Players Retire
Here is a list of players who have announced that they are retiring during the off season. The 6 team expansion has given hope to younger players who may have otherwise given up on their WBA dreams. As a result no players under 35 retired.
Dennis Pfeffer- Free Agent
Alvin Jacobs- Free Agent
Art Parker- Los Angeles
Bob Evers- Boston
Charlie Sheehan- Fernie
Ed Cotter- Sydney
Ed Williams- Los Angeles
Frank Doyle- Sydney
Fred Wyatt- Indiana
Gilly Valentine- Sydney
Gus Starr- Free Agent
Howard Briggs- Marysville
Jake Beecher- Los Angeles
Jerry Gordon- Varese
Jimmy Treadway- Berlin
Joe Dempsey- Los Angeles
John Whitehouse- New York
Jose Miller- Washington
Mike James- London
Mike Sherman- Free Agent
Monty Patton- New York
Roy Johnson- Cincinnati
Roy Williams- Boston
Skeeter Maloney- Free Agent
Snipe Magee- Varese
Steve Allison- Free Agent
Tom See- Varese
Scouting Reports
The Williams Scouting Agency has just released their report on the players in the upcoming rookie draft.
=========================================================================
RNK PPROD P/MIN NAME POS COLLEGE PTS REB AST
=========================================================================
1. 28.4 0.757 Kelvin Davidson 1---- WC 20.1 1.5 8.4
2. 27.1 0.672 Bill Lopez ---4- IU 17.6 11.4 3.2
3. 26.8 0.606 Jeff Bailey -2--- HKU 22.9 5.4 3.9
4. 25.0 0.709 A.J. Schulz --34- GWPC 20.2 9.6 2.9
5. 23.2 0.595 Paul Wilson ---4- StH 5.4 16.9 2.4
6. 22.3 0.659 Horace Colbert ----5 MW 17.8 10.3 2.2
7. 21.9 0.604 Bill Yeager ----5 PCU 20.4 9.7 1.7
8. 21.5 0.658 John Stewart 12--- TT 12.3 2.8 5.5
9. 21.4 0.563 Scott Nicholson ---45 MS 16.0 9.2 2.9
10. 19.9 0.628 Wesley Phillips 1---- ALU 15.9 7.9 1.6
11. 18.9 0.539 Jerry Dickenson ---45 NZU 12.0 9.9 2.5
12. 18.9 0.518 Harry Jarvis -23-- SU 18.9 3.0 2.9
13. 18.7 0.512 Wayne Taylor --34- TT 21.0 7.1 1.8
14. 18.2 0.629 Rick Schulz -23-- VU 17.5 3.4 2.4
15. 17.7 0.532 Rod Lawrence --34- ALU 15.9 7.9 1.6
16. 16.6 0.432 Bucky McCarty 12--- UAD 17.8 2.6 3.9
17. 16.5 0.538 Joe Jones -2--- SAH 17.6 2.9 2.6
18. 16.5 0.482 Frank Rose -23-- ICE 15.6 3.6 2.9
19. 16.0 0.506 Damon Trout 1---- ZC 10.9 2.2 5.6
20. 15.7 0.463 George Lush ---45 UAD 13.3 8.5 1.1
21. 15.6 0.487 Gomer Cummings 12--- RA 13.5 2.5 4.4
22. 15.2 0.478 Ernie Barnes 12--- ALU 11.8 2.3 4.4
23. 14.9 0.516 Jim Glenn 1---- YU 11.8 1.8 4.0
24. 14.8 0.368 Steve Felix --34- WU 11.7 9.7 1.2
25. 14.5 0.461 Lloyd Snyder -2--- CU 14.8 2.4 2.4
26. 14.2 0.496 Johnny Brose --34- StH 12.3 7.1 0.7
27. 13.9 0.483 Andruw Williams 12--- VU 9.9 2.1 5.3
28. 13.8 0.442 Bob Berry -23-- SAR 10.4 3.1 3.7
29. 13.8 0.377 Ed Bryant -23-- IU 12.1 3.9 2.7
30. 13.5 0.435 Jamie Moore -2--- TT 12.1 3.3 2.5
31. 13.3 0.498 Woody Reynolds 12--- ICE 10.5 2.4 4.0
32. 13.2 0.549 Frankie Yount 1---- 3MI 7.3 2.2 4.5
33. 13.0 0.486 Paul Sanders 12--- IU 10.1 2.3 4.9
34. 13.0 0.461 Charlie Elkington -2--- RA 11.9 3.8 1.9
35. 13.0 0.425 George Sewell -2--- ZC 12.9 3.9 2.0
36. 12.9 0.493 Jimmy Waters ---45 ICE 11.6 6.4 0.5
37. 12.8 0.388 Don Beard -23-- UAD 14.4 3.0 1.2
38. 12.4 0.408 Johnny Tatum -2--- MW 10.9 2.9 2.2
39. 11.6 0.469 John Mack --34- CS 9.7 4.0 1.4
40. 11.6 0.448 Duke Robinson 12--- StH 11.0 1.8 3.7
41. 11.4 0.412 Lew Carney --34- TKY 9.0 5.8 1.5
42. 11.1 0.391 Joe Hernandez -23-- TT 9.6 3.4 2.5
43. 10.9 0.456 Chris Erickson --34- ICE 9.4 4.7 1.4
44. 10.9 0.452 Tom Taylor ---4- PU 8.1 5.4 1.7
45. 10.8 0.469 Herman Burke 12--- WC 12.0 1.2 2.0
46. 10.6 0.403 Mike James 12--- MS 8.4 1.8 3.9
47. 9.6 0.377 Tony Clark --34- MW 10.0 4.3 0.9
48. 9.5 0.524 Billy Lopez ----5 TKY 8.0 5.0 0.7
49. 8.9 0.467 Dave O'Dea ----5 YU 5.8 4.6 1.6
50. 8.8 0.334 Gus Simon -23-- KSG 10.5 3.3 1.5
51. 8.6 0.392 Ferris Stottlemyre12--- GCU 10.8 2.0 1.7
52. 8.6 0.328 Chris Dobson -23-- PU 9.8 2.7 1.6
53. 8.6 0.318 Glenallen Castro ----5 SAH 7.5 6.8 0.7
54. 8.0 0.576 Alonzo Hatfield 12--- AA 2.9 1.1 3.0
55. 7.9 0.453 Carl Mercer -23-- StH 5.7 2.8 1.7
56. 7.8 0.501 Doyle Johnson --34- HKU 6.2 4.5 0.6
57. 7.0 0.538 Harry Hancock --3-- NZU 3.9 3.3 1.3
58. 7.0 0.309 Charlie Brown ----5 GWPC 3.9 4.3 0.9
