Weekly: Fantastic Four
Last time we looked at our three bottom dwellers. So this time let’s flip it around and look at our top teams after six weeks, three of which are from the Chamberlain Conference. Let's step it up Russell!
SBUK So Buckets (6-0)
After a tough season last year, So Buckets are here to claim contender status once again. Raise your hand if you thought rookie RJ Barrett would be this good? With 15.4 PTS, 5.5 REB, 3.3 AST, plus 1.4 STL and a three, Barrett is producing quite well, albeit with a shocking 52.4 FT% — yes, that’s free throws.
Throw in the free agent pickups of rookie Eric "new Warriors leading scorer" Paschall and Dillon Brooks and that’s two more pieces added to an already formidable squad. I guess winning the Toilet Bowl really can jump you right back to the top eh? This team is loaded and even with Kyrie Irving in and out of the lineup, they should be able to fight for a division title and a deep playoff run.
SBUK has been riding its second ranked defense to the top — Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert now have Thomas Bryant next to them — while pairing it with a league average offense and some not-so-great efficiency. While So Buckets sit atop the standings, they are only fourth in net ODE rating. Not that it matters because wins are wins!
The only caveat to SBUK’s early success is that they’ve only picked up two wins over 0.500+ teams — and one of those was a shortened WK1 matchup versus Spade. Still, this is great bounce back season for Josh and we’re happy to see him on top!
SPDE Spade (5-1)
After that first week loss to So Buckets in WK1, Spade has ripped off five wins in a row, including a tight 5-4 win last week against Squirtle Squad — taking the win by one BLK or six AST. On the season, SPDE is measuring out as the top rated ODE team, with a third-best offense paired with top four defense and efficiency. The only weakness they’ve exhibited so far is a lack of STL, but with Kawhi Leonard back in action, even that slight issue could be resolved.
Is Spade the best team in SlamNation? Well, we’ll find out when they get hit with their usual spate of injuries. For now, Brook Lopez is a little dinged up, Kawhi is always on load management, and Derrick Favors remains on the bench. Also, RIP 3.11 pick Zach Collins, who is basically out for the season after dislocating his shoulder.
Still, Devin Booker and Kevin Love are back, Al Horford and Jeff Teague are still doing their thing, and OG Anunoby is in the midst of a breakout season — 2.1 combined STL/BLK with 1.7 3PT. SPDE goes twelve deep when healthy and all it’ll take is Randall’s prayers to keep them upright and headed toward another Finals appearance.
SQSQ Squirtle Squad (5-1)
Proving that last year’s twelve wins were no mirage, Squirtle Squad and possible back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo are proving to always be formidable, ripping off five wins to start the season until they dropped a nail biter to Spade in WK6.
We want to talk about Squirtle’s breakout player of the year: Bam… Haha, just kidding. While the trade for Bam Adebayo and the just returning Blake Griffin has been stellar — Adebayo has been basically Giannis-lite minus the scoring and threes — the real star of the early season has been sophomore Devonte’ Graham, who has seized the point guard role in Charlotte and is putting up 18.2 PTS, 7.4 AST, and 3.4 3PT per game. Dejounte who?! (Yes, Dejounte Murray is back from injury and he’s been okay…) While Graham isn’t a youngster — he’s twenty-four already — getting him for $0 FAAB is the kind of move that could make a good team into a great team.
And while GM Brian lost faith in Moritz Wagner rather quickly, he’s now back on the squad and doing some breaking out of his own. And now Carmelo Anthony and Blake are here! Phew, are we gushing? This team is well balanced too, with a top five offense and a top three defense. The only worry is a horrible efficiency, mostly due to a wretched showing in FT%, which can’t be helped since Giannis is shooting 58.6 FT% on eleven attempts a game. Even Lou Williams and Blake’s fine free throw shooting can’t offset Giannis and Bam’s poor form there. But who cares!
SQSQ is ranked first in AST, second in REB, and has top five showings in PTS, STL, FG%. (BLK and 3PT could use some juicing up maybe.) We’ll see what Squirtle Squad is capable of as they have a matchup with undefeated So Buckets this week, and the winner will ascend to first in the Chamberlain Conference, if not the entire league.
FOBS Fob Stars (5-1)
Our lone team from the Russell Conference to make an appearance, FOB toppled Funk Coalition last week to end an undefeated November. They’ve picked up 5-4 wins every week, and their lone loss has been to Swamp Dragons. With a cupcake schedule coming up, Fob Stars could very well be on a seven game winning streak before they face off against SQSQ in a big WK10 matchup around Christmas. This seems like the year Jimmy finally is breaking through and it’s a welcome sight to behold for Fob fans around the world.
Damian Lillard has been spectacular as usual and he’s gotten extra offensive help from new acquisitions Bojan Bogdanovic, Jabari Parker (stepping in for the injured John Collins), and the previously mocked Jordan Clarkson (sorry!). Rookie Rui Hachimura is a double-double threat too, as he’s averaging 13.3 PTS and 5.6 REB on stellar percentages.
Most of all, pretty Ricky Rubio has fully returned to his pre-Utah days with 7.8 AST and 1.2 STL, while adding 1.3 3PT to boot. The two headed center mashup of Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan seem to be working out as well, even if they can’t quite pick up FOB’s league worst BLK numbers.
So what is the top end for FOB? Well, their ODE rating is a second in efficiency, tenth in offense, and thirteen on defense. That’s mostly middling actually. But while Fob Stars aren’t great in most categories — outside of TOs — this has been a well coached team that makes few mistakes and is capable of toppling anyone in their way.
