As mentioned at the end of the last post, the other 30 NBA teams were allowed to protect 10 members of their roster, leaving our new expansion franchises with slim pickings to build their new rosters. I did this to make the early struggles as difficult as possible, to really simulate just how difficult building an expansion team is. After all, the last NBA expansion team was the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004, and they went 18-64, this is an extremely tough league to start from scratch in. Despite the lack of quality, the six rosters that were drafted do have some recognizable names and interesting storylines, and I think it will be quite cool to follow along from the very start, as new records are established and these teams begin to develop an identity.
Las Vegas Aces
We start by taking a look at Floyd Goldworthy's hometown team and the first to gain expansion in this alternate universe, the Aces of Las Vegas. This team grabbed most of the biggest names, with a backcourt featuring Isaiah Thomas and Danny Green, while Joakim Noah anchors the middle of the paint. Reggie Bullock will be relied on for scoring off the bench, while previous NBA flops like Timofey Mozgov and Michael Carter-Williams are given a second chance to succeed. They also have Alex Caruso, so that's something. If head coach Milan Mack can properly contain all these loud and brash personalities, there's more than enough talent here to be one of the best of Floyd's new teams.
Baltimore Barons
We move all the way across the country to Baltimore, a city who hasn't a lot of recent success in the sporting world, but has a brand new star to rally around. The Barons eagerly secured Jeremy Lin with their first pick, and hope that the 30 year old former Knicks sensation will be the man to build around for their debut year. They stocked the rest of the starting lineup with plenty of defensive help, including Tyreke Evans, DeMarre Carroll and Robin Lopez, as well as former sixth overall pick Ekpe Udoh as the sixth man. Tyler Johnson will be trusted to operate the second unit, while the perfectly mediocre Justin Bradshaw oversees the operation as their head coach.
Cincinnati Lions
The Queen City welcomes the Lions as their third major team in the city, and certainly hopes that they will be more successful than that football team. Leading the way up top is the NBA's newest guard tandem, veterans Jeff Teague and J.R. Smith. Smith is coming off an infamous incident in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, where he accidentally dribbled out the clock instead of attempting a layup, and with LeBron now in Los Angeles, the Cavaliers have cut bait with the 33 year old headcase. Paint enforcer Zaza Pachulia and new sixth man Rajon Rondo join in for what promises to be an absolutely wild first year for this Lions team. Hoping to keep this chaotic bunch in check will be the ageless Vince Carter as a benchwarmer and head coach Gene Macy.
Vancouver Ravens
Rejoice Vancouver, professional basketball is back on the west coast of Canada, over 17 years after the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis. The Ravens lack star power, but do have quite a few solid role players in point guard Quinn Cook, recent NBA champion in Golden State, wing scorers Kent Bazemore and Wilson Chandler and rebound machine Andrew Bogut inside. G-League star Kadeem Allen finally gets his shot in the NBA as the sixth man, and is joined off the bench by former first round picks Nik Stauskas and Iman Shumpert. While this roster is certainly not flashy on paper, the pieces are there to do something with it, and that job will go to one Lloyd Cook as the head coach.
Virginia Storm
For the first time ever, the state of Virginia has a top flight professional sports team to call their own, with the only thing close to this being the existence of the Squires in the ABA during the 70s. Much like the Ravens, the Storm lack in big names or flashy picks, with Marco Belinelli put in charge of carrying the scoring load. Former seventh overall pick Bismack Biyombo anchors the paint, and the team has plenty of size and defense off the bench with Marvin Williams and Aron Baynes. Allen Crabbe might end up being this team's second scoring option, while most of the intrigue in this roster is at point guard, where the young and inexperienced Ryan Arcidiacono and Isaiah Whitehead compete for the starting role. Chester Hodges is in charge as the team's head coach.
San Diego Surf
Last but not least, we have the San Diego Surf, representing a city more known for losing franchises than winning seasons. They wasted no time stocking up the wings, using their first three picks on Wesley Matthews, Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley and Juan Hernangomez. Two former Spurs and Pacers point guards Cory Joseph and George Hill will compete for the honor of running the offense, and the Serbia monster Boban Marjanovic protects the paint. Established veteran and meme god Luol Deng provides energy and experience off the bench, while Justin Forrest leads the way as head coach.