59. 6.8 0.430 Chris Hubbard 12--- WC 4.6 1.1 1.9
60. 6.6 0.391 Carl Haney 12--- SU 3.0 2.5 1.8
61. 6.4 0.500 Randy Hayes ---45 HKU 4.7 3.0 0.7
62. 6.4 0.474 Joe Montgomery -23-- ZC 6.8 0.6 1.5
63. 6.0 0.597 Eddie Rasmussen ---45 SAR 4.4 2.2 0.5
64. 6.0 0.427 Jeromy Sheth --34- YU 4.9 2.5 0.9
65. 5.5 0.360 Bill Reynolds ---45 NZU 5.4 3.4 0.9
66. 4.8 0.478 Tim Elliott 12--- DVU 3.0 0.9 1.4
67. 4.7 0.560 Dave Hildebrand 1---- TKY 2.4 0.9 1.4
68. 4.7 0.487 Fred Larkin -2--- TT 3.9 1.1 0.9
69. 4.7 0.445 Fred Hartman --3-- NZU 5.4 1.6 0.2
70. 4.7 0.401 Paul Thorpe 1---- UAD 2.3 0.7 2.3
71. 4.4 0.464 Reggie Good -2--- ALU 3.7 1.3 0.7
72. 4.2 0.344 Dave Cedeno ---45 CU 5.5 1.7 0.3
73. 4.2 0.278 Jim Cantwell -23-- CS 6.3 1.8 1.0
74. 4.0 0.230 Charlie McFarland ---4- TT 3.9 3.6 1.1
75. 3.7 0.479 Leo Beamon 12--- WU 3.9 0.8 0.8
76. 3.6 0.554 Tom Holman 12--- WU 1.2 0.8 1.2
77. 3.6 0.400 Roy Lynch -2--- VU 3.8 0.9 1.1
78. 3.3 0.439 Clarence Coffman --345 JU 3.7 1.3 0.4
79. 3.1 0.602 George Burke 1---- ALU 1.3 0.4 1.2
80. 3.0 0.368 Julian Dickenson ---45 UAD 2.1 2.9 0.2
81. 2.6 0.290 David King --34- VU 1.9 2.4 0.4
82. 2.6 0.267 Walt Mullin -23-- UAD 3.7 1.4 0.5
83. 1.9 0.568 Jim Scott 1---- WU 0.8 0.5 0.7
84. 0.2 0.125 Ed Brown -23-- JU 0.5 0.1 0.0
The results are in and the Williams Scouting Agency has come out with a list of who they consider to be the top 100 players in the WBA, during this season at least.
PPROD P/MIN NAME POS TEAM
===============================================================
1. 41.9 1.273 Curtis Bridges 1---- Sydney
2. 41.6 1.036 Jim McCarthy ----5 Cincinnati
3. 40.6 1.023 Earl Baldwin ----5 Varese
4. 39.7 0.995 Roger Starr 1---- Marysville
5. 39.2 0.959 Boom-Boom Casey ----5 Roswell
6. 38.2 0.991 Steve Peterson 1---- Cincinnati
7. 37.9 0.940 John Greene --34- Roswell
8. 37.6 1.006 Ed Kane 1---- New York
9. 36.8 1.035 Jose Bergman --34- Sydney
10. 36.7 1.001 John Ferguson ----5 Fernie
11. 36.5 0.961 Chuck Henderson 1---- Boston
12. 35.7 0.938 John Riddle ----5 Indiana
13. 35.5 1.024 Larry Chapman ----5 Marysville
14. 34.9 1.078 Ed Williams 1---- Los Angeles
15. 34.3 0.807 George Holt ---45 Midland
16. 34.2 0.906 Mike Begley ----5 London
17. 33.7 0.906 Bert Latham --34- Winifred
18. 32.0 0.972 Joe Dempsey ----5 Los Angeles
19. 31.5 0.818 Jimmy Foster 1---- Cancun
20. 30.5 0.948 Bob Bennett 1---- Fernie
21. 30.5 0.920 Pee-Wee Stoddard 1---- Brooklyn
22. 30.4 0.864 Stub Madison 1---- Washington
23. 29.8 0.791 Pete Benton --345 Midland
24. 29.7 0.846 Jerry Sims --345 Berlin
25. 29.5 0.843 Joe Siebert ----5 Brooklyn
26. 29.4 0.804 Dave Thompson 123-- Indiana
27. 28.6 0.728 Roger Bradshaw ---45 Cancun
28. 28.4 1.092 Nick Barton 1---- London
29. 28.2 0.809 John Davis ---45 Brooklyn
30. 27.7 0.841 Tom Perkins ---45 Colorado
31. 27.4 0.967 Jim Fox ---45 Cincinnati
32. 27.1 0.749 Marty Williams ----5 New York
33. 26.5 0.900 Rich Johnson 123-- Cincinnati
34. 26.1 0.698 Mike Sewell --3-- Washington
35. 26.0 0.669 Scooter Jacobs -23-- New York
36. 25.9 0.650 Greg Lynn -2--- New York
37. 25.8 0.696 Dave Short ---45 Boston
38. 25.6 0.916 Mike Morgan 1---- Roswell
39. 25.6 0.724 Roy Robinson -23-- Colorado
40. 25.5 0.808 Frank Doyle ---45 Sydney
41. 25.5 0.784 Tom See --34- Varese
42. 25.3 0.649 John Erickson ---45 Maine
43. 25.1 0.922 Xavier Schneider 123-- Midland
44. 24.7 0.940 Maury Starr 12--- Los Angeles
45. 24.4 0.681 Eddie Jacobson ---45 London
46. 24.1 0.756 Willie Gates --34- Marysville
47. 23.8 0.882 J.J. McCauley 123-- Roswell
48. 23.8 0.706 Anthony Cronin 1---- Varese
49. 23.7 0.830 Buck Jones 1---- London
50. 23.7 0.739 Bobby Shields -23-- Berlin
51. 23.7 0.726 Maury Foreman -23-- Midland
52. 23.6 0.698 Dave Starr --3-- Gabon
53. 23.5 0.726 Gilly Valentine -2--- Sydney
54. 23.5 0.694 Mike Taylor --34- Cincinnati
55. 23.1 0.706 Ray Walters --34- Los Angeles
56. 22.8 0.663 Ken Lacy ---45 Fernie
57. 22.6 0.848 Pete Whitehouse ---45 Los Angeles
58. 22.5 0.707 George Grabowski 1---- Winifred
59. 22.4 0.724 Garth Donohue -23-- Marysville
60. 22.1 0.664 Wes Mullen 12--- Cincinnati
