My Inaugural DDS dynasty: Leah Jamison

[interstellarshadow]

I just bought myself DDS, after drooling over it for a while, and wishing I had the money to buy it. Here is my inaugural dynasty report thread. Please give feedback if you like it. I will cross-post this to the gmgames.org forums as well.

Its 2011. The League has been created with 27 teams. In the Eastern Conference, there are 14 teams in two Divisions: The Atlantic, and Central. In the Atlantic division, we have Miami Burn, New Jersey Hoops, Washington Americans, Philadelphia Freedom, Orlando Mystics, Boston Irish, and New York Metros. In the Central: Detroit Gears, Cleveland Knights, Chicago Bison, Indiana Racers, Milwaukee Moose, New Orleans Wasps, and Atlanta Eagles.
The West is made of 13 teams in the Midwest and Pacific Divisions. In the Midwest: San Antonio Outlaws, Dallas Rangers, Denver Peaks, Utah Blues, Houston Blast, and Minnesota Coyotes. In the Pacific: Phoenix Beams, Los Angeles Riders, Los Angeles Waves, Sacramento Royals, Golden State Spartans, and Portland Pioneers.
I, Leah Jamison, a 32 year-old GM fresh off a stint running a German team after retiring from my playing career abroad, have signed with the Philadelphia Freedom as their GM.

We finished 38-44 last season, and gave ourselves the ninth pick in the draft. When the Owner comes calling, I promise a playoff team that sits at around cap level.
First I fire the current coach, and hire a Jason Ashbury. He is fifty-one, with a decade of coaching experience, and a record in the 54% range. I pay him 3.5 mill for 3 years. He, and I prefer a deeper bench, younger players, and crashing boards.
Then, as I am over the cap by about 8 mill, I perform some trades. I get the 11th pick and a slight downgrade of talent at the Center for a discount of about 4 mill while also acquiring a decent SF. I also pick up a good young PF and shave off the rest of my cap room, while losing my second rounder.

The draft is a big complicated mess, filled with trigger pulling and trades. But I end up with 22 year-old PG Brandon Hemsley (3/3.5), 21 y/o SF Rowan Evans (2.5/3), 21 y/o PF Joey Spence (3/3.5), and no first rounder in 2012.
In the boondoggle that is free-agency, I come away with 21 y/o sophomore PG Griffin Harrington (4/4.5). Why he was a free agent is beyond me, but I’ll take him at 13.6 mill a year and count it cheap. RFA 23 y/o C, Tyrone Dudley (4/4) wasn’t finding good offers, so I am happy to have him for about 1.3 mill for the next year. I also acquired a couple of SF’s.
I send Rowan Evans, and 26th pick Reggie Murray to the D-league.

We were placed 5th in the power rankings this pre-season. I am feeling good about our prospects.
My roster/depth chart is as follows:
PG: Griffin Harrrington (PG-6’0-164-21 (4/4.5))
SG: Troy Knight (SG-6’7-195-27 (3/3))
SF: Natan Nagid (C-6’11-263-27 (3.5/3.5))
PF: Jason Ray (PF-6’8-228-24 (3.5/3.5))
C: Tyrone Dudley (C-6’10-289-23 (4/4))
6: Joey Spence (PF-6’9-227-21 (3/3.5))
7: Brandon Hemsley (PG-5’11-156-22 (3/3.5))
8: Jeff McCoy (SF-6’5-230-25 (3/3))
9: Corey Chambers (SF-6’8-204-32 (3/3))
10: Steve Roberson (SG-6’4-207-34 (2.5/2.5))
11: Hayden Karsh (C-6’10-264-27 (2/2))
12: Nate Thornton (SG-6’9-232-32 (2/2))
Inactive 1: Jarvis Henderson (SG-6’6-210-34 (1.5/1.5)
Inactive 2: Rowan Evans
Inactive 3: Reggie Murray

October 31, vs Washington Americans (0-0): W 143-105
I couldn’t have asked for a better game 1. A 38 point win is definitely the way to start things off. Player of the match goes to Griff Harrington, whose 29 points and 10 dimes are quite impressive. We shoot at an almost sixty percent mark as a team, and outrebound the Americans by a margin of 10.
Record: 1-0

[interstellarshadow]

I managed to crash DDS while playing, and realized I hadn't saved since creating the league. Time to start the process all over again.

