FBB GM Statements

After storming through the regular season only to be booted out in the first round, the CriscoMagic have re-tooled and are ready for the seaon to come. McGrady is ready to lead his team to the worst draft pick possible yet again.

Center - Collins and Mihm figure to be getting most of their minutes here, with rookie Nigel to battle for the leftovers.

Power Forward - Free agent signing Rodney Rogers won the starting spot for now, but after a strong preseason, rookie Deion Kennedy is making a name for himself and may start before season end. Mihm should get some time here as well.

Small Forward - TMac, Hill, and Rogers all figure to get some time here.

Shooting Guard - Steve Smith will start the season here after the impressive numbers he put up last year. McGrady will get plenty of time here during the season, and Person will get whatever's left.

Point Guard - Armstrong is gone, but no matter. Hill and Wesley will man the pg position quite nicely.

Team Mascot - In perhaps the most competitive battle of all, Bimbo Coles and Jerome Moiso are in a dead heat for this dubious honor. While Bimbo has the name recognition, Moiso is no stranger to complete suckitude.

 

Welcome to the 1st annual Detroit Pisons Press Conference...

The Pistons look to improve upon their horrible season last year, in which serious tanking was done. It all paid off as Detroit snuck their way into attaining the #1 overall choice, in which they used on straight out of high school phenom LeBron James. The Pistons expect James to be a start from the get-go, and as a result, expect to be in the playoff hunt.

Here is the positional breakdown:

C- Det will have 3 centers on their active roster. The depth chart reads as: holdover starter Greg Ostertag, new draftee Jorge Wingate, and new FA signee Ken Johnson. The Pistons are mainly worried about getting defensive and rebounding contributions from all three centers. Whatever the Pistons get offensively from the center position will be considered a bonus

PF- Det figures to be pretty well off in this position. They retain the services of phenom Michael Bradley, who averaged 18 points and 9 boards, in his rookie season last year. Expect gradual improvement into a 20 and 10 contributor. Backing him up is veteran Corliss Williamson who provides some inside muscle and toughness. Williamson is instant offense off the bench, averaging 14 ppg in 25 mpg last year for Det. PF is definitely a position that Det will look for success.

SF- Newly acquired SF Scottie Pippen comes to Det as the starting SF. However, budding star Tank Johnson, may end up taking the job before the end of the year, if Pippen hits a wall due to his old age. Det is looking for Pippen to provide leadership, and most importantly, great defensive play. Last year, Det was a very poor defensive team, and look to turn things around. Greybeard Michael Curry figures to be on the IL all season long, due to ill-effects from a Viagra overdose. The Pistons don't really care if he ever recovers because his contract is up after the season.

SG- After trading Jerry Stackhouse last season, this was a very bleak position for Det. Young Donald Salvato failed to show much in his cameo starting role appearance. Lucky for Det, they were able to draft rookie phenom LeBron James, and expect James to score 25 ppg. The addition of James turns Det's weakest position into the strongest position. The backup SG spot is up for grabs, as 2nd round pick Corey Whitnet and Salvato will duke it out for the backup role. It really shouldn't matter, as James figures to play 40 mins per game.

PG- Young Tony Price will be looked upon to not only duplicate his solid rookie season of last year, but to step up and become a floor leader. Price was named to the All-Rookie 1st team last season, and has plans on making the All-NBA 1st team in the near future. Price will have some help with ball handling duties with the additions of James and Pippen. Backing up Price is the green Morris Hoiberg who showed flashes of potential to become a solid PG in the not to distant future. Hoiberg gives the Pistons a very good defensive PG to spell Price.

Overall, Det will be a very young and exciting team. With only 3 players above the age of 30, and 10 players 25 years old or younger, the sky is the limit for the Pistons. The biggest question marks going into the season, is how quickly the young players can develop. Not to mention, how well Pippen and James, can fit in as incoming starters.

Prediction: 45-37

 

MINNEAPOLIS(AP)--Jermaine O'Neal is a fudge packer. Mike Dunleavy Junior better not drop the soap or he'll get an initiation into the NBA that he never expected.

 

The Nets look to Improve on Last Seasons 48 win record with the addition of versital Guard Larry Hughes, who will look to form a dangerous back court tandem with League MVP Steve Francis, Hughes is another player on the A list of defenders that New Jersey has been known for adding. Net's GM moestavern19 said 4 of his starters are top-notch defenders, like Ben Wallace, Kenyon Martin, and Ron Artest. 2nd year man Rod Grizzard will look to improve this year after a stellar rookie season. The Nets will let Mad Dog Diddle battle it out with Rookie Shaun Watts to see who will get minutes in a crowded back court.