61. 21.6 0.705 Jud Moses 1---- Berlin
62. 21.3 0.615 Chuck Archer 12--- Fernie
63. 21.3 0.604 Steve Combs --34- Fernie
64. 21.1 0.668 Fred Workman ---45 Varese
65. 21.0 1.048 Chuck Jensen ---45 London
66. 21.0 0.951 Ryan Hatfield ---45 Los Angeles
67. 21.0 0.867 Henry Jordan 1---- Berlin
68. 20.9 0.789 Frank Fitzgerald ----5 Midland
69. 20.9 0.623 Dave Booker --345 Cincinnati
70. 20.8 0.571 Charlie Young 12--- Roswell
71. 20.6 0.619 Joe Busby --34- Berlin
72. 20.4 0.672 Mike James -23-- London
73. 20.4 0.603 Thurman Holt ---45 Cancun
74. 20.3 0.821 Ike Frazier ----5 Sydney
75. 19.9 0.852 Jose Hayes 1---- Midland
76. 19.7 0.606 Steve Foreman ---45 North Caroliana
77. 19.5 0.564 Gene Allen -23-- Brooklyn
78. 19.4 0.708 Bill Meyer 12--- Brooklyn
79. 19.0 0.633 Ray Valdes --3-- Indiana
80. 19.0 0.000 Billy Stanley 1---- Indiana
81. 18.9 0.874 Bill Cash ----5 London
82. 18.8 0.534 Ozzie Kramer -23-- Brooklyn
83. 18.2 0.556 Ted Schulz --3-- Maine
84. 18.1 0.827 John Lary -23-- Marysville
85. 18.0 0.954 Howard Briggs ---45 Marysville
86. 18.0 0.731 Jimmy Brennan --34- London
87. 17.9 0.623 Butch Bailey -23-- Winifred
88. 17.8 0.705 Arnie Drake 12--- Maine
89. 17.6 0.951 Sam Sewell 1---- Colorado
90. 17.5 0.541 Bill Owens 12--- Cancun
91. 17.3 0.703 Al Wood 1---- North Caroliana
92. 17.3 0.616 Tony Gaston --34- Cancun
93. 17.2 0.921 Matty Quinn 1---- Maine
94. 17.2 0.655 Joe Gillespie --34- Maine
95. 17.2 0.638 Frank Osteen --34- Washington
96. 17.0 0.668 John Wolfe -23-- Midland
97. 16.9 0.686 Bill Andrews 1---- Baltimore
98. 16.7 0.634 Jim Lopez ----5 Maine
99. 16.5 0.745 Lou McNamara ---45 Sydney
100. 16.5 0.616 Joe Devlin ---45 New York
A review of my Predictions
At the beginning of the season I went out on a limb and made my predictions. With the season drawing to a close it's time to see how I did.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Pacific Division
Los Angeles- Two weeks ago the Stars were thought near invincible. Today we know they are powerful but they didn't win the preseason tournament so we know they aren't perfect. The official power rankings have them 4th, but I think they are better than that. LA has proven to have a solid offense and on the surface their defense looks strong though the fact that they are allowing a shooting percentage of 45% I have doubts if they will have an elite defense. They are solid through and through, but they clearly will not be as dominate as we first believed. Prediction: Second in the Pacific. Sydney has proven that they will give LA trouble. Make the Play-offs.
They still are not invincible but are as impressive as any team in the league. They should finish the season as Pacific Division Champions, unless Sydney gets hot again. The power rankings have them first and I would have to agree. Their defense was questioned after the preseason but boy was I wrong! They allowed 6.6 fewer points than any other team in the league and also allowed the lowest opposing field goal percentage. Can Sydney give them trouble? No doubt! But there is an old saying that Defense wins championships and LA has BIG time "D."
Sydney- As predicted Sydney has one of the top teams in the league they are ranked 3rd in points allowed and allow less than 41% shooting. What has been surprising is that offensively they score more points than any team except the Disco. Having both offense and defense has proved to be a deadly combination. They pass well and take good care of the ball. Jose Bergman has proven to be one of the best scorers in the league. Prediction: Win the Pacific. Make the play-offs.
As they showed early in the preseason they are an offensive power house. They lead the league in scoring and are second in FG%. Combine that with the 7th ranked defense and you have one heck of a team. Youngster Jose Bergman is arguably the best Shooting Guard in the league and is the Main gun in this high octane team. But the Heart of this team is Curtis Bridges who I think is the best point guard in the league. These two will continue The Machine Techs winning ways for many seasons.
