Doin' Work GM-A-Team Write-Ups (Winner Announced)

[Koponen]

Denver Nuggets GM Rankings

1.Sacramento Kings - Unreal. Sacramento had a gross roster. A collective of bums, busts, and losers. You took that and put together a great 5. A good mixture of offensive firepower and defense. Love the fact that you brought not only a star, in Carmelo, to Sactown, but also brought in All-Star caliber players in LMA and Rondo. Chandler and Thabo are good defensive starters, but your lack of shooting is a bit of a problem. Your bench leaves a lot to be desired, but I think you did a very good job considering the pieces at your disposal.

2. Boston Celtics - I think you have the best team in the league, no doubt. I didn't rank you first because I think you had a lot of pieces to work with on your roster. I disagree with those who said Rondo and Green were your only moveable pieces. Allen, Pierce, and Garnett, although old, had enough value to allow you to do what you did with this roster. Howard is the most dominant (not necessarily the best) player in the NBA and, alongside Westbrook, will make a great tandem. Harden, Deng, and Anderson stretch the floor and are talented enough to allow you to match up against other top teams. Love Hinrich, Morris, and Marion off the bench, but I would give Marion a significantly higher number of minutes at the 3 (and 4).

3. San Antonio Spurs - Great work! Love the makeup of your team. Wallace is a big upgrade at SF over RJ, Dirk is arguably the 3rd best player in the league coming off a championship season, and Miller fits very well with your other pieces. Don't know if this roster is worth $85+ million, or I would have ranked you a bit higher.

4. Charlotte Bobcats - Awesome job. The Cats were probably the last team I would have wanted to GM, and you ended up with a very good starting 5. Great defensive team. The reason I didn't rank you higher was that you mortgaged your future (traded picks) for some short-term success despite the fact that your roster doesn't have a star and won't compete in the next couple seasons. Do like that you have cap flexibility moving forward.

5. Utah Jazz - This team is so stacked for the future it's not even funny. If your prospects pan out on par with what is expected from them and Bynum stays healthy (big if), you will have the best team in the league in 3-4 years. I would have given you a higher grade had you not traded your picks in the next 2 seasons, because with all these guys coming up for contracts around the same time, you're gonna need talented rookie-salary players on your roster. Also, Henderson and Young are not the answer at SG, IMO.

6. Cleveland Cavaliers - Good moves for the future. Love Leonard, Irving, and Jordan moving forward. You did a good amount with not a ton to work with. You also have a ton, and I mean a TON, of picks in upcoming drafts. Good job.

7. Golden State Warriors - You had a talented roster to begin with, but I loved the moves you made. You got good return in your trades, and CP3 was vastly underrated in this game. To go with him, you have future All-Pro Kevin Love, enigma Greg Oden, and Paul Pierce. If Oden can stay healthy, you are in great shape. If not, you're boned. Like your bench a lot.

8. Memphis Grizzlies - Way to keep it simple. A lot of teams (myself certainly included) made dozens of trades, as if searching for some perfect storm to come together and transform our teams. You, on the other hand, took a playoff team, sat back, made some minor moves, and did what a lot of people in this game failed to do- made your team better.

9. New York Knicks - Most importantly, you moved Melo. That's good for something in my book. On top of that, you got solid return, and filled out your starting 5 quite nicely. Noah, Thornton, and Lawson have a lot of potential left. Would have ranked you higher, but your bench is "eh" and your salary hovers around $80m for the next 3 seasons. Good work, though.

10. New Jersey Nets - I like your all-around roster. Curry, Chandler, Nene, and Monroe is a nice core with upside. You have fairly good depth. Only problem is you are in that in-between stage where you are not bad enough to net a star with a top pick, but you are probably not good enough to get out of the 1st round of the playoffs.

11. Toronto Raptors - I like DeRozen and Batum together and Lowrie is a nice piece, but Spencer Hawes is no Andrea Bargnani, and your frontcourt is going to be pretty bad defensively. You have 3 picks in next years draft and some good young players, so I have hope for the Raptors moving forward.

12. Philadelphia 76ers - I'm a Philly fan, and didn't especially like your direction with this team. Trading away ET hurts your longterm success. Holiday is a great young player, but Young and Milsap do not fit well together. I would have tried to move one of those two and get a wing with range, because you are not a great shooting team. You have good talent, I just don't know if it fits together.

13. Los Angeles Clippers - Really didn't like you guys letting Jordan walk. He fit very well next to Griffin and has a lot of defensive potential. Parker is a big upgrade at PG, but I would have focused on another area and run Bledsoe at point. Battier doesn't do a ton for you right now, as Aminu is now wasted on the bench (way too early to give up on him) and your team isn't quite ready to compete.

