High Above Courtside Fantasy Basketball Guide

History of Rule Votes

2019-20 Rule Votes

Restricted Free Agency should happen AFTER keeper submissions and not before.
- 8 votes to make RFA after keepers
- 1 vote to keep RFA before keepers
- Determined January 14, 2020.
Change PF/C starting lineup spot to a second Flex spot: With the PF/C spot, a team could start a max of four PG or four SG, five guards maximum. A team can start a max of four centers as well. For forwards, you can start five SF, six PF with a max of seven forwards. If the PF/C spot was changed to a second Flex spot, no SF/PF/C possibilities would be lost, but the PG and SG spots would be brought to five (up from four) and the guards up to six (from five). Proposed by George.
- 8 votes to change PF/C spot to second Flex spot (John, Glen, George, Stu, Gary, Jake, Patrick, David)
- 0 votes against changing PF/C spot to a second Flex spot.
- Determined July 13, 2019.

2018-19 Rule Votes

Change Injury Reserve Provision: No currently injured HAC free agent can be acquired and then immediately be put on the IR. The player must take up one of the reserve spots on a franchise's roster for at least one month before that can happen. Remove this provision from the rules?
- 7 votes to remove month-long provision from IR rule.
- 5 votes to keep month-long provision from IR rule.
- Provision stays in the rules - Determined April 3, 2019.
  - Compromise was reached to try to make it easier for an owner to acquire an already injured player and immediately put that player on his team's IR by making the HAC Coin cost much cheaper.
Merge Weeks 18 & 19: Merge Weeks 18 and 19 together as one week in the schedule. Then, extend the regular season to Week 21 to still have a 20 game schedule. This would start the playoffs in Week 22 and go to Week 24. Concluding the HAC Finals in Week 24 (instead of Week 23) is still safely before NBA teams start resting players for the playoffs.
- 9 votes to change rule
- 1 owner abstained from voting
- 0 votes against
- Determined February 22, 2019
- Amended April 3, 2019: HAC will now have a 19 game schedule going forward.
  - Merging Weeks 18 & 19 will still happen. However, the season will still end in Week 20 (and not Week 21) as HAC has done for a significant time, and the playoffs will conclude in Week 23 as has been HAC custom for many years.
Postseason Coin Awards (Commissioner revision): The HAC coins awarded to teams depending on where they finish in the postseason have been increased. (February 9, 2019)
Trade Rule Revision: Starting in the 2019-20 season, a player may be traded only for HAC Coins for cap relief. The previous rule has been that a player must be included on both sides in a trade. That detail will be removed as no longer essential.
- 8 votes to change rule
- 3 votes to keep rule where one player must be included in both sides of a trade
- 1 owner abstained from voting
- Determined January 13, 2019
4th Year NGC Triggering 5th year Option: Right now, it is easiest for owners who choose to give NGC's to a player for three straight offseasons to simply give an OPT for a 4th year. But as an incentive for owners to give NGC's for the 4th year, if they do that, they will immediately have a 5th year option year granted. (Determined in 2018 offseason)
TWO CENTERS IN STARTING LINEUP: HAC has two required center positions and has had the same lineup setup for many seasons. Should we keep the two center positions even though the game has moved away from big hulking centers and the NBA removed centers from the All-Star Ballot?
- Keep the two center positions - 1 vote (Stu)
- Remove one, and replace it with PF/C - 8 votes (Wes, Gary, Glen, George, David P., Nate, Monte, Erik)
- Remove both and replace them with two PF/C positions - 2 votes (Aaron, John)
- For the 2019-20 season, the league has voted to amend the starting lineup to replace one starting center position with a PF/C position (determined November 2, 2018).
MODIFICATION TO INJURED RESERVE RULE
- The main rule is that no injured player may be acquired as a free agent and placed on a team's IR list. That is not changing.
- Part of that rule is that an owner would have to wait one month AND pay 190 coins for the Roster Flexibility prize to put this player on their IR. This will not be changed, but added to.
  - Each week sooner than a month an owner wants to put the injured player acquired as a free agent on their IR, the cost of the Roster Flexibility prize increases 100 coins. For example, if an owner only wants to wait 3 weeks instead of 4, he would have to pay 290 coins. If an owner wants to wait 2 weeks instead of 4, the price is 390 coins.
- In addition, if an owner acquires an already injured player as a free agent and waits TWO MONTHS with that player on his team's reserve, then that player can be moved to the IR for free.
- Changed November 2, 2018