After a tough season last year, So Buckets are here to claim contender status once again. Raise your hand if you thought rookie RJ Barrett would be this good? With 15.4 PTS, 5.5 REB, 3.3 AST, plus 1.4 STL and a three, Barrett is producing quite well, albeit with a shocking 52.4 FT% — yes, that’s free throws.
Throw in the free agent pickups of rookie Eric "new Warriors leading scorer" Paschall and Dillon Brooks and that’s two more pieces added to an already formidable squad. I guess winning the Toilet Bowl really can jump you right back to the top eh? This team is loaded and even with Kyrie Irving in and out of the lineup, they should be able to fight for a division title and a deep playoff run.
SBUK has been riding its second ranked defense to the top — Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert now have Thomas Bryant next to them — while pairing it with a league average offense and some not-so-great efficiency. While So Buckets sit atop the standings, they are only fourth in net ODE rating. Not that it matters because wins are wins!
The only caveat to SBUK’s early success is that they’ve only picked up two wins over 0.500+ teams — and one of those was a shortened WK1 matchup versus Spade. Still, this is great bounce back season for Josh and we’re happy to see him on top!
SPDE Spade (5-1)
After that first week loss to So Buckets in WK1, Spade has ripped off five wins in a row, including a tight 5-4 win last week against Squirtle Squad — taking the win by one BLK or six AST. On the season, SPDE is measuring out as the top rated ODE team, with a third-best offense paired with top four defense and efficiency. The only weakness they’ve exhibited so far is a lack of STL, but with Kawhi Leonard back in action, even that slight issue could be resolved.
Is Spade the best team in SlamNation? Well, we’ll find out when they get hit with their usual spate of injuries. For now, Brook Lopez is a little dinged up, Kawhi is always on load management, and Derrick Favors remains on the bench. Also, RIP 3.11 pick Zach Collins, who is basically out for the season after dislocating his shoulder.
Still, Devin Booker and Kevin Love are back, Al Horford and Jeff Teague are still doing their thing, and OG Anunoby is in the midst of a breakout season — 2.1 combined STL/BLK with 1.7 3PT. SPDE goes twelve deep when healthy and all it’ll take is Randall’s prayers to keep them upright and headed toward another Finals appearance.
SQSQ Squirtle Squad (5-1)Proving that last year’s twelve wins were no mirage, Squirtle Squad and possible back-to-back NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo are proving to always be formidable, ripping off five wins to start the season until they dropped a nail biter to Spade in WK6.
We want to talk about Squirtle’s breakout player of the year: Bam… Haha, just kidding. While the trade for Bam Adebayo and the just returning Blake Griffin has been stellar — Adebayo has been basically Giannis-lite minus the scoring and threes — the real star of the early season has been sophomore Devonte’ Graham, who has seized the point guard role in Charlotte and is putting up 18.2 PTS, 7.4 AST, and 3.4 3PT per game. Dejounte who?! (Yes, Dejounte Murray is back from injury and he’s been okay…) While Graham isn’t a youngster — he’s twenty-four already — getting him for $0 FAAB is the kind of move that could make a good team into a great team.
And while GM Brian lost faith in Moritz Wagner rather quickly, he’s now back on the squad and doing some breaking out of his own. And now Carmelo Anthony and Blake are here! Phew, are we gushing? This team is well balanced too, with a top five offense and a top three defense. The only worry is a horrible efficiency, mostly due to a wretched showing in FT%, which can’t be helped since Giannis is shooting 58.6 FT% on eleven attempts a game. Even Lou Williams and Blake’s fine free throw shooting can’t offset Giannis and Bam’s poor form there. But who cares!
SQSQ is ranked first in AST, second in REB, and has top five showings in PTS, STL, FG%. (BLK and 3PT could use some juicing up maybe.) We’ll see what Squirtle Squad is capable of as they have a matchup with undefeated So Buckets this week, and the winner will ascend to first in the Chamberlain Conference, if not the entire league.
FOBS Fob Stars (5-1)
Our lone team from the Russell Conference to make an appearance, FOB toppled Funk Coalition last week to end an undefeated November. They’ve picked up 5-4 wins every week, and their lone loss has been to Swamp Dragons. With a cupcake schedule coming up, Fob Stars could very well be on a seven game winning streak before they face off against SQSQ in a big WK10 matchup around Christmas. This seems like the year Jimmy finally is breaking through and it’s a welcome sight to behold for Fob fans around the world.
Damian Lillard has been spectacular as usual and he’s gotten extra offensive help from new acquisitions Bojan Bogdanovic, Jabari Parker (stepping in for the injured John Collins), and the previously mocked Jordan Clarkson (sorry!). Rookie Rui Hachimura is a double-double threat too, as he’s averaging 13.3 PTS and 5.6 REB on stellar percentages.
Most of all, pretty Ricky Rubio has fully returned to his pre-Utah days with 7.8 AST and 1.2 STL, while adding 1.3 3PT to boot. The two headed center mashup of Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan seem to be working out as well, even if they can’t quite pick up FOB’s league worst BLK numbers.
So what is the top end for FOB? Well, their ODE rating is a second in efficiency, tenth in offense, and thirteen on defense. That’s mostly middling actually. But while Fob Stars aren’t great in most categories — outside of TOs — this has been a well coached team that makes few mistakes and is capable of toppling anyone in their way.
Weekly: Winless Teams
Let’s get an early look at our three winless teams. Is hope on the horizon or should these three prepare themselves for a Toilet Bowl run already? Interestingly, three of the five top rookies went to these franchises, so we’ll tackle them in that order.
