BuzzerBeater Forums

Cool. I enjoy an active forum. If you have time to do write ups and analysis, it truly makes it more fun. I don't like going to the off-site locations. I like to watch my games and read/comment in the forums on the standings. Biggest thing I miss is people not coming on to comment.
Good luck to everyone this season.
Peace

Don't know how regularly I'll do this, but let's give preseason power rankings a shot.

1. GS_Warriors (1 in G8) - Redemption's got a pretty stacked lineup going for him this season. They've only got one player over the age of 32 (A 33 year old G/F) so don't expect this team to get weaker as time goes on. They finished atop the Great 8 last season and I don't see why it wouldn't happen again. The only thing I expect different, is the conference final outcome. II.3 features a lot of very talented teams, but I have to give the slight edge to last season's Great 8 regular season champion.

2. The Nuts (1 in B8) - This dominant outside scoring team will likely return to the #1 spot in the Big 8, and therefore I have to put them here. They're a really good offensive team that features a great defense as well. Anchored by Freddy Schalij defensively, this team will make you work for every point inside the paint and also be able to knock down shots from anywhere. Oh, and Alexander Terziyski and Vetcislavas Gluchovskis (their top two scorers) just keep improving. This team is a threat, and they're just as good (or better) as anyone in the league.

3. BU Terriers (2 in G8) - The BU Terriers are a relatively young team that will likely continue to improve this season. Their depth is not strong, but they've got a solid starting five and will be an extremely annoying opponent for everyone this season. Their balanced inside oriented attack will likely be too much to handle for many teams, and they will pose a threat to everyone else in the Great 8 Playoffs.

4. Arizona Cacti (2 in B8) - The Cacti's inside defense will make teams have to beat them somewhere else. Fresh out of the NBBA, the Cacti have an aging roster that will be hard to compete with. They've still got a very good team, but given the ages of the team a fire-sale may be on the horizon and this team will fall to a relegation series. For now, with no players on the market, I have to rank them highly though. If this team stays the way it is now and starts its vets, they'll compete for a possible run in the playoffs, though I don't see this team going right back to the NBBA without breaking the bank.

5. Ballstars (3 in G8) - Similar to BU Terriers, this team's got a solid starting lineup, except for the liability at point guard while Werner Hayes trains. Not as similar is a pretty deep team, as they've got some really nice pieces off the bench, such as Hero Villaruel. A late season addition of David Diaz led them to a tight 75-73 victory against BU Terriers last season, but because Diaz changes the team so much there were too many question marks for me to rank these guys ahead of the Terriers. This team won't be winning a championship this year without a big acquisition, but keep an eye on Hayes as the team's future is in his hands.

6. San Diego Shamu (3 in B8) - San Diego Shamu is one of the hardest teams for me to rank. They've got a super talented guard, and a super talented center. The question is, how far can a big two take a team in the world of BB? The rest of their roster is old and I'd have to believe talent is quickly diminishing. But theoretically, it seems if the Shamu play their cards right they're unstoppable. Zhu Hengquan is probably a safe bet to lead the league in PPG once again, but with a team that isn't getting stronger, probably on the decline, and had a first round bounce last season, it's hard to say they're going to be unstoppable. Watch out though, if this team flips a switch or gets just one more big piece they're an instant favorite to win it all.

7-16 on the next post!

7. The Closers (4 in B8) - The Closers feature a strong veteran 1-2 punch inside with Soloch and Culkovas. They've also got a few young guys who are improving and when not out of position, are respectable at their actual position. If these guys play their expected spots for all 22 games this year (which they probably won't because of training) then I would expect The Closers to at least get the 4 seed in the Big 8 playoffs.

8. New York Jests (5 in B8) - Being honest, I would bet the Jests make the playoffs over The Closers this season because The Closers will probably focus on training. With that being said, I can't see what The Closers will do so I have to give them the benefit of the doubt here. The Jests are going to be saying goodbye to their third highest paid player (I assume) with a sale Sunday morning. Even without Blackman, I expect the Jests to compete in the Big 8 and fight for the last spot in the playoffs thanks to above-average guard play.

