Mass Dispatch 15.0.: East Predictions, New Moderator?

Post #1 » by **Howard Mass** » Thu Oct 9, 2014 1:22 pm

Mass Dispatch 15.0.

In this week's edition of Mass Dispatch....................

The Mass Matter is my NBA Eastern Conference Season Predictions, “Beat The Commish” Week 5 and the Results of El Turco's Interview and if he is the next RealGM NHL Moderator.

Ask Howard updates everyone on future forum upgrades and a question from an Anonymous General Off-Topic Board User who wants to be “King of The GOTB”.

We then have our Mass Dispatch User, Thread and Moderator of The Week Awards

In Inside The Administrator's Office, I have some good news for Users with General NBA Board Red-Only Access and news on my Mystery Moderator Candidate.

Let's get right to the Mass Matter........................

The Mass Matter is My Eastern Conference Predictions, “Beat The Commish” NHL Result (El Turco)

My Eastern Conference Predictions

Many of us got our first taste of the NBA preseason over the past couple of days and even those meaningless games that sometimes are not on tv (ridiculous given the amount teams get from local tv contracts and the money that is passed on to us on our cable bills) and have to find a stream for it online.

For me, even those box scores are exciting to read. One thing I do love doing is making my season projections each year and thing we are in for an exciting season with the talent gap continuing to narrow amongst most NBA Teams.

There will be winners and losers though and a first and last place team in each division.

Here are my Eastern Conference Predictions

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division Projections

Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn Nets
New York Knicks
Boston Celtics

Philadelphia 76ers

The Toronto Raptors will continue on their upwards trend from last season and win the division. They will be competing for that 4th seed and one of a handful of teams who will have a chance to join Cleveland, Chicago and Washington in the second round.

A little south of the border, The Brooklyn Nets and New York might be in a closer battle for second place than some might thing but The Nets will get the edge with a healthy Brook Lopez and new head coach Lionel Hollins. Brooklyn is going to be in the running for that fourth spot in the second round although the lineup only is going to continue to age with no shot at making it past the second round and the worst future draft pick situation in the league.

The new culture in New York will translate well for The Knicks and have them in contention for the 8th seed. Boston is in for another rebuilding year with the real story being where Rajon Rondo ends up between now and The NBA Trading Deadline.

That gap I put between The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers is not a typo and represents my disgust for the most obvious tank job in NBA history. I get rebuilding teams wanting to stockpile assets but when all a team is focused on doing is tanking by making no effort whatsoever to even compete. I guarantee you a big reason the new Lottery Rules are likely going into effect is this shameless job and if you think I'm livid with Philadelphia, I am because of their damn draft night blackmail when my favorite team The Orlando dealt a future and second to move up two spots.

My Orlando Magic are rebuilding just like The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics are but at least they are making a damn effort to win some games.

Central Division Projections

Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks

The Eastern Conference Finals are likely to be between the top two teams in this division assuming Derrick Rose is healthy this season and hopefully he is.

We all know what happened in Cleveland this summer with Lebron James coming home and Kevin Love joining up to start a new “Big 3” in Cleveland with Kyrie Irving.

This along with a very nice supporting cast is why Cleveland is my favorite in the Central.

Chicago will give them one hell of a run for their money if Derrick Rose is healthy and with their superior defense but Cleveland will edge them in the end.

Our growing Detroit Pistons fanbase is going to love head coach Stan Van Gundy's press conferences and even though the offseason was bumpy with that bad bounce in the Lottery, Jodie Meek's oversized contract and The Greg Monroe situation, just getting rid of that lineup with Josh Smith at the 3 will be a big boon to The Pistons although even with Coach Van Gundy, you have to wonder if they can make it into The playoffs with their lack of player movement this offseason.

Indiana has had a disasterous 2014 with their collapse, losing Lance Stephenson to free agency and Paul George's horrific injury puts them out of not only contention in The Central but the playoffs as well. They will put up a fight and even if they fix their internal problems from last season, it is not going to be enough.

