Fantasy Basketball Coach

My New Favorite Shot Blocker - Kendrick Perkins

2006-02-04T03:03:00.000-05:00

The Boston Celtics knew what they were doing when they traded Mark Blount away. Nineteen year old, 6'10", 260 lbs., Kendrick Perkins has been getting the major share of Blount's minutes since the trade and so far has been one of the few draft picks to actually make Danny Ainge look smart.

Over the last 5 games Perkins has averaged 2 blocked shots per game, 9 rebounds (4.8 of them offensive), 8.2 points per game, 51.6% Field Goal Percentage and 100% from the free throw line.

Bottom line, he's a shot blocker, but he's not a black hole in all the other scoring categories like DeSagana Diop in Dallas.

Blocks are VERY hard to come by in Fantasy Basketball, and finding a player that is at least adequate in other categories besides shot blocking can also be difficult. Perkins is Center eligible in Yahoo Fantasy NBA.

Knicks acquire Rose

2006-02-03T17:49:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Raptors have traded Jalen Rose to the New York Knicks for Antonio Davis.

Why not? Although, it really seems like the Knicks have got way too many guards, so why not add another one. If Rose gets playing time from Larry Brown, which he should, his dismal numbers will probably improve.

It sounds like both coaches were just sort of tired of both players and decided to trade headaches.

As for the fantasy impact, Joey Graham probably will get more minutes and expect the Raptors to rely a little more on Morris Peterson for scoring also.

Minutes at the shooting guard spot in New York will get more divided and expect a drop in production for Jamal Crawford.

All-Disappointment Fantasy Basketball Team: Mid-Season Edition

2006-01-29T06:56:00.000-05:00

It’s not because of injury or suspension, these guys just hasn’t lived up to their previous Fantasy Basketball expectations this season.

Point Guard: Stephon Marbury – New York Knicks. Last season finished ranked 14th in Yahoo Roto Leagues, this season ranked 92. The difference: The Knicks suck and Larry Brown has completely stifled his game. Both his points and assists are down.

Shooting Guard: Michael Finley – San Antonio Spurs. Finley sacrificed his playing time and stats to try to win a ring with the Spurs. He finished last season ranked 75th in Yahoo Roto Leagues (with injuries) was 13th the year before that, and is now ranked 126th. Most disappointing is that his field goal percentage is down from 45% to 39%.

Small Forward: Kyle Korver – Philadelphia 76’ers. Korver finished last season ranked 15th in Yahoo. He’s still a respectable 45th this season. The difference: his steals, rebounds and free throw percentage are down slightly, and I think there are some weird team chemistry things going on with the 76’ers. He’s still shooting and making a lot of three pointers.

Power Forward: Raef LaFrentz – Boston Celtics. Points, Rebounds, FG%, FT% and most importantly minutes are all down this season. He was the 35th ranked player last season, now he’s 98th and falling.

Center: PJ Brown – Oklahoma City Hornets. Brown has never put up big numbers, but has always been solid. He’s down from 64th last season to 111th this season. The difference: If he gets just 2 more rebounds a game he’s ok, he’s also not shooting as much for whatever reason.

Fantasy Basketball All-Surprise Team: Mid-Season Edition

2006-01-29T05:52:00.000-05:00

This is my starting 5 of players that seemed to come out of nowhere to become good fantasy basketball contributors this season:

Point Guard: Delonte West – Boston Celtics. He went from 13 minutes a game last season as a rookie playing more of a shooting guard type of role from what I can recall, to being the starting Point Guard for the Celtics. 11.1 points per game, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and a whopping 50.9% Field Goal Percentage. This second year Point Guard is only averaging 1.7 turnovers per game!

Shooting Guard: Gerald Wallace – Charlotte Bobcats. Though currently injured with a bad bone bruise on his leg, Wallace has been the real deal. Averaging 14.5 points per game, 7 rebounds, an amazing 2.4 steals per game, 2.2 blocks per game – as a shooting guard!, and shooting a 54% field goal percentage.

Small Forward: Boris Diaw – Phoenix Suns. Diaw could also qualify as a surprise at the shooting guard or power forward position (he is eligible for all of these in Yahoo leagues). Averages 11.9 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists (didn’t he used to play point guard in Atlanta), 50% field goal percent, and 1 block per game. This guy was a total nobody last season – what a difference playing with Steve Nash makes…

Power Forward: David West – Oklahoma City Hornets. West is my All-Surprise Team MVP. 16.9 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, 51.2 FG%, 83.7 FT%, 1 steal and 1 block per game. If you were lucky enough to pick him up off the waiver wire good for you! West is currently ranked 35th in Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Roto Leagues. Expect more minutes from him with the departure of Chris Anderson from the Hornets.

