East Division
After a brutally slow start at the beginning of the season, the Rowdies rallied to finish off with a 28-24 record. This was crucial because Sherborne Whalers already clinched the division title and Bangor Farmers finished the season losing their final 2 games to tie Rivers End at 28. The SBA had not yet developed a rule regarding ties for a playoff berth. It was rumored league executives were calling each other and the respective owners all night to agree to a decision. The Capitol Patriot, a Stratford based newspaper, titled the saga "The Most Expensive Long Distance Bill in History?" The next day SBA commissioner Norris Dale received his first big media spotlight saying, "Our first thought was head-to-head record, but as some of you may know, their series ended with a 4-4 tie. A tie-breaking game was considered, but the logistics are far too complex to complete within this 2-day time span. Tie-breaking games may be considered in the future, but that will be decided in the offseason. In this case, the SBA's executives and owners have come to the conclusion that the Rivers End Rowdies will be awarded a 2nd seed in the SBA playoffs for winning their last game." The Bangor Manor, another of Silveria's more well-known papers, encapsulated the city's grief with the title "The Night and Day and Night the City Wept." Unsurprisingly, Bangor and Wells were the only two teams to vote for the Farmers potential playoff berth. The two-time defending champs would not get the chance to do it again. Most fans didn't know how to feel with the Rowdies and Farmers probably being the two most disliked teams in the SBA.
Rivers End Rowdies (#2 seed)
Ira Diaz continued to be Ira Diaz in the second half of the season, but there's no debate about it Fabien's shooting opened up the offense. Something I may have overlooked is that with McCoy and Diaz's play being pretty similar to one another, Fabien had a similar impact. Edgar Carroll was often still in the starting lineup because the Rowdies needed scoring off the bench, but his decline was still evident with another disappointing half. They'll be hoping they're peaking at the right time versus Sherborne. There shouldn't be many concerns for Diaz leaving in the offseason, although it's been rumored he may return home to Motesa in Pacifico to play for his hometown team. After the foundation of the SBA, the league mandated each coach be given a 3-year guaranteed contract, with coaches following the league's restricted free agent policy. Carlton Bates will surely re-sign and may even win Coach of Year.
Sherborne Whalers (#1 seed)
The Whalers had a decent second half of the season, but Brent McCormick was a little off. They still managed to finish #1 in the East. Clarence Ward is starting to look like that top 5 player fans all thought he'd be, next year he may finally surpass Bangor legend Eugene Shaw. It may difficult for them to get past the Rowdies, but they do have home-court advantage. Kenneth Tate has stated a desire to return to the Whalers this offseason. His return may mean the time will reduce its championship window leading a harder push in the present. Walt Ramsey has built his reputation as a top tier coach in the SBA, and may sign the max 5-year contract.
Bangor Farmers
After an MVP-like start to the season, Dom Byrd cooled off to be a second-option for the Farmers. Eugene Shaw looks almost like his prime self, but he can no longer carry the team with his age and poor play of his supporting cast. Cary Joseph has yet to say anything of his return, but has indicated he won't move to Europe. After a disappointing season by the Farmer's standards, Bryan Harris will likely sign a 2 or 3 year deal with Bangor. Adam Lowe has also signified interest in becoming a coach for the Farmers, this would mean retirement but the former star C has been hesitant to forfeit the year's money left on his contract.
Wells Phoenix
Finishing in fourth, but behind Haydon in the power ranking is Wells Phoenix. The Phoenix didn't have a great second half, but it wasn't too far from expectation, as they were not held very highly for a 14-12 team at the All Star break. Rick Howell's production dipped with his All Star bid coming into question on a few occasions by Rowdies fans. Nick Jefferson took the rare role as PG and MVP, but Howell still led the way in scoring. Unfortunately, Fields and Jackson continued to show little tangible value with both playing mediocre. Gerri Vinci provided some good shooting and nice defense for an older guy. In the case of this offseason, the team is rumored to be prioritizing Fields over Jackson and Hester due to his greater potential. In wake of the SBA's decision to have coaches sign 3-year guaranteed contracts in the inaugural 1968 season, they reformed the requirement to 2 years. Glen Massey will be around again next year, but he can't afford many halves like this.
Haydon Hounds
While finishing last in the division, I think it's pretty obvious the Hounds are in a pretty good spot. They competed with Wells, the Hounds are not only younger, but have greater potential especially in Rufus Simon. However, it wasn't Simon who shined in October and November, it was Stefane Lachance. Lachance got off to a great start and looks like he may already be the second-best Niveauian to play in the SBA, after Rene Pope. Alonzo Doyle and Carroll Murphy are both solid rotation guys Haydon chose to keep at the trade deadline. They may look to re-sign both, but at the least expect one.
