Building A Champion

This area is a spot for coaches to give and recieve advice. At the end of each season the coaches/owners of each of the top five franchises will be given the opportunity to write an article which gives advice about how to build a top ranking team. This is an excellent spot for new or stuggling owners to glean the wisdom of those who are succeeding in this league.

Building a dynasty

By Pat Fullum of the Cancun Outlaws

My Cancun Outlaws are the first ever dynasty of the WBA, and the most dominant team so far in league history. How did I achieve that? I am not sure! But I sure can try to explain how I built my team, my philosophy and favored tactics. My team is currently sitting atop the WBA standings and is looking for a fourth championship in five seasons, so here is how I personally built my team.

First, like the others that wrote articles, I do not believe there is one way to build a team that is better than the others. And the first thing I must mention, like ex-owner Marc Hameleers did, is luck. I had plenty of bad luck in this league so far, but I had good luck. It seems I get hit with bad news every year, but it always equals out at the end. When I mention luck, it's something that is out of our control. In my first championship run in season six, I was lucky enough to get homecourt advantage because other teams in the hunt had key injuries, and this proved very important as my team was very good at home. Then in season seven, Parker Mason hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the last regular season game. This proved to be very important (and very lucky) because I had to play a game seven, at home, versus a good Nebraska team. And also, I was blessed because my players developed nicely, I didn't have anyone involved in major scandals or ask for a trade. So luck is very important!

Now as for my philosophy about building a WBA team, its pretty simple: I see a basketball team as a puzzle: you need pieces that fit together. I personally decided to build around my three main pieces, which were Parker Mason, Kent Mercer and Scott Nicholson. After that, I just acquired players that I felt would just complement these three, and not necessarily the best players. Now the way I built my team in separate categories:

Drafting and young players:

Of course, you need some luck with the draft. Some players might not adjust, and others will blossom. One thing I did with my rookies in the first couple of seasons was to just give them minutes. I believe that when WBA players are young, they develop better and faster, so why not play them? That is true especially if you have a non-playoff team. That is what I did in my first couple of seasons, as some low first rounders or second round picks developed nicely. Those players's value improved and some were used as trade baits to acquire my main players. But in my humble opinion, they developed because they were given the opportunity to play. In the last couple of seasons where I won championships, they were always rookies in my rotation, and they were not top picks. This season, both my shooting guards are rookies (picks #15 and #42) while my backup point guard is also a rookie (pick #28). So my opinion is you need to be patient with young players, and try to have them play, that is how they develop.

Trading:

Being one of the teams that have traded the least in WBA history, of course I will say that patience is important. Do not trade just to trade or because you are in a bad slump. But, unlike many gm's, I believe it is ok to give up more than what you receive to get what you need. I was criticized a lot when I traded for Parker Mason and gave a bunch of players and picks. Some people felt I had given up too much to get the number three pick in season's three draft (which turned out to be Kent Mercer). There is also the example of Brad Bangerter, where I was just called crazy by some! I have a couple of other examples, but let's just say I don't regret pulling the trigger on those trades. Mason and Mercer are my two best players and Brad Bangerter was a huge part of two championships run. Of course, you have to be smart, but if you feel one piece is missing and you have targeted that missing piece, go ahead and get it (even if that means giving up more that what that player is worth). And one thing I want to say: if, for any reason, you really like a player, do keep him or try to acquire him. This league is about having fun and I know, for myself, I like some guys and its fun having them on my roster!

Free agency and salary cap:

Again, for free agents and the cap, I went against common sense and did what most people will tell you not to do: I overbid and I used most of my cap on three star players. I am not saying overbidding is the key, but it can help sometimes. I did overbid some in the past to get players I felt would make my team better and Lonnie Gerson is a great example. Not many people thought he was worth 20 millions, but I wanted to make sure that guy was on my roster, as I knew he would be a perfect complement to my M'N'M trio (Mercer, Nicholson and Mason). It turns out I was right as he improved my defense dramatically and his ability to get to the line proved to be a real factor in my last two championships. I also dished out 15 millions to an average player like Shawn McKick, but he was such a great sidekick for Mason in the backcourt that I wanted to keep him. As far as the salary cap, of course I have to rely on some rookies and free agents since most of the cap is used on M'N'M. That just makes drafting and free agency more important as I have to find role players that will contribute but not cost too much. Again, I am not saying to overbid all the time, but be smart and get he guys you think will help you win, even if it costs you a little more.

