Santa Cruz is set to tip-off their 2021 season today against the Ignite Team. Thirteen players will be suiting up for the Sea Dubs including two-way player Nico Mannion and assignees, Jordan Poole and Alen Smailagić. While those three might be well known by Warriors fans who've watched them play with Golden State, hopefully this post can shed some light on the other 10 players who make up the main squad. The G-League doesn't generally get a lot of attention or recognition from NBA fans, but if guys like Damion Lee, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Mychal Mulder have shown anything, it's that there is talent lurking down there and it's a great place for young players to develop.
Notes on the G-League Season:

• 15 games (not including the playoffs)
• Top 8 teams will advance to single-elimination Playoffs
• Santa Cruz's Schedule
• Santa Cruz's Roster

Jeremy Lin

Point Guard, 32 years old, 6′3, 200lbs
Lin is of course a very familiar face for Warriors fans. The Bay Area native, as an undrafted rookie, appeared in 29 games for Golden State during the 2010–11 season and would go on to become a tenured veteran in the NBA. However, a ruptured patellar tendon suffered at the beginning of the 2017–18 season would sideline Lin for that remainder of that campaign and the effects would carry over into the following season in which Lin struggled on the court with the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors, temporarily putting a hold on his NBA career.
Following a solid showing in the CBA last year putting up 22.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 5.6apg on .493/.335/.822, a now-healthy Lin is looking to make his way back to the NBA and hopes this path with Santa Cruz will be his opportunity to do so.
Playstyle
Lin is well known as a scoring guard who operates out of the PNR with a quick first step and playmaking ability. He will be looking to show that he still possesses those skills at the NBA-level following concerns he had lost his quickness due to injury.
He is a career 34.2% three-point shooter and has never shot over 37.2% in a season, including last year in the CBA where he 33.5% from the outside on 173 attempts, so he should not be expected to start draining them, but he won't be asked to do so either with elite marksmen such as Hannahs, Taylor, and Wesson on the roster.
Lin has left much to be desired on the defensive end throughout his NBA career, but was recently a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year in the CBA so it will be interesting to see how much he has improved and what he can offer on that end.
Expectations
Lin is expected to start for Santa Cruz at point guard and is most likely hoping to only have to play a few games before getting signed by an NBA team looking for a veteran point guard, a team like the Magic, who have been riddled with injuries at that position, for example. For those who watched Santa Cruz last season, Lin will take on the role that was Jeremy Pargo's as the veteran who runs the offense and is the default scoring option.

Dusty Hannahs

Shooting Guard, 27 years old, 6′3, 210lbs
Hannahs is an undrafted guard out of Arkansas. He's spent the last three seasons in the G-League with the Memphis Hustle averaging 14.5ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.7apg on .460/.435/.917 and was named to the All-G League Third Team last season. He's also been in-and-out of the Memphis Grizzlies on a couple of 10-Days throughout the past 2 years. Santa Cruz traded for his rights ahead of the 2021 G-League draft.
Playstyle
Hannahs is a lights out shooter. Through three seasons in the G-League he shot 43.5% from deep on 648 attempts. He's capable of both spotting up for catch-and-shoot threes and pulling up from off-the-dribble. He has a decent handle which allows him to create separation, and his shooting threat and speed gives him an edge when driving to the basket. He has steadily improved as a finisher over the years, but will still throw up some wild shots driving into traffic. He also isn't much of a playmaker. When he drives he doesn't look to pass and has too much tunnel vision.
Hannahs is a bit undersized for a wing at 6'3 which makes him limited defensively where he leaves much to be desired. He's not very good as an on-ball or off-ball defender. He will occasionally ball watch and lose track of his assignment and often reacts a bit too slowly to how the play develops. He also isn't much of a rebounder and doesn't do a great job of positioning or boxing out. He also isn't very good at fighting over screens or offering much as a help defender, which is more of an issue of lack of effort and focus. He will have to improve on this side of the ball if he hopes to make it at an NBA level.
Expectations
Hannahs would've started in the backcourt with Lin, but with Mannion and Poole assigned, he will be relegated to a bench role, playing at times as a 2 or 3. As one of the more tenured players on the roster, his G-League experience will be valuable for the team and he should see a lot of minutes provided he can offer more off-the-ball and defensively than he has shown so far. Hannahs has already established himself as an elite G-Leaguer and has flirted with the NBA, so if he can put together another solid season and make improvements in the areas he needs to, there's a good chance he can find himself on a two-way deal in the near future.

Ryan Taylor

Small Foward, 26 years old, 6'6, 190lbs
Taylor is a 4-year college player who went undrafted in 2019. He was selected with the 24th pick in the 2019 G-League draft by the Lakeland Magic, but was cut in training camp. He joined Santa Cruz as a mid-season acquisition from the available player pool and would go on to appear in 22 games where he averaged 9.2ppg, 2.0rpg, 0.6apg on .456/.430/1.000 coming off the bench. He was put on the radar of Warriors fans when he was invited to participate in the Dubble and shot the lights out during their televised scrimmage, putting up 18 points with 6 threes.
Playstyle
Taylor is a knockdown shooter who usually hangs around the corner and moves around off-the-ball a decent amount. He doesn't handle the ball or create a lot for himself, but has a pull-up midrange jumper off a down screen he likes to go to and a floater alternative as well. Outside of that, he hasn't driven a lot or showed off his finishing, but he is deceptively athletic and can throw it down. He's not really a playmaker, but he's a smart player who will make the right passes and not play out of his comfort zone.
He's not any sort of lockdown defender, but he does enough defensively where he can bother players on-ball and stick with them, fighting through screens and using his athleticism and lateral speed. He does a good job of forcing players into tough shots and not giving them anything easy. He's also a smart team defender, who knows when to rotate and help. Overall he projects as a 3&D wing who doesn't do more than he's capable of and plays within the flow of the game. He would fit in well at Golden State.
Expectations
Taylor most likely would've started, but with the assignment of Jordan Poole and based on scrimmage tape, it seems he will be coming off the bench instead, playing a big role as the backup small forward. At 26 years of age, having just started his pro career, Taylor is looking for a late-bloomer career arc similar to that of Damion Lee. Having impressed last season in limited time, this season will be a better opportunity for Taylor to move into a bigger role and establish himself as a starting quality G-League player with the hopes of receiving a training camp invite from Golden State next season and being a candidate for a two-way spot. As a 3&D archetype, he's arguably the most interesting prospect on this roster for Warriors fans to watch out for as a potential future Golden State player.

Axel Toupane

Power Foward, 28 years old, 6'7, 196lbs
Toupane is a French wing who went undrafted in 2014 and has become a well-traveled journeyman. He played 2 seasons in the G-League with Raptors 905 where he averaged 15.4ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.6apg, 1.1spg on .446/.329/.798. He's also played 29 games in the NBA on a couple of 10 Day and ROS deals with the Nuggets, Bucks, and Pelicans, and spent the last three seasons playing overseas in Lithuania, Greece, Spain, and France. Most recently he appeared with the Warriors in pre-season, where he saw a handful of minutes.
Playstyle
On offense, Toupane likes to spot up in the corner or move from wing to wing in hopes of receiving the ball off a drive-and-kick for an open 3. He didn't shoot the 3-ball well during his time in the G-League, but overseas his percentages looked better from year-to-year and he is capable of knocking them down at a low volume. He doesn't have the ball in his hand often, but seems to have a pretty good handle and likes to take defenders off-the-dribble and either beat them to the rim or pull up for a jumper. He especially loves to slash in transition and due to his speed, length, and athleticism can blow by defenders with ease and finish in traffic with an array of acrobatic moves. He doesn't necessarily seem like a playmaker, but can make some good read for a wing and likes throwing lobs.
Defensively he's a pretty good on-ball defender who can bother opposing ballhandlers with his length and lateral quickness. His size makes him versatile and capable of matching up fairly well with 1-4s. Oubre is a good comparison in that regard. He also seems to have a decent read of passing lanes and can use his length to get a hand on the ball and burst out for a transition dunk.
Expectations
Toupane is expected to start at power forward. Although he's played as a 2/3 for most of his career, Santa Cruz likes to play small and Toupane is the 3rd tallest player on the roster after Mawugbe and Wesson. Golden State even played him at the 4 during pre-season which makes him the obvious choice to start there, coupled with his experience. As the second oldest player after Lin, Toupane will have a very important and big role in this squad both on and off the floor.

Kaleb Wesson

Center, 21 years old, 6'10, 253lbs
Wesson is an undrafted big out of Ohio State where he averaged 12.9ppg, 7rpg, 1.6apg on .495/.385/.729 over 3 seasons. He was well regarded by draft experts and many thought he could get picked in the second round or at least grab a two-way contract. However, he would join the Warriors for training camp where he didn't get much playing time and wasn't able to impress.
Playstyle
Wesson biggest attraction is his stretch 5 ability. He's a good outside shooter who shot 42.5% from deep in his final year on 106 attempts and did well in all the combine shooting drills. He finished first in one of the drills making 80% of his attempts. He gets most of his threes out of pick-and-pops around the top of the key and wings and that's most likely where he'll be money from moving forward. Wesson doesn't create a lot of offense for himself, but he does have a post hook and post fadeaway he likes to go to with moderate success. Otherwise, his finishing is a bit poor. For someone with his size and strength, he goes pretty weak to the rim and gets rejected far too often. He also doesn't have leaping ability to go up for lobs and rim-run, a bit Looney-like in that regard. He does however have great court vision and will make some eye-catching reads especially out of the post and elbow, and off the short roll. He seems like he has the potential to become a really good playmaker for a big.
Defensively he's limited due to his size and athleticism. He is slow and doesn't have good verticality. He struggles when switched out to guards due to his lack of lateral speed and gets beaten pretty easily. He's not much of a rim protector or shot blocker, but makes up for his deficiencies with relatively high defensive BBIQ and active hands. He has a good feel for when to reach in for a block or steal. He's also a good rebounder who boxes out and positions well, and uses his size and strength to neutralize opponents and pin them under the basket out of position.
The best comparison for him might be like Boris Diaw. Although I haven't watch Boris in a while, but I remember him as a stocky big man who was a good passer and could knock down a 3-ball. That's kind of the mold he's looking to fulfill in the NBA.
Expectations
Wesson will start at center while Smailagić is out and then become his primary backup. He'll be looking to at the least establish himself as a starting-level G-Leaguer and potentially play well enough to have a shot at earning a two-way for next season. Stretch bigs are a premium and if he can show that his shot translates to the next level, he should definitely get some NBA teams interested. Outside of Taylor, he's arguably the most interesting non-assignee for Warriors fans to watch. He's the youngest player on this roster, but also one of the ones with the most potential to become an NBA level player, and his passing, outside shooting, and defensive BBIQ would make him a great fit for Golden State and an answer to the Mo Speights/David West type big they're looking for.

Isaiah Reese

Point Guard, 24 years old, 6'5, 185lbs
Reese is a 3-year college player who after going undrafted in 2019 joined the Houston Rockets for Summer League. He was selected with the 6th pick in the 2019 G-League draft by the Austin Spurs and was traded to Santa Cruz on draft night for Kavion Pippen. Reese played 42 games coming off the bench and averaged 7.0ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.7apg on .408/.343/.667 his rookie season.
Playstyle
Reese doesn't necessarily seem to excel at any one specific skill but he seems to have an all-around skill set that if developed properly could turn him into a useful player. He's big for a point guard at 6'5 and can bother opposing point guards with his size defensively. He relatively does a good job on the defensive end, although he has a tendency to gamble a little too much and go for steals he shouldn't. He will occasionally lose track of his assignments and forget to box out, but if he can improve his awareness and focus, he projects to be a decent defender, at least at a G-League level.
Offensively, as I said above, he has an all-around game. He's shown some playmaking chops, capable of making good reads, but he also turns the ball over a fair amount and needs to learn to pick his spots better. He can shoot the 3-ball, but he's only really around a 35% outside shooter and shouldn't be taking them unless he's open in the corner. He can finish inside and has shown some finesse with his layups, but he doesn't go in strong and struggles to get to the line, only attempting 6 free throws in 810 minutes last season. I would compare him to his teammate from last season, Andrew Harrison, as a sort of big point guard who can kind of do a bit of everything, just none of it at an elite level yet.
Expectations
Last season was a primarily developmental one for Reese, as he got his feet wet at the pro-level. The Santa Cruz staff seemed to take a liking to him and would spend, what seemed like extra time, working specifically with him. He seems like someone they believe is a long term prospect. This season he should have a bigger role on the team as one of the guard options off the bench and should see plenty of game time. It will be a good opportunity to establish himself as a G-League level player and maybe play himself into a starting role next season with this team.

Zach Norvell Jr.

Shooting Guard, 23 years old, 6'5, 206lbs
Norvell played two seasons at Gonzaga before signing a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers after going undrafted in 2019. He would see limited time with the Lakers and would be waived in December of that year to make room for Devontae Cacok. Apart from a single 10-Day contract, where he endeared himself to some Warriors fans, Norvell spent the bulk of the season playing in the G-League with South Bay and then Santa Cruz. He finished his rookie season averaging 14.7ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.9apg on .395/.387/.814.
Playstyle
Norvell is an athletic, scoring wing who can shoot fairly well. In the G-League he shot 39% from deep and shot 37% in college. Although his shot selection could be a little better, he's more than capable of knocking down catch-and-shoot threes in the corner, as well as, pulling up off-the-dribble. He has a good handle on him and although he is not necessarily a playmaker, he has shown that he can make some good reads and can excel as a secondary ballhandler and creator on the floor. Although his jumper is his calling card, he can also finish inside with his athleticism and finesse, but again his shot selection could be a little better there too as he'll take the ball into trouble a little too often.
Norvell seems like a decent defender. He's not any sort of liability, but he also isn't going to lock down anyone. He does a good job of fighting over screens and sticking with his man, but will still lose track of his assignments from time-to-time, and could do more when challenging shots to make them tougher. He has active hands at least and can come up with a couple of steals. For a guard, he's also pretty good about making sure to box out when the shot goes up.
Expectations
The Warriors acquired Norvell last season for Santa Cruz after they were impressed with him while he was on his 10-Day and felt he was an intriguing, young prospect worth bringing in and developing. Norvell will be one of the go-to players off the bench and have a fairly big role. Among the young players, he is one of the more intriguing ones to watch out for and could potentially find his way back on a two-way in the near future.

