My Inaugural DDS dynasty: Leah Jamison

[interstellarshadow]

The Los Angeles Riders are moving to San Diego, to the new San Diego arena.

The owner was pleased with my performance this season, and I promise him another trip to the finals, this time, with a win. I tell him that were going to stay outside of the tax, and he is excited to see what we can do and not worried about how much we spend.

No coaches get extensions, the assistants need a championship to prove their worth, and Jones still has 2 years left on his deal.

Mock Draft:
1 – Orlando: Justin Wells (20 y/o, 6-5, 208, SF from Arizona)
2 – Seattle: Robert Radl (20 y/o, 6-4, 178, PG from ULCA)
3 – Dallas: Heddick Keyes (19 y/o, 6-11, 276, C from High School)
4 – Milwaukee: Colin Edwards (19 y/o, 6-3, 191, PG from High School)
5 – San Antonio: David Lopez (20 y/o, 6-4, 170, PG from Creighton)
6 – Chicago: Mark Wynn (20 y/o, 6-3, 160, PG from Texas Tech)
7 – Seattle: Bradley Green (21 y/o, 6-7, 212, SG from Michigan St)
8 – Washington: Xavier West (18 y/o, 6-4, 218, SG from High School)
9 – San Diego: Mike Anderson (21 y/o, 6-11, 253, PF from Kansas St)
10 – New York: Carl Regis (19 y/o, 6-7, 206, SF from Santa Clara)
11 – Miami: Riley Monroe (21 y/o, 6-5, 190, SG from Wake Forest)


I trade Jody Jones for Milwaukee’s #4 pick because I really like Edwards and I think that he is an amazing backup to Harrington who can become a top 5 PG in his own right one day.

[interstellarshadow]

2012 Draft:
#1: Orlando Mystics: Justin Wells
If Orlando didn’t take Wells here, I would have flipped. He is a tier above almost everyone else, is NBA ready, and has All-Star Potential.
Trade: San Antonio send #5 pick to Philadelphia for Delvin Mouring.
Delvin was a decent player and playmaker, but here are so many better people at that position this year. It was an easy trade for me.
#2: Seattle Speed: Bradley Green
He may have gone really early here at number 2, but I think that he is a very serviceable shooting guard. However, if I were them, I would have waited until the other pick since he would likely still on the board then, as he was put there on the mock draft.
Trade: Detroit send #50 to Philadelphia for Rob Thomas
Also an easy trade. It opens up the cap space for me to get someone and also provides me with another pick in the second round.
#3: Dallas Rangers: Steve Martin
Not a good defensive player, can’t rebound, and probably about 8 picks high.
#4: Philadelphia Freedom: Colin Edwards
#5: Philadelphia: Carl Regis
#6: Chicago Bison: Heddick Keyes
#7: Seattle Speed: Riley Monroe
#8: Washington Americans: Mike Anderson
#9: San Diego Riders: David Burke
Locker room poison… Also not really that big or strong
#10: New York Metros: Xavier West
Masterful shooter.
#11: Miami Burn: Demond Pugh

[interstellarshadow]

Summer League Summary:
Colin Edwards was pretty good during summer league, showing he had some ability. Carl Regis is quite raw, but is showing oodles of potential. TJ Jones isn’t earning a second contract, but Emerson Souza, a Center who played for Golden state most of last season, is looking like he would be able to earn a contract if he wants it.

Top 10 Free Agents

Kevin Murphy
Barry Jones
Doc Timmons
Jeffery Baker
Kurtis Scholl
George Brown (RFA)
Billy Wallace
Tyrone Dudley
Justin Toxey
Stevie Perine

I offer 40 mill over 4 years to Nagid, Zulu and Baykurt, my Mid Level exception to Emerson Souza, and my Low Exception to Ron Scholl.
The first signing returns Barry Jones to the Irish for 5 years, on a deal worth almost $80 million.
George Brown agrees to a $51.6 million offer sheet from the Gears, but as an RFA, Dallas has the ability to match it.
Darius Keady goes to the Americans for 4 years, earning $47 million on the way.
Toxey re-signed with the Pioneers, earning just about $80 mill over 5 years.
Due to a contract offered by San Antonio, I offer Baykurt a new deal worth $61 million over 5 years.
Dallas Matches George Brown’s offer sheet, and Baykurt accepted my $60 mill offer.
Both Nagid and Zulu resign.
I sign 31 y/o SG Clay Holland to a 1 year deal on my MLE.
Jeff Baker goes back to the Bison for $61 million.
Cain Allen accepts New York’s’ tender offer.
I sign PG Dennis Bailey on my LLE and am Done.

