7. homeboyz - 7-4
the acquisition of big-time center markko vahi has catapulted them to favorites to take a playoff spot, and possibly do some damage when they get there. it's a team that can't be taken lightly by the top tier teams in the league. they'll put a hurting on anyone who does. joining an already present le dorze, it's a front court tandem to rival any in the league, and they can still stroke it from outside.
8. Mitsubishi Eclipse - 7-4
recent acquisition dragec korljan has lit it up in his first couple appearances, dropping 29 ppg. varvas continues doing his thing leading the eclipse to where they are now; right in the thick of a playoff hunt. while it may be improbable, perhaps even unfair, to expect them to make any noise once they get there, getting there does seem to be a reasonable goal for this team.
9. Space von Jam - 7-4
way down the list and maybe underrated, svj sits at 9 in the power rankings. they barely squeaked by homeboyz, crosstown and fbc (i'm totally not bitter), was given a freebie by west side, and got beat by walnut and ballstars, thus my justification. while the team has perhaps not played up to their preseason billing, star center arthur hinkle certainly has. the highest rated player in the league consistently puts in devastating defensive performances, effectively shutting down most post play from the opposition. the gap on the red side does signify that this team is on their way to a playoff berth in their inaugural III.7 season, which is impressive in its own right.
10. Walnut Streets - 5-6
there's a pretty good sized gap between 9 and 10, but last night the streets played in a manner that suggested it's not as big as the numbers might have you believe. they've been playing pretty well lately. undoubtedly still disappointed with how their season has gone, but there's hope. a young core has emerged from their team that looks capable of hanging tough. you MIGHT see team reset in the near future out of manager squirrel, and they might be able to still compete despite having unloaded a ton of talent. in addition, tremol is having one of the better seasons he's had in a long time, topping the charts in blocks and averaging 11.7 rpg.
11. Crosstown United - 4-7
another team that has seen a skid from last season, their fall from a playoff spot a season ago has been abrupt. being 3 games behind playoff pace means they'll have to start kicking some serious butt for the remainder of the season. suddenly, that mitsubishi and bucsblue games look awfully important, and their later matchups with fbc and svj are must wins. most of the team's shortcomings can likely be attributed to a shallow bench and poor game shape. with an arena size of just 10k, i don't see financial relief coming anytime soon. on the bright side, moses mcgee is averaging 22.8 ppg and might see himself receive some mvp votes at season's end.
12. Ballstars - 3-8
my utopia team's brethren is in a relegation battle with new york. they'll be alright if they can just oust the chickens, and they likely will i'd imagine. if nothing else, it's hard to see them losing the pd battle given a tie.
arena expansion has wisely become the top priority for manager dj kieller. if they do a good job with managing finances and expanding their arena, they could be around for quite a while. they have some talent there with crowe, waldron and christiansen whom are reasonably young, and perhaps some 18 yr old rookie talent in carone, so it does seem like they're doing the right things in terms of building the franchise.
Last edited by FrostyMc at 6/7/2015 2:03:45 AM