LOR2 Plus

[Laimbeer40]

Oklahoma City Thunder

Ownership Rating: 4.5 (One of the most underachieving franchises and Petis rehabs it in a single season. Guided them to a 4 seed and 2nd round in his 1st yr as owner)

Studs: Evan Mobley didn't quite that the expected leap but he is still delivering Top 30 production. 

Prospects: Usman Garuba has had flashes here and there. Still holding out hope.

Decisions: Scary Terry and Harrison Barnes are up for extensions. Both are solid but not real sexy for the price. 

Good News: They play in the West. They should waltz into the playoffs. 

Bad News: Gordon Hayward still made of glass.

Outlook: Top 4 seed seems very likely and they could get better as the season progresses and their younger players develop.

[Laimbeer40]

Orlando Magic

Ownership Rating: 3.5 (Still just one playoff appearance in franchise history)

Studs: Cade Cunningham was flirting with stud status before injuries ended his season.

Prospects: Jalen Williams has looked really good as a rookie and appears to be a solid contributor for the future. 

Decisions: Minor decisions on extensions for P.Pritchard and K.Looney.

Good News: Nurkic has been relatively healthy this season.

Bad News: Sadly Lonzo Ball has not been able to play all season. 

Outlook: At full strength this is a borderline playoff squad. Injuries were probably a good thing because it should lead to a better pick rather than a futile effort for the postseason.

[Laimbeer40]

Philadelphia 76ers

Ownership Rating: 6.5 (The prior regime never missed the playoffs nor did they ever miss getting bounced early. Then they bounced and left a floundering situation that is being turned into a nice rebuild)

Studs: Like many outright rebuilds there are no studs here.

Prospects: Too many to list but Jalen Smith, Jeremy Sochan and Keegan Murray are expected to become cornerstones for this franchise.

Decisions: What are they going to do with all of this youth and their upcoming picks which include five 2023 1sts?

Good News: The majority of their 2022 picks look to have a solid future in the league.

Bad News: With this much youth they are probably 2-3 seasons away from being competitive.

Outlook: Crossing their fingers for Wemby. Should be in the mix for a Top 5 pick and another exciting class of rookies.

[Laimbeer40]

Phoenix Suns

Ownership Rating: 8 (Missed the playoffs for the first time last season. Does have one semis appearance on their resume)

Studs: Luka is about as stud as it gets. Keldon Johnson on Gobert are paid like studs but returning Top 60 value per Fantrax.

Prospects: I had higher hopes for Moses Moody but so far he is only averaging 5 commandments per game.

Decisions: How are they going to create cap next season? They have $63m tied up in Luka, Keldon and Rudy. 

Good News: Jordan Poole proved he could take a punch. 

Bad News: With a roster of Precious, Payne and Moody this team has become a favorite of emo kids.

Outlook: Facing Luka if he has a 4 game week in the playoffs is going to be a tough out. Could be their year!

[Laimbeer40]

Portland Trailblazers

Ownership Rating: 8 (4x playoff appearances. Has been a 3rd seed LY and 2 seed the year before. Now just need a postseason run after being bounced in the 1st rd)

Studs: Ja Morant is a surefire stud. Sabonis, Simons and Brunson are all returning Top 30 value.  

Prospects: Not much here as POR is gunning for a title and they are all-in.

Decisions: Maybe more decisions than anyone else. Middleton, Sabonis and N.Powell are all up for extensions. A little further down the pike will be a very expensive Saddiq Bey RFA)

Good News: This team was doing well even before Middleton and T.Bryant got healthy. Now they are super deep.

Bad News: Hartenstein getting $11m per season is looking a little rough. 

Outlook: Blazers could be a contender but first things first... let's see them get out of the 1st round.

[Laimbeer40]

Sacramento Kings

Ownership Rating: 4.5 (2x playoff appearances. Balls deep in a rebuild but taking a step back is already proving beneficial)

Studs: Jaylen Brown just keeps getting better. I know it's early but Banchero is already looking like a stud.

