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how aobut you buy a belgian player, train him as a SF? i'd be a very happy NT coach then

honestly, i would be glad to find a talented belgian player who would be ready to be trained! but i certainly need a short term solution as well, so tough call...

A good first game for me with the loss of Arlon. Now I know that I will have to be very careful next Saterday when I will play against Falco Gent :p

Didnt see this one coming, but it was a very good choice from Falco to play CT, moreover since it was a TV game, and since he'll get back to decent enthousiasm soon... Anyway I'm not too disappointed because I'm not even sure i would have won playing normal!

So ....crunch time....
And who is the winner of this all ? Yes.....Joe. (licence to kill)
+ his big challenger is minus one.

It's been a weird season 17. Sum lost to Ventola in the PO conference finals, meaning that Jona had a near impossible mission to prevent Joe claiming his 5th consecutive BBBL title ( can anybody stop him from getting 6th in a row?). Also, season 17 has been a very strange season, since 3 of the 4 promovendi managed to stay in the BBBL this season, a unseen preformance for the past few BBBL seasons, but let's not exagerate. This was only possible due to the BBBL retirement of SeatleSuperSonics and Mighty Wizzards, who decided to relegate to II on purpose, in order to rebuild their teams so that they can come back stronger than ever ( i'd hate to see SeatleSuperSonics once they get back, cause they have a pretty large ammount of very talented players!) And so, Season 17 ended with the favorite Cowboy's claiming yet another BBBL title ( the 4th consecutive one!). And now, it's time for season 18! The main question: Can anyone hope to compete with the Cowboy's?

First, i'd like to welcome Bavi Vilvoorde, coached by Arreke07. Bavi Vilvoorde is yet another old IV.3 mate from me ( and the one responsible for my only Silver cup on my teampage!) IV.3 must produce some pretty good managers, since Bavi is the 3rd manager from IV.3 to come to the BBBL ( Other former IV.3 managers include Joe Maverick, current BBBL champion, and myself). He is the only 'new' face in the BBBL.

Other than that, i'd like to welcome back my good friend Coach Steven, manager from BBC Falco, allong with Ppmmp ( proud manager of Obira Dragons) and Dunk_Forever, owner of B.Liege Basket, a team that has been bouncing back and forth between II and BBBL since season 14. I'd also like to say goodbye to Sonics ( manager of SeatleSuperSonics), Fille_coach ( owner of Mighty Wizzards), ebobo (owner of Pokola) and Paco El Taco(manager of Tuijana Burritos). I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing their faces back in the BBBL ( probably sooner than later). I wish them alot of luck and a speedy return to the BBBL. And then here it is, the long awaited season 18 preview!


the BBBL Preview: Season 18

As usual, I'll start off by the Big 8 conference


Amenra(37305)
Last seasons achievement: 5th place
salary: 502 076$ for 13 players
Information: This remains to be one of the youngest teams in the BBBL. Founded in season 9, it has managed to stay in the BBBL against all odds, by thinking through it's transfers very well. It's former big 3 have nearly all been replaced, with only PF Mathias Lacroix remaining in the team. However, it has been strengthen big time by the arrival of a pair of belgian Guard, ammongst which Ronald Van Der Haegen, who will be joining his former U21 teammate Jean Fradet to form a pretty strong backcourt. However, with only one PF with a salary of 64K, you have to wonder if they won't have some problems in the frontcourt. Other BBBL manager should expect to keep a good eye on this team. It should be very interesting how this team will progress from here on, but things are looking alot better than at the start of season 17. Also, don't forget, having a mentor who is the reigning champ of the BBBL for 4 seasons now, helps alot.
prognosis without any frontcourt reinforcements, 5th position. Altho, if that frontcourt gets a couple of extra player, then this team is gonna be one heck of a team that might have a shot at making the PO's!