Coaching:

This is so important! It took me a couple of seasons to fully understand how it worked, but now I believe it is one of my best strength. You have to find the lineup that will work best for you. You need a balanced lineup, and sometimes just a little tweak, like starting one player instead of the other, will help your team tremendously. And you also have to know how certain players play together, how they play when you ask them to be aggressive offensively, how it affects the rest of the team etc. I guess you just have to play with the lineup editor and find your perfect rotation. The two texts on the subject (rules page) are great with coaching help. It takes some time and patience, but learn to master the editor and it will end up giving you some extra wins!

Finally, I must repeat that I don't have the magic formula to win championships. I was fortunate and lucky enough to get to the finals four times. All I did was try to explain how I built my team. Of course it might not work for someone else or even for myself should I try to do it again. So just have fun, be smart and patient and just spend a couple of minutes per week looking at players on the block, results, etc. Knowledge always helps! Good luck!

Getting to the Top

David Song of the London Disco

From the 1 and 1/2 seasons that I have been in the WBA, I have noticed many

teams going in many different directions but a few franchises remain

consistent and always near the top of the league. My team, when I first

started, was a subpar team. Therefore, I decided to take my team and start

from scratch and here is what I did to make myself into a contender. First, I

evaluated the good teams in the league such as Colorado, Berlin (now

Rochester), Brooklyn, Nebraska, Gabon, Cincinnati, Washington, and Boston. I

looked and saw all these teams had talent at the right positions. I think

that the main way you should get your talent is through the draft. When you

first own a team, my advice would be to save your draft picks and especially

first rounders and select a nice PG or a C to start out your team. I always

believe that these are the 2 most important positions on a team therefore you

should start with them. Then, in Free Agency, I believe you should fill out

the holes on your team. Key thing about the free agency period is not to

overbid for talent. Bid smartly cause the cap may come back to bite you in

the end if you overbid for a player. A GM that has done a great job of

rebuilding is Adam Rutland, owner of Varese. He went and got Jaxon McCall

through the draft, and though he didn't take a PG or a C, he filled out

nicely by getting Ed Kane by the way of a trade from Nebraska, and Kris

Calhoun through Free Agency. Adam's team was very competitive this season and

made a run for the playoffs , though his team only won sigle digit games last

season.

Also, there is the prospect of making good trades. Many new owners I see

now, including when I was a new owner, think that the first couple of trade

offers look good and will help out your team. I suggest to every new owner to

look more carefully. Do some research. Look at the players page, and look at

the ratings of the players closely. Evaluate how much each player is worth to

you and from there, you can make smarter decisions about trades. When you

make a trade, make sure upon the completion of the deal, you know that the

trade you are about to make either helps your team now or helps your team in

the future.

When I first started out, I got ripped off in a couple of trades.

Everyone was giving me offers saying that this player was great, this pick

will help you, blah blah blah. After about 4 weeks into being in the league,

I realized the value of each of the players on my team and looked to improve.

Before this season started, I realized I needed a rebounder and a scorer.

Therefore, I went and got Paul Wilson by trading a late first and an early

second. After, I looked to find a scorer, and though I was rejected by many,

I searched and searched and found a SG by the name of Frank Rose. He was

nothing special to some, but I knew I could groom him into a good SG.

Therefore, I made a trade with Chacarita for Rose and gave them a first

rounder (late) and Andrum Williams. At first, the trade looked better for

Charcarita as they were getting a prime time defender in Williams and a first

round pick. But by season's end, Rose ended up being an All-Star and scored

20+ pts while shooting 50+%. After a couple of weeks, my team was doing well,

but I figured that I needed an all-around player. Therefore, I traded my PG,

my backup C, and a couple of picks to Albacete to get Eugene LaMaitre who by

years end, became a great addition. Finally, the last piece of the puzzle was

put into place when I received PG Kelvin Davidson in a blockbuster trade

through NY.

Everyone goes a different way when building their franchise. Some choose

to wait, be patient, get players through the draft, and slowly build their

franchise. Others choose to be quick, trading away their future to be better

instantly. My advice would be to be somewhere in the middle. Don't settle for

building through the draft only and winning 4-5 games more every season. Make

a couple of deals that will help your team now, but while considering your

future. Don't trade away all your picks in 1 year because you may come to

regret it later. The main thing in building a top franchise in this league is

to be aggressive, but make smart decisions.