Meet your 2012-2013 ‘Revenge’ Philadelphia Freedom:
PG: Griffin Harrington
SG: Rowan Evans
SF: Tengiz ‘Zulu’ Tsulukidze
PF: Oliver ‘Dobby’ Dobbins
C: Naim Baykurt
6: Clay Holland
7: Colin Edwards
8: Natan Nagid
9: Dennis Bailey
10: Nate Thornton
11: Steve Roberson

[interstellarshadow]

Season Preview

Top 5 players
Shaun Horan (UTA), Cory Alexander (GSS), Kevin Murphy (DAL), Scott Stukes (WAS), Barry Jones (BOS)
Best by Position:
PG: John Moore (SAC), SG: Marcus Griffin (NYM), SF: Shaun Horan (UTA), PF: Cory Alexander (GSS), C: Kevin Murphy (DAL)
EAST:
1. Boston
2. New York
3. Philadelphia
4. Orlando
5. Detroit
Last: Indiana
WEST:
1. Dallas
2. Golden State
3. Michigan
4. Sacramento
5. Utah
Last: Phoenix

[interstellarshadow]

October 31, @ Washington (0-0): L 108-116
Baykurt was pulled out of the game after only 8 minutes of play, for an unknown reason. After the game, he railed against the coach to the media. Evans had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists and Dobbins scored 23 to go with 3 steals and 5 rebounds. Harrington had 8 points, 12 dimes, 7 boards, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, but we fail to get the win, allowing 39 points and 11 boards from Scott Stukes. I refuse comment with the media on Baykurt, but in the morning, I call up coach, and ask him to play Baykurt a bit more.

Record: 0-1

November 1, @ Orlando (0-0): W 119-112
Griffin Harrington went off for 28 points, 13 dimes, and 4 rebounds against the Mystics, and Baykurt, moved to a slightly more natural SF position, had 21 points and 9 rebounds. We had 10 points from Edwards, who did little else while on the court for six minutes, though he had an assist and steal. #1 pick Justin Wells had 2 points and 5 rebounds in 12 minutes of play, shooting poorly to go 1 for 5.

Record: 1-1

November 4, vs Washington (1-1): W 123-99
We get a revenge win behind 29 points from Oliver Dobbins, who also had 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Harrington had 23 points and 11 dimes, to go with 5 rebounds and a pair of steals. Evans had 15 points, six, assists, and 4 rebounds on 6 of nine shooting. Darius Keady came off the bench for 15 points in 30 minutes, while Stukes had 43 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks.

Record: 2-1

November 6, @ Brooklyn (2-1): 123-105
We beat Tyrone Dudley and his 21 points with a 30 point, 16 assist trip by Harrington. Baykurt had 21 points and 6 rebounds, after Zulu fouled out with only 10 minutes of play. Evans made 5 of 6 on his way to 15 points and 5 rebounds. Nagid had 12 and 7 boards, while Dobbins topped all but Harrington with his 18 points. 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Record: 3-1

November 7, vs Detroit (2-2): W 145-112
A big win against the team that almost eliminated us in the Semi-finals (albeit a gutted version). Dobbins had 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals, while Baykurt also scored 27, but had 7 rebounds and 3 dimes. Evans has 19 points, six rebounds and 2 steals, Zulu had 15 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks, and Harrington topped the starting lineup off with 14 points, six rebounds, a steal, a block and 18 dimes. That isn’t to discount Nagid’s contribution of 19 points, 9 boards, 3 dimes, and 2 steals.

Record: 4-1

November 11, vs Cleveland (1-4): W 110-96
Dobbins had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 steals on the way to our 14 point trouncing of the Knights. Harrington had 17 points and 7 dimes, while Rowan scored 19. Zulu had 14 points and 8 boards, while Baykurt had 14 and 9.

Record: 5-1

November 12, @ New York (6-1): W 117-100
The most famous arena in the world wasn’t going to stop Griff Harrington, who had 22 points, 7 dimes, 5 rebounds and a block against the Metros. Zulu was directly matched up against McEverett Woods and taught him what the NBA was about, holding him to 0 points in 28 minutes. He also had 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Marcus Griffin was best for the Metros, scoring 29 points and garnering 5 dimes, and 3 steals.

Record: 6-1

November 15, vs Dallas (5-2): L 116-110
Rowan Evans sprained his toe in practice on the 13th, keeping him out of the starting lineup, and limiting him to 15 minutes of play. Clay Holland started in his place, and had 13 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. Harrington had 33 points and 11 dimes, to go with 3 blocks and 2 steals, but it wasn’t enough as Fuentes led the Rangers to a 6 point victory with 31 points, four boards, and 3 steals.

