BuzzerBeater Forums

as you're all aware, we've reached the 2/3 way in the season, and thus it is reasonable to post brand spanking new power rankings. i doubt any of these will be controversial, so i'll get right into it:

1. The All-Injury Team - 275-4

absolute superstars have been on this team; from the homeboyz's vahi, to my margono AND koscien, to bezerra in dc, van roy for cowmen, jovanovic in la, viego in orlando, even mantle at rhino, philippsen and lacey for svj, and jazilionis and chevalley for crosstown. the pedigree speaks for itself, and has amounted a considerable winning streak. very few can overcome this squad when it's performing at its best, and it seems to be going strong still, leaving high profile players on its roster. some accuse this squad of cheating, stealing players directly off rosters, which the bb commissioner is currently looking into, but i say it's all fair play. good luck against them in the playoffs.

2. Orlando Tragic - 15-0

obviously second only to the all-injury team, they've been the big dogs all season, and nothing has stopped them from securing the top playoff seed. generally speaking, they get it done from all over the court, with a slight emphasis on the interior. that's only offensively, though. defensively, they're actually better equipped to stop the perimeter. while not overwhelming in the rebounding department, they get plenty of it from their bigs to let their defense do the talking, and keep the ball alive for their offense on occasion. the squad is led by hamed el hadden, who is putting up stupid numbers this year. 5.1 apg for a big? to go with 20 ppg and 10 rpg? maybe the league's mvp right here. if not officially, certainly realistically. they're the favorites to go all the way, unless that pesky all-injury team has something to say about it.

3. Rhino’s Rage - 11-4

when you talk about under-performing your salary, rhino has to be in the forefront of your mind. now, it's possible, even probable, that rhino is biding his time for now, and is just going to make his move at playoff time, but without a home game in the first round, i think that could backfire. moreover, if they finish with a worse record than, say, homeboyz, their route to a championship could be riddled with adversity in a very unexpected fashion. this remains, however, an extremely dangerous team. if the tragic think it's going to be all pizza and bikini models on their way to promotion, think again. the rhinos boast 2 allstar bigs that can compete with the tragic, and plenty of perimeter help to still be dangerous from the outside. more importantly, they have the ability to shut down post play. while they've faltered thus far, i don't think it's necessarily a trend we should expect to continue.

4. homeboyz - 10-5

currently without vahi, this is going to be a very tough stretch for the boyz. however, for the purposes of this ranking, i'm just going by playoff damage potential. the boyz have a top level salary that can give any red sided team a run for its money come championship time. they also manage minutes extremely well, so even without vahi, they can beat most teams. rauw and kasselakis make up for any lost points, and for the most part, lancia and the newly acquired giovanbattista can hold down the interior in his absence. clearly, though, this team is built to beat you up on the interior. they do a damn good job of it. they have a few strange losses that a top-flight team ought not have, but this season, there have been so many games not go the way they ought've. that makes the playoffs scary for managers, but makes it exciting for the spectators. plus, they've had to worry about their cup run, which has detracted from their league play, and indeed they've all but forfeited a couple games this season in an effort to continue this SICK cup run. i expect them to do serious damage in the playoffs. they're my favorite to come out of the uncertain blue

5. LionPride - 11-4

yeah, orlando has a 4, and based on pd, effectively 5 game lead on everyone in the red conference. lionpride, though, has made the most of their budget, and the d3 honeymoon period is in full effect for the pride. a real testament to oriolekid's effectiveness in purchasing the right players and game preparation. so how have they done it? mostly on the interior. they mostly use an 8 man rotation, and only have 2 players over the age of 32, only 1 of which starts. they also get a TON of assists from their guards. both mplatsiotis and kostrzewski average over 6 apg, good for 2nd and 3rd in the entire league respectively. on the same team. there's no reason that i can see that they can't make a little noise in the playoffs. they whooped on rhino early in the season, though shortly thereafter got bounced from the cup in a game they probably should've won. they also played orlando extremely tough, albeit at home. whatever the case, i can pretty confidently say they're safe from any relegation talk.

6. DC Wizards - 10-5

right now, they're on top of the blue side. that alone should tell you all you need to know about their potential for playoff damage. they've had their bouts with injuries, as well as a deep cup run, which is reflected in their record thus far. on the other hand, they've struggled to put away marginal red side opponents, losing to the 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 seeds from that conference, and NARROWLY pulling out wins against the 7 and 8 seeds. in fact, had crosstown just refrained from using gdp, they probably would've lost that game, too. they did, however, smoke rhino at home. it's a confusing team this season. are they a threat? hard to say one way or the other. thewizard does a great job scouting and always comes prepared to games. you never know what they're going to throw at you, and whatever they do play, it's for a good reason. they're best inside, but aren't afraid to let the 3 ball go. they've got 4 guys shooting over 35% from 3 on the season. they can play you inside and out defensively, so preparing for them is kind of a nightmare. as stated before, their playoff prospects are almost entirely unknown and uncertain.

