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2021-22 CmanCalzone Sim League 2.0 Pre-Season Preview


Welcome to the CmanCalzone Sim League! We’ve done these in the past, but we’re doing it again. 32 GMs fantasy-drafted an NBA team in 2k, traded with each other, and now it’s time to see who created the best team. Our first simulation (which will go 1/3 of the way through our first season) will come out soon, but for now, here’s our pre-season power rankings.

Also, check out our primer video here if you want an even more complete look at the rosters and the league (and for an explanation on how to join our waitlist, if you’re interested): https://youtu.be/cR8sjkpt0aM

CONTENDERS

1. Toronto Raptors - This is what a complete team looks like. Luka Doncic and Kawhi Leonard are a perfectly balanced pair of 95 overalls, and there's nothing they can't do together. The only possible weakness might be rebounding, as this team is playing small with Leonard at the 4. But they're also starting possibly the best two rebounding guards in Doncic and Josh Hart, and THE best rebounding center in Andre Drummond. They've paid up to get an excellent scoring backcourt in Kemba Walker and Jordan Clarkson, and Thomas Bryant is one of the best backup centers in the league as well. Maybe they could improve their backup forward slots from Evan Fournier and Naji Marshall, but their minutes will be slashed come playoff time anyway. brace yourself, league; winter is coming.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder - Giannis Antetokounmpo was a deserving #1 overall selection. It’s no surprise that the top two teams on this list are the ones with the top two picks in the fantasy draft. But picking first wasn’t enough; GM ZV aggressively traded up in the fantasy draft to secure Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler as well, essentially adding a much better version of the IRL Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton running mates for Giannis. Kevin Love provides the spacing that two somewhat limited shooters in Butler and Giannis need, and although he isn’t an amazing defender himself, it shouldn’t matter much with those two guarding the wings. It was a tough choice picking the top team. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be better than either Luka or Kawhi, even if he occasionally performs poorly in 2k playoffs. But the significantly stronger bench for the Raps carried the day, as the only good backup on the Thunder is Harrison Barnes. Still, this would be a scintillating Finals matchup.

3. Vancouver Grizzlies - We know Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are a winning combination, and they're paired together in Vancouver in our league. Instead of having Draymond Green to handle the defense, they have arguably the only man in the league that's even better than him (at least in 2k): Rudy Gobert. That offense-defense combo wasn't enough, they have another 90 overall on the wings in DeMar DeRozan, and starting power forward Bojan Bogdanovic is no slouch either. Make no mistake, this is probably the most talented and balanced starting lineup in the league. The bench has one good sixth man in Kyle Lowry... and the next-best player is Frank Kaminsky. Woof. If they can find a way to get to even 7 or 8 good rotational players, they'll be the favorite.

4. New York Knicks - GM CmanCalzone is nothing if not aggressive, and that always-win-now attitude (plus some savvy dealmaking) consistently puts him near the top of the league. He stole Kyrie Irving to reunite him with LeBron James, and those two are even joined by Bradley Beal. Despite some of the stars' age, they'll light up the scoreboard. Jonas Valanciunas might be their truly key acquisition, as his dominant rebounding will greatly help them on the defensive end. Still, this bench is paper-thin outside of Harrell, and there may be teams with a better top three players, so these Knicks aren't the cream of the crop just yet.

5. New Orleans Pelicans - Having two top-ten players in Kevin Durant and James Harden makes any team a contender, but the Pelicans are still far from complete. The bench is surprisingly strong, but the starters apart from KD and The Beard leave much to be desired. Derrick White, Nic Batum, and Brandon Clarke all have their uses, but the gap between their second and third best player (92 to 79) is larger than any other team's. The IRL Lakers managed to pull off "two stars and a bunch of good role players" though, so maybe Brooklyn will be able to replicate that success.

