Post by MistleTacoe on Jan 17, 2017 21:50:33 GMT -6
I’m back writing articles after a season or two break. The State of the Pacific is far overdue and the only hope TMBSL had was for me to take it into my own hands. After the Pacific finally winning a title for the first time in forever, this article just needed to happen. Not to mention, the Pacific was the best division last year based solely off record. Thank god the Atlantic streak is over. On a different note, my draft credentials don’t really come into play that much for this article. Sad times. Drafts without me just aren’t the same. Enough about me….on to the real, official, and actual State of the Pacific.
Vancouver Grizzlies - andrewluck
Last Year’s Record: 35-47, missed playoffs
Key Additions: Marques Boldon, Terrance Ferguson, and Bam Adebayo
Key Losses: Nigel Smith
Major Offseason Moves: Trading Grizzlies ’46 + Hornets ’46 for 1.23 in ‘43
3043 Outlook: Younger but Not Better
The Grizzlies are in a weird position right now. The good news is that they have Carmelo who showed some greatness last year by averaging 25/8 on 46% shooting and 3 rookies who will probably get a lot of playing time. They also have their 3044 1st round pick, which should be good. The bad news is Bibby looks decent and they aren’t horrible so they won’t be a top 5 pick and their cap situation is less than desirable.
Future Outlook: Reserved Optimism
Carmelo + 3 rookies should be fun to watch. I’m sure there will be some highs and lows, but mostly lows. Is Carmelo good enough to be the best player on a championship team? His TMBSL career could play out much like his real life career. The Grizzlies also have a plethora of picks in the upcoming drafts but most of them won’t be great. Keep stock piling talent, hope for some draft luck, and see where Carmelo can take you.
Golden State Warriors - Taco
Last Year’s Record: 46-36, 1st round exit
Key Additions: none
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: resigning Wayne Embry
3043 Outlook: Good but Stagnant
The Warriors made virtually zero moves this offseason. They resigned Wayne Embry to a reasonable 2 year deal but he shouldn’t play much unless there’s an injury. They aren’t making bids in free agency due to cap tightness. The outcome of the Warriors’ 4043 season will be completely dependent of the growth/regression of its stars and that might not be a horrible thing. Dirk has become a star that just needs his shooting to go back to rookie year. Lucas had a better season with reduced minutes and still has A potential. Sergey is old but not that old and should be the same Sergey TMBSL knows and loves. Thanks to a depth chart revision by Shout, the Warriors should get into the playoffs easily and land a seed somewhere between 4-7.
Future Outlook: Sustained Average Success
The Warriors have middle aged to old talent flanked by young talent with potential. Brian Newell appears that he will never be the answer at PG for a true championship team. Sergey is getting older. The Warriors have many questions. How good is Dick McGuire? Has he grown/progressed enough to be a competent starting PG on a team filled with scorers/shooters? Are Dirk and Jerry the next unstoppable twin towers? Or are they shitty max contracts? Is John Jenkins a viable starter in the league? The future could be bright but is very dependent on the development of those 4 players.
Los Angeles Clippers - Yawn
Last Year’s Record: 44-38, missed playoffs
Key Additions: none
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: none
3043 Outlook: Please Don’t Regress Old, Good Players
The Clippers just missed the 3042 playoffs last year and would have made it if it had not been for the Warriors undefeated last sim. They have an outstanding starting 4 of Green, Greer, Battier, and Webber. Green is on the rise as a very solid, starting PG in the league. Olowokandi looks like he has the potential to be a better Webber. They should be a good team; however, there are issues. Jerome Whitehead a below average def/reb big and he starts (or started last year). Their bench hasn’t really shown it can be serviceable when put into big games. Battier (31), Greer (31), and Webber (33) just got a year older. They should make the playoffs and should land somewhere between the 6-8 seed. Let’s just hope no one gets injured.
Future Outlook: Lots of Uncertainty
The Clippers are all-in right now with this core. They have two very good prospects in Green and Olowokandi but they have old stars and zero 1st round draft picks until 3048. Ouch. If the stars start to regress at all, Yawn may be in big trouble. The saving grace here is that the Clippers will have plenty of cap space in 2 years which will be nice…but having cap space and landing great FAs are two different animals.
