clyde
Bench Player
Posts: 124 
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Post by clyde on Oct 29, 2019 11:39:58 GMT
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Post by saintpat on Oct 29, 2019 13:47:26 GMT
Not listened yet, but the answer is definitely no!!
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Post by stevetheballer on Oct 29, 2019 21:11:55 GMT
Definitely no, not saying they can’t do as they are looking good and of course have had a great start to the season. But let’s remember this is not the league and we are still in the cup.
So yeah they could be favourites for the cup due to current form but let’s wait until the league actually starts before we start to talk about that. Other teams will improve by then and will have more of a say. Am sure the Lions will not continue to struggle like they are to get results.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2019 22:21:22 GMT
Yes they are favourites to win the league and its not even close. The southern conference is a good 4-5 leagues higher than the north which are filled with teams just making up the numbers like Newcastle and Leicester.
On a serious note tho of course theyee favourites. They're the only unbeaten team, how could they not be. People forget they've won the last 4 without their 2 best players!
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Post by mikevigorfanclub on Oct 29, 2019 22:57:33 GMT
I posed the question on Twitter whether the North is better than the South. Both guys seem to suggest it is.
I’m enjoying the cup (may’ve because Flyers have started 4n2, but in some respects it will make the league season interesting when the north and south teams come together. I’m not sure the cup is perfectly formatted, but it allows teams to suss out what they have / what they need going into the league.
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Post by leamrider2 on Oct 30, 2019 12:59:33 GMT
Maybe they are favourites. I don't care. They won't win it.
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Post by LTFan on Oct 31, 2019 9:21:39 GMT
Royals favourites? I’m not sure, but they’re certainly contenders. I agree that they’re a much better team this season. Ditching the approach of heavily relying on just a couple of great players, instead having a whole team of good players seems to be working for them. And everything suggests they’re doing it on a reduced budget too, so it’s win-win. But the fact we still have this north/south divide can’t be ignored. Personally I’d say the most impressive teams this season so far are Royals, Riders, Eagles and Sharks. And 3 of those 4 are in the north. So it’ll be interesting to see if Royals can maintain this image when they’re playing amongst these teams.
On a more general note, I’m still concerned for the longevity of Royals. Despite improvements on court this season I’m not sure I’ve seen any off-court (apart from perhaps curbing their player budget a bit). I just don’t know if the people financially backing this operation will be happy to continue to do so at this level for the time required to potentially start to see sufficient profits.
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Post by LTFan on Oct 31, 2019 9:29:33 GMT
Regarding the most disappointing teams this season, I’d also go for Giants and Lions.
Giants because it felt towards the end of last season they might have actually turned a corner, almost securing a play-off spot. But now they’re right back at the bottom again. I guess they were more dependent on Clayton than I thought.
And Lions because they’ve gone from best team in the league to of the worse. I know they’ve got budget issues this season, but it really shows. I dread to think how bad they’d be without Peel and Robinson. But I can only hope their approach is to now write off retaining the Cup title and re-invent for the Championship season. I think this is why we haven’t heard any official news on Soko yet… perhaps they’ve decided to save a bit of cash and not bring him on-board until December. Waiting until then might actually benefit him and his other commitments too.
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Post by saintpat on Oct 31, 2019 13:44:15 GMT
Royals favourites? I’m not sure, but they’re certainly contenders. I agree that they’re a much better team this season. Ditching the approach of heavily relying on just a couple of great players, instead having a whole team of good players seems to be working for them. And everything suggests they’re doing it on a reduced budget too, so it’s win-win. But the fact we still have this north/south divide can’t be ignored. Personally I’d say the most impressive teams this season so far are Royals, Riders, Eagles and Sharks. And 3 of those 4 are in the north. So it’ll be interesting to see if Royals can maintain this image when they’re playing amongst these teams. On a more general note, I’m still concerned for the longevity of Royals. Despite improvements on court this season I’m not sure I’ve seen any off-court (apart from perhaps curbing their player budget a bit). I just don’t know if the people financially backing this operation will be happy to continue to do so at this level for the time required to potentially start to see sufficient profits. I'm not sure on the reduced budget! The Lithuanians will not come cheap by any means( they may have saved on MBA but those 2 combined will be costing more than him. Lawrence will be one of, if not the highest paid players in the league. Although they're not paying him currently, Hamilton could still put a big dent in the budget. And Saunders won't be cheap if he ever arrives. |
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Post by LTFan on Oct 31, 2019 13:56:41 GMT
Royals favourites? I’m not sure, but they’re certainly contenders. I agree that they’re a much better team this season. Ditching the approach of heavily relying on just a couple of great players, instead having a whole team of good players seems to be working for them. And everything suggests they’re doing it on a reduced budget too, so it’s win-win. But the fact we still have this north/south divide can’t be ignored. Personally I’d say the most impressive teams this season so far are Royals, Riders, Eagles and Sharks. And 3 of those 4 are in the north. So it’ll be interesting to see if Royals can maintain this image when they’re playing amongst these teams. On a more general note, I’m still concerned for the longevity of Royals. Despite improvements on court this season I’m not sure I’ve seen any off-court (apart from perhaps curbing their player budget a bit). I just don’t know if the people financially backing this operation will be happy to continue to do so at this level for the time required to potentially start to see sufficient profits. I'm not sure on the reduced budget! The Lithuanians will not come cheap by any means( they may have saved on MBA but those 2 combined will be costing more than him. Lawrence will be one of, if not the highest paid players in the league. Although they're not paying him currently, Hamilton could still put a big dent in the budget. And Saunders won't be cheap if he ever arrives. I didn’t say they don’t still have a high budget!  Hence my comment about still not being sure how sustainable the whole thing is. But it certainly feels less than last year, for a number of reasons. Like why aren’t we seeing MBA and Hamilton on the court this season, despite both being on multi-year contracts and delivering the goods last season. It’s a generally accepted assumption Royal’s can’t/don’t want to pay them the previously agreed salary. Or do you think they aren’t playing for another reason? |
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Post by saintpat on Oct 31, 2019 14:12:30 GMT
They don't want to pay those salaries & it's rumoured they didn't always pay them last season anyway!