Fernie- There is one very simple reason why this team wins- Rebounding. They lead the league in rebounding and out rebound opponents by 10.5. This is partially canceled out by the fact that they commit 11 more turn overs than steals. In most other areas they are average. Prediction: Third in the Pacific. Make the play-offs.
Fernie is still an excellent rebounding team, though not in the same league as LA. And as predicted their main weakness is an extreme inability to make steals. They are the worst team in the league at this. And just for the record John Ferguson is a Stud in the paint. He is the only player in the league to be in the top 5 in both scoring and rebounding.
Marysville- I said that I would be surprised if the Penetrators didn't lead the West in offense. So I am. But, the reason is pretty clear. THEY CAN'T REBOUND! They are the second worst rebounding team in the league and the only team that doesn't average double digit offensive rebounds. When the team only gets 7 offensive rebounds a game their not going to get a lot of second chance points. Prediction: Fourth in the Pacific.
They found their offense and managed to become a good rebounding team as well. Also, they are one of the best shot blocking teams in the league. Take all that and it's not surprising that they are one of the top 4 teams in the league. Larry Chapman and Roger Star are also one of the most impressive Duos in the league. This is a team that will be good for a while!
Colorado- They have a good offense and a poor defense. This team is about as average as a team can be. But, an average team in the West is a team that looses a lot of games. Prediction: Last in the Pacific.
I was pretty much right on with this team they are good at team ball but need a superstar or two to join the top teams.
Roswell- This team has changed a lot since the start of the preseason. They acquired 19 year old John Greene who will be a superstar for many years on both sides of the court. The XT management claims that they have the best one-two punch in the league with Ed Kane and John Greene and this is a hard point to argue. They did recently acquire Marty Williams. But , after those three they have very little. Also, they have no first round draft picks until season 6! If they are going to get other players to support their superstar they will have to do it during free agency but, there wont be any significant free agents for a few seasons. Prediction: Fifth in the pacific.
Hey guess what. They changed even more. It is hard to comment about any trends with this team because they simply haven't kept a roster together that long. remember that much bragged about 1-2 punch with Kane and Greene? Gone. Roswell found a 1-2 punch they liked better. And it's hard to argue against the Combination of Boom-Boom Casey and John Greene. They still have the same problem of no depth but if these two players stay together this is a team that we will almost certainly see in the finals some day.
Midwest Division
I just have to say that I love this division. They make me feel so smart. This is the only place I picked the order correctly. Remember my brilliance here when you get to the Mid-Atlantic!
Midland- Well it's good to see that I was right about one team. They are solid through and through. Pete Benton has been outstanding as has George Holt. The only weakness I see is that they don't have a true passing point guard but the team on a whole still passes well. Prediction: They will win the Midwest. Make the play-offs.
I nailed this one! They are a very good team but need a Point Guard. Benton and Holt are HUGE. They combine for: 40.2 points, 21.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 3.2 blocks, and 2.6 steals.
Indiana- The Shakers three main guns, John Riddle, Ray Valdes, and Dave Thompson, are as good as any in the league. And they improved by acquiring Frank Sommer. I predicted that their weaknesses were there defense and passing. Do I ever feel stupid! They lead the league in defense and are a better than average passing team. Their main problem at this point is finding their most efficient rotation. They are a better team than they showed and they are playing pretty well. Prediction: Third in the Midwest. Make the play-offs.
Coaching, coaching, coaching. The rumor are all over the midwest that there will be a change in management in the off season. This should be a play-offs team! Any team with John Riddle on it should be better than this especially with the supporting talent on this roster.
Cincinnati- I have to say that this team has impressed me. They are very strong defensively and I believe are the most efficient team offensively. As a team they shoot over 51% and they lead the league in assists. If they are so impressive why didn't I choose then to win the Midwest? I don't have a good answer of than I have questions about their health through out a full season. But, Midland, Indiana and Cincinnati are all very close and I could easily see their orders mixing up. Prediction: Second in the Midwest. A future power house. Make the play-offs.
This team is really hard to figure out. They are good no doubt about it. But this is a team that has beat LA twice and still managed to loose to Cancun twice. I think that this is a team that will be hard to beat once they gain a little maturity. Surprisingly they have stayed very healthy which is part of why they are playing so well.
Cancun- This is a solid young team who will get better with time. They don't have the offense to compete this season especially in the tough west. Jimmy Foster(pg) and Roger Bradshaw(pf/c) are two good players to build with. Prediction: Fourth in the Midwest miss the play-offs.
Bradshaw and Foster are the future of this team. They are solid now and will get much better as they mature. If management drafts well this is a team that will be a competitor very soon.
Winifred- As I said before, "When they traded away John Davis they gave up on this season. In return for Davis they got Roswell's first round pick which should prove to be a high one, and this to their pick and next season they should have two fine player to go along with the very talented Bert Latham." Prediction: Last in the Midwest.
Latham is the only player on this team that is really worth mentioning. He is good and he needs help. There is enough talent in this draft that he should have no problem getting it with the High picks that Winifred has.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Varese- This is a team that I have been disappointed in. Not that they are a bad team but I expected more from them. They clearly are not the cream of the East as I had predicted Prediction: Second in the Atlantic. Make the play-offs.
While this team is still not dominate in the East as I first predicted they are very solid. They have been battling Brooklyn all season for honors as the second best team in the East. Earl Baldwin deserves all the props he can get. This guy is a phenomenal player who has gotten very little attention. He's ranked 6th in scoring, 5th in rebounding, and 2nd in blocked shots.
London- Strong is the best way to describe this team and until their last two games against Sydney I would have said they were the best team in the league. The Machine Techs, however, showed London's weakness. Defense! They are an offensive power house leading the league in scoring but they can't stop another strong offensive team. Also, they are not a great shooting team so the top defenses in the league can give them trouble. Prediction: Win the Atlantic. Make the play-offs.