Los Angeles Lakers - IanBoyd
Last Year’s Record: 10-72, missed playoffs
Key Additions: Jayson Tatum, OG Anunoby
Key Losses: Linas Kleiza
Major Offseason Moves: none
3043 Outlook: Tiger II or Panzer X Sized Tank
The Lakers are in full rebuilding mode without Porter and Karasev. The key additions are the bright point on this roster. They are high draft pick rookies and the Lakers should be looking to get them a lot of playing time in 3043. Zaza could be good…but looks like a high volume, low percentage big, which nobody really likes. Otherwise, their roster is scorched Earth of great tanking talent. They will have a bottom 3 record unless Tatum/Anunoby are very special.
Future Outlook: More Picks Than a Open Mic Night in Nashville
The Lakers should be getting a bunch of good talent in the next couple years. They have 5 1st rounders in the next two drafts. They have plenty of cap flexibility moving into the future. Overall, the Lakers are a blank slate and Ian can choose where they go from here. If you are a tanking and/or rebuilding team, you want to be in a situation like the current Lakers.
Phoenix Suns - Ank
Last Year’s Record: 56-26, 1st round exit
Key Additions: George Mikan
Key Losses: Hot Rod, Mystic Stone, Robert Covington
Major Offseason Moves: none
3043 Outlook: (Mostly) Same Engine Different Accessories
The Phoenix Suns are a really good team but they lost a starter/HoFer in Mystic Stone and solid back up PG Hot Rod Hundley in the offseason. Do the Suns have a viable replacement for them? That is going to make a big difference on how this 4043 season goes. Otherwise, the same pieces are back to run it again. Fat Lever, Harold Miner, and Terrence Jones are the key pieces and they are difference makers. Alredick Hughes is no joke either. I expect them to make the playoffs but how the other players fare will be key to their overall success.
Future Outlook: Aging Like a Fine Wine
Like many of the teams in the Pacific, the Suns have an aging core. The biggest difference is that the Suns have their 1st round pick again starting in 3044. Cap situation isn’t great but as long as the core stays good, it shouldn’t matter. I expect the Suns to try to find a suitable replacement at PG starting this year and I am very interested to see how they go about doing it. Will it be a trade or draft? Can the Suns afford to wait til 3044 to draft a PG AND THEN wait for him to develop? It should be interesting to watch play out. Otherwise, they are led by one of the league’s best cores and most consistent GMs and I expect them to stay good for years.
Portland Trailblazers - Majic
Last Year’s Record: 63-19, TMBSL Champion
Key Additions: LaSalle Thompson (via trade from Celtics), Borat
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: Resigning Lonc and Hardaway
3043 Outlook: Do the Blazers Still Have the Majic?
The Blazers, Arenas, and Baylor finally broke through last year to win their first championship as a core. After many, many season of horrible luck, it finally happened! Congrats! Now let’s see how they perform in the following season. Very little has changed and I expect the Blazers to be at the top of the conference again this year. Penny and Lonc are old AF but it shouldn’t make that big of a difference. There’s a chance Penny regresses more but he’s still an above average SG. One wrinkle in the upcoming year that could be important is the acquisition of LaSalle Thompson. Personally, I am not a big fan of his. He will be taking shots away from Arenas and Baylor, which is definitely a bad thing.
Future Outlook: 2 Seasons From the Abyss
Everybody and their sister knows that Arenas and Baylor are everything to the Blazers and their contracts will be up after 3044. Will they resign with the Blazers and at what price? The cap room will definitely be there. Okay so here come the problems. This team is devoid of young talent. It is a wasteland in terms of good players under 28. In addition, the Blazers do not have a 1st round pick until 3048. Ouch. Majic is in a very peculiar position right now and could potentially set the Blazers back 5 years for a couple more runs at the championship or he could start to move players now. Keep an eye on knee-jerk reactions from the Blazers if this season doesn’t go as planned during the first 30 days.
Seattle Supersonics - Delap
Last Year’s Record: 49-33, 2nd round exit
Key Additions: none
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: resigning Jackie Robinson
3043 Outlook: RUN IT BACK
The Sonics have a solid squad but did nothing to improve or worsen the team (unless you consider Shawn Bradley an integral piece). Prince is a great, young player and Worthy is a great player but it drops off after that. Phegley is good but probably not deserving of a max (oops, my bad). Jackie is good as well. I’m not sure there is any progression or regression at this point that is going to matter. They will have a chance to make it to the conference finals (and win) but I have my reservations.