Elijah Pemberton

Shooting Guard, 23 years old, 6'5, 195lbs
Pemberton is an undrafted wing who finished his career at Hostra last season with 15.4ppg, 4.7rpg, 2.1apg on .448/.387/.788 over his 4 years. He was a last-minute sign-and-waive for the Warriors after they were unable to receive Lin's FIBA Letter of Clearance in time, and most likely wouldn't have made the roster otherwise.
Playstyle
Based on watching some of his film, Pemberton projects to be a long-term project. He's a big athletic guard/wing with a handle and decent shooting touch, especially on pull-up 3s (career 39%), but his game leaves a lot more to be desired outside of that. He does not seem comfortable at all finishing inside and consistently will drive into traffic and throw up a hopeless wild shot. Showing both poor decision making and poor technique. Although he only averaged 2.1 assists per game during his college career, based on a film he seems to have the potential to do better in that area. He doesn't necessarily seem to have natural court vision, but can make some good reads from time to time, and if he can hone in on that skill, he could become useful as a secondary creator on the floor.
Defensively due to his size and athleticism he has the potential to become a decent defender which could give him hope to make in the league one day as a 3&D wing, but for now, he has a lot to work on.
Expectations
Pemberton will most likely start the season as a deep reserve and not see much time on the court given that Santa Cruz is loaded with guards and small wings. At this point for him, the best thing is to just get consistent work in during practice and soak up as much information as he can. Depending on how well he progresses and if he shows potential he could return to next year's team and challenge for a more fixed role in the rotation.

Dwayne Sutton

Power Forward, 23 years old, 6'5, 220lbs
Sutton is an undrafted 4-year player out of Louisville who joined the Warriors for training camp this past December and is most memorable to fans for his monster dunk against the Kings during pre-season.
Playstyle
Sutton is a tweener. An undersized power forward who doesn't necessarily excel at any one thing or fit any set position, but is a gritty, versatile, and fierce competitor in the mold of a PJ Tucker or Draymond Green. Although small, he is athletic and long and is a good defender capable of guarding multiple positions and coming up with big plays.
On offense, he seems a little more limited. He shot the 3-ball at 34.3% during his college career at limited volume (338 attempts) and probably doesn't project to be a shooter or if so, his ceiling would seem like Tucker's as a corner specialist. He only averaged 1.3 assists per game over his career, but could potentially grow more as a playmaker. That number seemed a bit limited due to his low usage rate and based on some of the reads he made he seems like a capable and willing passer. He doesn't seem very comfortable creating off the dribble and doesn't seem to have any sort of reliable mid-range, both of which are areas he will need to work on to be able to make it at the next level.
Expectations
Of the three Exhibit 10's, Sutton seems the least ready to contribute right away so he probably won't have a large role but given how undersized the Warriors are, he should see a good amount of playing time primarily as Toupane's backup at the 4. It will be a good opportunity for him to show if he can stick in the G-League and add enough to his game to be a useable rotation piece moving forward.

Selom Mawugbe

Center, 22 years old, 6'10, 230lbs
Mawugbe is an undrafted standout from Divison II, Azusa Pacific, where he averaged 16.9ppg, 10.5rpg, 2apg, 3.1bpg, 1.1spg on 71.8% FG in his senior season. Mawugbe was the 21st pick in the G-League draft and the final addition to the Santa Cruz squad.
If you do a search for "Selom Mawugbe" on YouTube, outside of an interview and a workout clip, you will find one single highlight of a PNR lob finish. Nothing else. So in order to get some semblance of Selom's game, I watched a few of his Azusa Pacific games I could find.
Playstyle
Maguwbe seems to fit the archetype of a traditional center. On offense, he roams from block to block looking to post up or come out and set a screen for a teammate. When he does receive the ball, he's a willing passer and will make some good reads finding shooters out of the post. Due to his size and strength, he can outpower most players and finish inside, but he doesn't seem very comfortable creating his own offense and rarely does so. He also doesn't seem to have any sort of reliable jumper or at least is unwilling to let it fly (I think I saw him attempt maybe one jump shot through the film I watched).
He seems to be a more defensive-oriented player and does a good job of protecting the paint and keeping drivers at bay with his shot-blocking. He averaged around 3 blocks per game throughout his final 3 seasons at college and was routinely among the top shot blockers in D2. He communicates often with his teammates, which is important as Azusa seemed to run a primarily zone defense with Mawugbe anchored in the paint. He has enough athleticism and lateral speed to switch out to perimeter players and bother them, but he didn't do so often and is not a strong suit. He's also a good rebounder and looks to box out immediately as soon as the ball is up in the air.
Expectations
Mawugbe will most likely follow suit with Pemberton as another young player looking at a mostly developmental season. He will probably have more opportunities to play, however, as Santa Cruz is thin in the frontcourt and Smailagić isn't expected to play right away so he will need to backup Wesson. This season will be a good opportunity for Mawugbe to show if his game can translate to the next level, where he will no longer be able to dominate purely off of size and athleticism. His goal should be to establish himself as a G-League level player and challenge for a more fixed role in the rotation next season.

Projected Depth Chart

Pos.	Starter	Backup	Third String
PG	Lin	Reese
SG	Mannion	Hannahs	Pemberton
SF	Poole	Taylor	Norvell
PF	Toupane	Sutton
C	Smailagić	Wesson	Mawugbe

Based off of scrimmage clips it seems the Warriors are planning on rolling out a Lin-Mannion-Poole-Toupane-Wesson line-up to start the season, with presumably Wesson filling in for Smalagić temporarily. Lin and Mannion will most likely get the lion share of minutes at the 1 with Reese also getting some spot minutes and sometimes two of them will be on the court together. Poole, Hannahs, Taylor, and Norvell will be the wings playing 2/3 with Pemberton getting a sprinkle of minutes here and there. Toupane and Sutton will shore up the 4 spot and Smiley, Wesson, and Mawugbe will eat up the center minutes, although it will be interesting to see if they play any big line-ups with 2 of them on the floor (I also saw a line-up with Toupane at the 5 which was interesting).
This team seems to bode a lot of playmaking (Mannion, Poole, Lin, Wesson) and outside shooting (Hannahs, Taylor, Wesson, Norvell, Pemberton) so they should be fairly potent offensively. The defensive side of the ball will be more interesting to watch to see how well they can tighten up.
TLDR:
Lin - Veteran looking to return to the NBA, probably will not end up playing for Golden State
Taylor, Hannahs - Knockdown shooters, two-way contract candidates, ones-to-watch
Toupane - Veteran, athletic, defensive wing, could be a two-way contract candidate
Wesson - Knockdown shooter who can pass, young player with a lot of potential, maybe a future two-way candidate, one-to-watch
Norvell - Scoring, athletic wing, young player with a lot of potential, maybe a future two-way candidate, one-to-watch
Reese, Sutton, Pemberton, Mawugbe - G-League level projects
I was hoping to go a bit more in-depth with this and include some short video compilations, but was kind of pressed for time and wanted to post this before today's game. Hopefully, this will still give at least a general idea of what to expect from this roster. If there are any questions I can try to answer let me know.

The results are in for Match 7.
Espiritu was not okay. It had gone dark, and he was no longer certain what was going on around him. It was hard to stand, and he was hot and hurting, and the crowd and the calls of the content creator after every play were noise to him, in the Necropolis he had tried to make. He knew there were seconds left, now, and did not even know what was to happen.
So, into the void, he began to call out with his Stand.
“This is a waste of time!”
Hurt.
“You have been rash, and done no good, and you care even less than I do!”
He trembled, barely able to stand.
“You say you are preparing me, but you have done nothing but hurt! Nothing but take! You have manipulated some child to play with lives! You, foolish… You don’t even mean to give her what you promised in the end, do you? Only another liar, who thinks I need another problem, and has become one.”
Bang said nothing, wherever he was. Espiritu had hoped he was far away. The young man had been fighting relentlessly and calling it a lesson. If it was a joke, it only made the jaguar want to cry.
“Manipulated..? Is… Is this me?” Nebula spoke from her screens, whatever she saw clearly giving her pause, then.
“This is your stage. Your egoism. Your lie to harm and call it kindness.” The Stand’s voice was faltering, flickering.
Then, Nebula’s pep returned with a snap. “Oh, hey, look at that, folks and five-year-olds, it’s TIME!”
Airhorns blared, then, and Espiritu recoiled once more.
“Of course, you probably have working eyes if you’re watching this, so I don’t need to tell you who has the key! What a show, am I right?” Nebula said, some forcedness to her cheer.
I don’t care… I don’t care who won. This… This was a waste. Let it be someone else’s. Someone who is not doomed to fail… I… I simply wish to live. Is that too much to ask?
Espiritu gave a final anguished roar before, finally, the pain he had sustained had become too much. His legs gave out, and he collapsed on the steps of City Hall.
The winner is Espiritu del Alocatlal, with a score of 72 to Bang “Boogie” Bronson’s 71!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	Masters of Funky Action	13-17	A last-minute vote turned a tied-up match into a 5-4, and even under the circumstances, judges saw no reason to discount it. A disclaimer, though: we can only count votes if we see them, so sometimes it is possible for automod to give us hell. Let judges know in the future if you’re uncertain whether or not your vote was noticed and counted!
Quality	Black Hill Estate	25-20	Reasoning
JoJolity	Tie	24-24	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10	In the future, there will be very harsh penalties on anybody going over judges’ heads to privately press people to delete or change the outcome of their votes. Wasn’t anywhere else that felt like the right spot to mention that.

