Salutations Grinders. It has been quite some time since Grinders HQ has put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard I guess). I bet all three of the readers we used to get have been itching for something, anything! Or maybe they just listen to the podcast now like normal people, in which case I can’t really blame them. I love the pod too, and it makes my “job” easy. But I missed writing all about our wonderful Wednesday nights, so for at least this week, you’re going to get my rankings and general opinions. There will be no game reviews here, because personally I’d rather hear about it on the podcast. I’m also going to try to keep slander to a minimum (besides the usual suspects… *cough cough Cole*) so you’re just going to get raw, unbiased stats and facts!

WEEK 3 POWER RANKINGS

1) TEAM E, 3-0 (1)

I mean this is just absurd. I remember our beloved Hall of Famer beaming with glee walking out of the draft room, proud of his handiwork believing he had assembled a group of guys that would make Cole’s next 10 weeks miserable. And of course, here they are, alone at the top, undefeated. It really is a cruel world we live in. If I had been inspired enough to do an immediate post-draft ranking, I probably would have put them 5^th or 6^th. I don’t think I can even say they’ve been getting lucky either – they haven’t won a game by more than 6 points so far –but it’s reminiscent of last year’s Cole/Wayne/Tommy team where they would look brutal in one half, and then turn it around just enough to edge out a win. Cole is already looking like an MVP candidate, shooting 64% and averaging nearly 23/10/5 and a juicy 33 GAPE. E and Chuck have been holding it down, playing their usual solid defense and scoring when needed, as they’re averaging 14 and 13 PPG, respectively. Cory is in his floor general role, moving the ball and putting in work on the boards. Worm fills out nicely as a 5^th option, and I missed the one game Ben played so I have nothing to input there. Is it too early to call this squad championship favorites? Probably. They might drop some games the second time around with some of the better teams, like Kellen and Pauly P. But they look good at this pace, and this week’s 8:30 matchup against Team Al might be must-see action.

2) TEAM KELLEN, 2-1 (2)

I know, how creative of me to put the number 2 team at number 2. There is a valid argument for Team Pauly P here, but KO did beat them handily in Week 1, even if they did it without Curtis playing. But if I continue to do these every week, I want to base it more off of what happened recently. And what happened recently is they beat the brakes off Team Al 86-58. Textbook boat race, am I right? The eye test tells me that this is the most well-rounded team this session, especially when they are on like they were last week. Gersitz is playing inspired so far, hence why he is firmly at the top of the player rankings. Averaging 70% shooting? 25 points and 40 (!!) GAPE? Get out of here. Jeff May is still looking crisp, and Kellen looks like he remembered how to shoot the ball *into* the net. I did actually hear from an anonymous Grinder that “[Kellen] is the best shooter in the league” during their trouncing of Team Al. And of course, new guy Danny is looking like the steal of the draft – 15 3PM in 3 games(league leader). And everyone knows what Salvati brings to the table, and while he hasn’t had a chance to do too much on the stat sheet so far, he hasn’t needed to. Maybe it’s just Garrett defense inflation, but they have 3 guys averaging over 20 PPG. Their only blemish is their 6 point loss to Team E, but they were missing Jeff May. I would love to see the full-strength rematch against E and Pauly P to get a full gauge, but for right now this is the right spot for them. I don’t see them falling any further for a while either with matchups against Pauly J and Tirado coming up.

3) TEAM PAULY P, 2-1 (3)

The popular take so far has been how unfair it is playing against both Curtis and Jimmy at the same time. And yes, they are both great. But what happens when neither of them are on? Enter the captain. Last week, Pauly P stepped up and delivered a masterclass, with 14 points and 21 rebounds, leading his squad to victory in the battle of the Pauls. It should be frightening that when Curt and Jimmy both shoot under 30% this team can still win games. Dave might still be finding his groove offensively, but he brings another body tothe boards, freeing up Pauly P for those annoying offensive rebounds he consistently gets. OMJ has been steady, and is the only one on the team who hasn’t airballed yet, so that’s gotta be worth something. Jokes aside, everyone knows shots are hard to come by on this team outside of Curt and Jimmy. But 9 times out of 10 that’s something you’re okay with, because they are very, very good. Maybe their game against KO swings the other way if Curtis was there, and they have to wait another week to play Team E – so for now, they can sit here filling out the top half of teams at third.

4) TEAM PAULY J, 1-2 (5)

Here we go!!! Do I really think this team is better than Al’s? Maybe, maybe not. Do I think Chaz is saving this team from being dead last? Probably… but one guy is playing at this level, some weeks that’s all you need. And it’s not like this team is terrible either – sure, Alec is going to pull up from deep at even the slightest hint of separation, but he’s shown glimpses that he can drive too… the 0 assists in 3 games is a little concerning though. Pauly J is not off to a hot start, but he’s actually been the second best rebounder on the team, and we’ve seen what he can do when he’s feeling himself (30 point gem last session). Maybe a coaching adjustment to take some of Alec’s FGA might do this squad some good. Can’t hurt, right? Bobby is currently at his highest shooting percentage since 2024.3 (besides the mini session where he was actually very solid) and he seems to make one or two plays every week that gets the gym fired up. A few more sessions of development and he might start costing captains a little more cash on draft day. Boccio is of course still elite at defending and rebounding, but what this team has boiled down to through 3 weeks is they’ve been relying on Chaz too much. It took 9 3PM from him to top Team Tirado by one score, but they’ve had close losses where others also played well (Week 1, Alec/Bobby, Week 3 Boccio/kind of Alec). I have faith that things will turn around, mostly hinging on the captain finding his form again. It might be tough this week though against a hot Team KO.