Center: Channing Frye – New York Knicks. He’s good, for a rookie center. Not spectacular, but putting up the kind of numbers that better than average centers put up. 14 points, 6 rebounds, 50% FG, 82% FT. He’s averaging 2.3 offensive rebounds, which always translates into good numbers.

Good luck trying to find these guys game Jersey, at least this season...

Birdman busted, Hornets will miss his spirit

2006-01-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

The Birdman has crashed. Much like the mythical Icarus, Chirs Anderson apparently flew too close to the sun and melted his wings. The fantasy impact, I'm not sure that there is one, except that PJ Brown is going to have to step up defensively for the Hornets and may get more minutes.

Anderson was a good defender and brought a lot of energy to the game. A 2 year suspension seems very harsh, mandatory treatment and rehabilitation seems like a much better solution.

Timberwolves trade Szczerbiak to Celtics in seven-player deal

2006-01-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

The Celtics get Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones and a future first round draft pick.

The Timberwolves get Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed and two conditional 2nd round draft picks.

From a Fantasy basketball perspective I don't think this trade really helps anyone, and from the perspective of both teams it just changes the players and doesn't really upgrade their talent.

Wally will not see the kind of numbers and open shots without a post presence like KG drawing double teams. Ricky Davis is more of a penetrator and not an outside shooter so I don't see any benefit to him playing with KG. Both players are going to have to change their games.

Perhaps Olowakandi will see an increase in minutes with the Celtics, but I don't think he's worth picking up even as a back up Center.

Pacers must adjust with Peja

2006-01-26T08:37:00.000-05:00

Well it finally happened. It sounds like a great deal for the Pacers, who get the most Larry Bird-like player in the league.

Don't expect an instant impact for Peja though, he's still not healthy.

As for Artest, he will get his stats, but I think everyone is well aware of his status as a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off.

Check out the Detroit Free Press's perspective on the deal for Indiana:

The Indiana Pacers finally concluded their version of the Ron Artest saga Wednesday and shipped the volatile forward to the Sacramento Kings for shooting guard Stojakovic.
The Pacers -- the team the Pistons battled in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago and in the second round last season -- might go through an identity tweak.
Artest worked both ends of the floor and was the defensive cog on a grind-it-out team. Stojakovic isn't known for his defense and likes to shoot, shoot and shoot some more.
Pistons coach Flip Saunders predicted that Stojakovic will have to adjust to taking fewer shots, or the Pacers will have to open up their offense.
But Pistons shooting guard Maurice Evans, a former teammate of Stojakovic's, said he thinks the move will work out well for the Pacers if they use Jermaine O'Neal's presence inside to open up things for Stojakovic outside. Make O'Neal the new Chris Webber. Or Stojakovic the new Reggie Miller.
"Now he'll be back in a situation where he can fulfill the role that Reggie Miller was playing, where he can come off screens and get shots," Evans said Wednesday. "And he has a guy like Jermaine O'Neal who can demand a double-team and who can pass the ball out of the double-team. I think he can go back to regaining his form again."

All Hindsight Fantasy Draft: Mid-season Edition

2006-01-26T03:58:00.000-05:00

Hindsight is 20/20. I woulda/shoulda/coulda drafted…

It’s been a terrible season for me in my Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Winners League, mostly because of injuries to both my starting Centers (Yao Ming and Marcus Camby). But I think most of my problems are the result of really bad choices in the later rounds of my draft. I gambled and got burnt on too many “prospects”.

I had the 7th pick in my league of 12, which is the first time I ever drafted in the middle of a draft.

With my first pick I knew the marquee multi-category studs would be mostly gone at number 7, so I decided to try to lock up the assists category by picking Steve Nash, who shoots great percentages and scores with a great average as well. I left Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Gilbert Arenas, Barron Davis and Tim Duncan for others to draft. In hindsight Ray Allen is having a great year and probably was the correct pick to make, but I don’t regret my strategy of getting the leagues assist leader, just his 4 turnovers a game average.

My second pick at number 18 was Yao Ming, who of course has a big toe injury/infection. I thought he was due for a breakout season, but his season average ranking is currently #74, which doesn’t account for his injuries. Centers are extremely rare and I knew I needed to get a top one as soon as possible in my Winners league. I took Yao for his points, rebounds, blocked shots and especially his field goal percentages. If I was going to draft a Center at this spot Rasheed Wallace and Chris Bosh would have been better picks, especially considering the freak toe injury that knocked Yao out.