Record: 6-2

Standing: 2nd East (1 GB)

2013 Draft Class preview:
1. Jefferson Andrews, 6-7, 203, SF, SO Arizona (19.1 ppg, 3.3 apg, 5.7 rpg)
2. Orlando Thomas, 6-1, 185, PG, High School (29.6 ppg, 13.0 apg, 11.2 rpg, 2.3 spg)
3. Elton Jones, 6-9, 267, C, High School (14.7 ppg, 16.0 rpg)
4. J.B. Linderman, 6-10, 239 PF, SO Missouri (18.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg)
5. Roberto Marshall, 7-4, 270, SO Xavier (18.4 ppg, 5.6 apg, 13.9 rpg, 2.4 bpg)

A well represented top five. Not a great draft to be looking for an SG, as the first one is down at 11. Latvia has 2 international players listed at spots 6 and 7, I wonder how they will do. This has the potential to be a really deep draft, though only really in the offensive talent category.

[interstellarshadow]

November 18, @ San Diego (4-6): W 127-98
Griffin Harrington led the way with 22 points, 12 dimes, 5 boards a block, and 3 steals, while Baykurt had the most points, with 27 and also putting up 6 boards, a steal and a block. Evans was still taking it easy, and had 4 points in 12 minutes (going 2-2), while Clay Holland had 18 in his spot. Dobbins had 19 points, 11 boards, 4 steals and 4 blocks. Luka Borstner led the Rider’s losing effort with 22 points.

Record: 7-2

November 19, @ Golden State (2-5): W 133-129
Evans made it back into the starting lineup had had 11 points on 3 of five shooting, playing 25 minutes. Harrington continued to show that this was his team, scoring 33 points, with 11 dimes and 4 boards, while also gathering a pair of pilfers. Baykurt had 30 points and 7 boards, to go with a pair of blocks and Dobbins was his usual self, scoring 24, to go with 11 boards, 5 dimes, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Edwards had 7 points, 7 dimes, and 5 boards, plus a steal, as he previews his ability to gather triple-doubles.

Record: 8-2

TRADE:
Philadelphia Receive:
C Thomas Havens (Miami)
2013 2nd Round Pick (Chicago)

Chicago Receive:
PF Tengiz Tsulukidze (Philadelphia)
PG Dennis Bailey (Philadelphia)

Miami Receive:
C Jeffery Baker (Chicago)

Winner: Philadelphia let go of Tsulukidze, who had a spectacular season last year, averaging more than four blocks per game. But, in the first ten games of the season, he fell to ‘only’ 2.1 blocks a game. Philadelphia was paying him almost $10 million a year to be the defensive anchor for the team, but it was becoming increasingly evident that Dobbins had took that role from him. So they acquired Thomas Havens, whose defensive prowess is evident (1.1 stl, 2.8 blk), and also is a good rebounder, only slightly south of the 10 rebound per game milestone. Bailey's career seems to be going nowhere fast, and Miami's center situation does improve slightly, at least on the offensive end.

I turn around to free agency and pick up 2 players for min contracts, and have also cut about 2 mill in salary.

November 21, @ Los Angeles (6-5): W 107-95
Naim Baykurt was killer tonight, with 21 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Havens’ first game with us gave him quite a few opportunities to show how he’ll fit in, and 17 points, and 9 rebounds say that he should. Harrington had 23 points, and 7 dimes. Doc Timmons was the Waves’ best player tonight, with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 6 dimes in the loss.

Record: 9-2

November 22, @ Portland (9-1): W 112-95
This game was precisely the reason I brought Tomas Havens in. Harrington led the team in scoring with 26 points, also gathering 7 assists, 6 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. I even will forgive his 9 TO’s because he was facing off with the reigning DPOY. Dobbins had 4 blocks, 3 steals, 14 rebounds, and 20 points, while Baykurt and Havens didn’t put up too many points. However they were good on the other side of the floor. Havens had 9 rebounds and 5 blocks, while Baykurt had 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. Edwards had 16 points, 3 steals, an assist, and 5 boards tonight.

Record: 10-2

November 24, @ Utah (8-2): W 123-113
Clay Holland regained a starter’s spot, but Evans moved to the Small Forward position, but tonight’s story is held within the following 2 statlines. #1: 35 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals. #2 20 points, 2 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 8 blocks. If you guessed that statline #1 belonged to Harrington and that statline #2 belonged to Dobby, you would be right. Baykurt was benched for the game, and had 15 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes.