5) TEAM AL, 1-2 (4)

Boy oh boy where do I even start…? Garrett was already celebrating this team’s championship win 10 minutes after the draft, but since their Week 1 win over Team Tirado, it has been boat race central. A 20 point loss to Pauly P and nearly 30 points to KO? Unfathomable. Yes, I am aware that Justin has yet to play, but Tommy/Garrett/Crazy alone should be enough for more than one win, right? Or at the very least enough to NOT get blown out two weeks in a row?? I know it’s fun to pile it on Garrett, who has not been spectacular, but has not nearly been as disappointing as Tommy. The podcast made an interesting point – maybe he needs Cole more than Cole needs him. An MVP candidate last session is back to looking like the guy who went for $5 not too long ago… but seriously. Effort and morale has been low, easy shots and layups being missed, falling asleep on defense, it’s all been bad the last two weeks. Yes, they’ve played two good teams, but you’d think they’d put up the best fight with their roster. “Crazy” has been trying his best to keep the ship from falling apart, as he’s second on the team, with 14.7 PPG and the only one shooting above 40%. Bryant hasn’t been too terrible, and without looking 39% might be his best percentage ever. Granted, a lot of that came from Week 1 on wide open fast breaks, so take it with a grain of salt. “Iceberg” Kale is finding his way, but at least he has shown some hustle. He also has a top 3 nickname right now, so that’s cool. I think eventually this squad will pull it together, but based off their last two games I can’t put them higher than 5^th. Either threy continue to self destruct, or they play like they know they can and start winning. Maybe Justin helps alleviate some of the hero ball that they’ve been forced into. Maybe Tommy settles in and starts playing MVP level ball again. And maybe Kale will realize that he’s the second youngest player in the league and can just out-athlete the other team’s 4^th guy. Lot of maybes I know, but these guys are too good to be this bad. But aprimetime game against undefeated E might just be make-or-break.

6) TEAM TIRADO, 0-3 (6)

Look, I don’t know what is going on internally with this team. Trade rumors? Trade requests, perhaps? Allegedly? I don’t know, so I’m just going to talk about their play on the court. Week 1 was ugly for sure, but it’s not like they’ve been getting killed the last two weeks. A one-score loss in which Chaz scored 27 off of threes alone, and last week a 5-point loss to the current #1 team. Maybe the chemistry is just not there yet, as I’ve heard from sources that none of these Grinders have played with each other more than maybe just 1 session. Captain Tirado has not been very bang bang like so far, even with last weeks 40% effort, he’s shooting just 22% through 3 games. Witt has been faring better, averaging a double-double so far, and is shooting respectable but hasn’t been able to find as many buckets as we’re used to. Lanzot has been trying to fill his playmaking role, but has struggled from the field, no thanks to a 1/8 outing last week. Peyton has been consistent, and is leading the way in GAPE with 18.3. Little Josh has struggled, not able to connect on those short range looks that he thrived on last year. And of course, Richie hurt his fingies in Week 2, and might be out on a week-to-week basis. They have a couple guys who have been solid (Witt and Peyton) but not spectacular. Richie had a blowup Week 1 but a forgettable Week 2. And the rest aren’t reallydoing enough to help. Again, maybe it’s the lack of chemistry. They’ve had a lot of turnovers and haven’t had a steady flow of offense. Richie being injured hurts, but still, they’ve been competitive. A tilt with Pauly P this week isn’t an idealmatchup to get back on track, but they have good players who just have to figure out how to enable each other. I think their defense is underrated, and Peyton might have the best chance of anyone in the league in slowing down Jimmy. And I honestly hope none of these rumblings and rumors come to fruition, because in a few weeks the narrative on this team could be completely different. But where things stand right now, it’s not great, and they might need a win desperately before things completely unravel.

OTHER THOUGHTS AND STUFF

• Gersitz is moving so different this session. A dunk attempt AND a block stare down in the same game? Who is this guy?

• I really really want to say that Team E’s run is unsustainable. But every time anyone says that about a team with Cole on it, they just find a way. It’s so annoying but even if it is gross to say, you have to respect it. 

• Does Justin make enough of a difference if he plays for Team Crazy? Al’s team reminds me of Justin’s team last session – scary on paper, but bad scary to watch. Maybe it’s his fault somehow? Is that his curse for being so tall?

• I did not lie about the Kellen quote. I don’t expect his squad to drop 80 every week, or for him to shoot 80% again but when they are hot top to bottom like that at full strength who can realistically beat them?

• Pauly P is currently ranked #4 on the player rankings. Could another sneaky MVPauly session be brewing?

• Bryant is not the current worst player, and I don’t think he’s even the most inefficient anymore. Maybe his team should not have him sit on the bench for 10 minutes straight tostart this week.

• E is definitely the leader for Coach of The Year right now.Pauly P not far behind. JT in last.

• Peyton’s one show of emotion per session came early after hitting a step back jumper over Cole and flexing to the scorers table. Sources say they yearned for more. 

• If Team E hits the open waters this week against Al, the Signal chat will be delightful.

• Hypothetically, of course, if specific trade speculationscame to fruition, what would that deal look like? 

• I love the stat keeper stat on the website. Don’t forget to sign your name if you do the stats so we can know who tolambast!

• I hear this week’s podcast is a must-listen! I love listening to it during work every week, so big shout out to Witt, E, and everyone else involved for bringing us great entertainment every week.