The third pick at 31 I took Kyle Korver, currently ranked #56. I knew Korver would give me 3 pointers and shoot a great percentage doing it. He finished last season ranked 15th. Things haven’t been as easy for Korver this year, teams are conscious of what he can do outside and are defending him. Hindsight: Rashard Lewis was on the board and I didn’t even hesitate to draft Korver…

At 42 I drafted Andre Iguodala (currently ranked 48) because he’s a great multi-category player – a poor mans Scott Pippen if you will. Hindsight being what it is, I really needed a scorer at this spot and almost took Michael Redd (ranked #26) at this spot. This might have been my biggest mistake of the draft.

At 55 I gambled on injury prone Marcus Camby to be my second Center. Despite his injuries, I don’t regret this pick. On season averages Camby is ranked number 2 in all the Yahoo Roto Leagues. If I have any hope of climbing back in the standings this year, he will be the cause of it. Hindsight pick: None.

At 66 I took Cutino Mobley (currently # 52). I needed scorers, three point shooters or guards, Mobley seemed like the best available. Although injured now Gerald Wallace has had a great season and Eddie Jones has had a good season under the radar.

At this point the casual fantasy player would look at my choices and wonder if I was on Crack… I made one great pick; Brevin Knight in the ninth round that is giving me big time steals and assists. But I picked Charlie Villanueva (ranked 97th) at 79 to be my power forward with Chris Webber and Drew Gooden still available.

I finished up with Marquise Daniels, Mike Sweetney, Damon Jones, Udonnis Haslem and Theo Ratliff. But in hindsight the only player I really regret not drafting from the 8th round down is Shane Battier. I have since released all these players for Centers to make up the roster deficit that Camby and Yao have left me to make up.

Live by the Camby / Die by the Camby

2006-01-21T05:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I knew he was injury prone, we all did. But I'm a Nugget fan and last season made me a believer. I was riding high early in the season when he was number 1 in the Yahoo roto leagues, now I'm not so high...

The good news is that Marcus is having the pins removed from his broken pinky finger early, the bad news is that Marcus is having the pins removed from his broken pinky finger early...

Besides I've go Yao Ming at Center to take up the slack while Marcus is out! Yeah right. Yao's big toe is supposedly going to be healthy enough to play in a week and a half.

Have I said anything about how much I miss having an injured reserve spot on my roster.... Those were the days!

Yes. I'm still here.

2006-01-21T05:11:00.000-05:00

I'm not dead. I'm just the daddy of a 5 month old. Thanks for all the inquiries as to my state of being.

This little one has definitely affected my blogging time and perhaps my time to focus on Fantasy Basketball as much as I used to...But come on look at that face.

I'm going to try to start writing again soon about my abysmal season thus far and how much I hate Injuries!

Oh yeah, GO BRONCOS!

Week One: Tip of the Week

2005-11-05T09:03:00.000-05:00

It's early! Don't drop half your team for what's hot on the waiver wire. Be patient and give it at least 3 weeks with your roster. You drafted your players for a reason, have faith in your choices.

Take note of who is the most active on the waiver wire in your league. They are the ones most likely to be willing to trade players with you in the future, and the most likely to give you the best deal on those trades.

Playing At The Pace of The Game

2005-11-05T08:42:00.000-05:00

The fantasy basketball season is now underway! Now that you have drafted your team, you have to change your focus from being a general manager who finds talent to being a coach and playing the right players. Being a successful fantasy basketball coach requires a lot of diligence in choosing your rosters on a daily basis.

Yahoo Fantasy NBA allows you to play your 10 roster positions for 82 games a piece. The pace at which you decide to play those games is up to you. You can track your teams progress on playing these 82 games per position by going to the link in the lower right corner box of your teams page labeled “Maximum Games Played”.

The column you need to pay the most attention to in Maximum Games Played is the one called “Projected”. This column tells you based on the games you have played thus far in the season if you are on pace to meet your 82 games.

Why should you care about all of this? Well it’s a strategy thing and a team management thing…

If your projected number for a position is a high negative number in red, you could be in trouble. Likewise, playing too far ahead of the pace can have disadvantages.

Falling into the red, or behind the 82 game pace, happens most often because of injury. If your starter gets injured, you are going to have to replace him at some point in the season with a bench player to catch up. Failing to play your 82 games per position is just stupid. Playing a low producing player is always better than playing no one at all.

If you fall behind the pace, at some point in the season you will have to “double up” and play your starter on nights when he plays and play your bench player when the starter has an off night in order to catch up to the pace. The difficulty is that you have to find a bench player that isn’t playing the same night as your starter.

If I have a long term injury to my starter, I usually try to play someone is his spot right away, rather leave the spot “blank” and double up later. It’s just easier to replace the injured player with someone else until they come back, than to play catch up later.