Defense a weakness for London? Dang I got a thick skull! The Disco have the #2 offense and the #2 defense. That is a nice combo. Now about the Big trade that got rid of Casey? I think that for this season it can help them...a couple years from now they may regret it.
Maine- Maine decided that if they couldn't win a championship this season they should trade away for the future. As a result they have arguably the worst defense in the league and a below average offense. AS a result of their fire sale they have 6 first round and 7 second round picks over the next 3 years. Prediction: Fourth in the Atlantic. Make the play-offs.
After making trades for the future they found that loosing in the East isn't as easy as you might think. So they made some late moves to try to secure their place in the play-offs. They are still below average on offense and defense but hey this is the east so welcome to the play-offs.
Berlin- This is a good team who proved they can win some games. But they don't shoot well as a team and that will return to bite them Prediction: Third in the Atlantic. Make the play-offs.
If Dave had this team the entire season I think they would be much better off. They do have some good players but need a better point guard and a shot blocker. They are about as average as it gets. It will be interesting to watch the moves that management makes because I know they don't like to loose!
Boston- At least they have Chuck Henderson. Prediction: Fifth in the Atlantic.
And now Dave Short. Those two will be all-stars for years. With some good drafting it will all turn around.
Gabon- Nothing changes they are still the worst team in the league. Prediction: Why bother.
At least the draft is getting closer.
Mid-Atlantic Division
New York- They gave away a lot in order to compete this season. It is too early to see exactly how their new lineup will play out but at the very least they will be explosive offensively. The one problem that they have is that they are not a great shooting team. Over all a very talented roster that should be fun to watch. Prediction: Win the Mid-Atlantic and make the play-offs. Make the play-offs.
Well, they are competing...the problem is that they are competing for 4th place in the east. No draft picks and not enough talent to win it all. Hello free agency. But there is nothing there until after season 2.
Brooklyn- The Rage said good bye to Scooter Jacobs and with him their offense. What they ended up with was John Davis who is a strong rebounder and excellent defender and 3 first round picks next season. They may have the best defense in the league but it will be hard to tell because of the ineptitude of their offense. This will be a rough season but the future is bright. Prediction: Last in the Mid-Atlantic.
Sometimes it's good to be wrong. The thing is I wasn't wrong I just didn't realize how bad the East really was. Also, how far a great defense goes. The Rages D is ranked third but they are second in FG% allowed and when you consider that their offense is the 5th worst in the league. It may actually be worse if they didn't have such a great defense. Acquiring Pee-Wee Stoddard was also a plus to a team what previously couldn't pass well and getting some scoring punch and hard nosed defense from the teen aged Gene Allen was also a nice addition. They are one of 4 teams that don't have a player who averages at least 15 points per game the great thing is that the Rage have more wins than any two of those teams combined. Davis and Siebert have been impressive in the middle. Siebert leads the league in both rebounding and blocked shots and Davis leads the league in offensive rebounding and is second in the league in rebounding. All that is needed is a top notch scorer and they will join the league elite!
North Carolina- Dave Short is North Carolina. He is all they have. Prediction: Fourth in the Mid-Atlantic.
Or at least he was. Now they are not much more than a GCAA team. But, with both their pick and Boston's not to mention London's they should be able to get some of the GCAA's best talent.
Washington- This team is much better than expected. They are average all around but in the pathetic Mid-Atlantic that may be enough to stand out. Prediction:Second in the Mid-Atlantic. Make the play-offs.
They did end up with an average offense but they had a poor defense. To be honest with only Brooklyn's second round pick in the off-season they don't look to improve much if any. But the following draft they will have 4 first round picks.
Baltimore- This team is not good but they are a great deal better than expected. It was thought that they would compete with Gabon all season for the worst record in the WBA. They however are not even going to be the worst team in their division. Prediction: Third in the Mid-Atlantic.
Nope! They sucked they did end up battling for the worst record and were tied with Gabon until recently. They had the third worst offense and the second worst defense. But, 3 first round draft picks should help ease the pain.
IN THIS EDITION OF WBA'S FAVORITE EDITORIAL......
...............the blockbuster trade before the deadline
...............quietly but steadily Sydney has steamrolled through the
opposition....why?
...............we examine the rule changes and what effect it will have
on the free agency market
...............top free agents of the year uncovered
LET THE BIDDING BEGIN
WBA Newz did some searching through the contracts of WBA players and
their ability and this is what we found to be the most talented group up
for new contracts in the off season.
Bill Cash, London -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0043 0.0000
1077 0.5097 34 27
a very capable C for the British, still very efficient even though he's
deep in his 30's....need a big man for a couple years?...take a peek
Mike Byrd, Cincinnati 0 -1 -3 -5 -7 -0.0080
0.0120 819 0.4723 37 22
the question is not whether he can contribute, but whether you can draw
him out of retirement at 37
Don Evers, Cincinnati 0 -1 -3 -5 -7 -0.0043
0.0134 775 0.3508 28 28
one of few decent players under the age of 30. has at least 5 good years
left in league
John Wolfe, Boston -1 0 0 -1 -3 0.0000 0.0157
749 0.3281 34 28
2 or a 3 with solid ability
Nick Mann, North Carolina 0 0 -1 -3 -5 -0.0085
0.0000 731 0.3555 26 27
guard with plenty years good backup years left
Jim Lopez, Maine -7 -5 -3 -1 0 0.0068 0.0136
717 0.3946 29 24
traded from Washington just before the deadline, he will soon be on the
free agent market
so in essence "the most talented that will be free" are really not that
talented after all. After all, these are the players that the GM's of
the teams thought that they could afford to lose or even wanted to lose
after the years end, because they only signed them to one year deals
after the draft. However, if you need a veteran to fill a needy spot,
count on these guys to do the job, if you can sign them.
