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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 15:26:00 GMT -6
To keep the trend going I figured I could give a summary on my reflections this past successful season. Season 2 was a memorable season for the Sacramento fanbase and their dreams almost came true when the team made the Finals. We started off very slow and stayed at the bottom half of the West for the first two months after a brutal away game stretch and the team lost its identity somewhere in the transition of the offseason. A few media pundits called the front office conservative, but our plan was patience from the beginning. We watched the rest of the league scramble for players and saw teams take tremendous strides in the offseason in terms of adding talent and depth. I'm proud of how the front office responded and acquired several players through trade and how they managed small injury risks later in the season. We achieved our team goal of not only winning the Pacific Division but also the #1 seed in the West on the very last day of the season thanks to some luck and finishing the season strong and healthy. We were excited about the thought of having home court advantage in the path to the Finals and made the most of it by making it their without losing a home game. Finally, the team met their fate and lost in the Finals in six. The loss stung at first but the improvements we made and goals we accomplished made us feel better looking forward to next season, where hopefully the team has enough to make it to the promise-lands. The players and coaches worked hard and made the most of the full 82 game of the season and a second straight division title is not something we take lightly. We have a healthy competitive respect for our division and know no game is a gimme when facing the likes of the Lakers, Warriors, Suns and now Clippers after their terrific signings. The rest of the West is still to be seen after the Midwest had a very quiet offseason and the Mavs folding. We had a fairly busy offseason as soon as we were done in the Finals. Coaches and team personnel got together and began hammering out the details on our plan for the draft, free agency, and training camp. We had four starters already under contract this season and needed to bring in a new starting center and depth at every position. In the draft we were able to add young bigs to our bench by drafting a pair of bull dogs in Marlon Maxey and Oliver Miller. Team scouts were impressed with these bigs when we brought them over to team workouts and interviews and both understand their development will play a huge part in this teams success down the road or in case of injuries. Day 1 of free agency was a huge catch for the team after six players accepted our bids. We were not expecting to sign almost every target but the team is happy to have a group of versatile players that fit the build of the team. Fans were ecstatic to bring in Marc Eaton and James Donaldson to cheap 1 year deals to solidify the anchor with Malone. We also brought in several versatile players that we liked in Xavier McDaniel, Anthony Bonner and Tyrone Corbin. These three players will be the types of players we need to sustain another winning season in a tough division. To round out the team we brought in Buck Williams and J.R. Reid as fill-ins in case of injuries. We are now open to questions. Thank you in advance for your time and participation! |
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Post by Inner_GI on Jan 15, 2014 15:38:13 GMT -6
Some could say, your team over achieved last year based solely on talent. How would you respond to that? Do credit your team's success to just overall fit and chemistry between the players, and how do you see your new additions contributing and fitting in?
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Post by bowtothebill23 on Jan 15, 2014 15:51:33 GMT -6
Couple quick-hitters from your buddies in Oakland:
Is Karl Malone the best player in sim league?
Will this be the best defense in sim league history?
Is this season championship or bust?
What record do you feel you have to go against the Lakers, Warriors, Suns, and Clippers to win the pacific (4 games a piece)?
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 16:33:17 GMT -6
Some could say, your team over achieved last year based solely on talent. How would you respond to that? Do credit your team's success to just overall fit and chemistry between the players, and how do you see your new additions contributing and fitting in? It's a fair observation and I say no we did not overachieve based solely on talent. A lot of fans and media heads have labeled the Kings "The Most Boring Team To Watch" due to our focus of defense and playing the game we want to play instead of the other teams doing what they want. We may not be the sexiest team but our staff is excellent at evaluating players and putting those players in the best position to win us games based on their roles. I think as soon as other GMs figure this out and start looking at production instead of colors and potential the competition will get tougher, and no other team in the league does this better than the Atlanta Hawks. The new additions have these roles they will need to fill, and most new players will be able to play multiple positions for me to plug away at. |
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 16:40:40 GMT -6
Couple quick-hitters from your buddies in Oakland: Is Karl Malone the best player in sim league? Will this be the best defense in sim league history? Is this season championship or bust? What record do you feel you have to go against the Lakers, Warriors, Suns, and Clippers to win the pacific (4 games a piece)? 1. I think it's very close but Robinson gets props for this one. MVP for a reason and I won't deny that. 2. I think it's possible depending on the direction I feel most comfortable going. I was 2nd and 1st and defensive efficiency the past two seasons respectively (none of that PPG bullshit others are pulling out...) and if focusing on defense again is what will help win the Pacific I will try my hardest to top my previous best. 3. Yes, it is championship or bust. The first season I was happy with playoffs as it was my first time there and lost in Game 7 that would have sent me to the WCF. I then set my goal to make it to the Finals and lost a couple of close games. If I can make another improvement in performance I think I realistically have a chance to hoist the trophy. 4. I think I have to win the series against 3 of those 4 teams at least to put myself in the driver seat to the divisional title. Anything less would leave the race wide open and the West saw how important regular season series matchups are when it comes to playoff seeding. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 16:47:38 GMT -6