PLAYOFF LOCKS

6. Chicago Bulls - Zion Williamson is a dominant 2k player, especially with injuries turned off. C.J. McCollum and Khris Middleton are a little on the older side, but they give this team a similar feel to how the real-life Bucks surrounded Giannis Antetokounmpo with Jrue Holiday and Khris himself. However, those Bucks have key depth pieces across the roster, whereas this Bulls team is pretty shallow. Mike Conley and Jakob Poeltl are competent fourth and fifth best players, but the dropoff is steep. Their sixth man is DeMarcus Cousins, who is barely in the NBA. Duncan Robinson is getting big minutes, and he couldn't even touch the floor for an injured Heat team IRL. Not to mention, Zion isn't quite Giannis. On the bright side, the Bulls do still have all their firsts to make an upgrade with, so they could vault themselves to contender status if they cash some in.

7. Los Angeles Lakers - This team has two true stars in Zach LaVine and LA Lakers champion Anthony Davis. Anunoby and Brook Lopez are solid 3-and-D starters around that core, and they swung a really nice trade for Jrue Holiday to be their third guy. This team could surprise some folks in the playoffs for sure. They even have 2 or 3 solid bench players as well. But when push comes to shove in the playoffs, it's often the best player who wins, and I doubt AD will ever be the best player on the floor after the first round. For that reason, I'm still skeptical of their chances to go all the way.

8. Phoenix Suns - The Suns have churned through a lot of guys, but haven't really meaningfully improved a ton. Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam might be the best frontcourt in the game, and being backed up by Bobby Portis and James Wiseman doesn't hurt either. But the rest of the roster lacks the same oomph. Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell are fine starters, but Caris LeVert certainly isn't. Markelle Fultz is also a solid third guard, but again nothing special. This team is quite good, but not great. If they add a star guard though... the sky's the limit.

9. Boston Celtics - The Celtics are purely here because of Nikola Jokic. Anfernee Simons and Robert Williams are good players, but they aren't the second-best player on a contender. Dumping Danilo Gallinari and getting back some needed scoring punch in Derrick Rose was an excellent move, but not enough to move them up the ranks. Much like the real life Nuggets, this team will only go as far as Jokic carries them.

10. Detroit Pistons - Ja Morant is a battering ram at the rim, and R.J. Barrett is a nice young complement. If they can find a way to get Zion, they'll have the top three picks from the 2019 draft. Even if not, this team still has solid depth with guys like Marcus Smart, Isaiah Stewart, Dwight Howard, Chris Durte, and Royce O'Neale, despite trading away Jrue Holiday. I don't see a world where Ja misses the playoffs, especially with Barrett as a decent running mate. Yet I also don't see a world where Barrett and the rest of the team around Ja are good enough to get him very far, much like the Grizzlies around Ja in real life.

11. Los Angeles Clippers - This team has an interesting construction. Trae Young and Coby White combine for a spicy backcourt, and the pairing of Christian Wood and Nikola Vucevic in the frontcourt gives the team even more flexibility with its ability to play 5-out. The bench is stacked with shoooters as well, with the top three reserves being Joe Harris, Otto Porter Jr., and Kendrick Nunn. However, not a single one of those players is even average defensively, which means that starting small forward Jonathan Isaac will have to cover for everyone else's mistakes. That's a little easier for a center to accomplish than a small forward, but Isaac is one of the best in the game. If he can single-handedly drag this team to even average defensively, they'll be able to dominate with their offense. If not, every game will be a 120+ point shootout.

12. Brooklyn Nets - The starting lineup fits together well. Damian Lillard and Jarrett Allen are a good combo. Seth Curry adds some shooting and secondary playmaking, and Draymond adds lockdown defense and even more passing. DeAndre Hunter is a basic starting forward, if unspectacular. Russell Westbrook could be fully unlocked as a sixth man, and Kyle Kuzma is a solid bench piece as well. However, this team badly needs a better second option on offense than Seth Curry. Moving one of their bigs for someone that can create their own offense could push this team up a few spots, but it's still hard to see them truly competing without another *super*star.

PLAY-IN TEAMS

13. Sacramento Kings - This is the definition of an average team. A top two of Cade Cunningham and Paul George balances young with old, future with present. Jordan Poole provides some excellent punch off the bench, and should compete with Tyler Herro for 6MOY. Nic Claxton is a serviceable center, and the depth is actually pretty good. But this team lacks high-end star power, and frankly just lacks a direction in general.