NOT "A" BLOCKBUSTER...THIS ONE BUSTED A FEW OF THEM
Highlighting the last couple of days before the deadline, and the 8
trades that came in them, London, Roswell, and NY made a huge three way
deal which will not only have a huge impact on the future balance of this
league, but one that has already had an immediate impact on the favorites
to win the championships this year and also a huge effect on the rules
which changed immediately after a chain reaction of John Greene and Boom
Boom Casey being put on the same squad. We break it down team by team
and see who won and who got played.
NEW YORK....
WHAT THEY GOT:
Marty Williams -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0123 0.0000 1235
0.5124 20 33
41 35 49.9 73.2 0.0 9.1 1.6 3.5 1.3 2.8 0.6 16.5
WHAT THEY GAVE UP:
Mike Begley -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0183 -0.0142 2119
0.7130 28 38
44 38 48.7 73.8 12.5 11.0 1.8 3.8 2.7 3.0 0.9 21.9
ANALYSIS:
In Williams they get a potentially very good center in Marty Williams.
For his young age of 20 he is a phenomenal player. Though he possesses
tremendous potential, it is arguable whether or not he will ever become
the player Begley is, but in either case they get younger, and quality
young. However, I have to question where NY goes from here. With no
picks the next 7 years, it would seem obvious that the time to win is
now. If this is true then Begley seems the obvious choice for today.
Instead it will be Marty Williams learning along the way while Kane and
Lynn, NY's best players right now bring him along, and as they bring him
along, lose their best years as players. So either this is a bad trade
or NY's trying to get younger with a purpose and trying to build for the
future.
DECISION: Push...at best. At first look the trade is good for the future
after you look at statistical numbers, however for the team's well being
and chances to win a championship, Williams won't be the answer
now....and the future for NY is very questionable....unless this trade
was intended to be a sign of the team's direction changing to getting
younger and building for the future.
ROSWELL:
WHAT THEY GOT:
Boom-Boom Casey -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0133 -0.0092 2726
0.8411 21 41
49 40 44.8 78.8 29.4 9.4 3.7 3.3 3.1 2.6 1.7 25.7
and 2 scrub players
WHAT THEY GAVE UP:
Eddie Jacobson -5 -3 -1 0 0 0.0000 0.0000 1422
0.5034 23 34
48 36 46.8 75.4 27.3 9.0 1.6 1.9 0.4 1.4 0.9 14.2
Buck Jones 0 -1 -3 -5 -7 0.0000 0.0121 1038
0.4044 19 32
40 29 42.5 80.0 16.7 2.3 5.8 1.9 0.1 2.2 1.5 9.1
Marty Williams -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0123 0.0000 1235
0.5124 20 33
41 35 49.9 73.2 0.0 9.1 1.6 3.5 1.3 2.8 0.6 16.5
Marysville's 2nd round pick
ANALYSIS:
Well, Roswell wanted Casey bad, and he came at a price. They gave up 3
very young and very skilled players. 23, 19 and 20 of age, all with
ratings of 1000 or over. Make no mistake about it, these 3 players are
going to be very very VERY good. However, while I don't believe
Boom-Boom Casey is worth these 3 players, I do believe that having a team
with Greene and Casey running the show is worth the world. These two
guys as your front men are dominant to say the least and with another
youngster in Charlie Young, Roswell has the future set......if they can
resign them all. But as for the trade itself, although they gave up a
lot, maybe even more than Casey's value, I think the trade is a
phenomenal move considering everything and it makes Roswell a much better
team even though they don't get any older. As good as Jacobson, Jones
and Williams will be......they're not that good right now, they need a
lil' seasoning to become what they will be. As for Casey, well, we know
about Boom Boom. So how good can you be with 2 of the top 5 players in
the league? I don't know, look at the Lakers.
DECISION: Nothing short of a great move....only question is whether or
not he'll be able to resign both of them come season 4. If not......then
it probably wasn't worth it considering how much the 3 players he gave up
will improve by then. But if he does resign.......get ready for
dominance. Either way, right now I definitely judge this trade to be in
Roswell's favor.
LONDON:
WHAT THEY GOT:
Eddie Jacobson -5 -3 -1 0 0 0.0000 0.0000 1422
0.5034 23 34
48 36 46.8 75.4 27.3 9.0 1.6 1.9 0.4 1.4 0.9 14.2
Buck Jones 0 -1 -3 -5 -7 0.0000 0.0121 1038
0.4044 19 32
40 29 42.5 80.0 16.7 2.3 5.8 1.9 0.1 2.2 1.5 9.1
Mike Begley -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0183 -0.0142 2119
0.7130 28 38
44 38 48.7 73.8 12.5 11.0 1.8 3.8 2.7 3.0 0.9 21.9
Marysville's 2nd round pick
WHAT THEY GAVE UP:
Boom-Boom Casey -7 -5 -3 -1 0 -0.0133 -0.0092 2726
0.8411 21 41
49 40 44.8 78.8 29.4 9.4 3.7 3.3 3.1 2.6 1.7 25.7
and 2 scrub players
ANALYSIS:
Ok, lemme be honest. Its a love and hate thing with me and this trade
from a London point of view. One, I love the trade for what its
potential contains. But oh, oh, do I hate the timing. Potentially, this
team with these players can win it all very soon. Then again, so could
have this year's team with Boom Boom Casey. So I gotta wonder why? I
have to wonder why the best team by far out of the Eastern Conference,
almost guaranteed a finals berth would do this trade. And I've thought
long and hard, and I've come up with absolutely nothing. It boggles the
mind. Another GM called it simply "weird" which I think captures this
London trade much better than he even realized, while two other GM's were
also critical of it. LIke I said, I absolutely love what this trade MAY
contain for London, but why hope that something will happen two years
from now when it was happening today. Besides.....do you think that
London can resign all these 3 guys......WBA Newz thinks one will be gone.