14. Miami Heat - What can I say? Your roster is still incredibly talented, but you are lacking in the same major area you were before the trade- Center. Biedrins is a huge question mark, and Tyreke doesn't really fill a role- he is ball-dominant and not a great outside shooter. Would have liked to see you pick up a distributing PG with range and a defensive C (think Emeka Okafor, DeAndre Jordan, or Tyson Chandler), considering you traded away Dwyane Wade.

15. Los Angeles Lakers - I like Bogut and Jefferson together, and Harris is an upgrade over Fish. However, you have mediocre depth, a $100m payroll, and not much youth moving forward. I think you did more rearranging of deck chairs on the Titanic than you did building a better boat.

16. Portland Trailblazers - Sorry, but I really don't like this direction. Lee at Center and Beasley at PF is going to be like the Washington Generals frontcourt on defense, and the rest of your roster is just "eh." Taking on Rashard Lewis and Travis Outlaw should have gotten you some good prospects.

17. Detroit Pistons - Your team will win some games this year, but it won't win a championship, and it is incredibly old. Also, you moved some quality prospects to get this done. Should have built around Monroe, the dude is gonna be very good.

18. Chicago Bulls - I don't mean to be mean, but you took one of the most stacked rosters in the NBA and made it older and probably less talented.

2012 Champion - Boston Celtics. Love this roster.

2017 Champion - Utah Jazz. So stacked for the future. Pray for Bynum's knees.
I had a great time playing, and hope to take part in the next game. Thanks everyone who helped me understand the specifics of the CBA and for making my first game a great one.

[NW7]

Alright here is Boston's rankings....

1. Bobcats - Arguably the toughest team in this game to have and you managed to revamp the entire team and build a playoff squad. Defensively your team is gonna be fun to watch and you even have some nice bench players. I question your shooting and the fact that this team will never be a title contender, but at the end of the day you had the Bobcats. Nice job.

2. Kings - I really question the last move you did. You gave up a lot and I'm not sure the team is any better then what it was prior to the move. Nonetheless, you still have an awesome starting 5 (but a weak bench) and will probably be a solid contender this year (and the future) with a LMA, Melo and Rondo core.

3. Grizzlies - You didn't really touch your starting 5, but you're in my top 3? Yep, for two key reasons: you didn't really need to overhaul your starters and you assembled a very, very awesome bench. Sessions and Neal could probably find their way to start on a few teams. Vesely and Valanciunas are both top 6 picks in the draft and really look like they will end up being the more productive players out of this draft. Sometimes you really don't need a "big" move, just some minor tweaks.

4. Jazz - Absolutely love the young core you have assembled here. You've got 8 really solid young players that should help mature together to form a really special team. If Bynum can remain healthy, a core of: Knight, Williams, Favors and Bynum can be really, really special.

5. 76ers - I like the young core you've assembled here. They are all young and should grow together. You've got your go to guy in Ellis and a really amazing front court rotation in: Millsap, McGee, Kanter, Morris and Udoh. It would of been nice to see you consolidate a bit on that front court and get a better SF (not saying Young is bad, but I think you have pieces to upgrade that position a bit imo) and perhaps a solid 6th man, that's the main reason I can't put you any higher.

6. Spurs - You are still an old / vet squad, but you have massively changed the dynamic of this team. Dirk is still ridiculous and will be an awesome fit on this squad. Adding productive vets like: Miller, Wallace, Haywood and Butler are all great fits. This team has to be amongst the favorites out West next year.

7. Cavs - Like the young core that you assembled. Acquiring Ed Davis and DeAndre Jordan were really great moves long term, but losing your 2012 pick really hurts (specially in the deep draft). Nonetheless this squad is definitely looking good going forward.

8. Knicks - You've created a starting lineup that is built for Dantoni's system, but your bench and defense is going to be pretty ugly. I know some have mentioned the concerns of Joe at SF, but I have more issues with your backcourt, specifically the height of Lawson (5-11) & Thornton (6-4). That backcourt is very undersized and is going to struggle defensively every night.

9. Warriors - This team is sort of tough to rank. You've upgraded the talent here and are probably a big threat in the West, but you've put your eggs on an injury prone Oden and a recovering CP3. Depending on how those 2 bounce back you're either gonna be a contender for the next few years, or watching a mediocre at best team. I'm someone that wouldn't bet on Oden delivering and that's why I can't rank you higher.

10. Nets - I like most of the moves you did on this squad. You made some really shrewd moves (Dally for Monroe really sticks out), but at the end of the day this team will never be a title contender. I think building around Williams might have been a better route. You have no go to player, and that's the main reason you aren't higher.

