Franchise League Week 3 Write-ups
by Jason on
WEEK 3 WRITE-UPS
Week 3 Game 1 Super VS Poor
By Chas
Frongi dives in right away to kick us off, and Oully followed his lead $ a 3, Rosi TD ass to Frongi after steal, then Frongi another lay up sheesh it was an ugly 11-0.Ini goes 1-2 to finanly get them on the board. Mulv goes 2-2 to keep the pressure 13-1. Matty gets a 3 to go thank god! Ini scoop shot, Mazone drives in , Ini 1-2 again, but Oully 3 brakes the run 16-9. Amazon filthy lefty drive, but Oully going step for step wih and 1 19-11. Ini bank shot.19-13. Kap hustle elads to Mulv lay in, then Mulv in the right place at the right time for 2 23-13. Stull 3 ball splash alert, than Keith Obrd put in 26-18. Kap zooms in, but Mazone Trey makes it 28-21. Amazon $ another trey, and another 28-27 we got ball game baby! Frongi calms things with cut, but Ini hook keeps pace. Oily feeling it gets a 3, but Mazone in his bag gets the lefty lay in. Rosi finally in on the act with a J, Frongi running well gets another deuce, but that Ini hook was falling, Frongi just gashing them with another running hoop, then a Kapadon steal 3 ball magic it was a crazy 42-33 at the break.
Ini grown man lay in, Keith grown man lay in it was 42-37. Mulv brakes mini run with lay in. Mazone sneaky down the base line. Mulv, and smooth Matty J trade 3’s, but Keith gets floater 47-44. Puller big 3 to stretch the lead 50-44. Stull crafty to the line gets 1-2, Mulv would get a J, but Keith sees a 3 go through 52-50. Kap strong righty drive, but Stull not taking no shit $ 3 54-53 what a game! Kap answers with veteran 3 , but Mazone obrd converts, then Matty nice cut we were knotted at 57 all! Mulv obrd leads to big Rosi 3, than Rosi 3 again , after some fts Matty would get a 3 to go making it 64-61. Poor had good 1 n 1 ft chances but kept missing them, and that was huge as Rosi really got going down te stretch, Pulley would add a 3 and that was good night Irene. 77-69 Super stays unbeaten
Super
Rosi-B-) Took him way to long to get going, and it almost cost them. As alway he knew when to turn it on and and got out of there with the W.
Oully-A- Vintage Oully here, he was the efficient assassin we all love.
Frongi-B+- Run , run, run he knows how to keep pressure on the D, and it gave great results.
Mulv-B- Solid day, hustled hard , and made an 2nd half impact
Kap-B+-He’ssssssss back. Much more impactul, getting swipes/3’s,and dimes.
Poor
Matty-B-) Dude can shoot it, and its beatuful. But needs to get out on shooters more.
Stull-A-) Really likes his fight/actvity out there.
Ini-B+- Scored the rock well, still not the most efficient from the line.
Mazone-A-Holy moly this kid is a baller, would have got the A+ with a win. Left drives, just filthy
Keith-B- Came late but still filled up the stat sheet, rebound excellently maybe one to many 3 down the stretch.
Game 2: Mulholland Drive vs. FTR
ReKAP:
We had a good one in game 2, featuring Mulholland Drive taking on FTR. Houston was out for MD, missing his second straight game, while FTR was fully staffed with Dru making his season debut. It was tight to start, with both teams exchanging baskets. Chas was looking to be more assertive, hitting an early 3 and delivering a number of bellowing screams that hurt my ears. JDM and Harding were exchanging blows as expected and DP delivered a nasty patented drive and spin on LeBlanc. Welcome to the spin cycle LeBlowby! FTR led 15-13 after the first 10 minutes of play.
That’s when it got ugly for FTR. MD ripped off a 22-6 run to close out the final 10 minutes of the first half. Their offense looked much improved, with JMul providing a nice facilitator role. He was moving the ball well and while he didn’t rack up a lot of assists, he did provide a number of “hockey” assists. The assault resulted in a 35-21 MD halftime lead.
FTR has a bunch of guys that can play though, and Harry’s halftime speech must have done something to inspire his team. FTR opened the second half with a 13-4 run to cut the deficit to 5. Harding led the charge as usual with some long balls and nice drives to the cup. He looked to be more assertive out of the intermission and it paid dividends. Vladi got in the act as well after a quiet first half and just like that we had a ball game on our hands!
After a timeout, Chas would calm the troops though MD was able to weather the storm. A LeBlanc 3 would push the lead back to 9 and MD remained pretty much in control for the rest of the game. FTR battled their asses off but every time they seemed to get closer, MD had an answer. I am not going to speak on the “self-pass” play by JDM because it was the right call, but I know FTR will be pointing to that play as a pivotal moment late in the game.
Down the stretch JDM and LeBlanc were lethal from the free throw line combining to go 15/16 in the game. Not too shabby! These two would end up combining for 50 points and ultimately it was too much for FTR to overcome. MD comes away with a very solid win, 70-61.
Grades:
JDM (A): JDM was fantastic in this one. He posted a strong 30 point, 10 rebound double double. No offensive rebounds is kinda shocking but he still balled out and made a number of “OMG” shots.
LeBlanc (A-): LeBlanc is still trying to figure out the long ball this season, but he was excellent everywhere else. Floor generaled the game well and made all of his free throws.
JMul (B+): He didn’t take a single 3! He did however, play a really good game despite scoring only 2 points. He was basically the Draymond Green of this team. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. He did all the little things in this one really well.
Chas (B+): Pretty solid Chas game here. He was much more assertive on offense as Vladi was giving him ZERO respect on his shot. He ended up going 2/7 from deep but they were all good looks. A solid effort here.
Craig (A-): Craig didn’t get mentioned above, but he did play a really solid game. He went 1/2 from deep and had some nice 2-point buckets. This was definitely one of Craig’s best efforts of the season.
Vladi (C+): Kind of a mixed bag for Vladi. He didn’t shoot that well from deep, but he did make some timely ones. The 3 steals were nice. I am used to more dimes from Vladi but maybe we can blame his teammates for missing shots?
Harding (B): Expectations are high for this guy so I am going with an EH game here. I will cut Harding some slack because MD has a very good defense. Pretty much a run of the mill game here. I did like seeing the 3/5 from deep though.
DP (D+): You might be thinking a D here is harsh, but expectations have gone up! I don’t think DP necessarily played terribly, he was just kind of a non-factor. I feel like DP passed up some open threes as well, and he has been shooting the long ball well this season. Let’s fly homie!