7. Frosty BC - 9-6

disappointing season for the squad. i mismanaged to 1 loss, and the team flat out played bad in 2 others. injuries to my 2 best players didn't help the cause at all. super disappointing end to my cup run, too. a good season would've been 12-3 with a trip to the final 32 at this point. i need to pull some upsets if i want to hit my mark i set before the season started. in fact, i can't lose a single game from here on out. not going to happen, obviously. probably. and just as i thought we were starting to get some momentum, bucsblue blasts me a new one with a heartbreaker on the road. needless to say, i think my playoff prospects are pretty grim. on the road to orlando is the absolute worst case scenario. but, if you ask dwight coward, my guess is he might say the same thing about me. we still did a lot of work in the offseason, and my team is still getting better. i still have plenty of enthusiasm in the bank. i don't think it's IMPOSSIBLE to win a playoff game, but it's seriously improbable. 2 games back from both pride and rhino, can i really catch them? the squad is, of course, fairly balanced, though slimane has been carrying me a lot of the way, and liutvickas has been clutch. a few good wins, a few bad losses, middle of the pack as usual.

Last edited by FrostyMc at 1/7/2016 5:28:47 AM

8. Baker Street Irregulars - 8-7

baker street has a big pd lead on both the boyz and dc, and you know what? they could easily catch them and creep into the top spot in the playoffs. they've done it before. while it's not your daddy's irregulars, it's still a quality squad. they've been "blowing up" their roster for the last, what, 4 seasons? meredith is an animal, but it's actually been pedzik leading the charge. top 10 in assists and leading the team in points, he's been mr. doitall. meanwhile meredith has been achieving relatively meager numerical output. he can still spit glass at ya ass from the guard spot, but those 3s have been tricky this season, shooting just 31%. not great from a superstar. at 73k, it's hard to believe he has much room for development, but i think this has been more of a product of the quality around him. every team puts their best defender on him, which is why pedzik has been putting up numbers. that's really been the bane of the irregulars all season. can't get meredith going due to the primary focus on that one player from a defensive matchups standpoint. i think they can be a threat come playoff time, even on the road, but this season's team has a lot to prove.

9. Ballstars - 9-6

they've been squeaking out wins, but that only really tells half the story. they've been winning against good teams for the first time in franchise history. big turning point for them. they're more than within striking distance of the playoffs, they're tied for the 4 spot. they're smack dab in the middle of an absolutely fascinating battle on the red side. a playoff team could easily be facing a relegation series shortly. will this happen to ballstars? i actually don't think so. moreau has been every bit as advertised, and his backcourt partner orlowski has been wonderful as well, both the starting guards in the allstar game. with big names on the roster and experience under their belt, ballstars have as good a chance as any to snag the 4, or even 3 spot in the red side. their minute management has also been great. so can they do anything in the playoffs? well, they have a starting 5 that can play with anyone, but if they have to go to their bench they have no chance. moreover, just to get to the playoffs, it's likely they'll not be able to save a ton of enthusiasm. i don't think playoff damage is very likely, but a playoff appearance is certainly plausible.

10. BucsBlue Lob City - 7-8

you know, i threw bblc and ballstars back and forth, and i just couldn't justify a team with a 2 game disadvantage and SERIOUS pd deficit to outrank the team ahead of them. moreover, ballstars throttled bblc. just couldn't do it. even so, right now, bucsblue is playing outstanding ball. back to back wins against red side playoff teams. in fact, they went 5-3 against the red side. while i think 3 games and a significant pd margin is too big to overcome to get a home playoff game, i think this squad on the road is going to present a lot of issues for whoever they have to face. we'll see when it comes to intra-conference play again, but i have a hunch they will perform very well against their own conference. tompkins still leads the league in ppg, and is 7th in apg, so he's once again a strong candidate for mvp. hilton is having a great season. their 2 best players are homegrown, and i have a case of trainee envy. they never did address the center spot with a proven player, but thénot has been playing admirably in that spot. next season, i bet lob city looks more like the one we're accustomed to. so what's their outlook for the rest of this one? pretty damn good. they have a playoff spot pretty much locked up, and if anyone knows what to do with a gift like that, it's belbucs.

