I'm always intrigued by different takes on the playoffs across different leagues. It would be a tough thing to get used to but it is an oddly fair way of doing it, let's see that Hollywood plan in action. I hope Boston gets to be more competitive and can stick around, heck I just want most the league to get more competitive. 

I don't really get further complicating something for teams who can win half their games. The criteria was top 8 and LA wasn't top 8, simple as that. I like the idea in general because it is different, but the LA owner crying over it isn't helping his cause.

ThisIsFine wrote:

Imagine getting into the playoffs just because you have one more w than your ls

This post was made by Anti-Hollywood Plan Gang

Imagine making it into the playoffs with more Ls than Ws. I would argue that a 9th best team with a winning record one season is more deserving than an 8th best team with a losing record in a another. The Hollywood Plan, although with its own set of flaws, still rewards the best teams with the playoffs. A team that "handles their own business" makes the playoffs on their own merit.

FIRST ROUND REVIEW: NDL DRAFT
1 October 2032
by Ben Miller, USA Today

Honestly, this was one of the weaker classes the NDL has had in a few years, but the teams still had to pick their guys. Who had the best first round? Who had the worst? Which of these players will be a superstar and which will be a bust? I have no idea! I do have some scattered opinions, though.

Winner: Boston seems to have come out on top, with three picks in a draft where volume looks to be more important than position, though two of their picks are in the top six. They also got the best name of the first round - at least in my opinion - in Jackie Black.

Loser: Anybody who wanted a defensive skill position (no offense to any zone backs who might be reading this). Only one keeper, ECU B/K Corey Adam, was taken in round one, and the top center in the draft, Tulane B/C Jason Perrin, fell out of the first round entirely.

Most surprising: With an honorable mention to Nashville swapping players with New York to move up to 10, I think it’s gotta be #2 overall pick Kevin McCulloch. McCulloch has been given the nickname of “Killer” in part because of his ability to take over games and make clutch shots, but also for his bad temper. I had pegged him as a guy who would fall down the board, but the Sawyers clearly don’t mind taking on a bit of a project.

Anything I missed? Take a look at the full list below, and feel free to tweet at me if I didn’t talk about your favorite team.

1. MTL - B/ZB Riley Dobbins (Akron)
2. SEA - W/ZB Kevin McCulloch (Stanford)
3. BOS - B/ZB Cejay Hubbard (BYU)
4. PHI (from ATL) - W/ZB Devin Martinez (Princeton)
5. DC - F/ZB Alejandro Vasquez (American)
6. BOS (from TOR) - B/ZB Jackie Black (George Washington)
7. MIA - B/K Corey Adam (East Carolina)
8. TEX (from LA) - B/ZB Ricky Santana (Kentucky)
9. SEA (from NSH) - B/ZB Daniel Cameron (Northwestern State)
10. NSH (from NY) - B/ZB Tom Kisner (Florida Atlantic)
11. ATL (from CHI via LA) - W/ZB Demetrius Green (UNLV)
12. TEX - B/ZB Shyheem Noel (William & Mary)
13. MIN - B/ZB Zack Sorensen (Cal)
14. CAL - B/ZB Garrett Williams (Louisiana Tech)
15. ORL - W/ZB Roman Williams (San Diego State)
16. BOS (from PHI) - B/ZB Luis Sanchez (La Salle)

ANGEL TURNS TO THE DARK SIDE
13 October 2032
by Adrian Horstmann, NBC Bay Area

The Miami Palms might have offered B/K Angel Camacho cookies. We do know that they offered him more than what the Sea Lions were willing to give him, and Camacho has jumped ship to sunny Florida. (Ironic that the team that plays in all black jerseys on an all black floor is in the brightest city in the league.)

Angel and the Palms have reportedly agreed to a 7-year deal worth approximately $66 million. Not a bad deal for a 23-year-old who figures to be Miami’s #1 keeper for this season and probably for the foreseeable future. Really makes you wonder why the Lions weren’t willing to pay a little bit more to keep him.

Speaking of, where does that leave the Lions? Well, they’re in a bit of a pickle. B/K Kyle Zorya is still a solid player, but he’s on the last year of his contract, and California does not have another keeper on their roster at the moment. Not only that, but the free agent market is pretty thin on keepers this year. I don’t love the idea of having to make a trade to fill such a big hole, but that’s likely their only option at this point.

FROST DEAL AWAY GOLF, DAVIS
23 October 2032
by Michael Lombardi, Chicago Sun-Times

Cap space.

That’s the big reason for this big trade, which sees longtime Flake B/ZB Dewitt Golf and young F/ZB Derek Davis leaving for the Emerald City. Chicago paid Davis handsomely last year with the expectation that he’d grow into a young star forward, and while he played pretty well for a 23-year-old, the Frost soon found they had a just-as-good-but-much-cheaper option in F/ZB Dan Li. With a lot of big contracts on the books this year, they determined it wasn’t worth keeping him around. Golf, meanwhile, is a very good player, but with only one year left on his contract, he was a likely if unpopular candidate to be sent elsewhere.

Who are the Frost getting in return? B/ZB Dan Volland is certainly no Dewitt Golf, but he should slot nicely into the lineup without too much of a hiccup, and F/ZB Diego Novo will make for a solid backup if and when he’s needed. Overall, if you need to clear $10 million of cap, this isn’t a bad way to do it. Of course, we’ll have to wait to see if this trade will cool off Martin Irwin’s hot seat, or if it will backfire and burn his behind.