11. Clippers - You acquired a real solid PG (though I'm not sure Parker is right given his age for this squad), and built up the bench a bit. I'm also glad to see that you didn't fall into a trap and give Jordan a massive contract (not sure about him going forward). Only reason I can't have you higher is that I wish you would have used some of your assets to acquire long-term upgrades at the SF and C position..

12. Heat - I like the depth you added to the squad, but I feel that one move is missing here. You really have no PG on this roster (even with your added depth), just comboguards that are capable of playing the role if need be

13. Lakers - I'm not sure of the Al Jeff and Andrew Bogut fit. I also really hate seeing Maggette and Gooden slated as being two of your top bench guys. You had some nice pieces to work with at the start (Odom, Gasol and Bynum) and I'm not sure I like the final "fit" of players you put together with those pieces.

14. Pistons - I think you achieved your main goal: make the playoffs. I really question how you did it though. You moved a very young and promising player in Monroe for Dally, which was a very poor decision. You also got very old, very quick at other positions. I just think if you had a bit more patience with some of your moves this could have been a much more interesting team.

15. Raptors - Eh. Thats really all I can say here. You acquired some nice young talent (Maynor, Batum and Hickson), but you gave up your 2011 draft pick, still have Kleiza here and you swapped Ed Davis for JJ Hickson. A true mixed bag in my opinion.

16. Blazers - I really can't understand why you traded LMA for Tony Parker, but then moved Parker for Mo Williams (among other mediocre pieces in the deal). I think at the end of the day that really sums up your squad. You made a lot of moves, but I think you rushed into them a bit or didn't look a move or two ahead.

17. Nuggets - It's a mess. I didn't know it was possible, but I think you've assembled a poor man's version of last year's Denver Nuggets squad. You downgraded both your bench and your starting lineup and you still don't even have that go to guy. It's a shame too, because I thought at some points in the game you were really close to having a very solid team.

18. Bulls - There really isn't a lot to say, you blew up a young, ECF runner-up Bulls squad. They are much, much older and I think quite worse.

2012 Champ: SA Spurs (this is really hard and you could make a solid case for a few teams)
2017 Champ: Utah Jazz

For the record I thought the top 12ish was hard to rank and you could make a case for any of those teams moving up and down. Great job all and I look forward to the next game!

[Warriorfan]

Sacramento
LA Clippers
Memphis
Charlotte
New Jersey
Boston
GS Warriors
Miami
New York
Utah
San Antonio
Toronto
Los Angeles (Lakers)
Portland
Denver
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Detroit

2012 Champions Miami Started out one the two best teams and improved.
2017 Boston Celtics Turned over an aging roster.

[RTM]

1. Boston - Turned a fading, old team into an up and coming young team. PF is a concern, but between Anderson, Marion and Morris, it should be fine (having Dwight helps).

2. Charlotte - You did the most with the least. I think you're overrating Smith's status as a "franchise player", but you've got a good defensive starting 5, and some nice players on the bench.

3. Memphis - If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You improved what was a winning formula late in the season.

4. Philadelphia - You put together a balanced, young team with an absolutely stacked front court.

5. New Jersey - I like all the young talent (you STOLE Greg Monroe), and your vets are a good fit, and can produce at a high level for a good time. The only gripe is Nene's huge salary, and the lack of true PG behind Curry.

6. New York - I love Lawson/Amare/Noah, and an older Johnson should transition nicely to SF (he's always been really big). The starting back court could have defensive issues.

7. San Antonio - This is a really good team, but with a definite small window.

8. Warriors - Paul-Pierce-Love is a winning combo, and you have good role players like McDyess, Williams, Asik, and Miles. However, I just plain can't trust Oden to be healthy, and McDyess and Asik cannot platoon the C position for this team to really win.

9. Utah - Nice young foundation. The C spot is the only realy concern (assuming all other young guys pan out), as Bynum is prone to missing time, and you wouldn't want to have to trust Birdman or Fesenko as replacements.

10. Sacramento - I like the scoring in the frontcourt, and the team should be pretty good defensively. But your bench is really weak, and there's a major lack of outside shooting.

11. Cleveland - I like the young talent you have. I especially think the Ed Davis deal was smart. But I think you're putting waaay too much faith in Jordan, and for a clear rebuilding team, the SGs on the roster don't fit in at all. It'll hurt not having the 2012 pick.

12. Miami Heat - Kevin Martin is an awesome addition. Tyreke, while a major talent upgrade, is a bone head. He's way too ball dominant, mostly looks for his own shot, can't shoot and I just can't see him playing well with LeBron. Additionally, I'm not sure Biedrins is really an upgrade at C. He has been an awful defensive player (in addition to being anemic offensively) the past few seasons. Though he is a good rebounder/shotblocker.