Breakdown -

Center - Gone are David Robinson and Popeye Jones, The Nets look to give Ben Wallace most of the time at Center while they will give Mamadou N'dyaie a chance to play this season.

Power Forward - 20/10 Man Kenyon Martin will again be the anchor of the teams froncourt as he comes off his best season, Veteran Bo Outlaw will back him up.

Small Forward - Ron Artest will get the starting nod at the 3 spot mainly because of his defensive presence, 2nd year man Rod Grizzard will split minutes with Artest.

Shooting Guard - Newly Signed Larry Hughes gets the Start at the 2 guard spot, 2nd year man Mad Dog Diddle and Rookie Shaun Watts will see small action as Rod Grizzard will also see time at this position.

Point Guard - League MVP Steve Francis starts at PG along with Veteran and fan favorite Moochie Norris who will handle the back up duties. Anthony Carter will again be buried on the depth chart.

With this Team the Nets look to win 50+ games and win the Atlantic Division.

 

The Hawks fired their last coach and exhumed the body of P-J Proudhon to lead a new revolution the right way. Also, the Hawks would like to request a city and name change to the Paris Bateaux Ivre as soon as possible. It has been a pretty good offseason.

Positional analysis:

C: Ming gets the nod as starter again because he is huge. Unfortunately, the game took it upon itself not to increase his ratings (because players never improve in their second year!). He is backed up by supersub Nazr Mohammed. The position is rounded out with Alan Henderson, who is the most underrated and unfairly unused player in the league.

PF: Ratliff holds the fort and provides his kiiller defense and ugly offensive game. Don't tell him, but he is being actively shoppedfor a scoring 2 or 3. He is also backed up by Nazr and Henderson because they are good.

SF: Abdur-Rahim is the obvious starter and is looking to bounce back from a ridiculously low year - the Hawks suspect BGM had it out for them and lowered his ratings. If he does not go back to his 20 and 9 days, the Bateaux Ivre will put SF3 in serious pain. He is backed up by new and promising rookie Morris Sturgell. The position is rounded out by the shooting wiz Pat Garrity. The position was most strengthened by the placement of Toni Kukoc on the IR. Damn, he sucks. He would be traded for juat about anything to get him off of the team - we hate him.

SG: After laughing Hughes out of Atlanta for his massive 8 ppg-based refusal to talk contract, we have brought in Michael Dickerson in hopes that he can at least provide better shooting than Hughes. We only ask for 10 ppg, you big loser...put up or we will send you to play with Kukoc. The greatest player in the league, Jeryl Sasser, backs up Dickerson in what is hoped to be his last grooming season as a backup. The position is anchored by the disappointing Dion Glover, who still provides a great third option.

PG: The season and franchise was saved after Jason Terry's brief flirt with free agency ended. Terry is a true superstar and is a top 3 point guard. We want to have his love child. He is backed up by the dynamic and talented Sasser, who is backed up by promising second year prospect Russell Summitt. Rookie Pete Maxwell is on IR where he belongs and will be given the boot as soon as possible. He is ugly, too.

With the hopes of increased offense from Ming, the revitalization of Shareef, and the added offense of Dickerson, this team just might just have enough offense to match up with its amazing defense and move past the first round. If we can make as big of a jump as last year (from third worst to the playoffs) then thigs will be good.

Vive les Bateaux Ivre!

 

The Houston Rockets GM have adapted the same attitude as his players. All together we really dont care. This team should never have been out of the playoffs, but at the moment have never been in.

Well I could care less - I'll set my lineup, and give my orders to my phantom players that never get injured (I give them the same drugs you all do, it should be banned) and hope they surprise me and get in the playoffs. If not - I will not give it another thought, but still be waiting for the management to fire my incompetent arse.

If anybody have quality players they would want to send my way I do have capspace to make the most rediculous trades work. I could use a quality C and maybe a PG. These positions are my thinest, and will be filled by my two 1st rounders the last two seasons.

