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 ;)