Gaming The RedCafe NBA Simulation 25/26 | Playoffs: 1st Round Done, 2nd Round next! | Basketball GM

Also RIP alto. Is it just me and hobbers still going from the original group?
 
Why is Sonius declining so heavily?

Just the way the game works. Remember he started at 58 overall at draft, so 78 at 24 isn't too bad. Very nearly all players (maybe all, I haven't checked) have at least one year of ratings decline when they are young, and some more. Some even start out declining. Some players keep improving longer than others, but from the mid-to-late 20s there's definitely more decline than improvement. Sonius has a good chance of getting better again next year, though.

Also RIP alto. Is it just me and hobbers still going from the original group?

hobbers at 43, Solius 42, BenitoSTARR 40, everyone else in their early 30s or younger.
 
To be honest it should have been a league-wide jersey retirement
 
Karma for hobbers would be nobbers winning the next 5 rings in a row.
 
Ffs nobbers and Sonius! Offseason is for training and improving, not partying and fecking around!
 
21/22 Season Preview Part 2 New
21/22 Season Preview Part 2

@Skizzo @Dr. Dwayne @V.O. @weetee @BenitoSTARR @The Cat @altodevil @P-Nut @Salt Bailly

I put them in spoilers this time, for reasons. Let me know if clicking them is a hassle (or come up with a better excuse than weak fingers)

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It feels like Skizzlet has been around forever without getting any better, but in reality he's just turned 22. And he has been getting better, it's just that he wasn't one of those players who started with very high overall ratings and then subsequently think they might as well be dead if they're "only" 75 rating. In any case, 67 overall rating is a very good rating to be for a Center - and Skizzlet is doubless just getting started. He must like it in Atlanta, having signed a new contract. He did leave at first, mind, but came right back to the Hawks. Can you blame him with that salary? Still, the Atlanta Hawks aren't a particular healthy franchise, so he may be just be evaluating his opportunities, safe in the knowledge that he will be able to tear up his contract if he needs to.
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25 seems a bit early for Dr. Junior's body to decide that it's time for physical decline, but at least his brain talked to his hands and... this analogy is getting away from me, but the point is that our man isn't necessarily a worse player than he was last season. The performances will tell the tale. Unfortunately he'll probably need more than "not worse" to get the Cavs into the playoffs - even with the play-in tournament. They can get to 10th, surely, but can they then win two games to advance to the big show? They couldn't last season, in any case. The team is a bit changed from last season, which is never a bad thing when you were already bad. If it doesn't improve, or even gets worse, Dr. Junior should consider whether his contract is worth honoring in sunny Cleveland.
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The BasketballGM gods must have heard weeweetee and Lil' V.O.'s incessant complaining about merely being perennial 1 or 2-seeds, all stars, all league, MVP candidates, and what have you. And clearly the BasketballGM gods love weeweetee and Lil' V.O., because instead of smiting them down as if they were hobbers in the playoffs, both saw significant improvements. For weeweetee's sake that just amounts to a single point increase, but 92 to 93 is enough for the game to put him at the top of the "most improved players" list. Right behind him there's Lil' V.O., whose 4-point jump should put him right back in the DPOY conversation, if not MVP. I'm not convinced even this will be enough for them to finally win a title, with mostly lacklustre teammates backing them up, but they're definitely not without chance.
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The Memphis Grizzlies have a pretty good starting 5. sontodevil may have declined ever so slightly in the off-season, but we've already seen his father prove a very effective playoff defender as he declined far past sontodevil's current level. The Cub is the older of the two, and his best days should be behind him, but he's gotten better all the same. He's also one of those players whose performance is higher than his overall rating would suggest. At 69 he might play better than 75-80 rated players, easily. Finally we've got BenitoSTARR, the true old man of the team. At 40 he's the third oldest player in the league. His best days are certainly far behind him. but there's always room for someone who can shoot efficiently. The Grizzlies are yet to truly impress in the playoffs, partly due to the presence of bonafide super teams.
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Did Lil-Nut get better over the summer? Yesn't. Did the Miami Heat improve around him? Oh indeed, very much so. Okay players got better, and bad players became playable. You wouldn't think it'd be enough to really do something special this season, but we've seen a few upsets so far. And with the Spurs getting a little bit worse, that might open up the possibilities. It will require Lil-Nut to take charge, though. Let's see if he's up to the task.
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Pepper Bailly's contract runs out at the end of the season, and if the Timberwolves want him to stay, they better get to winning ASAP. They were pretty good last year, making the playoffs in a very strong Western Conference. Pepper Bailly himself has kept improving, and while the rest of the starting 5 is generally unchanged (except for Sharife Cooper), the team is looking quite deep. There's limited quality in the depth, but we've seen a lack of depth punish better teams before. Let's see what our man can do under these circumstances.
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You know, the New Orleans Pelicans don't actually look that bad. Nor does BenitwoSTARRLET, though she took a slight step backwards over the summer. It's still early in her career, though, and it might be interesting to see what she can do when she's got a half-decent team around her. They're not good by any means, but they're relatively deep. They also have a lot of potential for improvement, with their 8 best players all 25 or younger, with the exception of Kenrich Williams.
 