West Division
The West Division also saw some controversy, but it was more a big surprise, than a subjective matter. The Captains played far from perfect, with Shane Conway getting a major injury and Grant McCoy playing poorly by his standards. The sub-par play was just enough to let the expansion O'Connor Chiefs into the #2 seed in the West. Behind the brilliance of their trio of guards, Chuck McLaughlin, Grant Goodwin, and Kent Reeves, the team rocketed to a second half record of 16-10, finishing with 29, besting Silver Point's 27. Many find it hard to believe the Chiefs are better than teams like the Farmers, or even the Captains, so needless to say O'Connor still has plenty to prove. The West Division as a whole has something to prove with both of the previous SBA championships go to Bangor, and the O'Connor debate only heightens that.
Trent Engineers (#1 seed)
Trent should come into the series as the clear favorite. A resurgent and invincible Sal Banks may even make a run at MVP. Geoff Owens continues to look like the future of the club, mainly with his immense athleticism. Banks and Greg Johnson, the Engineers' best players, will both be free agents this offseason. Both being Americans there's a greater threat of their leaving, but Banks has outright said he plans on staying because the fans have been patient with him and supported the team well. Johnson has been more quiet and there have been rumors he wants to retire in the U.S. I'm sure Trent fans would much rather see Underwood stay at his home inside the city. His lacking season will almost assuredly end his career at the end of his contract next offseason. Coach Ervin Fowler has been praised for his role as the youngest coach in the SBA and yet one of the best as he has also been nominated as coach of the year.
O'Connor Chiefs (#2 seed)
The Chiefs had an incredible season this year. Even as a surprisingly old expansion team, surpassing original team Stratford Stars, they surpassed expectations. Kent Reeves has even joked a number of times that the team would be younger than Stratford without him. But, Reeves has proved to be very valuable, his playmaking skills have lent nicely to the development of Chuck McLaughlin into a borderline All Star. Grant Goodwin killed it in the second half of the season too, with the backcourt possibly looking to be the one of the best in a couple years. O'Connor will need to re-sign Goodwin if they hope to keep him this offseason, but it's looking like a no-brainer right now with no other big contracts to extend. Coach Blair Darwin could very well win Coach of the Year.
Silver Point Captains
Oh Silver Point how they love to be almost good enough. Two seasons in a row they've barely missed the playoffs. Not only that, but this year they missed a 4-team playoff after failing to surpass an expansion team. And, that expansion team is the closest team to them in proximity. They're going to hear about this for awhile I'm sure. Shane Conway goes down with a season-ending injury, and Grant McCoy walks his way to the finish line. Jordy Jensen kept at an All Star pace though and largely kept the team from falling apart. McCoy will be a free agent this offseason, being from Silver Point, the blue-and-gold suit him well, but he will be a high commodity, probably the highest of all this offseason. Brad Duncan's relationship with McCoy will likely keep him around, but fans are not exactly thrilled with his tenure.
Stratford Stars
Stratford again looked like a very middle of the pack team. The Stars are still struggling mightily on the bench, with scoring hard to find without Isaac Ross. They still look very promising with their 4 core players, Brian Morris, Bob Bass, Jan Holt who played especially well, and Randal Franklin who continues to look like the best C in the league and possibly a top 5 player. Neil Harlow fell off a bit though, forcing Morris do play more PG than usual. Ross, Morris, and Franklin are to be free agents this offseason. Ross has indicated he'll likely return home to Australia after his 1-year stint, but has said the Stars are not off the table. On the other hand, Morris and Franklin have indicated they prefer to return. With the deep pockets of the team, this shouldn't be a problem, but the general consensus is that Franklin is the priority. Clyde Cooper is to be let go as head coach by the team effective immediately. In his three seasons, the Stars went 74-78, but there's a strong feeling a underachieving among the fans and more importantly ownership. His successor is to be announced after the SBA Championship game.
St. Patrick Happies
It's a close one, but this is definitely one of the two worst performances we've seen from an SBA team thus far. Nothing much has yet to happen for the young core of Fowler, Harrington, and Crawford. Instead the team relied more on its veterans, Young, Blanco, and Burris. Much of the blame has been put of coach Hayden Briggs, who has reportedly refused to leave his inexperienced yet talented young players out on the floor in key moments. Wally O'Leary could best be classified as hands-off owner, largely a figure head. But, fans are wishing that guaranteed league contract was only 1 year right now because of Briggs. Harrington, Crawford, and Burris are all free agents this offseason and the clash between these trio's will likely send someone packing. If the Happie's come to their senses they will let Burris walk and get an assistant who can stand up to Briggs.