Some could say, your team over achieved last year based solely on talent. How would you respond to that? Do credit your team's success to just overall fit and chemistry between the players, and how do you see your new additions contributing and fitting in? It's a fair observation and I say no we did not overachieve based solely on talent. A lot of fans and media heads have labeled the Kings "The Most Boring Team To Watch" due to our focus of defense and playing the game we want to play instead of the other teams doing what they want. We may not be the sexiest team but our staff is excellent at evaluating players and putting those players in the best position to win us games based on their roles. I think as soon as other GMs figure this out and start looking at production instead of colors and potential the competition will get tougher, and no other team in the league does this better than the Atlanta Hawks. The new additions have these roles they will need to fill, and most new players will be able to play multiple positions for me to plug away at. Jack Philson, L.A. Times here. Two years ago we saw the Mavs lose to the the Hawks and saw the Mavs GM call himself the best game planner in the league outside of the Hawks GM. Last year you lost to the Hawks and in a nutshell just called yourself the best evaluator of talent. Can you talk about what it is when losing to the Hawks that gives GMs the sense of entitlement to figuratively blow yourselves after losing ? Is it a spontaneous process? Is it a process that takes a few weeks after the loss? Is it something that fades over time? |
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 16:54:49 GMT -6
It's a fair observation and I say no we did not overachieve based solely on talent. A lot of fans and media heads have labeled the Kings "The Most Boring Team To Watch" due to our focus of defense and playing the game we want to play instead of the other teams doing what they want. We may not be the sexiest team but our staff is excellent at evaluating players and putting those players in the best position to win us games based on their roles. I think as soon as other GMs figure this out and start looking at production instead of colors and potential the competition will get tougher, and no other team in the league does this better than the Atlanta Hawks. The new additions have these roles they will need to fill, and most new players will be able to play multiple positions for me to plug away at. Jack Philson, L.A. Times here. Two years ago we saw the Mavs lose to the the Hawks and saw the Mavs GM call himself the best game planner in the league outside of the Hawks GM. Last year you lost to the Hawks and in a nutshell just called yourself the best evaluator of talent. Can you talk about what it is when losing to the Hawks that gives GMs the sense of entitlement to figuratively blow yourselves after losing ? Is it a spontaneous process? Is it a process that takes a few weeks after the loss? Is it something that fades over time? First, is "in a nutshell" really me saying it? I mean is it really? Second,  Not bad, huh? |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 16:58:12 GMT -6
Congratulations on achieving the same thing everyone else outside of one owner has, 0 championships. You did say championship or bust, #AMIRIGHT?
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 17:02:39 GMT -6
Congratulations on achieving the same thing everyone else outside of one owner has, 0 championships. You did say championship or bust, #AMIRIGHT? I'm more proud of the two things I won that no one else in the division came close to. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2014 17:04:34 GMT -6
Weird, Last season you said you didn't care about the division banners and now it's the thing you're proud of.
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 17:09:20 GMT -6
Weird, Last season you said you didn't care about the division banners and now it's the thing you're proud of. I was obviously intoxicated, highjacker. |
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Post by TrayWithAnA on Jan 15, 2014 17:25:50 GMT -6
Give us a prediction on your series with the Lakers this season.
Are you focusing on conditioning in TCs to help combat the rampant injury big that has struck our league like a plague?
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 17:41:17 GMT -6
Give us a prediction on your series with the Lakers this season. Are you focusing on conditioning in TCs to help combat the rampant injury big that has struck our league like a plague? I expect my team to go 3-1 against the Lakers because if not I jeopardize winning the Pacific without the tiebreaker. I wouldn't care if he beats me 152-78 that one time as long as I win the other three and the biggest challenge is stealing one away in Los Angeles where his team plays with intensity and pace my team can't keep up with sometimes. The relation of conditioning and injuries is interesting and I wonder if there is one. Would it be Stamina that helps reduce wear and tear, or perhaps Strength? Combination of these two? One small thing I've noticed is that teams with higher pace (Lakers, Bucks, Warriors off the top of my head) have more injury problems than teams with low pace (Me). I don't know if this is true or not but maybe it would be worthwhile to keep track of. As far as training conditioning, the older players like Eaton and Donaldson will hit the weight room and Malone is capped off I believe so he will get more emphasis on conditioning as well. The others will most likely train where I see the most potential to train and where I see fit for the team. |
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Post by Inner_GI on Jan 15, 2014 17:42:48 GMT -6
Give us a prediction on your series with the Lakers this season. Are you focusing on conditioning in TCs to help combat the rampant injury big that has struck our league like a plague? I expect my team to go 3-1 against the Lakers because if not I jeopardize winning the Pacific without the tiebreaker. I wouldn't care if he beats me 152-78 that one time as long as I win the other three and the biggest challenge is stealing one away in Los Angeles where his team plays with intensity and pace my team can't keep up with sometimes. The relation of conditioning and injuries is interesting and I wonder if there is one. Would it be Stamina that helps reduce wear and tear, or perhaps Strength? Combination of these two? One small thing I've noticed is that teams with higher pace (Lakers, Bucks, Warriors off the top of my head) have more injury problems than teams with low pace (Me). I don't know if this is true or not but maybe it would be worthwhile to keep track of. As far as training conditioning, the older players like Eaton and Donaldson will hit the weight room and Malone is capped off I believe so he will get more emphasis on conditioning as well. The others will most likely train where I see the most potential to train and where I see fit for the team. Side note: I play at almost the slowest possible pace, and not one of my players has ever been injured. |
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Post by coltsguy510 on Jan 15, 2014 21:06:16 GMT -6
Do you expect your team to replicate its success from last season?