I'll Skip all the nasty details of building a team, and give the results only.

We were placed 13th in the power rankings this season. That should give us a playoff berth, so I am looking forward to the season.
My roster/depth chart is as follows:
PG: Griffin Harrrington (PG-6’0-164-21 (4/4.5))
SG: Jody Jones (SG-6'8-202-20 (3/4))
SF: Natan Nagid (C-6’11-263-27 (3.5/3.5))
PF: Oliver Dobbins (PF-6'10-244-23 (3.5/3.5))
C: Tyrone Dudley (C-6’10-289-23 (4/4))
6: Naim Baykurt (PF-6'9-234-28 (3.5/3.5))
7: Troy Knight (SG-6'7-195-27 (3/3))
8: Aleem Dyer (SF-6'7-223-20 (2.5/3))
9: Delvin Mouring (PG-6'3-191-19 (2.5/2.5))
10: Steve Roberson (SG-6’4-207-34 (2.5/2.5))
11: Nate Thornton (SG-6’9-232-32 (2/2))
12: Rob Thomas (PG-6'3-182-33 (2/2))
Inactive 1: Jarvis Henderson (SG-6’6-210-34 (1.5/1.5)

[interstellarshadow]

October 31, vs Milwaukee Moose (0-0): W 114-79
My first game as GM goes well. Tyrone Dudley poured in 27 points, and pulled down 7 boards to take player of the match honors. Griffin (Griff) Harrington didn’t score much, only 9 points, but provided the team with 14 assists. Oliver Dobbins and Naim Baykurt both acquired their first double-doubles of the year. Dobbins had 10 points and 11 boards, but Baykurt’s was a bit more impressive: 18 points and 12 boards. SF Nick Porter led the Moose with 16 points and six boards.
Record: 1-0
November 1, @ New Orleans Wasps (1-0): L 103-109
Griff Harrington collected his first double-double, with 24 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds despite a close loss to the Wasps. Tyrone Dudley also had 24, with 8 boards, 2 steals and a block. Wasps PF George scored 25, grabbed 9 boards, and threw around 6 dimes to give them the six point win.
Record: 1-1
November 4, @ Milwaukee Moose (0-2): W 123-101
We’re proving to have a strong advantage against Milwaukee, and Dudley continues to run roughshod over them, with 31 points, 8 boards, and 3 blocks. The double-double party was made up of Naim Baykurt (20 points, 10 boards) and Griffin Harrington (16 points, 13 assists). SG Calvin Parks led the Moose with 19 points.
Record: 2-1
November 5, @ New Jersey Hoops (2-1): W 115-109
Despite the win, attitudes in the locker room are a bit wan, as Natan Nagid picked up a broken nose that won’t completely heal for more than a month. Griffin Harrington collected another double-double, with 24 points, 10 assists, and 5 boards. Dudley also had 24, Dobins had an 11 point, 12 board double-double, and Natan Nagid scored 19 in 20 minutes. Hoops SG Ivan Salinas scored 23 with 8 boards to lead the catch-up effort.
Record: 3-1
November 7, vs Detroit Gears (2-0): W 122-117
Baykurt and Dobbins are playing limited minutes due to their injuries (and the depth of those positons), but a monster showing of 46 points from Tyrone Dudley, to go with 12 rebounds, with 27 points and 7 dimes from Harrington pull us through a tough Detroit team. PG Kurtis Scholl led the Gears with 23 points.
Record: 4-1
November 8, @ Atlanta Eagles (2-2): W 108-104
Tyrone Dudley sprained his finger and will not be 100% for about 10 days, after sitting out nearly three quarters of the game. We pulled out a win anyways. Player of the match honors go to Griffin Harrington (with 19 points, 11 dimes, and 6 rebounds), while Baykurt and Dobbins were also impressive. Naim Baykurt had 22 points and 10 boards, while Dobbins had 16 points and 18 boards. Brandon Huss led the Eagles with 35 points and 3 boards.
Record: 5-1
November 11, vs New York Metros (3-1): L 117-126
Dudley had 25 points on a 66% FG%, while we commit 33 personal fouls, and allow a 58.1% field goal percentage from the Metros on the way to the loss, pioneered by strong outings from C Georgi Stoickkov, and SG Marcus Griffin with 32 and 27 points, respectively.
Record: 5-2
November 12, vs Miami Burn (1-5): L 106-123
The second loss in a row is hard to take, as it is to a team that we had every right to beat. Griffin and Jones both scored 20 points (actually, Jones had 21, but close enough) and we get outrebounded as a team by 8 boards, and allow a 54% field goal percentage. PG Marcus Alexander scored 33 to with 8 dimes and 6 boards to beat us.
Record: 5-3
November 14, vs Utah Blues (4-3): L 102-110
Each loss gets harder and harder. Tyrone Dudley missed 9 free throws, and we shot a dismal 15.8% from three. Our poor shooting behind the arc seems to be chronic, and I think that we need to find a solution and soon.
Record: 5-4
Trade:
To Seattle Speed:
SG Troy Knight, SF Aleem Dyer
To Freedom:
SF Rowan Evans
Winner: Both Teams: The Freedom gain a fearless shooter who also has explosive mobility and athleticism which they are in dire need of. The Speed get Allem Dyer, who is a decent shooter, who tends to overthink things, but almost never makes a mistake. They also get a poison pill contract in Troy Knight. The Freedom gain a bunch of Cap space, and will likely use it to add depth and future potential.
November 15, @ Indiana Racers (3-5): L 87-112
Griffin had 31, but only two other players scored in double figures as we go down to a team that was a little more selfless with the ball, shot a much better percentage, out rebounded us, and was much more productive from the foul line.
Record: 5-5
6th Place in Easter conference (4th Atlantic Division).

