BuzzerBeater Forums

All the more reason not to have a draft. Your mates should be in your team - that's the point of having the PL!

I kinda agree everyone wants to bags certain teams cause they know them in RL, previously had them on their team, are in their league and chat etc etc etc

But I'll go with the lynch mob...

We're only having a draft for the sake of it.

The purpose of any draft is twofold:

1) To even up a competition by allowing those currently doing the worst to select the best young players that will help them in the future This works very well in the NBA.
2) To give less talented teams a chance to enter the league. If everyone could just add whoever they wanted not only would it have the potential to unbalance the competition as some teams grabbed strong additions and others got stuck with weaker ones or worse bad people, but it would also make it far less likely that weaker teams that aren't already best buddies with existing teams could break their way into the league as everyone just scrambled for the top ABBL/Division II talent.

I really like it that we will be seeing mid-range division III teams like the Skyhooks, Rad Rangas, Warrun Bulls etc joining the league next season. That was the entire point of expansion after all, not to add jaded, faceless or despised powerhouses but to add younger teams and encourage them to grow and develop and support the game.

I haven't asked a single division II let alone ABBL team to join our federation, but I have been talking to a bunch of division III teams.

So I guess I will agree, we are just having the draft for the sake of it, for the sake of trying to be fair, keep the league balanced and to get newish teams involved. I guess not everyone agrees with those ideals, but that is ok, it is a free country, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Last edited by yodabig at 7/5/2011 11:12:56 AM

Yes, I know how a draft works. This also isn't the NBA.

Let teams add their mates. That's the whole idea of a PL. It also creates a much better PL environment than having a team assigned through a draft.

We don't have to add anymore ABBL teams if we don't want to, so having an 'unbalanced' competition isn't really an issue.

Applying the principles of creating a balanced competition through draft, etc doesn't really work in the Buzzerbeater environment - it's an online game and needs to be treated as such. I think most of the teams would rather just be given the option of adding guys, rather than having to 'draft' them (this can still be subject to approval from the entire PL, so no 'bad eggs' get in).

Removing the draft won't hurt the PL. I think it would actually be an improvement and would encourage the teams to recruit guys that fit in with their teams on a personality level, etc.

Anyone can add as many mates as they want, to the draft pool. That is what it is like in any normal private league, you are playing against your mates. That is the whole idea of a PL. Ours is just a little different in that we also have the team aspect.

I have said many times, we are not against a power team or two, but want them to be good people and want the majority of teams to be newish.

Having an "unbalanced" competition is constantly an issue and something that needs total vigilance not burying one's head in the sand and lazily hoping it will all turn out ok with luck.

Applying the principles of creating a balanced competition through draft, etc doesn't really work in the Buzzerbeater environment

Why not?

I think most of the teams would rather just be given the option of adding guys, rather than having to 'draft' them

Naturally. also most teams would rather just start out with $10,000,000 and be in the ABBL with the perfect team and the top three picks in the next draft. Any individual will always tend to do what is in their own self-interest, not what is good for the game and other players.

Removing the draft won't hurt the PL.

Disagree and I have given reasons why many times now.

I think it would actually be an improvement and would encourage the teams to recruit guys that fit in with their teams on a personality level, etc.

I am showing great restraint not giving an example here. You can still recruit people with a similar personality to you (more restraint) and they can be in the league. They may even be on your side if you get your federation to draft them.

People want to be in the same federation as their mates - that's more important than the results of the games.

You've already said you're unlikely to add any more ABBL or II teams, with most of the new teams being from III or IV. It's not going to make any difference to the balance of the competition if teams can recruit their own III and IV guys, based on who they are friendly with, etc.

Draft pools, draft orders, protected picks... it's all a bit of overkill and starts taking the fun out of being in the PL in the first place. It takes the focus away from what the PL is really about.

Just throwing it out there but maybe have a draft for Div 2 & ABBL teams coming in if "league balance" is the reason you want a draft. If we add 2 Div 3 teams (and others do the same) balance will be fine and the better quality teams will be evenly distributed.

The blokes that are intertested in joining Kevin may not come accross if they don't end up with us. (Don't take this as a threat btw it's just that they are joining to get in our Fed and if they don't what's to stop them going back to their old PL's or just not accepting the league invite and trying to get into our leage next season)

Well I can see I am not going to convinve you so we will just have to agree to disagree.

Nothing and that is always the risk in a draft. There have been many examples of players not liking the team they have been drafted by, staying in Europe for years, refusing to be signed, demanding a trade etc. I would assume that most teams would have a chat to those that they want to draft to ensure that there wont be a problem.

In the end you may just get stuck with a replacement as we did two seasons ago when our second round pick (Massive Ballers - great guy, great team, had expressed interest - but then went on an extended holiday to Europe and lost contact eventually going bot) was replaced by the (in)famous Gold Coast Sharks who were either the worst or second worst team in the competition.

Our first pick was CROCKERS who was great but wanted a trade to the Guppies which we did. Second pick was Massive Ballers and third pick was Fanny. So after the trade while other federations had added teams like Lewisham Wombats, or Chumunga and CROCKERS, or even VictoriaMages, Northcote Slammers and Bainsynator Plebs we just had the much loved Shepparton Shooters. That is the risk we all take. We also hope to have last pick again this season.

Moral of the story: keep in contant with your draftee and make sure they are happy. As soon as the draft list is finalised after Friday we Calalmari will make our order and start messaging those we like.

Examples:
Playing in Europe - Arvydas Sabons, Ricky Rubio.
Signed but Duds - too many to list but good examples include Frédéric Weis, Hasheem Thabeet, Michael Beasley, Greg Oden, Darko Milicic, Sam Bowie, Dennis Hopson and Adam Morrison.
Refused to sign: Jon Barry, Dominique Wilkins and John Elway (NFL).

Last edited by yodabig at 7/5/2011 6:21:35 PM

disagree to agree?

The thing i get back to is why have players playing for teams they don't like if we can just add them? Especially the low end guys.

I understand the "balancing the league out" bit and that's why drafting in top 2 level blokes makes a bit of sense but adding mates who are in lower divs makes a whole lot of sense to me - especially if the aim of this league is to help foster the newer teams in the Australian community.