14. Milwaukee Bucks - This is about half of a good team. Dejounte Murray & Clint Capela form a good pick-and-roll tandem, and should create a defensive culture in Milwaukee. Terry Rozier is a nice complement as a score-first guard, and Buddy Hield brings some needed shooting off the bench. But where's the rest of the team? Lauri Markkanen and 74 overall Jaylen Johnson are starting at the forward slots? Their rotation only runs 8 deep, and that's even including Eric Bledsoe? There's still a lot of work to be done before this team is any kind of serious threat.

15. Orlando Magic - This team is very similar to the Bucks, but slightly worse today (though with more upside). Donovan Mitchell and Mobley are a solid guard-big pairing, and D'Angelo Russell is a nice second guard who might still have some untapped potential. John Collins is a highly overqualifed sixth man off the bench. But look closer, and there's not much else to get excited about. Hamidou Diallo and Chris Boucher are starting, and even Gary Harris is getting some minutes. When Mobley and Mitchell progress a bit, this team's prognosis may change, but for now they're just meh.

16. Portland Trail Blazers - Brandon Ingram and Tobias Harris are a really interesting pair of interchangeable wings, and adding Sabonis should give the Blazers one of the better scoring frontcourts in the league, if admittedly one of the worse defensive ones. Tyus Jones and Dillon Brooks add some playmaking and shooting respectively to the starting lineup as well. However, the bench gives it’s top minutes to Keon Johnson and Elfrid Payton, which isn’t sustainable if this team wants to compete.

17. Atlanta Hawks - The Hawks have a very competent roster. Jaylen Brown, Miles Bridges, and Tyler Herro form a really solid young wing trio, albeit one without a true go-to scorer. Steven Adams and Wendell Carter Jr. were shrewd additions to the frontcourt, and there's a few other decent pieces here as well. However, GM Cookie is clearly still in roster churn mode, so odds are the squad will fluctuate up and down a bit while acquiring some future assets, but never moving too far away from .500.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves - Karl-Anthony Towns is a great center to have, and Malcolm Brogdon and Josh Giddey form a balanced backcourt. T.J. Warren and Al Horford are fine low-end starters on the wings, and the bench is okay too. At the end of the day, a lot of teams fit this mold right now: one good-but-not-amazing star, a few decent starters (with one or two good young guys) and a mediocre bench. They won’t stink, but until some moves are made, they won’t go anywhere either.

19. Houston Rockets - Who knows what this GM is going to do. One day, he sells everything that isn't nailed down for draft picks, and looks to be headed for a full tank. The next, he's consolidating them for Devin Booker. Go figure. All in all though, this roster just is too young to compete. Devin Booker is great, but Kristaps Porzingis isn't an amazing second option. Scottie Barnes and MPJ are still two years away from their prime, and Dennis Schroder receiving starting minutes at point guard while Davion Mitchell develops is certainly less than ideal. This team might contend for the play-in as currently constructed, but it seems more likely that they'll disappoint and get sold for scraps again. Teams should certainly monitor the availability of Devin Booker closely.

20. Denver Nuggets - Don't let this ranking fool you; I love how this team is put together. Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso have proven their worth as a winning backcourt together, Jayson Tatum is incredible, and Jaren Jackson Jr. has the potential to be a second or third star. Even Obi Toppin is a solid fifth starter, and this entire team is young guys that play two ways. However, I think this team is terribly small, and I don't trust Jaren Jackson Jr. to hold up on the boards at all. If they swap Toppin out for a Andre Drummond type, I could see this team rising much higher, possibly even above the play-in altogether. But with a small team that still is a year or two away from entering its prime, Denver isn't there yet.

LOTTERY TEAMS

21. Cleveland Cavaliers - De'Aaron Fox, Desmond Bane, and Bam Adebayo are a nice and balanced young core, though perhaps they don't possess the highest upside. But they rely heavily on mediocre vets, including LaMarcus Aldridge, Will Barton, and starting SF Lance Stephenson. Yikes. Additionally, they placed their best player, Bam Adebayo, on the trading block. Seems like a long rebuild may be on the horizon.

22. Indiana Pacers - Tyrese Haliburton and Deandre Ayton are a nice core to grow with, and Jalen Brunson is a cool second guard, but this roster doesn't offer much else. Maybe P.J. Washington becomes an average starter, but we know Pat Connaughton isn't going to improve past where he currently is. The bench is fine, but this team doesn't even really have a true star, let alone a complete starting lineup. Doesn't look like we'll see them chasing the Larry O'B this year.