“Well, chat, sorry to say,” Evelyn pointed out, “but the audience favorite laser-artist couldn’t quite cut it! Laser collection is way too 2000s, especially without a good way to take back the key! And where oh where did Espiritu send that file?” She revealed her empty hands. “I don’t even have the folder anymore! It’s wherever he had it go!”
“S-so… In the end, my gamble didn’t pay off, huh?” Bang muttered to himself, walking closer to Espiritu as the floating triangle over his head faded entirely. He crouched over him, waving a hand before his eyes and realizing, quickly, that they were registering nothing. He had blinded the jaguar.
“Well… I don’t know that yet.” Bang stood, then, looking down over him, the artist himself sore and nicked up, but in much better condition physically. “You… Y-you might not know it yet, but ‘conflict’ like this… It is necessary, you know. It’s… I-it’s the only way any of us will see the end of this, by pushing one another through. I won’t be the last to scar you.”
Espiritu whimpered at that, and before Bang could monologue more, Wrenn Aflight’s singsongy voice piped in, “hey, Lou ran off to do something, but she wanted me to pass a message along, and like a good boyfriend, I agreed~!”
“Hm?” Bang turned his head slowly. “Wh-what could that-”
WHAP!
Wrenn’s Stand drove a rocky hand across Bang’s face, sending him hurtling into the pavement with some force and releasing a good bit of glitter. Tilting his head, he said, “‘and maybe don’t torture animals on a livestream!’ That was part of it too.”
Bang was caught off-guard, already worn and out of it, sneering the way of the others present and how the eyes and cheers of the crowd had turned on him from their peak. He needed to make a getaway.
“And Espiritu, if you’re listening… She’s sorry she didn’t stop this right away. She wants to talk later.” Wrenn gave a cutesy curtsy to the big monitors, then, adding, “hey, Nebula! Wanna collab sometime? We could play Fivetnite or Shoal Calibur Zero instead of all this!”
In her dimly-lit room, Evelyn Ensanar watched the strike with a snicker, then stroked her chin quizzically. “Whoa, pog! I make a face reveal and immediately get invited to collab with you… Well, better look out! By the end of it, I’m totally gonna be more popular than you!” That forced grin was becoming easier, as she motioned a neck-slitting. “So there! I’ll take you down on your own channel like a bitter rival, Aflight!”
“Heheh, you don’t stand a chance~!” Wrenn gave a cutesy wave, then, before the stream of city hall was cut off, and Nebula’s feed instead showed some console’s startup screen with the revealed user’s head in the corner.
Before Evelyn could continue, however, they heard revving outside, putting her headset down. “Just a minute, guys. Gotta check on something… I swear, if I got swatted…”
She looked past the curtain in front of the open window, then, seeing that pink-haired girl get off a motorcycle, Councillor Ray stretching his legs close behind. They’d clearly come alone.
I guess… Espiritu wanted me to have this? Ray pondered, looking over the folder. Lou had said that she’d realized where that stream was taking place… Somehow, and then led him there quick as she could, insisting to take the lead. My coworkers’ secrets are my responsibility… Why did that Slums cult have this, and how did Bang get it?
“Evelyn Ensanar!” ‘Lou’ Reed called out through cupped hands on the lawn, seeing the younger girl peeking through the broken window. “Come out, please! You don’t need to wallow like this!”
“…” Evelyn couldn’t help but snicker at that. This girl didn’t look too much older than her, and who the hell was she kidding? Of course Evelyn was happy, living within these four walls, in this home downtown. She’d just had her biggest event ever, and she was being downtalked by someone who walked out of it because a poor widdle kitty got hurt trying to fight someone.
“You don’t think you can trust anyone, is that it? Even now, after an older boy led you along, only to hurt people when you thought you wanted the same thing, some part of you is calling out, ‘this isn’t right,’ right? I understand… I’ve been through that! I’ve pushed people away because I needed them most! But… Don’t indulge the void, please. Don’t feed that worst instinct… I swear, if you come out, greet the world, it won’t tear you apart. You’re bright, you’re good… You can be you so much better, I promise you.”
Evelyn stayed silent through that, peering with one eye past the curtain. No… That totally didn’t hit the nail on the head. It was just a passing impulse, a joke on herself, the momentary urge to truly step out as requested. Who did this idiotic ‘Angel’ think she was?
Evelyn knew, in that moment, she would be happy like this forever.
She pulled away from the curtain, then, pressing a button, and shutters completely overtook every entrance to the house, gating her off from the attempt to reach in.
With a sigh and a shake of their head, Nebula laughed, putting her headset on and returning to her seat.
“Sorry about this, pals! Typical ‘cringeler’ behavior over that last big show, you know? But no more interruptions, yeah?” That smile grew even wider, even more comfortable, as the outside’s natural lighting dimmed to what faint flickers made it past the metal.
“Let’s game the night away.”
Nothing was gained from this event. No lessons were learned. Only hurt, and hope that maybe, the future might not be so cruel. More live-streamed intrigue waits in the wings of a televised fencing battle for the continuation of an entire team. There’s only a few hours left to vote in that as of when this post goes up, so get to it!
Scenario:
Midnight Sun College Town - The Streets Somewhere or Whatever. Late Morning
A light snowfall had dusted the ground all across the College Town, covering everything in a faint layer of white about an inch thick. People were selling hot drinks in the streets, kids were running around in it, tossing snowballs, and adults were shivering as they made it through their day roughly as normal.
One youth in particular walked aimlessly along a snowy sidewalk, shivering and shoving his hands into his pockets, feeling on edge as he watched his breath fog visibly in the cold air. At least he had layers at all, though it could have been leagues better.
It wasn’t something you would go for a long walk in the snow in, but William Eyelash wasn’t exactly prepared for his daylong errant errand to take him into snowy weather.
After all, it wasn’t snowing at all in the Slums, or basically anywhere else West of the Wormwood River. By all he could gather, it was just the College Town, and nobody in this city had even seen fit to remark on the odd sort of localization.
He had begun to make peace with Ocean Eyes not as some malevolent entity he needed to control, but as a part of him, an extension of himself, and it had indeed legitimately calmed the beast down somewhat, at least in recent days made the ferociousness of it all his own. He had thought that plenty, then, to live his life, only to learn the nature of what had last month defeated a coworker of his; a woman whose Stand, and whatever of her it represented, had become so misaligned from the user that it had actively fought against her wishes.
The thought of that happening to Ocean Eyes, of having even less control over this part of himself, brought a chill up William’s spine worse than any blizzard, so he thought that he might find something of worth to his desires there… Though he didn’t really have any particular plan, beyond ambling about, seeing what the most Stand-centric district of the Stand-centric city could offer, perhaps having a fated run-in with somebody who could give him answers.
“Snow looks… Nice, at least,” he remarked through a shiver, loving the way the settled white coated everything…
And then tensing up as, out of an alley, red stains of crimson passionate cutting spilled out abruptly over it.
Not so long ago, William would have turned away in abject terror from a sight like that, or if pursued, his Stand would have come out and made it hell for those who set him off. But he’d gotten some life-changing advice from one of the city’s worst serial killers, seen a self-styled aggressive villain literally set best-laid malicious plans alight. Even if there was danger here…
Maybe there was value in seeking it out.
He tensed, slightly, then, when he saw a man in an officer’s uniform, slumped behind a diner, hands hacked off, stumps bleeding, with cut after cut after cut in his body, eyes rolled back and bleeding from the tongueless mouth.
Grisly… William shivered even more, then, before realizing that there was a presence behind him, turning his head slowly with his nerves on high alert.
Standing behind him, smiling, with a strange-looking knife in hand, was a boy only a year or two his junior. He wore a green sweater with a yellow stripe across its center, which was stained red like his hands, and a pair of bright, cheerful eyes poked past his brown bangs, perfectly matching the smile on his face.
William could’ve sworn he’d seen him somewhere before. “Y-you… Did. Did you kill this man?”
“Yep!” The youth answered, twirling the knife around, pointing to the corpse and stepping on his fingers buried in the snow. “He was telling horrible, horrible lies about me, see… Said that I cut his hands off, that it was his fault that he died. Now, I know some people came back, but this is a man I’ve never seen in my life! He pointed a gun at my head here, said he wouldn’t miss when he fired so close, so I didn’t let him. Then, that lie about his hands, his death… I just made it true!”
William was confused, his heart rate skyrocketing at the casual way in which this boy paced around as he spoke, twirling his knife. But… He was threatened, by the sound of it, and there was a certain purity, honesty, in the way that he spoke. This mutilated officer had it coming.
“W-well… That sounds nerve-wracking. I’m, uh… Sorry you had to go through that.”
“Oh, don’t worry for me!” The youth reassured, “sixteen years in this city and counting, you get quite used to seemingly-fine people revealing their true, rotten colors, attacking you when they seem to play the part of something upstanding.” He tilted his head, shaking it. “I can’t stand it at all, but… It makes it all the sweeter to put an end to it, you know?”
“I… You’re talking about killing people, you know that, right?” William asked. “That’s… That’s something you can never take back. To put it so lightly…”
“Do you have a problem with that?” Very quickly, then, the youth was leaning up close to him, putting the knife near his flesh, and William tensed up, not wanting to hurt this kid as he teased him.
“L-look… If any part of me wanted to impede you, or stop you,” William answered, “you would’ve been dead before you could bring that thing close to me. I’m… Still trying to control an ‘ability’ of my own.”
“I see, I see… So you’re another Stand User!” The youth pulled back, then, clearly pleased with the nerve William had had to stand still through that attempt to terrify him, to shock him into action.
“What do you say we be friends?” The knife vanished, then, and he held out his hand. “My name is Jacob Brown, but you may call me a nickname if you’d like.”
William nodded, cautiously accepting and shaking his hand. “Jacob Brown, huh..?” He swore he’d heard that name around before. “Then, uh… I dunno. If you really want a nickname that bad… I dunno. Jack, maybe?”
“‘Jack…’ It has a nice ring to it!” The boy agreed, shaking his hand fervently. “And you?”
“Call me William Eyelash… Or, uh, any abbreviation, I guess, though nobody really does.”
Elsewhere in the College Town, at exactly the same time…
Jacob Brown was laying in a snowy park, looking up at the cool sky in the imprint of his own little snow angel, which he’d even made time to give little knife-shaped embeddings through holding ‘Megalo Strike Back’ at just the right angle.
His life had continued to go well, as it had been since that fateful day so many months ago, where he’d toned back his killing urges, had still not once taken a life since, so not to disappoint the promise he and his friends had shared with that long-dead artist, having since befriended others and learned more about the mysteries of this place.
Los Fortuna was nice… Nice as it was fleeting, and strange. Earlier that morning he’d literally danced between the border of the College Town and the Agricultural District, one foot in an inch of snow, the other on dry grass, then posed triumphantly for Richard Stone to sketch, flexing alongside that new Bert blob which Casey and he-whose-name-ruins-Jacob’s-mood had nursed back to health.
Just as he’d started to fondly recall that fine early-morning moment, a pile of snow blinked with a single black dot of an eye, then emerged from a snowbank just meters away from Jack, looking as though it had found something urgent.
“Oh? What’s that now?” Jacob sat up, adjusting his jacket, and walked towards the bank in question, clearing away its topmost layer with a single expert swipe of ‘Megalo Strike Back.’
A couple’s mangled, half-melted corpses spilled out in a goopy pile, then, reaching his feet in a grotesque entanglement which Jacob regarded with little more than a sigh, shaking his head. “Sloppy sloppy… Though, I feel like I’ve seen dead bodies like this on the local news…” He turned towards his team’s new cute mascot character, waving him off. “It’s been fun, little one, but I think it may be a bit spicy for you. Go back home and fix yourself some Oops! All Berries and cigarette ash in dishwater… With a little Neapolitan on top of course!” The white blob’s favorite… Though it only ever seemed to eat the vanilla and strawberry. More chocolate ice cream for Jacob, anyway.
With that, then, the odd proto-Bert slinked away through the snow, blending in effortlessly as Jacob, in turn, took on the part of a sleuth, imagining a cool hat and pipe and miming them idly as he prepared to look into-
Ah. There were footprints in the snow clearly moving away from the bank, deeper into the park. Jacob would start there!
A not-so-long trek later, then, Jacob found a tree, whereby the footprints had seemed to end, but he heard shivering, and then somebody dropping down not far behind him in a panic, trying to tepidly back away. Whoever it was, though, froze when Jacob turned his head and gave a smiling grin.
Standing behind him, absolutely terrified, was a boy only a year or two his junior. He wore a black bomber jacket with three blue dots going down the left arm and a singular orange dot over the right bosom, blue-dotted pants, and a t-shirt clearly stained either with sweat, melted snow, or both. His demeanor was a timid, terrified one, a pair of eyes like a cornered beast poking past his mess of black hair, perfectly matching the look of mortification on his face.
“Uh… I’m… Uh.”
“Pardon the intrusion!” Jacob said, cheerfully, “but do you mind if we talk a little bit?”
“…” The boy looked like he wanted to die a little bit, stepping backwards again.
“My name is Jacob Brown, and I couldn’t help but notice that pair of melted bodies a little ways back. Quite the conversation piece, don’t you think?”
“I… I-I.”
“Come on now, I won’t get you in trouble and leave you to hang! I don’t do that!” Jacob assured. “All I ask from people is ‘honesty.’ It’s very easy to tell the truth, I think, if people just did it. So… Let’s start with an easy question, to show I don’t mean harm. What’s your name?”
“Uh… Ell- I mean, Wil- uh…” The boy paused, as if not used to the answer he was about to give himself. “Eyelash… W-William Eyelash.”
“William…” Someone trying on a new name didn’t need to be a lie, Jacob understood. Just a new truth to get used to. “I’ll just call you ‘Billy,’ okay? Okay!” Jacob smiled, and before Billy could comment, continued, “how long have you been in the city? Quite the sight, such localized snow…”
“Uh… M-my whole life, basically… Look, please, just. Just leave me alone. Please, don’t keep pressing, I-”
“Billy, I’m telling you, I’m trying to help you out here! I know, not everybody can get used to their powers as easy as I did, and when you’re so alone all you can do is run out into a tree, clearly you don’t have anyone helping you through it! So I’ll help you.”
“H-help… You. You mean to say-”
“Yep!” Jacob admitted, head tilting and tilting and tilting. “Not so long ago, I killed people all the time.”
That was Billy’s breaking point, and he immediately turned tail and absolutely booked it away. Even a trained FBI ace probably couldn’t keep up with that.
But Jacob Brown was pretty good at running.
He skidded to a halt in front of Billy, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. “Hey, c’mon… Bodies aren’t that way. You’ll get caught if you run without cleaning up your mess, or be so focused on running you could trip and fall down an elevator shaft!”
That seemed to scare Billy into a sort of forced calm, just as a truly monstrous-looking Stand almost lashed out. There was an odd sort of soothingness to Jacob Brown’s confidence, it seemed.
“Let me show you how, now, alright? It’s easy when you know the trick! Then we can take a walk.”
Snowman Symmetrical Park (No relation to the park from the last scene)
Jacob led Billy by the arm through a particularly artsy snow-covered park, one with several mural walls, ponds, and most notably of all, an almost slavish dedication to every single corner of the place, already in the center of the College town and the Metropolitan area as a whole, being completely symmetrical in its structures.
“Nice place, isn’t it?” He asked, letting him go and catch his breath. “Professor York, I remember, talked about it once with Chef CaraMel, I’m sure you’ve had her stuff before… They were saying that there’s a sort of ‘meditative’ quality to this place, a nice place to stand in even spots and just admire the scenery. But also that people get really mad if you mess the symmetry up.”
“Y… Yeah…” Billy panted, looking around. “I know about this place, but I’ve never taken time to…” He looked around, then, standing and breathing through his nose. “You know, Jacob… You’re right. This, uh… This place isn’t so bad. And, uh… Y-you’re kinda sorta really scary, but. Thanks, for the help, and, uh. Not judging me for what I can’t control…”
“Oh, don’t worry about it!” He reassured with a smile, “you’ll figure it out in time, Billy my friend! Why, even just a year ago, I could still be quite sloppy when I-” He noticed, then, that Billy’s look had immediately become, rather than one of cautious relaxation, one that was more confused, more terrified than ever before, murmuring and muttering incoherently. “Hm? Something the matter, pal-o?”
“Me… M… M… Why is… No… Nonononononono what the hell what the HELL?!”
William had been leading Jack to much the same place, saying to him when asked, “I dunno why I thought to come here… I guess, uh, this Lou girl who I’ve met a couple times, she came by this restaurant I work at with this friend of hers I forget her name, and… I dunno. She said it was meditative, and I’ve got things on my mind too.”
“I see, I see… Heheh,” Jack chuckled, teasing, “I’ve been treating you like this cool older figure, but you’re still figuring everything out for yourself, aren’t you? Though I guess that’s true whether you’re seventeen or forty-seven, right?”
“Yeah…” William nodded, hands in London’s perma-borrowed jacket pockets. “Th-that is life… Isn’t it? You never really… Stop learning, or growing, and, uh, some parts of you you’ll be contending with for-” He stopped himself from rambling philosophically, then, seeing that Jack had careened his head to something in the slight distance, where the pair had been walking towards and William hadn’t been looking. “Uh… Something wrong, Jack?”
“…something is, William, yes,” the younger knife-boy answered, brandishing his Stand. “Something is… Sus.”
Jacob and “Jack” Brown stepped towards the center of the park, staring one another down in perfect sync, looking one another over quizzically, the latter and younger much more tense about it than the other.
“Your face… Is mine. But I’m not a twin, or a triplet, or even a funny sextuplet. I would certainly remember that.” Jacob remarked, leaning back.
“I understand now what that pulled pork sandwich I cut up earlier was on about, I think… Yes, it doesn’t take a Rick, or even a Morty to figure this out,” Jack retorted, brandishing his knife again. “He mistook and attacked me for something you did, after stealing my face!”
“I’ve done no such thing,” Jacob answered in turn, “I was born with this…” He produced his own Stand, then, a knife identical to his own. “And this is the ability of ‘Jacob Brown’ to prove it.”
“Y-y-you… You…” Billy, cautiously, chattered as he addressed William, looking him over after seeing the identical Stands. “Do you… Have ‘that’ as well? Haunting you… B-burdening your every-” He couldn’t even bear to say it.
William, on his own, might have handled this differently, but with Jack so close, he knew that lying would cause even more of a scary situation than telling the truth. Clearly afraid in his own right, then, he shuddered, nodding. “Y-yes… I have ‘Ocean Eyes’ as well. If… I-if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Nngnhghhghghhhh..!” Billy had already begun to clutch his fingers in his head. “G-getting worse, then… Getting worse getting worse gettingworsegettingworse… Even if I control it I’ll never control it. I’m… I’m doomeddoomeddoomeddoomed!”
“H-hey,” William raised his voice, “you don’t have to be, I promise! I… I-I have no idea what the hell is going on either, but trust me, you can-”
But William knew himself, and knew that Billy would not listen to reason. With a bestial cry, another ‘Ocean Eyes’ appeared, lashing out immediately at ‘Jack’ and attempting to spray William. He, in turn, panickedly yet deliberately summoned his own, instinctively thinking to nullify the highly acidic spray with a thick, viscous, protective material, and both ate one another, and nobody was harmed.
“My my, what troublesome friends we’ve made…” Jacob remarked, then, hurriedly grabbing William and attempting to pull him away behind cover. “But hey, I’m ride or die! If Billy is your enemy, then I’ll be too! Maybe we can sort this out if we live, ‘kay?”
Then, the pair booked it away, leaving William confused, and Jack turning tail as well.
“I won’t believe a word of that lying liar’s plan… That impostor has one of you too, William! C’mon now! Fall back so we can cut them to bits before they melt us! You don’t want to fall to an imitation of your own Stand, right?”
Imitation… Impostor… Is. *Is** that what’s going on here?* William pondered, falling back nonetheless to a safer spot, well aware that out in the open was the worst place to be when he’d earned Ocean Eyes’ ire. Looks like even the guy who looks like an older Jack is gonna fight, just… J-just because.
He shuddered, then, leaning into the back of a wall. It… I-it’s unavoidable again. Then… He shut his eyes. I see.
“True or not, the uncontrolled rage of ‘Ocean Eyes’… I can tell you here and now, Jack. That was me. So maybe… M-maybe this was fate too. To finally truly tame that savage urge… Y-yes. Ocean Eyes is my own.”
“Think, Billy! That power of yours is so, so strong,” Jacob pep-talked his new friend from behind the cover of one of the structures within the symmetrical park, “and like how my ‘Megalo Strike Back’ speaks to all that I will cut through, anywhere and everywhere… What does Ocean Eyes say about you?”
“Say about… A-about me?”
“Yes!” Jacob encouraged. “Make a statement to the world! Cry out in your voice! It can be anything, not just a blind anger that forces you to live deceiving yourself! I’ve killed many times, and I’m good at it, and not a sentence of that will ever stop me from doing good by this city, just as I promised! Follow my lead, and see for yourself what all we can do!”
OPEN THE GAME!
(credit to magistelles for the match art, here you can see the uncensored version of the art(CW: trypophobia)!)
Location: Snowman Symmetrical Park. A public park in the center of Midnight Sun’s College Town, and the Los Fortuna Metropolitan Area as a whole. Realized by Andrew Tiffany and his orange nephew, the place has an avid string of volunteers from around the district dedicated to keeping the architecture and nature of the place in perfect symmetry at all times, down to the last blade of grass and every inch of snow covering it.
It has snowed recently, but only in the college district, amounting to about 3 centimeters of snow covering the ground evenly.
Right now, however, it’s perfectly empty, aside from the four of you.
The area here is 30 by 30 meters with each tile being 3 by three meters.
The light blue shapes are 3 meter tall structures that serve as mural art walls. Each wall has some symmetric design. The darker blue hexagon is a man made lake/fountain that is half a meter deep. The green circles are 5m tall trees, their tops are lightly covered in snow and there are decorative ornaments hung on the branches.
MFA start at the bottom of the map, as represented by the two brown circles and GYS start at the top of the map as represented by the two white circles.
Goal: RETIRE your opponents!
Additional Information:
For this match you will be controlling two characters, both your own and a parallel version of your opponent. In order to win this deathmatch, you have to beat both people on the other team.
Players instinctively know who their partners are and anybody that tries to lie or deceive somebody on who they actually are will immediately be retired by both Jacob and his parallel self. This will be a loss for whichever side tries to pull that.
For character writing purposes, note that “Jack” and “Billy” are both exactly one year younger than Jacob and William, and recall being born and raised entirely within Los Fortuna. Despite this fact, the most important moments of their lives, with the exception of all that has happened since the latter two arrived here, met their allies, and began participating in the tournament, have more or less been the same.
Being younger and less experienced, Jack and Billy respectively have quickly formed a sort of trust in William and Jacob, and will follow their tactical leads and trust their judgment so long as it isn’t grossly out of character. Their appearances differ slightly, as described in the writeup, but statistically, they are completely identical to their counterparts.