SNAC Snack Bears (0-3)
After a busy preseason flurry of trades and the drafting of uber-rookie Zion Williamson, we thought Snack Bears was headed for a title run. Instead, Williamson has yet to see the court and SNAC is floundering, losing to FUNK, CHMK, and CMTO in successive weeks. What in the world is going on?!
Even without Zion, this should still be a powerhouse team. But De’Aaron Fox, Bradley Beal, Josh Richardson, Nikola Vucevic, and Kristaps Porzingis have all started the season off ice cold, with none of them shooting better than 43% from the field. That has just crushed Snack and ownership seems ready to hit the panic button.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as an offensive bright spot, the rest of the keeper core here has been underwhelming -- especially when other traded off pieces such as Bam Adebayo and Jaylen Brown have been outstanding. Even with draftees Will Barton and Cody Zeller throwing up incredible PTS/REB numbers, this team just can’t seem to get it going.
Snack are ranked top five in PTS, 3PT, AST, REB, and BLK but awful in FG% and not great in STL. Of course, those are the two exact areas a healthy Zion would help immediately. With a net offensive rating of third, and a defensive rating of sixth, all SNAC needs is for that second-to-last efficiency to perk up. The question is: can they do it without Zion? Or will big moves be coming soon?
ABCX Another Bad Creation (0-3)
We declared that there was a rebuild ahead for ABC and so far we’ve seen nothing on this young season that might say otherwise. They have the lowest combined ODE rating at 14 / 16 / 11 and rank in the bottom two in 3PT, REB, and BLK. But hey, their two percentage categories aren’t too bad! ABC has also been unfortunate to face off against two 3-0 teams in recent weeks, and we’ll see if they can beat fellow winless team Buffy in WK4’s matchup.
The good news is that 2020 RD1.2 Ja Morant has been as good as advertised, with 17.8 PTS, 5.2 AST, and 46.2 FG%. The lack of many threes isn’t a huge factor as projections had Morant as a non-deep threat anyway. And while Russell Westbrook may have lost his triple-doubleness upon his move to Houston, his improved FG% actually makes him a much better fantasy player and his overall numbers are still stellar.
ABC actually could be competitive, as they have a decent bunch of veterans behind those two in LaMarcus Aldridge, Evan Fournier, TJ Warren, and even an Isaiah Thomas sighting. With Derrick Rose and Enes Kanter on the mend — although Eric Gordon is out for six weeks — that’s not terrible right? We foresee a win coming for Another Bad Creation soon and with a bit of health, they could have a path out of the cellar.
BUFF Buffy (0-3)
Roger’s team has faced a similarly tough schedule, with opening losses to undefeated Squirtles and So Buckets out of the gate. A third loss to top ODE ranked Spade could point to just a vicious first month of games for Buffy. One of ABC or BUFF will emerge with a win this week, and after that it’ll be off to the races to see who can rack up win number two.
GM Roger scooped up rookies De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish during the draft but his best move so far was grabbing another rookie, Kendrick Nunn, off the free agent pile. The Miami scoring dynamo is already in the Rookie of the Year conversation and is putting up 16.9 PTS, 2.3 3PT, and 1.6 STL per game. Nunn has made the slow starts by Hunter and Reddish irrelevant.
On top of Nunn's success, Malcom Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, and Brandon Ingram are all off to career years, with each averaging absurd numbers that look pretty sustainable! Add in a sprinkle of Dwight Howard magic and Buffy fans have a lot to cheer for, even with new franchise cornerstone Ben Simmons struggling early with injury.
The ODE ratings for Buffy agree that they should be much better, as their combined net rating is fifth overall, with a fourth rated efficiency backed by a seventh rated defense and eleventh rated offense. Buffy is tremendous in FT%, STL, TO, and is now no longer an offense-first team. The return of Kyle Kuzma will be a welcome boon to their shooting woes and astonishingly, Brogdon, Sabonis, and Paul Millsap mitigate Ben Simmons’ awful FT% with their high attempts and incredible percentages. If Buffy can add a splash of 3PT and BLK, it looks like they could be one of the more competitive teams around!
SNAC Snack Bears (0-3)After a busy preseason flurry of trades and the drafting of uber-rookie Zion Williamson, we thought Snack Bears was headed for a title run. Instead, Williamson has yet to see the court and SNAC is floundering, losing to FUNK, CHMK, and CMTO in successive weeks. What in the world is going on?!
Even without Zion, this should still be a powerhouse team. But De’Aaron Fox, Bradley Beal, Josh Richardson, Nikola Vucevic, and Kristaps Porzingis have all started the season off ice cold, with none of them shooting better than 43% from the field. That has just crushed Snack and ownership seems ready to hit the panic button.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as an offensive bright spot, the rest of the keeper core here has been underwhelming -- especially when other traded off pieces such as Bam Adebayo and Jaylen Brown have been outstanding. Even with draftees Will Barton and Cody Zeller throwing up incredible PTS/REB numbers, this team just can’t seem to get it going.
Snack are ranked top five in PTS, 3PT, AST, REB, and BLK but awful in FG% and not great in STL. Of course, those are the two exact areas a healthy Zion would help immediately. With a net offensive rating of third, and a defensive rating of sixth, all SNAC needs is for that second-to-last efficiency to perk up. The question is: can they do it without Zion? Or will big moves be coming soon?