23. Philadelphia 76ers - There's just not much to work with here. The bones of the team make sense, as they have one young star guard (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) surrounded by a mix of young guys and vets, all of whom are defensively focused (Patrick Beverly, Mikal Bridges, Myles Turner). The bench is pretty solid too, with four very solid rotational players in Kelly Olynyk, Dario Saric, Matisse Thybulle, and Bones Hyland. The problem is... the core just isn't that good. We've seen SGA with little offensive help for nearly two years in OKC, and it's not pretty. Even if this team is average or slightly above on defense, it should be near the bottom of the league offensively.

24. Utah Jazz - This team is the Nets, but worse. Darius Garland is a nice low-level star, but the next best player here is Mitchell Robinson. There's only so many pick and rolls this team can run in a row before the defense figures out there's only two competent players on the team. The Jazz have already sold some of their depth, so they clearly know this isn't their year, but the presence of Garland should get them to 25-30 wins, and just barely out of the bottom tier.

25. Dallas Mavericks - Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Green make for a young, fun backcourt, but that's about it. No one is getting too excited about Jerami Grant, Robert Covington, or Mo Bamba, and the bench has maybe one good player on it. Maxey and Green might become the next Lillard and McCollum... but not for at least two or three years. Check back then.

26. Seattle SuperSonics - This team is clearly built for the future. The backcourt is solid, with the tandem of Jamal Murray and Collin Sexton, plus Immanuel Quickley off the bench. But Jonathan Kuminga, Ivica Zubac, Herb Jones, and the rest of the rotation are mediocre at best, and even Murray is certainly not qualified to be a lead guard. This team is pretty much below average at every position, and unless Murray and Sexton combine for 50+ a night, every game will be a challenge.

27. Golden State Warriors - Anthony Edwards and Ben Simmons are an intriguing combination that I actually like, especially with Spencer Dinwiddie here to provide some additional ballhandling. But Jusuf Nurkic is a spotty fit with Simmons in the starting lineup, and more importantly, he’s the only other player on this team above an 80. When your best player is 84 overall Ben Simmons AND your depth is rough, you know it’s going to be a long season (or two).

28. San Antonio Spurs - LaMelo Ball and Jalen Suggs could be an amazing backcourt in time, but Jalen Suggs is only a 75 overall today, and one of the very worst starters in the league. The only other guy even above a 77 is Saddiq Bey. LaMelo is good, but not good enough to drag this moribund squad to much more than 30 wins, if that.

TANKERS

29. Miami Heat - The Heat sold Kyrie Irving and Jonas Valanciunas, choosing instead to building around lower-tier young guys like Onyeka Okongwu and Franz Wagner. Unfortunately for them, they didn't even get a significant pick haul from the Kyrie trade, as they had to turn around and dump all the picks they got just to get John Wall's massive contract off their books. They paid a premium to bring Terrance Mann in the building as well, so there's some semi-interesting pieces here, but no one who profiles as even a potential third-best player on a championship team, let alone a possible cornerstone. It will get worse before it gets better in Miami.

30. Washington Wizards - De’Anthony Melton, is a nice defender, and a decent playmaker to boot. Surrounding him with three wings (Deni Avdija, Keldon Johnson, and Cam Johnson) makes for some switchy lineups, and Daniel Gafford provides the rim protection behind them. Squint hard enough and you’ll see the outline of the IRL Celtics, and a Smart-Brown-Tatum-G. Williams-R. Williams lineup. At least on defense. But even if they hold teams under a hundred points, I don’t even know how this team will manage to score 70. The forward duo of “Johnson & Johnson” will have a lot of heavy lifting to do, and frankly, I don’t think they’re up to it yet.

31. Charlotte Hornets - The Hornets wisely realized they didn't have the assets to compete, so they traded Devin Booker and Steven Adams for picks. Then, they took it a step further, and are now eating John Wall's massive contract as well (for more draft assets, of course). Their best player is Payton Pritchard. Need I say more?

32. Pittsburgh Ironmen - I don't even want to be around anymore.

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