2017-18 Rule Votes

Unlimited Injured Reserve Spots going forward
- After league discussion, it was determined that every franchise should be able to have as many injured reserve slots on their roster as they need. An injury replacement player will cost $5 like a normal free agent unless acquired on waivers. No currently injured HAC free agent can be acquired and then immediately be put on the IR. The player must take up one of the reserve spots on a franchise's roster. The player will be identified as an injured player acquired through free agency on their roster pages as "IR-FA". An owner may pay HAC Coins to remove this designation and place the player on injured reserve with the Roster Flexibility prize.
Should we move the trade deadline earlier than February 24 which it has been in years past?
- 7 votes YES
- 4 votes NO
- Determined March 1, 2018 by Commissioner to move trade deadline to February 17 going forward.
Should we eliminate the 50 HAC coin cap rule with trades?
- 9 votes YES - Drop the 50 coin limit, and allow unlimited coins to be traded (Me, Robert, Christian, Gary, Stu, George, Glen, Wes, Ken)
- ZERO votes NO
- Determined February 24, 2018
Should we have free agency bidding for each free agent? Or should free agents be a flat $5 cost?
- 6 votes - Keep it simple, stupid - keep the $5 free agent cost
- 4 votes - Make free agency open only on certain days to create bidding!
- 1 vote - Open free agency up to bidding at least some days of the week, at a $3 minimum salary
- Determined October 9, 2017 - Free agents continued to be $5
Should IR replacement free agents be able to tap into the hard salary cap of $200? Not regular free agent additions. ONLY IR replacement free agent players.
- 4 votes YES
- 6 votes NO
- Determined October 7, 2017 - No rule changed
Should We Have a 2nd IR Spot?
- 7 votes YES - (Erik, Stu, Christian, George, Robert So, Glen, Gary)
- 5 votes NO - (John, Wes, Nate, Monte, Ken)
- 2nd vote on this topic; Determined August 2, 2017

2016-17 Rule Votes

Allow any player deemed "out" to be placed on IR, even when it is not due to injury
- 8 votes YES - (Nate, Christian, David, John, Stuart, Mark, Glen, Erik)
- 3 votes NO - (Gary, Sacramento Mike, Wes)
- Determined March 9, 2017
Should We Have a 2nd IR Spot?
- 7 votes YES - (Gary, Christian, Glen, Erik, David B., Ken, Mark G.)
- 5 votes NO - (John, Sacramento Mike, Stu, Wes, Nate)
- Determined February 17, 2017
Should Player Values Stay With Player Even When Released
- 7 votes to YES - KEEP EXISTING RULE (Nate, Christian, Glen, Mark, Wes, Sacramento Mike, David)
- 4 votes for NO - CHANGE RULE - Player Values reset when released (John, Erik, Gary, Stuart)
- NO CHANGE TO RULE - Determined February 2, 2017
Developmental Squad With College Players
- 5 votes NO (Nate, Christian, Glen, Mark, Wes)
- 4 votes YES (John, Gary, Ken, Stuart)
- NO CHANGE TO RULE - Determined February 1, 2017
Should HAC Have a League Trophy
- 8 votes YES (John, Wes, Glen, Christian, Ken, Mark, Stuart, Gary)
- 0 votes NO
- Determined January 6, 2017
#5 and #6 Playoff Seeds Based on Total Points, not Win-Loss Record
- 8 votes YES (John, David, Gary, Glen, Michael, Wes, Ken, Mark)
- 3 votes NO (Christian, Erik, Stuart)
- Determined November 23, 2016
Maximum time limit to retain a player
- This rule would change the current system of an unlimited time limit to re-sign keepers to a maximum of a four year contract.
- 8 votes YES (John, Gary, Glen, Michael, Christian, Stuart, Mark, Stuart)
- 2 votes NO (Wes, David)
- Determined November 15, 2016.
Free Agency During Season
- First come, first serve during the day and when players aren't playing; during games it is a waiver claim system for 24 hours.
- In addition, players who are released go onto the waiver wire for 48 hours.
- 10 votes YES (John, Nate, Gary, Ken, Erik, Wes, Glen, Christian, Mark, Stuart)
- ZERO votes NO
- Determined October 30, 2016.
Change divisional setup from 3 to 2 divisions.
- Change from unbalanced schedule (more games against divisional foes) to balanced schedule (all teams play each other equal amount of times).
- Use last two weeks of regular season as "Flex" weeks for matchups against teams fighting for playoff spots.
  - All in one vote - September 29, 2016
  - 8 Votes for 2 divisions & balanced schedule - John, David, Ken, Sacramento Mike, Erik, Gary, Mark, Glen
  - 6 Votes for 1 division & balanced schedule - John, Ken, Christian, Gary, Wes, Stuart
  - 2 Votes for 3 divisions & balanced schedule - John, Gary
  - 0 Votes for keeping current setup - 3 divisions & unbalanced schedule
Straight draft vs. Serpentine draft format?
Raise FAAB money that can be included in a trade to $25

