Minnesota Dynasty: Marbury and KG reunited.

[Matthew]

After a fairly long hiatus, I've decided to play live again (mainly becuase ive cut back on work alot). Which team would you guys think is a better option?
Atlanta
Dallas
Denver
Minnesota
Philly
Or sacramento?

I'm leaning towards Minnesota atm, but i would like some feedback. Thanks!

EDIT: Just edited the title of this thread

[Jing]

i'd say the t wolves too, 2nd choice nuggets

[Matthew]

I went with Minnesota, and my frist trade was to new york:
Cassell/ Szcerbiak/ Olowkandi
For
Marbury/ Jerome Williams

I could have gotten Iverson or Vince, but I wanted to "reunite" Marbury and KG. I'm not sure if I'll make another deal. Heres my lineup:
Centre: Ervin Johnson
Power Forward: KG
Small Forward: Spree
Shooting Guard: Hassell
Point: Marbury

I might switch spree and hassell around, but as of right now spree is at sf. I plan on simming up until the 23rd of december and going from there.

[Matthew]

Just simmed up until the 23rd of december, heres the results:

November

Knicks, 108 - 73 win
Nuggets, 97 - 69 Loss
Hornets, 102-101 Loss
Pacers, 98-82 Loss
Rockets 111- 96 Loss
Miami, 113 - 98 Loss
Pistons, 81 - 78 Win
Hornets, 96- 75 Win
Dallas 85 - 80 Win
Seattle 108- 75 win
Pacers 99 - 91 Win
Memphis, 99- 92 Win
Sacramento 109 - 96 Loss

December:
Warriors 119-89 Win
Phoenix 101-95 Win
Clippers 120-82 Win
Memphis 95-83 Win
Philly 100-96 Win
Sacramento 100-84 Loss
Charlotte 91-81 Win
Portland 110-75 Loss
Raptors 95-77 Win
Clippers 103-97 Win
Cavs 93-81 Win

And now I'm at the 23rd
Timberwolves are 16-8 and fourth in the west, only 2.5 games behind Denver for the lead in the Midwest. I'll be back later to post a recap and stats of my first game with the Twolves

[Andrew]

Nice trade, the loss of Wally World might weaken your perimeter offense a little but you've still got Hoiberg and Marbury certainly softens the blow. Should be an entertaining scenario.

[Micchy_boy]

hope this time the tandem of KG and Starbury can do the job this time.
nice dynasty. just hope you continue this. good luck

[Matthew]

Thanks for the kind words andrew and micchy boy. Minnesota is a bit thin now but I also have hudson for outside shooting, but this team is all about a 3 man offense, with spree, marbury and kg. I might look to upgrade the small forward position though... Maybe get Stackhouse

Minnesota @ San Antonio

I started off very rusty, with San Antonio Dictating everything. Duncan had 6 first quarter blocks and Rasho was also dominating defensively. Parker and Ginnobili were shooting well, and Minnesota started very slow, only getting 12 first quarter points. The spurs took an 8 point lead into the second quarter before extending that lead to 12 early on. Then KG started to totally dominate. He scored 14 points in the quarter and Marbury was starting to also look dangerous, and we took the lead back and managed to the enter the half time break up 40-37.

The second half started with Marbury continuing to carry the load, but the spurs are a good team especially at home and Parker and ginnobili were still hot. Duncan was reduced to pretty much a role player, but Spree got in foul trouble and San Antonio tied the game up to start the 4th quarter, 62 all.
The fourth quarter started with Parker still dominating, and san antonio opened a small 5 point lead. But kg would respond and completly dominate Duncan in the fourth. Spree remained in foul trouble and I turned to Hoiberg with Hassell not producing on the offensive end. With the shot clock running down hoiberg had a 3 pointer blocked, it wound up in the hands of ervin johnson who quickly gave it back to Hoiberg who jacked up a 3 as the clock expired that went in. Awesome shot, but even with KG's dominance the spurs hung around.
We were up by 2 when ginnobili hit a contested 3 that put them up by one. Then Kg would score quickly to give us back the lead with 24.8 remaining. I was able to force parker into a bad shot but Duncan tipped the miss in to give the spurs back the lead with 14 seconds left. I didnt call timeout, and Marbury brought the ball up and i was looking to kg. I got him the ball but he was swarmed, and i swung the ball around to stephon who made the move on parker and there was no help defense for the spurs so i pulled up and swished a 15 footer right in parkers face and it hit nothing but net with 0.2 left. The spurs didnt get a shot off and we escaped.. what a game to get back into things!

