2018
From JBL Wiki
The 2018 JBL season was the 29th season of the JBL Fantasy Basketball League. It was played from x until Wednesday 6 September 2006.
2018 saw the scrapping of the Free Agency Points system and the introduction of pure salary: No longer could teams "outbid" other teams by using points; instead, teams offered contracts to players and the players then chose the offer they liked most. The Injured Reserve was converted the Inactive List (removing the 3 game minimum), and the scouting/training budget was implemented, with team's being able to scout high school, college and international teams for their 2019 draftees. Above all, however, 2018 marked the highest level of participation (20 active GMs), with season having the most trades completed in an entire JBL season by the All-Star Break.
Contents |
Offseason
Free Agency
- Main article: 2018 Free Agency
As noted above, 2018 was a year different than any other, for one major reason: changes to the free agency system.
Retirements
Among the big names to retire before the 2018 season began were Antoine Saunders and Alton Wilkes. Wilkes, especially, was a surprise, as many thought he would play on a few more seasons to guide and coach the Devils' point guards. But, as he said in his retirement press conference, he plans to return to the Devils to coach in a short while. Saunders, however, was happy to go out with a ring, retiring after 20 seasons. After Saunders' retirement, only Roshown Simpson remains from the 1998 Summer class.
- Simon Campbell (Rockets) retired at 38yo, 18yp.
- Byron Dixon (Jailbirds) retired at 38yo, 17yp.
- Keith Higgins (Free Agent) retired at 35yo, 9yp.
- Fraser McMahon (Pistols) retired at 36yo, 16yp.
- Antoine Saunders (Rockets) retired at 39yo, 20yp.
- Jaymes Shannon (Knights) retired at 37yo, 17yp.
- Andrew Stacey (Free Agent) retired at 35yo, 11yp.
- Alton Wilkes (Devils) retired at 37yo, 17yp.
- Kevin Abrams (Thunder) retired at 38yo, 17yp.
Salary Details
Salary details for all teams as of start of 2018.
| Team | Salary | Amnesty | Total Cap | Over/Under | Staff Budget Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluebirds | $84,600,300 | $4,750,000 | $82,750,000 | $1,850,300 | $200,000 |
| Buzzards | $106,457,250 | $11,000,000 | $89,000,000 | $17,457,250 | $2,500,000^ |
| Cyclones | $87,970,000 | $0 | $78,000,000 | $9,970,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Devils | $58,235,833 | $250,000 | $78,250,000 | -$20,014,167 | |
| Fireballs | $86,007,167 | $9,625,000 | $87,625,000 | -$1,617,833 | |
| Hurricanes | $77,211,000 | $4,000,000 | $82,000,000 | -$4,789,000 | |
| Jaguars | $104,665,833 | $18,500,000 | $96,500,000 | $8,165,833 | $1,000,000 |
| Jailbirds | $88,595,250 | $4,500,000 | $82,500,000 | $6,095,250 | $750,000 |
| Knights | $66,577,230 | $1,875,000 | $79,875,000 | -$13,297,770 | |
| Lightning | $70,812,700 | $16,625,000 | $94,625,000 | -$23,812,300 | |
| Magic | $83,153,700 | $5,750,000 | $83,750,000 | -$596,300 | |
| Pistols | $75,441,250 | $14,375,000 | $92,375,000 | -$16,933,750 | |
| Renegades | $82,187,491 | $11,000,000 | $89,000,000 | -$6,812,509 | |
| Rockets | $94,112,500 | $7,375,000 | $85,375,000 | $8,737,500 | $1,000,000 |
| Sparkles | $38,086,400 | $0 | $78,000,000 | -$39,913,600 | |
| Superstars | $86,033,000 | $6,250,000 | $84,250,000 | $1,783,000 | $200,000 |
| Thunder | $64,252,500 | $5,750,000 | $83,750,000 | -$19,497,500 | |
| Tritons | $83,715,961 | $0 | $78,000,000 | $5,715,961 | $750,000 |
| Vultures | $68,860,000 | $875,000 | $78,875,000 | -$10,015,000 | |
| Warriors | $84,813,250 | $2,125,000 | $80,125,000 | $4,688,250 | $500,000 |
^The Buzzards were also docked their 2019 MLE.