B. Liège Basket(89978)
Last seasons achievement: II.2 champion by defeating Inheems in the PO finals
salary: 502 516$ for 15 players
Information: With former NT players in De Patoul and Loddo, Liege once again is comming up to the BBBL with a few strong players. Their squad also includes former U21 Belgian and French guards who go by the names of Hugo Cepeda and Guillaume Da Costa. However, this team remains unchanged from season 16, the season that ended in a regulation for BLB. other managers should expect another 2 extra players joining the squad, ammongst which a big man and a SF, to give them a fighting chance to remain in the BBBL this season. Their previous 2 attempts to remain in the BBBL proved to be unsuccesfull, and with a pretty thin roster, things don't look to great for them this season. Unless another team gets hit by some bad fortune ( in other words, by some long injuries on key players) BLB will have a very hard time getting any higher than the 7th spot in their conference.
prognosis battling for 7th spot with Bavi Vilvoorde, but should have the edge due to having 2 former NT lvl players in their squad, joined by some upcomming talent that was on the U21 squad last season.


bavi vilvoorde(37463)
Last seasons achievement: II.4 champion by defeating KV Forever on the road in the PO finals
salary: 510 884$ for 18 players
Information: Their is a first for everything, and that includes going to the BBBL. Arreke07 has pulled of a houdini by defeating KV forever without having HCA for the finals! Most teams were anticipating the return of KV Forever to the top Belgian league, but many oversaw that their was a team called Bavi Vilvoorde standing in their way! And thus, here they are, in the Big 8 conference in the BBBL. Where as Bavi has a very large frontcourt roster, they don't seem to have any decent back court players. Does this remind you of some other team last season? yes it does. they look alot like Mumu Boys when they came up to the BBBL ( both Bavi and Mumu boys are comming from the same II.4 division. Coincidence? or did Bavi copy Mumu boys roster to have a shot at joining the big boys? only time will tell) Anyhow, the fans are expecting to see some new faces in the Ari Arena! Never the less, Bavi seems to be the weakest team in the Big 8 conference, tho their might be able to compete for the 7th spot, due to the faul happy Loddo of BLB, who represents BLB's frontcourt... should be interesting to see who can emerge victorious to claim the 7th spot of these 2 teams
prognosis Battling for 7th spot, but due to the absence of any strong looking backcourt players, BLB has the edge over them. So prognosis is the 8th spot and direct regulation back to II.


BC Tienen(37316)
Last seasons achievement: 4th spot, first round exit against Phoenix__suns
salary: 607 561$ for 14 players
Information: Altho slightely short on good guards, you most certainly don't want to underestimate BC Tienen. With NT players such as the Belgian C Steven Ballaert and Nigerian PF Ahmed Danjuma, you most certainly want to watch out for this inside powerhouse. And the guards shouldn't be a to big concern, since it's pretty clear that he's training some guards, so he'll only get stronger towards the end of the season. BC Tienen is a team that should be taken seriously. If you underestimate them, then that mistake could end up haunting you later on in the season!
prognosis Battling for 4th spot, but the shortage on strong guards might end up costing them that PO spot.

Boes(89649)
Last seasons achievement: 3rd spot, first round exit against Ventola Team
salary: 673 702$ for 15 players
Information: Boes remains to be a very strong inside team. With former NT C and team veteran Lex Francaart on the court along with some other strong frontcourt players, they could do quite some damage. However, with only 2 strong guards (being SG Aleandro Camanducaia and PG Mugur Pelin), they certainly have a achilles heel. If any of those guards picks up an injury, then Boes could end up having some trouble getting any good results. Also, Mugur Pelin seems to have a temper problem that he can't always keep under control, so Boes most certainly has some fauls that could be exploited by their opponents. However, their strong frontcourt should be able to make up for any problems that might be caused in the backcourt, so expect to see Boes in the PO's once again this season!
prognosis 3rd seed in Big 8 behind favorites Phoenix Suns and Ventola Team.


Phoenix__suns(89904)
Last seasons achievement: Losing Po conferencer-finalist against Ventola team, despite having the HCA and the strong team
salary: 756 467$ for 12 players
Information:
Last season, the Suns were very unlucky. It all started with the double injury of Vlad and Pierre Waterloot, forcing Sum41 to sell Waterloot so that he could get a healthy player for the PO's. In an attempt to get 2 strong healthy players, 2 internationaly known internationals were added to the roster, who went by the names of Chinees NT PF Sikong Congxing and Shqipëria NT C Fox Sahitaj, which all of a sudden powered them from underdog for the BBBL title to favorite. It was pretty obvlious that one of the players would have to leave after the PO's, but allong came another shocker! Ventola Team would end Phoenix Suns hopes ( and dreams) of winning the championship by beating them in their own Phoenix_suns arena! Never the less, this season, Chinees international Sikong Congxing and Vlad will be forming the strongest Frontcourt Duo in the BBBL. Suns will once again be a team to look out for, but they'll be having some very stiff competition from a strong Ventola team! Should be an interesting fight to see who claims the top spot in the big 8 conference. Since Suns and Ventola are so close, the top seed might be determined by who suffers the least injuries on their key players!
prognosis 2nd in Big 8, just behind Ventola team. Altho Suns seem to have a stronger frontcourt, Ventola most certainly has the better backourt and SF of the 2 teams, altho it is a very though choice to pick the better of the 2 teams here. One thing is certain: Suns have the intension of winning a championship this season.