 

SBA Awards
Championship MVP: Ira Diaz (Rivers End)
MVP: Sal Banks (Trent)     also considered: Ira Diaz (Rivers End), Eugene Shaw (Bangor)
Coach of the Year: Blair Darwin (O'Connor)     also considered: Walt Ramsey (Sherborne), Ervin Fowler (Trent)
Rookie of the Year: Gregoire Fabien (Rivers End)     also considered: Javi Blanco (St. Patrick), Stefane Lachance (Haydon), Gerri Vinci (Wells)
All-SBA:
PG Santos Garza (Bangor)     also considered: Bobby Ellis (Sherborne), Chuck McLaughlin (O'Connor)
SG Sal Banks (Trent)     also considered: Brent McCormick (Sherborne), Dom Byrd (Bangor)
SF Eugene Shaw (Bangor)     also considered: Clarence Ward (Sherborne), Bob Bass (Stratford)
PF Ira Diaz (Rivers End)     also considered: Greg Johnson (Trent), Grant McCoy (Silver Point)
C Randal Franklin (Stratford)     also considered: Kenneth Tate (Sherborne), Pete Murphy (Rivers End)

SBA Free Agency
Domestic Re-Signings
1. PF Ira Diaz re-signed with Rivers End Rowdies (age 30, 3 years)
2. SG Sal Banks re-signed with Trent Engineers (age 30, 3 years)
3. C Randal Franklin re-signed with Stratford Stars (age 28, 3 years)
4. PF Cary Joseph re-signed with Bangor Farmers (age 27, 1 year)
5. SG Grant Goodwin re-signed with O'Connor Chiefs (age 27, 4 years)
6. PF Emanuel Fields re-signed with Wells Phoenix (age 23, 3 years)
7. PF Darrell Crawford re-signed with St. Patrick Happies (age 23, 3 years)
8. SG Ed Harrington re-signed with St. Patrick Happies (age 22, 4 years)
9. SG Johnny Jackson re-signed with Wells Phoenix (age 23, 2 years)
10. SG Leon Mack re-signed with Trent Engineers (age 28, 2 years)
Domestic Signings
1. PF Grant McCoy left Silver Point Captains for Stratford Stars (age 28, 2 years)
2. C Kenneth Tate left Sherborne Whalers for Haydon Hounds (age 31, 3 years)
3. SG Brian Morris left Stratford Stars for O'Connor Chiefs (age 29, 2 years)
4. C Alonzo Doyle left Haydon Hounds for Trent Engineers (age 32, 2 years)
5. SF Isaac Ross left Stratford Stars for Haydon Hounds (age 31, 1 year)
6. SF Terrance Burris left St. Patrick Happies for Sherborne Whalers (age 28, 3 years)
7. PG Carroll Murphy left Haydon Hounds for Silver Point Captains (age 30, 1 year)
Abroad
1. PF Greg Johnson left Trent Engineers for USA (age 33)
2. PG Nick Jefferson left Wells Phoenix for USA (age 31)
3. SF Patricio Matos left Silver Point Captains for Brazil (age 34)
Retirements
1. Edgar Carroll retired from River End Rowdies (age 35)
2. SG Darren Singleton retired from Rivers End Rowdies (age 35)
*Lesser re-signings and all additional signings will be included in pre-season previews

After firing the first coach in SBA history, the Stars promised fans the decision for the new direction of the team would come after the 1970 SBA Championship. A delay due to contract buy-out, pushed the date back to right before free agency. Naturally, this has a lot of disadvantages, but the Stars knew they couldn't wait until after free agency. It was announced Dutch coach Neils Van Der Vennen was to take the place, becoming the first non-American foreigner to be an SBA coach. Van Der Vennen had a fairly illustrious career splitting time between Heroes don Bosch out of the Netherlands and later Bayern Munich of Germany. It was in Munich where he began his coaching career. As you can see based off the Grant McCoy signing, when Van Der Vennen steps into the room you can tell he knows what he's talking about. With so many new pieces the Stars may struggle to put it all together, but they might be starting to build for a championship.

The last thing to come before the pre-season of '71 is going to be some uniform updates. The teams to be included are the O'Connor Chiefs and St. Patrick Happies. You'll remember Chiefs fans were not fond of the primary uniform last year and it's been rumored the team will settle on 1 pattern, after a confusing array of them were used last year. No complaints were raised by Happies fans about their uniforms last season, but they were undeniably the most boring expansion team look-wise, but also on the court. Expect something small that hopefully doesn't piss off the fans.