[interstellarshadow]

November 18, @ Cleveland Knights (2-5): W 123-108
Dudley’s 37 points and seven rebounds lead us to a win against the Knights. We also get 21 from the Rookie, Jody Jones, while Griffin Harrington had 18 who 8 dimes, and 8 boards (He also had 8 TO’s but we won’t talk about that). No double doubles for today, and Knights guard Terrance Jefferson scored 20 to lead the team.
Record: 6-5
November 19, vs Houston Blast (2-8): W 133-114
Dudley had 38 points and 11 rebounds, while Harrington generated one assist more than his point total, which was already pretty good, going for 18, with 19 dimes. Jones and Evans were also able to score a bit, scoring 18 and 15 respectively. O.J. Mann was able to score 25, and led the Blast.
Record: 7-5
November 21, vs Cleveland Knights (2-6): W 117-96
Another win against the struggling Knights. Griffin decided that today was a good day to catch on fire, and drained 6 of 7 threes on the way to 34 points, 7 assists, and 5 boards. Baykurt also scored 28 and grabbed 9 rebounds, while Dudley only had 18 and 7 boards. Knights center Pauk scored 32 to lead their team.
Record: 8-5
November 22, @ Detroit Gears (9-1): L 127-104
Gears C Reggie McAfee scored 35 to go with 14 boards and none of us were able pump out the offensive output needed to take down the machine that is this team.
Record: 8-6
November 26, @ Miami Burn (4-9): W 114-106
In his first game at 100% after straining his abdomen, Oliver Dobbins looked pretty good, scoring 21 on 9 of 13 shooting, but Dudley again takes the cake as the day’s most outstanding player-scoring 38, with 3 dimes and 5 boards, while the Burn could only answer with 25 points and 8 dimes from PG Marcus Alexander.
Record: 9-6
November 27, vs Atlanta Eagles (5-8): W 123-115
With 39 points and nine rebounds, Dudley nearly single-handedly beat the Eagles, but sixteen from Rowan Evans, 18 from Baykurt, and 17 from Dobbins definitely helped. Even Brandon Huss’ 40 points weren’t enough to beat us.
Record: 10-6
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan – SF, Utah Blues: 34.7 ppg, 8.3 apg, 6.9 rpg, 1.5 spg, 0.9 bpg
It’s hard to believe that this guy is only 26, having been in the league since he was 17, almost nine years ago. But he is showing that he is one of the best players in Pro basketball. He certainly was the best this past month, even though his team’s record is only good for 7th in the west.
Rookie of the Month: McEverett Woods – PF, New York Metros: 12.5 ppg, 1.4 apg, 7.0 rpg, 1.3 spg, 3.8 bpg
He is not yet a stellar scorer, but this 19 year old has all of the tools defensively and might even be a candidate for DPOY his rookie year. His team is doing better than the Player of the Month, with a 9-5 record, good for 3rd in the Conference. Don’t be surprised if All-NBA honors make it his way.

