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Week Three Power Rankings
Week 3 Observations
It took until the third week of the season to see some movement on the transfer list with The Philadelphia Spartans shooting their shot to a tune of $920k to bring on three new mature players to help them maintain a holding place in the Great 8. First up, Romanian Center Sorin Nitã a seven footer who comes in averaging a double double and 14.0 rating for his career. He'd started the season in Denmark's II.1 league and was averaging 16.8 rebounds per game for his first five matchups. Utopian 6'4" PF Florian Taylor is their second transfer piece and has a decent rating for only a Star potential rating and appears to slot in as the starting PF for the Spartans. Filling out their backcourt is 26-year-old PG Antonio Llanos, also from the heralded Utopia, and started at SG this week for the Spartans. I'd assume once their game shape recovers, they'll help the Spartans significantly. Just for kicks and giggles, I updated my preseason power rankings with their new salary totals and they jump clear up the list from 13th originally to 4th. As is the phrase, time will tell, but significant upgrades for a team that otherwise might not have had a shot to stay in the division, but now I think they're well set for the next couple of seasons.

On the same side of the standings, The Beer Bellys made a move, bringing in their own Greek Freak, SF Yiannis Georgoulis, a 30-year-old with an impressive record of scoring 61-points in a game two real life years ago. He looks to be stepping in place of the diminuitive Christopher Layton who has probably started showing his age at 34-years-old, but who is a recent transfer signing for thatguy's squad near the end of last season.

Other than that, it is looking like five teams in each conference have a shot at the play-offs after six games (though after the Spartans' additions, most likely six teams in the Great 8 will fight for those spots) while the two winless teams are almost guaranteed relegation (though I do hate to make that designation so early, but their EFFG and OPP EFFG are truly terrible). Which leaves the Lion Rebels, BKDogs, and Motor City Waddupdoe fighting for respect and hoping against hope that they'll be able to find a way to avoid relegation. I know it's early, but the way things have shaken out so far, it's looking pretty terrible for those three as well.

This week, with thanksgiving upon us, I'm proud to introduce my first ever Power Rankings - Thanksgiving Edition, where I designate a specific Thanksgiving dish to be associated with a team's ranking. Obviously, the worse the ranking, the worse the dish is (in my humble estimation anyway). Enjoy, and I hope you all have something you can be thankful for this year!

Week 3 Power Rankings
16. BOBBBSBURGS (16) - Chinese Food
Nothing against Chinese Food, which is generally delicious, but for a Thanksgiving substitute, it definitely ranks last. After six games, BOBBBS has given up 737 points and only managed 270. What's worse is their EFFG is an abysmal -1.3, 16 points lower than last week and the lowest EFFG average I've ever seen since I've been tracking it for the last three seasons. They only averaged 30 PPG in their last two outings against Linndale and San Dominica. Fortunately for them, they're still in the Cup, but are facing elimination against 28th ranked Olympiakos Providence this week. Then on to Lion Rebels before hosting The Beer Bellys as non-conference play starts up.

15. Sweaty Socks (15) - Corn Pudding
To be fair, I've never tried Corn Pudding, but I needed something to round out my list of 16 Thanksgiving dishes and I opted for Corn Pudding over something like Brussel Sprouts as an option. But it just doesn't sound good. Kind of like how Sweaty Socks doesn't pass the sniff test. While they're marginally performing better than BOBBBS (100 points less given up but only 20 more points scored), they just don't seem to stand a chance. Two more beatings this week as they faced Hustlas followed by Żubr Białystok. They too have stuck around in the Cup so far, but face a higher ranked team in #431 Showtime Lakers before hosting both the Spartans and then the better Rebels team. Still five more games until they potentially see their first win of the season.

14. Motorcity Waddupdoe (14) - Cranberry Sauce
I don't think Cranberry Sauce is terrible just not something I necessarily enjoy. I'll eat a bit of it, but it doesn't occupy a large space on my plate. Thanks to another team's disappointing turn out this last week, they did improve on their OPP EFFG ranking by one spot, up to 13th. But all in all, they still hold strong to the 14th spot in this ranking. They actually "held" The Ashkickers to 85 points in their loss, but fared poorly against The Beer Bellys. A tough matchup for them in the Cup this week as they face off against #379 Imperial GZ on the road before then traveling to Miami and then hosting San Dominica in what will probably be 2 more losses on the season.