ABCX Another Bad Creation (0-3)
We declared that there was a rebuild ahead for ABC and so far we’ve seen nothing on this young season that might say otherwise. They have the lowest combined ODE rating at 14 / 16 / 11 and rank in the bottom two in 3PT, REB, and BLK. But hey, their two percentage categories aren’t too bad! ABC has also been unfortunate to face off against two 3-0 teams in recent weeks, and we’ll see if they can beat fellow winless team Buffy in WK4’s matchup.
The good news is that 2020 RD1.2 Ja Morant has been as good as advertised, with 17.8 PTS, 5.2 AST, and 46.2 FG%. The lack of many threes isn’t a huge factor as projections had Morant as a non-deep threat anyway. And while Russell Westbrook may have lost his triple-doubleness upon his move to Houston, his improved FG% actually makes him a much better fantasy player and his overall numbers are still stellar.
ABC actually could be competitive, as they have a decent bunch of veterans behind those two in LaMarcus Aldridge, Evan Fournier, TJ Warren, and even an Isaiah Thomas sighting. With Derrick Rose and Enes Kanter on the mend — although Eric Gordon is out for six weeks — that’s not terrible right? We foresee a win coming for Another Bad Creation soon and with a bit of health, they could have a path out of the cellar.
BUFF Buffy (0-3)Roger’s team has faced a similarly tough schedule, with opening losses to undefeated Squirtles and So Buckets out of the gate. A third loss to top ODE ranked Spade could point to just a vicious first month of games for Buffy. One of ABC or BUFF will emerge with a win this week, and after that it’ll be off to the races to see who can rack up win number two.
GM Roger scooped up rookies De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish during the draft but his best move so far was grabbing another rookie, Kendrick Nunn, off the free agent pile. The Miami scoring dynamo is already in the Rookie of the Year conversation and is putting up 16.9 PTS, 2.3 3PT, and 1.6 STL per game. Nunn has made the slow starts by Hunter and Reddish irrelevant.
On top of Nunn's success, Malcom Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, and Brandon Ingram are all off to career years, with each averaging absurd numbers that look pretty sustainable! Add in a sprinkle of Dwight Howard magic and Buffy fans have a lot to cheer for, even with new franchise cornerstone Ben Simmons struggling early with injury.
The ODE ratings for Buffy agree that they should be much better, as their combined net rating is fifth overall, with a fourth rated efficiency backed by a seventh rated defense and eleventh rated offense. Buffy is tremendous in FT%, STL, TO, and is now no longer an offense-first team. The return of Kyle Kuzma will be a welcome boon to their shooting woes and astonishingly, Brogdon, Sabonis, and Paul Millsap mitigate Ben Simmons’ awful FT% with their high attempts and incredible percentages. If Buffy can add a splash of 3PT and BLK, it looks like they could be one of the more competitive teams around!
2020 Conference: Chamberlain
We have new franchise ID numbers and franchise abbreviations so we're gonna use them for our post-draft and preseason previews. Yes I know WK1 just ended but we're running a little behind here at SlamNation headquarters okay!? Thanks for your patience and a great year to all [ 2019 Chamberlain | 2020 Russell ]
TeamID - Abbrev - Name (2019 Record, 2018 Record)
9 SQSQ Squirtle Squad (12-6-2, 9-10-2)
It had been three long years out of the playoffs for Squirtles but they have steadily gotten better each year after a disastrous three-win 2016 season. After racking up twelve wins — while leading Chamberlain Conference for much of the season — and an upset first round win versus Funk Coalition, the time is now for NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to challenge for a ring and GM / top five coach Brian knows it.
Antetokounmpo is an incredible piece to build around and he’ll have some new keeper teammates this year. A pre-draft trade moved out Nikola Vucevic after seven years of service and brought in Blake Griffin and Bam Adebayo to replace him. Griffin will make up for Vucevic’s offense while Adebayo will cover for his defense — and faces a breakout year in Miami. The return from injury of Dejounte Murray and Lonzo Ball will boost the backcourt while last year’s mid-season trade acquisition, Tobias Harris, should get an even bigger role in Philadelphia.
It seems like Squirtles will continue their offense first philosophy as they drafted Lou Williams (RD1.11) and Terrence Ross (RD2.5) early on. Both are instant offense from the bench and there’s actually nobody else on the roster save for IR stashes Jusuf Nurkic and John Wall. While we are completely out on Wall, having Nurkic in their back pocket for a postseason run could help Squirtles go up another level this season. And with their fifth, and final, pick of the 2020 draft, Brian took Michigan man Moritz Wagner, who has had a surprising preseason so far. It’s been a long road back for this Squad back to contention but with Giannis around, it’s great to see them here!
10 ABCX Another Bad Creation (4-16, 15-5-1)
Ouch, after three straight division titles, Another Bad Creation had an awful 2019, putting up their worst regular season wins record ever. What happened? We don’t really know actually. I mean, it wasn’t like Oliver wasn’t coaching hard and trying to turn the season around, but maybe it was just of a talent? The highlights of the shoddy 2019 was a still inspiring Toilet Bowl run — upsetting two top seeds and almost getting to the TB Finals — that left them with the second overall pick in 2020.
That’ll be a great help to a keeper core that is, well, like the worst in the league. Russell Westbrook has even lost his alpha dog status, as he heads to Houston this season. Behind him is old man LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick Rose, and young bucks like Enes Kanter, Evan Fournier, and TJ Warren. Maybe GM Oliver should have moved pre-keepers for some younger talent? We’ll see though, as this team has historically been good so it’s not up to us to question ABC’s vision.