Player of the game:
Kevin Garnett
43 points, 20-23 fg (mainly dunks..) 3/5 ft
6 rebounds
4 blocks
1 steal
1 assist

Marbury had 27 points on 13-26 fgs and 8 assists and 3 steals.

So Marbury and KG combined for 70 of the 89 twolves points. The final score was 89-88 by the way.

[Fresh8]

Great win man! Hope u get the ring in ur dynasty! Go Starbury/Big Ticket!

[Matthew]

I hope I get the ring as well! Two game update here:

Wizards @ Minnesota
Kg picked up right where he left off. This game was close in the first quarter then in the second it was a total blowout. The Wizards had no answer for KG, who torched them for 41 points. The end of the first quarter the score was 30-24, and washingtons only lead came 5-4 early on. In the second Minnesota outscored them 30-13, and gave me a 60- 37 lead. The second half the wizards outscored me 56- 54, but the final wasnt nearly as close as it seemed: 114 - 93

Player of the Game:
KG
41 Points, 18-21 fg, 5-5 ft
3 rebounds
5 assists
7 blocks

Marbury 25 points, 2 steals, 1 assist
Spree 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist

Minnesota @ New York

This was the game for Marbury and Spree. Both harbour i'll feelings towards the knicks for being dealt and here was their chance to give some payback. Early in the first quarter we jumped out to a big lead, 27-12. Marbury was on fire and Spree was begining to dominate, and we finished the first quarter up 40- 28. However to start the second I had my second unit (hudson, hoiberg, jerome williams, trent and madsen) out there and new york went on a run. There wasnt just one guy dominating for them, there was a bunch and they closed the lead down to 65- 61.

In the second half marbury continued to score at will, and spree and kg went along for the ride. New york was hanging around, but we finished the third up 108-92. The fourth had the knicks continuing to hang around and they made a push midway through the quarter to bring them within 6, but thats as close as they would get it, as Minnesota won 145-128 (yes i realised how bad the score is)

Player of the game... in his MSG return
Stephon Marbury
45 points, 21-27 fg, 1-1 3pt, 2-2 ft
6 assists
3 steals
2 rebounds

Garnett 28 points, 12/12 fgs,4-4 ft,5 rebounds,2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Spree 32 points, 13-16 fg, 2-3 3pt, 4-4 ft, 5 assists, 2 rebounds

Have a look at the balance of the knicks
Kurt Thomas 18 points
Tim Thomas 16 points
Crawford 25 points
Cassell 18 points
Houston 14 points
Szcerbiak 12 points
Penny 13 points

Those 2 games had crazy stats, so i've decided to use andrews sliders for the next game.

[Andrew]

Some convincing victories there, though KG's had a couple of quiet games on the boards. Your big three were all simply on fire in MSG though, a combined 46/55...an awesome peformance at the offensive end.

[Matthew]

Yeah it was just too easy to penetrate, your sliders helped alot .

Memphis @ Minnesota

Memphis came into the game with an impressive 23-8 record, and Minnesota had been on fire lately, which carried over to the first quarter. KG and Spree were playing well, and Stephon was playing great defensively. Gasol got in early foul trouble and the twolves finished the first quarter up 31-20. The second quarter got off to a similar start to the first. Alot of good defense and smart offensive execution lead to a 39-24 lead at one point. But on one drive by Garnett, that would all change. KG got banged up and the tide of the game changed from that play. Stephon played great to finish the first half, and we still had a nice lead 57- 44, but without Garnett nothing was safe.

In the third we were able to hold them off through Marbury's penetration and finding Ervin Johnson for dunks. Spree was playing ok but once Memphis locked down on Marburys driving, they went on a massive run to finish the quarter, and they had cut right into the lead, only down 80- 76. The fourth was alot more of the same, but Minnesota hung tough for a while. With about 30 seconds left, Memphis was up 4 when marbury let a 3 go that went in to cut the lead down to 1, but there was 24.9 left. I had to foul Mike Miller, who hit both. I ended up getting Hoiberg a good look at a 3 to tie it, but he missed it and the game was over. Final 110-107

Player of the Game
Pau Gasol (he didnt do much at al the first half, but without kg in the 2nd half, he ate us up)
22 points
6 rebound
6 blocks
3 assists
1 steal

Some stats for Minnesota:
Marbury 21 points, 6-17 fg, 1-1 3pt, 8-8 ft, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
Spree 23 points, 10-17 fg, 2 assists, 1 rebound
KG 21 points, 9-15 fg, 6 rebounds, 4 assists,1 block
Ervin Johnson 12 points, 6-9 fg, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal

KG's injury turned out to be a broken bone in his foot and he's out at least 17 days. This dynasty just got a whole lot interesting
. Can Marbury and spree hold the fort down? Will we lose every game until KG returns? This could get good

[Andrew]

Ouch! Tough break with KG but that will indeed make things interesting. Sick as it sounds, I'm kind of hoping for an injury in my Dynasty somewhere along the line just to shake things up and throw out a challenge. Did you touch the Injury slider at all?

