**CAT post season info**

[CellarDoor]

Ok, now that Shaq vetoed the earlier trade that I approved due to the 125% rule I have a few announcements:

First of all, obviously all trades need to accomodate the 125% rule, keep in mind that this can be accomplished by signing another player to a specific amount and then cutting him. If you've got the capspace you will be fine, and you will retain the extra roster spot.

ALL FAs with bids on them currently have had their clocks reset to 24 hours. That means NO FA can be claimed between now and 12:13am CST Friday night. This is to allow the parties in the vetoed trade more options due to my screwup.

Last, there will be no more rescinded offers to FAs. Period. I approved two because of circumstances, and now everyone is trying to do it. From this point forward, no FA offers can be rescinded. Your only options are to hope someone beats you, or trade them for similar salary players.

If you have any questions, post them here, or email them. I'll try and check the email tomorrow AM.

[Mascot]

can you waive them so they go back into the pool but still count against your cap?

[CellarDoor]

can you waive them so they go back into the pool but still count against your cap?

Yes, keep the players name and salary on your roster with a (waived) behind it, and announce their waiving in their positional thread.

[bringbackhoffa]

so gremz and blackice u have to either adjust ur trade that u made or go back to ur original rosters on the stickied page, as per ur trade being vetoed by SS.

[CellarDoor]

/nod. Both rosters look relatively full, so if they've got caproom it's just a matter of the team short on salary signing a player to a deal that fits their restrictions, then trade him. There are ways around it.

[...c.a.p...]

So does this mean my offer to Gilbert has been approved to be rescinded?

[CellarDoor]

Correct. Your mistake was freely correctly. Be thankful. The others pushing his bidding so high should be thankful too.

[CellarDoor]

Alright guys, after talking with SS, we're going to move forward with the plan I had mentioned where the trading period ends next Sunday the 19th at 11:59. After that, the first round will immediately start. There will be a thread/threads created specifically for the first round. Your write-ups are due by Thursday, April 23rd at 11:50 at which point there will be a judging period. The judging period will end on Sunday, and the process will repeat itself for the following rounds following the same time-line.
1 v 12
6 v 7

4 v 9
5 v 8

2 v 11
3 v 10

As you can see, we will run into a problem in the third round: there will be three teams left. I'm not sure what SS wants to do about this, so I'm not going to comment on it, but prepare for your first rounds at your convenience and get those write-ups ready. The earlier they're in, the more time you have for rebuttals.

[BlackIce]

Black Panthers
General Team Overview: Starting 5


C- Shaquille O'Neal: Currently a top 3 center in the NBA, he has had a great season in PHO, culminating in an allstar appearance. He is a guy that demands double teams, and is still one of (if not the) best post players in the league. Once he gets positioning deep in the post, its over. He has the highest FG% in the league for a reason. There aren't that many near dominant centers left, it's a pleasure to have one of the few in the league.

His job is to anchor the defense from the C spot, and do the things he has always done, provide great post and help defense, block shots, and provide some serious lane intimidation. Sloan and Tom will have fun building a defense around a center like Shaq, and great perimeter defenders. Due to the makeup of the team, he will get a lot of open looks, and has the perfect front court mate in Dirk. A virtually unstoppable inside/outside combo they will both benefit immensely from playing with each other. Both are great passers for big men, especially Shaq. Since he hasn't played huge minutes during the regular season he will be rested and ready for the playoffs.


PF- Dirk: One of the best big men in the game, and the best offensive big man we have in the NBA. He will create mis-match problems for opposing bigs, and can score at will. His mid range game is automatic and he has range out to the three. He has the ability to post you up if you try to cover him with a smaller quicker guy as well as good passing ability for a big man. His defence has improved over the years and he also rebounds like a center.

He is decent defensively, and now that he doesn't have to carry the whole team on his back, he will have more energy to concentrate on defense. Don't get me wrong, he is the weak link defensively on our team, but with a defensive coordinator like Tom and a defensive head coach in Sloan, there will be ways to mask his defense because all of the other guys on the team are good defenders.

He is currently 6th in scoring, and this is while he is facing double and triple teams constantly. He has no help in DAL, and though terry is a great high scoring 6th man, Dirk is the only true scorer on in the starting 5. Now that Diop is in CHA, all Dirk has beside him is Dampier. Throughout his career Dirk has never had a good center beside him, which makes it all the more impressive that he took his team to the finals with Dampier as his front court mate. Now that he has Shaq, a guy that also demands double teams and a guy that you can't cheat off of, Dirk will have a much easier time getting his. If you choose to cheat off Shaq, and double Dirk, the Diesal is more then capable of making you pay.