13. The Philadelphia Spartans (12) - Pumpkin Bars
Nothing against Pumpkin Bars in general - I think they're delicious, but not close to the top of my list of top notch things to eat at Thanksgiving. Much like a pumpkin bar, Spartans have just added the icing on top that makes the bars so delicious, so while they're treading water in these rankings through three weeks, I expect them to move up significantly by the all-star break. After starting Week 2 at 5th in the Great 8, they lost by 18 to then 7th seed Żubr Białystok and then got blown out on the road (and TV) by Hustlas. A not easy matchup in the Cup against #279 War Birds who some of us might recognize from Seasons 56 & 57 before they relegated back down to Div IV - it's a winnable matchup, but won't be a walk in the park. Then they turn their attention to what should be a guaranteed win against Sweaty Socks before playing host to their Philadelphia rivals, Philly Dribble. I expect by Week 5 will see the effects of their additions.

12. BKDogs (10) - Glazed Carrots
I'm not a picky eater, so these rankings are not necessarily ones of disgust at the bottom, just not as good as the rest of what is to come. Carrots deserve a rightful place at the table, but, again, they're not something taking up a lot of space on my plate. A modest fall down these rankings for BK from 10th last week with a loss to #1 Philly Dribble followed by a valiant 133-point effort only to give up 145 to Carolina in their fifth loss of the season. A difficult Cup matchup comes their way this week against #125 Desert Eagles and then back-to-back road games this week against 209's and then Żubr Białystok in a television matchup. Will they be able to stir things up this week and add another notch in the win column?

11. Żubr Białystok (13) - Pumpkin Pie
Ahh, the Pumpkin Pie - a staple in the Thanksgiving Feast. Also, it's overrated. Not bad, just overrated. But honestly, I think Żubr Białystok is underrated at this ranking, but the effects of their walk-over loss in game 2 is dragging them down. Two relatively easy wins this week over the Spartans and Sweaty Socks. They face what should be a difficult matchup against #349 Illiniwek who have previously spent time in Div II but are currently in III.5. After that, they have a critical matchup against Hustlas before playing host to BKDogs next Tuesday.

10. Lion Rebels (11) - Sweet Potatoes
I don't know how you like your Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, but I like them anyway BUT the traditional way with marshmellows on top. Give me a sweet potato mashed, swirled, sliced, or diced with a nice brown sugar dusting or honey slathered and I'm set. Unlike my struggling team this week. I'm most definintely ranked too high, but I'll take what's given to me (by me) this early on in this terrible start. I gambled with enthusiasm this week and suffered a mind-boggling buzzerbeater slam jam da dam to Linndale before getting utterly trashed by San Dom with a crunch time effort. A semi-favorable matchup in this third round of the Cup against #804 Westland Northerners before finally catching a break this weekend against BOBBBS before a surefire loss to The Ashkickers next week as my enthusiasm rebuilds.

9. Miami Cleo (7) - Green Bean Casserole
Much like Green Bean Casserole, Miami deserves to be higher up this list, but it really depends on how the casserole is made - you got those fried onion crunchies on top, then I'm all in. But with a 45-point score in a loss to The Ashkickers (while keeping them to only 66 points) followed by a twelve-point win over The Beer Bellys, the 4-2 Miami team has situated themselves well in the standings and to continue on in the Cup as they face #502 ProClaberators. They favorably have two home games this week with the transition to interconference matchups, first hosting Motor City before Linndale comes to town. I expect a split on those games to leave them at 5-3 as they venture into the Big 8 portion of their schedule.

8. 209's MostWanted (6) - Rival Kuga
If you're not a Russian German descendant living in the mid-west - mountain region of the US, you might not know what Rivall Kuga is, but this delicious bread is basically just coffee cake dough topped with sugary mounds, though in some regions it is filled with fruit. Rival Kuga has been a staple of my family's holiday meal traditions and is a warm place of nostalgia for me. I can't say 209's sparks the same sense of warmth for me, but they're busy carving out their space in the Big 8 hoping for a play off spot as they settle in at .500 after three weeks. A loss to Carolina followed by being summarily handled by Philly Dribble, they turn to #522 Henny in the Cup before hosting BKDogs and then traveling to Hustlas next week. They might pull a rabbit out of their hat this week, but I'm guessing they'll remain at .500 heading into Week 5. #WaitAndSee

7. San Dominica Warriors (9) - Creamed Corn
Another staple of the Thanksgiving Spread, it's not just corn, but creamed corn, which is a delicious medley of yellow addition to the plate. San Dominica Warriors might not be the toughest team in the league, but they certainly hold their own. Two wins evened out their record this last week, over BOBBBS and Lion Rebels. They somehow managed a Bot matchup in the Cup again this round before then a Game of the Week candidate against Linndale on TV before traveling a 2nd time this week to Motor City. 4-4 or 5-3? There's no way they'll be 3-5 come next week.