[Matthew]

Nah the injury slider is still at 50. I'm excited about playing some games without garnett. I know i'll get him back, so if i struggle it'll be ok still. Lucky i didnt trade jyd for a small forward, he's going to get a lot of minutes the next few weeks.

[Matthew]

Phoenix @ Minnesota

My first game without KG was going to be a test against Pheonix's impressive forward combo, but Marbury and Spree got off to a nice start. With their penetration, it opened things up for Jerome Williams and Ervin Johnson cutting, and we got off to a nice start, But phoenix quickly took control behind Marion, and they jumped out to a 32-16 lead after the first quarter. The start of the second was more of the same, but worse. Pheonix was dictating everything and were up 40-26 at one point before we managed a comeback of sorts to close the deficit to 5 at halftime, down 55-50.

In the second half JYD contined to get all the hustle points. He was getting out on the break, getting offensive rebounds and finishing plays set up by marbury, hudson and spree. Pheonix looked lost in the third quarter as marbury was doing everything (except shooting the ball well ) and we managed to take a lead into the 4th quarter, up 81- 76. The fourth began with both teams cold, but marion was getting it done one on one. JYD was in foul trouble but Gary Trent contributed and the late charge expected from phoenix never happened and we won 106-97. Marbury was given Player of the game honours, but if JYD wasnt in foul trouble, he wouldve gotten it.

Player of the Game
Stephon Marbury
24 points, 8-21 fgs, 8-8 ft
7 assists
6 rebounds
2 steals

And for the rest, some nice balance here:
Ervin Johnson 14 ponts, 13 rebounds (7 offensive!), 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Jerome Williams, 21 points, 6 rebounds
Spree 13 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds
Hudson, 13 points, 2 assists
Trent 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Marion had a nice game for pheonix, with 35 points on 16-33 shooting. I got charlotte next so i should be able to win that, im 20-9 at the moment. KG is scheduled to return the 17th against the raptors.

[ShivaSquad]

yea in my phoenix dynasty nash and amare got injured in the same game!

nash out for 9 weeks, amare out for 9 days. its fun tho cause wen amare comes back hes gonna go crazy. also, wats really cool about live this year, and realistic... is that if ur player gets injured in a quarter, but they can come back later in the game, and u put them back in... then they hav a chance to get injured longterm

for example, i put nash and amare back into the game, thinking it was no big deal. then i get a message in my PDA that they r out for a long time. its kool cause it means that u should just bench them for the rest of the game, not take chances

also, i play injury slider at 60, cause there still arent too many injuries around the leaugue, and at 60, most injuries are minor, which is good

(look at the nba, EVERY player is injured in a minor way, and SOOO many ppl on the IL)

[Matthew]

Thats true about players that come back into the game. Its good when its a huge game, but its usually better to sit your guy down and rest him up.

Minnesota @ Charlotte
Comming off that good second half against the suns, I was feeling confident against Charlotte. Also, Charlotte was only a 62 overall team, and Minnesota is 70. However, I remember in my Magic dynasty a while back losing to the Bobcats, so I wasnt taking anything for granted and we got off to a good start again. Spree and Jerome Williams did most of the damage early, as we jumped out to a 11-2 lead. That Kapono guy is hard to stop for some reason, and charlotte hung around and took advantage of my bench and ended up taking a 28-25 lead into the 2nd quarter. The Bobcats continued their run in the 2nd and opened up a 8 point lead before Gary Trent started to come through for us. Fred Hoiberg has been struggling lately and when KG returns I might look to trade him. When Marbury and Spree returned though we went on a run and closed out the hald up by one, 54-53.