Harry (C): See DP. Not much of a factor, outside of a couple nice mid-range jumpers early (and they were sexy). He missed some easy ones in the second half which hurt. Harry did make a nice play saving one of those misses from gong out of bounds though.
Liam (C+): A tough wide open missed layup late in the second half hurts Liam’s grade but I thought he played fine. He was kind of a non-factor outside his usual stellar defense, but when your team loses the grade suffers.
Dru (D): Would have been an F but it was his first game of the season. That said, woof, rough debut. Played about 5 minutes, had 3 rebounds, 2 ghastly turnovers, and a wild missed drive to the rim. Yuck.
Game 3: Kawhi Me A River vs. All Length, No Girth
ReKAP:
I looked to my left while scoring the previous game and who’s ugly ass do I see walk in…SAMUEL POLLOCK! I guess he got the Tibbs “don’t tell anyone else” approval. I thought this was kind of unfair at first, but after this game I was dead wrong. KMAR was fully staffed while ALNG was without John Reilly. I expected a pretty good game. Woops!
KMAR jumped ALL over ALNG right away behind a masterclass in shooting by the legend Tommy aka RoY Kahana. Holy moly what a show he put on, absolutely dusting Ruiz over and over again. Tommy was absolutely scorching to start the game and in the first half he pretty much hit every single shot he took. He dropped a cool 19 in the first half. Beast!
The Tommy surge really set the tone for the first half and this game overall. ALNG really struggled on offense, especially in the first half. Pollock had trouble fitting in with his new teammates, Ruiz was still looking for answers from deep and Joel couldn’t get much going. KMAR led 39-22 at the break.
The second half was a mere formality. KMAR was not fucking around, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout the half. Tommy cooled off, but his teammates had his back to keep the onslaught going. Koller got going, converting some tough drives at the rim. He was putting all that Djordje MVP buzz to bed. LaPorte continued his torrid three-point shooting and Ben Mac was working in the paint. He had a nice drive in the second half right into Djordje’s grill followed by a Mutombo finger wave. You ain’t stopping this train big fella! KMAR cruises to the 66-50 win with little resistance.
Grades:
Koller (A): Koller had an all-around very good game. 19 points on very efficient shooting. He didn’t miss a 3 or free throw and stuffed the stat sheet.
Ben Mac (A-): Very solid game for Ben Mac. Got the assists back up after last week and was a beast driving the ball to the rack.
Cavano (C+): Cavano wasn’t a huge factor in this game, but he did what his team needed to get the dub. Had a few buckets and hustle plays but otherwise was pretty quiet.
Tommy (A): Quiet second half, but he basically won his team the game in the first. What a showing by the vet. Loved to see it. Tommy is the frontrunner for steal of the draft right now.
LaPorte (A): Speaking of frontrunners, LaPorte is the clear frontrunner at this time for 5th man of the year. He has been stellar off the bench this season and tonight was no different. He is now 6/9 from deep on the season. Bang!
JJ (B): Quiet game for JJ, but he played his role. Didn’t do anything stupid and made a few plays. Can’t ask for much more from a bench guy.
Joel (D): Not a good game for Joel. No dimes, 2 TOs and 10 points. I expect more from a guy of his caliber.
Djordje (C): This was Djordje’s worst game of the season, but it was kind of expected with Koller on the other end. His line was actually pretty decent at face value, but his rebounding was way down. MVP stock…down!
Ruiz (D): Really rough game for Ruiz. Got abused by Tommy, had 4 TOs and went 1/9 from deep. The talent is there but I think he is trying to figure it all out.
Bakolas (B-): Shot well from deep to save his grade, but nothing special here. I like this guy’s game though and I think he has been a good piece for this team.
Pollock (D): Rough debut for Sammy boy. New league, new team so I won’t be too harsh, but he started the game with 3 TOs. Unacceptable.
Game 4: HOLLAND vs. The Corporation
ReKAP:
In the late game we had HOLLAND taking on The Corporation and this one stank of blowout city. Both teams were fully staffed so no excuses! I was looking forward to Devin taking on his idol in Mazz so that was a fun matchup to see.
We had a pretty good on our hands to start. HOLLAND looked a lot better this week, playing like an actual team and giving Corp all they could handle. Devin had an early beautiful high off the glass drive that impressed me. Mazz answered though as these two were exchanging blows. Corp led 17-14 and I thought maybe this could be a game?
Big Lou would spark a little Corp run, doing WORK in the paint. He was converting his little baby hook and when this shot is dropping you ain’t stopping it. He would end up with a solid double double in the game. Corp would push the lead to 11 behind Big Lou’s strong play but enter Civale. Oh baby what a shooting display. Civale nailed his first two treys and you could feel that this was going to be a Civale game. He was COOKIN’ in the first half, keeping HOLLAND within striking distance. Corp would lead by “only” 8 at the break.
Out of the break though, Corp would really start to exert their will. HOLLAND started to resort back to old habits, with a lot of 1:1 play that would result in empty possessions. Corp would capitalize, scoring on a couple Mazz-Walker pick and rolls. All of a sudden, I looked up and Civale was 6/6 from deep and HOLLAND was down 18. How is that possible!?
HOLLAND played hard and looked much better this week, but they couldn’t overcome the early second half run by Corp. The defense by Corp was too much and HOLLAND couldn’t manufacture consistent offense. Despite Mazz and Syd’s horrific three-point shooting, Corp comes away with the expected win 74-57.
Grades:
STAT (B): STAT played a solid game despite only scoring 8 points. He snagged 15 rebounds and only had 1 TO. I need to see more leadership from him though. This team needs some direction!
Devin (D): Devin was pretty quiet after a solid start. Only scored 12 and his team really needs him to get 20+. He will have better days ahead.
King (D): King was more or less a non-factor. He spent too much time complaining about the ref than actually playing ball. We have all been there though, god knows I have.
Bonvie (C): Went 0/5 from deep but part of that is because his team doesn’t really put him in positions to score. Bonvie can stroke with the best of them, and this team needs to figure out how to get him open looks.
Civale (A-): If you go 7/10 from deep, I don’t care if your team loses, that is impressive. Civale added 4 blocks too which was nice to see. Need more defensive rebounds though. One rebound?!
Robel (D): Not a good Robel game. His outside shot was way off tonight, and he just looked rusty overall. I need more!
Mazz (A-): Poor from deep but dominated the game. Dropped 20, had 8 dimes and 1 TO. I feel like he could have done anything he wanted against HOLLAND’s defense.
Cawley (B): Regular Cawley game. Some points, some rebounds, a nice block. The usual shit. Fuck him.