 

After a rebuilding year in which the Denver Nuggets traded for Elton Brand and Lamar Odom, the Nuggets look to make the playoffs and go the distance this season. This team has not really made many strides since the Dan Issel era, but looks to soon with a core of young players and cap room. The biggest surprise has been the play of Scott Williams. Williams, an end of the bench big man for most of his career, has taken advantage of a starting position, averaging close to a double-double. The biggest dissapointment has definitely been Nick Van Exel. After an MVP season in 2001, Nick's scoring dipped five points and did not make his teammates much better, although the misleading assist numbers are high. With 14+ million in cap room, the Nuggets looked to add another all-star to go with Elton Brand, but were unable to. Jermaine O'neal, the Nugget's first choice, almost signed a 4 year maximum salary, before receiving a call on his cel phone from the San Antonio Spurs. Apparently, Jermaine wanted a PS2 in his locker.

Positional analysis-

Center-The center position is run by reliable Scott Williams. Williams isn't the biggest name, but nevertheless gets the job done. Second-year man Dustin Saperstein takes the primary backup center spot. Saperstein has been something of a pleasant surprise, averaging almost 5 points and 5 rebounds in under 18 minutes-per-game. Fellow sophomore, Casey Bowden, also looks to play some minutes here this season. Elton Brand takes a couple spot minutes here, but look for him to spend most of his time playing along side Williams, Saperstein, or Bowden.

Power Forward-All-star Elton Brand looks to log at least 35 minutes at this position. Brand(26 points, 9 rebounds) led the team in points per game and rebounds per game last season. Casey Bowden and Jumaine Jones will play minutes here as well.

Small Forward-Former Clipper, Lamar Odom, will provide his services at this position. Odom had a solid, but slightly dissapointing season this last season. Look for Odom to improve upon his game this season. Jumaine Jones, recent free-agent acquisition, will primarily back up Odom this season. Defensive whiz, Bryon Russell, will play spot minutes behind Odom and Jones.

Shooting Guard-Small forward, Bryon Russell, will play shooting guard alongside Nick Van Exel. Russell, although regarded by most as a forward, has many qualities of a shooting guard. A streaky shooter, Russell can shoot the lights out when he is on. Although infamous for "Bulls-Jordan's last shot", Russell can lock up many of the league's top guards. Voshon Lenard, a great shooter, will provide veteran leadership off of the bench. Kobe Beardslee, the 6'4 PG prospect, will play minutes at shooting guard.

Point Guard-Deadly shooter, Nick Van Exel, will handle the reigns for the Nuggets once again. Van Exel, a double-double player, could hang with the top point guards in the league if given the chance. Jesus Case, the Nugget's first round draft selection, will play backup point guard in his first season in the NBA. Logan Day, the 5'7 Spud Webb-look alike, will backup Van Exel and Case at point guard.

Prediction-Slow start, strong finish...41-41...8th-10th in strong Western Conference.

 

After securing the worst record last year, the New York Bricks managed only the third pick, and a few rookies with only C+ potential. So, that was pretty much a waste.

This year, I will attempt to guide the Bricks back into the playoffs. Will I be successful? Probably not.

It all starts with the point guard spot, where I am starting a rookie shooting guard by the name of Micah Reed, who has C potential. He has to be better than Greg Anthony and Howard Eisley, right? Charlie Ward will spend the season on the injured list.

Latrell Sprewell will be the man at shooting guard, his natural position. I look for him to have another 20+ ppg campaign. I am backing him up with some nobody named Darius Ruiz. He will see very few minutes.

Shooting guard Allan Houston will be the starter at small forward until I see how well his backup plays. Rookie Carlos Boozer is the fellow I'm referring to. If he puts up solid numbers, I may end up starting him. We'll see how the playoff push turns out. Shandon Anderson will get virtually no playing time as the third backup small forward.

Let's see if this Brendan Sanchez guy can put up 15-10 as a starter on a team pushing for the playoffs. He will be the power forward, backed up by center Todd MacCulluch.

Camby will be the man at center. Hopefully, he will provide the team with the 14-12 he averaged during my first season as Bricks GM. Useless Andrew Declerq will back him up in limited minutes. Travis Knight will be an injured reserve specialist.

With an aggressive offense and vicious defense, my New York Bricks will become the Knicks again, and go to the playoffs.

Then, they will be massacred by whoever plays them in the first round.