Team	Combatant	JoJolity
Masters of Funky Action	Jacob Brown and “Billy” Eyelash	“Say, Jotaro. Do that special trick of yours.” This new friend of yours has a future, whether he realizes it or not, and you wish to see him grow by your side. Take inspiration from strategies and elements of previous matches featuring William Eyelash! (first) (second)
The Graveyard Shift	William Eyelash and “Jack” Brown	“People can do anything when their lives are at stake!” While you mean to overcome your own past, you care about more than your own personal growth here; you’ve also found some worth in the checkered history of this strange youth. Take inspiration from strategies and elements of previous matches featuring Jacob Brown! (first) (second)

Link to the Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
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“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" -- Mike Tyson.
NBA general managers may feel the same way. They likely entered the offseason with bold ambition and well-thought out plans. Let's trade for Bradley Beal! Let's sign Bogdan Bogdanovic! But eventually, you realize that 29 other teams all have those same plans in mind. Plan B becomes Plan C becomes Plan M(ovgov.)
Fans have grumbled about some of the free agency signings already, but the most vitriol appears to be reserved for a select few. Rather than mock them, let's step inside their shoes and try to understand their logic.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
the puzzle
In his glory days, Charlotte GM Mitch Kupchak oversaw championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers. He deserves credit for that; it's never easy to win one title, let alone repeat.
Kupchak is on the verge of an even more unique achievement: repeat "worst contracts of the year" awards. His Hornets were universally mocked for overpaying for Terry Rozier last year (3 years, $58M), and he's getting mocked once again for overpaying Gordon Hayward (4 years, $120M) this offseason.
Hayward is a good player and a former All-Star, but he hasn't been the same player since his gruesome leg injury in 2017. Hayward had a solid season (17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists) but didn't showcase much explosiveness. The idea of paying him $25-30M could potentially be justified right now -- at age 30 -- but will look worse and worse as the years go on and all those miles keep adding up. There's a chance this contract is rancid by year 3.
Odder still, these Hornets are not "one player away" from making waves. By most advanced metrics, they were a bottom 5 team this season (bottom 5 in point differential, bottom 5 in offensive rating, bottom 5 in SRS power ranking, etc.) Given how big of a hole they're in, it would have made more sense to stay in a holding pattern and look forward to the stacked draft classes in 2021 and 2022.
the answer key
As much as we'd like simple and rational answers to everything, life isn't that clean cut. We can't ignore the human factors at play. The idea of the Charlotte Hornets waiting and adding top lottery picks in 2021 and 2022 makes a lot of sense on paper -- but it presumes that you're going to be around in 2021 and 2022 and beyond. I don't know if Mitch Kupchak and coach James Borrego had that luxury. If they stunk up the joint this season and regressed from their 9th seed (which was an overachievement), then they may have been fired.
Instead, they decided to forge ahead and improve their W-L record without a full-blown tank. In a way, you can understand that, too. The primary reason that teams sag to the bottom is because they want to find franchise-altering superstars in the draft. The Hornets haven't had that since Kemba Walker (if ever.) But maybe, just maybe, they HAVE that franchise player now in # 3 pick LaMelo Ball. I'm skeptical of the kid myself, but there are plenty of smart people who buy into him completely. ESPN's Draft Express crew have been saying he's the clear-cut best prospect in the class, a confidence they had in Luka Doncic a few years prior.
If you're the Hornets, you're gambling on LaMelo Ball being the real deal. And if that's the case, you need to do everything in your power to provide him in a good situation. Throwing him out there to the wolves with a bad supporting cast and a league hungry to humble him may have been a downright disaster. And what then? Would the 19-year-old Ball have handled that well? Would his confidence be shaken? Would the whole locker room turn into a media feeding frenzy? Perhaps the toxic situation would have gobbled LaMelo Ball into the void, in the same way rookie quarterbacks can be ruined by bad setups (google David Carr, Derek's brother.)
In the NFL, teams often find "bridge" quarterbacks to give their young rookies some time to develop. Gordon Hayward's not going to block LaMelo Ball's path to playing time, but he's going to serve as a bridge to take some bullets for him and take some defensive attention away. As a lead dog again, Hayward could flirt with 20 PPG and possibly crack the All-Star team again. With two decent guards in Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier, a decent big in Cody Zeller, and a promising sophomore in P.J. Washington, this team could potentially chase a .500 record.
Will the Hornets be a .500 team this year? Will they be a playoff team? Who knows. But at the very least, they'll be an interesting team. At least they'll be a relevant team. And for a franchise that may have been the most forgotten and anonymous in the NBA, we can't call this offseason a complete disaster. They made waves. Now it's up to them to see if they can ride them out or crash under the current.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
the puzzle
All season, there were warning signs that the Houston Rockets franchise may be hazardous situation and prime for a potential explosion. Daryl Morey and Mike D'Antoni saw the warning signs, and cruised out of there before everything blew up. There's a chance those two will meet again in the Eastern Conference Finals next year (Morey with Philly, D'Antoni with Brooklyn.)
As for Houston...? They're a fiery mess that's gone from title contender to punchline.
So far, they have not traded James Harden. They have not traded Russell Westbrook. Yet, oddly, they traded away an ideal 3+D partner for those two in Robert Covington. They're effectively still in "win now!" mode, without giving their stars the tools to actually win now.
And oh yeah: Tilman Fertitta is a douchebag.
the answer key
First of all, we have to empathize with new GM Rafael Stone here. Nothing we've seen so far is his fault. He inherited a tough situation and a tough job here. Being an executive under Tilman Fertitta isn't just like working with one hand tied behind your back, it's like working when you're tied up like Marsellus Wallace.
Still, I appreciate that Stone hasn't panicked and traded James Harden yet. It'd almost be impossible to get fair value out of a superstar like Harden. We're talking about a player who has finished in the top 3 for MVP voting for FOUR straight seasons for a reason. He's one of the most efficient volume scorers of all-time. He's one of the most durable superstars in the NBA as well. You can love him or hate him, but having James Harden almost guarantees that you can make the playoffs no matter what. You don't find those guys easily. In fact, the Rockets could own every single draft pick next year (1 through 60) and probably not find anyone who will be as good as James Harden is right now.
Of course, just because James Harden can win 45-50 games with a bad supporting cast doesn't mean he should have to. So what's up with the Robert Covington trade? Why send away an ideal 3+D guy like that?
Essentially, the Rockets gave up Covington and his salary in order to sign Christian Wood. They were hamstrung by Russell Westbrook's salary ($44M + $47M) and forced to make difficult decisions like that. While Covington is a good player, so is Christian Wood. He's been productive every step of his career, and can provide the team with some more size and dynamism in their frontcourt.
Ultimately, that decision may be less about Robert Covington and Christian Wood and more about P.J. Tucker. Tucker's an admirable, gritty player who did well playing "up" at center this year. That said, he's 35 years old right now and will be 36 by the time the next playoffs roll around. It's difficult to ask a 36-year-old Tucker (at 6'5") to match up with the Anthony Davises of the world. If the Western Conference is going to go through the Lakers, the Rockets may need more size to give themselves a puncher's chance.
DETROIT PISTONS
the puzzle
The Detroit Pistons hired a promising executive in Troy Weaver, a long-time lieutenant of Sam Presti in Oklahoma City. Presumably, Weaver would take a cue from Presti's direction in OKC and go for a full rebuilding situation here in the Motor City as well.
The team made all indications of that early on. They traded away Luke Kennard and didn't re-sign Christian Wood. They drafted a teenage PG in Killian Hayes to be the new face of the franchise. Hayes needs some runway before he can be counted on as a starter, but he has a lot of promise to be a leading scorer down the road in 2022 or 2023 or so.
But then... something changed. It's almost like Troy Weaver woke up with amnesia and forgot his own gameplan. Rather than build for the future, he signed veterans like Jerami Grant (3 years, $60M) and Mason Plumlee (3 years, $25M). While I like both of them in a vacuum, they're not exactly young studs. Plumlee is 30 -- Jerami Grant is 26. Both of them are older than the veterans they cast aside (in Kennard and Wood.) The same can be said about another trade acquisition in Delon Wright. While Wright's a good player, he's no spring chicken at age 28.
Odder still, none of these new pieces appear to fit well with the cornerstone players Blake Griffin or Killian Hayes. Whether you're building around Griffin in the short term or Hayes in the long term, those stars need to be surrounded by shooting to maximize their potential. With the exception of Svi Mykhailiuk and (potentially) Saddiq Bey, this is a roster that has very little spacing so far. It's a concern with Weaver's team building so far, especially given how OKC struggled with spacing for so many years.
the answer key
This is a difficult one to figure out, because I'm not sure that I fully understand the grand plan here. Some teams go up, some teams go down. Some teams zig while everyone else zags. Right now, it feels like Weaver is just drawing random squiggles and hope the dots connect somehow.
If you're going to make a defense here, it'd be that the offseason isn't finished yet. And even when the season starts, your plan isn't finished yet either. By collecting this strange hodgepodge of talent, Weaver has at least kept his options open.
If the Pistons roll into next season as is, they at least give Blake Griffin and company the opportunity to be competitive. The last time Griffin played a full season, the Pistons went 41-41 and made the playoffs. With the Orlando Magic presumably taking a step back, that 8th seed is wide open again.
More likely, the Pistons won't be the 8th seed. They won't be sneakily competitive. But if that's the case, they still have options. Blake Griffin's trade value may be low right now because teams aren't sure if he's healthy and back near 100%. If Griffin comes back strong in the first month or two, his value will jump up again. If that's the case (Griffin plays well but the team isn't there yet), the Pistons can pivot and deal him to a contender. They'll also have that option with Derrick Rose (on an expiring) and other pieces as well.
In the meantime, the Pistons are taking a similar approach to Charlotte. They're going to build the team around their draft pick (Killian Hayes), but they're going to try and give him as much of a buffer as they can by surrounding him with decent veterans in the meantime. Is that the way that I'd rebuild? Probably not. But it's not pure insanity; there's a method to this madness. And time will tell whether they're crazy like a fox or just crazy as fuck.

