Things I Love/Hate-PCTI 9-The Melee in Minneapolis

With the recent surge in momentum thanks to the efforts of Hops and The Beast, we are getting dangerously close to being 100% prepared for 9.

To take a page out of one of the ESPN writers, below is a "Love/Hate" heading into 9... 

Things I Hate:  

• Lover Boy Beasley: After a long and grueling offseason of hard work and determination to be prepared for PCTI, Love has turned his attention to romance and has spent the better part of 2018 falling in love with anyone that will look at him (which is a lot of women).
• Donley's Work Schedule: I'm not going to elaborate, who else is sick of hearing about it?  
• Dan The Boy's Body and Losing: For those who I have not made aware, a three month bout with immune system issues, along with a busted wrist has been a beating... On a side note, he's lost just about every game he's played in in 2018.
• Ben Wilson's Two Year Silence: Once the golden child of PCTI, Wilson's ongoing battles with immune system (Cincy), cramps (San Diego), and love have people questioning his commitment.  How many times will love take down people's PCTI?  Can he resurrect his rep both on and off the court?
• Spotlight: Simply put, I miss having him around and don't like the green I get when I send him a text.
• The Actor's Knee: After being disrespected two straight years during the draft, The Actor committed himself to a rigorous training program, only to "tear" his ACL.  He's been out of action for months.  
• Hops Jump Shot: Training Camp saw a more explosive Hops who's in rhythm jumper looked even more in sync than usual. Weight training is going to work wonders on all aspects of his game.
• Smooth's Wednesday Performance Last Year: For those that don't know Smooth and my relationship, it's what this post is based on (love/hate).  Almost 365 days later, I still haven't gotten over him going out until 4:00 am the night before PCTI, and sleeping his way through the first night.  Thanks for your commitment!

Things I Love:

• The Pressure on The Beast: A volatile offseason has The Beast's reputation treading on ultra thin ice.  Between a lack of dedication to his craft, and new blood (Kyle/Love/Juice) vying for the moniker, the clock is ticking!
• Abe's Silence: It's no secret Abe is my favorite guy in PCTI... He's been masterful with weaving in and out with strokes of brilliance (shout out Borderline Genius Ideas) but never overstaying his welcome.  He always keeps the crowd wanting more, and you never know when he will strike next.
• Juice's Offseason: After being crowned the MVP of PCTI Training Camp, Nashville edition, Juice has kept the momentum going and has been masterful on the court. After being the MVP of day 1 in San Diego, has he already outperformed the term "breakout candidate?" 
• Team Sabin's Point Guard Situation: It wouldn't be a Jeff Sabin draft if he didn't put himself in a situation that would cause him angst.  How important a PG is in PCTI remains to be seen, but only he would be fresh off an MVP award where he got to play off the ball and play to his strengths, then draft a team where he had to play an uncomfortable role in. No one is their own worst enermy more.
• Addition of "The Beast" Huckins: Not much else to say, going to be a great addition both on and off the court.
• The Amount of PCTI Jersey's I Have In Stock: Last year's Saturday night yielded me at least three new jerseys (most notably Sticky and Abe) and I wear both every time I play.
• An Offseason Not Centered Around Sticky Van Horne: It took nine years (and even a no show) from Sticky before an offseason went by without him being the focal point of every PCTI discussion.  We did it Beast!