Full Court Press: Power Rankings (Week 12)

Kevin Martin returned to the Dublin line up this past week. Something tells me it wasn't enough to bump them out of the bottom spot of the rankings, but check for yourself...









Power Rankings:
1.) Tokyo (-) - Not going to lose the top spot with wins like that.
2.) Las Vegas (-) - 5-4 win doesn't do them much good in the standings.
3.) Tijuana (-) - The Matadors keep winning and with the bottom of the playoff bunch getting tighter, they have the chance to make a big jump in the coming weeks.
4.) Colorado (-) - When only two guys shoot over .450 in a week you know you're in trouble. The Bears need to make up ground against Tijuana this week
5.) Montreal (-) - They seemed happy with their 5-4 loss, though they lost the 5 points on Wednesday they held fought hard to keep from being blown out and succeeded (easily).
6.) Rakeville (+1) - A few weeks ago it was a foregone conclusion the Crows would find a way into the playoffs. 5-4 wins are nice once you're there, but they need to find a way to win by more in order to propel themselves up into the top 6.
7.) Bridgewater (-1) - The loss against Tokyo hurt, and the only reason they didn't lose 9-0 is because the Vegans are just terrible in Assists and Turnovers. Lucky Phenoms I guess.
8.) Fitchburg (+1) - They excel in some areas and are just terrible in others. A dropping Montreal squad could give Fitchburg the jump they need.
9.) Weymouth (-1) - LeBron James and company got dealt another hard loss. Their stats are better than their standings, they just keep finding ways to lose.
10.) South Carolina (-) - There absolutely no reason this team should be this close to a playoff spot as they are. They've been finding ways to hold on, but with Rakeville and Vegas up next look for the Rebels to drop.
11.) Peoria (-) - Back to their losing ways, but there's no way to bump them back down to the last spot unless Dublin shows some life and finds a way to win.
12.) Dublin (-) - With just a few weeks away from breaking the newly set winless record, Dublin is on their way to making history. Congratulations.

---------------

League Notes:

-Kevin Martin returned to the Brawlers' line up this past week. Team management was so happy with Martin's .370 FG% for the week that they made him team captain. This did not make Brandon Jennings (.312 FG%) very happy.

-After being traded to Montreal, Ben Gordon has been shipped to Fitchburg, Massachusetts in time for the state's special Senate vote. In order to match his play this season, he voted for Joe Kennedy. Get it? Because it didn't matter?

-After taking the last two weeks off, regular power rankings official writer Alexander Marquez Alejandro is set to return to action next week. Ya, after crappy jokes like the last one, I'm excited too.

Read more!

Full Court Press - Power Rankings (Week 11)

Power Rankings:
1.) Tokyo (+1) - Solid win against a falling Weymouth team and they should hold onto the top spot with some favorable match ups in the next two weeks
2.) Las Vegas (+2) - With and addition of Duncan and Garnett, and Granger back in the line up, watch out for the Lizards to make a run at the top spot in the coming weeks
3.) Tijuana (+2) - this team is much better than the standings would indicate, look for them to make some noise against WEY and COL
4.) Colorado (-1) - Tough loss against Vegas bumps them down, but expect a rebound against Fitch.
5.) Montreal (-4) - Are they packing it in? After a terrible loss to Rakeville and the trading of their two best big men, one has to assume they're looking toward the future
6.) Bridgewater (-) - Keeps themselves in the middle of the pack with a win against Carolina, but statistically not much better than Fitchburg
7.) Rakeville (+1) - Took advantage of the match up against Montreal, and should continue to climb with Dublin and South Carolina coming up next
8.) Weymouth (-1) - How far we've dropped. With a tough few weeks ahead Weymouth really could go either way
9.) Fitchburg (+1) - Another loss keeps them low, but even worse play around them bumps them up.
10.) South Carolina (-1) - Two 3-6 losses in a row won't do much for your confidence. Could be an interesting match up with Peoria coming up next.
11.) Peoria (+1) - Apparently Rudy Gay, is the answer, and not John Wall.
12.) Dublin (-1) - So we have it, Dublin has overtaken Peoria as the bottom of the power rankings barrel. They have a "good" chance at breaking their newly set winless streak record unless they can get their other half of their roster back from injury

---------------

League Notes:

-Tim Duncan will start off the week in a Montreal uniform and on Friday is expected to suit up for the other side of the court. Las Vegas GM Charles Barkley has instructed his entire team to stop defending their new center so not to risk injury

-Peoria fans rioted in the streets after their 8-1 win over Dublin. No one seemed to care that the win came against a team with just 9 active players and it may end up costing them the top draft pick in next year's draft. Sources have said Peoria management isn't worried, and still feel confident they can get Shaquille O'Neal with the 2nd overall pick

-Sources say that Paul Pierce is on the block in Fitch, and that management would "highly consider" an offer that included 4 1st round draft picks. There have been no such offers reported yet, but one can only assume there will be soon.

Read more!

Finding The Final Piece

After an early exit in the 2008 playoffs and failure to make earn an invite in 2009, the Las Vegas Lizards, Sin City's only team without a championship, is looking for that final piece to bring them their shot at the EHBA title. Shawn Marion, apparently, was not that piece.



Finding The Final Piece
Reno Weekly Rag/Max Powera


It's not every day you see a championship contending team trade away a solid role playing piece of their roster for a draft pick in a future draft. Recently the Lizards traded away forward Shawn Marion to the Matadors for their 1st round draft pick in the 2010 draft. Marion, who has shown glimpses of greatness, has been inconsistent for the Lizards for most of the season, apparently making him expendable.

"Shawn was great for our team, but he wasn't the piece we needed. We told ourselves that if we could get something that would help us get that piece that we would have to move on it," GM Charles Barkley told reporters after the trade was announced.