Syd (C): Rough shooting from deep. I liked how Corp’s offense became “feed Syd until he makes one” to keep his confidence up. Did other stuff though to contribute to the win.
Walker (A-): Walker was very good in this game. Made some nice shots around the rim and hit a middy. Also set some good illegal screens one that sent DQ into space.
Big Lou (A): Big Lou! Kid balled out tonight. Double double and a block. Love when he plays well.
EJ (A-): Nice game off the bench for EJ. Made 2 of his 4 from deep and played his role nicely. Two TOs hurt his grade a little.
Franchise League Week 3 Preview
by Jason on
BY KAP
WEEK 3 PREVIEW
Two weeks are in the books and the league is starting to take form. I am pretty confident that we have 4 legit contenders at this point, but that could very well change. Don’t forget the Corp started last season 0-2 and ended up winning it all. Will a team emerge from the shadows this season? Time will tell. Two teams that come to mind are Joel’s and Keith’s. The jury is still out on them. Week 3 should shed some more light on those guys.
But first… Week 2 Player of the Week – Your week 2 PoW is Tyler Masone. Young fella went OFF this past week, scoring a league high 37 points to go with 9 boards, 7 dimes and 0 TOs. Masone feasted on HOLLAND’s lack of defense and led Keith to his first win ages. Keith owes this guy a fruit basket at the minimum.
Week 2 Role Player of the Week – Your week 2 RPoW is the ageless Tommy Kahana. Tommy didn’t look a day older than 25 in his week 2 shooting clinic, dropping a team high 19 points on 5/8 shooting from deep. His performance was well timed as the Bens had off nights offensively.
Week 3 Matchups
6:15 – Super Hoopers vs. Poor House
This is a sneaky trap game for SH. The first thing that comes to mind is Ini’s defense on Rosi last season when these two squared off. Ini did a fantastic job limiting Rosi and making him work hard for buckets. If the matchup remains the same, SH will need to get more offense from the supporting cast, especially from yours truly and Frongi after last week’s trash. In fact, I am dubbing myself as a big x-factor in this game. I have no excuse this week as I will not be sitting behind the table prior to playing, so I will be locked and loaded. Vegas has SH as a big favorite here, but if Masone and Keith shoot the long ball like they did last week, watch out.
SH -7.5
Player to watch: Frongi – I think Frongi is going to have some favorable matchups in this one. He has a quick first step to the rim and should be able to use that to his advantage with either Keith, Matty J, Ghost or Stull covering him. FOOD!
7:05 – Mulholland Drive vs. FTR
Oh baby, this is a fun one, a lot of fecal matter on the court. Two of the league’s best square off in JDM and Harding in what figures to be an all out war. Let’s not forget that we also have Chas vs. Harry as well as LeBlanc vs Vladi. Wooooweeeee! Man, I don’t even know what to make of this game. Both teams have been all over the place in the early season. Each team has 1 win, both defeating Joel’s team, so this is a big test for both squads. My gut feeling says that FTR is the team to pick here. MD just hasn’t looked right, especially on offense. JMul hasn’t been great, Chas looks like a lost puppy and LeBlanc’s shot has abandoned him. Give me FTR behind the 3-headed monster of Harding, DP, Vladi.
FTR -3.5.
Players to watch: JMul – We need a JMul game here. Rebounds, threes, blocks. Make it happen you bum.
7:55 – Kawhi Me A River vs. All Length, No Girth
This is a big game for ALNG. Through two weeks they have competed, with a skeleton roster, ultimately coming up short in both games. Will they finally break through and get a dub? It’s going to be tough. KMAR has the personnel to match up nicely with ALNG. Ben Mac can make life difficult for Ruiz, Cavano can handle Joel and Koller can basically cover anyone. ALNG is going to struggle to score so their path to victory has to be to muck this game up. Stay close and make some key plays late. I expect a big Koller game though as he attends the Djordje buffet and leads his boys to a win.
KMAR -5.5.
Player to watch: Ruiz – Round 2 of the Ruiz watch. I think he will shoot better this week after having a game under his belt. His team is gonna need it!
8:45 – HOLLAND vs. The Corporation
Potential blowout in the late game, as HOLLAND has proven they cannot cover ANYONE. Woof their defense is bad, and against Mazz, Cawley and company you better D up. I’m sorry but I just can’t see a win here for HOLLAND. Maybe Bonvie goes nuts from deep? Maybe Syd has a meltdown and gets ejected? Maybe DQ outplays Mazz? Even if all of these things happen it will still be an uphill battle for HOLLAND. I am going to have to see a real defensive effort from them until I pick them to win a game.
Corp -15.5.
Player to watch: STAT – We need a grown mans game from STAT here. He has it in him. He can draw fouls on Syd and take him out of the game, mentally and literally! I think we will learn a lot about the landscape of the league this week. Looking forward to it. - KAP
Franchise League Week 2 Write-Ups
by Jason on
WEEK 2 WRITE-UPS
Game 1:
Kawhi Me A River vs. Mulholland Drive
ReKAP
Week 2 kicked off with a solid matchup in Kawhi Me A River vs. Mulholland Drive and this game was expected to be backyard brawl. KMAR was fully staffed while MD was missing Houston, which I thought would be a mild factor in the result. JDM, coming off a rough week 1 showing, looked like a completely different player right out of the gates. He was looking spry, crushing KMAR on the offensive glass and providing MD with a nice early game jolt. He had 3 offensive rebounds and a couple putbacks within the first 3 minutes as MD jumped out to the early lead.
MD would maintain control for most of the first half, until the Tommy-Cavano-LaPorte show kicked off. These guys led KMAR to a quick 9-0 run to take 3-point lead late in the half. These guys were excellent in this game combining to go 10/15 from deep! However, the first half would end up with a MD 32-31 lead, but KMAR had to be happy with that considering the Bens were kind of non-factors.
In the second half the game kind of got away from MD. The shots weren’t falling, especially for LeBlanc who struggled to shoot the rock. Meanwhile, on the other end, Tommy went nuts. Old man Kahana turned back the clock going 5/8 from deep and really providing KMAR with a much-needed spark.
This was a really good game down the stretch. MD would claw back and the cut the deficit to 1 after a JDM three. The balanced KMAR attack would end up being too much though. Amazing three-point shooting and some late free throws would propel KMAR to the win.
KMAR wins 65-59.
Grades:
Koller (C): The points weren’t there, but everything else was. Normally a guy with 11 rebounds, 4 blocks and 6 dimes would get a strong grade, but the bar is high for Koller.