Getting to the Top and Staying There

By Rondall Reynoso of the Brooklyn Rage

There are a lot of different philosophies about how to build a champion. I've seen teams sacrifice season to build through the draft. I've seen teams make trade upon trade until they have a winner. Unfortunately, those teams often don't know when to stop. My philosophy is simple: I want to win. And now is the best time to win. I've seen teams trade away their current success for hopes of future success. This happened a lot before season 3 when a lot of teams were scared about the salary cap.

I went into season one expecting to be a poor team. I made the decision that I wanted not to be a one shot team but wanted to be good for a long time so I drafted young good defensive players and made trades to acquire other players that fit the mold. I knew I would have one of the best defenses in the league but didn't feel I had enough offensive horsepower to be a contender. This was partially true. What I didn't realize is that an offense doesn't have to be dynamic it only has to be efficient. My defense and rebounding kept me in games and more often than not I won those games. This was an important lesson for me. After that I worried much less about having the great offensive team and became a perennial defensive powerhouse.

But, being a good team wasn't enough for me. I wanted to win a championship. So I didn't just go out looking for the best talent I looked at my team and figured out what was specific to my team that I needed to improve. I saw a couple of areas. Scoring, rebounding, steals, and getting to the line. I knew I had to get another player to pull of those improvements. Unfortunately, my draft pick wasn't high enough to get the type of player I needed. So I made a trade with the expansion Chacarita Buriers to get the #6. I gave them my low first round draft pick and Pee-Wee Stoddard. Stoddard had been a very good player but unfortunately for Chacarita he had a drug conviction in the off-season and has never returned to his former level of play. I used the #6 pick to draft AJ Schulz who improved my rebounding, scoring and he also was good at getting to the line. That one player helped many of my problems. I was hit with tragedy when my expected replacement of Stoddard, Mike White died in a car accident. This also sent his best friend Myron White (my reserve power forward and center) into a depression that he really hurt his play. So now I had no point guards of any value on my roster. This caused me to inter the over inflated free agent market. Most point guards of value quickly went beyond my willing ness to pay. But, I did get two. The most notable was an undrafted rookie free agent named Woody Reynolds. He is not a great passer but he is an excellent defender who could also pass and score when needed.

Season 2 was a good season for Brooklyn. We were instantly one of the top teams but about half way through the season I felt we needed to take another step to reach for the championship. I felt we had to improve our passing and our steals. We found the answer in J.J. McCauley. The cost was high to use since we had to send away Gene Allen but J.J. was worth it. We ended the season with the best record in the league, 67-13. However, that off-season was the famous Albacete upset of Brooklyn.

There were a couple of areas that I felt needed improvement in the off-season. The two main were I wanted a back-up point guard who could develop. He would allow J.J. McCauley to spend more time at the shooting guard and small forward spots and allow me to increase my teams passing. For that I drafted Mike Stanley with the last pick of the first round…hey I'm not perfect. He was of course a huge bust. I also wanted to have some solid talent behind AJ Schulz he tended to miss several games a season and I didn't like the drop off that I saw in my team. For that I drafted Shane Strom and signed undrafted rookie Brody Liang. They did exactly what I wanted. Strom was even such a find that he was second on my team in scoring while coming off the bench. Liang got every little playing time that season but was big in the future. The last move I made was to Sign undrafted Al Zarra. I wasn't totally sure about his talent but thought he'd be good and I had space on my roster to take the gamble. He turned out to be huge!

To make a long story short season three was great. Every thing I had planned worked my team had no weaknesses. We had a record of 67-13 for the second season in a row and we won the title with the best post-season record in WBA history.