Record: 11-2

November 26, vs New York (11-3): L 115-107
Harrington had 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, and 24 points. Evans had 16 points and 5 boards. Dobbins had 18 and 10, with 3 dimes, and 2 steals. But we were shut down by the Metros, one of the only teams to outrebound us in a game, and Marcus Griffin, who had 20 points, 7 dimes, 6 boards, a block and a pair of pilfers.

Record: 11-3

November 28, vs Washington (3-13): W 128-84
Games like this make me feel sorry for Scott Stukes. He’s an All Star MVP, last season, earned an All-league 2nd team spot, but is now on the worst team in the East. Darius Keady is now earnestly regretting jumping ship from New York to play with the Americans* (I do not know if NY even offered him an extension during Free Agency), as his 33 points and 12 rebounds are demonstrated to be insufficient against our team. Tomas Havens had 28 points and 17 rebounds in our 44 point rout, also tallying 2 blocks and a steal. Dobbins was benched due to a sore calf, but still managed 17 points in 15 minutes, while Evans had 16 points, 5 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks, Harrington had 25 points, 12 dimes, 6 rebounds, a steal and 3 blocks, and Baykurt had 16 points, 11 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks. (Seeing the pattern there?)

Record: 12-3

Standing: 2nd East (.5 GB)

League Leaders:
Points: Cory Alexander, GSS, 36.8 ppg
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA, 13.5 rpg
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI, 10.7 apg
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM, 3.7 bpg
Steals: Nick Porter, MIL*, 3.5 spg
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, UTA, 34.0
*Stevie Perine recorded 6 steals in the first game of the season, before breaking a wrist, which will keep him out until Christmas

Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR, 12.3
Assists: Robert Radl, IND, 4.9
Rebounds: Paris Carroll, HOU, 6.0
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL, 1.6
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA, 1.6
Efficiency: Bradley Green, SEA, 13.6
This is a pretty poor draft class in terms of immediate NBA talent. In a few years, however, I think that the rawest players will start to emerge as star talent down the road.

Player of the Month: Cory Alexander, GSS (36.8 ppg, 1.1 apg, 12.4 rpg, 1.1 spg, .3 bpg, PER: 30.8)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke, SDR (12.3 ppg, 1.3 apg, 5.0 rpg, .5 spg, .6 bpg, PER: 18.7)

[interstellarshadow]

December 2, @ Denver (7-9): W 124-102
Griff Harrington had a complete stat line, with 28 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Only Dobbins had more rebounds, with 9, and he had 32 points, four steals, and a block as well. Tomas Havens seems to be confirming the value of my trade with each game. Tonight, he had 21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks and a steal.

Record: 13-3

December 5, @ Minnesota (12-5): W 130-110
Naim Baykurt broke out of a mini slump that had lasted for about 3 games, since he last scored 30. He repeated the feat tonight, going for 33, with 9 rebounds, a block and a dime. Coyotes’ Guard Carl Timon, who averaged 20 ppg last year, went for 28, but Baykurt, combined with the efforts of Harrington and Havens were more than enough to erase his affect. Havens had a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, plus 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Harrington was able to tally 19 points, while also dishing his way to 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Record: 14-3

December 6, @ Dallas (12-4): W 126-114
Griffin Harrington went for 40, with 6 dimes, 4 rebounds, a block and a steal. Dobbin’s double-double was focused more on rebounding, with 15 boards, 11 points, 2 dimes, and 6 blocks, while Havens’ was a bit more scoring-oriented: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. Baykurt also managed a 20 point output, putting up 21 and 8, plus a block, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Corey Akins led the way for the Rangers with 34. I want so much for this game to have been what game 7 was, rather than the game 7 we actually played.

Record: 15-3

December 9, vs Boston (12-6): W 138-122
Harrington had 23 points and 13 assists in the matchup against the Irish. Havens had an off night, and defense wasn’t our strongest area, but we had 7 players score more than fifteen points, with Nagid joining the Double-double club with 19 points and 13 rebounds as we post an eleven rebound margin.

Record: 16-3

December 11, vs Atlanta (4-13): W 124-96
5 blocks from Baykurt, plus 3 blocks and a steal from Havens, with 2 steals from Evans led the defensive efforts in this eighteen point blowout against the Eagles, holding them to a 38.4% shooting clip. Oliver Dobbins had a game-high 29 points and 13 rebounds, while Harrington came close to notching his first triple double of the season, scoring 17 with 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Evans was able to tally 18 points, though, besides the 2 steals, he didn’t have too many other statistical contributions, though he did shoot better than 50%.