NEW NDL PLAYOFF FORMAT VOTED DOWN
31 October 2032
by Logan Schwartz, Sportsnet

For the first time in recent memory, there’s been a buzz coming out of the NDL’s annual Halloween meetings. The “Hollywood Plan,” as Zachary Alaniz’s new playoff format has been termed, seems to have been gaining some momentum among the viewing public, and many were hoping to see it put into place today by the NDL’s Competition Committee. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The proposal was voted down 8-4, and the NDL will stick with the four division winners, four wildcards format (fourmat?) it’s had for the past four years.

Alaniz, who is not on the Committee, seemed disappointed, but not surprised. “I expected this to happen,” said the LA native. “No offense to any of the committee members, but they’re all kinda members of the old guard, and it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. If anything, I’m surprised we even got four [votes]. I figured we’d maybe get two.” Alaniz wasn’t quite ready to give up on the idea, though. “I think the idea’s got a lot of potential, and I suspect that if we see more good teams missing the playoffs, we might just get some more people on board.”

NDL Commissioner Justin Ross - also not on the Committee, but would serve as a tiebreaker - has not officially commented as of yet, though he has been very much in favor of keeping the playoffs at an even power of two (case in point: jumping to an eight-team playoff with only 12 teams in 2025). Deputy Commissioner Tanner Reinhardt, however, has also not officially commented on the matter, but is rumoured to be much more receptive to the idea.

LEYVA DEFECTS FROM CHAMPS TO JOIN NEW YORK
12 November 2032
by Jason Kraut, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Former Row W/ZB Leon Leyva has switched sides in the Philly-New York rivalry, signing a 3-year, $18-million contract with the Chargers. New York has been a consistent playoff participant, but not so much a playoff contender, having made the postseason six years running but only winning one playoff series in that time. Adding Leyva is a great step to try to put them over the top.

As for Leyva, it doesn’t seem as though he had any beef with his old team or connection to his new one - he just took the highest value he was offered. It seems as though Philly, along with many other teams, didn’t want to offer too much guaranteed money to the 35-year-old, as good as he’s been. The Chargers were, though, and I’m sure playing in New York City helped out a bit. As for the Row, their plans to become the next Redbacks seem to have been scuttled a bit, but they still have a strong team. The battle for the NDL East next season will be an exciting one to watch.

FROST SIGN DHAKIY AKBAR TO 5-YEAR DEAL
6 December 2032
by Greg Adams, The Flake Effect

I must say, I’m excited, but a little confused. Wasn’t this the same Frost front office that, just a month or so ago, was trading away assets to gain cap space? How did we manage to land B/ZB Dhakiy Akbar, and why did we let it eat up $7.7 million of the cap? Also, don’t we have enough elite B/ZBs already?

Well, to answer that last question, Akbar does have some experience playing the wing, so they may be planning to move him there. As for the cap, I really don’t know. Did somebody miscalculate something? Did the team simply overcorrect? Maybe we’ll get the answers in the next few days, maybe we won't. At the end of the day, though, I’m glad we’re still trying to make moves to compete. The window still appears to be open a crack, and the way the league looks this year, a crack may be all you need.

MINNESOTA SWINGS A DEAL WITH BOSTON FOR ROB LIST
12 January 2033
by Kipp Melin, NDL.com

The Minnesota Lights appear to be building for another playoff push this season, as they’ve added B/ZB Rob List to their roster via a trade with the Boston Commodores. List, newly 35 years old, has been the leader of a struggling Boston team since signing with the Commodores in their inaugural year, and now makes a jump from a perennial basement-dweller to an even newer team that’s transformed itself into a contender. Minnesota hopes that List can help to push them over the edge.

The Lights will also receive F/ZB Christian Ronalds to be their backup after letting F/ZB Jerry Miller walk in free agency (to Boston, no less). In return, the Commodores will receive 21-year-old W/ZB Joel Turkiewicz, along with a second-round pick. Turkiewicz, who went undrafted in 2030, was promoted to the big-league level last year and showed flashes of brilliance in the little playing time he got. It’s a risky move for Boston, but if all goes well, it should finally give their fans something to cheer about.

GRICE TRADED TO MIAMI
24 January 2033
by Rylan Cuesta, CBS Philadelphia

The hits just keep coming for the defending champions. In another attempt to clear up some cap room, the Row have shipped off B/ZB Keith Grice to Miami in exchange for B/ZB Mike Webb. Grice, of course, has been an important part of Philly’s championship teams the past few years, averaging 23.3 points assisted per game during his three-and-a-half year run here. That said, if you have to get rid of a star player with a relatively big contract, he’s not a bad way to do it, especially when you can flip him for a guy like Webb, who has big-time playoff experience - you may remember him from his game-winning buzzer-beater against Chicago in the 2030 playoffs.

Interestingly, this trade seems to have been held up a bit due to an unusual circumstance. Miami apparently only agreed to do the deal if they could clear up some cap space of their own - namely, 37-year-old B/K Joel Drain. Drain was on the final year of his contract and was going to cost the Palms nearly $10 million toward the cap next year, but the Palms offered to extend his contract if he agreed to retire from playing and become an assistant coach for them instead. Clearly it was a tough decision, and you have to wonder what the solution would have been had he decided to keep playing. Quite the unusual way to end a solid playing career.