The following off-season was my biggest test. Joe Siebert, John Davis, Ozzie Kramer (all three staters), Shane Strom and JJ McCauley (major factors off the bench were all free agents) I had seen this coming and had toyed all season with the idea of trading John Davis but felt I had my best chance at a championship with him. I have no regrets. I analyzed my team and decided what players I had to keep and who I could loose. I decided that I had to keep Joe Siebert. He is the heart of my defense. I didn't offer him a contract extension because I thought I could get him cheaper as a free agent. In retrospect this was a mistake. I had won the Championship and my players were wanted by a lot of teams. I even had teams that were not as interested in my players bidding against me just to try to break me up. Shane Strom was another I had to keep. He was a huge talent who I thought would be under valued since he had been coming off my bench. He cost me more than I expected but I still fill that I got a great value. Ozzie Kramer was another I felt I had to keep. He is very efficient and a great defender. While John Davis is one of the most talented power forwards in the league I had to let him go. I had Schulz who could move to power forward and every one knew how valuable Davis was and there was no way I could afford him. The loss of JJ McCauley did catch me buy surprise. I really thought I would be able to keep him but my players all required higher salaries than I expected and it came down to I would either have to go after Kramer of McCauley and I felt Kramer meant more to my team though I would no doubt miss McCauley 3 steals a game. A surprise that happened was the opportunity to get Gene Allen for the exact same contract as Kramer. I had already signed Kramer so I traded him cheaply for some draft picks and signed Allen. They are very similar players and Allen is a year younger. I felt this was great unsung move for my future since I got picks and the player I preferred. In the Draft I drafted Justin Krueger since I was unsure if I would end up loosing Woody Reynolds in the future. He turned out to be needed sooner since I lost McCauley who had been my back-up point guard.

I lost a lot in that off-season and most owners predicted that the glory days of Brooklyn were behind them. But, my planning had paid off. Shane Strom stepped in at small forward and led my team in scoring. He also is an excellent rebounder so I didn't drop as much there as some expected. AJ Schulz made a smooth transition to power forward and Al Zarra filled in well for him when he was injured. Brody Liang had a solid season backing up Shane Strom. Finally Justin Krueger showed himself to be a valuable player and a solid defender. We ended the season with a record of 64-16 and were the top team in out conference.

I think the moral of Brooklyn story is to think ahead but not to sacrifice the now. Understand what challenges the team will face in the future and get depth that can step up to fill in those spots when it is needed. To win in the WBA you need talent and more talent. The deepest teams tend to do the best. But to become a deep team you can't sign players who have proven they are talent on other teams you need to be able to recognize talent and take the risk. We will all have our Mike Stanleys but there are also plenty of Shane Stroms and Al Zarras. To improve don't just go for talent. Figure out your teams needs and improve those. And think creatively. A good part of Al Zarra's career has been played out of possition but he is talented enough to be able to play well as a power forward. The same is true for Shane Strom who has spent a lot of time as a shooting guard. Maybe the best example of this is Magic Toby who may teams considered a liability because he can't rebound well enough for a power forward. But, New York was brave enough to slide him over to the small forward spot and even though it isn't his natural spot he has done extremely well. I guess the key is finding the right team chemistry. There are a lot of talented teams but only one champion.

How to Build a Championship Calibre Team

By Marc Hameleers, GM of the Colorado Pioneers

Notice how the article clearly does NOT state how to build a champioship team? That's because the final factor to become champ, and that is luck, cannot be built. What can be built however is a team that has all the tools to make sure that the factor luck is as small as possible.

First thing to realise when you start out to build a team, is that it won't happen overnight. Not even having the no1 pick in the best draft ever will make you an instant winner. Just look at Tokyo. They have Gonzalez, but they aren't the best team around. Don't even try to build a team overnight. you can make a team good overnight, but not great...and if you do, it's pretty sure you traded away all your picks, or robbed all the managers in the league. For both the same end result is: No Future. SO take your time ( 2-4 ) seasons.

So how can you build a great team? There are three ways of making a team stronger. Trading, Drafting and Free agency. ( well, there is coaching as well, but i am no real expert on that ) We'll take a look at each of them later. First up are some general pointers about building a franchise.

The General Idea of Being a GM.

First and foremost about building a team is to try and not get emotional about your players. I have made offers to teams in wich they would have gotten more then the player was worth, just because of emotional ties ( he isn't named Otto Hameleers for nothing :) ) I also made bids that were very good, and shouldn't have been refused by the other side, but were, because they got endeared to that player. As a gm , you should have a commitment and attachment to your FRANCHISE, not to single players. If you have, it will hinder you in getting most out of your team.

For your franchise, there is only one important statistic: Wins. Everything else in fun, but doesn't really matter. Have you seen a player from Colorado leading a statistical category this year? Some could have. ( having three a plus passers on the best rebounding team pass to an A plus shooter like duke will make him win the scoring title ) But it is the team results that count. Why do i say this? Don't get tempted by players who lead the league in anything. Off course it is an indication of what they can bring, but they will probably cost more. And a player just below that level might just do the job for you. Cheaper, and easier to come by.