Let’s talk about that 2020 RD1.2, which was used to select Ja Morant. Morant projects to be almost Westbrook-like, so this is an interesting destination for him. If he gets handed the keys to Memphis right away as expected, ABC will have two talents at the point guard position. It seems like Oliver is loath to overall the roster toward youth but invested instead in guys like Dario Saric and Alex Len, who have some promise. However, the other draft picks were Eric Gordon, Rajon Rondo, and Wes Matthews, who could be value picks for winning, but also lack upside. We’re curious how much ABC can improve this season, or if they’ll look to take the Westbrook-Morant pairing for another shot at a high lottery pick. We want this successful franchise back and competing for the top prize soon, even if it means a slower rebuild is in order.
11 Buffy (8-11-1, 3-16-2)
Another team on the rebuild, but swinging upwards. Buffy emerged from their franchise low point — three wins in 2018 — to notch eight wins last season, and flash a free flowing offensive game that held promise for the future. It’s been six long seasons out of the playoffs for Buffy and they haven’t had a winning record since 2013.
Pre-draft, GM Roger made a bold move to acquire Ben Simmons — costing them last year’s RD1.4, Trae Young — and now Simmons will be the centerpiece of a team that could use a multi-talent like him. Brandon Ingram has been erratically healthy over his young career but seems positioned to do well in New Orleans, and the situations for Domantas Sabonis, Kyle Kuzma, and Malcolm Brogdon all improved over the offseason. If only Klay Thompson were healthy, but Buffy will have to wait for his return.
After years of going veteran heavy, Buffy brought in two more rookies this year, Hawks teammates RD1.5 DeAndre Hunter and RD4.11 Cam Reddish. If either of them makes it to keeper value, that would be a big boon for this team. Hunter especially is intriguing as his defensive prowess is sorely needed on this all-offense team. It was a return to the old guys for the rest of Roger’s draft though, as Paul Millsap, Harrison Barnes, Dwight Howard, and Nicolas Batum join up to flesh out the rotation. With a pretty deep team, Roger will work his way toward more victories this season, and we can see them even going back-to-back for most Games Played in 2020 as well. C’mon Buffy, it’s been a long time out of the light, let Simmons bring you back!
12 SOUR Sour Snails (14-5-1, 10-11)
Our many time defending champs were on the ropes just two years ago but after one of the best drafts and free agent pickups in recent history — hello Pascal Siakam and Mitchell Robinson — Sour Snails is entirely back. Sheesh. After five straight Finals appearances, and four out of five titles, Snails are the dynasty that looks reloaded and ready for another set of titles. Not like they ever left of course...
At least Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins are both out for the season — with Cousins being dumped as a potential keeper. It’ll be Steph Curry’s task to carry Sour to their title defense but he’ll have a lot of help. Zach LaVine is a scoring machine, Pascal Siakam is going to be even better sans-Kawhi, and GM Trieu even added Terry Rozier via a pre-draft trade that gives them another twenty point scorer. Even with Durant on the mend, this keeper core is as strong as anyone else’s.
Plus all those extra picks! Snails dealt up to secure two RD1s, spending them on Steven Adams and Landry Shamet. Adams gives them everything they need alongside Robinson and Shamet will be joined by rookie Tyler Herro and Glenn Robinson III as upside shooters. Fellow rookie PJ Washington may need time to develop but preseason find Marquese Chriss may find himself starting in Golden State. Oh and there’s obligatory Laker Alex Caruso, who doesn’t look half bad himself! We know the Snails will go all-in for another title so this is far from the final roster, but if this draft turns out anything like the last one, we may have to all just pray for more injuries to stop Snails!
13 SBUK So Buckets (10-9-1, 14-6-1)
After coming off their best regular season ever, and a Voltron division title two years ago, So Buckets saw themselves swapped from Russell to Chamberlain Conference. It looked like a golden opportunity to ascend to a higher plane as they became a top dog in their new home. Instead, Buckets took a step back last year yet still managed to pull it together to win the 2019 Toilet Bowl. Unfortunately new rules prevented So Buckets from adding the top overall pick — aka Zion Williamson — to an already loaded roster, but Buckets still earned a top-three pick for some tough work though the loser’s tournament as its top seed, fending off a fearsome upset bid by Another Bad Creation.
Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan are heading into their ninth and eighth season with Buckets, with Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert starting their sixth. Adding CJ McCollum via trade in 2017 solidified the fast five even more, paving the way for the past few seasons of Buckets stability. However, finding that last keeper has always been a bit tricky. In the past, Dario Saric and Jabari Parker didn’t quite work out and this year’s entry, Thomas Bryant looks good but could be jettisoned at the end of the season. However, that’s likely because So Buckets will add a promising rookie to this core, and not through any fault of Bryant’s, who’s on the verge of a breakout himself.
RJ Barrett was the consensus RD1.3 selection and he should bring in points and some assists right away. Adding a top flight selection to an already great keeper core is a recipe for a fast turnaround — just ask Swamp Dragons — and So Buckets should enter the 2020 title picture immediately. With that in mind, GM Josh went with Serge Ibaka and Goran Dragic in the draft as win-now veterans before trading a RD4 and RD5 for RD3.13 Delon Wright and his defensive upside. Josh Okogie will join this team as a sophomore with potential upside too. There should be zero chance these Buckets hit the Toilet Bowl again and we should look for them to be a true contender again.