11. Space von Jam - 7-8

you know, usually around this time i'm talking about how svj has underperformed, but this season, while that's still somewhat true, i've seen really good signs that they're coming around. first off, their game shape is out. freaking. standing. they came off a narrow loss to the top seed in the blue side. in fact, aside from the crosstown loss the first game of the season (bad loss dude), they've only lost to good teams. they've also beaten good teams. they're 1 hiccup away from being right in the playoff mix. i'm pretty sure negro has been getting trained, because his numbers are better and better, and that's really their only hole in the starting lineup. the plan is starting to come together. they can't get worse, due to being the youngest team in the league (which by the way is probably why winning close games is a tall order for them), and they can and are getting better. they have plenty of depth... i mean, what's not to like? don't let that 7 seed fool you, this team can ball. the playoffs are definitely not out of reach. much like ballstars, i don't think they can do much once they're there, simply due to them probably needing to expend copious amounts of enthusiasm to reach that spot, but i really think they have a legitimate shot at pulling some upsets and making a run at it.

12. Sparta Hybla Valley - 8-7

all the teams i've talked about underperforming, well this one has overperformed, much like lionpride. a very bright manager, they have the pd advantage over both ballstars and svj. kilof has talked for some time about adding a starting piece to his team before season's end. i think if he does, then this team is going to be a true d3 caliber team, and have a real shot at a playoff spot. in any case, it'd be extremely difficult to oust them in a 3 game relegation series. as it stands, i'm just not much of a believer, and think that 1 slip up of diamantes could spell disaster, even demotion, for sparta. i do like parts of their team, but playing on the road twice against diamantes is, imo, a losing proposition for them. as it stands, mitsubishi would be a hell of a tough out on the road, as they found out on tuesday. they've got to find a way to keep that 6 spot, or move to the 5 spot (even 4 spot?). they'll need the home games, and los angeles would be a walk in the park. so how have they gotten to a winning record? well most importantly, they've beaten the teams they should beat. they beat crosstown, los angeles and cowmen. they also picked off a reeling irregulars team, ballstars early season, brilliantly ct'd bucsblue, stole one on the road against dc, and worked over diamantes at home, who struggle on the road. very strategic wins from a very bright coach. of all the teams with playoff possibilities, though, i think they're the least inclined to do anything if/once they get there.

13. Diamantes - 4-11

this is the first team that i think pretty much have no hopes of a playoff spot. diamantes, man. i think it's just age catching up with these guys. only 2 of their 12 players are under 33, and neither of them are trainable. they're still very deep and have excellent game shape, so any given night, they can pose problems for the opposition, but this season, it just hasn't come together for them. they lost early in the season to cowmen, which really, really hurt. they needed to win that one. they also only beat crosstown on the red side. while that's not a terrible sin, the red side is awfully good this season, but it would've been nice to win at least 1 of those other ones. they put up some good fights. close games against mitsubishi, ballstars and lionpride went the wrong way. otherwise, we could be talking about 4 more wins and a playoff spot for this squad. hard to see this amount of talent getting relegated, but if nothing else, it should serve as a warning flag for them coming into next season to change things around. it hasn't been all bad. levente szarka is 3rd in the league in rebounding, and miklós tiefenbach is 8th in assists. szarka was even an allstar. they're still a very talented and dangerous team despite their record, so if it does come down to a relegation series, whoever they play is in huge trouble.

14. Crosstown United - 4-11

i actually think that crosstown digging themselves out of 8th isn't impossible, but highly improbable. same situation as diamantes in the playoffs, but the likelihood of svj losing out is better than bucsblue losing out, due to the quality of the competition. that same quality, however, is what crosstown is going to have to face. this is not a bad squad, but for a few seasons now, they've been in danger of something like this happening. well, it's finally here. the manager isn't even a bad manager from a preparation standpoint. in fact, scouting game to game, he's one of the better ones in the league. he just doesn't have the guns in his arsenal to keep up. it's been how many seasons, and there's no money to expand, no money to acquire better talent (the two really go hand in hand), no attempt at a 2nd trainee. now, nguyên could end up being really good. in fact, i bet he turns out great. the problem is it's effectively wasting 2/3 of the trainer's potential to increase team value. you can train 3 dudes 48 minutes a piece. now, a lot of managers only train 2 dudes, because training 3 can be encumbering, but that's still getting twice as much value increase as training just 1 dude. it's really been more of a structural issue at crosstown than anything. i get it, who the hell wants to go backwards? but demoting is the best thing for this squad. it's actually a lot better than being the unfortunate beneficiary of a few down seasons in the conference and league, staying up when moving down would be better. while nobody likes to sacrifice a few seasons, you can see the result of spending every dollar trying to stay in a league in which you have no realistic chance of competing, much less promoting in, simply because the team was promoted there before they had the infrastructure in place to compete. just take colin and nguyên, liquidate all other assets, hopefully draft a fresh trainee, or buy another one, use the money from player sales to expand, and buy enough scrubby players to field a team for like 2 seasons, and from there you have a good, sound base so that, once you find yourself back in d3, you'll be ready this time. all is not lost with the franchise, and the manager is obviously bright. it just needs a reboot and a fresh new plan. it's awesome to win right now, but it's better to win a lot more later.

