And so it happened. 90+ players with nearly 30 teams competing for their services. FA Day 2 was not only a complete and utter bloodbath, with hundreds of GM points flying about, but a total blast. On a personal note, I feel like the FA experience has come such a long way. Not only is the live event so much fun, but we’ve perfected it so teams have to make some difficult decisions about who to keep, how many points to spend and when to hold back. Gone are the days when all the big decisions are foregone conclusions. Though hundreds of different storylines flew through FA Day, here are some of the biggest ones.

Big Point Guys

Everyone expected the points to be thrown at marquee names such as Milos Teodosic and Nick Young. However, these aren’t the guy who attracted the most GM point love. Instead, a trio of veterans each garnered more than 60 each. The common factor? They were all minimum players on bargain deals. And while Michael Beasley had the most points thrown at him total, Tony Allen actually received an average of 7.6 points per bid. Finally, Ian Clark received the most bids of any player with nearly half the league vying for his services. People like a bargain!

Milos Teodosic

Interesting what a little injury can do. Or a game of chicken. Everyone thought the Russian PG would be the guy to attract the most attention on FA Day 2. In reality, only four teams bid on him, none with GM points. For Teodosic, the choice was clear: go to perennial winner Cleveland and play with Lebron James? Or go to rebuilding Phoenix, Utah who has both Derrick Rose and Chris Paul or the black hole of turmoil that is perpetually Washington. No-brainer here.

Houston

The Rockets surprised everyone last season. They were DOA and somehow made an incredible run at the end, bouncing in the playoffs. Was GM Vitticus some sort of mad genius? The new GM seemed more human on FA Day 2. He bumbled in an hour late, shouting about Langston Galloway and other guys like they were the second coming. In an exit interview, he talked about being excited about signing Darius Miller?! Lastly, he showed a complete breakdown in his understanding the rules when he signed two RFAs while bidding no GM points, essentially burning his MLEs and locking him out of the portion of FA Day 2 that he actually showed for. This could be a running joke in the NLL for a long, long time.

Toronto

Toronto stepped up in a big way when GM Carl Spackler reached out and grabbed Rajon Rondo, snatching him away from nine other teams that included contenders such as Cleveland, Sacramento, Boston and Brooklyn. After trading their pick for Bradley Beal, the Raptors showed the NLL world that they are accelerating the rebuilding process. With a starting lineup featuring Tyson Chandler, Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk, the team was only show a point guard. Enter Rajon Rondo. Great player for only $3 million. Toronto may have entered FA Day 2 an afterthought in the Eastern Conference, they left a contender.

Charlotte

The Hornets came up a lot in the post-FA Day 2 interviews. Lots of guys asked, “Does this guy even want to win?” After last season’s Tank-Gate, we thought we may see a GM determined to prove the nay-sayers wrong. Instead, Digga is going into the season nearly $25 million under the minimum salary. He let his best FA walk without a bid on Day 1. He only placed four half-hearted bids on Day 2 and got no one. GM Digga will be under a microscope this season. The Hornets have no excuse of being a sub-.500 team. Right now, he is being a sub-.500 GM.

Winners (GM who got most of their guys)

·       Chicago – 10 bids, 9 players signed: The Bulls ruled the day, getting nearly every single damned free agent they wanted. Dirk agreed early, breaking away a cap hold barrier and allowing GM Daz the chance to bid, bid, bid. They grabbed a starting center for a bargain in Dewayne Dedmon. GM-favorite Shaun Livingston came back to the fold. Glitch god Mike Scott even returned. While the rest is mostly bench fodder, it allows GM Daz the chance to surround Steph Curry and Klay Thompson with supporting cast. Could the Bulls be back, baby?

·       Boston- 16 bids, 10 players signed: God, I don’t want to give this guy any air time. The GM does a good enough job tooting his own horn on the ticker. However, it was undeniable that the Celtics had a good FA Day. Not only did they convince Tyreke Evans to stick around, adding Nick Young gives them a potent three-point threat off the bench. Even if the rest of the players is a bunch of no-names and non-starters, the fact that Boston grabbed most of what they wanted shows the team is a desirable place to be.

·       Cleveland- 8 bids, 6 players signed: GM Pistol is still feeling good about inheriting a good team. That helps him sign good free agents. We discussed Teodosic above, but Cleveland much-wanted guys like Tony Allen and Marresse Speights on cheap deals. Getting Andrew Bogut isn’t much to crow about, but there is always space on the IR.

Losers (GM who didn’t get most of their guys)

·       Brooklyn- 10 bids, 1 player signed: Even though the team is totally aproned, the Nets were somewhat active on FA day 2, putting out 10 offers, but only grabbing one guy (whose name seems to be missing?) At least, GM Wizkid didn’t spend any points. But it’s strange that no one wanted to go to Brookyln.

·       Golden State- 9 bids, 2 players signed: The Warriors should be happy that they kept RFAs Shabazz Muhammad and Joffrey Lauvergne. Yet, it wasn’t a good day for Golden State. The team dropped 48 GM points and totally whiffed on most of its targets. However, they did snag the most-wanted player in Ian Clark, but paid a pretty penny in points to do so.

Quote of the day (from constant sunshine and NLL inspiration/team player Darko)

How do you feel you did overall today based on your goals? F, i could have slept in and let the site resign the guys i did get.

Finally, the WTF?

Always chasing that balloon, the Indiana Pacers perplexed the NLL world with its signees on FA Day 2. Here’s what he got: Carrick Felix, Maxi Kleber, Sheldon Mac (out for the season), Langston Galloway. Well, GM Vitticus is upset about missing out on Galloway. I guess you’re in good company, Sheed.