14 SPDE Spade (12-7-1, 2-19)
Spade is used to being one of the most consistent teams around, posting at least twelve wins in each of their first four seasons in SlamNation. However, after a league low two wins in 2018, we weren’t sure if that would signal a wave of change for the most steady keeper cores around. Well, after another twelve win bounce-back season in 2019, it’s safe to say that Spade will be staying the course as a paper contender whose upside depends entirely on health. They were dangerous last season, as they proved by entering the playoffs as a #6 seed and then knocking out defending champs Chunky Monkeys. If they want to return to a Finals — something they did in 2016 — they’ll have to keep their fingers crossed.
We didn’t think it was possible for Spade’s keepers to get more injury prone, but by adding Danilo Gallinari — while jettisoning Paul Millsap — it’s likely none of their main six guys more than seventy games this season. Of course, when this lineup is even mostly intact, they are a well-balanced powerhouse. New champ Kawhi Leonard is basking in his title glow. Eric Bledsoe is um, already hurt. Kevin Love is healthy for now, as is Devin Booker, and Al Horford will Al Horford.
Last year’s early FA pickup of Brook Lopez really helped this team and Splash Mountain will return as Spade's first round pick. He will be joined by Jeff Teague and JJ Redick as fellow vets who produce and can be counted on to perform when the inevitable injuries hit this roster. Knowing that his team is getting longer in the tooth minute by minute, GM Randall invested mid-round picks in Zach Collins and OG Anunoby, and will hope one of them hits as solid contributors with potential keeper upside. RD6 pick Ish Smith could have a starting job in Washington so that’s a value buy. Barring more catastrophic injury, we can’t see Spade being anything other than a playoff team once again.
15 ILCN IL Conceived (7-13, 8-12-1)
In just two years, IL Conceived has built up an intriguing young core that boasts some massive upside and talent. Back-to-back stellar drafts have landed them superior talent. Heck, last year’s top three picks were Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Miles Bridges (although not kept)! After some wheeling and dealing to get into position for another deep run in the Toilet Bowl last season, ILCN didn’t quite earn a top pick but still gave it a good shot and finished with RD1.4 in hand.
The question now is if Doncic and Donovan Mitchell are ready to take the next step. Aside from the young trio of Doncic, Mitchell, and Jackson, semi-new hands Caris LeVert and Montrezl Harrell will be on-board to shore up the depth in the keeper core. Draymond Green will have to have a huge year, as he’s the anchor of this team on defense and in the locker room.
While there’s a chance IL Conceived is ready to compete now, their draft certainly was aimed toward unearthing more talent. RD1.4 Darius Garland was the choice over Coby White — hopefully not a mistake! — and then fellow rookies Kevin Porter Jr. and Goga Bitadze were taken in the later rounds. Taurean Prince should get a head start on his free agency in Brooklyn, and an in-draft trade of Reggie Jackson for Markelle Fultz lands Frank with the mystery of mysteries. If Garland and Fultz flounder, Dennis Schroeder will have to pick up the slack here. Other than that, ILCN seems to be ready to challenge for a playoff spot this season after acquiring pieces the past two. Is it time for Luka and his boys to rack up some wins?!
16 HSTL Hilt the Stilt (6-14, 9-11-1)
We’re gonna give Hilt the Stilt a wash on last season. In his first season, Coach Dave racked up a ton of missed weeks and a very low number of Games Played, but yet still somehow emerged with six wins. That speaks to the talent on the team, as Hilt emerged from the dispersal draft with a nice core of youth and production. The offseason saw a bit of a shakeup, as a pre-draft trade shipped out Jason Richardson for Wendell Carter Jr. and Jaylen Brown. Interestingly, Terry Rozier wasn’t kept, even though HSTL had trouble finding a starting point guard all season last year -- he was moved for a 2020 RD4. Still, this team will return Victor Oladipo (eventually) and has the front court of Andre Drummond and Aaron Gordon to build around. Defensive stopper Mikal Bridges was the sixth keeper.
With a renewed emphasis on the season, there’s a chance Dave could pilot his team to the playoffs if he can get his Games Played under control. RD1.7 rookie Coby White seems to be better than advertised, and there’s still the upside of Anfernee Simons, Kevin Knox, Malik Monk, and rookie Bol Bol to explore. Jerami Grant has a new home in Denver but he fits right into this defensively talent team. For now, DJ Augustin will man the point as White grows into his new role in the NBA. Can we expect Stilt to make an improvement this season? It would be hard not to, as they made zero transactional moves last year en route to a not too shabby handful of wins. Here’s to a successful year two in SlamNation for Dave!
TeamID - Abbrev - Name (2019 Record, 2018 Record)
9 SQSQ Squirtle Squad (12-6-2, 9-10-2)It had been three long years out of the playoffs for Squirtles but they have steadily gotten better each year after a disastrous three-win 2016 season. After racking up twelve wins — while leading Chamberlain Conference for much of the season — and an upset first round win versus Funk Coalition, the time is now for NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to challenge for a ring and GM / top five coach Brian knows it.
Antetokounmpo is an incredible piece to build around and he’ll have some new keeper teammates this year. A pre-draft trade moved out Nikola Vucevic after seven years of service and brought in Blake Griffin and Bam Adebayo to replace him. Griffin will make up for Vucevic’s offense while Adebayo will cover for his defense — and faces a breakout year in Miami. The return from injury of Dejounte Murray and Lonzo Ball will boost the backcourt while last year’s mid-season trade acquisition, Tobias Harris, should get an even bigger role in Philadelphia.
It seems like Squirtles will continue their offense first philosophy as they drafted Lou Williams (RD1.11) and Terrence Ross (RD2.5) early on. Both are instant offense from the bench and there’s actually nobody else on the roster save for IR stashes Jusuf Nurkic and John Wall. While we are completely out on Wall, having Nurkic in their back pocket for a postseason run could help Squirtles go up another level this season. And with their fifth, and final, pick of the 2020 draft, Brian took Michigan man Moritz Wagner, who has had a surprising preseason so far. It’s been a long road back for this Squad back to contention but with Giannis around, it’s great to see them here!