[interstellarshadow]

December 2, @ Chicago Bison (7-8): W 122-108
After scoring on 12 of 15 shots for 25 points, grabbing 10 boards, and filching the ball over the place (to the tune of 4 steals and 2 blocks), Dobbins is showing that he is once again very healthy. Harrington wasn’t too shabby either, with 22 points, 10 dimes, four rebounds, and 3 blocks of his own. Baykurt had 20 points and 9 boards.
Record: 11-6
December 3, vs Boston Irish (13-4): W 120-102
How often have you seen someone shoot ~67% on free throws, yet still make 19? Dudley did that on the way to 35 points while picking up 3 blocks and 2 steals. Griff Harrington had 14 points and10 dimes, while Dobbins (can I call him Dobby? I’m going to call him Dobby unless someone objects) decided to go HAM and try for a trip-dub with blocks. He had 19 points, 13 boards, and 7 of those rejections. 6th man Center Jason Harriman had the best night for the Irish. He scored 21 to go with 14 boards.
Record: 12-6
December 5, vs Denver (12-5): L 107-100
Denver PG Dennis Thomas had 19 points, 7 assists and 4 steals, leading the Peaks to their victory over us. Griff’s omnipresent turnover problems continue to hurt us, and we answer the team’s 21 turnovers with only 7 steals. Both Griff and Dudley showed that they can score whenever they want to by putting twenty points on in the close loss.
Record: 12-7
Standing (for reference): 4th
December 6, @ Boston Irish (13-5): W 123-112
Naim Baykurt led the team in scoring tonight, for a change (with 26) he also had six rebounds, a block, and a pair each of steals and assists. Evans had 21, while Griff was Griff, with 17 points, 10 assists (and 4 turnovers). On the other side of the game, C Qian Dai had 27 points and 14 rebounds, with his partner in crime, SF Andrej Zore, who had 26 points, and 9 boards.
Record: 13-7
December 10, vs Los Angeles Riders (9-9): W 114-97
Dudley exploded! (No, not literally) He scored 43, to go with 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block. Griff had a different kind of double-double, going for 13, with 10 rebounds. Evans and Dobbins were both relegated to reserve roles tonight, as they get 26 and 21 minutes, respectively. Rookie Delvin Mouring plays for 14 minutes, goes scoreless and grabs 4 rebound and creates 6 assists, while making no mistakes. Riders SF Luka Borstner scored 24 to go with 6 rebounds.
Record: 14-7
December 12, vs Phoenix Beams (6-15): W 124-112
Dudley performed only slightly worse for the struggling Beams. He had 39 points, 7 rebounds, and a pair of steals. Griff plays 26 minutes before fouling out and gets 12 points and 9 assists (the best part is, he turned the ball over ZERO times). Mouring had 11 points and 5 dimes in 14 minutes of play, making his performance the best of the bench.
Record: 15-7
Standing: 3rd in East (2.5 GB)

