Strange Change

WESTWOOD: Week 4 Predictions

By David Jordan | Westwood Media Associate

Can the “Good Doctor” fix a broken LEGacy? Is CMilly a good combo for the Bred menu? Two teams, one big trade… Legacy release Chris “CMilly” Milton to Bred Honchos and receive “The Good Doctor” Mike Lowney in exchange.  Two totally different players whose impact on the game couldn’t be any further apart.  But the question remains, will it have the right impact on each team to get them over the hump or will it just be more of the same? As we enter the halfway point of the season and the last week to make final roster adjustments, we will keep an eye on the trade block as more changes could be on the way. With that being said, let’s look at this week’s games.

7 p.m. - Bred Honchos (1-2) vs Ruff Ryders (1-2)

Both Bred Honchos and Ruff Ryders got their first wins of the season last week. Someone’s bid for two in a row will come to an end tonight. For Bred Honchos, they were able to get a big win over a short-handed Spartans team. Ace Gouch led the way in scoring with 21 points but #HeadChef Tambo Barrow wasn’t far behind him as he dropped 20. With this week’s addition of Chris Milton, the Honchos may be able to make a major leap, should he play up to his potential. 

The Ruff Ryders got a big much needed win last week vs AllStyle, as the brothers tandem of Jason LaPlanche and Mak Thompson combined for 34 points of RR’s 71 on their way to the win. Granted, it was a very narrow one-point win, but a win nonetheless. Also with their big Adam Quinlan being out on a season-ending injury getting the newly acquired 6’7” big man Lyon Van Voorhis they had a great flow last week.  Sometimes all it takes is getting the first win out of the way to propel you forward, which is exactly what should happen this week as Ruff Ryders take on the Bred Honchos.

Prediction: Ruff Ryders by 2

7 p.m. - Ballaz Club (2-1) vs All Style (1-2)

Rookie Christian “See Red” Reddick continued to impress us as Ballaz Club was able to pull away from Legacy for the Week 3 win. Christian Reddick was unconscious, and seemed to hit shot after shot after shot all night long. However, Mario Payne’s leadership and non-selfish play helped keep Ballaz Club from slipping to 1-2. The intangibles can’t go unnoticed, and will go a long way with this Ballaz Club team.

AllStyle had all their heavy hitters last week, and still managed to take the L. Not sure what it is about this team, but they’ve got to find ways to get the close wins. Jude Valmeus led the way with 21 points, but Rennie Cato, Isaiah Duke and the rest of the squad will need to step up on a weekly basis. It isn’t getting any easier for them this week, as Ballaz Club is one of the tougher teams in the league. These guys will need to be at their best to get the W.

Prediction: Ballaz Club by 11

8 p.m. - Ea$y Money (2-1) vs Legacy (1-2)

Easy Money missed their go-to scorer Nick Kiniep and a few others heavily last week. They hung around as long as they could but in the end they couldn’t find the basket consistently enough to stay in it. To make matters worse, Wissam Ajjouri hit timely baskets whenever Beast Mode needed it, eventually putting the fork in Ea$y Money. It shouldn’t be a hard fix for them, as E$ is a veteran team who can flow with the peaks and valleys of the regular season. By the way, Jimmie Melton finished with a stat line of 24 points and 18 rebounds. There won’t be too many games that Ea$y Money loses if he continues to play like that.

Legacy. Legacy. Legacy. We’re getting to the point in the season where teams should be gelling with each other and players should be settling into their roles. Legacy may have some catching up to do in that regard, as the lack of chemistry may have cost them a big win last week. Ty told his team during a time out that it wasn’t about the shot selections, but the defense”, however, late game management and a few bad possessions down the stretch killed the team and their chance to win a big game. Sometimes, it’s just about the fit. The first casualty was Chris Milton, who was traded to the Bred Honchos for Mike Lowney. They had every chance to best Ballaz Club, but as we all know, almost doesn’t count. You could tell that team chemistry was iffy in the big moments, which is something that will need to be worked out ASAP for Legacy to get where they need to be. Ty McCray led the way in scoring for Legacy. The addition of Mike Lowney should help them defensively, and even help them in regards to making better decisions with the ball.

Prediction: Ea$y Money by 8.

8 p.m. - Beast Mode (2-1) vs Spartans (2-1)

In the Game of the Week, Beast Mode will take on the Spartans as both teams look to improve to 3-1. Beast Mode was able to get back into the win column in a major way with their win over Ea$y Money. Beast Mode used its fast breaks to get easy buckets all night long. Stephen Prescod and Wissam Ajjouri both dropped 17 to lead the team in scoring. Yemi seems to be getting back into the swing of things, as he finished with his first double-double of the season, even while sitting the majority of the second half.  Beast Mode will have to figure out how to slow down the Spartans guards, as when they are present, Carlos Bermudez-Glean and Tyree Gross present one of the toughest matchups in the league.

Spartans took a tough loss at the hands of Bred Honchos last week. In this league there’s very little room for excuses, but missing Tyree Gross and Rich Luc was a major factor in how they played, so I’m sure they can bounce back. They’ll have to figure it out soon though, as the matchup against Beast Mode will be their toughest test yet. Mike James will have to figure out how to contain Tim West and Yemi Ajao, as their presence may be a mismatch in favor of Beast Mode. 

Prediction: Beast Mode By 9

Power Rankings

1. Ballaz Club

2. Ea$y Money

3. Beast Mode

4. Spartans

5. Legacy

6. Ruff Ryders

7. Bred Honchos

8. Allstyle