POWER RANKINGS
Here are the preseason power rankings, brought to you by Kmaze:
1. Jake’s Team
Jake had an advantage starting out in that he is one of the best players in the GM pool. He did a lot to complement his own talent with drafting some of the best athletes available. A lot will depend on whether Temmy can play most of the games, but if so, Jake will have the best defender in the league terrorizing offenses. He’ll also have versatility with Kleiza (nickname). But those picks probably weren’t even his best; stealing Joe Doliner gives him a solid power forward who’s guaranteed to add size to his line up. With Doliner, Kleiza, Temmy, and Jake, Jake’s team is sure to be big, powerful, athletic, and skilled. Expect them to shut down offenses all season long.
2. The Best Team in the League
Maybe not the best team in the league, but definitely the best frontcourt in the league with Jesse at the 5 and Jay McGovern at the 4. Jesse didn’t ignore the backcourt though; he also picked up an elite point guard in David Murphy, who is supposedly the next Joe Stoner. If he’s anything like his predecessor, Murphy will add the explosiveness in the backcourt that we’re used to seeing from Jesse’s teams. Evan Turner will help out with scoring as well; and don’t forget Jesse’s steal of the draft: Lori Tanaka (2nd only to Keenan Pontoni in 3’s made last season). Expect to see Jesse’s timeless formula at work again: Size and rebounding in the frontcourt, explosiveness in the backcourt. The same formula won him a championship last season.
3. Stephan’s Team
One thing seems to unify Stephan’s picks: Speed. Stephan is clearly counting heavily on himself to provide the size in his line up, which is a reasonable expectation given his dominance in the paint last season. Stephan was able to pick up two of the most impressive guards in the draft in Luke Feidler and Zain. Luke was one of the best scorers in last year’s league and Zain is probably the fastest player in this year’s field. Stephan’s team is going to wear teams down as the run track meets for basketball games. Expect high-scoring lay-up fests that end with Stephan’s team on the winning side.
4. Ether
There are some thing’s about Kelvin’s teams that never change: They’re always balanced in talent, team-oriented, smart, and deep. Ether will the league’s best pure point guard in Joe Stoner, and will threaten scoring at all positions with Ji, Jeamin, and Kelvin in the frontcourt. Everyone in their line up can score from all places on the court. The most compelling part of Ether, however, is their depth; Kelvin drafted chemistry better than any other GM by selecting Muff, Semeer, and Marco. All three of those players have played together since coming to Chicago, which makes them pretty unstoppable when on the court at the same time. And don’t forget their wild card Top 50, who can single-handedly win games with his outside shooting. Kelvin’s team will struggle when matched up against some of the bigger teams in the league. Expect them to be most comfortable running and gunning in the open court with Stoner as the quarterback.
5. Fat Girls
Choi got a superstar in Mike Emerson, who he’ll count on for a lot of his team’s scoring. Emerson can do it from anywhere on the court, especially from beyond the arc. Choi also picked up Yilei, Mike, and Emmett, players who will make the Fat Girls a dynamic team who can attack in a lot of different ways. The Fat Girls will also benefit from having Taotao, the ultimate chemistry enhancer, on their roster. Expect the Fat Girls to struggle defensively against teams with elite big men. They’ll stay in games, however, with their offensive versatility.
6. Ruben’s team
We knew Ruben’s team would be a threat, if only because Ruben is on it. He made some smart picks early by getting Matt Wonzer and Sean Knightly. Some bad picks late may have hurt him though. Ruben’s team should be solid defensively, but their offense could get very stagnant at times. They’ll certainly try to be patient, forcing low-scoring halfcourt games. Wonzer, Ruben, Trevor, and Knightly are all great at running halfcourt sets. Expect intense, grind-out, down-to-the-wire games when you play Ruben’s team. Also expect scoring to be very balanced, with a lot of easy baskets coming from a great passing game.
7. Andy’s team
Andy picked a young and athletic squad, getting rising stars Drew Jackson and Ian Williams to make up his frontcourt. These two alone will frustrate teams with their rebounding and points in the paint. Not to mention, of course, Drew Jackson’s ability to completely take over games. It helps also having one of the best point guards in the league in Andy himself. Players like Fendt, Jack, Chika, and Butterfoss make Andy’s team deep. The problem they may have is with finding their identity. Drew Jackson and Ian Williams seem to do best on the run, but Andy has shown time and again that he prefers to pound inside in the halfcourt. If Andy’s team can build strong on-court chemistry, they could be very dangerous.
8. Julian’s team
Julian’s team is compelling, as it features the best-scoring backcourt in the league, by far. Tommy Parks and Ryan Williams are two of the most explosive scorers in the league, and pairing them up in the same backcourt is nothing short of scary. Opponents will have to concede giving up a lot of perimeter scoring. The problem with Julian’s team is in his frontcourt: they just don’t have the size necessary to defend against the elite teams in the league. Their kryptonites will be continued inside scoring and strong perimeter on-ball defense.
9. Frank’s team
Frank is a solid player who was able to select the best player in the draft in Jerrell. Jerrell will have to carry a lot of the scoring load though, as Frank’s team does not have the depth or size that the elite teams do. Mike Kiyo should be able to help scoring, but this team will be inconsistent on both ends of the court. Jerrell has shown that he can single-handedly take over games; he’ll need to do a lot of that for Frank’s team to make the playoffs.
10. Isaac’s team
Isaac will be helped a lot by having one of the best, if not the best, big men in the league in Al Keith. He was also able to add Pete Visser and Chris Chan. What remains to be seen is what kind of style they will adopt. A lot will center around Al in the middle; unfortunately, they may not be dynamic enough offensively to compete against the top half of the league.
11. Tenn’s team
Tennessee has a big team with Ed and Thoburn. The problem is that his team lacks offense, both in the frontcourt and the backcourt. Tennessee is going to have to make great decisions on the court to keep his offense rolling, and it’s questionable whether his guards will be able to stop the elite guards on the perimeter. A lot remains to be seen with this team. Don’t be surprised if they make a run; they certainly have talent with their big three in Tennessee, Ed, and Will.
12. Ian’s team
It’s hard to put a team that has perennial dominator and LBL/Dynasty legend Marc Gasser. It’s unclear right now how much else they have. Their line up includes a lot of untested players who will need to live up to Ian’s expectations of them if his team is going to be competitive. As with a lot of the teams who had early picks, a lot is going to rest on their superstar; in this case, Gasser will carry a big part of the load. He’s shown before that he can make any team competitive, so this team should be taken seriously at all times.
