2020 Conference: Russell

Here with part two of our 2020 preseason and post-draft review. Don't forget about our new franchise ID numbers, which is how we ordered this preview. Enjoy! [ 2020 Russell | 2020 Chamberlain ]

TeamID - Abbrev - Name (2019 Record, 2018 Record)

1 FJUB Fat Jubas (12-8, 12-9)
Since we restarted SlamNation for the new cycle, Jubas have only missed one playoffs, and have dipped below 0.500 just once. Coming off their fifth straight playoff appearance, these one-time champs will be looking for a way to take themselves to another title. Only one teams stands in their way, a team that has knocked the out of the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. Unfortunately, that roadblock is Sour Snails, the defending and seemingly always champs.

Led by Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday, Jubas took a defense focused approach last season and were top-three ranked there all season. They’ll lose some of the defensive focus with the loss of Serge Ibaka and Jerami Grant but Robert Covington should be healthy again, and so will Gary Harris. Myles Turner and Jonas Valanciunas form a huge frontcourt and clearly GM Eric knows how to put the pieces together to keep winning.

The draft brought in old favorite Joe Ingles (1.14) and the quite productive Jeremy Lamb (2.7), who should continue being sneaky good in Indiana. Finals hero Fred VanVleet joins Jubas, as well as Justise Winslow — which made many owners exclaim about his availability in RD4 — and Kelly Olynyk as a stretch option. Plus the last round pick of Danny Green, who could return sneaky value. There were rumblings of a Chris Paul trade for Jubas but so far no action yet, so for now, they’ll work their way to their usual playoff showing and look to take their team deeper into the playoffs. Maybe someone else can knock off Sour for them!

2 CHMK Chunky Monkeys (14-5-1, 20-1)
After notching their first title in 2018, Monkeys were ready for a sturdy title defense but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs — by Spade — and then failed to win even one of their consolation games, giving them no wins in the postseason. After a 2017-18 stretch where they lost only two regular season games, Chunky went down five times last year, which portended their fate. Heading into 2020, they’ll be looking for their sixth straight playoff appearance, but at this point, with LeBron James aboard, it’s all about the rings.

LBJ is thirty-five, Kyle Lowry thirty-three, and James Harden thirty. Is this the last swing for this version of a contender? While Clint Capela and Otto Porter are right in their primes, a pre-draft trade shipped out Kelly Oubre Jr., who showed flashes late last season of being a breakout. Instead, sophomore Collin Sexton will get another chance to impress. That’s still a fearsome core and all GM Evan needs to do is to color in around the edges.

The draft brought in Marcus Smart in the first round, who was “the best player available” according to inside sources, and then dual Warriors’ big men Kevon Looney and Willie Cauley-Stein in the second and third. It was clear that shooting was a priority as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Davis Bertans (via a trade with Buffy), and Norman Powell were added to the bench for depth. While there is a definite lack of rim protection on the roster, it may not matter if James plays 70+ games and Harden continues his MVP-level ways.

3 FUNK Funk Coalition (13-7, 13-7-1)
After dual thirteen win seasons, Funk Coalition is officially out of the SlamNation cellar after notching back-to-back playoff appearances. However, being a #4 seed didn’t translate to playoff success as they were knocked out in the first round by Squirtle Squad. Are these Funks for real or just pretenders?

As always, GM Jon was on the move, and had already racked up two trades before heading into the 2020 draft — acquiring Kevin Huerter for a RD4 and then swapping Ben Simmons for Trae Young. Two trade-downs and a Markelle Fultz switch later, Funk Coalition had totaled five trades by the end of the draft. (Knocking off Evan, Josh, and Frank from his “to trade with” list, leaving Dave, Felipe, and Randall.) Will any of those moves bring Funk closer to a title? The new keeper core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Young, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Jonathan Isaac, and Huerter can now all shoot threes but will Funk miss Simmons’ triple-doubles? Time will tell.

