Putting the joking aside, I think it's a worthy effort to critique the managing in the developmental D4.
Some first hand observations from IV.49: Gibrona CB is our overall #1 (in W/L, not PD) but 8th in total salaries ($121k/10 players) versus #1 in PD, the Atlanta Pacers' ($169k/7 players). I'm not sure if that shows 'toughness' but it does demonstrate efficiency. He doesn't TIE every game yet he hasn't CT'd during this regular season.
Last season our league saw one D3 demoted team drop in but he sold off his roster and seems to be tanking (4-5 weeks between logins). Additionally, out of the current crop of D5 promotions only 2 seem to be putting in any significant effort to improve. One actually made the playoffs and the other looks to be the only other one that will survive RL. These factors make our league look far from elite on paper.
Regarding CT/TIE and toughness, it's not always good strategy to show your best and lay all your cards on the table. I'm ok with a regular season loss against comparable teams for a few reasons. 1) To see another team's strengths. 2) To give my opp a false sense of confidence and most importantly for me 3) stacking enthusiasm. I freely admit to being a junkie on that stuff. :)
To diverge a bit, I've been reading The Last Season by Phil Jackson. In it, he chronicles his '03-'04 season at the helm of the Lakers (Kobe/Shaq era feat. Mailman & Glove). It's a light read and I'd highly recommend for anyone interested in bball strategy. There's also some unexpected revelations in it including that Phil tried to get Dr. Buss to trade Kobe for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion. A great section is when he discusses motivating his players: "I prefer them to see them develop a warrior mentality, in which they honor their opponent. Too many players today degrade their opponent....Your opponent is who makes you a better warrior." (p. 176).
Great building with you guys. Hope we can bring the B3 gold to the US sometime soon.
Last edited by Mix at 8/9/2012 3:08:39 AM