ANIMAL WATCH-A rescuer trying to "save" a dog named Maximus, whose behavior was so vicious he was described by Los Angeles Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette as a "danger to staff," suffered a savage bite while attempting to give him a pill to calm him down -- in other words, "drug him."

The incident occurred when a fourteen-month-old mixed-breed dog lunged violently and bit the woman immediately after being brought to her transport vehicle.
Yet, this dog was released to an unknown group with undetermined qualifications, which would purportedly make him an adoptable pet as a "second chance, misunderstood" dog and find his furrever home. Does drugging qualify as behavior modification? Or is it a mask to deceive a potential adopter?
MAXIMUS HAD ATTACKED BEFORE
Maximus had a reported history of unpredictable aggression and was surrendered by his owner after a severe, unprovoked attack on a child. Yet -- knowing this -- Barnette (who is a former AKC dog breeder and thoroughly familiar with unacceptable dog behavior) still offered him on the LA Animal Services "Adoptable Pet" list, to any "50l(c)(3) rescue groups." He was not available to the public as he requires further behavior modification," his kennel impound card stated.
Does this imply that the "rescue" has some magic method of removing "unprovoked aggression" from the dog's nature so that it will make a "safe" family pet? Or is it merely a way to unload another dangerous dog from the shelter without responsibly euthanizing it, so that the Best Friends national "No Kill" standards will appear to be met and Mayor Eric Garcetti can boast about the City of Angels?
How much longer will shelter managers all over California, and beyond, be allowed to knowingly and deliberately release a dog like Maximus and not have personal liability? Is the purpose of having the dog go to a "'rescue" more about having a non-profit organization take liability than protecting the public?
DogsBite.org provides an important list of county and civil grand jury audits and reports of animal service departments, as well as news investigations exposing taxpayer-funded shelters that hide the bite history of dogs up for adoption. (See: Animal Shelter Investigations)
WHAT THE "EXPERTS" SAY
The following is a warning to anyone purchasing a dog from a shelter or a "rescue." There is no magic in a "rescuer" -- or a "No Kill" organization that gambles on your safety. No amount of modification can assure you and your family are safe with a dog that has demonstrated prior aggressive or behaviorally unpredictable temperament. (See: Best Friends Animal Socety in Dog Fight over Shock Collars.)
Even the ASPCA, one of the nation's largest humane organizations, states, on its website ". . .there's no guarantee that an aggressive dog can be completely cured. . . .There's always risk when dealing with an aggressive dog."
MAXIMUS' HISTORY -- ATTACKED A CHILD
Maximus, described at impound by LAAS as a 1 year, 2-month-old tan mixed-breed, was first surrendered to the East Valley shelter on August 11, 2020, after he had attacked and seriously bitten the owner's 15-year-old daughter on her left foot. According to the shelter records the bite was "severe" and "unprovoked." It had occurred while the victim was "sitting on the couch and moved their feet near the dogs face. The dog lunged and bit the child's foot and held on."
Maximus was placed under quarantine and isolated at the shelter for ten days, as required by CA rabes law. He was made available for adoption/release to "Rescue Only" -- not available to the public -- on September 3, with the explanation, "because he needs further behavior modification."
In this case, the initial "behavior modification" attempted by the allegedly experienced rescue organization was to "drug" him, according to shelter records.
ARE DRUGS "BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION" OR DECEIT?
Whether the transporter used an over-the-counter product or a prescription tranquilizer, this was a dog that the "rescuer," herself, determined could not be safely handled by normal methods, such as, carrying it or placing it on a leash.
Does this sound like an animal that is going to be a safe pet for adopters? What qualifications is a "rescue" required to have by law to prepare such an animal for adoption and make assurances to new owners? The short answer and the long answer is: "none."
MAXIMUS ATTACKS AGAIN
Here's the written report of what happened when an experienced Animal Control Technician (ACT) attempted to safely transfer possession of the dog to the "transporter" (called a trainer by the representative of the rescue.)
"On Wednesday at approximately 1130 hours, Receiving asked me to help get Maximus to a New Hope [rescuers]. I knew this dog was unpredictable and had to use the pole (animal-control device) to take him out of the kennel. I was able to get him out with no problem and walked him to the front where the transporter was waiting. He told me multiple times that he wanted to get the dog on a leash and walk him before putting him in the vehicle. I asked Receiving to bring a leash since he was so eager to walk the dog. I put the leash on the dog while holding him on the pole and he was showing signs that he was ready to bite and grabbed onto the leash.
I asked the man again to let me put him in the vehicle because I don't want anyone to get bit. He said maybe if I clipped the leash on Maximus' collar, he wouldn't bite it.
As I approached Max, his body language changed, he crouched, his ears were back, showing "whale eyes" and growled. I asked again to be allowed to just put him in the kennel, but the woman [transporter] said "let me give him a soft treat with a pill inside so he could eat it and calm down."
I said it's not a good idea but she went ahead and put her hand with the treat straight toward the dog's face instead of placing it on the floor from a safe distance for the dog to eat it.
Within a second Maximum bit her right wrist. I tried to get him off of her but couldn't and had to pin him to the floor. As I did, the woman also came down with the dog and he let go. I called receiving for help since I was still pinning the dog down. ACT A. came to help and called 911 since the woman needed medical attention. (The foregoing was edited for conciseness. Content unchanged.)
ANOTHER ANIMAL CARE TECHNICIAN (ACT) DESCRIBES THE INCIDENT
"ACT J. explained to the man that it would be best to just get the dog in the crate. I left and went inside. Within 1 minute ACT A. came in screaming that we need to call 911, that a lady just got bit. Clerical Staff called 911 immediately. I ran out here and saw the lady holding her right arm with blood dripping and she kept asking us to wrap her arm.
I asked Volunteer what the lady's name was and how she was affiliated. He gave me her phone number and stated she was a Transporter. The lady had an underage source with her [indicated later to be her child]. She helped me answer the bite report questions." (This is an excerpt from a longer report by this employee.)
MAXIMUS HAD A GREATER BITE HISTORY AT SHELTER
Later that same date, then-Commander Karen Cox-Knipscheer wrote to Chief Veterinarian Jeremy Prupas, "Per our conversation, I am requesting the following dog for euthanasia rather than waiting on another County Health [rabies] hold period.
"The above dog was relinquished by the owner due to a bite and being "aggressive towards people tendencies." While under quarantine, the dog escaped his kennel and bit an employee while on leash by another ACT and was quarantined a second time."
"Request for euthanasia [Maximus was placed on "red list," on Sept. 10, and "networked" to try to find any rescuer who will take him before he is euthanized for safety] and a rescue pulled the dog.
"Today was the transport pick up. This dog was on an ACD (animal control device) while the transporter came too close to give the dog a sedative treat. The transporter was bitten several times and staff did advise me about the severity of the bites. I spoke with the rescue. They do not want the dog back."
Dr. Prupas responded, "Yes." But in an e-mail later that day, the Commander informed the Chief Vet and GM Brenda Barnette, "Now the rescue is saying they want the dog still, after the quarantine. Supervisor explained the liability to them and they are OK with it."
On September 24, GM Brenda Barnette wrote back, "Why would they be allowed to take the dog? Did they own him before he ended up in the shelter? Can we let them quarantine him? He is a danger to staff."
‘RESCUER’ KNEW DOG WAS DANGEROUS
A Sept. 24 shelter note states, "Per my original statement, I want to make this the utmost critical information for everyone to be aware—that the transporter knew and saw how the dog's behavior was. She stated that she was going to give the dog some type of "DRUG" in a form of a pill that she placed inside a soft treat so the dog can eat it and will cause him to calm down. I do not now or recall what type of drug it was but she was clearly aware that the dog was dangerous due to the fact that she wanted to give the drug."
On October 5, 2020, the East Valley shelter memo record reads, "[Rescuer] is having her trainer pick up. Will be transporting the dog in a large crate. Is aware of all the bite history/behavior."
DAVID GOLDSTEIN REPORT ON ‘DRUGGED AND DANGEROUS DOGS’
In November 2019 Los Angeles CBS News investigative reporter David Goldstein found "Orange County Animal Care withheld dogs’ bite histories from people looking to adopt them, leading to cases of pets attacking their new owners.”
“CBS2 obtained internal records [from Orange County Animal Care] which showed 32 dogs with bite histories at the shelter. Twenty-three had no warnings or any information about biting previous owners on their kennel cards," he reported.
He interviewed long-time SPCA Los Angeles president Madeline Bernstein, who stated, “Whether you bite a shelter personnel member or you bite a volunteer, or the dog has been returned for a bite, that information must be told to potential adopters.”
See: Goldstein Investigation: Local Animal Shelter Isn't Telling All About Some Dangerous Dogs Up For Adoption
BUT IF THE AGENCY IS A "RESCUE". . .
Once the adopte"rescuer" signs a liability waiver, the shelter can claim immunity from liability. And most people do not want to sue a "rescuer" who may show few assets on paper -- or may be in a rented location and/or not be insured. By filtering aggressive dogs through "rescuers" increasingly public animal shelters are seeking to avoid liability for future attacks by dogs with repeated bite histories and still maintain their "No Kill" facade.
The public, politicians and the governing agencies don't really care what happens to the animal nor its past or future victims, as long as it is emotionally or politically beneficial to look the other way.
Once the rescuer has taken legal ownership of the animal (usually free of cost if the dog has been "red listed" -- meaning it is scheduled for euthanasia because it is a danger to the public) and signed a waiver of liability for the shelter, it is a "buyer beware" situation.
Shelters and "rescuers" may include a disclaimer in their contracts, which states an adopter has been advised of the past behavior of the animal and cannot hold the adoption agency/group responsible for future damages.
There is no limit on the amount of untaxed dollars may be taken in by a non-profit animal rescues and its success or failure is not monitored or evaluated, unless the conditions become so deplorable that public reports force the local shelter or humane agencies to act -- which usually results with a claim they are "working with" the rescuer to assure they can stay in business.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT "RESCUE"
There are many wonderful "rescuers" who spend countless hours and far more than they can afford to help animals. If you decide to adopt, be sure to check the background of the organization and avoid "second chance" animals.
Unless you plan to spend the rest of your life protecting your friends, family, and even yourself, from a dog that may suddenly turn on you or someone you love, or on a stranger or another animal, don't let your heart rule your good decision-making. Get a loving dog, who needs a loving home and who has demonstrated that in his/her past.
Do not consider any dog with warnings about keeping it away from other animals or people or that "needs time to feel comfortable" with you or anyone else. Those are warning signals that you may be getting a dog that General Manager Brenda Barnette might admit, " is a danger. . ."