Record: 17-3

December 13, vs Seattle (12-10): W 121-98
Harrington collected 13 assists, along with 14 points, four steals, 3 rebounds, and a block on the night, easily demonstrating his superior skill to opposing guard Tom Phillips. Evans returned to the bench because of an injury, and in 19 minutes of playing time, recorded 5 points, 2 steals, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds. Meanwhile Clay Holland demonstrated his reliability as a backup with 22 points and 3 dimes, on 50% shooting, making 2 of three 3 pointers. Yet it was Baykurt’s night to write home about. He had 26 points, 4 dimes, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal to help force the Speed to give up 25 turnovers on the night.

Record: 18-3

2013 Draft Class Preview #2
1. (N/R) PF Tyler Meekins (6-8, 244), JR Houston, 20.3 ppg, 3.7 apg, 10.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 1.0 spg
2. (1.) SF Jefferson Andrews (6-7, 203), SO Arizona, 18.8 ppg, 3.2 apg, 5.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg, 1.1 spg
3. (N/R) C Aleksandr Chernyaev (6-9, 260), 20 y/o Russia, 20.3 ppg, 4.2 apg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 1.0 spg
4. (3.) C Elton Jones (6-9, 267), HS James Chressel High School, 13.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 15.1 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 2.0 spg
5. (N/R) C Ickais Stekel (7-5, 295), 19 y/o Latvia, 17.3 ppg, 5.1 apg, 12.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.5 spg

Being able to run around and ball at 7’5 is quite impressive, but I don’t think that Stekel will be a very good NBA player. He’s going to have to play Hibbert-esque defense to avoid being little more than enormous body. He should be averaging at least 2 blocks a game in international competition to be an excellent prospect. I think he’s lottery, but not top 5. If Meekins can keep up his performance, he would be a nice prospect at the PF spot, and Jone’s is good too. I’m not sold on Andrews, since his defense could use quite a bit of work, and his scoring has dropped off in the past month.

[interstellarshadow]

December 16, @ Washington (5-19): W 125-114
Nagid, coming off the bench had a great night, scoring 19, with 7 boards and 5 steals. Evans had 20 points, and 8 boards, while Baykurt had 20 and 2 steals, where Dobbins scored sixteen with 2 blocks and a steal. Havens and Harrington each recorded a double-double: Havens had 14 points and 13 boards, while Harrington added 12 assists to 18 points. Stukes did what he always does, but still couldn’t rescue the Americans from their disastrous season.

Record: 19-3

December 17, vs San Antonio (10-12): L 116-113
There were four seconds left in the game, with the score reading 113 all, when Outlaws PG Kurtis Scholl received an inbounds pass around 30 feet from the basket. He took one dribble and pulled up, the ball soaring over court. It hit front iron, bounced up, into the backboard, and fell into the basket, as the buzzer sounded. Despite the score, and that play, everyone in the arena knew that Harrington had resoundingly outplayed him, to the tune of 21 points, and 18 dimes, with 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. He had fouled out after 40 minutes of play, sitting out the final possessions. Who knows what would happen if he were in? Oh well, I say, we can only move on and win the next one. Dobbins also had a double-double, with 13 points and 11 boards.

Record: 19-4

December 19, vs Chicago (13-11): W 113-94
Revenge is sweet, even if we can’t exact it on San Antonio yet. Instead Chicago is subject to our fury. They shoot under 40% on the night, and Harrington’s 24 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals are the lead cause. Evans also had 24, making 9 of 17 shots. Dobbins had 16 points and 15 boards, including 6 offensive rebounds. Nagid also got a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Record: 20-4

December 20, @ Brooklyn (10-13): L 119-126
I always relish playing against Brooklyn and Dudley, as each encounter validates the trade I made for Zulu. Yet, as I have traded him away, for a center who is arguably worse than Dudley (but better in my system IMO) it seems that our matchups don’t have as much meaning anymore. I don’t say that because we lost but I definitely feel it. The Center matchup is no longer directly competitive, since Havens isn’t as big or strong as Dudley, who had 32 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal on the night. He shot 11 for 22, and 10 for 21 from the line (Free throw). They also had 7 players in double figures. Baykurt put up a very nice 26 points, four rebounds, block and 2 steals, while Harrington had 20 points and 13 dimes, with four steals, and five boards in 43 minutes of play. Fouls were a big issue for our team as we had forty-five of them on the night, good to foul 5 players out.

Record: 20-5

December 23, vs Miami (14-11): L 110-102
I’m starting to see problems as we drop 2 in a row. Baykurt did quite a lot to keep us in the game, scoring 21, with 10 boards, 2 steals, 2 dimes and 4 blocks. Harrington had 26 points, 8 dimes, a rebound and 3 steals, but Dobbins decided to not actually play basketball, even when he spent his short time on the floor. Havens fouled out in 24 minutes, which seems to be a common occurrence. Marcus Alexander was able to take advantage of the void left Dobbins’ absence, scoring 29 to lead the Burn to a 8 point win.