15. Mitsubishi Eclipse - 4-11

honestly, not terribly different from the crosstown situation, but still a painful season for the eclipse. this team's bane has been its age since it joined this league, and there have been attempts to remedy that, but the cash just isn't there to do a full makeover. now, obviously they'll be a competitive team in a relegation series, but part of me wonders if that's even the right move. it's funny how it's worked out this season. the teams in the most danger of getting relegated... well, that seems like a good move for them anyway, from a utilitarian point of view. if they did demote, then they could sell all their aging players, buy longer-term, sustainable ones, maybe not even all at once, maybe just piece by piece once they can afford them, use the excess to expand, and suddenly you've got brand new hope for promotion to d2. radford is a great prospect. i know people say it's a waste of time to train under 7 potential, but i disagree. you can make millions training 5 potential dudes, making them rounded, and selling them for a mil a piece. a mil? yeah, a million dollar 20k player. a rounded 20k sf is, first off, a d3 starter, but second, extremely rare and valuable, and can be made from a 5 pot player. 5 pot players cost, what 10k for a 55 sp rookie? 55 sps. rookie. 10k. think about the head start you have. radford is the perfect height for a sf. anyway, if the eclipse do see a relegation series, they have a solid chance of winning it. it's a veteran team, veteran manager, not declining, game shape is sketchy, companys, gennari and korljan are studs, mihãilescu and antons are adequate, and radford is good depth. anybody will struggle against them.

16. Los Angeles Knights - 2-13

well i wasn't completely sure it was the case at first, but the writing is more or less on the wall for the knights. i mean, no shame really. attaboy at getting all the way up here, ya know? they're almost sure to see a relegation series, unless they can win about 4 out of their last 7. i mean, not impossible, but improbable. they had some good times. they beat both the eclipse and cowmen in the same week, and at one point were the 3 seed. alas, natural selection took its course. possible they'll see their way to d3 again. they did it once before. good luck in the future, sir.

17. CowMen - 1-14

they beat diamantes. good win against a solid team. going forward, bermudez is a sick young player and that's awesome. he doesn't have much, if any, more room for growth, though. really sweet to have a homegrown young guy on your team like that, though. danbaba is a little old, and training a 6'3 dude as a big is pretty impossible. at 25, it's also a little late to switch back to guard skills. only 3 more years to train him at diminishing returns. if you did, though, and somehow made him back into a small forward, he would be worth a lot. i would probably give up on that one, though. butterfield has more room for growth, but even a 6'7 dude as a big is kinda tough. parham just doesn't have the potential to make training worth it, but his height is perfect for a big. i would probably take butterfield and bermudez as my starting pf and c into d4, parham as my backup, liquidate all other assets, grab a couple guard trainees (probably specifically point guard), try to buy a starting small forward and shooting guard if i had the cash after the sales, or just 1 of the 2 until you can afford the other, and fill the rest of the roster in with cheap, affordable role players. it's a good sized arena, and there's some nice, young, long term talent there, and that's an awesome start. very bright future for this squad. the sales should provide a ton of cash. no real hope here of staying in this league, so hopefully with the 1st or 2nd overall pick, you can snag a good guard prospect. homegrown is the best. hope you have some scouting points ;)

Frosty a big shout out for the time and research you put into your rankings. Makes the league a lot of fun. Thanks !!!

As always, thanks for everything you put into this! Definitely keeps things exciting, as smitti said. Great work!

FROSTY you are the MAN again brother! Love the write ups. Keeps the league fun and fresh. I have to give my midseason 1st Team & 2nd Team selections. Plus Top 5 MVP vote getters early.

But to the point. It always makes me nervous when you give write ups... You've been around the league and particularly my team long enough sometimes i think you can see what i am seeing. LOL lets just say BucsBlue just wanted to put enough space to make sure that in season 3 of my rebuild and training i dont have to worry about a relegation series. If i make the playoffs cool (Added money, and maybe a chance to scare a few people). this is NOT a championship season so all moves from here on out are to put us in position for next season where BucsBlue feels REALLy good! if Hilton continues to progress, Guil is coming along as a Center, and the bench fortified by trainee homegrown guys. Could be lots of Merch money and guys trained to specifically fit what we need going forward!

Good luck everyone!

I've gone from Preseason Absolute Worst to Merely Awful.
YAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!

PS Nice Job though.

Last edited by Kilof at 1/7/2016 7:06:05 PM