9. Frogmonsters (4 in G8) - Yes, I've been taking potential sales into account so far. But I do not see Geoffrey Roux selling at $5million+. This team's got a pretty good inside offense, and it's complemented well by Roux. If Roux stays around this season, expect Frogmonsters to have a pretty good shot at a playoff run here. I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything other than that, though.

10. Kentucky Wildcats (6 in B8) - Another hard team to rank. These guys have a solid core, but listed their center Inaki Miller on the market. Without Miller, the Wildcats lack an inside game on both defense and offense. If they add another center or keep Miller another trip to the playoffs is expected.

11. Flash Mashers (5 in G8) - I honestly have no idea where to put these guys. They were this close to a title last season but unfortunately for them they're stuck in II.3. Chekreyes listed five players for sale the other day and I believe he's in a rebuild mode, which will move him down in the rankings here unless he makes moves after selling off his team. The asking price on the players are a little high, but still feasible. Because of that, if nobody sells and Chekreyes decides to keep his team around, I can't imagine anything but a championship for Flash Mashers. I figured I'd just throw these guys in the middle for now and shoot them up or down in the next edition of the power rankings.

12. Blackgate Exiles (6 in G8) - The rankings are all starting to get very close and there isn't much of a gap between teams anymore. Of the teams left, it's close but I think the Exiles are the best of the bunch. However, their potential looks capped. Without a purchase they will likely be passed by teams who are training and improving this season.

13. Amsterdam Chimps (7 in B8) - The Chimps have more depth than the rest of the bottom quarter, so I gave them the nod over the last three teams. The Chimps have some young talent on their team but most of which will soon be capped. These guys played pretty good balanced defense last season in D.III, but I don't think it will hold up as well against powerhouse teams in D.II.

14. Florida Champs (7 in G8) - Hey, that's me! It's hard for me to analyze my own team as I have bias but based on salaries it seems like #14 fit me pretty well. I expect I'll be training some games this year, so we'll see how that impacts my performance.

15. Bay Harbor Butchers (8 in G8) - They're pretty good for being ranked last in the conference, so don't let that fool you. It will probably be really close for relegation in the Great 8, but having the lowest top-five salary puts them at 15.

16. Drunken Sconnies (8 in B8) - Already came out and said he expects a tough road and didn't expect to promote. They've got a good future, but probably not in D.II just yet. Alonso and Stratton could be tearing up D.II later,

Last edited by Bobbanana at 4/13/2018 7:28:13 AM

For those of you who just want my rankings without the analysis:

1. GS_Warriors
2. The Nuts
3. BU Terriers
4. Arizona Cacti
5. Ballstars
6. San Diego Shamu
7. The Closers
8. New York Jests
9. Frogmonsters
10. Kentucky Wildcats
11. Flash Mashers
12. Blackgate Exiles
13. Amsterdam Chimps
14. Florida Champs
15. Bay Harbor Butchers
16. Drunken Sconnies

Took me a fair amount of time but I had nothing better to do lol. Probably some errors in here I bet. Let me know if you spot any!

Thanks for the write up Bob! Definitely makes the league more exciting. I'd definitely be happy with the #2 seed this season.

Thanks for that. Lots of work there but it was fun to read. I'm excited to be in Dunkfaces league. He is the one who got me into this game years ago! He is my Buzzerbeater father. First time we have ever been in a league together.

Yeah the only players that I am really looking to sell are Adisanli and Tronconi. Other than that, if anyone sells it's at a good enough price that I would consider it a definite bonus for my team.

Love the rankings though, excited to see how it actually plays out.

Glad you guys like it. Yeah, should be really interesting to see how it all plays out. I bet we see some big additions from the TL this year, Frogmonsters already picked up a guy who looks pretty solid

I think there is an error in the above ranking.