2015-16 Rule Votes

All free agents to be frozen during NBA games.
- October 23, 2015
- 8 votes YES - John, David, Long Shot Wes, Glen, Gary, Christian, Ken, Erik
- 4 votes NO - Sacramento Mike, Mark, Hickory Wes, Nate
Should trades be processed immediately
- November 9, 2015
- 9 Votes for immediate trade approval - Gary, Glen, David, Mark, John, Sacramento Mike, Ken, Hickory Wes, Nate
- 1 Vote for having both owners decide - Erik

2014-15 Rule Votes

50 transaction cap for add/drops
Move end of the season up 1-2 weeks. Start date would remain the same, Playoffs would be Weeks 21-23; simply a two week shorter regular season. Written more clearly thanks to Glen!
One Injured Reserve slot for each franchise.
At least one extra roster spot and potentially another starting spot.
FAAB money can be traded. The maximum allowed in any trade is $10.
For wild card playoff teams (seeds 4, 5, 6), points per game/week average, not record, will be the determining factor.
No trading first and second draft picks.
Two trade deadlines: midseason for any trade involving draft picks and then normal 2nd trade deadline (in early March) only for players.

2013-14 Rule Changes

Much of the groundwork laid in the 2012-13 HAC season will be carried over into the 2013-14 season and beyond. However, in a league that is still growing (and probably always will be), there are always adjustments that need to be made in order to make the league as enjoyable as it can be for all owners in the league.

Keepers
Trading Draft Picks
HAC Draft Setup
FAAB Budget for Players on Waivers

Keepers

Keepers will be brought into the league starting this season. Owners will have no limit to the amount of players they can retain from their roster from one season to the next. They can elect to keep no players or they can retain as many as they can afford under the HAC Keeper System. The keeper system is listed in the Constitution and copied here for easy reference:

To retain a player for another season, a franchise must "pay" a draft pick two rounds higher than where the player was originally drafted. For example: if Magic Johnson was drafted in the 8th round, his HAC franchise would have to "pay" a 6th round pick to re-sign him for the following season. Therefore, his "re-sign value" would be a 6th round pick. This process continues for however long the franchise wants to re-sign a player. For example, if the franchise wants to re-sign Magic again for a second season, they would have to "pay" a 4th round selection to do so. The season after that, the franchise would be forced to pay a 2nd round pick to keep Magic for a third year.

There will be no limit to how long a franchise can re-sign a player for. Theoretically, a franchise that drafts a player in the 14th round could retain that player for up to six seasons. This is the reward for making a great draft pick. If a franchise does not own a draft pick two rounds higher, they can trade for a draft pick in the round necessary, or they can give up a draft pick three rounds higher instead. If a team owns two draft picks in the same round, they must use their original pick if they own it. If they do not own it, they can choose which of the draft picks they will relinquish to retain the player as long as the pick is equal to or better than the franchise's original pick in the round.

The pick that is paid to re-sign a player must be equal to or better than the team's original pick in the round. This is an important clause in this rule to prevent a team from trading the 1st pick in the 3rd round for the 12th pick in the 3rd round for a later round swap in their favor.

Trading Draft Picks

HAC owners will have the ability to trade draft picks in the next season's draft.

All attempts for a stable league with returning owners have been made. However, in the off chance that an owner who has traded draft picks away leaves the league, his franchise's draft picks will be reinstated for the new owner. At the same time though, the owners who acquired draft picks will still retain the draft picks they traded for.

HAC Draft Setup

For the 2013 Draft, the draft order will be selected randomly for a complete redraft with no keepers. Starting with the 2014 Draft, teams will earn their draft pick based on their finish in the postseason. Meaning, the HAC Champion will get the #12 pick while the HAC Consolation Bracket winner will get the #1 pick. The team that loses in the Consolation Bracket Final will get the #2 pick.

FAAB Budget for Players on Waivers

Starting in the 2013-14 season, each franchise will have a $100 Free Agency Acquistion Budget (FAAB) to spend for the season. This will be used to acquire players that are on the Waiver Wire. Once a player is released, the player goes to the Waiver Wire for 48 hours. During that time, franchises will use their FAAB to acquire players on the Waiver Wire.

Preferences Established by HAC Owners

50 transactions in a season.
4 transactions per week.
4 year maximum time limit to re-sign keepers.
#5 and #6 playoff seeds based on season points, not win-loss record.

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