6. Carolina Rebels (8) - Stuffing
Stuffing is starting to get a bad rap, but how can you hate a bread type of mush? Sure, on its own, it might be trash, but on the Thanksgiving plate it ranks right up there. Carolina is proving my preseason assessment of them to be faulty with a 5-1 record through six games beating 209's and holding off BKDogs this week. An interesting matchup with #510 Chicago Vampires in the Cup this week. Then a "who is Carolina, really?" matchup against Philly Dribble before a welcomed rebound game against Sweaty Socks. They'll be well positioned after this week heading into the rest of their interconference schedule. A nice big jump in their EFFG rank from 8th to 4th leaving them ranked 6th this week.

5. The Ashkickers (3) - Bread Rolls
Mmmmm...bread rolls. I love bread rolls. Much more than I love The Ashkickers (no offense, Tylormade), but that's mostly because I'm jealous. They're on a three-game win streak, handling Miami and Motor City adequately this week. A difficult matchup against #71 Big Gulp Reincarnated in the Cup tonight before hosting two games this week, first against The Beer Bellys followed by Lion Rebels. Definitely one win they can mark up, but their Bellys matchup will be interesting, though they should benefit from the home court advantage.

4. The Beer Bellys (2) - Turkey
Turkey, in and of itself, is not the be all of Thanksgiving, though it is the primary staple. It definitely depends on how dry the cook makes the turkey - too dry and it could easily find itself as the 10th ranked item on my list, but with the right amount of juiciness, it can wind up second. Much like thatguy's squad in these rankings. They easily handled Motor City before losing to Miami Cleo on the road where Miami's defense shined through. They face #360 Newts in the Cup tonight and then travel to The Ashkickers before getting an easy win against BOBBBS next Tuesday. Will they show up for Saturday's showdown?

3. Linndale (5) - Gravy
I know, I know, gravy isn't really a dish, but without the gravy, the mashed potatoes are not the same! Linndale had an epic win last weekend over Lion Rebels with a come-from-behind fourth quarter victory, including a buzzer beating dunk after Kurt Brown had tied it up at 97 with 8 seconds left with a 3-pointer. To say I was devasted would be an understatement. Oh well. A tough Cup matchup tonight against #42 Drunken Sconnies before hosting San Dominica and then traveling to beautiful Miami - this week will be an interesting test for them.

2. Hustlas (4) - Mashed Potatoes
Much like Mashed Potatoes, Hustlas is undefeated heading into Week 4 after a relatively easy week against Sweaty Socks and the Spartans. What looks like a winnable Cup game against #471 Mission Basket is on the horizon and then they face off against a pair of #5s in whitestok and 209's. They're also undefeated in BBM Tier 6. They've got 4 players averaging double digit points for the season. And while they've had some relatively close games, they haven't truly been challenged, except for maybe The Ashkickers. Come Week 5, will see a true test of their potential.

1. Philly Dribble (1) - The Perfect Combo of Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Stuffing, and Corn
This is what makes Thanksgiving perfect is that perfect combo with a bit of a roll to assist you as you shovel the perfection into your mouth. And that basically sums up Philly Dribble. They take their US #56 ranking up against #167 R3AP3RS in the Cup tonight before then two road games, the first against Carolina to try to put them in their place and then against the newly remodeled Philadelphia Spartans. Much like the Thanksgiving Dinner as a whole, they'll be hard to beat.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Good luck in the Cup tonight and we'll see you next week!