Season
Days 1-28
Opening night saw Marcus Ivory of the Tritons stamp down his authority, showing that his preseason claims for the MVP were no joke with a 42 point performance against the Buzzards, who had completely changed their roster from the season before. New Buzzards Hilton Phillips and Christian Vickery were unable to stop the Ivory juggernaut. The Renegades showed the Sparkles' faithful that this was going to be a long season, winning 120-97, while the Magic, Warriors and Jaguars all got off to good starts. For the first season ever, the Sparkles had not sold out their season tickets, with only ? turning up to the Renegades game. The following day, Fireballs guard Jordan Carstensen pulled his hamstring, adding a dent into their already dented chassis from the loss to the Hurricanes, while the Jailbirds showed that they were still class, beating the Superstars by 10.
By Day 4, the Jaguars already had potential chemistry problems concerning their acquisition of Rowan "Flea" Jamison over the offseason. Rumours abounded that Flea and guard Tyson Kuberka, who came to the team in 2017 from the Superstars, had fought during training and both had been thrown out by coach Terrance Foster, although neither confirmed the rumour. On the same day, the Knights traded youth for experience, acquiring Michael Bedford from the Lightning for Sebastien Tallec and their 2019 2nd Round pick, while Trader Bed kept busy, trading rookie Reggie Hodges for young guard Ashley Winters. Kaiama Nyambi was doing what he does best: destroying his opponents. On Day 5 the Rockets smashed the Sparkles 150-91 with Nyambi achieving an almost unbelievable 78 points (on 33/42 shooting), 25 rebounds and 9 blocks, whilst in the same game, Rubin Wingfield threw a JBL record 33 assists (24 of them to Nyambi alone). The Sparkles were without center Bryant King, who was suspended for a flagrant foul committed the previous game, and it showed as the Rockets shot 64.9% percent from the field. There must have been something in the air that night as Tezale Craig went off against the Fireballs for 52, despite rookie Jermaine Wade's 37 points. Curtis Price kept the big performances ticking, icing a career high with 52 points against the Buzzards by hitting yet another game-winning shot to allow the Hurricanes a 97-96 victory on Day 8, while the real Kelvin Hawes began to emerge with a 32 point, 17 rebound performance against the Pistols on Day 9. Cedric Brisby looked like he had settled in with the Warriors, scoring 34 points in the Warriors 123-122 last-gasp win against the Bluebirds, while Tezale Craig and Demetric Vaughn had a shootout as the Superstars and Pistols pushed each other to two overtimes, the Superstars overcoming the Pistols 142-141, with Craig and Vaughn scoring 49 and 47 respectively.
By Day 10, the Magic, Jailbirds and Tritons still hadn't lost a game, while the Cyclones, Rockets and Renegades all looked very dangerous. The Sparkles (0-7), Devils (0-8) and Thunder (0-5) on the other hand looked as if they may as well give up the season then and be done with it. The Buzzards began to make their move, lifting their record to .500 at 4-4 as they beat the Knights 118-105 on Day 11 and then the Thunder 133-105 on Day 13, despite the ever-improving Andre Phifer's 45 points for the Thunder. Pace LaGarde begun the season strongly and was a big factor in the Magic's unbeaten run, reeling off a fine performance of 48 points in a 129-123 against the Bluebirds on Day 13. Jerome Bradley began to find form as the Renegades caused the Warriors all kinds of problems, winning 128-97 behind Bradley's 43 points and 12 rebounds. The Devils did the same the next day in a show of explosive offensive moves, beating the Warriors 154-108, Taquan Slattery top-scoring with 33 points and 20 boards, and rookie Mohammed Shakur strutting his stuff with 30 points. The Sparkles finally won a game against the equally-hapless Knights, a poor 84-76 win thanks to Bryant King's 48 points (the next highest scorer was Keith Woodberry with 9). The Tritons could still not overcome the Rockets, both teams fast becoming inter-conference rivals, losing 134-111 despite Austin Williams going off for 38 points and 13 assists, Nyambi the typical difference with 45 points, 22 rebounds and 8 blocks. Malik Benjamin showed to those who doubted his contract that he still had what it takes, leading the Magic to a 104-99 win over the Jaguars with 36 points on 16/23 shooting.
Two weeks into the season, the Jailbirds' quest to avenge their 2017 defeat by the Renegades in the First Round of the Playoffs after winning the Championship in 2016 took a steep turn when it was revealed that Jason Cheaney had dislocated his shoulder during training and would be out at least 6 to 7 weeks. This was seen as the turning point of the season for the Jailbirds, who lacked a decent backup at shooting guard, instead relying on Rowland Hayden, a natural point despite being 6'6", to fill Cheaney's spot. But while the Jailbirds looked as if they were about to falter despite their 9-0 record, it was the Magic's dominance, winning their first 10 games, that made everyone question their playoff predictions. The Rockets, too, continued to play well, leading the East-West with an 8-3 record after Day 20, but the Cyclones weren't far behind with a 7-3 record despite dropping 2 on the trot. The Renegades (9-2) and the Tritons (8-2) provided the North-South with another close contest.
