice to have managed to win 2 in a row. Record: 3-12 December 2, @ San Antonio (3-13): W 120-109 Woo! 3 in a row! Akakide Turkestanov had 23 and 9, and Andrews had 22. Olev had 17, and our win was defined by our eleven steals, and the 21 turnovers we forced. We took 20 more field goal attempts and 9 more free throws, which really guided the team. Record: 4-12 Rupert Thomas texted me the night before our Detroit game, he tells me that he isn’t blending well with coach, and that one or the other of them has to go. Now, I don’t have a huge amount of confidence in Coach Thompson, whom I am paying barely 20k more than my first assistant. In fact, he is only earning 50k more than my third assistant, whom I pay 300k. Thomas is technically the 9th man in the rotation, but he is the first big off the bench, and has 6 points and 5 boards a night. When Chernyaev comes back, he would be considered almost extra, but I am not sure if I can just get rid of him yet. I’ll fish the trade waters. And I get a biter. TRADE: MXC Send PF Rupert Thomas to Hoops for Rodriguez Rosales, picks. Mexico City has just confirmed that they have traded discontented Rupert Thomas to the Hoops. In return, they got SF Rodriguez Rosales, who was also on the outs with his coach, C Tom Hardy, and the next three years of Brooklyn’s second round picks. Winner: Both teams gave up a player that they had seen in their future until neither could deal with their coaching staff. Of the two Bonney was the better player, and somehow, Van Helsing was able to milk the Brooklyn GM for all of his 2nd rounders and the aging, journeyman, backup big Tom Hardy. In order to accommodate him, however, they had to buyout the contract of Nate Thornton. Mexico City gets a big steal here. December 5, vs Detroit (11-5): W 126-121 We win again, with 26 points and 3 steals from Jefferson Andrews. Casper had 18 points and 6 dimes, though Fred Alysworth outshined him off the bench. He had 21 and 8 dimes, with a few boards of his own. On a sad note, however, Andrews left the game for a spell in the second quarter, with an abdominal strain, though he did return to finish the game in dramatic fashion. Both teams managed to convert more than half of their shots, and we made 8 of 17 threes. Record: 5-12 December 7, @ Minnesota (11-8): L 90-122 Jefferson Andrews played for three minutes, being held back by his injury, and his play was sorely missed. No player managed to score more than Olev’s 13 points. Rosales shot 4 for 5 to get 11 points, making all of his 3 free throws. But without Andrews to lead the team, and make the defense honest, we can’t really seem to put up points. Jimmy Fishback had 23 and 9 to lead the Coyotes. Record: 5-13 December 8, vs Golden State (3-16): W 114-104 Rosales had 14 starting in place of the recovering Andrews. He also had 6 boards and 3 dimes, showing a bit of versatility. But it was Kaempfer’s double-double that was the difference maker. He had 16 points, 10 boards, a block, and a steal. Casper had 13 and 10, despite 5 TO’s. Akakide had 19. I would say that I had no idea why Golden State was struggling so, but one only needs to look at their injury list, and see that it includes Cory Alexander, and then look at the remaining roster. He can really make this team good, but he needs to be healthy. Record: 6-13 December 12, @ Houston (15-4): L 92-119 Rosales cooled off a bit, going 3 for 6 to get 8 points, but he did have 9 rebounds. Akakide had 19 again, but only four players had double-figure scoring. Casper had a 11 rebound game, and Toby Green had 10 dimes, but we gave up ground in just about every category, (except free throws), and fall by a big margin. Record: 6-14 December 13, vs Miami (9-11): L 99-128 Another loss in the high 20’s and we are down to .500 against the East. Andrews returned to the starting lineup, and had 19. Olev had 22, and Casper had 12 points with 10 dimes. Kaempfer had 12 points. 5 boards, and 2 steals. However, those were all of the double-digit scoring performances. On the other side, Jeffrey Baker had 23 and 10 to take us down. Record: 6-15 December 15, @ Utah (10-11): 89-123 We won the first quarter, then were outscored by 11, 13, and 10 through each of the remaining three periods. Ed Brown had 22 and 3 steals, while Olev started at SF (sending Andrews to SG) to score 19, while Andrews had 8. Casper was inexplicably benched, and Metelko had 11 at the PG spot (despite being a poor passer (A/TO for the game was .8)). We had 14 assists, and 27 turnovers on the night, and we definitely want to forget this one. Record: 6-16 Standing: 13th West (3rd from Last) Draft Class Watch: 1 (1). Philip Rowe (PF, 6’8, 252, 19 y/o Australia) 2 (2). Jeff Jones (PF, 6’10, 224, FR, LSU) 3 (3). Courtney Cross (SF, 6’7, 231, Western Kentucky) 4 (N/R). Darrell Rashaw (SF, 6’8, 209, FR, USC) 5 (4). Devone Darby (PF, 6’10, 216, HS) The draft suddenly has become a much nicer place for guards, with two in the top ten, and an extra point at number 11. Centers are disappearing at an alarming rate, with one at 8 and at 12. We are weakest at the Power Forward and point guard spots, so it seems that we might have a decent chance of picking up talent that we need in the coming summer. It is still all Rowe for this draft. It feels a bit like the IRL Davis draft. One guy so far above everybody else that people will probably sneak up on you in the draft. This is going to be a draft where teams with good scouting departments could make picks that are head-scratchers, but lead to a really good result.