"Happy Ourer flying solo tonight on the Linndale Basketball Network as my partner Marshall Richards ate himself into a food coma, but he sends his regards; feel better Marshall. Tonight we would go over the keys for tonight's game, but with the newest acquisition and addition to the Linndale starting lineup, we simply don't know what to expect. Daniil Kamp is a small forward by trade but he's playing the power forward tonight, with Nick Guevara moving to the bench. The second unit just got a lot stronger with Guevara's talents, and the 1st unit also improves with Kamp. We will have to see how he fits in and how quickly the team and Kamp can learn to play with each other. I'm sure Bobbie Coenen will make sure things go pretty smoothly. Word is that Coach and Pio Reina were both excited to get Kamp here, and it seems like there may be another move or two coming soon, but we cannot confirm anything. At any rate, Kamp appears to be a sizable upgrade to the team, but now he has to justify the trust and compliments being thrown his way. Let's hope the pressure to produce doesn't get to him. More from the Linndale basketball network after these messages..."

"HBN is back baby. I am your host, Cash Danger, and I'm riding solo today. First question y'all, what is up with the Hustla's? They have started out 7-0 about their near narrow victory over Zubr, a team that gave them fits last season before they went super mode, and then they got blown up after a few games. But here they are, killing it this season so far. And they are way in the positive in their financials. Do they have what it takes to win it all? Cast your votes everyone. What do you think?"

After a few moments and votes have been tallied.

"So, 63 percent says no, 37 percent says yes. I say no as well, but, at least they will be fun this season. The team is clicking right now. They seem to just get it together just when they need to in order to pull out games. And they are looking for other talent as well. They want to improve. Word on the street is that they are looking for a starting pg, and another scorer. Ozakan has been a bit of a let down. He is not producing near the level they thought he would, though they have to remember he is 39 going on 40 years of age. There are a couple of others so they are looking at big targets that can contribute, but hope they can get a starter and place a current starter on the bench. The bigs are doing very well, just don't score much which also has the Hustlas front office upset. Their next game will be a big test. If they win it, they will be tested next in the cross conference rivalry. If they lose, they won't lose too much sleep on it. The 209's is a solid team that can get it together at any moment in time. Maybe they will against the Hustlas. Their next Cup match will be a defeat, and they can't wait because they can experiment with lineups. But no one foresaw then winning 7 straight and starting 7-0. John Walton is doing a magnificent job coaching. They are not the best in their division, as that is still the Ashkickers, but they are doing very well for themselves. A couple of additions, good additions, would truly solidify this team to compete against the Ashkickers in a straight up match. Now against Philly Dribble, no chances there. Hustlas will lose 10 out of 10, unless they can assemble the team they had last season before they lost it all. And that ain't happening. Hustlas is one big shock, but Carolina is the other. Even in their loss today, they only lost to Philly Dribble by 12, falling to 5-2 on the season. Unbelievable turnaround for this team. They will have a close matchup against Hustlas upcoming. And who knows, maybe Carolina will actually win that one. But we are very excited about this Hustla team this season. Look at the games played. Outside of two games, all other games have been fairly close at some point up into the third period, and take off another game, the other 4 was close up into the 4th. Zubr today gave them a run for their money, but at some point in the 4th, the Hustlas pulled away. Now they await The 209's. This has been Hustlas Basketball Network. I'm Cash Danger, and I'm out."

FYI..."reverse patient" is not a good strategy regardless what others say in the forums. I wont make that mistake next time Ashkickers.

I've tried it a few times. Yeah from my experience it never works when the guard is in the center spot. The two times it actually worked for me the guard was in the PF spot and the guard was at least 6'3"

I don't know, doesn't seem like it went too bad as a strategy. Take out that 3rd quarter and who knows.

Day 7 (Saturday 26 November 2022) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
BOBBBSBURGS 85 - Lion Rebels 123
San Dominica Warriors 92 - Linndale 82
Philly Dribble 115 - Carolina Rebels 102
BKDogs 72 - 209’s MostWanted 122
The Beer Bellys 64 - The Ashkickers 79
Motor City Waddupdoe 46 - Miami Cleo 96
The Philadelphia Spartans 102 - Sweaty Socks 44
Żubr Białystok 92 - Hustlas 101

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 123 : Lion Rebels
Rebounds : 70 : The Philadelphia Spartans
Assists : 33 : Lion Rebels
Steals : 11 : 209’s MostWanted
Block Shots : 11 : The Philadelphia Spartans