The Jailbirds experiment of Hayden at shooting guard was not an immediate success, dropping their first game to the Fireballs, Antoine Peeler hitting 32 points and Ray McArdle providing a vintage 29 point, 12 rebound effort. Keydren Carter and Dameon Clarke, part of the new 'CCC', stepped up immeasurably, with Clarke in particular raising his game to new levels of offensive efficiency, netting 35 points in that game. Ben Winder kept the Vultures in the race with a 41 point effort in the Vultures 127-105 win, while rookie point Rasheem Fisher had an explosive 32 points. The Fireballs continued their dragon-killing ways the next day, beating the Bluebirds 112-97, McArdle getting 40 points, while the Tritons took revenge on the Knights, crushing them 139-80, with Ivory getting 33-12. The Pistols kept the Lightning to a season-low 55 points behind Vaughn's 27, while the Magic's run finally came to an end with a 119-108 loss to the Jaguars, Kuberka getting 33.
At the conclusion of the month, Kaiama Nyambi was unsurprisingly awarded the Player of the Month award, averaging 35.9ppg, 18.2rpg and 1.9apg in 14 games while leading the Rockets to a 11-3 record atop the West division. The Magic, though, were still #1 in the East-West with a 12-2 record. The Cyclones (10-5) and Bluebirds (8-5) were also looking strong, but the Warriors (10-7) had seemingly dipped after losing point guard Tyler Davis to the Hurricanes in free agency. In the other conference, the Jailbirds were the league's hottest team, even without Cheaney, having won 9 of their last 10 for a 12-1 record to top the North-South, while the Renegades (12-2) and Tritons (11-4) kept pace.
All-Star Weekend
North-South
- C Kelvin Hawes (Knights) 2,231,145
- PF Marcus Ivory (Tritons) 3,124,245
- SF Keydren Carter (Jailbirds) 1,550,788
- SG Demetric Vaughn (Pistols) 1,953,219
- PG Tyson Kuberka (Jaguars) 2,723,603
- PG Jamar Strickland (Renegades)
- SG Andre Phifer (Thunder)
- SF Jerome Bradley (Renegades)
- PF Dameon Clarke (Jailbirds)
- C Bryant King (Sparkles)
- SF Tezale Craig (Superstars)
- PG Curtis Price (Thunder)
East-West
- C Kaiama Nyambi (Rockets) 3,890,191 (JBL Record)
- PF Simon Hartford (Warriors) 1,884,660
- SF Orpheus Swayda (Devils) 1,982,242
- SG Ben Winder (Vultures) 1,652,300
- PG Rubin Wingfield (Rockets) 2,645,112
- PG Christian Vickery (Buzzards)
- SG Hilton Phillips (Buzzards)
- SF Pace LaGarde (Magic)
- PF Colin Stafford (Cyclones)
- C Brian Oliver (Magic)
- C Rashard Stevens (Bluebirds)
- SF Isaiah McCarty (Vultures)
The controversies continued, this time with the 2018 All-Star voting procedures under the microscope. For the first time, GMs from opposing conferences elected to vote against players who would otherwise be worthy of an All-Star berth for a tactical advantage, especially after the Jerome Bradley and Jason Cheaney shooting spree last season which led to a victory for the North-South. These nefarious voting techniques led to the League discussing, and eventually implementing, a new rule to restrict GMs to voting within their own conference only.
The All-Star game itself was a treat. The East-West came out flying and led by 11 early in the first quarter thanks to Orpheus Swayda. Despite a little run the North-South trailed 38-30 at the first quarter, but then Keydren Carter came to the rescue, delivering shot after shot to keep the North-South in striking distance. When Wingfield hit a jumper and made it 52-37, the game looked as if it was going to be a blowout. Then, along with Carter, came Curtis Price, playing in his first All-Star game. He hit three three-pointers in a row, including the buzzer beater to end the half, to allow the North-South to trail only by 11, 60-71. Swayda had 20 at half-time for the East-West, while ex-teammate Hartford (12 points) provided ample support.
