All Star weekend is the unofficial half way point of the season. But has teams begin to play their 40^th and 41^st games, we are at the technical half way stage. So what better time than now to look at GM of the year and how it is tracking.

 

This year is a lot easier than a normal year. With this being the inaugural season, with everyone starting from zero, whoever wins the title is GM of the year. The title race is wide open. Yes there are some dominant teams. But there are also some teams on the rise and teams falling. I am going to give you my nominees for GM of the Year, at the half way point.

 

GM Joel – Portland

This one is obvious. The best team in Basketball at the moment. The 37-5 record speaks for itself. Which includes a unprecedented 33 wins in a row. Joel doesn’t even sim, which makes the achievement even more special. But these teams that do sim will be waiting their turn in the background to have a crack at him in 7 games. But for now, Joel just keeps on dominating. He is also a trade addict. He needs to see someone about it. He trades for the sake of it. Who comes off a 33 game win streak then makes 2 trades in the next few days? Joel does. Lets hope he hasn’t ruined with the chemistry Portland have. But with Harden and Jimmy, they are in store for a big playoff run.

GM Merncio – Bulls

It was a dark day when Merencio left the NLL. It was probably the beginning of the end for that stupid league. I am glad he is back and so are bulls fans. He has them humming. Even without AD at the moment they are holding their own. And with Davis, they went on a huge win streak of like 29 games or something close, it would be getting more hype, but it was the same time as the Blazers 33 game streak. Merencio is great value in the league. He provides awesome content, is easy to trade with and is very active. He is the perfect Gm and his team is on track to make him GM of the year material.

 

GM Ben – Atlanta

Atlanta have been somewhat of the surprise packet of the season. Any team with Embiid and DeRozen is going to be competitive. But they are looking like a powerhouse of the East at this stage. The East isn’t like the West in the NLL. It is still competitive, but it is the weaker conference. So Ben is right in the mix to win the whole thing. Ben is a very likeable guy, easy to deal with and has this team humming. I am excited to see what that can do when Joel is fully fit. Can they run the table in the East? I think they are a chance.

 

GM Nelson – Spurs

I hate Nelson. Like really hate. I hate his family. I hate his football club. I hate the stupid smirk on his face. But man he has been an unreal GM. Trading as much as anyone (besides Joel Mac) and he is winning all the trades. He has brought a great new energy and edge to the league. He is a credit to himself and his family that I hate so much. The Spurs aren’t quite at the pointy end of the league just yet. But I think come Playoffs time they will be.

GM Pistol – Miami

Pistol is always in these lists. He is a 2k Simming king. He knows the players he wants, and he gets them. He has set his team up around Ben Simmons and Jonathan Isaac. Unfortunately, the latter has suffered what looks like a season ending injury. However he is still tracking along nicely near the top of the East. Simmons is going to be an almost unstoppable match up come playoff time. There is simply no answer for Ben at PG and this, coupled with Pete’s awesome ability to sim and get the strategy right, he is going to be so hard to beat in 7 games. Is another Championship on the horizon for Pistol? It is looking good.

 

Honourable mentions to Laddas at the suns, who has them going along nicely with Leonard at the helm. They are in the uber competitive West but doing very well. Honourable mention too, goes to Bo at the Nets. They are slipping a little at the moment. But they got off to a rough start, however went on a huge run to get themselves towards the top the East. He obviously figured it out well and that is the sign of a good GM. Also shout out to Gav. The Magic are currently battling for the last spot in the playoffs in the East. Without Durant. He could have easily given up this year, tanked and ghost shipped like ¾ of the league. But I love that he is fighting it out and making moves to keep him in the mix. Imagine how good they will be next year with KD.

 

It is such an exciting league and it is wide open. I hope this has given some insight into the potential GM of the Year. Bring on the business end of the season! Go Raptors!