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 36 : J. Esposito (Hustlas)
Rebounds : 24 : S. Klin (Hustlas)
Assists : 10 : H. Waffi (Lion Rebels)
Steals : 4 : D. Santana (Miami Cleo), Č. Jovanoska (Hustlas)
Block Shots : 4 : B. Pimentel (Philly Dribble), S. Nitã (The Philadelphia Spartans), H. Waffi (Lion Rebels), C. Davis (Lion Rebels)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : P. Brito Gomes (209’s MostWanted) (32 Points, 3 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 32
Shooting Guard : R. Sedonio (Lion Rebels) (17 Points, 3 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 23
Small Forward : G. Romão (The Philadelphia Spartans) (24 Points, 8 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 28
Power Forward : B. Pimentel (Philly Dribble) (30 Points, 20 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 43
Center : G. Locus (Miami Cleo) (14 Points, 12 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 0 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 24

MVP of the evening
B. Pimentel (Philly Dribble) (30 Points, 20 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 43

The bad performance of the evening
Z. Elsneris (BKDogs) (2 Points, 2 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -10

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : I. Gamón (Motor City Waddupdoe), S. Nitã (The Philadelphia Spartans), G. Taktakishvili (Hustlas), T. Hewitt (BOBBBSBURGS) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels), K. Knowles (Linndale), M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok), L. Stern (BOBBBSBURGS) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : G. Locus (Miami Cleo), W. Westmoreland (Sweaty Socks), B. Pimentel (Philly Dribble), I. Gamón (Motor City Waddupdoe), H. Waffi (Lion Rebels), C. Davis (Lion Rebels) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : D. Santana (Miami Cleo) : 6 Three points

The best performer : D. Santana (Miami Cleo), P. Fasselli (Philly Dribble), S. Klin (Hustlas) : Rating : 16.5

The worst performer : J. Aguilera (BOBBBSBURGS), S. Bryant (BOBBBSBURGS) : Rating : 3.0

FYI..."reverse patient" is not a good strategy regardless what others say in the forums. I wont make that mistake next time Ashkickers.

Yeah - I think the matchup definitely requires the right "fit" for it to work out correctly...if only your boy Segovia had shot from 3 like he has the rest of the season so far...instead of 1-7, he could have been at least 4-7 and made it tighter at the end. It was a good effort!

The owner walks into the Team President's office. Bobby Sparks, Hustlas team president, was sitting down, looking over some papers.

"Well Bobby, our first splurge of the season has ended in you grabbing up two players. You almost had the other two, but, unfortunately, we missed out on them. I hope the two newcomers really help us out. Though, one of them is injured and out for two weeks?"

"Yes. It was touch and go throughout this process. We used about 92k to add the players we added. We wanted other players, but these were the ones we were able to get," says Bobby Sparks. "And the injured player should be a very good asset once he is rehabilitated, and he gets some runs under him. He will be in our starting lineup. The other one, I think he may be starting also. If not, he will at least be 6th man. Esposito is just scoring at such a high clip that we don't think taking him out of the starting lineup will do us any favors. It's like Legkaukus all over again. It's a good problem to have."

"Okay Bobby. I will leave all of this in your hands. Last time when I got involved, you saw what happened. It all blew up in our faces. And, John Walton, he will be our GM. Coach Boone will be our coach. He's already been coaching, and Walton has been doing a good job with GM. Now I am making it official."

"That's a good move sir," says Bobby Sparks.

"We are 7-0. I am so shocked that I don't know what to do with myself," said the Owner. "Can we make it 8-0?"

"I think we can. We will be able to wear them down and then defeat them. We will grind them down till they can't do anything and will wear out. That is Coach Boone's way of play so far. And it has been working. John Walton has been behind the scenes doing some coaching and helping. But now that he is the official GM, he will leave the bench and stay in the office. Now, about our next cup game. We have no chance to win that game. No chance. But we are still alive in BBM. And we have a chance to win the next game. We are the favorites. We are looking for a bit more bench production, especially from Ozakan," said Bobby.

"But what about those on the transfer list?" asked the Owner.

"Hannes Karus is at an impossible price tag. He will never sell at the tag he is at. But we will place him on the transfer list again. Him, Elmar Jaanson and Liutauras Mikaliunas. We will sell the three of them in a salary dump. That would dump 40k in salary. If possible, down the line, we may try for another point guard. That is our objective, to find a scoring and passing point guard that is younger. Though Denkovic is playing at a high level. Higher than last season. But if we could have him come off the bench playing at this level, that will do wonders for us. We will keep at it though, and hopefully make it to the finals. At the very least, playoffs is still our goal. And we will get there," says Bobby Sparks.