Future Outlook: Ride Prince and Worthy Til They Are No More
I feel like the Sonics are missing a piece to be truly great and contend for a championship. They are basically the Blazers except their elite players are less elite. Very similar to the Blazers, they don’t have a 1st round draft pick until 3047. Woof. They are also incredibly tight on cap space. I’m not sure how they improve their future without giving up a chance at a (conference) title. It’s hazy for the Sonics but they pretty much have to ride out their great players until 3047 at least.
Vancouver Grizzlies - andrewluck
Last Year’s Record: 35-47, missed playoffs
Key Additions: Marques Boldon, Terrance Ferguson, and Bam Adebayo
Key Losses: Nigel Smith
Major Offseason Moves: Trading Grizzlies ’46 + Hornets ’46 for 1.23 in ‘43
3043 Outlook: Younger but Not Better
The Grizzlies are in a weird position right now. The good news is that they have Carmelo who showed some greatness last year by averaging 25/8 on 46% shooting and 3 rookies who will probably get a lot of playing time. They also have their 3044 1st round pick, which should be good. The bad news is Bibby looks decent and they aren’t horrible so they won’t be a top 5 pick and their cap situation is less than desirable.
Future Outlook: Reserved Optimism
Carmelo + 3 rookies should be fun to watch. I’m sure there will be some highs and lows, but mostly lows. Is Carmelo good enough to be the best player on a championship team? His TMBSL career could play out much like his real life career. The Grizzlies also have a plethora of picks in the upcoming drafts but most of them won’t be great. Keep stock piling talent, hope for some draft luck, and see where Carmelo can take you.
Golden State Warriors - Taco
Last Year’s Record: 46-36, 1st round exit
Key Additions: none
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: resigning Wayne Embry
3043 Outlook: Good but Stagnant
The Warriors made virtually zero moves this offseason. They resigned Wayne Embry to a reasonable 2 year deal but he shouldn’t play much unless there’s an injury. They aren’t making bids in free agency due to cap tightness. The outcome of the Warriors’ 4043 season will be completely dependent of the growth/regression of its stars and that might not be a horrible thing. Dirk has become a star that just needs his shooting to go back to rookie year. Lucas had a better season with reduced minutes and still has A potential. Sergey is old but not that old and should be the same Sergey TMBSL knows and loves. Thanks to a depth chart revision by Shout, the Warriors should get into the playoffs easily and land a seed somewhere between 4-7.
Future Outlook: Sustained Average Success
The Warriors have middle aged to old talent flanked by young talent with potential. Brian Newell appears that he will never be the answer at PG for a true championship team. Sergey is getting older. The Warriors have many questions. How good is Dick McGuire? Has he grown/progressed enough to be a competent starting PG on a team filled with scorers/shooters? Are Dirk and Jerry the next unstoppable twin towers? Or are they shitty max contracts? Is John Jenkins a viable starter in the league? The future could be bright but is very dependent on the development of those 4 players.
Los Angeles Clippers - Yawn
Last Year’s Record: 44-38, missed playoffs
Key Additions: none
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: none
3043 Outlook: Please Don’t Regress Old, Good Players
The Clippers just missed the 3042 playoffs last year and would have made it if it had not been for the Warriors undefeated last sim. They have an outstanding starting 4 of Green, Greer, Battier, and Webber. Green is on the rise as a very solid, starting PG in the league. Olowokandi looks like he has the potential to be a better Webber. They should be a good team; however, there are issues. Jerome Whitehead a below average def/reb big and he starts (or started last year). Their bench hasn’t really shown it can be serviceable when put into big games. Battier (31), Greer (31), and Webber (33) just got a year older. They should make the playoffs and should land somewhere between the 6-8 seed. Let’s just hope no one gets injured.
Future Outlook: Lots of Uncertainty
The Clippers are all-in right now with this core. They have two very good prospects in Green and Olowokandi but they have old stars and zero 1st round draft picks until 3048. Ouch. If the stars start to regress at all, Yawn may be in big trouble. The saving grace here is that the Clippers will have plenty of cap space in 2 years which will be nice…but having cap space and landing great FAs are two different animals.
Los Angeles Lakers - IanBoyd
Last Year’s Record: 10-72, missed playoffs
Key Additions: Jayson Tatum, OG Anunoby
Key Losses: Linas Kleiza
Major Offseason Moves: none
3043 Outlook: Tiger II or Panzer X Sized Tank
The Lakers are in full rebuilding mode without Porter and Karasev. The key additions are the bright point on this roster. They are high draft pick rookies and the Lakers should be looking to get them a lot of playing time in 3043. Zaza could be good…but looks like a high volume, low percentage big, which nobody really likes. Otherwise, their roster is scorched Earth of great tanking talent. They will have a bottom 3 record unless Tatum/Anunoby are very special.