Milwaukee will be at the bottom but things are definitely looking up for The Bucks. Rookie Forward Jabari Parker and new Ownership has our Milwaukee Bucks Forum excited and hopefully a new Arena comes together. New head coach Jason Kidd will not be in the playoffs but even though many did like how he got the job, it is better to be with a team on the rise than one who is stuck and in a horrible draft pick pickle like his team had in Brooklyn.

Southeast Division Projections

Washington Wizards
Miami Heat
Charlotte Hornets
Atlanta Hawks
Orlando Magic

Everyone knows I am a huge Orlando Magic fan but it is looking like another long season for me and that does not include the ping pong ball popping that will have my heart beating in May.

With LeBron James in Cleveland, there is a new top dog in the Southeast and it is The Washington Wizards.

A dynamic back court in John Wall and Bradley Beal, the addition of Paul Pierce and a ton of bodies in the front court has Washington leading the pack in The Southeast.

The battle for second place is going to be VERY tight between Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte.

Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts are nice additions but losing LeBron James and the extra burden placed on a fading Dwayne Wade is likely to have Miami punching out in the first round even though their experience will allow them to get 2nd.

The return of The Hornets to Charlotte is going to be wonderful for that City and the NBA. I remember how popular The Hornets brand was when I was young and all of the card collectors I knew loved Charlotte Hornets cards.

When the Buzz came back this summer, it suddenly got louder when The Hornets got the steal of the summer in swing man Lance Stephenson. That 3 years/$27 million sounds ridiculous to the average person but in The NBA for a potential All-Star, it is a steal.

Stephenson is really going to help Charlotte on both sides of the ball and if they play their cards right, I seriously believe they could be in the second round.

The Atlanta Hawks project to be a playoff team and Al Horford's return definitely is going to lift them. They have great coaching and a nice system although their lack of star power has them slightly below Miami and Charlotte although I do project all 3 teams to make the playoffs.

Barring injuries, my Orlando Magic will be at the bottom of the division.

I am excited to see the improvements of Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless. It will also be nice to watch Elfrid Payton develop as a point guard, Evan Fournier's game while watching Aaron Gordon hopefully develop his raw talent. Not to rant on but if The Magic wanted to go big at #4, they should have picked Julius Randle. I just hope they quit playing him at small forward as defenses will crunch down on the lack of spacing.

It's going to be a tough season and General Manager Rob Hennigan definitely needs this team to at least show progress (30 wins or very close to it). He made very bold moves on draft night and then overpaid Channing Frye because he was such a good fit. However, the fans are not going to be able to handle another rough season with little improvement.

The Magic have got to show progress and if they do not, head coach Jacque Vaughn could be in some trouble as someone will have to go down.

Next week, my Western Conference Predictions............

and The Week after my Playoff and Awards Predictions

“Beat The Commish” Week 5

Sometimes the worst thing in life is to go against your instincts.

I did that this week by picking Tennessee over Cleveland and Baltimore over Indianapolis.

It is a big reason why most people beat me yet again this week.

I bet more people are wishing the Detroit Lions had kicker Matt Prater a week early as it cost two competitors a perfect 15-1

The two competitors who went 14-1 were

RIPSkaterdude for The Users

and

Retired Moderator John Black for The Moderators

A big hand to both of them.

I will have the overall standings updated by Friday morning along with The Team Winners for week's 4 and 5.

For now, here is everyone who “Beat The Commish” in Week 5

Users

RIPSkaterdude: 14-1
DEEP3CL: 13-2
DK-All Day: 13-2
EArl: 13-2
NyCeEvO: 13-2
bish: 12-3
TheKingOfSting: 12-3
WVU: 12-3
SaddyBigD: 11-4
El Turco: 11-4
ElectricMayhem: 11-4
Greatness: 11-4
Hopping4Wiggins: 11-4
Slot Machine: 11-4

Moderators

John Black: 14-1
Chuck Texas: 13-2
Geoffrey P.: 13-2
studcrackers: 12-3
dream34: 11-4
MadNESS: 11-4
bondom34 10-5 (won tiebreaker)

and yes, my fellow Administrator dream34 beat me yet again. Ehhh!

We now move on to Week 6 and it is time for everyone to make their picks.

viewtopic.php?f=437&t=1347966

Is El Turco Now A Moderator?

Last Week, El Turco was selected as The winner of The Mass Dispatch “Who Wants To Be A Moderator? Invitational” NHL Edition.

