bullsfan009 wrote:Hey Andrew, are you going to update your season with the trades in the real NBA?
Webber + Barnes + Bradley to 76ers
Thomas + Williamson + Skinner to Kings
Welsch to Cavs
...and any other deals that come up???
I thought about it, but I've decided I'll just let the CPU make whatever deals it wants to make. I've already made my own transactions that are completely fictional and am looking to make a few more (more on that later), so I won't bother editing the save to move players around to reflect the real NBA.
Another update...gotta love weekends.
December 15th, 2004
Memphis 102, Chicago 87
[ Boxscore ]
This was just a terrible game - the Grizzlies outplayed us from the start of the second quarter onwards. I lost count, but I'm sure they outscored us about 20-8 through the first eight or nine minutes. Deng and Gordon had their moments, but none of their points meant much as the deficit remained too large to overcome throughout the second half. Kirk simply wasn't productive, failing to register a single assist. It's a good thing Mike Miller was cold, else the beating would have been even worse.
After this game, I decided to make a couple of changes to the lineup:
C: Antonio Davis
F: Keon Clark
F: Luol Deng
G: Ben Gordon
G: Kirk Hinrich
December 16th, 2004
Milwaukee 112, Chicago 108
[ Boxscore ]
The new lineup did little to improve our fortunes, though I can't fault AD and Keon, both of whom were on the floor and playing well in the final quarter. Another lacklustre game for the two Cs, who really didn't play well enough to deserve more time than the combined 39 minutes they played. Our defense was awful, just terrible - Michael Redd followed up his 22 first half points with 19 in the third quarter.
That's when I decided to take out Deng, Gordon and Hinrich, teaming AD and Keon up with Nocioni, Piatkowski and Duhon. Throughout the fourth quarter, we continued to chip away at the lead and managed to outscore the Bucks an incredible 46-23, narrowing the gap to 2 with about 30 seconds left. Had we pulled off the victory, Chris Duhon would have been the hero. I'm even considering starting him ahead of Hinrich.
However, my plan to get the ball inside to Davis for the game-tying basket failed, as Davis blew the layup. We had a second chance, but again AD came up short. All we could was foul and hope that we'd get another chance at evening the score. We didn't. Van Horn made both free throws, Duhon missed a three and Mike James simply dribbled out the clock.
Still, we nearly overcame a 27 point deficit, on the strength of our reserves. I'm not sure if I'll make any adjustments for the next game, but I'm really considering benching Hinrich or looking at making some trades. These are two games that we really could have won.
December 18th, 2004
Indiana 105, Chicago 103
[ No Boxscores - forgot to save them
]
This loss was another disappointing collapse in the final seconds. We were pretty shaky in the first half but really started to play well in the second, executing better on offense and doing a decent job at the defensive end. Jackson and Tinsley hit a few big threes that hurt us down the stretch, but in the final three minutes we took the lead 92-91. Even though the Pacers scored the next time down the floor, we responded and capitalised on a couple of Pacer misses to take a 99-95 lead.
Indiana wasn't done though. Jackson hit a long two to bring the Pacers within two, then Gordon, who had hit a three just a few moments ago to take back the lead, missed an open three that led to an Indiana fast break. With around 10 seconds left, the score was tied at 103, Indiana's ball. We were able to force them to waste the clock, but Croshere got off a short jumper that went in with 1.1 seconds left.
We called a timeout, and I decided to get Gordon the ball for a final shot at the top of the key. Unfortunately, Deng's pass was errant and Gordon didn't get a good catch, time expiring before he could get the shot off.
Shaking things up...or trying to
The Bulls release F Tommy Smith.
In the past week, I've tried to sign Shandon Anderson but we don't have the cap space to give him the deal he's after. His agent politely informed us that we "weren't even close" with the offer we made. A blockbuster trade might not be a viable option as this juncture, and Anderson would provide us with a big swingman off the bench that can shoot and play defense.
But our hands are tied with the cap room. So, I got in touch with the Charlotte Bobcats. I offered Othella Harrington and Jannero Pargo for Theron Smith, Jamal Sampson and their first round pick - a long shot, I know, but they have cap room. They balked at the idea of giving up their first round pick, as I expected. But I'd like to work out a deal to offload some of our talented but seldom used guys for the cap room to sign Anderson and possibly another player.
We've also been working out with Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni lately. I've noticed some improvement in Gordon's offensive game, while Chapu has really improved his ballhandling.
I'm still waiting to hear back from some of my scouts regarding this year's prospects. We've been scouting the guys who will likely be available from the 15th pick onwards, but with the current slide that may be optimistic. I might start having to pay attention to some of the guys projected for the lottery. I did plan to do so anyway, as I wouldn't be against trying to pry away a pick from a lottery-bound team before the deadline.
Current Record: 12-10
Next Game: Portland Trailblazers (14-9) @ Chicago
great write-ups and i like the way you format your boxscore. i was hoping for you post a pic every now and then because i never noticed you posting pics in your dynasties.
