BuzzerBeater Forums

And here are your incredibly premature preseason power rankings. looks like a bloodbath again:

1. bucsblue lob city - it's tough to say too much about them, because most of their team is currently for sale. no doubt, they'll reload and at least be competitive. coming off a finals appearance, anything short of promotion would figure to be a disappointment.

2. west side tigers - the unfortunate matchup with marshland last season might be the only reason they're still a d3 team. they have an obscene payroll and are poised for promotion. ever led by the formidable tandem gybels and bois, aided by trainees marrero and wilbanks, starring recent acquisition and title holder of 2nd priciest player in III.7 julien leveque, it's hard to see anyone overtaking this squad on the red side if they stay together.

3. baker street irregulars - the irregulars are always threatening bucsblue, and this season shouldn't be different. known for being a rounded team, you may see them shift to a look inside team featuring a duo of kuptsov and sala. don't be surprised if it turns out that he was training guards heavily last season, and they're as rounded and deep as ever. title contention is probable for the irregulars.

4. philadelphia phantasm - the classically outside-oriented phantasm return mvp candidate guards zarzecki and fischer, who are so difficult to stop. having added depth last season and nicely rounding out their team, they could become dark horse title contenders quickly. truthfully, if bucsblue comes back not as good as he was before, and west side is unable to keep their current payroll, philly could well become the favorite.

5. space von jam - they've come prepared for d3, and should immediately make an impact if they can afford that payroll. they're very thin, so if they don't want to lose half of their games, snagging a bench is imperative, but that starting 5 is as good as any. well... starting 4. it's hard to call them title contenders until they plug some of their holes.

6. walnut streets - they had a great draft, and they've been improving every season over the last 3 seasons. now they're built to win, and win they shall. tremol is a man-bear, and we've experienced last year that, if you try to stop him, zangiacomi and al anwar will make you pay. borderline lock for the playoffs, but can they do some damage once they get there? we'll have to see. i'm not yet sold.

7. frosty bc - probably the most disappointing team in the league a season ago, fbc is looking to make a comeback. their bench is their strength as always, and it's even stronger this year. no changes in their roster, same cast of characters.

8. mitsubishi eclipse - they've built a competitive roster, and should be in the chase for a playoff spot. with a veteran manager, the 2nd year III.7 team should avoid digging the same hole they were forced to last season before the important transfers that led to a relegation series win. it'll be fun to see them at full strength for a full season.

9. pearl city - they're a fairly young team, but also very thin. they'll need to add some depth if they want to compete for a playoff spot. either that or lose really quickly in the cup. regardless, they have a nice core of players, and a lot to build upon. it's entirely possible that their young guys are a lot better than last season, so i guess we'll see.

10. diamantes - diamantes didn't lose a single game last season. they have a competitive roster immediately. despite going undefeated, they are stuck with an ancient roster and are desperately in need of a youth injection. we'll see if they can survive and become factors, but if the recent history of the tri-lambs has taught us anything, they probably won't. i would love to be proven wrong and see that blue side get more competitive, though.

12. ballstars - they're in the midst of a huge turnover right now, so we'll see how their roster shakes out, but it looks like they have money. their arena is pretty small, so that will be difficult to overcome, but not impossible. too early to tell, but odds are they'll be in the relegation conversation probably.

13. homeboyz - another team i'm probably underrating, but meh. they made the playoffs in their inaugural season. time to show it wasn't a fluke. they have a few holes to plug, but they're honestly not too terribly difficult to plug. time to prove last season wasn't a fluke.

14. lambdalambdalambda - they gutted their team and they're starting over. r.i.p.

15. new york chickens - expansion team, they'll be demoting

16. wrexham rebels - see above

we may still see a 1 and done. 4 teams demote. it'll be lambda (by choice), new york, wrexham and ????

i would bet the house that the champion is a III.7 vet this season. there isn't a team that has the buying power and core essentials to do what marshland did last season, at least not this season. once established though, space jam has a 17k seat arena, and that's no joke. i bet they're players for the long haul. teams like ballstars and pearl city will struggle due to their financial infrastructure probably. i mean, we saw what happened to north carolina and warhawks (not nyc). same deal with those 2. diamantes is a little more interesting case. they kinda teeter on and off the edge of having a sustainable cash flow. that's how i see it anyway.

Last edited by FrostyMc at 4/27/2015 11:32:31 PM

It is very interesting that we didn't get a true D2 relegate that would be coming in with the hope of getting back to D2 as soon as possible. So i appreciate the early love in the power rankings for my team but realistically this is the MOST open this league has been in a few seasons. Whats interesting is i had 1 plan for restructuring my team and then also had a plan B based on how our league would change with demotes and promotes etc. And i am torn as to what route i want to take. If i had waited and known exactly what i know now. I will say this... i wouldn't have put 1 particular player up for sale. the rest probably but 1 guy i would have kept. But the best part about the BB market is just cuz a guy is for sale doesn't mean someone buys. So it'll be interesting if ALL 4 my guys go i then i am going to stick with my plan A restructure. If only 1 or 2 go then i will quickly move to plan B.

Lets just say this season could be fun. I doubt its an arms race like last year. I think most teams are internally built and buckled down. But without truely knowing how much money a team is bringing in each week, plus how much money a team can gather from a good cup run. its never out of the question that someone makes 1 splash or 2. I just dont feel like theres a powerhouse team that you look and say for example i need 2-3 MONSTERS to compete. I think we will see quite a few teams around 12-10, 14-8 etc. should be fun!

Ps love how active our league always is! makes this game that much more enjoyable!!!! stay active and good luck on your opening season games/scrimmages!

Great ranking! I agree it should be wide open. I'd be thrilled to be a fringe playoff team again! I am not sold on my team either, but they are probably better than I am willing to admit.