The NBA season is nearly over: be it 1, 2, or 3 more games left. With the offseason looming around the corner, we've been looking ahead with our OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each entry, we preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way.
Like the NBA, we've officially come to the end of the road and to our final team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
step one: know it will never be All Quiet on the Western Front
The Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of fans, but also plenty of people who enjoy watching them struggle (some even run their own sports websites.) It feels like they've been a punching bag for almost a decade now. Even when the team landed a coup and signed LeBron James, there were plenty of skeptics and haters picking at the roster and fanning the flames of front office tension. Even when the team followed that up with a trade for Anthony Davis, there were STILL doubters and haters camped at the gates.
At the end of the day, LeBron James and company only had one way to shut them up: win.
Now, no one can criticize them anymore. Whatever they did to get here -- it worked. LeBron James deserves a huge amount of credit for this presumptive title (no offense, Miami) but there's plenty to go around. Anthony Davis reminded the world that he's a friggin' beast. Frank Vogel did a great job getting the defense to play on a string, especially on the perimeter. The maligned bench with Rajon Rondo, Markieff Morris, and Kyle Kuzma even stepped up in a major way on the road to the Finals.
While the team may be drenched with champagne by the time you read this, they still won't be satisfied. LeBron James went back to Cleveland to win a title. He didn't go to L.A. and recruit Anthony Davis to win a title. He wants to win multiple titles. He may get his 4th ring after this year, which means he'll only be 2 away from catching Michael Jordan. If he can do that, then there won't be any doubt about his GOAT status. And honestly, it's possible. James still looks like a top 5 player (if not 1 overall), and Anthony Davis is in the heart of his prime. With a decent supporting cast around them, they're going to be in title contention for the next two or three years.
However, the Lakers can't get complacent. They deserved this title, but they didn't exactly beat Murderers' Row to get here. In fact, their playoff opponents had the weakest seed value and weakest W-L percentage of any title team since 2000. Next season may be tougher sledding. The L.A. Clippers could be a real threat with better coaching and better rotations. The Milwaukee Bucks could be a real threat with better health. Health permitting, the Brooklyn Nets have the star power and the depth to be a force themselves. It's going to be a dogfight next season. The Lakers still may be the top dogs in that fight, but they're going to have to scrape and claw to get that bone again.
step two: convince your free agents that It's a Wonderful Life
LeBron James is a champion for player empowerment, but that concept is going to put his L.A. Lakers in a precarious position this offseason. Some decisions with be out of their hands. The team has an inordinate amount of player options for next season, with 5 separate players having the right to opt "in" or "out" of their contracts. Let's take a look at each of those one individually.
The most important, of course, will be Anthony Davis. He has the choice whether to opt in to his $28.7M salary. It's weird to say, but $28.7M is a bargain. Davis is a 27-year-old superstar. He deserves the new max and then some. From the Lakers' perspective, the only question will be timing the extension in the best interest of Davis and the team as a whole. If they wait until next offseason to give him a full max, they may have some more wiggle room in salary to bring in extra free agents (in Offseason 2021, not Offseason 2020.) Perhaps they can convince AD to wait until then to accrue more years. At the same time, uncertainty isn't their friend. If the Lakers disappoint next season and LeBron James hits a wall (unlikely, but theoretically possible) then perhaps Davis doesn't want to stay tethered to this older roster for the long haul. Perhaps his relationship with James -- great now -- bleeds into resentment over time. Who the heck knows. Superstar pairings don't always end with "happily ever after." Even that remote concern would make me push for a max extension for AD ASAP.
The second most important player option will be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. When the Lakers first signed them, it raised some eyebrows and potential tampering conspiracy theories. These days, his $8.5M player option looks like a good value. KCP shot well this year and played hard on defense. Effectively, he looked like the player that Danny Green was supposed to be. Your hope here is that the Lakers have built enough goodwill with KCP and his representatives to make this a friendly negotiation. Whether that means he opts in, or whether that means he signs a long-term deal, it's a relationship that needs to continue.
step three: but convince others to ride off like Shane
Conversely, there are a few player options that the team may try to talk players out of taking. Avery Bradley missed the bubble for personal reasons, but the Lakers' backcourt did just fine without him. At this stage in their careers, Alex Caruso is probably better at the 3+D guard role. Still, it's going to be up to Bradley whether to return or not. He can opt in to his $5.0M player option. The value is OK in the broadest sense, but perhaps the Lakers are rooting for him to test the market elsewhere. The Lakers should take a hard line here and not offer him extra years; if Bradley leaves to chase a long-term deal, so be it. If he opts in, he may be used as a potential trade chip.
Meanwhile, JaVale McGee has a $4.2M player option himself. McGee started 68/68 games in the regular season, but he didn't always look like their best option in the playoffs. As he ages (now 32), he'll continue to struggle with certain matchups. I don't think McGee can match that $4M anywhere else, so trying to convince him to opt out may be a losing proposition. Again, if McGee opts in, then the Lakers need to consider utilizing his salary as a potential trade piece.
Some of those decisions -- whether they want to keep Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee -- may hinge on some other free agents on the team. Backup PG Rajon Rondo has his own player option of $2.7M. All season long, I'd been talking about Rondo as a potential liability for the team. Instead, he justified some of that "Playoff Rondo" talk. Between Rondo and Caruso, you'd prefer Caruso getting extended minutes. Between Rondo and Bradley, it's more of a debate. Rondo deserves more than $2.7M, so I expect him to opt out. Presumably, he appreciates the role and limelight here in L.A. and wouldn't play hardball. If he's amenable to a short-term, reasonable deal, then you'd want to keep him in house. If his playoff hype spirals into outsized offers (anything over $6M or so) then you should thank him for his service and wish him well.
The Lakers should treat backup C Dwight Howard (an unrestricted free agent) in a similar way. Now 34, he's become a role player. Moreover, his role -- as the more traditional center -- is no longer a valuable one either. Still, he's pretty good at that role -- arguably better than JaVale McGee. The team shouldn't over-invest in this one-two punch though. If Howard wants to re-sign for a bargain basement deal, great. If he expects a mid-sized contract or an extra year, then he may be on the move again. For both Rondo and Howard, I'd stand firm on 1 year deals. However, the team can potentially add in "team option" years on top of that. The purpose would be less to entice them into staying and more to make them potential trade chips (in terms of salary matching) later on down the road.
The Lakers will have more free agents to discuss. Markieff Morris is an interesting one; he looked like a shell of himself after some injuries, but he showed signs of life in the postseason. If that's legit, then he could potentially be a good rotational player for the team (when they go "small" with AD at the 5.) The verdict from team doctors will be crucial to determining his value. Alternatively, vets like J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters don't appear to have any value at all. Fortunately, they don't have player options either.
step four: solve the mystery of The Third Man
All season long, we heard that the Lakers would need a third star to emerge if they were going to win the title. Kyle Kuzma never got there, but it didn't matter. Perhaps we've just defaulted into a more familiar era of the NBA. Shaq and Kobe won without another "star." Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen won without another "star" (Dennis Rodman was more of an ultra role player.) With Kevin Durant removed from Golden State, perhaps the bar has been lowered back to reasonable heights for NBA title teams.
Still, the Lakers need to figure out who Kyle Kuzma is, and what his role should be. He averaged 16-6 as a rookie, but showed some signs of a "good stats / bad team" kind of player. That fear hasn't gone away. Since then, Kuzma's shot 30% and 32% from three over the following two years, and played poor defense overall. ESPN real plus/minus metric graded him as a -0.4 and -0.7 defensive impact, while box plus/minus had him at -1.2 and -1.0. That same BPM metric graded him below replacement level overall (-0.2 VORP).
Kuzma has played OK in these playoffs, but he hasn't had a major role. In fact, his minutes per game is down to 23.2 in the postseason so far, with 0 starts drawn. It's clear that Frank Vogel and the team don't believe he's the 3rd best player on the team. He may not even be the 4th or 5th best player.
You may ask: who cares? Kuzma isn't a world beater, but the Lakers beat the world anyway. Still, it's an important question hanging over their heads. Kuzma is under contract for one more year, and then will enter restricted free agency (at a time when they will be a lot of cap space out there.) Based on name value, he's going to get a decent contract.
If the Lakers don't believe he's worth decent money, it may be time to trade him now. (Realistically, the time to trade him was last offseason, but what can ya do.) Kuzma's $3.5M salary is easy to move, and the team can attach other contracts like McGee, Bradley, and Quinn Cook ($3M) to match a deal anywhere from the $3M-$15M range if need be.
What can the Lakers get for Kuzma on the open market? It's hard to tell. He's a polarizing name, so it may depend on whether their trade partner reads reddit or not. I'd call up Detroit and ask about Luke Kennard. If Houston's blowing it up, I'd ask about Robert Covington. If Minnesota's locked into Anthony Edwards at # 1, maybe they'd be open to trading Malik Beasley in a sign and trade. If you want to play dirty, you can tell Portland that Gary Trent Jr. (newest client of Klutch) is going to sign with the Lakers next season no matter what, so they may as well recoup something for him now. Fair? Ethical? Ehh. But hey, it's proven to be effective before.
step five: encourage others to hunt for the Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Lakers don't have much cap space this offseason, but that's not a major problem. They're not going to have to list job openings on monster.com -- available players are going to flock to them. The most obvious reason to join the Lakers would be to chase rings. However, it goes deeper than that. There's not a lot of teams with cap space this offseason, but there are plenty with space next season.
If you're a free agent who's not getting a lot of attention, there's one great way to get attention: play with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. You can inflate your stock for next offseason, when hopefully you cash in.
If I ran the Lakers, my first call would be to a veteran like Darren Collison. Collison took the season off to pursue his faith, but reportedly he may return next year. If so, he'd be a dream fit for this Lakers' rotation. Collison can run the point when LeBron James rests, but he can also serve as a complementary spacer. The former UCLA standout has become a very reliable shooter -- hitting over 40% from deep in his last four seasons. He's undersized and sometimes outmatched on D, but the team has Alex Caruso ready to match up with bigger guards. Collison's skill set would merit $10+ million in a good market, but perhaps NBA teams are going to want to see him "prove it" after his extended absence. If that's the case, the Lakers can thank their lucky stars and Jehovah for delivering him into their laps.
Other veterans who may be drawn to the Lakers like a moth to the flame would include: the underrated E'Twaun Moore (NO) and likable vet Courtney Lee (DAL). Moe Harkless (NYK) could probably get more elsewhere, but he may decide to bet on himself and inflate his price for next season.
Since Anthony Davis still prefers playing PF, depth at center will be more important for the Lakers than other teams. As mentioned, JaVale McGee will probably be back (barring a trade) and Dwight Howard may be as well. If not, the team could try to recruit a player who wants to boost their stock. Nerlens Noel (OKC) could benefit from the spotlight like that; better yet, his agent happens to be some dude named Rich Paul.
Overall, the Lakers need to keep pushing and trying to improve, be it through free agency, through trades, or through the draft (where they have the # 28 pick.) This team may have been good enough to win the title, but as mentioned, one title isn't going to satisfy this star, this team, and this fan base. Hollywood's all about excess, and the goal will be to overindulge over the next few years.
other offseason blueprints
ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, IND, GS, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NO, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, SA, SAC, TOR, UTA, WAS

