Adjusted Draft Date Proposal

[Blazers GM (Tyler)]

As we gear up for another thrilling year of fantasy basketball, I would like to propose a significant change to our annual draft process. I believe that conducting our draft after the NBA Draft, NBA Summer League, and NBA Free Agency would greatly enhance the experience and overall competitiveness of our league. Allow me to outline the benefits of this proposed adjustment:


Access to More Information:

By postponing our draft until after the NBA Draft, Summer League, and Free Agency period, we would gain access to a wealth of information that is crucial for informed decision-making. This includes rookie performances in the Summer League, team rotations, coaching strategies, and potential impacts of free agency signings. It will allow us to make more educated choices based on actual player performance and team situations, ultimately leading to a fairer and more dynamic league.


Improved Evaluation of Rookie Talent:

The NBA Draft is a pivotal event where young prospects find their professional homes. Waiting until after the NBA Draft ensures that we have a clearer picture of which rookies landed in favorable situations. We can evaluate their roles within their respective teams, the depth charts, and potential playing time opportunities. This approach helps us make more accurate projections about their fantasy value and make more informed decisions during the draft.


Increased Engagement and Excitement:

The proposed adjustment would inject a renewed sense of excitement and engagement into our league. By waiting until after the NBA Draft, we can all follow the selection process, analyze team needs, and discuss potential rookie impacts. It will generate more buzz and anticipation among league members as we wait to see how rookies perform in the Summer League and how free agency signings shape team dynamics. This heightened involvement will add to the overall enjoyment of the fantasy basketball experience.


Realistic Simulations of NBA Roster Construction:

Conducting our draft post-NBA Draft and Free Agency allows us to simulate the real-life process of NBA roster construction. NBA teams analyze draft picks, evaluate performances in Summer League, and adjust their rosters accordingly in free agency. Aligning our dynasty fantasy basketball draft with these real-world events helps us better mirror the actual decision-making processes employed by NBA franchises. This realism enhances the strategic aspect of our league, making it a more authentic experience for all participants.


As of now I don't have a specific date in mind for the draft in following years, but targeting a week in mid-late August seems to make sense logistically.


I strongly believe that implementing this change will elevate our dynasty fantasy basketball league to new heights. It ensures fairness, strategic thinking, and heightened engagement among all league members. I encourage each of you to consider this proposal and share your thoughts, suggestions, and concerns. Let's work together to make our league even more enjoyable and competitive.


- Blazers

[Blazers GM (Tyler)]

Because I had some time on my hands last night I put together some viable counter-arguments to the proposal that are probably worth discussing--figured I'd put those in here.

Here are a few points to consider:


Delayed Start and Scheduling Challenges:

It might cause scheduling conflicts with other commitments or fantasy basketball leagues that members are involved in. We should carefully consider the impact on the league's timeline and potential inconveniences for participants.


Limited Window for Offseason Trades:

Conducting our draft immediately after the NBA Draft provides an ideal window for offseason trades. By allowing teams to trade their rookie draft picks during this time, it adds an extra layer of strategy and excitement to the league. Delaying the draft could reduce this trading window significantly, limiting the opportunities for teams to make moves and potentially hampering the overall competitiveness of the league.


Uncertainty and Limited Information:

While waiting until after the NBA Draft, Summer League, and Free Agency allows for more information, it also introduces a higher level of uncertainty. Rookie performances in the Summer League are not always indicative of regular-season success, and free agency signings can impact playing time and roles on teams. Conducting the rookie-only draft immediately after the NBA Draft allows for early speculation and proactive decision-making based on initial assessments of rookie talent. This adds an element of risk and reward, as managers must rely on their own evaluations rather than relying solely on established information.


Loss of Draft Day Excitement:

The current tradition of conducting the draft immediately after the NBA Draft creates a unique draft day experience for our league. It allows us to ride the wave of anticipation and excitement generated by the real NBA Draft. The immediate draft also provides a sense of freshness and enthusiasm as we draft rookies before their professional careers officially begin. Delaying the draft might dampen some of this excitement and reduce the immediate connection between our fantasy league and real-world NBA events.


Looking forward to the discussion

[Dallas Mavs (Kyle)]

I appreciate the thought put into this by Blazers. Personally, I don't think the pros outweigh the cons here.

Draft time is super fun, and seeing players in the summer league ruins the immersion of realism we have. NBA teams don't get to see players in a NBA games prior to picking, why should we? We've done a great job making BBall26 the closest thing there is to being a real GM. This weakens that without much upside.

Also, from a team building perspective, having the draft after free agency greatly limits the ability to trade picks and maneuver contracts. Many teams get cap tied up during FA, and this would limit movement options and make the draft less exciting not even factoring in the dull that would come with a few month lag.

Either way, this proposal won't make or break the league, but this feels like an "it ain't broke so why fix it" to me. I am excited to see discussion unfold on this though and appreciate the holistic and balanced thought Tyler put into it.

