aite, wake up guys. time for some... essentially preseason power rankings and analysis.
1. baker street - the irregulars are the most expensive team in the league, and so far, they're playing like it, beating 2 tough teams back to back. look for them to dump even more salary over the course of the season, maybe even sell a starter. even if they do, they have by far the deepest team in the league, almost doubling their nearest competitor (frosty) in amount paid to its 2nd 5 highest paid players (first 5 being the starters). it's hard to imagine that salary being sustainable. regardless, they look more like contenders this season than last.
2. marshland - d2 demotees, they are star studded and rich. talent-wise, they're the real deal folks. they beat a competitive philly squad, only to get upset by the upstart team from west side. i kind of doubt you'll see too much in terms of roster moves, maybe 1 sale. legit contenders.
3. bucsblue - yep, i'm aware they're 0-2, and yet, it's hard to imagine lob city not snapping out of this little funk. they have an mvp candidate, as well as a deeper bench than last season (their primary downfall in their quest for promotion). it won't be as easy as last season, there's a lot more competition on the blue side this season, but i still predict a repeat of last year's semifinals. if you see any movement at all, it'll be for bench. they COULD look to add 1 more depth player if they could afford it. something tells me that their team is set, though. contenders for sure.
4. west side - bois and gybels are back, and that's honestly all you need to know. a disappointing 6th place finish in the red side should motivate manager spnkix to hit the scouting trail a little more this season. the only difference between last year and this year with the tigers is the development of marrero and wilbanks, whom seem poised to backcourt for a championship-contending team. should we expect any roster moves? the guy has made like, 8 TOTAL moves via the transfer market over the last year. not season, year. yeah, i kinda think this is his squad, but if he does make a move, it MAY be a big one. i could see him selling gybels and picking up some younger forward. otherwise, they could make a move for a more permanent center. doubtful either way. contenders as is.
5. lambda - disappointingly missing the playoffs last season, their ranking is high for now, but this is a team that desperately needs an injection of youth. in lambda's top 10 players, 8 are above age 33. he could make up for it in the sheer amount of salary he's paying his starters, which is the 3rd most in the league. i would definitely expect a bunch of roster moves by the 2nd half of the season. i would say contenders.
6. north carolina - after their most recent additions in frolich and valmaseda, the heels look the part of a contender, boasting 7 players paid over 13k. if you see them make a move, it'll likely be for bench and youth, as 4 of those top 7 players are above 33 and deteriorating. regardless, i like what i see in north carolina, playing some up-tempo basketball and almost beating top ranked baker street. not playing championship ball quite yet, but they're getting there. much better than last season.
7. philadelphia - the phantasm reached the league semifinal on the back of league mvp timothy fischer. fischer is returning, but his counterpart, sherwood periera, has been sold. my guess is, manager virtuouz would like to keep fischer at his more natural point guard position this season. with that in mind, look for philly to add a natural small forward. one would assume that, after selling periera, philly would be pretty loaded. imo if they do get a well rounded sf, it might be game over for the red side. until then, their ultra-thin bench keeps them from being serious contenders for me.
Last edited by FrostyMc at 01/29/2015 05:57:31