Confirmed to have been in discussions with Peoria for Troy Murphy before he was moved to Colorado, Las Vegas has been linked to various trade rumors across the league. They have been thought to be trying to acquire a replacement for Marion, using what they see as the team's expendable assets, including all of their future draft picks, including three 2010 1st rounders, which they have not been shy in shopping across the league. The Lizards have been linked to rumors around superstars SF Paul Pierce, C Carlos Boozer, PF Kevin Garnett, and, to a lesser extent, SG Kobe Bryant and PG Steve Nash.

"We're open to negotiations with anyone who's willing to help us make that push to a championship. We're willing to help the future of another franchise by parting with multiple draft picks in order to make that happen, but at the same time next year's draft is looking to be pretty strong and we're more than happy to use those draft picks to help our roster moving forward," Barkley said, "That being said, we're in line to make a run at the championship this year, and that is our number one priority."

Players linked in trade rumors for the Lizards include G Allen Iverson, newly acquired G C.J.Watson, SG Ben Gordon, SF Stephen Jackson, PG Chris Duhon, C Brendan Haywood, and C Marcus Camby.

--------

Notes from Vegas...

-Danny Granger has been said to be planning a return in time to face off against Dublin in two weeks, but not against Montreal. The match up however is at home against the DeathPiggys and Granger does plan on practicing with the starters the entire week.

-The Lizards are having a hard time finding adequate playing time for back up guard Allen Iverson and the acquisition of C.J. Watson isn't going to help the situation, though Watson isn't expected to start for the Lizards until Tuesday, January 26th against South Carolina. Needless to say, Watson has been put on the Lizards' trade block.

Read more!

Bang Bang. (My Baby Shot Me Down.)

Full Court Press Magazine - Week 10 Power Rankings - Gilbert Arenas just shot the Bear’s playoff hopes in the foot. Why do we always hurt the ones we love?

Over two years ago, the Colorado Bears franchise selected a fun-loving point guard to be the cornerstone of their franchise. Gilbert Arenas was known all over the league as a hilarious, if mercurial, presence in the locker room, known for his practical jokes and outrageous bets. While some questioned his attitude, no one could argue with his results on the court, and at the #9 overall pick, fans in Colorado walked away with what they thought was the steal of the draft.

Two years and two major knee surgeries later, Gilbert Arenas finally donned a Bears uniform, after watching the previous two seasons from the bench in street clothes. With Colorado off to its best start in franchise history, and Gilbert leading the charge with his return to form, things were looking good.

Bang.

Until Gilbert Arenas shot the fans. Literally. And by literally, I mean figuratively. But he might as well. After pulling a gun on a teammate in a locker room fracas, then exacerbating the problem by tweeting on and on and shooting hand pistols in timeouts, Gilbert showed once and for all that he doesn’t give a crap about Colorado, or their fans. And now he’s suspended indefinitely.

There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about the Bears’ curse. After a disappointing first year in the league beset by injuries and underperformers, the Bears were even worse in 2008-2009, when a rash of freak injuries left them hobbled and helpless, barely able to put a full roster on the court. The curse was limited to the players on their team either; after trading Luol Deng to Montreal, Deng fractured his leg and missed the rest of the year. After Jameer Nelson was sent to South Carolina, he separated his shoulder and missed the rest of the year. After drafting Blake Griffin in this year’s draft, he and Greg Oden were shipped to Dublin where both promptly suffered major injuries and have missed all or most of the season, with Oden out for the whole year. Quite simply, Colorado is the unluckiest team in the league.

Fortunately, the Bears’ savvy GM Mike Comtois has made all the right moves this season, and is hoping to taste the playoffs that once seemed so inevitable two years ago. The recent addition of Derrick Rose, once thought of as a luxury, will now prove invaluable to the squad with the loss of Arenas for who knows how long. It’s only a shame that Rudy Gay will have to endure some sort of horrific injury in the coming weeks.
_______________________________________________
Power Rankings:
1. Montreal (-) – Easy win over Peoria keeps them in the top spot. Things get much harder from here though.
2. Tokyo (-) – Solid win over South Carolina keeps them cruising. Really rounding into form.
3. Colorado (-) – Cooled off a once hot Rakeville squad. How bad will loss of Arenas hurt though?
4. Las Vegas (-) – Great win over Tijuana; Granger expected back within a couple of weeks.
5. Tijuana (-) – Don’t really deserve to be here after loss, but everyone behind them has struggled too.
6. Bridgewater (+4) – After the top 4, it’s really a crapshoot where any given team could land. Big win over depleted Dublin squad is what it is.
7. Weymouth (+1) – Back in the playoff picture with a big win over Fitchburg. Real test comes at Tokyo this week.
8. Rakeville (-1) – Bad loss in a game they needed to win. Interesting match-up with a banged up Montreal squad this week.
9. South Carolina (-3) – Tough loss to Tokyo, but statistically they’re just not there yet. Need to show something against Bridgewater this week in a winnable game.
10. Fitchburg (-) – Not good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to get John Wall. Tough place to be.
11. Dublin (-) – The unthinkable could happen next week—if they lose to Peoria, we could officially have a new worst team in the league. Injuries make it a tough pill to swallow, but it is what it is.
12. Peoria (-) – Another week, another 7-2 loss. Just another sunny day in Peoria.
_____________________________________________
League Notes:
-Another inaugural first round pick is on the block in Montreal. Rumor has it Kevin Garnett can be had for the right price.

-After a contentious week of trading, EHBA fans have been treated to a circus in Peoria. Everyone loves elephants.

-Fitchburg forward Tracy McGrady allegedly also pulled a gun on a teammate in the locker room this week, only no one gives a shit because Tracy McGrady stinks.

Read more!