So, I went ahead and switched the format for the Preseason to the one previously used for the 1970 regular season. There's a possibility I will try to keep updating the teams' courts, but I haven't decided yet. I also changed the orientation up a little bit with the West Division being on the west side or left, and the East Division on the right, hopefully this makes it easier to figure out who's going to be in the Playoffs. Lastly, I've been wanting to incorporate something in which you guys could see  contract length, so a star beside a player's name means that this is their contract year.

West Division
Trent Engineers-The biggest news for the Engineers this offseason was that longtime PF Greg Johnson signed a contract to return home to America. While truly an unfortunate loss, Johnson is entering his age 33 season and his production had started to stagnate. In his place, Trent signed Alonzo Doyle over from Haydon. His third team in three years, Doyle has yet to find more than an inconsistent role on an SBA team. However, it looks like Doyle will get the start given Johnson's choice to leave and Sheldon Underwood's lack of quickness down low, at 32 Doyle will also certainly have age concerns soon. Who will the Engineers play at PF? None other than defensive prodigy Geoff Owens. Going small was a necessary action for the Engineers because the lost so much scoring in Johnson. Thus, putting Fred Love and Geoff Owens made perfect sense. Love will clearly be the #2 scoring option behind Sal Banks this season, and Owens will be the team's best defender, it'll be interesting to see if his athleticism will transfer over to bigger players. Not too much changed otherwise, I expect another big season from Sal Banks, who shot up back to being my #1 SG in the SBA. Ciaran Levy should bring solid-not jaw dropping playmaking that we saw last year. Levy, Love, Owens, Underwood, and Serrano are to be free agents this offseason. Expect an immediate re-sign of Owens, especially if he translates well to PF. Levy and Love may not see the same excitement from Engineers management, but if the team wants to continue to contend behind Sal Banks they may have no other option other than to re-sign. Underwood and Serrano are on opposite ends, with Underwood trending down and Serrano trending up, but neither will excite the team nor are they that pivotal to the Engineers' success, both are vulnerable to move outside the SBA. Coach Ervin Fowler should be plenty safe again this season unless Trent has a horrible year. While some may argue, the Engineers aren't and can't be as good as they were last year, maybe even putting them behind the upstart Stratford Stars, I think the power rankings show the truth. The Engineers should be the best team in the West Division, but the East Division is still too overpowered behind Bangor, Rivers End, and Sherborne, for Trent to have much of a chance. 
Stratford Stars-What an offseason for the Stars, landing arguably the best player available in Grant McCoy. There were rumors that McCoy didn't love the Captains front office, but I don't think many were expecting his leave just yet. And, I think some credit has to be given to owner Lou Burton who brought in coach Neils Van Der Vennen. Van Der Vennen's teams have traditionally been focused on motion and getting open shots. While this is definitely a bigger lineup, you look at it and see 1-4 can all hit a jumper.  Not to mention the defensive capabilities with Bass, McCoy, and Franklin out there. I'm hesitant to given them the division this year, especially with what some consider not a desirable PG and a developing Jan Holt. They could also probably get better off the bench. Brian Morris and Isaac Ross may have put the team over the Engineers in my opinion. But, even for the "big spenders of the league," who have yet to really spend big, signing Morris and McCoy, while also having Bass' contract coming up this offseason and a big contract already started for Franklin, was too much. Ross was a bit of a wildcard given his major injury last season and the team decided it'd be best to let him walk. Unfortunately, Bass recently got a minor injury as well, meaning he will likely miss the first 10 or so games. This lineup has the potential to be really exciting, but I don't think it's quite ready. It's been rumored Doug Averill will start in Bass' place. Harlow, Bass, Peters, and Noguera are free agents this offseason. While Bass should be a lock to re-sign, there's certainly a world in which his price becomes an issue for the Stars, but that'd probably be in limiting the team's signing of role players. Harlow's signing depends on if the Stars can find a better PG, they might like to get younger at the position. Peters is an American and probably is going to be too good to stay with Stratford, even in the SBA teams like Sherborne and Trent could use an upgrade at C. Noguera is also expected to leave, likely returning home to Spain. If they finish as I project, this would be the Stars first appearance in the Playoffs, and would likely help their following which should be greater in Silveria's capital and largest city. 