Plan ahead. Whatever strategy you choose to build, plan ahead. Did i say plan anead already!!! I have lists of Free agents for this year and the next ( and no, i'm not giving them out :) ) I look at the gcba, and see who's comming. It's no coincidenc i had three high picks in the season 5 draft. I wanted to have a shot at several players in that draft, and perhaps i will get one of them. But the planning for that started in year 3. plan ahead. It helps.

TRADING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

There is just one golden rule for trading, be it picks, players or money.

Don't. Just don't. Don't trade your players, picks or money. Just don't. Make it a principle. After you learned yourself to NEVER EVER do anyting, only then be flexible with this rule. Convince yourself why this trade is an exception, and why you just have to do it this one time. It will save you from making mistakes. The best two franchises in this league made just a few trades.....and that isn't because they were so great to start with ( Colorado was the worst in its division in season one ) . It's because they followed this rule most of the time.

If you really, really insist on trading (DON"T, remember!!!) then carefully look at the players abilities and stats. Look at the team he is on...Does he get 15 rebounds and his team just 30...Do you already get 40 rebounds? Then he won't get 15 rebounds for you...He'll still be a heck of rebounder if he's got an A+ ability there, off course. But do take into account what team he is on. ( in season 4 Frank Rose led the league in scoring for a while...then his team got Lamaitre and davidson, and Rose's scoring went down the drain. It was inflated due to him being the only scorer before they came ) So if you trade take such things into account!!

When you want to make a deal, offer good value. Trying to get a steal is fun, but once thruth comes out, people will hold a grudge, and other owners will be wary of trading with you. When you are known as a trader who offers honest value, people are more inclined to trade. The best trades in the long run aren't ripp offs. They are deals in wich everyone gets what they want. Those kinds of deals are possible, and are always to be preferred ( but don't trade!!! remember!!!! )

When you really, really really absolutly must trade, then make sure you know what you want. IF you look for a huge scorer, don't get Paul Wilson. If you look for a defense guy, don't get Magic Toby. know what you want......and know where to get it.

( see the plan ahead rule above )

When trading, be carefull of contracts. A short contract might be a problem, but a long expensive one as well. Salary cap managment is very important when trading. If at all possible, always try to decrease your salary expenses.

DRAFTING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

This one is more tricky then trading, and since you do not trade ( remember!!!) , it is just one of the two possibilities to improve your team. The problem with draftin is, you can never be certain. However, a decent pick, say top 15, should land a decent player and a top 3 pick should land a good one.

So if you got a pick ( your own one or one you got through a trade ) what do you look for? There are 2 basic strategies there. Picking what you need or Picking talent.

So wich of those is the best? If i really knew i would tell. Both have their stong points. It really depends on severla factors. If you pick talent, are there teams that want him, and do those teams have what YOU need. If not, you are looking at at least a 3 way deal, and those are tough to make.

I always draft need, unless i see atrade that will certainly happen. Because as a good GM you planned ahead, you know it as well. If there is no clear trade in sight. Draft for need. It will be better then to take risks.

What should you look for in a player? Well, several things are the keys to succesfull drafting.

You should know what type of player you need. That not only means position, but can mean style of play as well ( scorer, defense, FT specialist, rebounds etc )

Look at minutes. If you need a player that will carry your team, he needs to be in the field as long as possible. But sometimes drafting someone with lesser minutes and overall rating but a higher per minute can really improve you team more. No9 need for stamina you won't use

Stay away from injury prone players if you want them to carry your team. if they are extra's don't worry, but there are few teams that can draft injury prone players and not worry about them missing 20 games.

if you have multiple picks, and there are just a few guards and 230 good C's, draft a guard with your highest. This also count if you have picks a year later, or if there are plenty of Free agents in a certian postition comming up. Scarcity increases the value of the player if you ever decide to trade ( and DON'T) If you have need of a C and in the draft a year later there are 5 good C's, don't draft a mediocre one now. When you build a team, be patient!!!!.and PLAN AHEAD.

THE FREE AGENCY WAY OF IMPROVING YOUR TEAM

The last, and quickest way to succes and doom is signing Free agents. There are many, many traps here, but the easiest to fall for is the most dangerous of all.

DO NOT OVERBID OR OVERPAY!!!!

Winning teams have it easier to sign free agents, so a lesser team, if it wants to improve quickly, needs to sign big name players, or even just good players. So they overbid, get the player and more wins, and have an easier time to sign free agents, is the way some people think.

