please sitemail for me.

Quote: Originally Posted By creigel on 10/27/2009Wow, Arvid - all over Skiles drug issues and nothing on Tarpley???

What drug issues? Jeez, I hope Tarpley does not have drug issues during his EBKL career. Some prognosticators say he could be the next Moses Malone!

Is anyone interested in this pick? Sitemail me

Everyone on my roster is available, including Laimbeer ....

Waiting for Peekay to start this up again, I decided to amuse myself by dropping in some unsolicited and totally unsupportable team assessments...

Teams holding strong (for now)

Great Lakes – This core should have 2-3 more title runs in them before Bird’s health starts to erode. As I recall, Robinson steps back a bit this season but Donaldson steps up.

Circle City – I initially expected the Slickers to fall off a bit this season, but a strong rookie year from Ron Harper plus Dale Ellis plus Alvin Robertson still holding strong for a while should give them a chance of making the playoffs.

Serenity Valley – No superstuds here, but this team has a lot of quality pieces. They should threaten to make the playoffs, but may not have quite enough in the ultra-competitive West. Then again, they’re getting a nice infusion from the IR list and Darrell Griffith may help them move up a step.

Alpha Centauri – This team should have a long, pretty high plateau ahead of them. This is the season Drexler becomes more of a scorer. Gilmore takes a step back, but Willis is due for a good season and will more than make up for that. The biggest question about this squad is whether they have enough assists.

Los Angeles – TheROB was able to put it all together last season after some patient rebuilding and shrewd trades. The championship core is still intact, although Cheeks peaked last year and depth is sorely needed at PG and C. I don’t see another 70 win season, but I would expect 60 wins and a strong playoff finish.

BeanTown – The BeautyQueens had a better season than I expected, and seem to be built to last for a while. Kersey and Skiles are mainly pieces for the future, but all in all this team has good quality depth and shouldn’t have any trouble making the playoffs again.

Golden State – My guess is that the Glitterati will finish with a record similar to their 43-39 finish of last season, but the future looks much brighter since cullen understandably pounced on the opportunity to bring Jordan to town. Rivers and Benjamin are the only other clear pluses on this squad, though. The Glitterati could hover around .500 for 2-3 seasons before achieving the quality depth and complementary scoring needed to make a real push for the top.

Teams rising quickly

Saskatchewan – arvid has gotten decent short-term value out of the Jordan trade, has mad assists with Magic and Isiah, and good rebounding all around. Bringing in Isiah gives this team the additional scoring I thought was missing. Should be a strong contender until Magic contracts the virus.

Shanghai – The Shaolin may very well fall short of the peak I’d hoped they might reach, but they’ll be a lot better for the next 4 years than they have been since I picked this team up for the ’79-’80 season. The gamble is that high-octane scoring and competent rebounding will offset putrid defense in the wings. Hakeem, Lister and Fat may not be able to cover for all of Kiki’ and English’s lapses. We’ll know soon enough!

Illinois – Great positioning for a long run with Stockton and the Mailman, and Eaton doesn’t hurt either. This squad needs another scorer and more depth for a real title run, but an EBKL dynasty could lie in the future. I had totally forgotten Billy Thompson’s existence, but he gives them about four years of good minutes and efficient scoring…nice pickup for the #17 spot.

Teams starting to make the climb

St. Louis – Some nice building blocks in Mullin and J. Malone, but very thin in the frontcourt coming into this season. Cartwright’s return helps a bit, and nabbing Daugherty in the draft is huge. The playoffs are probably still a season or two away due to being short on minutes (I’m guessing), but the Billikens should be on the rise.

Halifax – Yes, they have a long, long way to go, but Cage’s presence should make them at least a little better than last season’s product, and Mark Price’s arrival gives cdew a clear window within which to try to build a contender. Don’t expect much noise this year, though.

SoLanCo – The Barnstormers will inevitably be at least a bit better since Ewing puts in a full season’s work and he’ll have McMillan to pass to him right away. They’ll still rely heavily on useless rookies to fill out the rotation, so it may be another season or so before they knock at the door of twenty wins.

Teams on the way down (for now)

Beavadillo – all3 is jumping off a cliff deliberately and will obviously spend a few years gearing back up for another run. Schrempf and Dumars are wise building blocks since neither of them get off to a fast start in their careers. Corbin is a nice piece, but rebounders and passers will obviously be needed.

Oklahoma City – The reconstruction process is just getting started here, but Oakley is a good piece to hold onto and Dell Curry will be a nice glue guy for several years. The Cyclone squad looks to be light on minutes and has absolutely no one to pass the ball, so they should get worse before they get better.

Las Vegas – I’m really not sure here. Some nice players but no big difference-maker and they need another scorer. They’ll get a nice rotation player out of the draft, and shouldn’t need to give minutes to useless WIS rookies, but I see them either holding steady or sliding down a peg. Michael Adams will be a fun squirt eventually.

Memphis – The additions of Bagley, Sichting and Rambis fill some holes really helpfully, but I think Da Mafia will suffer from the Ralph Sampson injury woes. Chambers will pick up some of the scoring load, but I fear they’ll miss Ralphie’s extra rebounding.

Sacramento – This team will go as far as Cummings and McHale (in his best season) will take them. I thought going into the draft they needed another rebounder, and duvair was able to snag Tarpley. I wonder if they still need another scorer, with Purvis nerfed by injuries.

Brooklyn – This could be a parade of aging stars, all of whom have seen better days and none of whom play great defense from this point forward in their careers. The Benjamins had a nice run this past season, but I suspect rebuilding lies ahead.

Virginia – After a very nice season, wandmtribe has shipped out the main cogs and appears to be retooling for the future. Hot Rod, Dawkins and Pierce are a nice beginning, but the Ebirt still need a bit of everything. At least the Spud-to-Bol circus will keep fans in their seats while the roster is overhauled.

Homer City – I’m ranking them here because I think they’ll probably slip a bit more before they get better, with Erving ready for the golf course and no one available to shoulder the scoring load. But the future looks bright with WIS favorites Rodman and Porter to build around. Add an inside scorer and some shooting at the wings and the Slapnuts will be looking great eventually.

San Diego – This has been one of my favorite teams in recent years, but it looks like the Surf’s run may be winding down. Peekay is fielding offers for anyone and everyone. Barring a major move the Surf should still slip into the playoffs, but I think Moncrief is done as an impact player. Bernard King is back, but won’t be quite the difference-maker he was. Laimbeer is their best asset right now, so if he’s shipped out then we know the fire sale is on.

Thanks for the analysis ltb. Great work.

Hope Peekay remembers he only has 3 1/2 more hours to get this rolling again. As an Irish fan, I love Laimbeer, but he just doesn't fit the Disciples' blue print.

sorry for the delay

Surf select Johnny Newman

love the report ltb. accurate and enjoyable.

I'm missing two teams, but I can't figure out which ones...

think they are vancouver and houston ltb

Kevin Duckworth C

to add to Kareem and Sikma