*Team Rank should be #5
Silver Point Captains-Oh man how did the Captains f*ck up with Grant McCoy? After losing their franchise center-piece, the team should utilize Jordy Jensen as their focal point, but they also still have some good big guys in Saul Rodriguez and Shane Conway. The concerns start on the wings with neither Jamie McFarland or Nathan Lloyd being very respected. Even within their clear top 3 players, there are concerns about defense. McCoy was their rock down low and while Conway can take some of that over, Jensen has never been the greatest defender and the nice way to put it for Rodriguez is that his defense needs development. The Captains did pick up some a nice bench piece in Carroll Murphy, and re-signed Hugo Ortega and Tom Griffin. There's a bit of a log jam at PG, which could be a good or bad thing, it may hinder them on the court, but all of those players are valuable and a contending team may come calling. Patricio Matos also left the team in the offseason, returning home to Brazil, fortunately the team does not lack bench depth. Murphy, Ortega, Simon, Lloyd, and Jensen will be free agents this offseason. Murphy, Ortega, and Simon probably won't re-sign with the latter two possibly retiring. The Captains will probably want to keep Lloyd just to say they have another piece that might turn into something, although that's arguable. The biggest decision is obviously with Jordy Jensen. You can be sure Jensen isn't happy the team was unable to secure Grant McCoy. And, top tier PG services are always wanted, but the Captains aren't going to be thrilled to let two stars walk in two years. Because of this we may see the Captains match the highest offer, and possibly risk some monetary flexibility down the road. Although Brad Duncan has done a pretty good job at coach, with the Captains once being the worst team in the league, many would argue they've wound up back in that position as the worst original SBA team. If Jensen doesn't like the direction the Captains are going with Duncan, he could be out of a job this offseason.
O'Connor Chiefs-The Chiefs has quite an interesting season last year, behind Chuck McLaughlin's at times otherworldly play and disappointing years from Silver Point and Stratford. Beside basketball, they updated their primary uniform and logo, going with a cleaner option. The navy and red jerseys, bring the SBA to 4 teams with no white jerseys. The Chiefs look to have another good season, but don't expect another playoff appearance as the Stars got much better this offseason. O'Connor did get Brian Morris in return for that presumptive playoff spot though, only strengthening their backcourt. Grant Goodwin and Harvey Griffiths were also extended in the offseason. Unfortunately, John-Lee Coles had a major injury this offseasona and may miss the whole season. The Chiefs, who were already projected to go a little small, will have to go even smaller with Coles out, likely sliding Norman Peck into the starting lineup. I expect a little regression from Kent Reeves this season as he played great as the team veteran last season. Morris should help in that transition. Reeves will be a free agent this offseason, with retirement reportedly on the table, but he did play great in his age 35 season which could indicate otherwise. Coles is unlikely to re-sign given this injury. The Chiefs would need to sign another PF in that case. Norman Peck is likely to return, at least to the SBA. Randall Lennon has quite a decision, not getting much playing time, he could possibly return home to the US, but has some potential in Silveria. After being named coach of the year last season, it's near impossible Blair Darwin loses his job.
St. Patrick Happies-Not much is of note in terms of changes for the Happies this season. Most importantly Ed Harrington and Darrell Crawford re-signed, promising a respectable future for the Happies. They also signed Eddie Janowski, and American with a decent game, but probably won't get much playing time. Terrence Burris did leave, but I think the consensus was that he was destined for a team that could contend. That move does sacrifice some bench scoring though. Marlon Young and Javi Blanco will likely carry the team again this season. Fowler, Harrington, and Crawford should continue to develop. Crawford did come down with a minor injury this offseason, which may hold his start back. Ari O'Neil has been proposed as his replacement until then. Needless to say the Happies are pretty clearly the worst team in the SBA, with both starters and bench probably being the worst. I do expect them to do a little better just given the experience their young talents are getting. Blanco is up in the air in terms of re-signing this offseason, if the Happies can find a nice C prospect they'd probably let him walk. Similar to Blanco, Jeff Newman is a little old for this time, and being from another country, this time the US, a replacement should see him walk. O'Neil and Webb are the other two pieces available in the offseason, both are from Silveria and pretty young, so we could see the Happies re-sign both hoping they turn into solid role players for the team in the future. If Hayden Briggs coaches the Happies to another season like last, he could lose his job, but St. Patrick is aware that their future is more important than their present, so they may not be keen to do so.

