Even in defeat, the once seemingly invincible Trail Blazers, have for now dropped to the back of the pack. A steady pace still being kept of course. Hunkered down, ready for a long winter. If you were at all entertaining the idea of just “waiting them out…” Or convinced yourself somehow, that all reigns eventually come to an end… Then I don’t know what to tell you my friend. This story doesn’t have a happy ending. All hope is lost. Save the Woman and Children…

EMERGENCY PSA: The Blazers now roughly own, a whole Got damn FIFTH!… …OF ALL OF THE LEAGUES 1st ROUND PICKS IN TOTAL, OVER THE NEXT 5 SEASONS!!!… Ohhhh 2K’Loooooooorrds ‘av mercy. 

…(Yes A Fifth. As in 1/5… As in 20%… As in were proper F****d Gentlemen and Lady. Like… ‘First time playing Monopoly with your older Brother, until you rage quit and cry’ type vibes.) 

…Even on their way DOWN the standings; They somehow manage handle it all with flawless technique and unmatched grace. Making sure they’re knocking on every door on the way down, forever networking, calling on favours… Making promises… Fulfilling Blood Oaths. 

In a flurry of deals, we were surely treated the annual display. An NSL ‘tradition’ so to speak… The always abrupt, ruthless and calculated, Off-season roster overhaul. Instant core timeline reset. Dazzling degenerate GMs who can’t help themselves, with pick swap after pick swap… Wake up groggy, no memory and someone else’s late, dirty, whored around 1st rounders. Been flipped more times than you’d ever dare to mention… 

-Clippers: 

2025 Draft: VJ/Richardson 

Future Firsts: 9 1sts 2026-2030 

24/25 Reg. Season: 20-62 (29th) 

Projected Wins +/-: +6 

Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever done a harder 180 on ANY GM in my time across both leagues; when I compare the level of respect I now have for Andrew both as a GM but even more so as a solid bloke. Especially considering my initial judgements way back when, as a fresh faced Rook… All the bravado in the world with no idea at all. 

A True Master of “The Rebuild”. In fact I could easily say without question that a good few of my favourite “All Time” roster builds over the years have been teams run by Andrew. The guys always had a great knack for putting together well balanced, solid and cohesive teams. In so many ways I admire and envy his patience and conviction. 

Sure, the Giannis deal at the time; Caused the league as a whole to collectively implode. There probably wasn’t ANY kind of possible return out there that would’ve made much sense at all to anyone… But it made sense to Ole Mate Andrew. The dude copped it all on the chin with absolute class, bit his tongue hard I’m sure… And let all the so called “Fantasy experts” tell him all about how big of a mistake this was…

Fast forward to today and the Clippers look to be arguably the best young core league wide, stacked with talent, with a window that’s window that has no ceiling… 

 

 ———————————— 

 

'Club Thanos':

 

 -Cleveland: 

“Top 7”: 86/86/86/85/84/82/80 2K OVR 2025

 Draft: Micah

 Future Firsts: 3 1sts 2026-2030 

24/25 Reg. Season: 63-19 (1st) 

Projected Wins +/-: +2 

Salary: +6 luxury 

Was considered by a country mile by most, to be the most formidable and dangerous team In the whole comp… Let alone just out East. Despite their blazing form throughout, A young and upcoming GMOTY in the making; Shams… Who’s taking a break from dropping the most hottest takes and NBA news around, bar none… Has tested the Fantasy waters and has been getting acclimated to exactly what it requires to be an elite GM in this league. 

A handful of critical, big time moves saw the Cavs slowly build on what they already had going. Pushing the limits on the lengths you have to go to to stay relevant and competitive. A late injury scare to Fox, the Cavs newly acquired Star franchise PG, when it mattered most… Almpst completely derailed the Cavs momentum and efforts all season long. 

Eventually they ran into the juggernaut that was and still is the Lebron/Booker led Wizards, the eventual NSL Champs. Although bittersweet and probably not exactly something Cavs GM Shams revels in hearing… But the ECF match up was one for the ages with many around the league going on record to say it was indeed the unofficial finals series we all deserved. 

 

-Milwaukee: 

“Top 7”: 98/92/83/83/82/81/77 2K OVR

 2025 Draft: Yanic/Sion/Kam

 Future Firsts: 3 1sts 2026-2030 

24/25 Reg. Season: 59-23 (3rd) 

Projected Wins +/-: +3 

Salary: -11 Luxury 

 

Whatever this kid touches, turns to Gold straight up… GM Ethan aka Corndog aka The Big E aka “Be Aggressive, Be Be Aggressive E” is fresh off the boat from running the show down in  Minnesota. A bold move to say the least, to jump ship from an already All Star studded roster to taking over the defending NSL Champs. All just to be alongside his “Boy” in SGA… Whatever assumptions/questions you may have on the twos relationship… The young fella hit the ground running from the get go, wasn’t afraid to make the “hard decisions” on the trade front. Able to adapt and overcome any hurdle along the way and furthermore proved to us all that his prior success wasn’t just solely due to the absolute Gold Mine of a team he originally inherited. 

They have a lot of work to do in free agency, having to make minor adjustments and signings to be able to stay competitive. Whatever magic the kid can work on the fringes will pay dividends at the business end of it all. Nothing new to him of course. “Winning at all costs” runs through this man’s blood and I cannot wait to see what he does next… 

-Oklahoma: 

“Top 7”: 95/94/85/83/80/77/77 2K OVR

 2025 Draft: N/A 

Future Firsts: 3 1sts 2026-2030

 24/25 Reg. Season: 60-22 (2nd)

 Projected Wins +/-: -6

 Salary: +30 Luxury 

An interesting situation here as the Thunder, at least at this point In time, project to be rolling into the new season without a Captain at the helm. James put in a solid enough innings for a new comer inheriting a team that was already well established. They had a solid run all season long and made some noise in the post season as well. The lack of experience in the end probably his undoing as they more or less underperformed given the lofty expectations. 

At the end of the day, this squad is still led by HOF calibre super stars in Curry and Edwards. The old guards and the new… Wether it’s a brand new GM stepping into the vacant Game shoes or the leagues Admin taking control temporarily; The Thunder will need to hit this coming FA… And hit it hard if they want to have any chance at setting themselves up for another go round. They’re severely lacking across the board depth wise and despite a top heavy roster, if last engine is anything to go by, legitimate role playing depth is crucial if you have dreams of NSL gold.