 

The Indiana Pacers enter the season with high hopes on making the playoffs for the first time in FBB history. This young team, at an average age of 25, is led by 27 year old Kevin Garnett. As this team grows and matures together, the expectations become greater. The path to success is there, now these players must get there. The Pacers are solid at every position, but are not an extremely deep team. With a pretty good offense, and excellent defense, all this team must do now is learn how to win the close games and the important games to achieve their goals. Here's a breakdown of the positions:

C: Brad Miller and Loren Woods will split time here, with Miller seeing most of the starting time. Miller brings some offensive game and pretty good rebounding to lead his all-around attack. Loren Woods is what the Pacers are hoping is a budding star, with his main strength now being defense. These two should fulfill the Pacers needs at C.

PF: Kevin Garnett, as the leader of this team, should make a strong run at MVP this season. If the team gets into the playoffs, he should get strong consideration. KG is one of the athletic and talented players in the league, and very few can shut him down. An excellent season from KG is a must for this team. 2nd round pick Alberto Wanzer will see the few minutes at PF when KG is not on the court.

SF: Wally Szczerbiak will take most of the minutes at the 3. He will continue to feed off of Garnett, as he has done his whole career. Wally brings a great shooting game and a pretty good inside game, and at 26 years old he still has some untapped potential. Richard Jefferson will see his minutes backing up Wally. Jefferson has the opportunity to become a key role player on this team.

SG: Steve Fowler, the Pacers top pick in the 2002 draft, hopes to improve on his stellar rookie season. Fowler made the all-rookie team last season, averaging over 16 ppg, 4 rpg, while shooting 47% from the field and 45% behind the arc. He has an inside and outside game, and plays great defense too. He is turning into an excellent successor to Reggie Miller, the greatest player in Indiana Pacers history, and the first inducted into the FBB Hall of Fame. 2003 first round pick Erick Ripken will get the backup minutes, but you have to wonder how long the Pacers can keep this solid SG on the bench (meaning he is available for trade).

PG: Jamaal Tinsley, in his third season, should continue to distribute the ball like a true PG. While his shooting is still improving, his primary role on this team is to create for others and play solid defense. Newly acquired veteran Emanual Davis will get most of the backup minutes, but don't be surprised if potential second round steal Ramon Kersey gets some decent playing time also.

Prediction: 43-39...playoff birth.

 

Diehard-You predicted your team to play 83 games.

 

Yes, I know, you all will be so amazed with my team that I will get an extra "bonus" win.

 

DieHard-That's fine with me, as long as it doesn't mean a loss for my Pistons.

 

Last season scoring certainly wasn't a problem for the Bulls, who averaged a 2nd best 104.3 ppg. Defense was their nemises. An abysmal 105.0 ppg allowed was clearly the weakness on the squad. At the very end of the season the Bulls traded Peja in a deal for a lotto pick + DeSagana Diop. With this trade the offense and defense should become a little more balanced. The defense may still be a problem though. Free agent additions Corey Maggette and Al Harrington, as well as scoring phenom Qyntel Woods, are all lacking on the defensive end. Chris Wilcox, the 13th pick of the draft, will team up with Diop upfront to man the middle, while the scoring primarily comes from the other 3 starters and the bench.

As is the goal for many teams this year, the Bulls also look to fight their way into the playoffs.

Center: The 315 pound beast that is DeSagana Diop will get the start here. Diop should provide rebounding and defense, with around 10 ppg or so.

Power Forward: The rookie center Chris Wilcox will get the start here over Fortson because of his better defensive skills. He, like Diop, should provide rebounding and defense as well as a few buckets inside each game.

Small Forward: Antawn Jamison will be the man here as the Bulls' #3 option, providing his explosive scoring and rebounding.

Shooting Guard: The #2 overall pick, 6'8 SG Qyntel Woods will get the start here, and possibly be the #1 option as a rookie. Woods' defense is a liability, but his explosive McGrady type game should easily make up for that.

Point Guard: Ray Allen will return to PG, where he averaged 11 apg the first month and a half of last season before moving him back to SG. This year he will most likely start at PG the whole season, where his scoring, assists and all-around game should make him again a top MVP candidate, of which he finished 2nd to Francis last season.

The Bench: The Bulls' bench is what may set them apart from many teams. Danny Fortson, Al Harrington, Jamal Crawford and Corey Maggette, all of whom could easily start, will be the 4 key bench players. Fortson will see time at C and PF, Harrington at both forward spots, Maggette at SF and SG, and Crawford backing up Allen at the point.