East Division
Bangor Farmers-Somehow the Farmers missed the playoff last year and are still the favorites to win the SBA championship this year. Some might call it bias, but Bangor continues to be the model of SBA success as we go into its fourth season. The Farmers biggest concern this preseason is once again the age of their two former pillars Eugene Shaw and Adam Lowe. Shaw had a pretty good year last season notably even receiving some MVP votes. However, Lowe has looked more and more like the second-best C on the team with the rise of Cristo Ventura. Ventura is likely to come off the bench still, unless Lowe becomes useless on the court. The thing about these Farmers right now is, they don't really need Shaw or Lowe at prime-level production to win. Although, the team's defense has struggled at times. They've developed Santos Garza, Dom Byrd, and Cary Joseph into consistent All Star talent, making possibly the greatest starting 5 the SBA has to offer. Fans hope Joseph can reach his potential as the next defensive stalwart for the Farmers, but 27 may be a little old to get a lot better. It's after the 6 spot where the biggest problems show, Dunn, Hall, and Nichols, have yet to make much of an impact for the Farmers.This offseason they re-signed Hall and Joseph, and added Silverian Pierce Cochran at SF. With Tommy Perkins looking to retire soon, he went home to the U.S. Joseph is likely the only move to be significant. But, due to his signing a 1-year contract, he will be a free agent again this offseason, signaling a prove-it year for the very solid, not fantastic PF. Other free agents to be include; Garza, Lowe, Dunn, Nichols, and Cochran. Garza should re-sign, but being so far away from home in Puerto Rico, you never know. Lowe is another interesting case because he has the talent to keep playing basketball, but will the then 36 year old have the motivation to keep playing. Acclaimed coach Bryan Harris is likely to stick around for awhile in Bangor, possibly to be remembered as the first truly dominate coach in SBA history.
Rivers End Rowdies-I'm sure Rowdies fans are a little pissed to be the #2 team as the defending champions, especially with probably the best player in the SBA, Ira Diaz. I think the assumption is, and was even last year, that this team is made of a basketball god and some other dudes. Even though the other dudes may have some talent they're not on the same level, and they're getting older. The only two players to directly retire this offseason were Edgar Carroll and Darren Singleton, both on the Rowdies. Both had seen a substantial dip in production, but Carroll was still a competent rotation member. His retirement moves playoff star and already-labeled deadline steal Gregoire Fabien into the starting lineup. While, Fabien was very useful for the Rowdies last year, look at the age of their perimeter players; Fabien 32, Davis 33, Hume 33. It's only a matter of time before at least one of these guys can't keep up with the demanding SBA schedule anymore. They should be pretty good for a few more years with Diaz at PF, but their strongest prospects are also in the front-court, meaning we could see the Hamstead crew struggle to compete. The biggest signing of the offseason was of course re-signing Ira Diaz to a 3-year extension. They also re-signed Hector Perez. The Rowdies signed the most new players of any team with Silverian Bernie Zhu becoming the first player of Asian descent to play in the SBA, and Americans Lars Johnston and Rickey Waters also signing. Unfortunately, Waters came down with a major injury in an exhibition game. With no rule in place the Rowdies attempted to release Waters. In response the SBAPA threatened to seek unrestricted free agency rules, which the league has managed to quell so far. Thus the Rickey Waters was put in place to prevent players from being released due to injury. The Rowdies may not look great on offense this year, but their experience looks like it will transfer to being the best defense. This offseason, Fabien, Hume, Murphy, and Hurst are to be free agents. Quite a lot to decide yet again for the Rowdies. They obviously want to get younger, so letting Fabien and Hume walk could be an idea, but will it risk contention? Like many other international players, Fabien has been linked with a return to France. Hume is a Silverian, probably more likely to retire than leave the SBA, although shedding him would be the easiest way to get younger. On the other hand, Murphy and Hurst need to be kept at all costs. Theoretically if they go on to lose all these guys, including the bulk of their future, we could see the biggest drop in year-to-year record yet. However, with both Murphy and Hurst being Silverian it should be a matter of if the Rowdies are willing to cough up the money for them. These top 3 East Division coaches are the most respected in the SBA, and for good reason, Carlton Bates will be safe for awhile.