Ben Mac (B): Not too much to say here. Solid game for Ben Mac, but nothing special. He did hit half his threes which is a big for this guy so I will credit him there.
Cavano (A-): Really nice bounce back game for Cavano. He was very good in this game, hitting 3/5 from deep on his way to 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 dimes. He had his fingerprints all over this game.
Tommy (A): Tommy was the MVP of the game. 19 points on 5/8 from deep. Not much else in the stats department but it doesn’t matter if he is shooting like this. Great game from the seasoned vet!
LaPorte (A): LaPorte just continues to roll off the bench. This guy is making an early case for 5th man of the year. He knocked down 2 treys in this one and made all the right plays.
JJ (B): JJ did his thing again off the bench, doing all the little things and giving his team a nice boost. Not much in counting stats, but he did have 8 points on efficient shooting.
JDM (A): It’s amazing what a week can do. JDM was a completely different player this week, going nuts for 25 points, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 13 rebounds and 7 dimes. Didn’t get the win, but he still played his ass off.
LeBlanc (C): Not a great game for LeBlanc, despite scoring 19. It was an inefficient 19. The 3 ball just wasn’t there for him tonight. You don’t see many nights like this from LeBlanc so we will chalk this up to an off week.
JMul (C+): JMul’s grade was salvaged because he did a nice job on Koller, but on offense he was non-existent. Collected 4 offensive rebounds though which is solid.
Craig (D): Not a good Craig game. Took some sketchy shots and fouled a lot. Credit him for snagging 8 rebounds though and preventing the “F” grade!
Chas (C-): A game to forget for Chas. He wasn’t completely awful, but he wasn’t good. Contributed 6 points, but played too tentative at times, especially when shooting the long ball. Let it fly with confidence my guy!
Week 2 Game 2 Super VS Corp
BY CHAS
Mulv got us started with a cutting hoop, and then Oully added a transition lay in 4-0. Mazz walk up 3 , yup that good 4-3, then Walker 1-2 to tie things at 4 16min. Rosi strong to the cup, but Mazz responds with 3. Rosi nailed a 3 bomb of his own, and he liked that so much he $ another 12-7. Big Lu got busy in the post, but Rosi was busy from deeep cannes another 3. Jakobson addes runner 17-9. EJ gets a 3 to go , they needed that, but Jakobson sticks J 19-12. Mazz dives in, but Oully keep pace with middy 21-14. Mulv gets 2 down low, Rosi 2-2 25-14. Mazz Jimmy, but Oully 3, followed by Sydorko tech (hand slaps forehead emoji).
31-16 after a Frongi lay in, Super pouring it on as Jaksbosn finishes , Rosi off window 35-16. Mazz stops bleeding with drive, but Rosi 6 th dime to Jakobsn was pure 37-18 at the break. Mulv Obrd put in and this one was getting ugly, after some action and another Rosi 3 it was 43-26, and I was about to stop taking notes. Mazz would not go down without a fight as he would follow a Sydorko spin shot with a three, then Mazz steos through double, then Mazz trey, and how about another trey suddenly it was 43-34. Rosi continued his stellar night with a J, Walker tries to keep pace with post, but Rosi splashes 3 48-36. Mazz deep 3 swishhhhhhhh, hes locked in now, as he lines up another, nothing but the buttom of the net 48-42. Rosi huge response 3 ball, but Mazz just wont stop hittign 3’s, the score go to 54-50, looking like the Corp had super on their heals, but Oully with the big balls 3 ball, Rosi would add a dagger 3 and Super escapes the Mazzalanch 62-53.
Super Rosi-A+- Walking fireball, and did it in big moments as well. Dude is a savage.
Kap-C- 5 dimes is good, 3 points is not. Also had 3 turnovers, I always expect more impact from Kapadon.
Oulley-B- Solid game, nothing crazy just did his job. F
rongi-C- One of the lowest ive seen him score in a awile. Kept the positivity , passed well though.
Mulv-B-) Not a tone of buckets but liked his activity on theboards and on D.
Jakobson-B-Strong 1st half, didnt do much in the 2nd, but when hes hitting that middy it makes this team very tough.
Corp
Mazz-A+- Loved how things were going so bad, but his mental toughness was really on display. Never quit, nearly pulled off, and epic comeback. I loved it!
Sydorko-D- I dont want to be a preacher here, which ive def been guilty of letting my emotions get to me, but man, you are only hurting youre team by flipping out. Jokes on me though because they won the ship anyways with this similar problem so who says i’m right? I was impressed that he calmed down ,and didnt pick up his 5th foul though.
Walker-D+- Very quiet game from one on my favorites.
Big Lu-C-) Rebounding was very good, but again let the ref in his head, and showed have been t’ed up himself. Mental toughnes baby !!
EJ-C+- Hit a 3 , thought he fought hard on the boards, and played some good D on frongi
Game 3
Poor House vs. Holland
ReKAP
HOLLAND took the court with 3 this week with Mulvehill filling in against a fully staffed Poor House team. Would Keith finally get a win, his first one in 85 years? My guess pregame was that he would, and you could tell his team wanted this one too. Onto the action! T
he story early on was the play of Tyler Masone. HOLLAND had absolutely no answer for this guy. Mazz sitting next to me at the scorer’s table said, “Masone is gonna have a huge game tonight” and he was right. Masone was a beast from inside and out. He stroked his first three ball of the game, an excellent sign after last week’s trash. He scored at will at the rim and really looked good out there. HOLLAND had no answer for Masone.
Despite being undermanned, STAT, King, Bonvie and Mulvehill fill in battled in the first half. They hung around and kept this game within reach. STAT was doing a nice job getting his teammates open shots, as King and Bonvie knocked down early triples. Offense was flowing nicely for HOLLAND, in fact, for both teams, as defense was optional. This was a very high scoring game in the first half, and I wondered if HOLLAND could sustain this for a full 40. PH led 48-38 at the break.
Poor House would “pour” it on in the second half. Keith got going, knocking down a couple treys and providing elite energy that sub-less HOLLAND couldn’t match. Ghost started to find the range and Masone continued to destroy anyone who tried to cover him. Matty J made sure to get in the act as well, connecting on a couple long balls. Just like that we had a good old-fashioned blowout! Credit to HOLLAND for playing hard and competing for a half. It’s hard to win when you are missing half your team especially in a league of this quality. Most of the second half ended up being a fun stat-padding affair for both teams, with PH coming away with the 102-79 win.
Congrats Keith!
Grades
Masone (A+): The RARE A+! Masone played a perfect game. He went nuclear, dropping a game high 37 points to go with 9 rebounds, 7 dimes and 0 turnovers. Monster bounce back from week 1.