Record: 20-6

December 25, vs Brooklyn (12-13): L 103-109
A revenge game, Havens wanted to, in no way, resemble his previous performance, and he didn’t. He scored 19 points, had six blocks, and limited Dudley to 7 points in 23 minutes. Baykurt had 24, and Evans, 23, but Harrington was outmatched by Ivan Salinas, fouling out and having a poor performance overall. Dobbins was still in the dumps, but managed to make up slightly for a 2 point, 1 for 6 performance, by getting 3 steals, 2 blocks and 8 boards, but neither I, nor coach are very happy about the three game slide that has us sitting 4 games back of New York.

Record: 20-7

December 27, @ Chicago (15-13): L 118-129
I don’t understand what is happening! 27 team dimes, 9 team blocks, and 10 team steals, to go with a 3 board margin, a 50% shooting percentage, and great numbers from the starting five shouldn’t result in a loss, right? Dobby came out of his slump with a vengeance, scoring 24 points, grabbing 10 boards, and fouling Zulu out, scoreless, in 12 minutes. Evans had 32 points, and 7 boards, plus 2 blocks and 3 steals. But 30 points from Jarrod Conway, 22 from Dickey West (Havens came off the bench for only 14 minutes of play), and 25 from Ray Johnson, who also had 14 boards. We have 2 days off before playing Miami, and I am seriously considering making a change.

Record: 20-8

December 30, @ Miami (16-12): L 95-104
This is just embarrassing! Miami are 4 games back from us (well, now 3), and we are getting scorched for the second time, and have now lost 5 in a Row!!! Alexander had 23 points, 15 dimes, and 7 rebounds, while we floundered to shoot 42 percent from the floor.

Record: 20-9

I call up Coach Ali Jones. “Can you give me any explanation why our team is completely failing to put together a complete ball game? One where, you know, we beat a team we are supposed to beat?”

“No sir. Our shots are mostly falling, we are running the plays, but we can’t seem to actually pull out a win.”

“Well, as the head coach, earning almost 4 million dollars a year, you should. That is why, I believe, that with the roster we have, a good coach shouldn’t be able to lose games in a row to teams that are hovering around .500.”

“What are you saying?”

“You know exactly what I am saying. Your services here are no longer required. I expect your office to be cleaned out by morning.”

Turning around, I call up Deshawn McGadney, a 68 year old, with 20 years of head coaching experience and 11 rings.

“Hi Coach, its Leah Jamison from the Freedom.”

“What can I do for you Leah?”

“I’m calling because we have an opening in our coaching staff. We are gunning for a championship, and our recent woes have put me at odds with Coach Jones. I’ve shown him the door. Do you want to help us get a ring, and make it your twelfth?”

“It sounds like a good job. Yet, I’m sixty-eight years old. I am not a young guy any more. Championships alone won’t do it for me.”

“I am prepared to offer you a 24 million dollar, 3 year contract. You’ll earn about 8 million a year.”

“Sounds pretty good. I’ll hook my lawyer up with your guys, and they’ll work out the terms. When do I start?”

“Tomorrow, if you can.”

“Lucky for you, I’m already in the Philly area. I want everyone ready for a shootaround, film session, and a very light practice.”

We finished the conversation, and I brooded. I hope the move would work. If it does, I made it not a moment too soon. In just under a week, we’ll be playing New York, and we have to be ready.


December 31, vs Indiana (7-22): W 78-100
Because I was flying back from a GM meeting in New York City, I missed the game. But when I finally arrived at the airport, I checked up on the box score and had some combination of laughter and tears. What have you done, Dobby? He pulled out all the stops to impress our new coach, scoring fifteen and cleaning up with a league season-high 24 rebounds, and 6 blocks. I was stunned. We held the Racers to 37% shooting, and forced them to miss 10 of 11 three pointers.