 

After winning the championship in the inaugural season of FBB, the Bucks struggled to a second place finish in the Central last year and lost in the first round. The team's foundation is Shaquille O'Neal, Glenn Robinson, and Marcus Fizer, all great players on the interior. The problem with the team, though, was a lack of offense from the perimeter. Frank Williams was an undeveloped rookie at the point, and both Xavier Stevenson and Rick Fox struggled to score from the SG spot. However, this season, Frank Williams has improved leaps and bounds in training camp, and rookie Dan Bunn looks to bring a good perimeter game. With consistent play from the two of them, the Bucks should return to contender status.

Center: Shaquille O'Neal will once again man the middle this season, and should once again put up 26+ points and 12+ rebounds per game. The most dominating player in the game, provided he can make free throws. Jahidi White, a double double big man when starting, provides excellent depth.

Power Forward: Marcus Fizer is one of the most rapidly improving big men in the business. The young bruiser averaged about 17 points and 8 rebounds last season, and is still improving on the interior. Samaki Walker is also one of the most underrated players in the sim, with B's in three categories and a great spot starter up front.

Small Forward: Glenn Robinson is the only remaining Buck from the original team, and after Shaq he's still the heart of this team. A good scorer both inside and from the perimeter, Glenn also brings an A defense to the table. Backing him up will be defensive stoppers Xavier Stevenson and Rick Fox.

Shooting Guard: After a failed experiment with Xavier Stevenson last season, rookie Dan Bunn will get the chance to start in the team's most questionable position. Bunn has great size at 6'6, 210, and a strong perimeter game. With the stars in the frontcourt, Bunn will only be asked to hit his open outside jumpers and pass the ball to the open man, and if he does that the position should be fine.

Point Guard: After a decent rookie season, Frank Williams increased across the board in training camp, and appears ready for a breakout year. Williams, a great leader, plays excellent perimeter defense, and has a rapidly improving outside shot. His pass-first attitude should also fit the team well, with the three dominant starters in the frontcourt. Lindsey Hunter will be asked to come off the bench and play scrappy defense, along with hitting open outside shots.

Prediction: 53-29, Central Division Champs, 2 seed

 

The Jazz franchise moved to mexico during the off season, hopefully the change of venue will be good for the team. The Mexico City Jazz are probably still in a rebuilding mode, but I still believe my boys can make the playoffs. Either way, the Jazz are a new, young team and should have an exciting season.


Power Forward - This spot is filled by the franchise player and quite possibly the best player in the league, Nikolas Wooten. Nik was rookie of the year last season and I believe he should've been MVP. Nik's backup is Malik Rose, a solid , young pf who the Jazz signed in the offseason

Small Forward - Returning to the Jazz this season is first team all rookie player DeeAndre Bush. Bush is looking to have another great season and hopefully move into the elite small forward group. DeShawn Stevenson is his backup, he is the only remaining player from when I took the reigns of this team.

Center - Raef Lafrentz returns to his spot and is hoping for an improvement on last season. I predict Raef to be in the top 10 in blocks and top 15 in rebounds. Etan Medvedenko will see a few minutes at this sport, though not many.

Shooting Guard - This position is going to be a battle between Andre Najera and Stephen jackson. Last year I gave Oscar Torres a shot and he failed miserably, Torres will be third srting this year and may be traded soon.

Point Guard - The point guard spot has improved this season with the addition Chris Duhon, a hopeful for rookie of the year. Dan Dickau will be a great backup to Duhon and should see a great deal of minutes.

A last minute addition to the team was Don Reid , he is playing for a contract next season and hopefully he will show me something this season. Reid may be an important factor in how well we do this season.


This is the Mexico City Jazz, they're young, exciting and hungry. Look out for this team this season.

 

After squeaking into the playoffs last season and going to the ECF and losing to the Champs. the're is high hopes this season for the Raptors. Now that the chemistry of Baron Davis and Stackhouse have been clicking, and other solid starters like Keon Clark and Ilgauskas best season in the NBA, this team has 1 think on its mind... CHAMPIONSHIP

C- The C position is very solid for the Dinos' with Ilgauskas showing flashes of a 20/10 guy and Olajuwon gives veteran leadership

PF-Keon Clark looks to carry the load here, with solid stats from Magloire at the backup who isn't far behind in being the starter

SF- At SF new Acquisition Clifford Robinson will get the Nod with Mike Miller and Rodney White behind him

SG- At SG Stackhouse once again gets the nod, with DeRmarr johnson seeing backup minutes

PG- At PG Baron Davis looks to put up MVP #'s again and hopes to carry his team to the promise land