Shi Mei (w/ Ball) switched side and joined Shogunz.
First game:
Dec 5th Tuesday
8pm - Shogunz vs Hurricanes
9pm - Demolition vs Giant
Shogunz – What happen when you add the best Hurricanes big man to a team
that made it to the Final Four last season? You have your new favorite for the best
Hurricanes team. After demanding an off-season trade to Shogunz, Shi “Man<3”
Mei fills the void that Peter Tran has left and shores up Shogunz’s frontline. He will
also be a better fit with Johnson Lam rather than with Kevin Woo, who doesn’t look
to drive and dish as much. As if that is not enough, Shogunz also added Charles
“da Future” Maneikas, the 19 year old phenom who led the A squad as the starting
point guard in the last year’s national. Charles has a great feel for the game and
can shoot, drive and dish. He is also a lock-down defender, shutting down Kevin
Woo repeatedly in practice last season. His involvement will give Sammy Moy more
rest time and move Christian Tran to off guard, where he can further expand his
offensive game. Another major coup for Shogunz in the off-season is the addition
of Cory Moy, Andre Miller-esque playmaker, and Dan Moy, a 6-2 rebounding
beast. Lastly, don’t sleep on the newcomer, Albert Chin, a versatile point forward
who can play all 5 positions. He will clean up Shogunz’s mistakes and add even
more toughness to the team.
Prediction: Led by Johnson and Chrstian’s scoring, Sammy’s coaching, Shi’s
inside play, and all the “Moy Mojos,” Shogunz will be really tough to beat and will
likely be the best Hurricanes team. This squad has a real shot of winning the entire
league next season.
Projected Starting 5: Dan Liu, Shi Mei, J Lam, Christian Tran, Charles Maneikas
Star Player: Johnson Lam (28.8 points a game)
Key Addition: Shi Mei & Charles Maneikas & Cory Moy & Dan Moy & Albert Chin
Key Loss: Peter Tran & Jaffrey Hoey & Randy Lui
Demolition – The success of this season depends on how fast this overhauled
team can mesh together. The most interesting newcomer is the super player from
the Nead league, Ocho. A voracious defender and a terrific scorer, Ocho will be
playing his 1st game as Hurricanes, joining Chi “Prime Time” Lai and Kevin Woo to
form one of the best scoring trios in the league. Replacing the center position left
by Shi Mei is Ralph Chiang, the key Free Agent signee, who is probably the 2nd
best Hurricanes big man. This would be a great fit for Ralph, where he will get a
chance to start and the playing time he deserves. Additionally, Jaffrey Hoey will
provide depth in the big men position that the team lacked last season. Also
helping with the front court is Borwei Tsay who will be playing his last few games as
Hurricanes and as part of Demolition before he leaves for Taiwan for good. He will
help out the team greatly in the early part of the season when Demolition faces
some temporary shortage.
Prediction: Led by Desmond Lui and Hing Lin, Demolition has two of the best
team defenders. Paced by their defense, this team can be dangerous if all other
pieces come together. At their best, they will shut down the other teams and will
have Ocho penetrating and creating opportunities while Chi and Kevin draining 3s
from the outside. If that happens, they should easily advance to the Final Four this
season.
Projected Starting 5: Ralph Chiang, Desmond Lui, Ocho, Kevin Woo, Chi Lai
Star Player: Kevin Woo (24.4 points a game)
Key Addition: Ocho & Ralph Chiang & Jaffrey Hoey & Randy Lui
Key Loss: Shi Mei & Jon Ng & Albert Chin & ….Jack Miao (j/k)
Hurricanes – After the tough 1st round exit, the Hurricanes plans to give this
lineup another shot. The team will once again rely on the backcourt play of Chanan
Saelim and Ricky Kim, but to win, they need everyone to contribute as they have
done last season. The key addition to this team is Ed Woo, a veteran point guard
who will add leadership and cure the turnover problem they have had last season.
Another curious singing is the addition of 1st time Hurricanes, Seung Lee.
Introduced by Ricky Kim, Seung Lee seems to be a big man who can play. If his
schedule can work out, He will be a big help for this upcoming season.
Prediction: Proven last season that it can beat just about every team in the
league, the Hurricanes will need to rely on teamwork once again to come through.
If all goes to plan, the Hurricanes will get a chance to knock out Shogunz in the
playoff.
Projected Starting 5: Jimmy Chen, Che Yii, Kenny Lee, Chanan Saelim, Ricky Kim
Star Player: Ricky Kim (22.7 points a game)
Key Addition: Ed Woo & Seung Lee
Key Loss: Ralph Chiang