Prospects: Last years rookie crop is coming along slowly but Jalen Johnson's defense should keep him in NBA rotations.

Decisions: Jaylen Brown is due for a pricy extension

Good News: The rebuild is going well and Jamal Murray is starting to flash his old form. 

Bad News: Certainly more was expected from last years rookie crop of J.Johnson, Keon Johnson and Tre Mann.

Outlook: They are right where you don't want to be. Too good to get a high pick and too shallow to be a playoff threat. You don't want to stay there for long.

[Laimbeer40]

San Antonio Spurs

Ownership Rating: 1 (Still no playoff appearances. This isn't charity folks!)

Studs: D.Fox is a Top 25 player. Beal looking like a Top 40-50 player these days. 

Prospects: Ousmane Dieng is shooting a crisp 25% from the free throw line. Can't crack the Thunder's lineup. Yikes!

Decisions: No pending contract decisions. Why not utilize the G-League more?

Good News: Trey Murphy is developing and D.Sharpe looks good when he gets minutes. 

Bad News: Derrick Rose appears to be washed.

Outlook: They are straddling the fence as a .500 ball club. They are going to need to pick a direction. I'm rooting for them.

[Laimbeer40]

Toronto Raptors

Ownership Rating: 1.5 (Just one playoff appearance in franchise history and unable to eclipse 20 wins in either of the last 2 seasons with a talented squad)

Studs: J.Tatum is one of the top guys in the game and as he ascends you have Paul George who is slowly losing stud status but still a Top 25 guy. 

Prospects: High hopes for Shaedon Sharpe who is already flashing scoring skills. Less high hopes though for Kai Jones and Jaden Springer from last year's draft.

Decisions: Isaiah Joe has had nice moments with OKC. Is he worth the minimum extension?

Good News: Already more wins this season than they have had in an entire season since 2018. On pace to be their best record in franchise history. 

Bad News: Still not doing much in-season to improve the team. Only 11 players on active roster, go get a 0.8m guy and add to depth.

Outlook: Surprisingly one of the top teams in the league this season. Could they go from zero to hero?

[OUDAN]

2022-23 Team Capsules

Boston Celtics

Ownership Rating: 7 (Squeaked into playoffs last year and bounced in Rd 1. 1x Semi Appearance)

Studs: Ant Man playing at a Top 20 level this year. CJ McCollum a Top 40 guy this year. Siakam missed time due to injury or he would be ranked pretty high. Giddey with a slow start so far.

Prospects: Kuminga still a top prospect but he has to be able to crack the lineup. Might need Warriors to trade him.

Decisions: None Pending

Good News: Marvin Bagley showing a pulse

Bad News: Will Jonathan Isaac ever play? When is Time Lord supposed to come back?

Outlook: Plenty of talent but surprising to see them under .500 at this point. They should probably stock their G-League and try to find a gem that way.

As Deion would say since taking over at Colorado, We comin.

[Laimbeer40]

Utah Jazz

Ownership Rating: 7.5 (Missed playoffs for only the 2nd time last season but on track to do so again this year)

Studs: None

Prospects: Jalen Duren is sitting in their G-League but has looked like a rebounding machine. Davion Mitchell's numbers are down though. And pour one out for Josh Primo.

Decisions: TJ Warren is due for an extension and will be an interesting decision. What do they do with PJ Washington? Let him go to RFA?

Good News: Duren looks like a keeper. And Killian Hayes has shown a pulse! TJ Warren has looked better than anticipated after a 2 year layoff. No more Elfrid Payton contract next year!

Bad News: May need to overpay in free agency if they want to return to the playoffs soon. Otherwise the rebuild could take another couple years.

Outlook: Plenty of assets with $50m in cap space next year and three 1st round picks. Will be trying to legally tank the rest of this season.