The BasketballGM gods must have heard weeweetee and Lil' V.O.'s incessant complaining about merely being perennial 1 or 2-seeds, all stars, all league, MVP candidates, and what have you. And clearly the BasketballGM gods love weeweetee and Lil' V.O., because instead of smiting them down as if they were hobbers in the playoffs, both saw significant improvements. For weeweetee's sake that just amounts to a single point increase, but 92 to 93 is enough for the game to put him at the top of the "most improved players" list. Right behind him there's Lil' V.O., whose 4-point jump should put him right back in the DPOY conversation, if not MVP. I'm not convinced even this will be enough for them to finally win a title, with mostly lacklustre teammates backing them up, but they're definitely not without chance.
:lol:

 
So alto, what‘s next? Politics? Back to Austria?

If the BasketballGM would love V.O. And me they would have never let that Bismack sale go through. The rest is incredibly hard work and willpower.
 
altodevil was actually player coach for the spurs, now just head coach. So he's got like 13 rings really
 
fun fact, Tolkien got inspired by some ring hoggers here to write his famous tv series „rings of power“
 
21/22 Season Preview Part 3 New
21/22 Season Preview Part 3

@Solius @Stobzilla @oneniltothearsenal @reelworld @Dan @hobbers @Heine @sebsheep

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After getting swept by the dominant Spurs in the NBA Final last year, I'm sure many in New York were growing quite pessimistic about overcoming the Western superteam. It didn't (and doesn't) help that the Knicks players are all older than the Spurs players. But the Knicks have one potentially massive advantage: a very, very deep team. The starting 5 is very good, but there are several 60+ rated players beyond that, and a whole host of 55+ rated players beyond that again. They will also be boosted by the meteoric rise of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Two Nil also improved, and should now be considered the leader of the team. That doesn't mean that reelworld II or Stobzilla II declined a lot, though. Even Solius, at a creaky boned 42 years old, is declining exceedingly gracefully. Now, I do still think the Spurs are the clear favourites to win another ring, but I'd be genuinely surprised if there's another sweep. Though the Knicks have to make sure they get there first, of course.
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Dan II is the 3rd best player on the 76ers, but he's also probably the most important. Well, it's hard to gauge his worth relative to the defensive giant John Collins, but what's certain is that they complement each other quite well. I think Philadelphia is one of those teams that doesn't have the very best starting 5, doesn't have the deepest team, and yet could still do some damage in the playoffs. When you've got a guy who can score 50+ on any given night, plus some great defenders, anything is possible.
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Are we looking at the worst team in the league? Possibly. Not even prime hobbers could have saved the Trailblazers, probably, and this is far from prime hobbers. It's clear that no matter how slow and graceful your decline, when you get close to your mid-40s you are going to go off a cliff at some point. hobbers' contract runs out this season, and I strongly suspect he'll be retiring at the end of it.
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And now for the Champions! While it may have seemed like a certainty that they would win another ring last season, it was actually the first time they've won two in a row. Can they make it three? They are still the single best team out there, at least in pure star power. Heine keeps improving, and can by some measures now be considered the best player on the team. Though Nobbers, while suffering a slight decline, is quite possibly still the most important player on the team. Sonius also had an off summer, though as a Center he's likely to be valuable beyond his overall rating. He's not relied on to be the biggest scorer in any case, though he can probably do it if he needs to. The biggest challenge for the Spurs is what it always has been: the lack of depth. With the loss of altodevil to retirement, that threat has become even more relevant. It only takes a single injury for the Spurs to starting players with ratings in their 50s. But as I said, that has largely been the case before. We are still looking at the on paper favourites to win yet another ring.
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The Kings are a very strange team. The starting five is very consistently good. It's also very possibly the most rationally constructed starting 5 in the league. No 3PG/2C line-ups here, I can tell you. They've got one of each. They're clearly a good team, in other words. But they're also a good team with the depth of a puddle. If I ran the Kings, I'd be looking at making some shrewd trades to fill out the team a bit. SebJr himself is more or less what he's always been. He's in his 30s now, so the physicality is suffering, but as a Point Guard that was never the most important part of his game. Let's see if the self proclaimed Assist King (or was it Assist God?) can help the Kings back into the playoffs.
 
somebody create a sackwatch thread for alto already.
 