[Blazers GM (Tyler)]

Jun 28, 2023 19:21:12 GMT -5 Dallas Mavs (Kyle) said:

I appreciate the thought put into this by Blazers. Personally, I don't think the pros outweigh the cons here.

Draft time is super fun, and seeing players in the summer league ruins the immersion of realism we have. NBA teams don't get to see players in a NBA games prior to picking, why should we? We've done a great job making BBall26 the closest thing there is to being a real GM. This weakens that without much upside.

Also, from a team building perspective, having the draft after free agency greatly limits the ability to trade picks and maneuver contracts. Many teams get cap tied up during FA, and this would limit movement options and make the draft less exciting not even factoring in the dull that would come with a few month lag.

Either way, this proposal won't make or break the league, but this feels like an "it ain't broke so why fix it" to me. I am excited to see discussion unfold on this though and appreciate the holistic and balanced thought Tyler put into it.

To address the team building point—in my head when I was writing up the proposals and the counters, I was thinking of still having UFA/RFA be after our draft. So FA period would be late Aug.

[Golden State Warriors (Caleb)]

Okay so I've already talked to Tyler on the phone about his proposal at length so i'll keep it relatively short.

I really appreciate the thought Tyler put into this and understand his side and the potential upside moving the draft/FA could have.  In moving the process back every single owner has as much info as possible and can make what they feel is the most informed opinion.  

But for me I tend to have a lot of similar of views to Kyle. We all have different skills and abilities as GMs and personally I feel like one of my potential edges is being so engrained with the NBA that I can make educated guesses and take stances before maybe things do become more clear. At the end of the day if more people would prefer the draft be moved back I would understand and be willing to adapt, but to me doing things when we do allows us to make certain stances that may not be available a couple months down the line.  That is a huge part of the makeshift GM process we've created that I enjoy.  Like there's nothing better than taking a stance on something relatively early in the off-season and then it working itself out in the way you saw it a couple months later.  It goes hand and hand but loved Kyle's draft point.  Imagine Cam Whitmore goes clean off in summer league.  If we do the draft a couple months later Sood ain't getting Cam.  I think it's awesome that in this hypothetical situation Sood gets rewarded for being willing to take him when he did even though he fell to 20 irl.  (Yes some of you might say he was an obvious pick, but that's besides the point.) 

Anyways, if more people than not want to move it back i'll rock with it, it has absolute validity. However for the reasons listed above, my preference is keeping the draft and FA where they are. 

I'm looking forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts and opinions 



     

[Heat GM (Bryan)]

I really like the proposal here written up by Tyler.
I think the pros make sense, ran a few dynasty leagues in a similar fashion and I think it just leads to better outcomes. Sure the teams get more knowledge of the guys they are drafting so misses can be avoided at a slightly higher rate but I think that makes it more fun. At the same time, every player that overperforms in the summer league can get overdrafted too and you don't miss too much there. Just pushing it back gives us a more balanced offseason instead of clumping a few activities early on and then having a dull few months before the season starts.

Really hope the league considers this proposal.

[Cleveland Cavaliers (Jon)]

I like a lot of the things he had to say. And would have no real issue with moving the draft back. The only two issues I see are timing and roster/cap space.

Timing- If we did move it back, we would need a reduced clock to ensure the draft ended with enough time. Though it would depend on when we start it.

Roster/Cap- If we did this prior to FA then it’s moot, but then it comes back to issue 1 with timing. If we had a mid to late August start and it took 3-4 weeks we could run into issues with RFA and FA. If we did the draft after FA then we run into scenarios where teams don’t have the space to roster their own draft picks and would need to release newly signed FA and incur cap hits.

Again, I think timing is everything. We have about 4 months from draft day till season starting. There will be down time. I think getting things done early is better than potentially coming down to the wire.

[Chicago Bulls (Charlie)]

Love you Blazers.

This idea is fucking awful. Anything that reduces the skill-gap in the league or makes the league easier, I am vehemently against. I could go into further detail, but it's not necessary. Why do we need to change the draft date? There is nothing about the draft date that needs fixing. I get people wanting the draft to go by quicker so they suggest reducing the 24 hr timer, but I do not get why the draft date needs to be changed.

[San Antonio Spurs (Chris)]

I like it, but then I'm already on record asking for a later draft start. I don't think we should wait all the way until after summer league, for all the reasons others mentioned but mostly just because too many don't want to. Why can't we wait a week or two though? This is fantasy, and where a player gets drafted IRL has an enormous impact on their opportunity and fantasy value, to be good one really has to rethink and adjust their entire "big board" after the real life draft. It's never made sense to me to just jump straight in to our draft immediately, this year it was even suggested that picks could start DURING the real draft... Why is everyone so goddamn impatient about it? What's the issue with waiting a little while when the season doesn't start for another 3-4 months?