NOT!!!!!

You might get a few more salary points by having a few more wins, but you also will have less cap space to sign rookies, and new free agents...so the extra points you have earned with a few more wins willb euseless, becasue you will have less cap space.

The team that signed carefully might pick up a few lesser players here and there, but will sbe able to bid big and sign big when it really matters.....and other teams won't bee able to do that, cause they have spent there cap space on the Damon trout's and bucky jones's of this world.

Only bid what a player is worth. There will be next year's free agency, and good players will be in that FA period as well. The guy who just paid 7 million for a merely decent player won't be able to sign that great player for 10.5 the season after....IF you bid wisely, then someday, you will land that big stud that is worth every dime you pay, and will make you better. be PATIENT

OVERPAYING TO GET BETTER QUICK WILL DESTROY YOUR FRANCHISE FOR YEARS TO COME.

In Free agency do not forget to look at limited minutes players....they often go cheap, and two of those fill a position just as well as one player with plenty minutes. Sure they won't lead the individual statistical categories, but the Bobby Cress's and the Jim Wilson's of the world are great players none the less. And who cares about individual statistics anyway, remember. it's about TEAM!!!!

More then even in drafting, the key to succesfull free agency is knowing what happens when. See the paragraph on PLAN AHEAD.

Afterword

There, that's it. That's all the advice i can give you. Off course the next GM you will speak will say exactly the opposite. But remember, i had a losing franchise in season one, and have the two seasons with the most wins, hold the record for most wins in a row, and have a great season ahead still. This is not to brag, but just to make you clear that i know what i am talking about. I've been there. I build a franchise. I did what i adviced youabove. i made few trades, didn''t care about huge stars, disn't get too emotianla about players, and planned ahead.I was patient, and always made honest deals ( some a little tomy loss , others to my advantage, but all fair deals )

Now you know the secret.....go on and build that franchise. Break my records, and get a ring!! Don't expect it to come overnight, or easily. But stick to the above rules, and you will see a lot of improvement over the next few years!!!!

Good Luck!!!

Marc, GM of those Darn Pioneers

One Big Mistake

By Brandon Morfeld

You know, the bad teams have been complaining lately

about the rules being slighted towards the top teams.

I agree that they are, but it SHOULD be that way

because it reflects a realistic environment which I

think makes the leagues much funner. Keep in mind

that I don't support making any more rules changes

unless I think they benefit the league.

Anyway, I have chatted with several coaches of the

bottom teams and they all say something about "I need

to trade this guy to cut cap" or "I need to save this

much to stay under cap next season". WHY THE HECK ARE

THESE BAD TEAMS SO CLOSE TO THE CAP!!!!???? The

coaches in this league need to look a lot closer at

the salary implications of their trades. Too often I

see the top teams dumping salary on the weak ones.

The weak teams think they are improving their team

(which they are), but they are also eating up cap

space on some mediocre players. I think that the weak

teams need to change their philosophy. Rather than

try to improve your team by like 10-15 games through

taking overpaid players from top teams, try building

through free agency and the draft. If you stop

bailing teams out of bad spots those teams will be at

cap and you can sign their free agents. The best

example of this is New York to me. He has freed up

millions in capspace by making what appear tobe even

trades or even trades in favor of the other team

talent wise.

WEAK TEAMS NEED TO EVALUATE IF THE ACTUAL GAIN IN

TALENT IS WORTH THE EXTRA $$$. AND NINE TIMES OUT OF

TEN IT PROBABLY ISN'T. THAT IS WHEN THEY NEED TO JUST

DECLINE THE TRADE.

There is NO excuse why a team that finishes out of the

playoffs should be having cap problems (except maybe 1

or 2 from the East). I mean, Nebraska and Colorado

haven't ever had to make a trade because of cap

considerations. Teams just need to manage their money

better and stop bailing the top guys out all the time

by taking their overpaid guys. Just save your money

and wait until free agency and then overpay the guys

you WANT. They'll be better. Most ofthe weak teams

are close to the cap, not because of one overpaid guy,

but because their entire bench is made up of guys

making 2 or 3 mill. NEWSFLASH: IN ORDER TOBE

COMPETITIVE YOUR BENCH CAN'T BE MAKING HALF YOUR TEAMS

SALARY CAP!!!

Later,

Brandon

PS--This is a knock on NO ONE. I am just trying to

lend some advice to some guys :) I hope this helps

themout in the future!!