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Post by 78 on Jan 15, 2014 21:14:38 GMT -6
How does a team with so many yellow boxes perform at such a high level?
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 21:28:57 GMT -6
Do you expect your team to replicate its success from last season? Another good question, thank you! I think with the group I have currently I can not only replicate, but improve upon last seasons performance as well. I put a lot of grief into the beginning of the season after a horrible road stretch in which we did poorly, but after that we were not bad on the road at all and brought our record away to a more respectable record and I think that improvement is what contributed to the #1 seed in the West. But that rough patch was also me not having a set gameplan that was optimal for my team and we suffered early for it. I think going into the third season I have a better grasp on what my team is capable and incapable of like other teams do. If I can catch my stride early I would love to pull out in front of the Pacific title race. |
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 15, 2014 21:30:17 GMT -6
How does a team with so many yellow boxes perform at such a high level? The team does not believe in evaluating talent based on Mr. Uter's Color Whore Guide to Scouting Players manual. We prefer taking into account the players ratings, potential, and actual performance that takes a little bit of effort, but worth it. Plus Malone is OP as fuck. |
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Post by IamQuailman on Jan 16, 2014 8:27:23 GMT -6
Outside of Malone, who will you look to to score the ball? Or will you stick with the mantra of feeding the Malongdick?
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Post by WigNosy on Jan 16, 2014 10:43:54 GMT -6
Lionel Simmons saw a considerable drop in production last season despite getting more or less the same playing time he got as a rookie. Do you chalk this up to simply a "sophomore slump" or is there reason to be concerned that he's not going to round into the player his rookie season might have indicated he can become?
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 16, 2014 10:48:21 GMT -6
Outside of Malone, who will you look to to score the ball? Or will you stick with the mantra of feeding the Malongdick? Outside of Malone we are hopeful that Simmons and Richardson can continue to make plays as starters. A concern I had about my offense is my previous two seasons I had really poor bench players coming in with no scorers or shooters out of the bunch. I liked the use of having McDaniel and Corbin coming off the bench at the SG and SF positions and slide Nate to PG, giving the team a much needed improvement in depth. Another reason why I targeted these two players was because of their fit with the team. Mac and Corbin are good offensive rebounders for their position so hopefully we can scoop up some more easy second chance points. |
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 16, 2014 10:55:20 GMT -6
Lionel Simmons saw a considerable drop in production last season despite getting more or less the same playing time he got as a rookie. Do you chalk this up to simply a "sophomore slump" or is there reason to be concerned that he's not going to round into the player his rookie season might have indicated he can become? Training camp was really harsh for Simmons because not only did his attributes drop in ratings but also his potential. We were set with having Simmons as our #2 player going into the second season when disaster struck in camp. Didn't have a lot of options so I took the chance and just changed his minutes. It took me a while to find Simmons comfort zone as he played poorly at the start but once we found a good game plan Simmons was a consistent force just like last season. His averages might not look the part but his play in the 2nd half really had an impact on the team's performance. |
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Post by Conroy on Jan 16, 2014 12:53:18 GMT -6
Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, it's no secret you've been trying to move one of your two talented PGs. With both of them expiring this year, are you feeling a sense of urgency in moving one of them?
Can you play a quick game with Malone, Pooh, and Nate called "Trade one, Resign one, Fellate one?"
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Post by NOLa. on Jan 16, 2014 13:02:02 GMT -6
Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, it's no secret you've been trying to move one of your two talented PGs. With both of them expiring this year, are you feeling a sense of urgency in moving one of them? Can you play a quick game with Malone, Pooh, and Nate called "Trade one, Resign one, Fellate one?" This season's negotiations will be interesting for us as a team. We are not rushing or feeling urgency in trading one of these two because next year's free agency will be a good one and would be perfect timing if both will not sign. Pooh fits the team well and is a good balanced PG, and Nate is a versatile defender who would probably be a better fit with a outside or balanced shooting team which is his preference. And I would go Nate, Pooh, then MalOP (obviously) |
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J2
Junior Member
Washington Wizards
Posts: 955 
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Post by J2 on Jan 16, 2014 17:00:51 GMT -6
J. Junior, The Washington Post. To build on Mr. Simmons' question, you are a lucky team, having two starting-caliber PGs. So, which one has the inside track on starting this season? Are both in your future plans?
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credit loco for photoshop