Keith (A): Not much mention of Keith above, but he really did play an excellent game. This is the first time in a WHILE I have seen him make some outside shots. He was straight up cookin’ in this one, stuffing the shit out of the stat sheet on his way to his first win in many moons.
Ghost (B+): Strong game for Ghost, who chipped in 10 points and a few rebounds. Played his role just fine and did what his team needed to secure the dub.
Johnson (B): Not a great percentage from deep, but Johnson was able to connect on a trio of triples nonetheless. Above average game for him but nothing to rant and rave about.
Ini (B): Ini made his season debut and struggled offensively but stuffed the stat sheet otherwise. He played strong D as usual and had a couple of nice blocks. The 4 dimes was nice too.
Stull (C): Didn’t do much, but his team came away with the easy dub. He was active on the glass, collecting 6 boards, which was good to see.
STAT (B): Despite the blowout, I thought STAT played a very solid game. He had some strong finishes around the rim and moved the ball well. He gets docked because his team got smoked but he did have a good individual game. 8 dimes and only 2 TOs too.
King (C): Not a great game for King. The stats look ok, but I thought he struggled to get into the flow of the game. Not great from deep and had tunnel vision at times. I think he will improve as his team continues to figure out how to gel.
Bonvie (C): Tough game for Bonvie who was forced into 40 minutes of action. I will give him credit for knocking down 5 treys, albeit on 15 attempts. He held his own out there in a difficult situation and should see better days going forward.
Game 4:
All Length, No Girth vs. FTR
ReKAP
There was a lot of buzz heading into the nighcap, with ALNG welcoming their newest addition in Jovan Ruiz. I was intrigued to see how this guy would mesh with his new teammates. ALNG would roll with 5 for this one while FTR would be fully staffed. This was a damn good game for the most part, especially in the first half. Bakolas for ALNG came out swinging, draining 4 of 5 threes in the first half and really setting the tone for ALNG. He really had it going early and often. Joel would contribute a vicious block on Vladi that sent the ball straight to hell, in a half that ended up being a nightmare for Vladi. He was NOT good in the first half.
Lucky for him, Harding was back in action, and he looked like a guy who had been practicing in Italy. His middy was on point, and he did his usual thing getting to the rim against hapless defenders. Harding had some help from DP as well, who has looked sensational through two weeks. We had a tightly contested first half, that ended with a spectacular play from Bakolas to Reilly for a deep 3, giving ALNG a slim 2 point lead the break.
Most of the second half was hotly contested with the two teams exchanging blows in what was a close game. Eventually Vladi decided to show up and take matters into his own hands. After being a complete non-factor for 30 minutes Vladi found the stroke, knocking down 3 late triples to give FTR some breathing room. His surge really ended up being the difference down the stretch. ALNG was not able to recover, as FTR escapes with their first win, 73-62.
Grades:
Joel (B+): Very solid game for Joel. Had a double-double and shot well from deep. Needed more dimes to get into the “A” range but he had a nice game regardless.
Djordje (A): Another incredible game by Djordje. This guy is on a tear! 14 points and 20 rebounds!? Where did this guy come from!? If his team had a win he might be a legit MVP candidate.
Reilly (D): Aside from his end of the half three, this was a game to forget for Reilly. He got blocked by Vladi TWICE and his shot looked horrendous. This one was a far cry from his week 1 success.
Bakolas (A-): Bakolas was awesome in the first half from deep really pacing his team on offense. He disappeared in the second half offensively, but he did enough overall to warrant a strong grade.
Ruiz (C): Expectations were high coming in for Ruiz and I would say it was a mixed bag. He was way off from deep, but he had some grown man finishes at the rim. He also had a couple clutch buckets late to try and keep ALNG in the game. Looking forward to seeing how he responds next game.
Vladi (C): The tale of two halves. F in the first, A in the second. Made the clutch threes when it mattered most. Overall a shit Vladi game but he was instrumental in helping his team get the win.
Liam (B): Liam had a nice game, playing his role well. Knocked down a trey and rebounded the ball well. Added a couple blocks and looks to be fitting in nicely with his new squad.
DP (A): DP came through with another excellent game. Anytime DP is making 2 of 3 from deep the opposing team is in trouble. He looks extra spry this season, especially on the glass. I might have to actually start respecting his game.
Harry (B+): Pretty good Harry game here. Stuffed the stat sheet with 7 boards, 2 dimes, a vicious block, and a bucket. Did his best to limit Djordje but this has proven to be a tall task this season.
Harding (A): Harding returned to action with a purpose, dropping a cool 30 to go with 9 boards. He picked up right where he left off and should be putting up numbers like this all season. That is, if Vladi gets out of his way.
KapVP
It’s only two weeks I know but here is your early MVP ladder!
1. @e_rosie1
2.@Mr 63
3. @dp
4. @djvlajkovic
5. @bkoller297
Franchise Draft League Week 1 Write-Ups
by Jason on
BY KAPVP & CHAS BELLS
Game 1: Super VS STAT
BY CHAS BELLS
There was some real excitement and curiosity what D.Quin would bring to this game, and he got cooking right away with a flash like drive to the cup 2-0. Kap coming out swinging as well as he $ floater 2-2. Kap followed that up with a 3, and D.Quin responded with and up n under 5-4. Eric get an easy 2 of cut, then Kap another 3 Kap was gassed “ I need a sub!!” 10-4 16 min mark. D.Quiin was the teams only offense as he drove in for the hoop, and then did it again 10-8. Rosi calmed things with a trey ball, Mulville copied that with a 3 of his own 16-8. King would get on the stat sheet as he got a 3 to go, and then $ another 3 on the next possession 16-14. This was Kpas half though as he had the long range working , hitting another 3, but Civale snipers a 3 19-17. Rosi hesi gets to the rim, then connects on middy, Oulley 3 ball, Rosi 3 ball A’O……Frongi drive it was 31-20.King trying to keep them in it with strong take, but Oully breaking there heart with a 4pt play 35-24 2min in the half. Jakobson middy, but King heating up gets another drive 40-28. Jakonson runner. Than Rosi hits long buzzer beating 3, everything going Supers way 45-26.
D.Quin pull up 3 to start half, but Mulville gets easy 2 off p n roll, D. Quin get a drive, but this game just got worse, and worse, and WORSE the score would ballon all the way to 40………..40………….. Rosi hitting 3’s dishing dimes, Oulley nailing 3’s, Frongi bi 2nd half and this one was over and ugly 98-52.