League Leaders:
Points: Cory Alexander, GSW (6’10 PF): 34.0
Assists: Griffin Harington, PHI (6’0 PG): 9.3
Rebounds: Cory Alexander, GSW (6’10 PF): 12.9
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, NJ (6’11 PF): 4.0
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR (6’6 PG): 3.7

Rookie League Leaders:
Points: Erik McSwain, GSW (6’9 PF): 14.2
Assists: Alan Smith, CLE (6’0 PG): 6.6
Rebounds: Tyler Popp, WAS (6’9 C): 7.2
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY (6’11 PF): 3.6
Steals: Boyd Gurley, POR (6’7 SF): 1.6

[interstellarshadow]

December 16, vs Milwaukee Moose (2-20): W 116-86
Welcome to tankapalooza 2011! Milwaukee had just shut down a 16 game slide. Well, Dudley dropped 30, and Griff gave up a few turnovers, scoring 14, dishing some, stealing some, and rebounding some in the process. Evans had 15, 5 and 5 (rebounds and assists), while Baykurt missed a double-double by a point, and Dobbins had 18 and 10 boards.
Record: 16-7
December 17, vs Dallas Rangers (18-7): W 118-107
We just beat the top seeded Western Conference team! Griffin Harrington was our MVP tonight, scoring 24, to go with 9 assists (with only 3 TO’s), 2 steals, 5 boards, and a block. Dobbins had 18 points and 5 blocks (plus some rebounds and a few assists) while Dudley pretty much only contributed 22 points. Natan Nagid started at SF and had 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
Record: 17-7
December 19, vs New York Metros (13-9): W 118-94
McEverett Woods had only 12 points, 6 boards and a block for the Metros. Granted, none of our rookies had that good a showing either. Dudley matched opposing PG Brooks Holmes’ 24 points, 2 steals, 6 rebounds, and 10 assists with 30 points, 5 boards and a block. Griff may be showing signs of improving in the TO category, going for 11 points, 17 assists, 7 boards, and 1 turnover. Natan Nagid also had a double-double, with 15 points and 12 boards.
Record: 18-7
December 23, @ Sacramento Royals (10-13): W 100-71
Dudley had 33 points, 10 boards, and a pair of steals to down the Royals in their hometown arena. We had two more double-doubles, with Dobbins collecting 13 points and twelve boards (he also had a pair each of steals and blocks), and Nagid whose contribution was 13 and 10 rebounds (as well as 3 blocks and steals). They both played only 24 minutes apiece.
Record: 19-7
Christmas Eve (Dec 24), @ Golden State Spartans (16-9): W 129-122
Our win streak extends to 8! Dudley had 41 and 10 (plus a steal and 2 blocks), while Griff had 20 points, 9 assists, four rebounds, and a steal. Baykurt had 17 points, 5 blocks, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Golden State had 2 players with more than 35 points. Forwards Stevie Perine and Cory Alexander had 40 and 47 points respectively. Yet their defensive games weren’t that good and no one else really stepped up to the plate.
Record: 20-7
December 26, @ Los Angeles Riders (12-13): L 90-101
We do not get our 9th win in a row, thanks to 31 points from SF Luka Borstner and poor shooting from our half of the court. We shot at a 34 % clip and had only 4 players in double figures. Riders PG had a double-double with only 9 points, getting 10 assists, and 12 rebounds, while Griff Harrington was two boards away from getting his first triple double of his career. He had 21 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. Dudley had 24 points and 8 rebounds.
Record: 20-8
New Years’ Eve (Dec 31), vs Brooklyn Hoops (19-10): W 153-103
Griff didn’t quite go bananas in this game, but he did have 28 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals. The team managed to assist forty of its 59 made field goals and out rebounded the Hoops by a 17 board margin. Dudley had 24 points, 2 blocks and 7 boards on the night and Nagid’s bench effort netted us 17 points, 4 blocks, 3 steals, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds (do I see a 5 by 5 in the future?). SF Josh Angeli had the best night for Brooklyn scoring 24 to go with 7 boards.
Record: 21-8

Standing: 1st in East (+.5 games) (4th best overall record)
Player of the Month: Shaun Horan
Rookie of the Month: McEverett Woods

[PointGuard]

Hey, your team is cruising right along! Harrington is cookin'.