SF- Gerald Wallace: A true warrior in every sense of the word, he fits the jerry sloan mold of what a player should be quite well. He is one of the best slashers in the game, and is a good shooter from bid range. He isn't as good from 3, but is more then capable of hitting it if you leave him open. He can score in a number of different ways and is great on the fast break, but can also break down his man in the half court set and take it to the hoop. He is a fantastic defender, and can lockdown the other teams best wing player. He rebounds like a big as well.

On this team his role will be a bit different then the one he has on CHA. Primarily his job will be to shutdown the other teams best wing player, and on offense he will be a third option. The main reason I traded for him was because he is such a good player off the ball. He is very active, and will cut and set screens and do all the little things that win games. It is a rare quality, a star that is willing to hustle for that extra possession. He also gives my starting lineup a big shot of athleticism, and a target for Roy and Hinrich to throw the alley to. Since Dirk is a perimeter based big, it will give Wallace more room to operate in the post, more room to drive. Add that to the fact that he is surrounded by great 3 point shooters, and I think he will thrive on this team.


SG- Roy: The Blazers are running the second-best offense in the league with the fifth-best adjusted winning margin in the league, they're hanging onto the 4th seed in a tough conference, and they are doing it behind their leader, Roy, putting up an efficient 23/5/5 on a low-paced team that deflates stats. The Blazers are dead last in terms of pace.

Roy's pace-adjusted scoring average is about 24.5 ppg. He's 8th in the league right now at 22.7. Consider that he actually passes a lot, 5 apg is a lot for a guy who takes just over 17 shots a game. Consider that he's 13th in the league in USG%. To put this into some perspective
Wade, Lebron and Kobe are 1, 2 and 3 at 35.6, 34.2 and 32.9% respectively. Their ball dominance heavily affects what they do versus what Roy does. Roy USG% is around 25%, and yet he still puts up great numbers on a good team. His relativly low USG% and unselfish passing will be a key part in the way our team runs its offense, it won't become stagnant if Roy is having an off night. Also considering the other guys that need touches on the team, Dirk, Shaq and Wallace, I needed a guy that was efficient and had a relatively low USG%.

Roy's an outstanding clutch player, too, and a good defender. His defense largly goes unnoticed, he isn't a bowen or battier by any means, but consider the fact that he rarely goes for the steal and concentrates instead of staying in front of his man and contesting shots. Roy plays good defense, not something you often don't see from a young star.

John Hollinger recently said that according to his statistics (PER), he's in the top-third in just about every category and is the 7th best player in the league. Many people exlaimed 'no way!', but Roy is used to being underrated by the fans. It isn't a coincidence that Roy's allstar appearances came thorough coach's voting him in. He does everything well, and can run this team like a PG (much like he runs Portland). He also makes his teammates better which is an imporant trait that you want in your leader, look what he is doing with Aldridge, now imagine him with a guy like Dirk, a guy like Shaq.

Roy never rarely rushes plays and doesn't force his game. He knows when to get his teammates involved and when he needs to takeover. He is so much more calm, collected and confident his age would indicate, he is an old soul, which is rare for someone of his generation in today's game. His leadership, passing ability and his mean streak and ability to take over games and hit the game winner is the main reason I wanted to build around him.


PG- Kirk Hinrich: One of the best defensive guards in the league, he is a tough physical defender that will make you work for every basket. He has great size at 6'3, and can even guard SG's. He is the perfect compliment to Roy, as he is a non-ball dominant that doesn't need the ball in his hands to make his presence felt in the game. He is an excellent 3 point shooter that will benefit from having so many guys on the team that can create their own shoots and attract the double. Kirks job is to spread the floor and hit the open 3. He shoots a very high percentage from 3, 425% to be exact. He is amongst the league leaders in 3P% and takes a lot of them.


Here is a quote from Pat Reily after a game in which Hinrich had to guard Dwayne Wade:

“I'm going to tell you exactly what I think about him, OK? I think he's one of the top defenders in the game, in the league. He reminds me of Jerry Sloan, he reminds me of Michael Cooper. And just like the Chicago Bulls whined about Dwyane, who was getting too many free throws, a great defender like Kirk Hinrich gets away with more. He's into you, he's relentless. He has a reputation as a tough defender..”

Ladies and gentleman, the Black Panthers starting 5


Matchup to come later..

[VintaGe36]

Will there be separate threads for each match up like BaNT?

[Sports Arsenal]

Yes

[BlackIce]

Yes

I could move my "Starting 5" writeup when you make it then

[nba_addict]

Third party opinion allowed? I might have time this weekend.

[dockingsched]

who's the third judge?