Super Hoopers
Rosi-A- Lead all scoreres, never took his foot off the gas.
Oulley-A- Reunited with his squad, and it must feel so fucking good. Looking like the assasin we all know.
Kap-B+- Slowed down the scoring in the 2nd hlaf, but 8 dimes , 8 rebounds doing all the solid kap stuff out there.
Frongi-A-) Erupted in the 2nd half, as he smelled blood, and started running the floor getting easy hoops.
Mulv-A-Scoring was good, but his defense was even better 3 blocks, showing that he will be the paint presence that this team needs
Jakobson-B- Rock solid, hustle was awesome to watch, along with that pretty mid range.
Team STAT
Stat-D-) Almost an F but his 5 dimes save his night slightly. He just looked out of it tonight, made no adjustments, it was rough.
D.Quin-B-) Scored the rock well in the 1st half, but with Super pouring it on the game got away from him a little bit. This team needs the bal in his hands every possession.
Civale-C-) Where are my rebounds???/Struggled to get back on D. 3 looked good though.
Robel-D- Rough night, thought he settled way wayyyyyyyyy to much for deep 3’s. Struggled to get back on D.
Gus-C- Showed some flashes, thought he shot too many 3’s. Like to see him drive and create a bit more for his teammates.
Bonvie-B- Thought he as a bright spot. Passed/rebounded well, even added a block. They will need more 3’s from him. Got to create and find him open because he will drain that shit.
Game 2: Mulholland Drive vs. All Length, No Girth
ReKAP:
Game 2 featured Chas versus Joel and this game lost a lot of its luster with no Lucio in the building. All Length, No Girth (ALNG) ran with four for the evening as they were without Hayden as well. Mulholland Drive (MD) on the other hand was fully staffed, but boy did they look AWFUL out of the gates. JDM looked rusty, coming off injury, as he struggled all night to find the range. The rough start allowed ALNG to get off to a nice 8-2 start, behind a Joel three (his only make of the game) and some terrific facilitating by rookie John Reilly. The real story in the early going though was the activity of Djordje. He really abused JMul in this one, collecting 8 offensive rebounds which directly resulted in JMul only collecting 3 for the game (how is that possible?!). Djordje was a beast in the first half, grabbing EVERY rebound on both ends and making several tough finishes around the basket, which we all know he usually misses. Chas would call a timeout though and rally the troops. MD started to get the shots to fall and close the gap. LeBlanc would knock down a 3 to stop the hemorrhaging and JDM would get a couple to go down. What was once an 18-8 lead for ALNG eventually turned into just a 1-point lead at half for ALNG.
The second half opened with a beautiful and smooth move for a layup by another rookie, Demetri Bakolas. More on him later. After that though, MD really flipped the switch. Craig started to get going (never thought I’d say that), banking a 3 and making a tough layup inside. Houston, we did not have a problem, inexplicably called his own number converting a wild three. Just like that MD had a 6-point lead and it just felt like ALNG was running out of steam. The Jerk Store connection of JMul and LeBlanc would lead to a 3 for each of them, kapping off a 13-2 MD run. They would never look back. The offense went cold for ALNG and despite a very valiant effort without their prized rookie, ALNG would come up short in what was really an ugly ass game by both teams. MD wins 54-46.
Grades:
JDM (C) – Cutting him a little slack coming off injury here, but he did not play well. Did a nice job on the glass and on defense but we can put this one in the rearview for JDM.
LeBlanc (B-): Not a great game for LeBlanc, but he made some clutch plays when it mattered most. Surprisingly poor shooting, but it’s week 1 so everyone gets a little reprieve from me, even LeScrub.
JMul (C-): The blocks were nice, but this was not a good JMul game. Yes, he hit a clutch 3, but he allowed Djordje to go bonkers on the glass. Three rebounds?! Bruh.
Houston (B-): I think this guy has potential to be a nice piece for MD, but his decision making is poor. Tunnel vision city. He ended up with a nice line but this grade could have been way wore if some of those tough shots didn’t fall. That said, buckets are buckets!
Craig (A-): See Houston. Decision making was poor but it worked out. Overall I would say this was a very good Craig game. His team needed all 12 of his points. If Craig is going 2/4 from deep you are taking that every single time.
Chas (D): Bad game from Chas. No need to dissect this one, just chalk it up as the week 1 blues.
Joel (B): Shot was off, but I thought this was an overall solid game for Joel. He got his rookies involved, rebounded well, and had 3 swats. He will see better days offensively.
Demetri (B+): I liked what I saw from this kid. He has a smoothness to his game. He made some moves the basket that really impressed me, which is tough to do. I would like to see him contribute in other ways but it’s just one game so we will see.
Reilly (B+): Another rookie who impressed. This guy won’t get you a lot of points, but he’s a terrific passer and very active defender. He should be a solid piece for this team.
Djordje (A): This would have been an A+ if we saw less long two-point attempts. Wow, what a game from Djordje. I felt like he got every single rebound no matter where the ball was ending up. This guy covered so much ground it’s crazy. What a game, too bad it came in a loss.
Game 3: Poor House vs. The Corporation
ReKAP
Game 3 was expected to be a laugher, and the situation got worse when we found out Ini was not going to play. As a result, we had a fully staffed defending champ Corp versus a seriously undermanned Keith team. No Super Bowl hangover for the Corp here. They went bananas right from the tip, jumping out to an 18-4 lead. I think this game started 13-0 Corp? It was ugly. Mazz hit his first 3, Cawley with a middy, Syd and Lou manning the paint…everything was working for Corp. Timeout Poor House (PH). PH played hard, but the first half was tough sledding for them. Masone and Johnson could not find the range from deep (combined 5/23 in the game) going 0fer from deep in the first half. Keith provided a mixed bag, doing a nice job on the glass and in the hustle department, but his outside shot was just completely lost. Offense was very tough to come by for PH which resulted in a 40-20 deficit. The second half really seemed like a formality for the Corp, but not for PH. They played HARD. Johnson finally found the stroke, hitting back-to-back bombs to make this thing respectable. With 13 minutes left the lead for Corp was only 12. It was clear that the Corp took their foot off the gas, which is to be expected in a game like this, but they were able to maintain a decent lead by making enough plays. Big Lou in particular, who apparently does not take compliments well, did a nice job owning the paint and collecting a number of tough rebounds. Walker as well deserves a shout out for making a number of tough buckets off of Mazz missed threes. It was an off-shooting night for Mazz, but he did have 2 blocks which was a rare sight.