The third quarter saw the emergance of Emeka on the boards. He was killing my guys inside, getting offensive rebounds and dominating. Jerome Williams stepped it up in the 3rd though, once again off the pentration of Marbury and spree, and also hassell who was suprising in this game. Charlotte however seemed to take control in the third, but a small run reduced the lead down to 5 for them, with Charlotte up 81- 76 entering the fourth.
Charlotte came out in the fourth hot, with Kapono and Gerald Wallace shooting the ball well. Sprewell was answering for us but he couldnt do it all himself. Down the stretch Marbury was comming up huge, scoring and setting up Williams for easy scores, and with a little over a minute and Charlotte up 2, Marbury drew a foul with 3 left on the clock and made both free throws to tie the game. Kapono came back for The bobcats and also got fouled, and hit both free throws to put charlotte up 103-101 with less than a minute left. I went for the quick tie but Hassell missed a somewhat open midrange shot, and all charlotte had to do was score again to put themselves in the drivers seat.
However Minnesota played awesome defense and it lead to Jason Hart in a one on one situation with JYD along the baseline with the shot clock running down, which Junkyard Blocked and forced the violation. There was about 27 seconds left so i couldnt have had the last shot, so i decided to push the ball from the inbound immediately, which had marbury setting up Spree for a drive and he got fouled and made the shot. He made the free throw to put us up 104-103, but Charlotte had plenty of time left on the clock. However they went for a fairly quick score with Jason Hart again, but he bricked it and Emeka and Jerome Williams battled for the board and somehow JYD came down with it. He was fouled immediately and sent to the line. He made the first but missed the second... but hassell got the offensive rebound! He was fouled and made both free throws to give us a 107-103 lead that gave charlotte no chance of catching us. What a game!

Player of the Game (I never thought I'd be saying this...)
Jerome Williams!
30 points
11 rebounds
2 assists
1 block

That block and rebound he got in the last minute were incredible. And to think i was using him as bait for a small forward. I'm glad I kept him

Some other stats:
Johnson, 4 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks
Hassell, 6 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds
Spree, 28 points, 3-4 3pt, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Marbury 21 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists
Trent, 8 points, 1 rebound

So I move to 21-9, and things are stable without KG for the moment. I cant wait for him to return, but when he comes back it wont be just a 3 man show like it was before. These role players arent that bad for Minnesota, so there will be some ball movement and distribution. I might even move kg to sf and have jyd stay at power forward...

[Andrew]

Great finish against the Bobcats! It's great to have games like that every so often. Blowouts can be fun, but I find they get boring after a while, as I'm just going through the motions waiting for the game to finish. JYD seems to have had an awesome game, but if I were you I'd give him another couple of games before deciding to start him alongside KG once he's recovered. After all, you might need that spark off the bench...or JYD's monster night could have been a fluke.

[Matthew]

It might have been a fluke, but i think its becuase he's not kg. As soon marbury or spree get into the lane, the other team collapses and it opens up for williams and ervin johnson. With KG he was always guarded... im not sure if ill start jyd when kg returns, but it'll be hard benching him after his production with minutes..


Transactions
Minnesota and Cleveland trade

Fred Hoiberg and Derrick Martin
for
Dajuan Wagner

Hoiberg simply wasnt getting it done, and Wagner was going to waste in cleveland. He was the 6th pick in the draft and with Spree's free agency looming, he is good insurance.

Minnesota signs Courtney Alexander

This was a steal. I've been a fan of Alexander since Jordan played that season in washington. But injuries hurt his career, and he was on free agency until I signed him for $745 000 for one season. I have no idea if I'll keep him after seasons end

Now to a recap

Philly @ Minnesota
After those two moves, I was actually relaxed for the first time with the big ticket, and it showed. We jumped out to a massive lead in the first quarter, led by spree and Junkyard again. Aron Mckie had 3 3's in the first and that helped them stay somewhat in it, but we were up 36-23 at the end of the first. The second quarter was similar to the first. Philly never really got their feet underneath them and we were just pushing the ball at every opportunity, and my bench actually had some spark to it with Wagner and Alexander. The score at halftime was 68- 49.

The second half actually had Philly staying at home with Junkyard dog and Johnson, which allowed Marbury to create havoc with his driving and finishing. Philly had no answers all game, and every player scored for my team which gave me some dynasty points which i'll use for scouting.The final was 118-97, with philly rolling right over. Boring game recap, sorry.

Player of the game
Marbury
30 Points
9 Assists
4 Rebounds
1 steal

Johnson 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Williams 19 Points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Spree 12 points, 3 rebounds 3 assists
Hudson 11 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound
Trent 8 points, 3 rebounds
Oliver Miller 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Right now, I think this will be my rotation when kg returns
Centre: Johnson/ Trent/ Madsen
Power Forward: KG/ Junkyard/ Madsen
Small forward: Hassell/ Alexander/ Ebi
Shooting Guard: Spree/ Wagner
Point Guard: KG... just kidding. Stephon/ Hudson

[Andrew]

Now that's the kind of deal I like - expendable players for a guy who will actually get something done off the bench. Alexander sounds like a good pickup, good luck with him.