[interstellarshadow]

He knows how to put up gaudy numbers, that is for sure. But I really don't like his turnover percentage. On January 15th (after quite a few good games with low amounts of TO's), his assist to turnover ratio is just about 2.2. It isn't terrible, but with his volume, it does add up pretty quick.

[interstellarshadow]

January 2, 2012, vs Sacramento Royals (11-17): W 117-92
Dudley is the heart and soul of the team, and he is ensuring that no one forgets that. He had 24 points and 9 rebounds against Sacramento. Griff had 10 points and 11 assists, also gathering 7 rebounds and a block. Dobby had 22 points and 4 blocks, putting at least one on every statistical category. Baykurt added his 5th double-double of the season with a season high 15 rebounds and 15 points. The rookie of the match is Jody Jones, whose play showed how multi-talented he is. His defense was highlighted by 2 blocks and 3 steals, he had 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, and was able to put in 12 points. Best for the Royals was John Moore, a 4th year veteran 6’4 PG who scored 22 points and got 9 assists (and seven TO’s).
Record:22-8
January 3, @ Brooklyn Hoops (20-11): L 98-107
Dudley had an uncharacteristically low scoring night, with 13, he didn’t add too much else, with 5 boards, 2 steals and a block. His shooting numbers were terrible, only making 3 out of 15 field goals. That was a pandemic problem for us. We shot 39% on the night, allowing the Hoops to shoot nearly 10% better than we did. Tengiz Tsulukidze led Brooklyn to their 9 point victory.
Record: 22-9
January 6, @ Miami Burn (12-20): W 91-87
Griff really wants his triple-double, but has had no luck so far. He scored 17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals against Miami and brought us the 4 point win. Dobby had another double-double, and Jody Jones again demonstrated that he is a versatile, skilled defender. PG Marcus Alexander had 37 for the Burn but didn’t get the win.
Record: 23-9
January 7, vs Indiana Racers (19-15): W 129-106
Griff had a double-double and no turnovers! He went crazy for 39 points and 10 assists, finding time to block a shot as well, while Dudley cleaned up the misses, with 27 points and 17 rebounds. We had five players in double figures, but only 3 of them were starting this game, whereas the other two came in of the pine this time. PG Romaine Rodenbach had 21 points and six assists for the Racers.
Record: 24-9
January 9, vs San Antonio Outlaws (6-24): W 142-112
“Oh! Lookie here, a basement team. Let’s run away with this.” That’s what I heard Griff Harrington tell the team during warm-ups. Running away with it is certainly an apt description of what he did tonight. He scored 35 points, threw the pumpkin around like it was a baseball (collecting 13 assists w/ only 2 TO’s), grabbed 7 boards, and had 2 steals. Nagid had a great showing from the bench, with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals. SG Brandon Hughes had 28 points for the Outlaws, as their best scorer.
Record: 25-9
January 10, @ Washington Americans (14-22): W 142-128
Griff Harrington had a league season best 23 assists (with only 3 TO’s), and 17 points, while Dudley took the POM honors with 33 points and 7 rebounds. Baykurt is defending his starting SF position with his life, as he scored 17 had 3 blocks and 2 steals. Dobby got his own double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Record: 26-9
January 14, @ Orlando Mystics (12-24): W 125-101
Dudley can ball. That was the message he was sending when he gathered 39 points in front of the 15 thousand fans watching in the Mystic Centre in Orlando. Dobbins gathered 15 points, 8 boards, and 6 blocks, while Harrington had 17 and 11 assists (+ 2 steals and a block). For Orlando there wasn’t a lot of light shining, but Brandon Gervin did manage to do well for himself, getting 20 points 3 steals, 3 blocks, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Record: 27-9
Standing: 2nd East (.5 GB)