The second half started as the first ended, with Price connecting from long range. But then, in another turn of events, Demetric Vaughn, the league's top scorer, went on a rampage, hitting threes, drawing fouls and making the East-West look like a college side. When Vaughn hit his 20th point for the quarter, the North-South were back to within 7, at 98-91, but Hilton Phillips and Kaiama Nyambi stepped up to hit some big shots to cool the run. When Carter, who spent most of the quarter on the bench due to foul trouble, came in and hit a three, followed by two Vaughn baskets, the North-South knew they had the momentum, finishing the quarter only one point down, 107-106.
The last quarter showed the class of the North-South team, led this time by Marcus Ivory. Ivory, who up until the fourth struggled from the field, went to work down low, drawing fouls on anyone in his path. Vaughn, Dameon Clarke, playing out of position at center, and Tyson Kuberka provided support, and despite Swayda's efforts, the North-South walked away winners, 151-139, with Ivory (30 points, 8 rebounds) and Vaughn (32 points, 10 rebounds) joint MVPs, making it two years in a row that the North-South had come back from a deficit winning with two MVPs. The East-West were topped by Swayda's 37 points, while Hilton Phillips shot well with 10/13 from the field for 26 points off the bench, and Nyambi had 21 points and 13 boards. Keydren Carter provided 28 points on 10/14 shooting for the North-South, Price 16 and Clarke 14 off the bench.
Donnell Wallace appropriately three-peated as Three Point Champion, downing the Hurricanes' Kendall Nash in the final, hitting 25 buckets. Jaguars' rookie James Drake outdunked the rest of the class and Reggie Goodwin of the Rockets, taking home the Dunk title with a superb off the backboard and through the legs final dunk.
--
Playoffs
- Main article: 2018 Playoffs
| First Round | Conference Finals | JBL Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Tritons | 4 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Knights | 2 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Tritons | 4 | |||||||||||
| North-South Conference | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Jailbirds | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Jailbirds | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Renegades | 2 | |||||||||||
| NS1 | Tritons | 4 | |||||||||||
| EW1 | Rockets | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Magic | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Buzzards | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Buzzards | 3 | |||||||||||
| East-West Conference | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Rockets | 4 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Vultures | 2 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Rockets | 4 | |||||||||||
Standings
Awards
Season Awards
Champions: Tritons
Runners-Up: Rockets
Finals MVP: Marcus Ivory (Tritons)
MVP: Kaiama Nyambi (Rockets)
Golden Basket: Orpheus Swayda (Devils) (34.8ppg)
Silver Backboard: Kaiama Nyambi (Rockets) (19.4rpg)
Rookie of the Year: Rasheem Fisher (Vultures)
Most Improved: Marques Thomas (Devils)
Sixth Man Award: Linton Hughes (Renegades)
Defensive Player of the Year: Brian Oliver (Magic)
Executive of the Year: Bedouin (Buzzards)
Good Hands Award: Rubin Wingfield (Rockets)
K.W. Johnson Contribution Award: Derek Ellis (Buzzards)
GM's Player of the Year: Kaiama Nyambi (Rockets)
All-JBL First Team
Center: Kaiama Nyambi (Rockets)
Forwards: Marcus Ivory (Tritons), Orpheus Swayda (Devils)
Guards: Rubin Wingfield (Rockets), Ben Winder (Vultures)
All-JBL Second Team
Center: Brian Oliver (Magic)
Forwards: Simon Hartford (Warriors), Jerome Bradley (Renegades)
Guards: Demetric Vaughn (Pistols), Keydren Carter (Jailbirds)
All-JBL Third Team
Center: Kelvin Hawes (Knights)
Forwards: Rowan Jamison (Buzzards), Tezale Craig (Superstars)
Guards: Andre Phifer (Thunder), Curtis Price (Knights)
All-Defensive First Team
Centers: Brian Oliver (Magic)
Forwards: Omar Grant (Jaguars), Rowan Jamison (Buzzards)
Guards: Hilton Phillips (Buzzards), Keydren Carter (Jailbirds)
All-Defensive Second Team
Centers: Kaiama Nyambi (Rockets)
Forwards: Marcus Ivory (Tritons), Colin Stafford (Cyclones)
Guards: Reggie Goodwin (Rockets), Ben Winder (Vultures)
All-Rookie First Team
Chosen without regard to position
Rasheem Fisher (Vultures) *ROY
Lamar Francis (Lightning)
Jermaine Wade (Fireballs)
Ainsley Tucker (Thunder)
Derrick Griffin (Hurricanes)
All-Rookie Second Team
Chosen without regard to position
Mark Hunter (Bluebirds)
Mohammed Shakur (Warriors)
Derek Cousins (Magic)
Wesley Sherman (Pistols)
Shakiem Fontaine (Devils)