With the two trade-downs, Funk essentially moved Steven Adams for Spencer Dinwiddie and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and then Delon Wright for Reggie Jackson and Matisse Thybulle. Add in Ty Jerome as Funk's last pick and that’s three rookies on the roster for a team that should be looking to win now. What gives? Flexible center Dewayne Dedmon was also brought in, along with Larry Nance Jr. to bolster the frontcourt in what is now a very guard-centric team. Funk is used to change and with a new point guard onboard, could achieve even greater heights and a few playoff wins.

4 FOBS Fob Stars (11-8-1, 10-10-1)
It’s been quite a successful run for Fob lately, as they’ve escalated from nine to eleven wins over the past four seasons, and racked up an equal amount of playoff appearances as well. They’ve also managed to pull off first round upsets in both of the last two years, and are now looking to rise above their so-so smedium challenger status. A step up would mean just a few more wins and that is definitely within reach.

Of course, to do that, an upgrade in the keeper core could be in order. DeAndre Jordan must have quite the friendship with Jimmy — or access to a future superstar — for him to have been kept again. And even Jordan Clarkson himself was surprised to be selected as a keeper. The good news is that last season’s pre-draft acquisition, Damian Lillard, is likely the second best point guard in the league and a true franchise cornerstone. Neither John Collins nor Jamal Murray exploded last season as expected but they both are still super young. And well, Ricky Rubio should return to his proper AST ways down in Phoenix, after coming for a World Cup MVP showing.

With three picks in the top twenty for the 2020 draft, GM Jimmy had to bring in some younger faces. Rookie Rui Hachimura (1.12) has been promising and will get tons of playing time while Jarrett Allen (2.2) will have to halt his upside potential as he splits time with Jordan in Brooklyn. Both could/should be keepers next year. Bojan Bogdanovic will be the wing scorer this team hasn’t had since trading Tobias Harris away while Dwight Powell and Rodions Kurucs should serve as floor spacing big men. We’re predicting Grayson Allen gets cut fast, as his terrible attitude will have him out of the locker room quickly. Overall, Fob Stars have proven that they belong, now let’s see how far they can reach.

5 TRUO Truo Thien (9-11, 13-7-1)
After five straight years in the playoffs, and never getting a losing record, Team Thien finally suffered a sub-0.500 campaign. it seems like this team is at a crossroads. Do they push to contend again or do they take a step back? The answer is: never surrender! Even though Thien’s team has some veterans like Mike Conley, Kemba Walker, and Jimmy Butler as their stars, each of those three are in their primes still, more or less. Combine that with Lauri Markkanen, the fantasy stud that is Julius Randle (acquired via preseason trade with ILCN), and um, Andrew Wiggins, and TRUO has enough firepower to get at least to 0.500, if not better.

Add in GM Thien’s decision to bypass a rookie at RD1.6 and take sophomore Miles Bridges instead — who’s looking pretty good! — and it’s clear that management is looking for a quick recovery form last year’s nine win team. The draft was entirely all veterans too, which Derrick Favors, PJ Tucker, and JaVale McGee coming in the middle rounds. The only concession to the future was Mo Bamba in the last round, who might have an interesting future, but won’t likely get major minutes this year. Or possibly next. For Thien to guide his team back into the light, they’ll have to make some power moves. But we believe because this is a team that has been to two Finals in its last two seasons and also captured two division titles along the way.

6 SWMP Swamp Dragons (15-3-2, 12-7-2)
Our 2019 Finals runner-up went from the Toilet Bowl to best regular season record in the league in just one short year. Of course, Swamp was never a bad team, as they had two straight Toilet Bowl titles while notching winning records — and was the use case for our “Swamp Rule” — but after the flame out that was Markelle Fultz, adding DeAndre Ayton powered them to their third Finals showing, although they have yet to get a ring. Still, after four seasons out of the playoffs, it’s safe to say that Swamp is back as a contender.