21/22 35-Game Update New
21/22 35-game Update

@BenitoSTARR @Dan @Dr. Dwayne @P-Nut @Salt Bailly @Skizzo @Solius @Stobzilla @The Cat @V.O. @altodevil @hobbers @oneniltothearsenal @reelworld @sebsheep @weetee @Heine

Standings

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Feats

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Award races

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Stats

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Trades

Dan II (76ers)
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SebJr (Kings) - am I crazy or is this an incredible trade for the Kings?
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weeweetee & Lil' V.O. (Rockets) - doesn't look too good for the Rockets, but ultimately it is only a 51-rated player. If the Pacers are bad, that pick might be worth a lot.
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Dr. Junior (Cavaliers), weeweetee & Lil' V.O. (Rockets) - maybe it's just me, but if your name is David Duke you probably shouldn't name your kid after you.
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Lil-Nut (Heat) - I think this is fine?
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Pepper Bailly (Timberwolves)
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BenitwoSTARRLET (Pelicans)
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hobbers (Trailblazers)
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Think those trades should give us good depth in the next couple of years as well as a quality player for now.
 
Dr. Junior (Cavaliers), weeweetee & Lil' V.O. (Rockets) - maybe it's just me, but if your name is David Duke you probably shouldn't name your kid after you.
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At least we should be able to trade him to Washington at some point. I think he'd make a grand Wizard.
 
Very good to see I am starting to get high on the award positions :D

Who did we loose against? I blame the coach
 
Looks like Nobbers had the GSOAT really, because if you don't win a ring it is pointless.
 
Greatest ever season as a center no less. Changed the game.

Start of the season wasn‘t even that good.
 
Must have been a pretty good season if that‘s already irrelevant. :nervous: :nervous:
They're sitting on a team with 131/100 team rating wondering why other people might not be fussed about rings :lol:
 
Imagine complaining about the algorithm as alto
 
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21/22 All Star Update Part 1 New
2022 All Star Weekend - Update and Dunk Contest

@BenitoSTARR @Dan @Dr. Dwayne @P-Nut @Salt Bailly @Skizzo @Solius @Stobzilla @The Cat @V.O. @altodevil @hobbers @oneniltothearsenal @reelworld @sebsheep @weetee @Heine

3 Point Contest and All Star Game coming in the 2nd part (damn you, image embed limit)



Standings

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Is... is the East the strongest conference? Not as far as the top team goes, or perhaps top two, but the playoff race is looking very healthy, and there are some surprisingly strong teams at the top. Two Nil, reelworld II, Stobzilla II and old man Solius (and also in the game) are predictably strong, but they're currently rivalled by a seemingly resurgent Washington. Can you say resurgent when it's only been one season out of the NBA Final? They're also chased by the Bulls, as well as by Lil-Nut and the Miami Heat.

Dan II finds himself further behind in 7th, below the threshold for direct qualification to the playoffs, but does so with a pretty good record for his 76ers - and even better form. With so many pleasant surprises, we were bound to have some disappointments. Both Skizzlet and Dr. Junior have become quite good players, certainly worthy of playoff runs. And yet their teams, the Hawks and the Cavaliers respectively, don't seem up to the task. There is still time to make the play-in tournament, but they've both got some bad form to turn around.

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The Spurs are still at the top, predictably, but their incredible starting form has been slightly tempered. Heine, Nobbers and Sonius are still the favourites, and I do expect them to finish in the top spot, but there is a least something left for weeweetee and Lil' V.O. to play for. Though they have to take care not to let their Rockets get overtaken by SebJr and the surprisingly competent Sacramento Kings. We've seen teams flatter to deceive before, but this late in the season they're unlikely to drop below the playoff spots, at least. Unlike BenitwoSTARRLET, who finds herself just above the play-in threshold. Though considering where her Pelicans were last update, that's already a great sign. Though she'll have to be careful not to watch her team prove themselves one of those deceptive flatterers I mentioned.

One win behind the Pelicans, there are the ever-meh Memphis. I keep expecting them to take the final step and become genuinely good, but it never seems to happen. They always find themselves around the bottom of the playoff spots, and inevitably face either the Spurs or the Rockets and get knocked out of the playoffs. You'd think sontodevil, The Cub and even the veteran BenitoSTARR would be enough to break the cycle, but I remain to be convinced.

In that sense, the bigger surprise is that Pepper Bailly and the Timberwolves find themselves so far down the table. They were pretty good last season, so what gives? If Minnesota want their man to sign a new contract at the end of the season, they better start moving back up the table. Someone who definitely isn't going to move up the table is hobbers, whose Portland Trailblazers are predictably the single worst team in the league.


Slam Dunk Contest

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Zion Williamson: 0
Sonius: 43
Ja Morant: 46
Jalen Green: 5
Zion Williamson: 50 (50)
Sonius: 43 (77)
Ja Morant: 0 (46)
Jalen Green: 0 (5)

It'll be Zion Williamson against Sonius in the final! Both have won once before (2021 and 2016 respectively)
Zion Williamson: 50
Sonius: 42
Zion Williamson: 37 (87)
Sonius: 38 (80)

No Cafite win this year either! Zion is stopping all Cafites in their tracks.

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Award Race

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All Star Draft

Lil' V.O. drafted first. Skizzlet missed out on his first AS appearance by injury (a small one)

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Only a single significant trade since last time (the rest is mostly average players for similarly average players):

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