Welcome to episode four of my Inside the Brains of CSL series, today we have a very special guest in Houston Rockets GM BizGilwalker. A very successful GM that has made his mark in the CSL with the bearded one, aka James Harden, and the Houston Rockets. Without further ado, here it goes!
So what led you to the sim league world? How did it all get started? What's your favorite team in real life, and do you try to emulate that team in your sim leagues?
Prior to the CSL, I was on the RealGM boards playing "GM A Team" (a trading game based on perception of all the other GMs rather than an engine) with the likes of BlackIce, Riot, Andy, and several other current and former CSL members. Sometime in 2013 or 2014, Andy introduced me to the oCSL, my first sim experience. oCSL died about a season after I got there, and I was unable to find out how my LeBron/Dirk/Kobe Indiana Pacers would fare in the playoffs. Oh well. I've done better in the new CSL. My favorite team is the Charlotte Hornets (hence the username), and I really don't emulate them a whole lot. More on my philosophies later on.
As we all know DDS3 is still quite a confusing simulation engine to all of us, what are your thoughts on building a successful team in this engine? How do you like to construct the core of your team?
Most GMs by now realize that I love to experiment. This engine works in mysterious ways, and every year, we find new ways to run a successful team. I've definitely strayed away from what I did when I won a title in the last couple years, in order to experiment with different looks, with... let's say... varying levels of success. But what I know works, is a team comprising of one star scorer, surrounded by numerous defenders and all-around players that can play several positions and roles with each other. Looking back at my old articles, this diagram showing the strengths of my players from the 2017 title team shows that I heavily valued players with multi-faceted games. That's something I'd love to get back to at some point down the line.
While some GMs in this league believe in constantly changing the teams, as long as the deal is right, do you feel comfortable with sticking with a consistent, or do you get bored, and like to blow things up after a while?
When I was contending and trying to win that first title, I was (and probably still am) notorious for valuing my players highly. But when what you have is winning, there was no real need to shake it up and trade a key player unless it was for a big time upgrade. Fast forward one title, and one OT Game 7 Finals loss later, Iggy grew old and unable to start, Thad was injured, became a shell of his former self and essentially got salary dumped. I knew we were a really long shot to get back to those heights, so I got adventurous and started experimenting, hoping to make things more flexible in the future. More on that later.
Having a stud like James Harden has certainly made things a lot easier, do you feel he's the best player in the league due to his versatility to play 1-4? Who do you feel are the top 3 players in the CSL today?
There's no doubt that having a guy like Harden to build around is an enormous leg up. However, I have to give the title of Best Player In The League to a healthy Kevin Durant. In this engine, I believe Durant can be anything from a large SG to a walking mismatch at C (if he bulked up to 225-230). His scoring abilities are unparalleled in this league and he's a better all-around player than Harden even if he's not the same ball-handler. My top 3 right now are Durant, Harden, and Paul George.
Who do you feel is the most underrated player in the CSL today? Do you think he can be a good fit for your current roster? What about the most overrated player?
From personal experience, the most underrated player is Ryan Anderson. He's had two stints here, and has been absolutely terrific as a floor spacer. One of the game's very best three-point shooters who every now and then explodes and single-handedly wins you games. I wanted to get younger and more versatile, so I passed on giving him a larger multi-year deal, but I'd welcome him back at the right price.
On the other end, I don't really see the hype for Nicolas Batum. Batum's been given monster contracts and traded for pretty large packages over the years, while someone like Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, or DeMarre Carroll will give you mostly the same thing but would come at a significantly lower cost.
If you can pick any players to form a perfect CSL starting five right now, who would you choose, and why?
Anthony Davis / Kevin Durant / Okaro White / Paul George / James Harden. That's an unbeatable blend of defense, offense, and passing. KD, Harden, and PG are the game's best scorers and overall players. Davis, Okaro, and PG can switch onto anybody and lock them down. Harden can play 1-4, PG and KD can play 2-4, maybe the 5, Okaro can play 2-4, and Davis can play 4-5. There's the versatility I love.
Do you regret trading away Kenneth Faried, as your team seem to be struggling since his departure? Do you feel Zach Lavine can truly co-exist with Harden, or do you feel that was a bad gamble on your part?
If I had the opportunity to reverse it, I probably would, but that has nothing to do with LaVine. I made the move in anticipation of two other talks that would've gotten better fitting pieces around Harden+LaVine, including someone that I believe could have mostly replaced Faried's production at a cheaper price and a good fit at PG that would've allowed LaVine and Harden to roam the 2-4 positions. Unfortunately, both deals fell apart almost immediately following the LaVine trade and I was unable to get the pieces I was looking for. The same situation is presenting itself again this season, but I'm making sure not to make deals before others are in place, and that's proving very difficult. Hell, trading in general is proving itself as difficult as ever, despite holding an absurd amount of discussion all over the league over several different players.
The goal moving forward is to make LaVine more of a SF/SG instead of a SG/PG, and placing a well-rounded PG next to him, something I simply wasn't able to do much of last season. I was going hard after Jeremy Lin in the offseason (after Kemba stayed with Detroit), but Denver offered him a contract I just wasn't willing to match.
As a sim league veteran who has won a championship before, what advice can you give to those teams that tend to stuck at the dreaded "treadmill" territory? What are your thoughts on rebuilding from scratch?
Breaking out of the treadmill requires smart acquisitions, good drafting, good coaching schemes, but part of it just comes down to luck- getting a nice bounce in the draft lottery, being offered a deal that's heavily tilted in your favor, stealing a big fish in free agency, etc. Rebuilding from scratch is always a tossup in this league, since you can't count on the next year's draft to be star-studded, rather than just a one-man draft otherwise filled with simply good supporting pieces. My philosophy about rebuilding from scratch is, play the asset game. Collect all the assets (that have value to the league) that you possibly can, regardless of fit, and patiently flip them for upgrades over time.
Any big plans for the upcoming Day 60 trade deadline, and how do you feel about the rest of the season in this tough Southwest division? Do you feel with the current roster that you can win this division?
Nothing is imminent- there may be a couple of very small deals in the horizon. On a bigger scale, Vonleh talks have been an absolute roller coaster ride. If I'm not mistaken, I've held discussion for Vonleh with 14 different teams with actual interest in acquiring him, and 3-4 serious talks that have come close to a deal, but to no avail. If nothing comes of this, I'm more than willing to stand pat and let him develop and grow into a big role here.
The Southwest is a bloodbath. If I had to predict right now, all five of us in the division are making the playoffs. It's a tough division to pick up Ws. But we have had one of the top 3 toughest schedules in the league (got smacked down by Phoenix three times already!) and it's only going to get easier from here. I'm not fazed by the 11-14 record- I know we're a lot better than that, but at the same time, I'd be delusional to think we could top the Mavericks with the roster we currently have.
There you have it folks, this wraps up another excellent interview with a former CSL champion! If you want to be on the next edition of this series, then please PM me! Thanks!
2020, 2023, 2027