So there you go, that's an in-depth look at all six new expansion franchises. Not one of them has a player above an 80 overall, so they all with struggle mightily in this opening year and probably for many more to come, but that's the fun of it. I intend to continue this series until one of these teams wins an NBA title, though that may depend on how long it takes, I don't know if I want this to run for 60 years or something. I don't plan on doing anything myself, it's all automated, I'm just a spectator. I'll see you next time for the inaugural season for these teams and this series.
- Henry
Las Vegas Aces
We start by taking a look at Floyd Goldworthy's hometown team and the first to gain expansion in this alternate universe, the Aces of Las Vegas. This team grabbed most of the biggest names, with a backcourt featuring Isaiah Thomas and Danny Green, while Joakim Noah anchors the middle of the paint. Reggie Bullock will be relied on for scoring off the bench, while previous NBA flops like Timofey Mozgov and Michael Carter-Williams are given a second chance to succeed. They also have Alex Caruso, so that's something. If head coach Milan Mack can properly contain all these loud and brash personalities, there's more than enough talent here to be one of the best of Floyd's new teams.
Baltimore Barons
We move all the way across the country to Baltimore, a city who hasn't a lot of recent success in the sporting world, but has a brand new star to rally around. The Barons eagerly secured Jeremy Lin with their first pick, and hope that the 30 year old former Knicks sensation will be the man to build around for their debut year. They stocked the rest of the starting lineup with plenty of defensive help, including Tyreke Evans, DeMarre Carroll and Robin Lopez, as well as former sixth overall pick Ekpe Udoh as the sixth man. Tyler Johnson will be trusted to operate the second unit, while the perfectly mediocre Justin Bradshaw oversees the operation as their head coach.
Cincinnati Lions
The Queen City welcomes the Lions as their third major team in the city, and certainly hopes that they will be more successful than that football team. Leading the way up top is the NBA's newest guard tandem, veterans Jeff Teague and J.R. Smith. Smith is coming off an infamous incident in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, where he accidentally dribbled out the clock instead of attempting a layup, and with LeBron now in Los Angeles, the Cavaliers have cut bait with the 33 year old headcase. Paint enforcer Zaza Pachulia and new sixth man Rajon Rondo join in for what promises to be an absolutely wild first year for this Lions team. Hoping to keep this chaotic bunch in check will be the ageless Vince Carter as a benchwarmer and head coach Gene Macy.
Vancouver Ravens
Rejoice Vancouver, professional basketball is back on the west coast of Canada, over 17 years after the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis. The Ravens lack star power, but do have quite a few solid role players in point guard Quinn Cook, recent NBA champion in Golden State, wing scorers Kent Bazemore and Wilson Chandler and rebound machine Andrew Bogut inside. G-League star Kadeem Allen finally gets his shot in the NBA as the sixth man, and is joined off the bench by former first round picks Nik Stauskas and Iman Shumpert. While this roster is certainly not flashy on paper, the pieces are there to do something with it, and that job will go to one Lloyd Cook as the head coach.
Virginia Storm
For the first time ever, the state of Virginia has a top flight professional sports team to call their own, with the only thing close to this being the existence of the Squires in the ABA during the 70s. Much like the Ravens, the Storm lack in big names or flashy picks, with Marco Belinelli put in charge of carrying the scoring load. Former seventh overall pick Bismack Biyombo anchors the paint, and the team has plenty of size and defense off the bench with Marvin Williams and Aron Baynes. Allen Crabbe might end up being this team's second scoring option, while most of the intrigue in this roster is at point guard, where the young and inexperienced Ryan Arcidiacono and Isaiah Whitehead compete for the starting role. Chester Hodges is in charge as the team's head coach.
San Diego Surf
Last but not least, we have the San Diego Surf, representing a city more known for losing franchises than winning seasons. They wasted no time stocking up the wings, using their first three picks on Wesley Matthews, Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley and Juan Hernangomez. Two former Spurs and Pacers point guards Cory Joseph and George Hill will compete for the honor of running the offense, and the Serbia monster Boban Marjanovic protects the paint. Established veteran and meme god Luol Deng provides energy and experience off the bench, while Justin Forrest leads the way as head coach.
So there you go, that's an in-depth look at all six new expansion franchises. Not one of them has a player above an 80 overall, so they all with struggle mightily in this opening year and probably for many more to come, but that's the fun of it. I intend to continue this series until one of these teams wins an NBA title, though that may depend on how long it takes, I don't know if I want this to run for 60 years or something. I don't plan on doing anything myself, it's all automated, I'm just a spectator. I'll see you next time for the inaugural season for these teams and this series.
- Henry
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