NBA Supercoach | Schedule Chicanery and the Illusion of the Short Week


<p>There are weeks in NBA Supercoach that reward instinct. </p>



<p>And then some weeks punish it.</p>



<p>The upcoming schedule sits firmly in the latter category. </p>



<p>What appeared, at a glance, to be a simple short week in Week 8, a minor inconvenience caused by the NBA Cup Final, was a structural trap. </p>



<p>Fewer games did not merely mean fewer points; they meant distorted priorities, false urgency, and a creeping temptation to fix what didn’t yet need fixing.</p>



<p>Week 8 was not a week to be navigated in isolation. </p>



<p>Because now, we have Week 9.</p>



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<p>Situations like this are where Supercoach managers tend to overreact. </p>



<p>Short weeks create the illusion of scarcity, and scarcity breeds impatience. </p>



<p>Trades are burned chasing volume that vanishes almost immediately. </p>



<p>Cash cows are culled just as their utility peaks. </p>



<p>Carefully constructed plans are abandoned for the comfort of immediate points.</p>



<p>However, the sharpest edge in this period is not aggression, but restraint. </p>



<p>Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned, or a boost wasted.</p>



<p>This is not chaos. It is choreography. </p>



<p>And those who read the steps, rather than panic, will emerge with both points and flexibility intact.</p>



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<p>Simply put, there were two scenarios to focus on as they yielded us six (6) total games (the most possible) over the two weeks. </p>



<p>These scenarios are:</p>



<p><strong>Scenario 1: </strong>Teams with 2 Games Week 8 and 4 Games Week 9</p>



<p>Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pistons, Pacers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Thunder, Magic, Trail Blazers, and Jazz</p>



<p><strong>Scenario 2:</strong> Teams With 3 Games in Week 8 and 3 Games in Week 9</p>



<p>Hawks, Bulls, Rockets, Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, Kings, Spurs, Raptors, and Wizards.&nbsp;</p>



<p>All other options play beneath that mark of 6 games total over the two weeks and were to be avoided or traded out of. </p>



<p>Shout out to the Nets and Clippers, who only play four times in this period. </p>



<p>While all other teams played two games in Week 8, and will play three games in Week 9 (Celtics, Hornets, Warriors, Lakers, Bucks, 76ers, and Suns).</p>



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<p>What this ultimately means is that we Supercoaches should view our Week 9 as an opportunity to pivot harder than Ross Geller and set ourselves up for not only Week 9, but also Week 10 and beyond in advance.</p>



<p>Of the teams playing four (4) games in Week 9, there are seven (7) teams that bank four (4) games (the most played in that week) over several consecutive weeks following Week 9. </p>



<p>These teams are:</p>



<p>6 Weeks (inc. Week 9): Denver Nuggets</p>



<p>5 Weeks (inc. Week 9): Nil</p>



<p>4 Weeks (inc. Week 9):  Portland Trail Blazers</p>



<p>3 Weeks (inc. Week 9): Pelicans, Thunder, Magic,</p>



<p>2 Weeks (inc. Week 9): Cavaliers, Pacers</p>



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<p>Of the teams playing three (3) games in Week 9, ten (10) teams play four (4) games (the most played in that week) starting in Week 10 for successive weeks. </p>



<p>These teams are:</p>



<p>3 Weeks (starting Week 10): Hornets, Bulls,&nbsp;</p>



<p>2 Weeks (starting Week 10): Hawks, Warriors, Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, Suns, Spurs, and Wizards</p>



<p>All in all, there are plenty of options. </p>



<p>But focusing on those teams starting the run of four-gamers in Week 9, it’s obviously Jokic and SGA that stand out. </p>



<p>Both are already in the Top 10 of Picked % Teams at 65.9% and 25.6%, respectively, and these percentages will surely increase. </p>



<p>The consideration is which to place the captaincy tag on and which to wear the VC.</p>



<p>Deni Avdija is the cheapest Top 10 player in Supercoach, currently at 15.99m and is 13.3% owned. </p>



<p>Considering the Trail Blazers are about to begin a run of four weeks of four games, he is worth bringing in, even despite the breakeven marks set perilously too close to be comfortable.</p>



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<p>Another Top 10 notable in the mix is Donovan Mitchell, while a cheaper option over SGA at 16.59m, his Week 8 form may give reason to pump the brakes and roll into Jokic’s teammate Jamal Murray at 15.95m, who has been in solid form.</p>



<p>Pascal Siakam (15.11m) has been working for the Pacers. </p>



<p>I can see a roadmap where Supercoaches trade out Sengun (17.38m) and diversify with a Siakam and use the extra cash elsewhere for an upgrade. </p>



<p>At a similar price point is Paolo Banchero (15.37m), who has stood out for Orlando in the absence of Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. </p>



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<p>Also in Orlando, Wendell Carter Jr. is a Centre play you could make if running Jokic in the Flex spot and not running another cheaper option there. Anthony Black (8.83m) is also on the radar, but Suggs sounds close to a return, which dings his output potential.</p>



<p>I have been calling out for Derik Queen since the Pels began their run of seven (7) weeks of four (4) games over eight (8) weeks, and am continuing to do so. </p>



<p>Jeremiah Fears also looks good at the cheaper level as he continues to start in New Orleans.</p>



<p>The one long-term hold I am making is Scottie Barnes. </p>



<p>He plays three (3) games both Week 9 and Week 10, then the Raptors play four (4) games the following three weeks. </p>



<p>He has been excellent, and his eligibility as a PG/SF/PF is a luxury I like to have.</p>



<p>There really are plenty of options on the board by using this blueprint. </p>



<p>Maximise guys and save trades and get that couch up the proverbial stairwell.</p>



<p>And, as it’s Christmas time, may all your trades be merry and bright green.</p>


NBA Supercoach | Schedule Chicanery and the Illusion of the Short Week

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