The Corp would build the lead back to 18 with 6 mins to go, but amazingly PH did not go away. Things got EXTREMELY sloppy with Mazz and Cawley turning the ball over at a impressive rate. The TOs allowed PH to chip away and actually make this thing kind of interesting. The chaos really favored them. Keith was a menace down the stretch, completely stuffing the stat sheet, but the deficit was too much. The Corp would survive winning by 3 after a wild ending.
Grades:
Masone (C+): Very mixed bag here. Three ball was way off, no assists, but had 5 steals and had to cover Mazz all game. He did have some impressive steals off Mazz but his team really needed his long ball in this one.
Keith (A-): Such a tough grade here because there was a ton of good and bad. Ultimately, given the circumstances, I will give Keith the benefit of the doubt. A triple double is a triple double, but he has to clean up the TOs and the jump shot.
Ghost (B): Ghost didn’t make the reKap above, but he had a solid game. Made a bunch of jump shots and was admirable on the glass when Keith wasn’t grabbing the rebound. Ghost should be a solid piece for this team especially when Ini returns.
Johnson (B-): The tale of two halves. Couldn’t hit the ocean in the first, but in the second he almost sparked the comeback of the century. Johnson also moved the ball well and stuffed the stat sheet nicely.
Stull (C-): Tough game for Stull. I thought he forced some ill-advised deep threes but other than that he was fine. Stull will need to make some key shots this season for PH to be successful.
Mazz (C): Expectations are high for Mazz on any given night so you could argue this C is generous. I think this was a poor Mazz game. Not great from 3 and too many TOs. The steals and blocks were there though which was a nice touch.
Cawley (C+): Not a great game for Cawley. An absolutely putrid assist-turnover ratio but made up for it with 18 points and steals and blocks. Also didn’t get to the line which was surprising.
Syd (B): Syd’s grade goes way up because he actually behaved really well in terms of not getting ejected haha. As for his on the court play, nothing special. Missed all his threes, but did a nice job on the glass. One game in the books and no techs…win!
Walker (A-): Perfect Walker game for this team. He fit in really nicely and did his thing. Grabbed a bunch of ORebs and made some putbacks. He is going to be a critical piece for the Corp this season.
Big Lou (A): Very strong game for Lou. I don’t care that you only scored 9 points big fella! There is more to the game than points and you proved that. 16 rebounds, 4 dimes, 0 TOs. Well done.
EJ (A): EJ joins Djordje in the prestigious “A” club. Excellent all-around game for EJ off the bench. He was 3/5 from deep and played his role perfectly out there. If EJ is going 3/5 from deep the Corp is winning that game.
Game 4: Kawhi Me A River vs. FTR
ReKAP:
The late game had the looks of a really good one…until we found out no Harding. Kawhi Me A River (KMAR) took on FTR and without Harding I knew this would be a tough one for FTR to win. KMAR was fully staffed, so let’s get right to it.
Offenses were cooking in the first half for both teams, but it was KMAR who really impressed me. I have a feeling my preseason assessment was a little off with this team. The Ben-Ben combo looked really good and old man Tommy looked like young buck. Shocking I know. Tommy opened the show right away with an early three and he looked ready to cook. Koller and Ben Mac came out cooking as well. I think Koller missed one single shot in the first half, absolutely roasting Harry to the fine tune of 18 points. The other Ben, Ben Mac, was also playing lights out, running point extremely well and converting several tough finishes at the rim.
FTR played horrid defense, but their offense sort of kept the in the game. DP looked really solid in his return, knocking down an early 3 and going to work around the rim. Kid looked SPRY tonight. Liam and Vladi also were hot from deep, but they still trailed by 10 at the break. FTR surrendered 48 first half points. 48! C’mon.
KMAR maintained their lead for pretty much the entire second half. Koller would really slow down the scoring, only tallying 4 second half points, but his friends were there to pick up the slack. KMAR’s bench really came to play in the second half. LaPorte and JJ were awesome. Their activity and decision making in this game was impressive to be honest. These two had a combined stat line of 21 points, 13 rebounds (6 offensive) and 5 dimes. That’s a damn good showing from your bench guys.
Credit to Vladi and company for hanging around for most of the game without any subs. Vladi made some really tough threes in the second half but FTR ran out of steam. KMAR would end up pulling away and wining this one easily, 86-68.
Grades:
KMAR
Koller (A) – Kinda disappeared in the second half, but the entire body of work speaks for itself. Huge game from the MVP candidate. 22 points and 18 rebounds? Not bad. Also 2/3 from deep. Love that.
Ben Mac (A) – Excellent game for Ben Mac. Ran the show beautifully and made a ton of winning plays. Missed all of his threes, but he was good everywhere I am not docking his grade. MVP cancdidtae? Fuck no.
Cavano (C+) – Awful night from 3 for Cavano, but he saved his grade by doing other stuff. Did his typical thing on the glass and payed solid D. Should have better days offensively.
Tommy (B+) – He’s back! And he looked good. Tommy’s shot was falling and despite a horrible assist-turnover ratio this was an excellent debut from the veteran.
LaPorte (A) – Really can’t ask for much more from your bench guys. 9 points on 2/3 from deep with other stats. LaPorte looked very comfortable in his role on this team and should be a legit asset for them all season.
JJ (A) – See LaPorte. Same shit, different bench guy! Really nice game for JJ. Played his role perfectly and did all the little things.
FTR
Vladi (A) – Very good game from Vladi. Made 7/15 threes on his way to a game high 27 points. His defense was kinda sus but he still balled out despite being an overall scrub in life.
Liam (A-) – Solid game for Liam. Shot well from deep (3/7) and contributed 4 dimes. Would have loved to have seen those threes in the playoffs last season!
DP (A) – Nice return to action for DP. 26 points and 13 rebounds. Knocked down a couple treys and should have had a third. Defense may have been bad, I forget…but as I am writing this and giving everyone on this team an “A” despite giving up 86 points I am thinking something ain’t right.
Harry (C) – Pretty much a typical Harry game. A couple buckets, some rebounds, getting cooked by Koller…you know, the usual. Figure out the defense buddy!
Franchise League Week 1 Preview
by Jason on
WEEK 1 PREVIEW Everyone’s favorite week is upon us…week 1! After much deliberation, shit talk and banter it’s time to see what’s what and who’s who. We have a sexy 4 game slate set for tomorrow night so let’s jump right in and take a look at the season opening matchups. NOTE: I know people like to keep absences quiet, but if you could let me know when people are out that would help the weekly preview. Thanks.