Sherborne Whalers-A big disappointment for the Whalers in the East Division championship last year. Their luck, or lack there of, only doubled and tripled this offseason. First Kenneth Tate, the always-reliable C, left Sherborne for the rolling hills and farms of Haydon. Whalers' fans were rightfully angry at Tate, who had helped build such a solid team only to not quite get a championship. But, in the SBA fans no one blame but management as Sherborne refused to match the deal offered to Tate by the Hounds. To add to the pain of losing one key piece, PG Bobby Ellis, who had grown to be one of the league's best, suffered a major injury. Ellis helped Rowdies' Rickey Waters in his fight against the SBA. With both injured, Ellis noted that the only reason Sherborne was willing to pay him while he was injured was because of his SBA experience. With the SBAPA not having done much so far, the players decided to get more agressive with the threat of pursuiting unrestricted free agency, after achieving their goal of teams being not allowed to release injured players, they announced the new position of Premier Player Representative. The PPR is to work alongside the SBAPA president in further discussions. After the success of his campaign, Bobby Ellis was named the SBAPA's first PPR. Some fans have mentioned concerns this will take away time that could be spent on the court, especially during rehabilitation. As for the rest of the Whalers, Brent McCormick will likely move into the PG spot with Tomas Carlson playing the 2. This change may not hurt the team too much, but some are concerned about McCormick's tendency to take bad shots. The ascendant defender, Clarence Ward, will be a nice secondary scoring option. Sylvester Carr helps the defense, but at 35 he may be staring to lose it. Along with Harvey Lynch, the frontcourt is suspect to say the least, it's pretty easy to argue it will be the worst frontcourt in the SBA. Lynch will also be out to start the year, with a minor injury, forcing the Whalers further down the depth chart with Jeff Davenport. The rankings tend to indicate full-strength rosters, and at this strength you'd have to think the Whalers could drop below Trent and Stratford in terms of favorites to win the championship. In addition to Tate's leaving, Phil Byrd left for home at the age of 34, a relatively small piece to lose. They signed Terrence Burris, a solid role player coming over from St. Patrick, American Ozzie Brant, and re-signed Harvey Lynch. There's an argument to be made this offseason that the Whalers have the most to lose, it's clearly between Sherborne and Rivers End. Ellis may not recover to play as well as he did before his injury, especially right away, and overall is about as big as question marks come. McCormick, the Whalers best offensive player, is likely to re-sign at an expensive rate. Jeff Davenport might not be your typical SBA re-sign, being international and not having super-high potential, but Sherborne may need to re-sign him as insurance up front. Chances are Ozzie Brant gets a couple minutes a game this season and decides he wants to go home or find a better playing opportunity after signing a 1-year contract. While the team may be unsure of its direction, Walt Ramsey is too respected to be let go anytime soon.
Haydon Hounds-There are some that may still argue Wells is better, but with the addition of Kenneth Tate and the furhter development of Rufus Simon, I don't think it's far fetched to say the Hounds could be headed for the playoff soon, if not this season. Isaac Ross also signed with Haydon, coming off a major injury he'll have to take a smaller role, but if he can come back with the same vigor this could be a tantilizing team to watch. The defense isn't great, but with Tate, Simon, and Lachance the offense should be clicking. Lachance is coming off a solid year last year, especially as an off-ball shooter. Noah Foster is a solid PG who does his job and not much else. Allen Davies is a bit of a project, even at 25, and if the Hounds were in playoff contention they may want a more reliable option. Beau Whittle is probably Haydon's second biggest piece for the future, only behind Rufus Simon. There's not much to say about where they're at now, but they look to be going places. The Hounds also signed Silveria's Pep Cassano to the roster, although he'll likely not play much. They lost a few rotation pieces in Alonzo Doyle, Carroll Murphy, and Bernardo Salcedo who returned home to Pacifico. All no doubt players who can fill a need in the SBA, but none were too crucial losses. This offseason, Simon, Foster, Davies, and Ross are set to be free agents. There's no denying Haydon's desire to keep the #1 overall pick from the 1970 expansion draft, Rufus Simon. The question is more so if the native Silverian will move onto a bigger and better league. Foster and Davies are in a similar boat, with both being middle-aged players with average production, to seprate them you could say maybe Davies has more potential, but neither is crucial to the future of the Hounds. For Ross, there's a reason he had to sign a 1-year contract, knee injuries are not easy to come back from, and poor season could send him back to Australia in a La-Z-Boy. Len Hess could possibly be criticized for being too traditional, but I think the talents on this team will force him to adapt. In a few years, he could be out of the SBA or one of its best coaches.
Wells Phoenix-The Phoenix had a solid start last year, but lagged to the finish line. Unlike Haydon, not much has changed, with Wells getting worse if anything. With Nick Jefferson returning to the U.S. after his 2-year stint in the SBA, the Phoenix are going to try former 2 Johnny Jackson at PG. Setting the theme as a pretty tall PG, the rest of the strating lineup combines to be close to the SBA's biggest, only trailing Stratford. Initially there were concerns that bench scoring would be a problem with Larry Hester in the starting lineup. That problem was solved when the SBA's first Argentine was signed, PG and 6th man Cesar Manfredonia. There have been a few SBA writers to say the Phoenix big starting lineup could do very well and surprise some teams with their size. Make no mistake about, there's still quite a bit of distance between 9th and 10th here. Other offseason signings included re-signing Jackson and Hester. While Hester may not be in the rest of the team's time frame, he provides veteran experience and scoring. This offseason Vinci, Manfredonia, and Thorne are to be free agents. With all of their being international it's not obsurd to say they may all three leave. However, the most likely to return is probably Manfredonia, who although he signed a 1-year contract, would make the most sense for the Phoenix going forward. His importance only amplifies if the Jackson at PG experiment doesn't work. Coach Glen Massey has some work to do, but I'd be hard pressed to fire him after year 2.