10 ABCX Another Bad Creation (4-16, 15-5-1)
Ouch, after three straight division titles, Another Bad Creation had an awful 2019, putting up their worst regular season wins record ever. What happened? We don’t really know actually. I mean, it wasn’t like Oliver wasn’t coaching hard and trying to turn the season around, but maybe it was just of a talent? The highlights of the shoddy 2019 was a still inspiring Toilet Bowl run — upsetting two top seeds and almost getting to the TB Finals — that left them with the second overall pick in 2020.
That’ll be a great help to a keeper core that is, well, like the worst in the league. Russell Westbrook has even lost his alpha dog status, as he heads to Houston this season. Behind him is old man LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick Rose, and young bucks like Enes Kanter, Evan Fournier, and TJ Warren. Maybe GM Oliver should have moved pre-keepers for some younger talent? We’ll see though, as this team has historically been good so it’s not up to us to question ABC’s vision.
Let’s talk about that 2020 RD1.2, which was used to select Ja Morant. Morant projects to be almost Westbrook-like, so this is an interesting destination for him. If he gets handed the keys to Memphis right away as expected, ABC will have two talents at the point guard position. It seems like Oliver is loath to overall the roster toward youth but invested instead in guys like Dario Saric and Alex Len, who have some promise. However, the other draft picks were Eric Gordon, Rajon Rondo, and Wes Matthews, who could be value picks for winning, but also lack upside. We’re curious how much ABC can improve this season, or if they’ll look to take the Westbrook-Morant pairing for another shot at a high lottery pick. We want this successful franchise back and competing for the top prize soon, even if it means a slower rebuild is in order.
11 Buffy (8-11-1, 3-16-2)Another team on the rebuild, but swinging upwards. Buffy emerged from their franchise low point — three wins in 2018 — to notch eight wins last season, and flash a free flowing offensive game that held promise for the future. It’s been six long seasons out of the playoffs for Buffy and they haven’t had a winning record since 2013.
Pre-draft, GM Roger made a bold move to acquire Ben Simmons — costing them last year’s RD1.4, Trae Young — and now Simmons will be the centerpiece of a team that could use a multi-talent like him. Brandon Ingram has been erratically healthy over his young career but seems positioned to do well in New Orleans, and the situations for Domantas Sabonis, Kyle Kuzma, and Malcolm Brogdon all improved over the offseason. If only Klay Thompson were healthy, but Buffy will have to wait for his return.
After years of going veteran heavy, Buffy brought in two more rookies this year, Hawks teammates RD1.5 DeAndre Hunter and RD4.11 Cam Reddish. If either of them makes it to keeper value, that would be a big boon for this team. Hunter especially is intriguing as his defensive prowess is sorely needed on this all-offense team. It was a return to the old guys for the rest of Roger’s draft though, as Paul Millsap, Harrison Barnes, Dwight Howard, and Nicolas Batum join up to flesh out the rotation. With a pretty deep team, Roger will work his way toward more victories this season, and we can see them even going back-to-back for most Games Played in 2020 as well. C’mon Buffy, it’s been a long time out of the light, let Simmons bring you back!
12 SOUR Sour Snails (14-5-1, 10-11)
Our many time defending champs were on the ropes just two years ago but after one of the best drafts and free agent pickups in recent history — hello Pascal Siakam and Mitchell Robinson — Sour Snails is entirely back. Sheesh. After five straight Finals appearances, and four out of five titles, Snails are the dynasty that looks reloaded and ready for another set of titles. Not like they ever left of course...
At least Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins are both out for the season — with Cousins being dumped as a potential keeper. It’ll be Steph Curry’s task to carry Sour to their title defense but he’ll have a lot of help. Zach LaVine is a scoring machine, Pascal Siakam is going to be even better sans-Kawhi, and GM Trieu even added Terry Rozier via a pre-draft trade that gives them another twenty point scorer. Even with Durant on the mend, this keeper core is as strong as anyone else’s.
Plus all those extra picks! Snails dealt up to secure two RD1s, spending them on Steven Adams and Landry Shamet. Adams gives them everything they need alongside Robinson and Shamet will be joined by rookie Tyler Herro and Glenn Robinson III as upside shooters. Fellow rookie PJ Washington may need time to develop but preseason find Marquese Chriss may find himself starting in Golden State. Oh and there’s obligatory Laker Alex Caruso, who doesn’t look half bad himself! We know the Snails will go all-in for another title so this is far from the final roster, but if this draft turns out anything like the last one, we may have to all just pray for more injuries to stop Snails!
After coming off their best regular season ever, and a Voltron division title two years ago, So Buckets saw themselves swapped from Russell to Chamberlain Conference. It looked like a golden opportunity to ascend to a higher plane as they became a top dog in their new home. Instead, Buckets took a step back last year yet still managed to pull it together to win the 2019 Toilet Bowl. Unfortunately new rules prevented So Buckets from adding the top overall pick — aka Zion Williamson — to an already loaded roster, but Buckets still earned a top-three pick for some tough work though the loser’s tournament as its top seed, fending off a fearsome upset bid by Another Bad Creation.
Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan are heading into their ninth and eighth season with Buckets, with Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert starting their sixth. Adding CJ McCollum via trade in 2017 solidified the fast five even more, paving the way for the past few seasons of Buckets stability. However, finding that last keeper has always been a bit tricky. In the past, Dario Saric and Jabari Parker didn’t quite work out and this year’s entry, Thomas Bryant looks good but could be jettisoned at the end of the season. However, that’s likely because So Buckets will add a promising rookie to this core, and not through any fault of Bryant’s, who’s on the verge of a breakout himself.
RJ Barrett was the consensus RD1.3 selection and he should bring in points and some assists right away. Adding a top flight selection to an already great keeper core is a recipe for a fast turnaround — just ask Swamp Dragons — and So Buckets should enter the 2020 title picture immediately. With that in mind, GM Josh went with Serge Ibaka and Goran Dragic in the draft as win-now veterans before trading a RD4 and RD5 for RD3.13 Delon Wright and his defensive upside. Josh Okogie will join this team as a sophomore with potential upside too. There should be zero chance these Buckets hit the Toilet Bowl again and we should look for them to be a true contender again.
14 SPDE Spade (12-7-1, 2-19)
Spade is used to being one of the most consistent teams around, posting at least twelve wins in each of their first four seasons in SlamNation. However, after a league low two wins in 2018, we weren’t sure if that would signal a wave of change for the most steady keeper cores around. Well, after another twelve win bounce-back season in 2019, it’s safe to say that Spade will be staying the course as a paper contender whose upside depends entirely on health. They were dangerous last season, as they proved by entering the playoffs as a #6 seed and then knocking out defending champs Chunky Monkeys. If they want to return to a Finals — something they did in 2016 — they’ll have to keep their fingers crossed.
We didn’t think it was possible for Spade’s keepers to get more injury prone, but by adding Danilo Gallinari — while jettisoning Paul Millsap — it’s likely none of their main six guys more than seventy games this season. Of course, when this lineup is even mostly intact, they are a well-balanced powerhouse. New champ Kawhi Leonard is basking in his title glow. Eric Bledsoe is um, already hurt. Kevin Love is healthy for now, as is Devin Booker, and Al Horford will Al Horford.
Last year’s early FA pickup of Brook Lopez really helped this team and Splash Mountain will return as Spade's first round pick. He will be joined by Jeff Teague and JJ Redick as fellow vets who produce and can be counted on to perform when the inevitable injuries hit this roster. Knowing that his team is getting longer in the tooth minute by minute, GM Randall invested mid-round picks in Zach Collins and OG Anunoby, and will hope one of them hits as solid contributors with potential keeper upside. RD6 pick Ish Smith could have a starting job in Washington so that’s a value buy. Barring more catastrophic injury, we can’t see Spade being anything other than a playoff team once again.
15 ILCN IL Conceived (7-13, 8-12-1)In just two years, IL Conceived has built up an intriguing young core that boasts some massive upside and talent. Back-to-back stellar drafts have landed them superior talent. Heck, last year’s top three picks were Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Miles Bridges (although not kept)! After some wheeling and dealing to get into position for another deep run in the Toilet Bowl last season, ILCN didn’t quite earn a top pick but still gave it a good shot and finished with RD1.4 in hand.
The question now is if Doncic and Donovan Mitchell are ready to take the next step. Aside from the young trio of Doncic, Mitchell, and Jackson, semi-new hands Caris LeVert and Montrezl Harrell will be on-board to shore up the depth in the keeper core. Draymond Green will have to have a huge year, as he’s the anchor of this team on defense and in the locker room.
While there’s a chance IL Conceived is ready to compete now, their draft certainly was aimed toward unearthing more talent. RD1.4 Darius Garland was the choice over Coby White — hopefully not a mistake! — and then fellow rookies Kevin Porter Jr. and Goga Bitadze were taken in the later rounds. Taurean Prince should get a head start on his free agency in Brooklyn, and an in-draft trade of Reggie Jackson for Markelle Fultz lands Frank with the mystery of mysteries. If Garland and Fultz flounder, Dennis Schroeder will have to pick up the slack here. Other than that, ILCN seems to be ready to challenge for a playoff spot this season after acquiring pieces the past two. Is it time for Luka and his boys to rack up some wins?!
16 HSTL Hilt the Stilt (6-14, 9-11-1)
We’re gonna give Hilt the Stilt a wash on last season. In his first season, Coach Dave racked up a ton of missed weeks and a very low number of Games Played, but yet still somehow emerged with six wins. That speaks to the talent on the team, as Hilt emerged from the dispersal draft with a nice core of youth and production. The offseason saw a bit of a shakeup, as a pre-draft trade shipped out Jason Richardson for Wendell Carter Jr. and Jaylen Brown. Interestingly, Terry Rozier wasn’t kept, even though HSTL had trouble finding a starting point guard all season last year -- he was moved for a 2020 RD4. Still, this team will return Victor Oladipo (eventually) and has the front court of Andre Drummond and Aaron Gordon to build around. Defensive stopper Mikal Bridges was the sixth keeper.
With a renewed emphasis on the season, there’s a chance Dave could pilot his team to the playoffs if he can get his Games Played under control. RD1.7 rookie Coby White seems to be better than advertised, and there’s still the upside of Anfernee Simons, Kevin Knox, Malik Monk, and rookie Bol Bol to explore. Jerami Grant has a new home in Denver but he fits right into this defensively talent team. For now, DJ Augustin will man the point as White grows into his new role in the NBA. Can we expect Stilt to make an improvement this season? It would be hard not to, as they made zero transactional moves last year en route to a not too shabby handful of wins. Here’s to a successful year two in SlamNation for Dave!
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!
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!
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