Record: 21-9

Standing: 2nd East


League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 37.1
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 11.0
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 12.1
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 3.9
Steals: Stevie Perine, GSS, 4.3
Efficiency: Scott Stukes, 34.0

Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 13.3
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.4
Rebounds: Paris Carroll, HOU: 5.9
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.4
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.5
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 14.3


Player of the Month: Scott Stukes, WAS (37.1 ppg, 1.5 apg, 7.3 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.6 bpg, 34.0 eff)
Rookie of the Month: David Burke, SDR (13.3 ppg, 1.3 apg, 5.6 rpg, 0.7 spg, 0.6 bpg, 14.3 eff)

[interstellarshadow]

January 3, @ New Orleans (18-11): W 101-97
With an entry in every useful statistical category, Rowan Evans (28 pts, 4 ast, 4 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl) was the man against New Orleans tonight. Amongst the starters, only he and Griff Harrington were unable to record double-doubles. Harrington had only 8 points to go with his 16 dimes, 3 boards, 3 steals, and 5 blocks. Baykurt led the team in rebounding, with 13 boards, 15 points, and 3 blocks, though neither Dobbins nor Nagid were any worse. Dobbins had 21 points and 11 boards, plus a block and 3 steals, while Nagid had 18, 10 and 2 blocks with a steal. Reggie Stokes led the Wasps with 16 points in fifteen minutes of play off the bench.

Record: 22-9

January 4, vs New Orleans (18-12): W 125-109
Harrington scored 30, with 12 dimes, and 2 boards tonight, while Evans wasn’t far behind with 28 points. Evans also had8 boards and 5 assists. Oh, and I forgot to mention, he was 12 of 12 from the floor (despite missing 2 free throws). Nagid was also spectacular, with 18 points, 12 boards, six assists and 3 steals. Jason Herron, their starting SG scored a team high 24 for the Wasps.

Record: 23-9

January 6, vs New York (27-4): W 148-108
We may have hit a bit of a rough spot against the weaker teams, but we showed that we could still ball with the number 1 team tonight. Griff led all scorers with 32, also garnering 10 dimes, 4 boards, and a steal. Havens returned to his starting position, mostly recovered from an ankle sprain about 10 days ago. Nagid made 16 of 24 free throws on his way to 28 points and 7 boards, while Dobbins had 24, with 10 boards, and 3 steals. The bench was hot from downtown, making 6 of 10 three pointers. For New York, Marcus Griffin led the way with 29 points.

Record: 24-9

January 8, vs Milwaukee (13-17): W 136-119
Naim Baykurt suffered a concussion during practice, and didn’t start in the game, playing only 8 minutes, and scoring 4 points. Evans moved to the Small Forward spot, while Holland took the SG slot. He had 11 dimes, and 15 points, while Harrington played off-ball a lot and scored 29 on 11 for 18 shooting, despite being ice-cold from beyond the arc. Havens had 25 points, 9 rebounds, four blocks, four steals, and 3 dimes. Dobby had 20 points, 3 blocks, 3 steals, 3 dimes, and 12 boards. Moose SF Nick Porter had a team-high 28 points for them.

Record: 25-9

January 10, @ Cleveland (11-21): L 110-121
Bratislav Pauk was the game’s best performer, and we had a weird lineup, with Bakurt playing center, so he was able to score 31 and grab 8 boards to claim the Player of the Game award. Griff had 25 and 9 dimes, but that wasn’t enough to take the ball game.

Record: 25-10

January 11, vs Los Angeles (13-22): W 121-111
Dobbins had a game-high 29 points, and also gathered 10 boards, five on the offensive end. Baykurt managed 11 boards and 18 points, while Harrington had 21, 8 assists, and 9 boards. For LA, the best player was PG Jin-song Hsu, with 15 points and dimes, five boards, 4 steals, and a block.

Record: 26-10

January 14, vs Maimi (23-13): W 119-106
Evans had a game-high 29 tonight, with a smattering of other contributions (3 dimes, 2 rebounds, and a steal). Harrington had 20 and 9 dimes, with 9 rebounds, pushing the triple-double line, but still not reaching it. Marcus Alexander had a double-double for the Burn, with 18 points and 11 assists, before fouling out late in the fourth. Dobby had our only double-double, with 19 points and 10 boards, also blocking 2 shots.

Record: 27-10

Standing: 2nd East (3.5 GB)

Draft Watch:
1. J.B. Linderman, PF, 6’10”, 239, SO for Missouri: 18.8 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 5.3 apg
2. Jefferson Andrews, SF, 6’7”, 203, SO for Arizona: 20.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 6.1 rpg
3. Icikas Stekel, C, 7’5”, 295, 19 y/o from Latvia: 19.5 ppg, 5.8 apg, 14.2 rpg
4. Orlando Thomas, 6’1”, 185, HS, 26.5 ppg, 11.7 apg, 10.0 rpg
5. Roberto Marshall, 7’4” 270, SO from Xavier, 17.3 ppg, 3.7 apg, 11.8 rpg

Orlando Thomas looks a lot like Colin Edwards. He has very similar stats, so I bet that is what made him come out as a High School Senior. It looks like he might be a slightly better defensive player, but that still remains to be seen. Linderman might actually be the real deal. He can score, rebound and pass with the best of them. If he could play a lick of defense, he would be a lock for the number 1 pick, but he can’t. Stekel seems to be showing mad rebounding skills. Let’s see if he can keep it up.

