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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

Beats Rhino and Homeboys comfortably, listed behind them. No, it doesn't matter that Rhino played a cup lineup ;)

But seriously, awesome job man. I do think with the right gameshape I can beat the Tragic on the road in the playoffs. I've had pretty bad GS this season, and I'll probably make a playoff purchase before the deadline.

Been playing this game for over 6 years. Never have I ever been more disgusted with the game engine in my life. Wow.

Jeez clearly he did not get off the bus. Rumor has it he's got the flu... LMAO or the internet is speculating that Baker sent over some "bad" late night to Tommy's room for his pregame meal. Jeez I lose to you in OT and Tommy scores a resounding 7 points. How did we even get to OT? you shoulda crushed me. But its all good. I am still in prime position to avoid relegation. Nice game buddy