League Leaders:
Points: Scott Stukes, WAS: 35.0
Assists: Griffin Harrington, PHI: 9.9
Rebounds: Cory Alexander, GSW: 11.8
Blocks: Tengiz Tsulukidze, NJ: 3.9
Steals: Justin Toxey, POR: 3.6

Rookie League Leaders:
Points: Brandon Hemsley, BOS: 13.9
Assists: Brandon Hemsley, BOS: 6.5*
Rebounds: Justin Maye, MIL, 7.1
Blocks: McEverett Woods, NY: 3.8
Steals: DeJuan Stewart, HOU: 1.6
*Beat out Alan Smith by less than .1 assists per game.
Interesting that only McEverett Woods was able to defend the lead for his stat.

Draft Prospects Watch:
1. Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’10, 208
2. Carl Regis, SF (FR-Santa Clara): 6’7, 206 (Don’t see many from here)
3. Heddick Keyes, C (HS-N/A): 6’11, 276
4. Steve Martin, C (SO-Elon): 6’9, 284
5. Robert Radl, PG (SO-UCLA): 6’4, 178
Look out for Colin Edwards (#10) a 6’3 PG out of High School averaging a mean triple-double (24.9 pts, 12.4 ast, 11.3 reb, 1.4 blk, 2.4 stl).

[interstellarshadow]