I believe they realised they paid above the going rate last season but in Hamilton's case they signed a multi-year deal which they are trying to get out of!
I just don't believe they're using a smaller budget this season, they've just spread it around a bit more!
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Post by mikevigorfanclub on Oct 31, 2019 19:16:36 GMT
Are Eagles all that? I haven’t watched them play a whole game, but the bits and pieces I have watched, they haven’t convinced me yet.
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Post by stevetino on Oct 31, 2019 22:04:49 GMT
Are Eagles all that? I haven’t watched them play a whole game, but the bits and pieces I have watched, they haven’t convinced me yet. Are flyers all that? 🤣🏀👍 |
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Post by youngrocks on Nov 1, 2019 7:24:27 GMT
I really dont think anyone is all that so far this season
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Post by notoriousbigz on Nov 1, 2019 7:56:36 GMT
Are Eagles all that? I haven’t watched them play a whole game, but the bits and pieces I have watched, they haven’t convinced me yet. They have the potential to be is my honest answer.
In parts at times this season they've looked like a team that could be unstoppable if it clicks for about 25/30 odd minutes a night.
In other parts, they look absolutely disjointed and cant get the ball across the top of the three point line, let alone around the basket (first half at Ponds Forge springs to mind).
That said, new coach, lot of new players, a new way of playing, best to iron out the kinks before the regular season starts.
Re: Bristol - what's the expectation this year?
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Post by stevetino on Nov 1, 2019 8:38:27 GMT
Are Eagles all that? I haven’t watched them play a whole game, but the bits and pieces I have watched, they haven’t convinced me yet. They have the potential to be is my honest answer.
In parts at times this season they've looked like a team that could be unstoppable if it clicks for about 25/30 odd minutes a night.
In other parts, they look absolutely disjointed and cant get the ball across the top of the three point line, let alone around the basket (first half at Ponds Forge springs to mind).
That said, new coach, lot of new players, a new way of playing, best to iron out the kinks before the regular season starts.
Re: Bristol - what's the expectation this year?
Very accurate summary Bigz |
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Post by mikevigorfanclub on Nov 1, 2019 13:14:25 GMT
Are Eagles all that? I haven’t watched them play a whole game, but the bits and pieces I have watched, they haven’t convinced me yet. They have the potential to be is my honest answer.
In parts at times this season they've looked like a team that could be unstoppable if it clicks for about 25/30 odd minutes a night.
In other parts, they look absolutely disjointed and cant get the ball across the top of the three point line, let alone around the basket (first half at Ponds Forge springs to mind).
That said, new coach, lot of new players, a new way of playing, best to iron out the kinks before the regular season starts.
Re: Bristol - what's the expectation this year?
Ta. I’ve probably watched the disjointed bits then 😂 Would be good if they broke Leicester’s recent dominance in the North. Re Bristol...my expectations are that we get to the QFs of the cup, make the play-offs....and do better on the road. That last bit is probably the key to achieving the first two. We’ve started well (4n2), but only 1 more home game left in the cup. It was encouraging to see us win at Plymouth, where we always seem to lose. We look a stronger team this season, but I think most others in the 6-10th places do too, so it will be tough. We will know a lot more after tonight’s away fixture to Wolves and tomorrow’s in Surrey (who are I proving quickly). One win out of two on the road should secure a top 4 spot in the South, winning both, would possibly raise my expectations. Lose both and it will be “are we in for another rollercoaster season”. Raphell Thomas-Edwards has made a really big early impression...and assuming he can cut out the odd silly foul that puts him into early foul trouble, he is gonna be crucial to us. Maybe some of that is adjustment to stepping up a division. What a lovely guy too. At the pre-season “meet the fans” he made it his mission to try to remember as many names as he could...great attitude. We already know what Fred Thomas can do, and early on we’ve seen what Gentrey Thomas can bring too, but late arrival Levi Bradley - is quietly improving each game also. Final mention to Lewis Champion. Taking responsibility for scoring more this season...was happy to let others last year. Perhaps finally at home on the BBL and knows his importance to the team. |
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Post by sussexbantam on Nov 2, 2019 10:52:49 GMT
Nice to hear some indepth discussion on Surrey (although you called us Guildford for the 3rd week in a row).
I think your analysis is spot on - the team is much better than last season with an actual bench that can contribute. I don't think we throw away leads because we coast though - we rely so much on outside scoring that we will always be streaky. Lacking a go-to scorer means it is easy for us to go several minutes without scoring if the shooters go cold. We would be a really good team with Quincy Taylor or Tony Hicks....
Oh - and the guard's name you were struggling for is Flannagan not "Wilkinson" whoever that may be...
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Hence my comment about still not being sure how sustainable the whole thing is.