the Mumu boys(89926)
Last seasons achievement: 6th spot and winner of the regulation series against Tuijana Burritos
salary: 563 582$ for 15 players
Information: It most certainly is a surprize to see Mumu boy's again in the BBBL. At the start of the previous season, nobody would have expected them to survive their first season with the Big boy's. Never the less, Manager Mumu managed to keep his team in the BBBL, by sending Tijuana Burrritos back to the II division. With once again a strong frontcourt, lead by the Macedonian international Oli Georgiev, mumu boys are going to be a inside force. Their perimeter defense remains to be seriously tested, but with the addition of Jan Malich, they most certainly have patched up their exterior defence, tho 1 good defender isn't enough... Malich should also improve the inside offense with his passing skills, tho the coach remains limited in his tactical options for Mumu's offense.
prognosis 6th spot and regulation games, altho he should be able to stay in the BBBL for a while longer.

Ventola(89684)
Last seasons achievement: season 17 vice champion, losing the final in 2 games to Vottem Cowboys
salary: 795 974$ for 14 players
Information:
They surprized everyone with their results last season. nobody was expecting them to beat Phoenix suns in their own stadium in the PO's (it most certainly must have been the largest surprize of season 17. people where so shocked, that the BBBL forum remained quite for several day's!). However if you have 4 NT players in your team, of which 3 belgians ( PG Waelput, SG De Piano and C Lahure) then you know that you've got a strong team. Futhermore, Maltan international Frank Terribile still is arround aswell, and he's one hell of a player. Add to those 4 players Chilian C Irarrázaval and you've got one heck of a team. Ventola also has some depth in their team, so an injury on a key player isn't a huge problem, provided that the player isn't injured for too long. Watch out for Ventola, because after 7 lost II.3 Finals and another loss in the finals against Vottem Cowboys, you can be sure that those Raging bulls extremely hungry for a BBBL championship. Ventola could prove to be the team to beat in the BBBL, allong side with4 title BBBL and reigning champ Vottem Cowboys.
prognosis 1st seed in Big 8 conference, closely followed by the Suns. Should have a shot at claiming HCA for the entire PO run this season.



and now, the Great 8 conference

Antwerp Giants(89868)
Last seasons achievement: 5th spot
salary: 674 229$ for 15 players
Information: Giants got rid of some salary last season, buy selling off some players. This should give them some revenue, but ofcourse means that their team has less depth that last season. They missed out on the PO's last season due to their long cup run, where they lost in the finals to a strong Mizu Basket team. Never the less, the Giants still have a very strong team with a considerable depth, that should be able to make the PO's this season, provided that they don't go after the cup again while sacrificing one leaguegame a week once things get serious in the cup.
prognosis One of the 4 teams that will be battling for the 3rd and 4th PO spot. If they go for the league, they should be able to end as high as 3rd in the Great 8 division. If they once again go for the cup, then they might end up on the 6th spot. Timop is the only one who knows where his team will end up, but presuming that he'll go for the league, then he should end on the 3rd spot.



Last edited by AthrunZala at 11/8/2011 1:13:23 PM

Basket Mizu Arlon(89902)
Last seasons achievement: 2nd spot with another conference final exit against Vottem Cowboys
salary: 815 038$ for 15 players
Information: Surprizingly enough, Mizu Arlon have the highest payrole in the BBBL. However, their team isn't one to be taken lightely. With Belgian NT Guard Tijl Deseure, joined by a Iranian NT Guard who listens to the name Sepehr Asli, Mizu Arlon arguable have the best outside offense of the BBBL. Once you add PF Oriol to that mix, then you'll understand why Mizu Arlon always end up high in the division. But we all know the saying: Offense wins games, and defense wins championships ( Not that Mizu Arlons players are defensif slackers, far from it! But in comparison with VC's defense, Mizu Arlon still have a way to go...) Despite having such a beautifull strong team, Mizu remains to have one weakness: They still need a player to fill up the SF spot! However, considering the strength of the current team, they should be aiming for the Great 8 top seed. And with rumors going on about VC selling of Lequellec or Chorev, Mizu might just have the team to jump over the 5 time Belgian champ Vottem Cowboys. Never the less Mizu is a very strong team, and alot of people have high expectations of them for their first B3 campaign!
prognosis Battle for the top seed with Vottem Cowboys. Vottem has the better roster, but has announced that Lequellec would be leaving the team and that he wouldn't be replaced. However, Vottem Cowboys have claimed alot in the passed aswell, and somehow, they end up on being champ anyhow... So we'll go with the safe prediction and say that Mizu will end behind VC on teh 2nd seed in the Great 8 conference.