  20. November 17, vs San Antonio (1-7): L 88-99 Kurtis Scholl schooled us for 32 points, as our leading scorer had sixteen. We gave up 19 turnovers, and allowed the other team to take 8 more shots than us. They also went 19 for 20 from the line, while we made only 13 free throws. Record: 1-7 Because Matej Metelko and Jimmy Smith were having interpersonal issues, I trade away Smith, straight up, for Nate Thornton. November 19, @ Los Angeles (4-6): L 133-104 Shaun Horan scored 36 on Andrews, who had 10 points in 9 minutes, being limited because of foul trouble. Chernyaev broke his hand, and will be out for about 6 weeks. He had 11 points in 11 minutes. Record: 1-8 November 20, @ Phoenix (4-5): L 114-129 Turkestanov had 24 points and 7 rebounds, while Terrell Cleaver was allowed to score 36 at the SF position. Record: 1-9 November 22, vs Minnesota (5-6): L 98-114 Jimmy Fishback managed an impressive 26 points and 14 boards against us, and SG Carl Tilmon scored 28 himself. Olev Had 19 points and 4 rebounds, with 2 steals to lead the team. Record: 1-10 November 24, vs Portland (8-4): L 89-113 Kaempfer had a double0double off the bench—10 points and 12 boards in 18 minutes. Andrews had 17 points and 2 steals, but Larry Hayes had 23 and 11 boards for the Pioneers, and Gregory Green had 24 and 7, easily sinking our side. Record: 1-11 November 27, @ New Orleans (5-8): L 82-116 We pick up yet another injury, as Tim Dyer goes down with a strained Calf. Andrews had 24 on the night, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough to face down 44 points from George Mapp. Record: 1-12 November 29, vs Milwaukee (6-9): W 107-100 Fred Aylsworth goes for 32, with 7 dimes, as we hold of a late rally to win by 7. We converted 14 of 26 threes, and had 4 players in double figures. Andrews had 10 points in 14 minutes, and everyone is celebrating. Record: 2-12 Standing: 15th (last) Somehow, we’ve managed to end every period on a win streak. Now just to make it extend into the next month. Team Leaders: Points: Jefferson Andrews – 14.6 Assists: Charlie Casper – 6.7 Rebounds: Tim Dyer – 6.5 Blocks: Nathaniel Toney – 1.2 Steals: Charlie Casper – 1.4 League Leaders: Points: Shaun Horan, LAW – 33.2 Assists: Steve Lawrence, ORL – 11.2 Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA – 13.1 Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, CHI – 3.8 Steals: George King, MIN – 3.1 Rookie Leaders: Points: T.J. King, PHO – 15.1 Assists: T.J. King, PHO – 3.5 Rebounds: J.B. Linderman, CHA – 7.1 Blocks: Aleksandr Chernyaev, MXC – 0.8 Steals: J.B. Linderman, CHA – 1.1 Rookie of the Month: T.J. King Player of the Month: Shaun Horan It is indeed going to be a long season.
  21. November 1, vs Sacramento (0-0): L 90-113 It wasn’t a close game, and our team’s lead scoters were Chernyaev and Andrews, with 14 apiece. Leonardo Corleone had 26 points for the Royals, and we lose our first home game, in front of 21,854 fans. Record: 0-1 November 3, @ Seattle (0-1): L 98-119 We’re going to have to get used to this. For some reason, Kaempfer isn’t playing. Andrews had 22 in a decent effort from him. Chernyaev converted only 2 of seven, to go with 7 boards. Casper had 13 points and 11 dimes, but also 5 turnovers. Record: 0-2 November 7, vs Houston (2-1): L 100-125 Casper was a triple double threat, with 8 points, 7 dimes, and 9 boards. He only had one turnover to go with 5 steals. Andrews had 15, Olev had 17, and Toby Green had 19, but DuJuan Stewart shot 56%, holding us to 40%. Record: 0-3 November 8, @ Utah (1-2): L 91-121 A fourth straight blowout loss, this time to Ed Brown of the Blues. Jefferson Andrews was our best, scoring 18. We managed to not get outrebounded, but only forced 7 TO’s to our giving up 18. Record: 0-4 November 10, vs Atlanta (2-2): L 102-136 35 points from Vernon Winkfield killed us. Onour side, Fred Alysworth scored 20, and Toby Green had 17. We were outrebounded by 11, and shot 7 for 31 from 3. Record: 0-5 November 14, vs New York (4-2): L 96-123 Justin Jack had 45, and even Alexandr Cherynaev’s 19 isn’t nearly enough. Record: 0-6 November 15, @ Cleveland (4-4): W 125-122 We end week two on a positive note, off a very strong game from Charlie Casper. He had 23 points and 12 dimes, with 5 boards. Andrews had 20 points and 6 rebounds, while Olev had 26. 6 players scored in double figures, as we shot 40% from three to take the 3 point win. Record: 1-6 Standing: 14th West Draft Watch: 1. PF Philip Rowe (6’8, 252, 19, Australia) 2. PF Jeff Jones (6’10, 224, FR, LSU) 3. SF Courtney Cross (6’7, 231, FR, Western Kentucky) 4. PF Devone Darby (6’10, 216, HS) 5. SF Jason Richardson (6’6, 219, SO, Arkansas) At this point of the season, it’s pretty hard to see anyone but Philip Rowe going number 1. With only two guards in the lottery, it’s not a good time to be looking for one.
  22. No Hispanic names, but a lot of other international representation. My next trade, I'll add in a Rodriguez just for you. That is, after November (since I already played through that.