The NBA Finals are underway, but there are now 28 teams sitting at home with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, watch LeBron, and wait for next season to start.
For their sake, we wanted to look ahead with the next edition of the OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each, we'll preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way. Today, we're looking at the Boston Celtics.
step one: don't flush money down the toilet
This is a difficult entry to write, because the Boston Celtics are a good team without any major problems hanging over their head. They were top 5 in W-L record, top 5 in point differential. They finished 4th in offense, 4th in defense. They advanced to the Conference Finals, knocking off a tough Toronto team along the way. If they rolled it back next season, they should be considered a top 5 team once again.
If you can nitpick, you can find reasons to quibble with some of their big splash free agency signings. Gordon Hayward got a huge contract and didn't sustain his All-Star level (for reasons out of his control.) Last offseason, the team gave out another huge contract to Kemba Walker ($32M + $34M + $36M + $38M player option), and they may be regretting that now. Walker never looked at 100% health and he got picked on some defensively in the playoffs. The idea of paying him that kind of money for three more seasons may be a little scary.
Of course, there's no use crying over spilled milk. Gordon Hayward will likely "opt in" to his $34M player option. Is that an overpay? Sure. Still, Hayward is still a solid starter with a balanced skill set. With another year removed from that injury, he may take another step up.
As for Walker, the hope is that he'll do the same with an offseason to recover and another year in the system. It can't be easy to go from the star of a franchise to the 2nd or 3rd option. In fact, most of Walker's offensive decline can be chalked up to a reduced role. His PPG dropped from 25.6 to 20.4, but that comes after his minutes dropped by 3.8 and his field goal attempts dropped by 4.4 per game. In terms of his efficiency, there wasn't a big difference. He actually scored a higher true shooting percentage (up from 56% to 58%). His offensive box plus/minus stayed near the same at + 4.9, which ranked as the highest on Boston's team.
Walker didn't look great in the bubble, but I'm going to chalk that up to some lingering injuries. He's still only 30 years old, so he hasn't gotten materially worse in a year. Will he get much worse by age 32? At 33? That's possible. But again, the Celtics have already committed to that. They can try to float trade packages for Walker to get off that contract, but I don't see teams beating down their door for it. If a team like the Knicks wants Walker, they may not offer anything back in return (aside from their willingness to take the contract.) Given Boston's situation as a team on the verge of the Finals, it doesn't make a lot of sense to take a step back like that just for cap relief.
step two: promote a temp to a full time desk
The Boston Celtics have a very strong "top six." You have the two rising stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. You have the two veterans in Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward. You have the super role players in Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis. After that, it's more of a grab bag. No other player on the team averaged more than 20 minutes a night in the regular season, and no other player averaged more than 18 minutes a night in the postseason.
A team can make a deep run in the playoffs by going six strong, but it makes the margin of error narrower. When one of those players gets hurt -- like Gordon Hayward did this postseason -- it strains your depth. Beyond that, having an extra member of the full-time cast allows your players to take nights off and manage their minutes in anticipation of that deep playoff run. Hayward and Walker are both 30 now, so it's going to be important to keep them fresh.
Effectively, we want to take this "top six" and make it a "top seven." (Hence the post title.)
The top candidate for a promotion would be rookie PF Grant Williams. To me, Williams has more offensive potential than fellow forward Semi Ojeleye. After three good years at Tennessee, Williams dropped to # 22 in the draft based on the perception that he was more of a "college player" who couldn't keep up with NBA athletes. That didn't look to be the case so far for Williams (or for Cam Johnson in Phoenix, by the by.) Williams is a high-IQ player who can potentially play several different positions. He needs to keep increasing his range (25% from three), but he's been working toward that over his career. If he can take a leap next year, that'd be a major boon for the Celtics.
Fellow rookies Romeo Langford and Carsen Edwards may be slightly behind on the development curve, but it'd be great if they could get on the track toward the rotation eventually. Langford projects as a quality scorer who could potentially replace Gordon Hayward in the lineup in 1-2 years. Meanwhile, Edwards was a major shot maker in college who still has a lot of work to do. It may be too optimistic to think he could be a starter one day, but perhaps he could take the reserve role from Brad Wanamaker (a free agent.) If not, Tremont Waters (another rookie) may try to vie for that spot himself. It's not exactly Game of Thrones, but it's Game of Bench Seats. If nothing are ready for 15 or so minutes, then the team may need to re-sign Wanamaker or another filler vet.
In an ideal world, the Celtics would have faith that Robert Williams would be ready for an elevated role himself. They may lean more toward smallball bigs, but it's nice to have the option of a more traditional big at center as well. Enes Kanter has a player option for $5M that he may take -- he may not. He may try to finagle a longer-term deal somewhere. But if the team trusts the Time Lord, they can negotiate from a position of strength on that front.
No matter what happens, the Celtics will likely need their "7th man" to come from within. They have $120M committed on the cap for next season, so they're going to need to rely on internal improvements.
step three: bundle like the Big Short
If you thought the Boston Celtics had a lot of prospects in their "farm system" already, just wait. In this upcoming draft, they'll have pick # 14. And pick # 26. And pick # 30. And pick # 47.
Danny Ainge has always valued the draft and having a lot of picks, but we don't need this many. After all, we're trying to win the NBA title, not the G-League title.
The most obvious tactic would be bundling up these assets and trying to upgrade somehow. Like in The Big Short, perhaps a bunch of low-end assets can equal something of value. Still, the Celtics and their fans need to be reasonable here. They've tried bundling up lower draft picks in order to move for a while now, and always seem surprised when teams reject it (thinking of the potential Justise Winslow trade-up, primarily.) The truth is, these mid-to-late R1 picks aren't as valuable as many people seem to think. If the team packages all four of those picks together (14, 26, 30, 47) in order to move up, they may only land around pick # 9 or so. This isn't the NFL; NBA teams tend to value quality over quantity in the draft.
For a team that's already pretty strong and balanced, there may be a tendency to keep all their picks and just swing for a home run or two. The trouble is: there's only so much room on the roster. Consolidating (or pushing some of those picks back to future drafts) may be necessary.
If the Celtics can't move up and stay at # 14, they should have the option of getting another solid prospect. Some that may be intriguing to me personally would be Arizona SG/SF Josh Green ("Green"? karmic!), Villanova SF Saddiq Bey, or Maryland PF Jalen Smith. All three are quality prospects that project as rotational players in a year or two. A bigger home run swing may be Aleksej Pokusevski, the skilled 7'0" stretch big from Serbia. Pokusevski's narrow frame would make me nervous to bet on him if I was a GM on the ropes who needed to hit on my pick, but the Celtics have more freedom than that. They can take some chances if they want. Other upside plays would include PG/SG R.J. Hampton (U.S./New Zealand) and SF Jaden McDaniels (Washington).
With the # 26 pick, the Celtics could also get a decent prospect as well. You can never go wrong with a traditional 3+D prospect like SF Robert Woodard (Mississippi State). I also wouldn't rule out taking a traditional big like Vernon Carey (Duke). No one wants traditional scoring bigs anymore, but that's the reason that a player like that (who averaged 18-9 as a freshman) would slip down to # 24. In another era, the kid may be a top 10 pick. At the very least, he could replace the Enes Kanter role as a scoring sub.
step four: keep on truckin'
Hmm. Usually these offseason blueprints have 4 or 5 steps, but I'm running out of ideas here. As mentioned, things are running pretty smoothly for this franchise. I don't think Danny Ainge needs much help from reddit right now.
Still, I'll throw in some minor little notes that don't even merit a full section.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU? The Celtics have a lot of shot makers, but sometimes their offense can stall and fall into iso or hero ball. They need to keep pushing forward with ball movement and set plays if need be. One stat I noticed: Jaylen Brown is an exceptional shooter from the corner. He's at 43% from his career, and that swelled to 48% this season. Running action to get him more of those shots would be helpful.
REUNITE GERMANY. The team has a $5M option on center Daniel Theis that they'll definitely pick up. After that, Theis will be an unrestricted free agent. If I ran the team, I'd start talking to Theis about an extension. There may be a perception that the team can play any smallball center and save some money at the position, but I'd disagree. Theis is an underrated player that fits the modern NBA well. There may be a matchup here and there where he struggles, but overall he's a good starter and may need to be paid like one. He's still a little "under the radar," so perhaps they can get a team-friendly deal if they extend him now.
KEEP YOUR COACHING DEPTH STRONG. Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga is one of the better lieutenants in the game. He had been floated for some head coaching jobs in the past, but seems to have been lost in the shadows with all the major movement on the sidelines this year. Hopefully, for Boston's sake, Larranaga doesn't feel discouraged by that and doesn't start looking for head coaching opportunities elsewhere. His father is a good college coach, and he may decide to go that NCAA route eventually himself. The team should keep him well compensated so he doesn't feel the need to do that.
Overall, we're talking minor tweaks for this next season. The Celtics' chances of winning a title will hinge on how much they can improve -- both from their young stars and from their young bench.
other offseason blueprints
ATL, BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, IND, GS, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NO, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, SA, SAC, TOR, UTA, WAS