BBC Falco Gent(89651)
Last seasons achievement: promotion from II.3 by beating Dossers in 3 games in the final
salary: 397 587$ for 16 players
Information: This isn't the first time that Coach Steven has brought his boy's to the BBBL. He did it twice before, in season 10 and 12. However, both those seasons ended with a regulation back to II, and for the team being, it seems like he'll be going back to II next season aswell. The unfortunate BBC Falco Gent have ended up in the stronger of the 2 conferences, which would mean that they'd have to fight to avoid direct regulation. Only detail: the other Promovendi is Obira Dragons, who have already reinforced themselves in a very strong way. This would mean that Falco would have to end above another BBBL team, which is something that i can hardly imagen happening. It's a shame for the very friendly coach Steven, but many BBBL managers fear that Falco is facing an impossible task, being avoiding direct regulation. The only way to avoid it, would be the addition of some strong players, but with a stadium that can only hold 15k supporters, one has to wonder, how on earth is he going to get the money to buy some impact players? He might be better off saving cash this season while adding more seats to his arena so that it can hold up to 18k fans, and come back to the BBBL in 2 seasons time, with alot of cash that will allow him to buy the impact players required to stay in the BBBL.
prognosis Most probably 8th spot and direct regulation. Losing a game against Falco will most likely come to haunt you at the end of season, where that one extra victory would have given you a better spot...



Last edited by AthrunZala at 11/8/2011 1:17:50 PM

Estrellas Absurdas(89923)
Last seasons achievement: 6th and winner of the regulation series against Pokola
salary: 633 181$ for 17 players
Information: Estrellas Absurdas is one of the few teams in the BBBL to be managed by a girl. This charming lady, who answers to the name Angi, also is part of the U21/NT staff aswell as the BB staff (she's one of those GM's on who the burden falls to watch over this great BB game and weed out the cheaters. a highly unthankfull but necessary job). However, something tells me that i already wrote that the past season... ( damn i'll have to be more creative for the next preview ^^) As for the team Estrellas Absurdas, it probably is the most balanced and deepest team of the BBBL. This means that Angi can compete for both league games, however, it also means that she hasn't got a super starting 5 ( don't misunderstand this statement. She hasn't got a super starting 5, but that doesn't mean that you'll crush them easely!) Estrellas Absurdas strongest point is without dought defence. They will grind you out and make it very hard for you to get any decent views at the basket, and whats worse: their second strings defense is not far behind the starters defense. ES typically will try to grind you out defensifly and score points through their most favorite miss match: PF Joli. This player is a solid inside player, but he's got one very nasty habit of making alot of long range shots (including 3's) because of his great range game. Very few teams have a PF who can defend both outside and inside, and that is why Joli is such a troublesome player. Other than Joli, you still have got the Guard Strankauskas along with former Belgian U21 G Langendries to bring some scoring (and promissing) players to ES. When playing ES, you better be prepared for a low scoring game, because you'r going to have a very hard time getting 100+ points against them. As for their offense, don't underestimate it, or you'll be sorry. It might not be as good and flashy as the offensif of most other BBBL teams, but with such a strong defense, you don't need a super offense to win a bunch of games. And the best part is, Angi is one hell of a person to talk to, before, during or after the match, so be sure to be online when you play her!
prognosis 2nd of a group of 4 to fight for the 2 remaining PO spots. Will most probably end up 6th due to long cupruns. She could move up a few spots without sacrificing the cup, if any of her direct opponents picks up an injury on a key player.



(yes, i needed on post just for Angi... But since she seems to be the only female manager in the BBBL, i guess she does deserve some extra attention ;)

Last edited by AthrunZala at 11/8/2011 12:56:23 PM