DECISION: It may be genius but that I don't see it. But I doubt
it......London definitely did not get the better part of this trade, not
through talent, not through age, and looking at the rest of their
line-up, if they were ever gonna win it, it was this year-with Casey,
now.....well, do you think Sydney, Marysville and LA will all die in a
mysterious plane crash?
NEW RULES FAVOR GOOD TEAMS
Well, the decision has been made. I like the way Reynoso did it. He
didn't put it up to a vote on 5 different propositions with completely
different views and difficulty levels of performing correctly, instead he
decided on which he thought was best. Although I'm not exactly jumping
up and down with excitement on the decision that was made, I love the way
how it was made. The new rules in free agency will double the benefits
of both winning teams and the team they were with before. Without
question, this ruling aids the successful teams with quality young
players, and although the lower tier teams did not get what they wanted,
if we look a few years down the road, maybe the teams who get in the
lottery this year will look back at this ruling in retrospect and like
what they see when the time comes to resign the players they chose. As
with all changes in rules, only time will tell the effects of the
decision.
KILLING ME SOFTLY
Killing 'em softly. Sydney's done it all year....very very softly.
While we all raved about the big trade that LA made to burst onto the
scene Sydney watched quietly and beat their opponents soundly....and
softly. While we raved about the surprise that Marysville was....Sydney
watched quietly and went on about their business effectively, and softly.
Now, while we rave about London's huge 3 way deal, Sydney looks down
from the top of the league with the best record, and smiles softly, still
keeping focus, still killing them softly. Why is that everyone talks
about the big matchup of LA and London, of Marysville and LA, Marysville
and London, yet a team that only had 5 losses until today got no press,
got no recognition, got nothing for dominating the toughest division and
conference in the league. I'll tell you why. Its for the same reason
Brooklyn gets no press. WBA NEWZ IS THE ONLY PAPER IN TOWN AND WE JUST
DON'T HAVE THE TIME, DAMNIT. But why is Sydney so good? They're still
behind LA in the power rankings. They turn the ball over no less than
average, they don't steal the ball no less than average. Moreover, they
don't outrebound teams by much if anything, but it seems like they win
every statistical category, even if not by much. And a couple FG's more
here and a few FT's here, and another 3 less taken but one more hit
there, and couple rebounds and assists more, and before you know it, you
have the best scoring team in the WBA, averaging over a 107 points a
game. And the 7th best defense in the game. As I said before, there is
nothing that's outstanding, nothing drastic......except for the
scorecard, and that's what matters. One would think....if its that close
throughout everything, they have to fall off one day, but it hasn't
happened so far, and I'm not betting on it until it does. Also, when it
gets to those key moments, having the best PG in the league, Curtis
Bridges hurts none. In our previous issue we named him the best PG of
'em all, and he's done nothing but prove us right ever since. Gentlemen,
this guy is phenomenal, he is the best non Center in the league, and he
shoots better from the field than even some of them. Its time we start
talking about him as one of the best in the league, which he
is.........give me Bridges and Roswell's big men and I'm taking on the
world......as for now, I'll settle for Sydney's squad and enjoy as they
keep killing 'em softly.
All-Star Weekend
The Western Con 25 24 33 24 - 106 (Joe Dempsey 19)
The Eastern Con 23 16 28 17 - 84 (Greg Lynn 19)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Western Conference FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Curtis Bridges 20 1- 3 1- 2 0- 0 1- 2 1 3 0 1 1 3
Jimmy Foster 21 0- 5 0- 0 0- 0 3- 5 6 0 0 2 0 0
Maury Starr 20 2-11 3- 4 0- 0 1- 3 4 2 1 4 3 7
Bill Owens 21 3- 7 5- 6 0- 0 0- 1 2 0 0 0 2 11
Larry Chapman 18 3-11 0- 0 0- 0 0- 6 0 1 0 0 1 6
Jose Bergman 21 4- 7 1- 2 1- 1 1- 6 2 4 1 0 2 10
John Greene 21 5- 7 1- 2 0- 2 1- 4 2 0 0 0 1 11
George Holt 21 4- 9 8- 8 0- 0 2- 4 1 2 0 0 0 16
Jim Fox 20 1- 4 4- 4 0- 0 2- 2 2 3 0 1 2 6
Joe Dempsey 18 9-12 0- 2 1- 1 0- 6 1 2 1 1 4 19
Bert Latham 21 5-11 2- 2 0- 2 1- 8 1 0 1 2 0 12
Jim McCarthy 18 2-10 1- 2 0- 0 2- 3 4 5 1 1 1 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 39- 97 26-34 2- 6 14-50 26 22 5 12 17 106
40.2% 76.5% 33.3%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Eastern Conference FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earl Baldwin 20 2- 6 2- 2 0- 0 1- 3 1 2 0 1 0 6
Chuck Henderson 20 1- 3 0- 0 1- 1 0- 0 7 0 0 1 3 3
Stub Madison 20 2- 6 0- 0 0- 0 0- 3 3 4 0 4 2 4
Greg Lynn 20 8- 9 0- 0 3- 3 0- 1 3 1 0 3 0 19
Maury Foreman 20 3- 4 0- 0 0- 0 0- 3 2 3 0 1 1 6
Bobby Shields 20 4-11 0- 0 1- 3 0- 1 3 2 0 0 0 9
Scooter Jacobs 20 0- 9 7-14 0- 2 2- 2 2 1 0 3 0 7
Boom-Boom Casey 20 2- 9 2- 4 0- 0 0- 4 0 2 1 1 0 6
Ozzie Kramer 20 1- 6 1- 2 0- 2 0- 2 3 2 1 3 2 3
Dave Short 20 5- 9 0- 0 0- 0 3- 7 1 3 0 2 0 10
John Davis 20 3- 3 1- 2 0- 0 2- 6 0 1 0 1 0 7
Fred Workman 20 1- 5 2- 2 0- 0 1- 8 2 5 0 1 1 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 32- 80 15-26 5-11 9-40 27 26 2 21 9 84
40.0% 57.7% 45.5%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 3 Ties: 3