The addition of D’Angelo Russell last year solidified the point guard position and now Swamp’s core features Russell at the point, Paul George and Khris Middleton as do everything wings, and the pairing of Nikola Jokic and Ayton. It’s pretty frightening when PG13 is a team’s second best player, even if he’ll be on the mend to start the season. The loss of Jusuf Nurkic to a nasty injury hurt the keeper selection but adding Kelly Oubre Jr. for a RD3 will give Eddie another wing to throw out there.

Swamp is both quite young and ready to win now, but GM Eddie leaned more into youth with his draft. RD1.9 brought in Summer League MVP Brandon Clarke and then the solid young vet guard duo of Derrick White and Tomas Satoransky. Both could likely start and provide nice numbers. Robert Williams III is a BLK monster and that could help on a Swamp team that needs a little bit of extra rim protection. Late rounds Derrick Jones Jr. and Jakob Poetl aren’t sexy names but both could have their uses. It’ll really come down to how soon George can return from his injuries, and if Swamp can then take the final step toward a championship win.

7 SNAC Snack Bears (5-15, 6-15)
It’s been a dark three years since Snack’s inaugural season on Slam. After going to the playoffs during their first year in 2016, the Snacks have suffered fifteen losses in each of their successive campaigns since. Well, all that losing is likely over as savvy moves, patience, and a strong Toilet Bowl run last year have made them an insta-contender. And by “contender” we may even mean “favorite.” Just look at this team!

After a sterling dispersal draft to start last season, Snack went super young with their 2019 selections and unearthed rookies Wendell Carter Jr. (RD1.6) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2.4), along with up-and-comer Bam Adebayo (4.14). Those moves allowed them to pull off two two-for-ones pre-draft as GM Brandon moved out Blake Griffin and Adebayo for Nikola Vucevic, and then followed up with a Carter and Jaylen Brown exchanged for Josh Richardson. The new look Snack Bears entered the draft like this: De’Aaron Fox, Bradley Beal, Gilgeous-Alexander, Vucevic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Richardson. That’s pretty impressive...

But then we add in 2020 number one overall Zion Williamson — the reward for getting to the Toilet Bowl finals — and the projections start bugging out. Who is going to stop this monster?!? With the fans clamoring for another playoff appearance, Snack focused on veterans to fill out their roster. Sharpshooter Joe Harris, post-championship Marc Gasol, recovering Will Barton, defensive minded Patrick Beverly, and Hornet’s only big man Cody Zeller will all fill important roles for Snack. We could see another Toilet Bowl to Finals journey from a team this season, just like Swamp did last year. And barring health, it’s possible Snack could take it all the way! Edit: Zion is out a few weeks already, ouch. Hit pause on that championship parade maybe.

8 CMTO Cameltoe (3-17, 5-15-1)
After taking a tank year -- and getting the worst front office grade in 2019 -- Cameltoe is now back to playing and hopefully ready to rise up in the standings from last place. I mean, after declining win totals in each of their three seasons in SlamNation — seven to five to three — it’s the Cameltoe fans who are getting restless.

GM Felipe went heavy on youth last year and will return sophomores Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr. as keepers. Buddy Hield’s new contract, Hassan Whiteside’s new home, and Josh Jackson’s new reclamation project will join Bagley and Porter around Anthony Davis, the best fantasy player in the game. But also a bit of a curse perhaps, as AD has not led his SlamNation team to much success during his time. Perhaps a change of scenery in Los Angeles will do him good.

With RD1.8, Cameltoe selected rookie Jarrett Culver, who is already looking like a solid player for Minnesota. Dennis Smith Jr. gets another shot here, and then there’s light upside guys like Tim Hardaway Jr., Cedi Osman, and Kris Dunn joining the ranks of Camel this season. The only non-young guy Felipe drafted was Rudy Gay in the mid round, and he’ll add the only veteran voice in the locker room. Here’s hoping that this is the beginning of Cameltoe’s rebuild as they re-focus themselves on some winning ways!