24/25 Season Preview - Part 1
24/25 Season Preview - Part 1
@BenitoSTARR @sebsheep @weetee @V.O. @Dr. Dwayne @Heine @oneniltothearsenal @reelworld @Solius @Skizzo @Dan @Salt Bailly @altodevil @P-Nut @hobbers
Power Rankings
Team Finances and Strategy
(note that team spending is relative, not absolute. If you're the 13th highest spender, you get the same benefits no matter what the number is)
Previews
Dr. Junior - Oklahoma City Thunder (51-31, 2nd Round)
Are the Oklahoma City Thunder good? Yes. Are they really good? I don't know. Dr. Junior got a bit worse since last season - hopefully just a temporary decline - but Scottie Barnes got a bit better. Brandon Miller also took quite a leap, though the Thunder weren't exactly lacking in good forwards. The only thing standing in the way of the Thunder doing as well as last season is the quite shallow team. They might want to look for some clever trades, if at all possible.
Pepper Bailly - Milwaukee Bucks (44-38, 1st Round)
A lot of the okay players on the Milwaukee Bucks got ever so slightly worse since last season, but then they've got so many of them - it might not actually matter. In that sense, it might actually be a lot more impactful that Jaden Springer has improved enough to almost match Pepper Bailly. It's hard to know where there Bucks will end the season. They made the playoffs last season, and if their starters have a decent enough season they should be able to do so again. They just need to avoid injuries.
Lil-Nut - Golden State Warriors (28-54)
There seems to be a lot of these teams around lately. They have either one superstar or none, and then they have an absolute glut of pretty good players. The evidence so far seems to suggest that it's not quite enough, though that might rather depend on the superstar in question. In this case they've got a solid one - and one with the future ahead of him. This probably isn't the place to spend that future, though that might change if Reggie Perry and Daishen Nix continue their improvement.
sontodevil - Cleveland Cavaliers (35-47)
sontodevil is truly following in his father's footsteps here! Well, not exactly in the same order, but old man altodevil did spent several years in Cleveland. He didn't like it very much. I suspect his son won't like it much more. He might throw up some good stats, though, and maybe get back into the award race. We'll see how long sontodevil decides to languish in Cleveland, though.
Two Nil & reelworld II - New York Knicks (64-18, 2nd Round)
I'm not going to check, but New York must surely have the longest serving starting 5 in the league. Everyone has been there 6-8 years, and then you have Ja Morant on 5 years right beyond that. They had some bad luck last season, but father time has been kind to the veteran Knicks. All three best players, who are all past their mid 20s by now, got better. Not a lot better, but a little might just be enough. The big challenge will be, as always, the depth.
SebJr - Sacramento Kings (50-32, 1st Round)
SebJr is getting old, and it's finally pushed him out of the starting 5 on the Kings. He'll probably still get a lot of playing time, though, particularly considering how even the team is. We saw last season that it probably takes more than just having a very deep team to get far in the playoffs, but at least it took them to the playoffs. They also have a 68 rating player this year, with KZ Okpala's improvement. They aren't going to win any rings (though wilder things have happened), but playoffs again? Definitely likely.
@BenitoSTARR @sebsheep @weetee @V.O. @Dr. Dwayne @Heine @oneniltothearsenal @reelworld @Solius @Skizzo @Dan @Salt Bailly @altodevil @P-Nut @hobbers
Power Rankings
Team Finances and Strategy
(note that team spending is relative, not absolute. If you're the 13th highest spender, you get the same benefits no matter what the number is)
Previews
Dr. Junior - Oklahoma City Thunder (51-31, 2nd Round)
Are the Oklahoma City Thunder good? Yes. Are they really good? I don't know. Dr. Junior got a bit worse since last season - hopefully just a temporary decline - but Scottie Barnes got a bit better. Brandon Miller also took quite a leap, though the Thunder weren't exactly lacking in good forwards. The only thing standing in the way of the Thunder doing as well as last season is the quite shallow team. They might want to look for some clever trades, if at all possible.
Pepper Bailly - Milwaukee Bucks (44-38, 1st Round)
A lot of the okay players on the Milwaukee Bucks got ever so slightly worse since last season, but then they've got so many of them - it might not actually matter. In that sense, it might actually be a lot more impactful that Jaden Springer has improved enough to almost match Pepper Bailly. It's hard to know where there Bucks will end the season. They made the playoffs last season, and if their starters have a decent enough season they should be able to do so again. They just need to avoid injuries.
Lil-Nut - Golden State Warriors (28-54)
There seems to be a lot of these teams around lately. They have either one superstar or none, and then they have an absolute glut of pretty good players. The evidence so far seems to suggest that it's not quite enough, though that might rather depend on the superstar in question. In this case they've got a solid one - and one with the future ahead of him. This probably isn't the place to spend that future, though that might change if Reggie Perry and Daishen Nix continue their improvement.
sontodevil - Cleveland Cavaliers (35-47)
sontodevil is truly following in his father's footsteps here! Well, not exactly in the same order, but old man altodevil did spent several years in Cleveland. He didn't like it very much. I suspect his son won't like it much more. He might throw up some good stats, though, and maybe get back into the award race. We'll see how long sontodevil decides to languish in Cleveland, though.
Two Nil & reelworld II - New York Knicks (64-18, 2nd Round)
I'm not going to check, but New York must surely have the longest serving starting 5 in the league. Everyone has been there 6-8 years, and then you have Ja Morant on 5 years right beyond that. They had some bad luck last season, but father time has been kind to the veteran Knicks. All three best players, who are all past their mid 20s by now, got better. Not a lot better, but a little might just be enough. The big challenge will be, as always, the depth.
SebJr - Sacramento Kings (50-32, 1st Round)
SebJr is getting old, and it's finally pushed him out of the starting 5 on the Kings. He'll probably still get a lot of playing time, though, particularly considering how even the team is. We saw last season that it probably takes more than just having a very deep team to get far in the playoffs, but at least it took them to the playoffs. They also have a 68 rating player this year, with KZ Okpala's improvement. They aren't going to win any rings (though wilder things have happened), but playoffs again? Definitely likely.
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