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I'd like to start this off by saying Congratulations to Boston Boss, Shippensburg Raiders, and Bobcatz for all promoting to D.IV! Well done all of you, you all proved you deserved it.

Now it's Naples Napalm time, as the team's tanking seems to come to an end with a major spending spree, instantly making them the team to be reckoned with. Barring a miracle, this team is the landslide champions. Since they're in the other conference though, I hope to go 21-1 and still promote through bot cleanup. If I'm lucky.

Sub story line: it's never too early to start it...you know what's coming next...

CEDRICK PAGAN FOR MVP!!!!! Theoretically at least he could do it, although I doubt it--he's not that good yet. But he's getting better. The other thing hurting his case is that he'll have to split time for training with Neil Clarke and John Paul Golong (that guy missed his calling: he should have been a wide receiver, not a basketball player. Go long, John Paul!) But still, hope springs eternal, and so we say again...

CEDRICK PAGAN FOR MVP!!!!

Let's do this!

Hey man, nice read. I am sick of losing for sure. I tried to buy just enough to win a D5 league. I still have 2+ million saved in the bank for D4. I do still hope you promote as well regardless of who wins the league.

Well then I'd say you're in pretty good shape. You definitely have enough to win this league with what you've got right now, and if you already have $2 million you're in pretty good shape for D.IV as well. I'm going to do my best to at least make you work, but there's no way I can compete against that. I wouldn't be surprised if you go undefeated.

Although I do wish you would have let me draft Aaron Meeker a season ago, but bygones are bygones and Cedrick Pagan is not bad at all.

As for me promoting, if I lose to you that means I pretty much need to go undefeated or at most one loss against everyone else. Not impossible, but not easy either. It's shaping up to be an interesting season.

Meeker, I wonder how he is doing now. He was a great pick. Yes, Im hoping nobody in this division will make me spend anymore money to win here. I have 2.9 million left in reserve to try to go for a D4 league next year. I have been tanking too many seasons and it gets so boring . The only thing that keeps me going is I am in the Military and I get to check it from work.

He's doing pretty decently, at the end of the last season he hit the TL and was at 8/12/9/7 inside skills, which is pretty well on the way to U21 stardom.

Im glad the guy who got him is training him. Thats always good to know.

Four games into the season, four undefeated teams. Let's take a look at each one.

1. Naples Napalm: surprisingly, Naples Napalm has the lowest PD of all the undefeated teams, with "only" 109 points or an average margin of victory of over 27 points per game. However, their ratings have been spectacular for D.V (average: respectable (medium) ID, respectable (low) IS, and average (medium) rebounding showing the strength of their inside game) and as the manager has been conserving enthusiasm by playing TIE every game, they are still the favorites. It goes without saying, of course, that even if they weren't currently the favorites, having $3 million in the bank gives them the freedom to make any necessary moves while still leaving a comfortable nest egg for their inevitable promotion.

Why they will win: no other team in the league has the firepower to deal with three $40K salary players. Their firepower is just too much, and they can always buy more if they need it.

Why they might not win: Game shape is a concern. With such disparity between the starters and the backups, the GE always wants to play the starters, causing them to play high minutes per week. This could be a problem moving forward, although once they are out of the cup then that problem will likely come to an end.

2. V SQUAD: this team has shown the strongest outside offense of any team in this league, making them someone to be reckoned with. With a $35K center and a $24K SG, they have players who can attempt to match up with Naples Napalm, but will it be enough? Probably not.

Why they might win: If they can make a late-season addition for the missing piece at the playoff deadline they could catch Naples Napalm sleeping. Then, if Naples' GS problems persist and if V Squad can get HCA with decent enthusiasm, with a little luck they could pull the upset.

Why they might not win: That's a lot of things that have to go right. A lot of things. Also, like Naples Napalm GS is a concern due in part to weekly cup games.

3. Maine Claws: this team shocked the league last season with the surprising first-round upset of Shippensburg Raiders, the clear favorite for the title. This season, they look to reload with rapidly improving second-year guard Cedrick Pagan who needs no introduction, along with rookie guards John Paul Golong and Neil Clarke. Golong has always been a solid offensive player and currently averages 13.3 ppg and 7.7 apg. His defense needs work, but with his age and height the team hopes that will improve quickly. Clarke is raw but has excellent potential and upside, and has a nice ability to finish inside along with an improving jump shot. For a third-round pick, he was a steal and he should be a nice role player for many seasons. Rounding out the team's notable players are Youseff Belhadj (a forward on the Al Jazair U21 team), Burt Caruso and Mallory Montel (nice rebounders and solid defenders), Michael Eini (outside scorer) and Gilbert Rutledge (inside scorer).

Why they might win: They did it once last year. Can they do it on a much larger scale against the imposing Naples Napalm? This team has a history of overperforming against stronger competition but they will need to come up big for them to have a chance. Also, rumor has it that the manager has something in his tactical bag of tricks..

Why they might not win: Again, Naples Napalm is just too strong, and Maine can't add the firepower necessary without taking PT from the rookies and hurting the team's long-term growth.

4. Hustling Hawks: a new team entering its first full season, this team is really built around an aging 33yo SF. Likely not a contender but off to a decent start.