[interstellarshadow]

January 16, @ Orlando (19-18): W 119-106
With 22 points, Dobby was the best player on the night. He also had 9 boards, 3 steals and 3 blocks. He wasn’t either the game-high scorer, or even the team-high, however. Clay Holland took the team-high crown from him, with just one more point scored on 10 for 15 shooting. Brandon Gervin had 24 points and 6 dimes to claim the game-high scoring title for the Mystics.

Record: 28-10

January 17, @ Boston (23-14): W 134-126
The Irish are fighting to stay in the hunt for home-court advantage come April, and currently sit ½ a game back from the 4th seed. Their loss to our team won’t help things on that count. Harrington was a beast, recording 22 points (perfect at the charity stripe), 18 dimes, and 3 steals. Evans led the team in rebounding with 23 points and 7 boards, also getting 3 dimes, 2 steals, and a block. SF Andrej Zore had 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks for the Irish, with Hemsley notching a double-double with 13 points and 10 dimes.

Record: 29-10

Upsettingly, Dobbins has torn his Achilles, and will be out of action for the season. This throws an enormous spanner in our championship dreams, but I will have to just hope that we can pull out a win without him.

January 22, vs Orlando (19-21): W 130-94
So the Mystics didn’t do well in the near-week since we last met, and didn’t improve their lot against us. Baykurt is finally in his natural position, and played like it. He had 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Nagid decided that he was going to be a bamf on the boards, with 15, making a double-double with his 10 points. Evans had 25, Harrington had 20 and 6, with 2 blocks, and we finally gave a few minutes to bench players, which the new coach is really reluctant to do.

Record: 30-10

January 24, @ Detroit (24-17): W 104-95
Detroit will be looking to bounce back strong after an embarrassing forty point loss to the Irish, but Clay Holland and his 26 points say otherwise. It wasn’t all Holland, however, as Griff Harrington had a game that matched just about all of his averages, with 22 points, 11 dimes, and 4 rebounds. Havens had 11 points and 5 blocks off the bench, though our big men picked up a bunch of fouls trying to defend McAfee and Moore. Edwards managed seven points in 6 minutes off the bench.

Record: 31-10

January 26, @ San Antonio (22-20): W 130-108
Another game where we defend our league-leading offense. We shot 60% from the field in a game where everything seemed to be going our way. Harrington had 21 points and career-high 23 dimes. He also tallied 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block (with only 1 turnover). Nagid had 14 points and 14 boards, while Baykurt had 31 points in a game where we scored the first basket and never fell behind again.

Record: 32-10

January 27, @ Sacramento (16-24): W 102-84
Griff had 23 points, 18 dimes and 4 boards in this one, as Baykurt goes HAM with a 19 point and 18 rebound outing. Six players score in double figures as we hold off the Royals with an 11 rebound margin.

Record: 33-10

January 29, @ Houston (16-26): L 122-130
Leo Blevins went off for 43 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 dimes in this high scoring affair in Houston. Clay Holland managed to score 31, but tonight’s game-breaker was Colin Edwards, who played 22 minutes behind Griff, who was in foul trouble throughout the game. He had 5 TO’s which was out undoing, as we cough up on 20 possessions—8 more than the Blast—and lose by 8.

Record: 33-11

January 30, @ Phoenix (11-31): W 128-120
Discounting last night, Harrington has been great as of late, and he continued his stellar play with a 29 point, 21 assist outing where he also lit it up on defense, grabbing 5 boards, 2 blocks and 3 steals. Baykurt has been the clear #2 guy after Dobbins went down, and he had 28 points, 10 rebounds, a steal and a block tonight. Clay Holland has also been stepping it up, and he had 31 points on 11 for 19 shooting, including 3 of 6 from long-range. Ron Scholl was best for Phoenix, with 23 points, 9 boards, 3 steals and 8 blocks.

Record: 34-11

Standing: 2nd East (2 GB)


League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 30.9
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 11.4
Rebounds: Chris Shelton, SEA: 12.7
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NYM: 3.8
Steals: Stevie Perine, GSS: 3.5
Efficiency: Shaun Horan, UTA: 32.3

Rookie Leaders:
Points: David Burke, SDR: 13.3
Assists: Robert Radl, IND: 4.6
Rebounds: David Burke, SDR: 6.5
Blocks: Lamond Woods, DAL: 1.3
Steals: Bradley Green, SEA: 1.6
Efficiency: David Burke, SDR: 14.8