Future Outlook: More Picks Than a Open Mic Night in Nashville
The Lakers should be getting a bunch of good talent in the next couple years. They have 5 1st rounders in the next two drafts. They have plenty of cap flexibility moving into the future. Overall, the Lakers are a blank slate and Ian can choose where they go from here. If you are a tanking and/or rebuilding team, you want to be in a situation like the current Lakers.
Phoenix Suns - Ank
Last Year’s Record: 56-26, 1st round exit
Key Additions: George Mikan
Key Losses: Hot Rod, Mystic Stone, Robert Covington
Major Offseason Moves: none
3043 Outlook: (Mostly) Same Engine Different Accessories
The Phoenix Suns are a really good team but they lost a starter/HoFer in Mystic Stone and solid back up PG Hot Rod Hundley in the offseason. Do the Suns have a viable replacement for them? That is going to make a big difference on how this 4043 season goes. Otherwise, the same pieces are back to run it again. Fat Lever, Harold Miner, and Terrence Jones are the key pieces and they are difference makers. Alredick Hughes is no joke either. I expect them to make the playoffs but how the other players fare will be key to their overall success.
Future Outlook: Aging Like a Fine Wine
Like many of the teams in the Pacific, the Suns have an aging core. The biggest difference is that the Suns have their 1st round pick again starting in 3044. Cap situation isn’t great but as long as the core stays good, it shouldn’t matter. I expect the Suns to try to find a suitable replacement at PG starting this year and I am very interested to see how they go about doing it. Will it be a trade or draft? Can the Suns afford to wait til 3044 to draft a PG AND THEN wait for him to develop? It should be interesting to watch play out. Otherwise, they are led by one of the league’s best cores and most consistent GMs and I expect them to stay good for years.
Portland Trailblazers - Majic
Last Year’s Record: 63-19, TMBSL Champion
Key Additions: LaSalle Thompson (via trade from Celtics), Borat
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: Resigning Lonc and Hardaway
3043 Outlook: Do the Blazers Still Have the Majic?
The Blazers, Arenas, and Baylor finally broke through last year to win their first championship as a core. After many, many season of horrible luck, it finally happened! Congrats! Now let’s see how they perform in the following season. Very little has changed and I expect the Blazers to be at the top of the conference again this year. Penny and Lonc are old AF but it shouldn’t make that big of a difference. There’s a chance Penny regresses more but he’s still an above average SG. One wrinkle in the upcoming year that could be important is the acquisition of LaSalle Thompson. Personally, I am not a big fan of his. He will be taking shots away from Arenas and Baylor, which is definitely a bad thing.
Future Outlook: 2 Seasons From the Abyss
Everybody and their sister knows that Arenas and Baylor are everything to the Blazers and their contracts will be up after 3044. Will they resign with the Blazers and at what price? The cap room will definitely be there. Okay so here come the problems. This team is devoid of young talent. It is a wasteland in terms of good players under 28. In addition, the Blazers do not have a 1st round pick until 3048. Ouch. Majic is in a very peculiar position right now and could potentially set the Blazers back 5 years for a couple more runs at the championship or he could start to move players now. Keep an eye on knee-jerk reactions from the Blazers if this season doesn’t go as planned during the first 30 days.
Seattle Supersonics - Delap
Last Year’s Record: 49-33, 2nd round exit
Key Additions: none
Key Losses: none
Major Offseason Moves: resigning Jackie Robinson
3043 Outlook: RUN IT BACK
The Sonics have a solid squad but did nothing to improve or worsen the team (unless you consider Shawn Bradley an integral piece). Prince is a great, young player and Worthy is a great player but it drops off after that. Phegley is good but probably not deserving of a max (oops, my bad). Jackie is good as well. I’m not sure there is any progression or regression at this point that is going to matter. They will have a chance to make it to the conference finals (and win) but I have my reservations.
Future Outlook: Ride Prince and Worthy Til They Are No More
I feel like the Sonics are missing a piece to be truly great and contend for a championship. They are basically the Blazers except their elite players are less elite. Very similar to the Blazers, they don’t have a 1st round draft pick until 3047. Woof. They are also incredibly tight on cap space. I’m not sure how they improve their future without giving up a chance at a (conference) title. It’s hazy for the Sonics but they pretty much have to ride out their great players until 3047 at least.