6:15 - Super Hoopers vs. HOLLAND Right out of the gate I will get a firsthand look at Devin so I am looking forward to that. Will I be guarding him? Time will tell. Aside from that storyline this is an interesting matchup. A lot of unknowns on Xavier’s side. How will this team mesh? What is Gus King’s deal? Will Xavier torpedo yet ANOTHER squad? One thing is for sure: this team has SIZE. This could pose a problem for our squad, so Wooly and Mulvehill will be key in holding down the paint. It’s always tough to write a preview for your own squad, but ultimately I think our chemistry and depth will prevail. I expect a closer game than people think though and Vegas agrees as they set the line at -4 for Eric’s team. Player to watch: All eyes will be on DQ obviously, but I am going to keeping my eye on King. No idea what he is, but he will need to be something for this team to be good this season.
7:05 - DANIELS-MULHOLLAND vs. All Length, No Girth Another tough preview to write, as we have JDM versus Joel’s completely unknown squad. I am going to wait at least a week before I dish out hot takes on Joel’s squad. What we do know is what JDM’s squad will bring to the table. JDM will run the show with JMul and LeBlanc filling in the gaps. Chemistry is going to be the difference in this game, so I have to side with JDM to take this one. Vegas has the line at JDM -6. Looking forward to seeing all the rookies though even if I have to see Joel too. Player to watch: Lucio, duh. This guy has the potential to change the entire outlook of this league…orrrrr he’s just another YouTube one hit wonder!
7:55 - BARANOWSKI vs. The Corporation As Mazz so eloquently stated on discord, this has the potential to be a preseason warm up for the Corp…or does it? Super Bowl hangover anyone? Ini, Masone and Keith all player VERY hard and I think if the Corp isn’t careful they could find themselves in trouble. Effort goes a long way in these games, just ask Kevon Looney. Obviously, the smart money is on the Corp, as Keith’s squad is going to have a lot of trouble defending Mazz, but I am going to go out on a limb and say Keith’s squad keeps this thing respectable. Vegas disagrees setting the line at -10 for the defending champs. Player to watch: Keith! No this is not another Keith bashing rant. There will be plenty of those. I am actually looking for Keith to get his shit together and I am rooting for the guy. He needs to be good this season. Figure it out brother!
MACDONALD vs. FTR Harry told me no Harding for this one, so the game of the night potential is long gone. That said, I think Vladi’s team (or is it Harry’s team?) will still very much be in this game. Listen, I love the Vladi bashing, he is light years from being an MVP candidate and he’s a terrible person, but the bottom line is he can play. If his shot is falling FTR will win this game. Additionally, Vladi’s squad has the defense to matchup with Ben’s team outside of Koller. Koller should have a big game and start his MVP campaign off strong. Give me Ben Mac to take this one in a close game. Vegas has FTR -3. Players to watch: Going with two guys here. DP and Tommy! It has been a WHILE since we have seen them so the question is this…do they still suck at basketball?
Alright boys, tell me where I fucked up or said something dumb. Let’s get the banter poppin’ early and often. Can’t wait to get a glimpse of all these teams in action. - KAP
Spring 2023 Franchise League Preseason Power Rankings
by Jason on
BY MATT KAPLAN
PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS
Let me start by saying this: I don’t like power rankings. I don’t like doing them, reading them, or talking about them. Buttttt I know you fucks are clamoring for my thoughts on each team so here you go!
The “To Be Determined” Tier:
8 - Joel – Way too much unknown here to rank them. This team has 4 rookies, one of which could be a huge game changer in Lucio. I am definitely looking forward to seeing this kid play. If Bakolas, Reily and Hayden are the real deal then this team could make some noise, but I will reserve judgement until I see them play a couple games. Verdict = TBD
The “Pretender” Tier:
7. Keith – No brainer here. Keith has shown me nothing to make me believe he can lead a winner. I will give him credit for pairing Masone with Ini though, which I think will be a really solid duo. That said, I think Keith is washed as a player. He just did not look right last season. Who is the third guy for this team? It must be Keith. I just don’t see it. Verdict = A million things would have to break this team’s way to win a title.
6. Xavier – We all know the big story here. Devin for 51.7 puts a ton of pressure on him to basically carry this team. Even if we assume Devin is a really good player, which by most accounts he is, can he do it all by himself in a league this deep? Nope. Stat, Robel and Civale just ain’t gonna work and I am willing to bet money this team finishes in the bottom 4. Verdict = Light years from contending.
The “Smack Dab in the Middle” Tier:
5. Ben – This is like a BDraft all star team. On paper, Ben Mac, Cavano, Koller and Tommy looks real shiny but will it work? I am 5050 on it, which is why I have them comfortably in the middle of the pack for now. Koller has been an absolute beast lately and is a legit MVP candidate, but I am not sure he is a team carrier. This will be a competitive team each week with Ben Mac and Cavano’s energy and activity, but the key ultimately for these guys might be the play of Tommy! Verdict = Would be shocking if these guy won, but I am not saying it’s impossible.
The “Contender” Tier:
4. Vladi – I am much higher on this team than most people. The Vladi disrespect is already pouring in, and I am absolutely here for it, but the bottom line is he and Harding is an excellent pairing. Both can score and pass and should be tough to deal with each week. Add in Liam and DP and this team has potential. They lack size, which could be an issue, but I think they have enough pieces to be contender. Verdict = Contender. Anytime you have Harding, you cannot be overlooked.
3. Eric – It’s always hard to evaluate your own team before the season due to bias amongst other things so I will take a conservative approach. This looks like a very solid team, with Eric running the show and the rest of us filling in the gaps. This should be a very high IQ team which goes a long way in winning. Eric, Ryan and Frongi have done it before and when you add me to the mix, well, we all know that’s a massive boost to any locker room. Verdict = LFG!
2. JDM – This team is flying under the radar, and I don’t know why. Much like Eric’s team I just see the pieced fitting beautifully. JDM’s health is always a concern, but I can’t predict that. What I can predict is this team will be very good. Johnny and LeBlanc are perfect compliments to JDM, and Craig really impressed me last season. Oh and Chas will be good for 8 fouls a game (2 will be called). Just kidding buddy! Verdict = 100% a contender.
1. Mazz – Your favorite heading into the season boys and girls is none other than Mr. Mazzeo’s corporation. What a shitty ass company! How can you not say this is the best team on paper? They brought back their core in Mazz, Cawley, Sydorko and Big Lou and added Walker. Uhhhh yeah this is a pretty damn good team. It’s their league to lose! Verdict = FAVORITES!
Week 1 preview will come Tuesday probably? Maybe tomorrow if I am motivated. Maybe Wednesday if I am lazy! Looking forward to it bitches.
- KAP