Team has been involved in a substantial number of the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming industries’ most significant merger and acquisition transactions, holding key positions at, and transacting with Scientific Games Corp, Inspired Gaming Group, FOX Bets, Ocean Casino Resort, Resorts International Holdings, PokerStars, DraftKings, Mohegan Sun, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Harrah’s Entertainment, Tropicana Entertainment, Inc., TSG/Sky Betting & Gaming, Facebook, Inc, Wynn Resorts, Dubai World/MGM Resorts
Here's all the Bios. These guys are stellar! TEKK closed at $10.30 today. Still cheap!
If you don't like to read... you don't like to make money!!!!
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Matthew Davey — Chief Executive Officer and Director
Mr. Davey has over 25 years of experience within the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming ecosystems, as well as experience in the public sector. He is an experienced public company executive officer and board member. He has served in executive management positions across the gaming technology arena. Over the course of Mr. Davey’s career, he oversaw more than ten mergers and acquisitions and over $1.2 billion in debt and equity capital raised to support the companies he has led.
Most recently, Mr. Davey was Chief Executive Officer of SG Digital, the Digital Division of Scientific Games Corp. (“Scientific Games”) (Nasdaq: SGMS). SG Digital was established following the purchase by Scientific Games of NYX Gaming Group Limited (“NYX”) (formerly TSXV: NYX), where Mr. Davey served as Chief Executive Officer and Director. The NYX acquisition provided Scientific Games with a vehicle to significantly accelerate the scale and breadth of its existing digital gaming business, including the strategic expansion into sports betting. In his capacity as Chief Executive Officer of NYX, Mr. Davey developed and implemented a corporate strategy that generated strong revenue growth. Mr. Davey shaped company strategy to focus on digital gaming supplier platforms and content that provided various gaming operators with the underlying gaming and sports betting systems for their online gaming business. In 2014, Mr. Davey oversaw the initial public offering of NYX, and his experience in the digital media, sports, entertainment, leisure and gaming industries helped NYX recognize momentum as a public company. After the public offering, from 2014 to 2018, Mr. Davey oversaw seven acquisitions which helped establish NYX as one of the fastest growing global B2B real-money digital gaming and sports betting platforms. These acquisitions included:
• OpenBet: In 2016, NYX completed the $385 million acquisition of OpenBet. This was one of the more complex and transformative acquisitions that Mr. Davey oversaw at NYX. Through securing co-investments from William Hill (LSE: WMH), Sky Betting & Gaming and The Stars Group (formerly Nasdaq: TSG, TSX: TSGI), Mr. Davey was able to get the acquisition from Vitruvian Partners completed successfully, winning the deal against much larger and well capitalized competitors. By combining two established and proven B2B betting and gaming suppliers, NYX was well positioned to provide customers with exciting player-driven solutions across all major product verticals and distribution channels. This allowed NYX to become the leading B2B omni-channel sportsbook platform in the market and the supplier to over 300 gaming operators globally with an extensive library of desktop and mobile game titles, including more than 700 on NYX platforms and more than 2,000 on the OpenBet platform.
• Cryptologic/Chartwell: In 2015, NYX completed the $119 million acquisition of Cryptologic and Chartwell. The acquisition provided NYX with more than 400 titles of additional leading gaming content, a broader customer base, and direct exposure to PokerStars and Intercasino, part of the Gamesys Group (LSE: GYS) — two of the world’s largest online casino offerings.
• OnGame: In 2014, NYX completed the distressed acquisition of OnGame, a premier poker content, platform and service provider. This acquisition provided NYX with one of the best poker products in the industry, access to several regulated jurisdictions, and a valuable talent pool that was instrumental in the growth of NYX. The addition of OnGame further established a path for NYX to continue its growth in both European and U.S. markets.
These acquisitions, together with meaningful organic growth, increased NYX’s revenue from $24 million in 2014 to $184 million annualized in 2017. During that time, Mr. Davey helped build NYX to have over 200 customers in the global gaming industry and a team of 1,000 employees. Mr. Davey’s success at NYX ultimately led to its sale to Scientific Games for $631 million in 2018.
Mr. Davey joined Next Gen Gaming, the predecessor to NYX, in 2000 as the Vice President of Technology, was appointed as Executive Director in 2003 and named Chief Executive Officer in 2005. Prior to that, he was the Senior Consultant for Access Systems, a company that specializes in the provision of back-end software for licensed online casinos. Prior to joining Access, Mr. Davey worked for the Northern Territory Government specializing in matters pertaining to the internet and e-commerce along with roles in the Department of Racing and Gaming. Mr. Davey received a Bachelor of Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Northern Territory University, Australia (also known as Charles Darwin University).
Robin Chhabra — President
Mr. Chhabra has been at the forefront of corporate acquisition activity within the digital gaming landscape for over a decade. His prior experience includes leading corporate strategy, M&A, and business development at two of the global leaders in the digital gaming industry, The Stars Group (“TSG”) and William Hill, and a leading supplier, Inspired Gaming Group (Nasdaq: INSE). Mr. Chhabra served on the Group Executive Committees of each of these companies. From 2017 to May 2020, Mr. Chhabra served as Chief Corporate Development Officer at TSG and, from 2019 to August 2020, he also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Fox Bet, a leading U.S. online gaming business which is the product of a landmark partnership between TSG and FOX Sports, a transaction which he led. During that period, Mr. Chhabra led several transactions which transformed TSG into the largest publicly listed online gambling operator in the world by both revenue and market capitalization and one of the most diversified from a product and geographic perspective with revenues of over $2.5 billion. Mr. Chhabra’s M&A experience is extensive and covers multiple global geographies across the digital gaming value chain and includes the following:
• TSG/Flutter Entertainment Merger: In 2019, Mr. Chhabra led the TSG M&A team that was responsible for TSG’s $12.2 billion merger with Flutter Entertainment (LSE: FLTR). The merger between TSG and Flutter Entertainment is the largest transaction in the digital gaming industry to date. The combination created the largest publicly listed online gaming company with approximately 13 million active customers and leading product offerings, which include sports betting, online casino, fantasy sports and poker. The combined entity includes some of the world’s most iconic digital gaming brands such as Fanduel, Fox Bet, Sky Bet, PaddyPower, Betfair, PokerStars and SportsBet. TSG/Flutter Entertainment is one of the most geographically diverse digital gaming and media companies with leading positions in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany and Georgia.
• TSG/Sky Betting and Gaming (“SBG”): In 2018, Mr. Chhabra led the acquisition of SBG from CVC Capital Partners and Sky plc, Europe’s largest media company, in a transaction valued at $4.7 billion. At the time of the acquisition SBG was the largest mobile gambling operator in the United Kingdom and one of the fastest growing of the major operators having doubled its online market share in three years. The acquisition of SBG provided TSG with (a) greater revenue diversification, significantly enhanced expertise and exposure to sports betting just ahead of the judicial overturn of The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) by the U.S. Supreme Court, (b) a leading position within the United Kingdom, the world’s largest regulated online gaming market, (c) improved products and technology as a result of the addition of SBG’s innovative casino and sports book offerings and a portfolio of popular mobile apps, and (d) expertise in deeply integrating sports betting with leading sports media companies, positioning TSG to create more engaging content, deliver faster growth and decrease customer acquisition costs.
• William Hill (LSE: WMH): At William Hill, from 2010 to 2017, Mr. Chhabra served as Group Director of Strategy and Corporate Development where he led several transactions which contributed to William Hill’s transformation from a land-based gambling operator in the United Kingdom to a leading online-led international business. Mr. Chhabra led William Hill’s entry into the U.S. sports betting and online lottery markets with the acquisition of four businesses, including the simultaneous acquisitions of three U.S. sportsbooks, Cal Neva, American Wagering and Brandywine Bookmaking, in 2011 for an aggregate purchase price of $55 million. These businesses ultimately led William Hill to achieve a leading position in the U.S. sports betting market with a market share of 24% in 2019. Additionally, Mr. Chhabra played a key role in structuring William Hill’s successful joint venture with PlayTech Plc (LSE: PTEC) in 2008. The combined entity created one of the largest online gambling businesses in Europe at the time of its formation and led to William Hill’s buyout of Playtech’s interest for $637 million in 2013. Prior to the transaction, William Hill had struggled in its attempt to establish a strong online gaming platform and a meaningful presence outside the United Kingdom.
Mr. Chhabra has also successfully completed four transactions worth over $1.2 billion in Australia, the world’s second largest regulated online gambling market, and various partnerships in Asia. Additionally, he completed several technology and media related transactions, including William Hill’s investment in NYX, where he worked with Mr. Davey on NYX’s transformational acquisition of OpenBet.
Prior to working in the gaming sector, Mr. Chhabra was an equities analyst and a management consultant. Mr. Chhabra received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Eric Matejevich — Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Matejevich is a seasoned gaming executive with extensive experience in both the online gaming and traditional casino industries. From February to August 2019, he served as Trustee and Interim-Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Casino Resort (“Ocean”) (formerly Revel Casino, which had a construction cost of $2.4 billion) in Atlantic City, where he successfully led the management team through an ownership change and operational turnaround effort. Over the course of seven months, Mr. Matejevich managed to reduce the property’s weekly cash burn of $1.5 million to an annualized cash flow run rate in excess of $20 million.
Prior to Ocean, from 2016 to 2018, Mr. Matejevich served as the Chief Financial Officer of NYX. At NYX, he focused his efforts on integrating the company’s many acquisitions and multiple debt refinancings to simplify its capital structure and provided liquidity for growth initiatives. Additionally, Mr. Matejevich was instrumental to the executive team that sold NYX to Scientific Games for $631 million.
Prior to NYX, from 2004 to 2014, Mr. Matejevich was the Chief Financial Officer of Resorts International Holdings and later, from 2011, also the Chief Operating Officer of the Atlantic Club Casino, a property under the Resorts International Holdings umbrella — a Colony Capital (NYSE: CLNY) entity. As Chief Financial Officer, he provided managerial oversight for all finance functions for a six-property casino company with annual gaming revenue exceeding $1.3 billion, 10,000 gaming positions, 7,000 hotel rooms and over 11,000 staff members during his tenure. Mr. Matejevich led the transition effort to integrate a four-casino, $1.3 billion acquisition from Harrah’s Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment (Nasdaq: CZR). As Chief Operating Officer of Atlantic Club, he lobbied for and was successful in obtaining the first internet gaming legislation passed in the United States. The Atlantic Club was the sole New Jersey casino proponent of the legislation.
Prior to serving in various gaming positions, Mr. Matejevich was a Vice President of High Yield Research for Merrill Lynch, where he managed the corporate bond research effort for the gaming and leisure sectors and marketed high yield and other debt transactions totaling $4.8 billion. Mr. Matejevich received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.
Our Board of Directors
Morris Bailey — Chairman
Over the past 10 years, Mr. Bailey has been a leader in turning around Atlantic City, as well as being among the first gaming executives to embrace online gaming and sports betting in the United States. In his efforts, Mr. Bailey partnered with two of the largest digital gaming companies in the world, PokerStars, part of the Stars Group, and DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG). In 2010, Mr. Bailey bought Resorts Atlantic City (“Resorts”) and initiated a comprehensive renovation which allowed for the property to be rebranded and repositioned. In 2012, Mr. Bailey signed an agreement with Mohegan Sun to manage the day-to-day operations of the casino. In addition to Mohegan Sun’s operational expertise and ability to reduce costs via economies of scale, Resorts gained access to their robust customer database. Soon thereafter, Mr. Bailey and his team focused on bringing online gaming to the property. In 2015, Resorts established a platform to engage in online gaming by partnering with PokerStars, now part of the $24 billion Flutter Entertainment, PLC (LSE: FLTR), to operate an online poker room in Atlantic City. In 2018, Resorts announced deals with DraftKings and SBTech to open a sportsbook on-property and online. For 2020 year-to-date, Resorts has performed in the top quartile in internet gross gaming revenue in New Jersey. Mr. Bailey’s efforts in New Jersey helped set the framework for expansion of online sports and gaming throughout the United States.
In addition to his gaming interests, Mr. Bailey has over 50 years of experience in all facets of real estate development, asset M&A, capital markets and operations and is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of JEMB Realty, a leading real estate development, investment and management organization. Mr. Bailey has notable investment experience within the energy, finance and telecommunications sectors through investments in the Astoria Energy Plant, Basis Investment Group and Xentris Wireless.
Tony Rodio — Director Nominee
Mr. Rodio has nearly four decades of experience in the gaming industry. Most recently, Mr. Rodio served as the Chief Executive Officer and director of Caesars Entertainment Corporation (“Caesars”) (Nasdaq: CZR), one of the world’s most diversified casino-entertainment providers and the most geographically diverse U.S. casino-entertainment company, from April 2019 until its acquisition by Eldorado Resorts, Inc. in July 2020. Mr. Rodio led Caesars through its $17.3 billion merger with Eldorado Resorts, one of the largest transactions in the gaming industry to date. Additionally, Mr. Rodio was instrumental to Caesars’ expansion into the digital gaming industry and oversaw the implementation of new digital segments such as its Scientific Games powered retail sportsbook solution that now operates in various states throughout the U.S. From October 2018 to May 2019, Mr. Rodio served as Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Gaming. Prior to Affinity Gaming, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Tropicana Entertainment, Inc. (“Tropicana”) for over seven years, where he was responsible for the operation of eight casino properties in seven different jurisdictions. During his time at Tropicana, Mr. Rodio oversaw a period of unprecedented growth at the company, improving overall financial results with net revenue that increased more than 50% driven by both operational improvements and expansion across regional markets. Mr. Rodio led major capital projects, including the complete renovation of Tropicana Atlantic City and Tropicana’s move to land-based operations in Evansville, Indiana. Each of these initiatives, among others, generated substantial value for Tropicana. Ultimately, Mr. Rodio’s efforts at Tropicana led to its sale to Eldorado Resorts in 2018 for $1.85 billion. Prior to Tropicana, Mr. Rodio held a succession of executive positions in Atlantic City for casino brands, including Trump Marina Hotel Casino, Harrah’s Entertainment (predecessor to Caesars), the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort and Penn National Gaming. He has also served as a director of several professional and charitable organizations, including Atlantic City Alliance, United Way of Atlantic County, the Casino Associations of New Jersey and Indiana, AtlantiCare Charitable Foundation and the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming Hospitality & Tourism. Mr. Rodio brings extensive knowledge of and experience in the gaming industry, operational expertise, and a demonstrated ability to effectively design and implement company strategy. Mr. Rodio received a Bachelor of Science from Rider University and a Master of Business Administration from Monmouth University.
Marlon Goldstein — Director Nominee
Mr. Goldstein is a licensed attorney with nearly 20 years of experience in the gaming space. He joined The Stars Group (Nasdaq: TSG)(TSX: TSGI) in January 2014 as its Executive Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary until his retirement from the company in July 2020 following the merger of TSG with Flutter Entertainment, PLC (LSE: FLTR). Mr. Goldstein also previously served as the Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development and General Counsel of TSG. Mr. Goldstein was also the senior TSG executive based in the United States and was one of the primary architects of TSG’s strategic vision for its U.S.-facing business. During his tenure, TSG grew from an approximately $500 million market-cap company to an approximately $7 billion market-cap company through a combination of organic growth and strategic mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Goldstein participated in numerous M&A transactions and capital markets offerings at TSG, including several transformational transactions in the digital gaming industry. Notable transactions in which Mr. Goldstein was involved include:
• TSG/Flutter Merger: In 2019, TSG merged with Flutter for a $12.2 billion transaction value, the largest transaction in the digital gaming industry to date.
• TSG/Fox Bet Partnership: In 2019, TSG entered into a partnership with FOX Sports to create FOX Bet in the U.S., a leading U.S. online gaming business. Wall Street Research estimates an approximate $1.1 billion valuation for Fox Bet post-partnership with The Stars Group.
• TSG/Sky Betting & Gaming: In 2018, TSG acquired Sky Betting & Gaming, the largest mobile gambling operator in the United Kingdom at the time, for $4.7 billion.
• TSG/CrownBet and William Hill: In 2018, TSG simultaneously acquired CrownBet and William Hill, two Australian operators, for a total of $621 million in a multi-part transaction.
• TSG/PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker: In 2014, TSG acquired The Rational Group, which operated PokerStars and Full Tilt and was the world’s largest poker business, for $4.9 billion.
Through his ability to legally structure large and complex transactions, Mr. Goldstein was integral to TSG’s vision of becoming a full-service online gaming company. Additionally, he assisted in structuring TSG’s capital markets activity, which generated liquidity for acquisitions and strengthened its balance sheet.
Prior to joining TSG, Mr. Goldstein was a principal shareholder in the corporate and securities practice at the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig P.A., where he practiced for almost 13 years. Mr. Goldstein’s practice focused on corporate and securities matters, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, and financing transactions. Additionally, Mr. Goldstein was the founder and co-chair of the firm’s Gaming Practice, a multi-disciplinary team of attorneys representing owners, operators and developers of gaming facilities, manufacturers and suppliers of gaming devices, investment banks and lenders in financing transactions, and Indian tribes in the development and financing of gaming facilities.
Mr. Goldstein brings experience and insight that we believe will be valuable to a potential initial business combination target business. Mr. Goldstein received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting from Emory University and a Juris Doctorate with highest honors from the University of Florida, College of Law.
Sean Ryan — Director Nominee
Mr. Ryan is a digital media and technology operator with extensive global experience in online payments, e-commerce, marketplaces, mobile ad networks, digital games, enterprise collaboration platforms, blockchain, real money gaming and online music. Since 2014, Mr. Ryan has been serving as Vice President of Business Platform Partnerships at Facebook, Inc. (“Facebook”) (Nasdaq: FB), where he leads a more than 500 person global organization that manages the Payments, Commerce, Novi/Blockhain, Workplace and Audience Network businesses. Prior to his current role, Mr. Ryan was hired in 2011 as the Director of Games Partnerships to lead and grow the global Games business at Facebook. While the Director of Games Partnerships, Mr. Ryan focused on re-shaping Facebook’s games and monetization strategies to derive more value for Facebook, its users and its partners, including the addition of a Real Money Gaming offering in regulated markets. Mr. Ryan’s team helped accelerate a major trend in engagement through cross-platform games and therefore the opportunity to increase users through establishing games on multiple platforms. Prior to joining Facebook, Mr. Ryan created the new social and mobile games division at News Corp, an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by Rupert Murdoch. While at News Corp, Mr. Ryan led the acquisition of Making Fun, a San Francisco social-game start-up, that created News Corp’s games publishing division.
Before joining News Corp., Mr. Ryan founded multiple digital businesses such as Twofish, Meez, Open Wager and SingShot Media. Mr. Ryan co-founded Twofish in 2009, a virtual goods and services platform that provided developers with data analytics and insights for individual application’s digital economies. Twofish was later sold to online payments provider Live Gamer, where Mr. Ryan served on the board of directors. From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Ryan founded and led Meez.com, a social entertainment service combining avatars, web games and virtual worlds. The white label social casino gaming company Open Wager was spun out of Meez and was later sold to VGW Holdings, Mr. Ryan also co-founded SingShot Media, an online karaoke community, which was sold to Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: EA) and merged into its Sims division.
We believe Mr. Ryan’s experience will be valuable to a potential initial business combination target and would provide an expanded perspective on the digital gaming landscape. Mr. Ryan received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tom Roche — Director Nominee
Mr. Roche has more than 40 years of experience in the gaming industry as a regulator, advisor and independent auditor. Mr. Roche joined Ernst & Young (“EY”) as a partner in 2003 and opened its Las Vegas office. He was subsequently appointed as the Office Managing Partner and Global Gaming Industry Market Leader. In 2016, Mr. Roche relocated to the EY Hong Kong office to supervise the expansion of the EY Global Gaming Industry practice in the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Roche has been integral to numerous transactions that have shaped the current gaming landscape, including:
• Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) initial public offering: Mr. Roche was the lead partner on Wynn Resort’s initial public offering, which raised $450 million in 2002.
• Harrah’s Entertainment/Apollo Management Group & Texas Pacific Group: Mr. Roche headed the regulatory advisory services on the buyout of Harrah’s Entertainment, the world’s largest casino company at the time, for $17.1 billion.
• Dubai World/MGM Resorts: Mr. Roche headed the regulatory and due diligence advisory services to Dubai World in its approximately $5.1 billion investment in MGM. Dubai World bought 28.4 million MGM shares, or 9.5 percent of the casino operator, for $2.4 billion. It then invested $2.7 billion to acquire a 50% stake in MGM’s CityCenter Project, a $7.4 billion 76-acre Las Vegas development of hotels, condos and retail outlets.
• MGM Growth Properties (NYSE: MGP) initial public offering: Mr. Roche provided tax and structural transaction services to MGM Resorts in the creation of MGM Growth Properties, a publicly traded REIT engaged in the acquisition, ownership and leasing of large-scale destination entertainment and leisure resorts. MGM Growth Properties raised $1.05 billion in its 2016 initial public offering.
Mr. Roche also directed EY advisory services to boards and management teams for profit improvement and technology related initiatives. In addition, Mr. Roche provided advisory support to the American Gaming Association on several research projects, including those specifically related to sports betting, the revocation of The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) and anti-money laundering best practices in the gaming industry. Equally, he has assisted government agencies in numerous international locations with enhancing their regulatory approach to governing the industry especially in the online gambling sector.
Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Mr. Roche served as Deloitte’s National Gaming Industry Leader and as the co-head of Andersen’s Gaming Industry Practice in Las Vegas. In 1989, Mr. Roche was appointed by then Governor of the State of Nevada, Robert Miller, to serve as one of three members of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board for a four-year term, where he was directly responsible for the Audit and New Games Lab Divisions. As a board member, he spent a substantial amount of time assisting global jurisdiction regulators enact gaming legislation in the design of their regulatory structure. During his career, Roche has been involved in numerous public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. His background includes providing casino regulatory consulting services to casino licensees and to federal and state agencies including the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, and industry associations such as the Nevada Resort Association and the American Gaming Association.
We believe Mr. Roche’s highly regarded reputation as a gaming auditor and advisor in the gaming industry will be valuable for us and a potential business combination target. Mr. Roche is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is licensed by the Nevada State Board of Accountancy and Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California.