 

Last edited by jxhnhvhn (5/02/2020 7:02 pm)

1971 SBA First Half
West Division
O'Connor Chiefs 15-11
Unsurprisingly the West yielded a very close race in the first half. The surprise comes with the Chiefs leading the division. Predicted to finish fourth in the division in the preseason, or more accurately tied for third, the injury of PF John-Lee Coles didn't hold O'Connor back. The already dangerous backcourt got even more dangerous with the addition of SG Brian Morris. However, that wouldn't even come into full effect until game 12 as Morris came down with a minor injury. In truth, their success was led by further improvements from PG Chuck McLaughlin, SG Grant Goodwin, and C Sidney Wade. Backup PG Kent Reeves continued to be the Chiefs veteran leader, but his play was noticeably less effective at 36. I wouldn’t say leading the division was necessarily a fluke, but many have argued that it was due more to the others’ disappointment than the Chiefs doing anything particularly special. So for the Chiefs, McLaughlin, Morris, Goodwin, and Wade are the options.
Trent Engineers 14-12
Trent has not impressed yet on its mission to get back to the SBA championship. However, it hasn't been SG Sal Banks' fault. Banks, with two major injuries in his career, was starting to fall down the player rankings just a year ago, but it seems he's back on track as top 5 player. Not a lot went right outside of Banks' continued return to transcendence. 6'4" Geoff Owens struggled to play down low against many of the SBA's PF's. C Alonzo Doyle wasn't terrible, but couldn't remotely compare to the production of the former Engineer Greg Johnson. Fred Love's usually consistent shot refused to fall with a 37 FG% and 25 3P%. Not to mention he shot that 3P% while shooting a league high 2.3 threes per game. Doyle got a minor injury in game 22 and will miss likely miss a few more games after the All Star break. Levy, Banks, and Owens are to be considered for the All Star game.
Stratford Stars 13-13
The Stars weren't exactly expected to win the SBA championship this year, but I don't think it's ridiculous to say there was a lot of optimism. The core of the team is getting pretty ridiculous with PG maybe the only weakness. A lot of their struggles have been learning how to play together. It's been PG Neil Harlow as the always passer and the other 4 all needing shots. Coach Neils Van Der Vennen admitted that there had been some issues with lack of passing. They did start to look a little better when Bass and Holt weren't on the floor together. The change hasn't come yet, but there's rumor the Stars may put Doug Averill in the starting lineup or trade for a wing piece to fit with Bass, then likely move Holt to the 6th man. Some fans say Holt should be traded now if this team wants to win championships. Bass, McCoy, and Franklin are to be considered for the All Star game.
Silver Point Captains 12-14
I hate to say it, but I think this is what we all saw coming when Grant McCoy chose to leave the Captains for Stars. They've been possibly the most mediocre team, PG Jordy Jensen was about the only thing the Captains had going for them, there was a tremendous lack of wing talent on this team. Carroll Murphy was also reportedly disgruntled with his position as 6th man, behind Jamie McFarland. I think they're definitely not seen as candidates to win the division regardless of only being 3 games back of the lead. Jordy Jensen and Saul Rodriguez both suffered minor injuries late in the first half of the season. The SBA reportedly considered allowing injured players to be nominated for an All Star game and then also nominating an injury replacement. Trent SG Sal Banks has been through a couple of these, and with Jensen, they got word to SBAPA PPR and Sherborne PG Bobby Ellis. A small ask they thought may be able to get through. The SBA didn't want to make any in-season changes however, but agreed to put it up for vote in the offseason. C Shane Conway could still get to the All Star game in spite of his two teammates greater contributions.
St. Patrick Happies 8-18
What a train wreck owner Wally O'Leary has going here, there wasn't a single person doubting the Happies were going to be the worst team yet again this year. Fortunately for all the Patties, Wells has been willing to match their weak start. It hasn't been pretty though, with no true star (although some might argue it's C Javi Blanco), the Happies just cannot keep up in most games. PF Darrell Crawford missing time didn't help either, Ari O'Neil was probably the worst starter in the league in his place. It's becoming pretty evident the Happies are going to have to make a move if they plan to keep Blanco this offseason. He and Tommie Fowler are to be considered for the All Star game. 

Last edited by jxhnhvhn (5/04/2020 4:52 pm)