Largest Leads: The Western Conference -- 25
The Eastern Conference -- 5
Round 1
Paul Wright- Colorado 22
Bill Andrews- N. Carolina 22
Arnie Drake- Maine 20
Charlie Young- Roswell 20
Ty Locke- LA 19
Garth Donahue- Marysville 19
Greg Lynn- New York 19
Earl Baldwin- Varese 19
Xavier Schneider- Midland 19
Charlie Sheehan- Fernie 18
Blue Walsh- Cancun 17
Nick Barton- London 17
Maury Foreman- Washington 17
Mike Sewell- Baltimore17
John Wolfe- Boston 16
Jose Bergman- Sydney 16
Rich Johnson- Cincinnati 16
Bill Meyer- Brooklyn 13
Bert Latham- Winifred 12
Fred Chapman- Gabon 11
Ray Valdez- Indiana 9
Bobby Shields- Berlin 9
Round 1 Shoot off
Greg Lynn- New York 22
Xavier Schneider- Midland 19
Round 2
Arnie Drake- Maine 21
Garth Donahue- Marysville 20
Greg Lynn- NY 20
Charlie Young- Roswell 18
Bill Andreus- N. Carolina 18
Paul Wright- Colorado 18
Earl Baldwin- Varese 17
Ty Locke- LA 16
Round 2 Shoot off
Bill Andreus- N. Carolina 19
Paul Wright- Colorado 18
Round 3
Bill Andreus- N. Carolina 24
Garth Donahue- Marysville 20
Arnie Drake- Maine 17
Greg Lynn- NY 16
Round 4
Garth Donahue- Marysville 20
Bill Andreus- N. 15
The Champion is Garth Donahue from Marysville
Season 1 All-Stars announced!
Listed below are the All-Stars for each conference in the order of votes recieved.
West
Jim McCarthy- Cin
Curtis Bridges- Syd
John Greene- Ros
Jose Bergman- Syd
Maury Starr- LA
Jimmy Foster- Can
George Holt- Mid
Bert Latham- Win
Roger Bradshaw- Can
Charlie Young- Ros
Jim Fox- Cin
Joe Dempsy- LA
Larry Chapman- Mry
Bill Owens- Can
East
Boom-Boom Casey- Lon
Mike Sewell- Bal
Greg Lynn- NY
Dave Short- Bos
Ed Kane- NY
Chuck Henderson- Bos
Stub Madison- Bal
John Davis- Brk
Earl Baldwin- Var
Bobby Shields- Ber
Scooter Jacobs- NY
Fred Workman- Var
Maury Forman- Was
Ozzie Kramer- Brk
WBA: Heard it through the grapevine
With the recent attention paid to Wes Ford and the controversy surrounding his insignificant trade to North Carolina there has been a rash of Wes Ford jokes appearing in London Comedy Clubs. Here is a small sampling.
Wes Ford walks up to a Coke machine in a Carolina casino, puts in a few coins, and out pops a Coke. He puts some more coins into the machine, and a can of Tango pops out. He keeps putting in coins, and cans keep coming out. A guy walks up behind him and says, "Can I please use the machine?" "F*** off!" Ford replies. "Can't you see I'm winning?"
Wes Ford had a near death experience the other day when he went
horseback riding. Everything was going fine until the horse started bouncing out of control. He tried with all his might to hang on, but was thrown off. With his foot caught in the stirrup, he fell head first to the ground. His head continued to bounce on the ground as the horse did not stop or even slow down. Just as he was giving up hope and losing consciousness, the K-Mart's manager came out and unplugged it.
Wes Ford goes to see Leon Peterson in hospital when he has an injury.
Ford says to Peterson "What have they been doing to you?"
Peterson says "They gave me a Cortisone Injection"
Ford says "They didn't give me a car when I was here!"
Wes's girlfriend buys Wes Fords a new North Carolina scarf for Christmas to add to his collection. Wes tries it on and shouts out in frustration.
The girlfriend says "what on earth is the matter?"
Ford - "Its no good - you'll have to take it back."
Girl friend - "whatever for?"
Ford - "Its too bl***y tight!"
Wes Ford had just got a new sports car and was out for a drive when
he cut up a lorry driver. The trucker motioned for him to pull over, which he did, the trucker got out of his lorry and pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket. He drew a circle on the road and told Wes Ford, "Stand in the circle and DON'T MOVE!!" He then went to Ford's car and cut up his leather seats. When he turned around Wes had a slight grin on his face, so he said, "Oh, you think that's funny? Watch this." He gets a baseball bat out of his truck and breaks every window in the car. When he turns and looks at him, Ford has a smile on his face. The truckers getting really mad. He gets his knife back out and slashes all of his tires. Now Wes is chuckling. The truck driver is really starting to lose it. He goes back to his truck and gets a can of petrol, pours it on the car and sets it on fire.
He turns around and Wes is laughing so hard he is about to fall down.
"What's so funny?" the truck driver Demands. Wes replied, "When you weren't looking I stepped outside the circle 4 times"
WBA Apparel
With the heating rivalry between The New York Firestorm and the Roswell XT WBA Management has decided to release jerseys for two of the leagues most popular players John Greene of the XT and Scooter Jacobs of the Firestorm.
Announcing the GCAA
The WBA has announced that they will be linking up with the Global Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA). This fine collegiate league supplies the WBA with quality players. The WBA will have exclusive rights to graduating seniors and potential WBA coaches will have a chance to hone their skills at the college level. This is a great opportunity to expand the influence of the WBA.
WBA Apparel
It has just been announced that Nike will be sponsoring one of London Disco's players for the rest of his career, and with be releasing clothing with his name on it witch you all will be able to buy, so if anyone is interested please contact Marketing@Londondisco.com for a pair of:
NIKE FLAIR JORDAN'S
As worn by Henry Jordan - London Disco!