January 16, vs Cleveland Knights (): W 135-99
There isn’t that much to write about this game. We dominated from start to finish, and no one had a particularly spectacular or terrible game. Dudley and Jones led the team in scoring with 27 points and 24, respectively. Dobby and Griff each had double-doubles. (D-18pts, 12reb—G-12pts, 12ast) and Rowan Evans managed to accomplish exactly nothing. Otherwise, we shot over 80% from the field, were dismal as always from behind the arc (36%) and had 62 points in the paint.
Record: 28-9
January 18, vs Seattle Speed (6-31): W 103-118
Remember that game against another basement team where Griff Harrington decided to run roughshod over the opposition? He did it again—the only difference this time, is that he got a bunch of the rest of the team to buy in. Griff had 28 points and 17 assists, only two rebounds shy of his first triple double (and with an assist-turnover ratio of a bit more than 4. Dudley had 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and a pair of blocks, while Dobby decided he wasn’t going to score. He had only 8 points but was able to do everything else, gathering 15 rebounds (of which 7 were offensive boards), 4 steals, and 4 blocks. Baykurt had 22 and 9, while Jones had 20 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds, and a block. Today wasn’t the day to be a bench player as Rowan Evans had a bench high 12 minutes of play. The one thing that soured the victory was that Dobby picked up a slight injury. He sprained his wrist and should have limited minutes for about a week, then return to normal play. He won’t be fully 100% for almost two weeks though.
Record: 29-9
January 21, vs Washington Americans (16-26): W 134-105
Dudley was bonkers in this game. 6’10 people are supposed to get more than 2 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. Why did he play thirty-six minutes if he wasn’t rebounding, you ask? Because he had decided that the ball was his on the offensive side of the floor. He wasn’t super efficient, but he had volume, with 37 points on 25 shots. Only two others shot less than 50% on the night and we can’t help but win. The most impressive player for me was Griff. He had 26 points, 14 assists, 2 steals, 4 rebounds and a block. His play has really stepped up since early in the season and I feel that he is the heart and soul of the team.
Record: 30-9
Suddenly I remember that Dudley will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and I don’t want to pay the paycheck he will demand—since it won’t be quite worth it. So I begin shopping him around.
Immediately I get a bite. You remember who is leading the league in blocks? Tengiz ‘Zulu’ Tsulukidze, that’s who. He isn’t quite the scorer that Dudley is, but his D is beastly. I’m offered him and a second round pick—which I accept.
Trade:
PHI Trade:
C Tyrone Dudley
NJ Trade:
PF Tengiz Tsulukidze
Winner: Philadelphia: This trade is all about Defense and you know the saying: “Defense wins Championships.” Dudley can’t defend a lead and Zulu is one of the best at his position on that end of the floor. Philly has no difficulty scoring, with an average of 117.0 ppg, but their defense is only tenth in the league.
January 22, @ Brooklyn Hoops (26-15): L 119-117
Pulling out a slim 3 point lead at the end of the first, we were feeling good, but when the game went to half-time tied at 59 points apiece, we were beginning to sweat—our protection in the paint, Dobby and Zulu, was beginning to get into serious foul trouble. Dudley took advantage of that, taking 24 foul shots over the course of the game on the way to a 41 point 3rd quarter (to our 28). It didn’t even matter that he was shooting at 66%, that’s still a s__t-ton. All in all, we caused 46 opponent free throws, while only shooting 19. Dudley had 30 for the Hoops, while PF Josh Angeli had 26, and Duany had 23. We had six players in double figures, topped by Griff, who had 22. Jones had 19, Baykurt 18, Evans 14, Zulu 13, Dobby had 12, and Nagid 10. We shot 54% to the Hoops 44%, came away with 13 blocks and 10 steals, but fell slightly behind in the last minutes for the two point heartbreaker.
Record: 30-10
January 25, vs Portland (33-6): L 114-104
Well, we fell behind out of the blocks and couldn’t really catch up. Getting rid of Dudley has opened our offense up, and we have started taking and making 3s at a much better clip. We come away with sixteen blocks after Zulu’s massive Trip-dub: 10 points, 15 boards, and 10 blocks. Griff Harrington fouled out before he could reach 30 minutes in the game—trying to deal with the all-point guard lineup of Cain Allen and Justin Toxey, who had 26 and 22 points, respectively—he still had 19 points, 8 assists in those 28 minutes. Our best offensive performances came from Baykurt and Jones, who each had 21. Baykurt and Dobby both added in double-doubles, but it wasn’t enough.
Record: 30-11
January 28, vs Boston Irish (29-13): W 131-99
This is why I wanted Zulu. I knew we had offensive firepower, but it was defense I was desiring, and these types of margins speak to what I wanted to accomplish. Player of the match today was Naim Baykurt: he had 30 points, and 10 rebounds, yes, but he also was a defensive powerhouse, blocking 6 shots and stealing the ball twice. Harrington had another impressive passing showcase, tossing 21 dimes and still getting 14 points. A few super impressive numbers on the box score: 18 blocks (our defensive total), 9.1% (opposing 3 point percentage), and 3 (the number of opposing players with double-figure point totals)
Record: 31-11
January 30, vs Utah Blues (21-21): W 113-109
Griff had 29 points, 11 assists, and 2 steals in the win, shooting 13 of 14 from the line, while opposing SF Shaun Horan had 42, and we didn’t really even make them work for it (He shot 13-23). Jones had 24 points, 6 boards, and a pair of thefts as well.
Record: 32-11
Standing: 2nd East (1 GB)

Player of the Month: Scott Stukes – SF – Wahsington Americans
Rookie of the Month: Jody Jones – SG- Philadelphia Freedom
Woo!!! He was an offensive beast this month, never scoring fewer than 9 points, and staying quite efficient, averaging 56% on 11 shots per game. He was hitting three’s galore, and also managed to play decent defense, picking up blocks, steals, and rebounds like he was bigger than he really is.

Draft Watch 2:
1 (1). Justin Wells, SF (FR-Arizona): 6’5, 208
2 (3). Heddick Keyes, C (HS-N/A): 6’11, 276
3 (N/R). Hristo Hlutev, C (Bulgaria-18), 6’10, 278
4 (2). Carl Regis, SF (FR-Santa Clara): 6’7, 206
5 (N/R). Bradley Green, SG (JR-Michigan St): 6’7, 212

Wells, averaging 32 points, 5 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal at Arizona, is going to be an offensive force, even though he is a lot shorter than reported in the first term. He is the undisputed number 1.