This earned him a chance to interview with me for a Moderator Position.

The Interview went very well and El Turco was easily one of the most hilarious Candidates that I have ever interviewed.

We did agree that he was better suited as a User and if you have ever visited our General Off-Topic Board, you know El Turco goes a little too far at times and unlike studcrackers, he is not ready to give that up yet and wants to regain his title of “King Of The GOTB” so El Turco and I have agreed that he will stay a User for now.

Even though El Turco did not become a Moderator, he is definitely among our best users and I encourage everyone to see him in action on our General Off-Topic Board.

Ask Howard

Have a question about RealGM? The Forums? An Issue you would like me to address publicly or something in general? Just post it in the Ask Howard Thread of The Mass Dispatch Forum or you could send me a PM and I just might answer it in my next column.

viewtopic.php?f=437&t=1330025

Nored Asks: When will there be more upgrades or updates to the forums?

Howard's Response: We are definitely planning more upgrades to The Forum.

We are working on some other things behind the scenes that I cannot disclose at this time but rest assured, more upgrades are planned including another phase of my Navigation Plan and new ideas to improve the forums.

When Upgrades get started up again, I will mention it in Mass Dispatch.

A General Off-Topic Board User Who Asked To Remain Anonymous Asks: Howard, how can I be King of The GOTB? I would love to be able to give someone a Judgment who is getting on my nerves?

Howard's Response: “The King of The GOTB” Title is awarded to The Mass Dispatch General Off-Topic Board User of The Month.

I detailed it's specific powers when I announced the title on our General Off-Topic Board.

You cannot request a Judgment for A User unless they do something as outlined in those rules.

My advice though would be to make a strong effort in terms of contributing to the Forum each month while conducting yourself well.

The 'King Of The GOTB” Power will be coveted though if for some reason, I ever have to “Break out The Wheel”.

Mass Dispatch User, Thread and Moderator of The Week

It's time for the Weekly Mass Dispatch Forum Awards.

If you know of a User, Thread or Moderator that deserves to be recognized, please either send me a PM or make a post on The Mass Dispatch Forum.

Your nominee might just receive an Award.

Mass Dispatch User of The Week

RIPSkaterdude

Skaterdude's reputation on our RealGM Forums is that of someone who might post pad a little, cause some trouble and has delusions about many things and sadly might get his hopes after reading this but one thing Users do not always see is his knowledge as a sports fan.

As you might have read above, he was a field goal kicker away from being perfect on his NFL Picks this week and if you visited our San Francisco Giants Forum this past week, he made a huge impact on the forum with insightful posts and really helped pick up the traffic along with a few other Users.

My hope is he continues on this track and I'm hoping he will without getting any delusions of course.

Congratulations to The Mass Dispatch User of The Week RIPSkaterdude!

Mass Dispatch Thread Of The Week

The San Francisco Giants Forum's CAPS CAPS CAPS Game 1 NLDS @Nats Thread

viewtopic.php?f=118&t=1347742

This thread truly captured the emotions during that exciting series that ended a few days ago including that dramatic 18 win game as thread did go past Game 1.

The ALL CAPS were a real sign of team pride and another boon for our San Francisco Forums that gives me hope we can expand our MLB Forums in The Spring.

All in all, this thread showed so many emotions through the first three games and had many great contributions from multiple Users like The Regime, El Turco, BelgianMagic, TheKingofSting, GS Warriors 1 and RIPSkaterdude along with several RealGM Moderators.

It's a thread of many emotions and The Mass Dispatch Thread of The Week.

Congratulations to our San Francisco Giants Forum!

Mass Dispatch Moderator (s) Of The Week

Stanford and TheLowlySquire!

While Stanford stepped back from our San Francisco Giants Forum last year, he returned for The Playoffs and has assisted TheLowlySquire in taking care of things during the big playoff rush.

You need good leadership when a good thing is going and we definitely have it here.

Congratulations to our Moderators Of The Week Stanford and TheLowlySquire!

Inside The Administrator''s Office

I am very pleased to write that recent General NBA Board Appeals have been much better over the past three weeks.

With the exception of one appeal, the res of the recent appeals have been very good.