Why they might win: Good SFs are hard to find and can be a real problem to guard.
Why they might not win: that SF is their only player, and his skills will be dropping slowly. They simply don't have the dep

Last edited by Trueborn at 02/21/2012 22:58:32

This is not to disrespect teams like Da Vicks or Ciudad de Panamá Perros, who are both 3-1 and strong enough that they could pose some threat to Naples Napalm. Those teams have legitimate claims to being contenders and may be better than some of the currently undefeated teams, but at the end of the day, let's face it, they're not going to beat out Naples Napalm unless something extremely unexpected happens.

I tried to be unbiased about these rankings, but of course I do hope my team can pull it off and I honestly believe we could have a slight chance. If my young players improve fast enough, and if things go right, I wouldn't count myself out. But I'd love to hear the rest of your opinions. It would be interesting to hear an unbiased outside view of my team, and obviously, you know your teams better than I do, so let's hear what you think! Feel free to chime in and offer your input!

Last edited by Trueborn at 02/21/2012 23:04:05

Good read man! Im sorry I picked this year to try to promote. I just felt it was time. But at the same time I feel it has made this season a not so enjoyable one for the rest of the teams in the league. I will be gone and out of the way soon I hope. I really have lost for a lot of seasons to get to this point. But thanks for the great articles!

And in a shocking turn of events, there is now only one undefeated team, and it could be argued that this undefeated team is the weakest of the "big three" teams in the division. (Not trying to offend anyone, I'm just saying there is an argument to be made). Let's start with the first of the two upsets:

Hustling Hawks defeat Maine Claws on the road, 99-87. On the one hand, it's tough to read much into this game, as the Claws were starting a rookie backcourt with John Paul Golong and Neil Clarke. Furthermore, the Claws coach told his players to conserve their enthusiasm for later in the season, so they played with a Take It Easy attitude, while the Hawks played as if it were Crunch Time. Despite this, the Claws led at halftime and, given the circumstances, still have reasons for optimism.

And now the real shocker of the night,

Da Vicks beat Naples Napalm in overtime at home, 101-99. Da Vicks put in more enthusiasm, and their motion outside oriented offense was perfectly calculated to take advantage of Naples Napalms' 2-3 zone, which concedes some perimeter defense. Don't expect Naples Napalm to be caught sleeping again by that tactic; expect a M2M or even a 3-2 zone when the two teams face. It's still a long season and hard for any team to be perfect, so don't read too much into this. After all,Da Vicks still needed a stupid foul down 2 in the bonus with 3 seconds left (Da Vicks made both free throws) to send it into overtime, as well as Naples Napalm missing game-winning attempts at the end of regulation and overtime.Again, Naples Napalm has the better players and better enthusiasm, but this does confirm that with HCA, high enthusiasm, and the right tactics, and some luck, they can still be vulnerable to a surprise upset. There is hope after all!

I know no one except maybe chrisfrye78 of Naples Napalm is likely to read this, but I have fun with it and it's just something I like to do. If someone else enjoys reading it, that's great, but I would probably write even if I were in some all-bot D.VI leaguewhere no one would ever see my post. It keeps it somewhat real and gives my team a personality, which I love to do.

And now a personal post about my feelings toward my team and players:

I have to say, I didn't really like my draftees when I first got them (no players with awesome skills or otherworldly potential) but I'm starting to become a fan. Neil Clarke is highly aggressive and fouls out often, but that same aggressiveness also allows him to draw fouls and he is a very good free throw shooter for a rookie. He has very nice inside scoring ability and his outside skills are surprisingly well-rounded despite his low salary. I'm really starting to like him. And John Paul Golong...is it too weird to say that I'm falling in love with him, even though he's (a) a guy, (b) fictional and (c) objectively not that great? :P His salary isn't the best, but that's partly because of low rebounding. His defense is not that good (inept). His potential is average but not anything special. But he's got a nice JS/JR combo, some decent IS, a good passer, and he puts up great numbers. 2nd in the league in assists per game at 7.7 (behind only Cedrick Pagan--Cedrick Pagan for MVP?!? lol) and 15.7 ppg on 56.8% from the field (.500 from 3P range). Neither of them is great, but that may be part of why I love them. And they're also being asked to play important roles on a hopeful championship squad and they're doing that quite well, definitely overachieving. Last season my team's overachievement was a source of much discussion and amazement among tha Boss and myself. That overachievement is why I get so attached to my team and why I love facing much stronger teams like Naples Napalm and Shippensburg Raiders, even when I know in the long run I have next to no chance. My squad may not win, but they'll stand tough and play it close where everyone expects them to get blown out, even if they don't get the win. That's a quality I love and respect in sports, be it from a player or team I cheer for, a player/team I'm rooting against, or even a fictional player/team like in Buzzerbeater. So the fact that I see that in my draftees' play makes me want to keep them and train them up to be Claws for life.

Maybe that was kind of rambling and/or irrational (there's no "clutchness" or "overachiever" factor in the game engine, after all), and maybe I'm just overreacting to a very small sample size against inconsistent levels of opposition, and maybe I'm doing all this because I'm overly partial to my own players, but I don't care. Maybe you disagree with me, and feel free to comment if you do, but it won't change my feelings. Feelings are what they are, and for me they're a big part of what makes this game fun, even if they're wrong. So I just wanted to make this post to give a little well-earned praise on my trainees for what they've done so far.

Last edited by Trueborn at 02/29/2012 01:37:32