13. Lakers - Harris is a good upgrade at PG, but I'd rather have Gasol/Bynum than Jefferson/Bogut, and the bench is littered with high priced losers (Gooden, Maggette). You probably should have looked to move Artest (but I'm not high on him like you, I think he's awful).

14. Toronto - I didn't like the Ed Davis deal at all. Getting Batum was good, and Hawes was had for a fair price. Lowry was your big addition - I love him. Overall, pretty "meh".

15. Denver - I can't say I really like what you did. Turner has potential, but he doesn't fit in with Okafor, Kirilenko and Scola, who are much older. Calderon is an expensive, older downgrade at PG. Outside of Terry, the bench is pretty spotty.

16. Detroit - This team will make the playoffs. But they won't come out of the east, and will be out of them again in 2 years. There's no redeeming youth on the team, and no picks to build with. The Monroe/Jerebko for Dalembert trade was particularly awful... Monroe is already as/more productive at 20.

17. Portland - Your undersized front court is going to get killed. Beasley and Lee at the power positions? Yikes. You made some weird moves. However, I like what you have at SG.

18. Chicago - This team is just so much worse now and in the future than they were. Don't see the logic behind any of the moves, really.

2012 Champs: San Antonio
2017 Champs: Boston

[mtamasi]

Toronto's rankings:

[poopdamoop]

Boston - Easily the best job done here

Sacramento - Well rounded starting 5, finding a few shooters and a bench shouldn't be too hard over the next couple years

Memphis - Echo what everyone else said. Lots of flexibility and young talent going forward

Charlotte - Obviously started with very little, but no picks and little hope to be more than a 2nd round exit team. Still a great job done though

Philadelphia - Big Ellis fan, and he fits well with Holiday and the insanely young frontcourt

Utah - Started with a lot, but pretty complete and talented starting 5. Always a risk relying on youth at every single position though, its almost certain a few of them won't pan out

New York - Turning Carmelo into guys like JJ, Noah, and Lawson is pretty good, but still don't think there's enough defense to win outside of Noah

Golden State - Relying on Oden is the only reason you're not in the top 5. Love the rest of this team

LAC - Don't like Battier as a SF, but there's a lot of other talent and ways to overcome

New Jersey - Interesting mix of win now and potential guys. Liked you better when you had Williams/Granger though

Cleveland - Good young team, but took on a lot of poor contracts to get there, and the end result wasn't much better than the Cavs of real life

Toronto - Again, solid young pieces but still have some bad contracts and no true potential star. 3 1sts next year is pretty nice though

Miami - Evans/Martin backcourt has proven to not work, and still didn't address the C issue (Biedrins is pretty terrible)

LAL - Worse team and more expensive than RL

Detroit - Had you higher before the Monroe trade. You could have gotten SO much more for him

Denver - Weird mix of players. Don't like their fit and think you could have done more with the bevy of talent you started with

Portland - Not quite sure what the plan was. Still have bad contracts, but lost your best players in the process

Chicago - Entirely unsure what the plan was. I'm just glad my team has your 1st rounder next year

[Klomp]

I didn't get my writeup in time, but just wanted to say that the two best jobs were done by Boston and Charlotte.

[Karmaloop]

Congratulations NW7 for winning this game. Guys, it's been a pleasure being the commish for you guys. We had our bumps in the road, but overall I thought it ran smoothly. Again, it was a pleasure working with you guys.

[-Kees-]

Congrats Nick! Nice Job!

Karmaloop, do u have the full rankings?

[Karmaloop]

Karmaloop, do u have the full rankings?

I had them in a Word document, but I exited out without saving it. IIRC, Sacramento, Charlotte, and Boston I believe were the the three top ones.

[nikkoewan]

congrats to NW7!

[lukekarts]

Congrats NW7, and good work on running the game, Karmaloop

[BlackIce]

Congrats NW7, and good work on running the game, Karmaloop

+1

[Koponen]

Congrats NW7, and good work on running the game, Karmaloop

+2

[NW7]

Thanks all for the kind words! I look forward to playing with you all again next game.

[NBA Champs]

Thanks all for the kind words! I look forward to playing with you all again next game.

How about not franchising Kirk Hinrich if you get him again this time. Lol.

[Miller4ever]

How did I not win? This is ridiculous.

[uncarved block]

Damn some stuff came up and i couldnt do a write up lol but i thought i did pretty good for what its worth


Turned the Bucks from...

Jennings|Boykins
Salmons|Delfino
Maggete|Mba moute
Gooden|Ilysova
Bogut|Brockman

Into...

Jennings|Duhon
B Gordon|Meeks
Moute|CDR
Odom|Glen Davis
P Gasol|Glen Davis