While some Users will need a few good appeals to win The Committee over because of their long file, One User did recently successfully appeal their Read-Only Access Status.

Those Users who had their Appeals rejected only helped themselves though and over time, I feel they have a much better chance of being approved.

Because of these developments, the planned Appeals Rules Changes might not be as dramatic as I was planning.

In other news, The Mystery Moderator Candidate I've been mentioning is unsure if they will have the time but if they do, they seem more open to the possibility. Hopefully, all will work out and I can close the deal before Baseball Season starts back up again.

Contact me

If anyone has a question, feedback, feel a user, thread or Moderator should be recognized or something they would like to see in Mass Dispatch, please post it on The Mass Dispatch Forum or send me a PM. You could even send me a note on Twitter @homassrealgm

Thanks to everyone for continuing to make the RealGM Forums the best forums on the internet.

RIPskaterdude · Post #2 » by **RIPskaterdude** » Thu Oct 9, 2014 3:18 pm

CAPS CAPS CAPS!

El Turco · Post #3 » by **El Turco** » Thu Oct 9, 2014 7:50 pm

RIPskaterdude wrote:CAPS CAPS CAPS!

Wavy Q · Post #4 » by **Wavy Q** » Thu Oct 9, 2014 10:33 pm

RIPskaterdude · Post #5 » by **RIPskaterdude** » Thu Oct 9, 2014 10:51 pm

Mamba Mentality · Post #6 » by **Mamba Mentality** » Thu Oct 9, 2014 11:09 pm

I approve.

TheKingofSting · Post #7 » by **TheKingofSting** » Fri Oct 10, 2014 2:56 am

Howie you got the Heats too high.

Post #8 » by **Howard Mass** » Fri Oct 10, 2014 7:44 am

TheKingofSting wrote:Howie you got the Heats too high.

It's going to be close for #2 in the SouthEast.

It's very possible Miami is lower especially with Dwayne Wade's body aging but like I said, it's going to be tight for #2.

Liver_Pooty · Post #9 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 1:14 am

I am fairly certain that I would be one amaaazing moderator

magic22s · Post #10 » by **magic22s** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 4:31 am

Congratulations RIPSkaterdude!

Post #11 » by **Howard Mass** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 1:04 pm

The "Beat The Commish" Overall Standings Through Week 5 have been updated.

viewtopic.php?f=437&t=1344849

The Moderators also lead the overall battle 3-2

Can the Users even it up this weekend?

El Turco · Post #12 » by **El Turco** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 1:40 pm

maybe

Post #13 » by **Geddy** » Sat Oct 11, 2014 7:26 pm

Look at those poor souls below the Earl line

TheKingofSting · Post #14 » by **TheKingofSting** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:00 am

The EArl line

RIPskaterdude · Post #15 » by **RIPskaterdude** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:48 am

earl is no good

TheKingofSting · Post #16 » by **TheKingofSting** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:50 am

ban EArl

Post #17 » by **Howard Mass** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 3:24 am

Why is everyone picking on EArl?

RIPskaterdude · Post #18 » by **RIPskaterdude** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 3:35 am

You were the one who said he was terrible at football

EArl · Post #19 » by **EArl** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 8:05 am

RIPskaterdude wrote:You were the one who said he was terrible at football

Oh

Overall Standings For "Beat The Commish"
“The Commish”
Howard Mass: 43-33
User Standings
WVU: 53-23
DK- All Day: 53-23
TheKingofSting: 52-24
Greatness: 49-27
DEEP3CL: 48-28
ElectricMayhem- 48-28
DaddyBigD: 47-29
Hopping4Wiggins: 47-29
Slot Machine: 46-30
Hermes: 45-31
Bish: 44-32
NyCeEvO: 44-32
Earl: 43-33
The Regime: 41-35
Wavy Q: 40-36
RIPSkaterdude: 37-23

El Turco 35-25
RSCD3_: 18-14

RIPskaterdude · Post #20 » by **RIPskaterdude** » Sun Oct 12, 2014 8:29 am

You do realize that's because I missed a week, right?

Earl: 43-33 - 57%

RIPSkaterdude: 37-23 - 62%

SMH earl