Some fantasy coaches intentionally play well ahead of the 82 game pace. I really believe some just like to see themselves dominating their standings for ¾ of the season. In my years of playing fantasy basketball, I have never seen this translate to winning the league at the end of the season when it really counts.

The most common reason for playing well ahead of the 82 game pace is concern about injuries. But its not a well thought out reason. Yahoo Fantasy NBA is about efficiency. The team that had the most efficient season for the 820 games your team plays, wins. To play well ahead of the 82 game pace is not an efficient strategy, because to do it you have to double up.

Example: Your starter plays the full 82 game NBA season and finishes the fantasy season ranked the 54th player in the league. Early in the season you decide to ‘double up’ and play another player (who finishes the season ranked 80th ) on your starters off night to play ahead of the pace. This can make it look like you’re dominating the league at the mid season, because you played so many games more than the other teams in your league, but it’s an illusion. If you split the games evenly for each player in that roster spot (41 games each) the “combined” player would be ranked 67th. That’s a big difference from your starter who finishes ranked 54th. More importantly, the more efficient teams always catch up the last three weeks of the season.

The error of playing way ahead seems so obvious and you might ask “Why would anyone ever do that?” I don’t know the answer, but I have seen it happen in every single Fantasy Basketball League I have ever been in. It’s very common.

Remember Fantasy Basketball is not a race to the finish line, it’s an efficiency test.

End of the Injured List

2005-10-30T00:26:00.000-04:00

Fantasy Basketball Guru has great points about Yahoo Fantasy NBA's removal of the Injury List from the leagues.

One of the most ground breaking things in fantasy basketball in recent years happened last night. Collectively, this is probably bigger than Amare getting injured this pre-season or the Palace Brawl with the Pacers last year. It may not seem like it at first hand but with the NBA removing the Injured List and the fantasy leagues following suit, this is pretty big news. This means that managers can no longer stash their injured players on the IL and pick up a replacement. For example, my thesis on Amare (the previous post) pretty much goes down the drain with the removal of the IL slot. Unless you league allows for a large bench in relation to the number of starters, how are you going to be able to keep someone on your bench that is not going to play 2/3rds of the season? It is simply a pain in the rear. Three things come into mind when analyzing this development and each has a subtle but collectively, large effect in how one should draft and later how you should start/bench your players. Gurus will be able to benefit from this new development and amateurs will not even know that they were affected until it is too late (if they know it all). Here they are:

1) Injury prone players' (i.e. Baron Davis, A.I., etc...) value goes way down. See Amare discussion above. You should simply not even draft injury-prone players since you should be able to find a comparable player instead. Most people will probably not have priced in the IL development in their drafting strategy yet. Amare become undraftable unless you want to take a stab and a bench spot in the last 2 rounds. A.I. should not be drafted in the first round.

2) Rare position values go up. If your league plays 2 centers, center-eligible players go up in value., especially if they are not injury prone. Multiple-position players go up in value too.

3) In roto leagues, most people should play more games earlier in case they do not finish all their games by the end of the season. In H2H, this does not change.

Latest Funston Top 100

2005-10-29T18:35:00.000-04:00

Lots of people moving up on his list for good preseason play. But the biggest news is Kurt Thomas gets back his Center eligibility for Yahoo Fantasy NBA, with the injury to Amare Stoudemire.

Kurt Thomas should be on your draft list of top Centers, and has moved up my cheat sheet substantially. He's possibly worth a fourth round pick and a great pick anywhere from the fifth round on down.

http://fantasysports.yahoo.com/analysis/news?slug=bf-bigboard-basketball&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&league=fantasy/nba

Charlie Villanueva: 2005 Fantasy Rookie of the Year?

2005-10-27T23:23:00.000-04:00

A good article on Charlie Villanueva who is having very nice numbers in the Pre-season for the Raptors.

Guess what? Villanueva currently leads all rookies during the preseason in scoring (16.9 points) while adding 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and .86 blocks in 30.3 minutes per game. He had 19 points (on 8-of-12 shooting) to go with five boards in just 25 minutes Monday night against the Blazers. Last week he had 24 points and seven rebounds in an OT victory over the Nets, including three clutch free throws in the final seconds to send the game into the extra session.

"I think people are seeing why we took Charlie with the seventh pick," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell says. "He's a multitalented guy, he works hard, he can play three positions and he's getting better every game. If you look at the numbers he's putting up and the different ways we are using him this kid has a chance to be a very good basketball player."

Villanueva is definitely playing with a chip on his shoulder. He admits he was ticked off by the criticisms he received on draft night. He remembers every word Dick Vitale and the other experts on ESPN said about him. He recalls getting on a plane to Toronto the next day and seeing a local newspaper ripping his selection. His agent, Billy Ceisler, has since had the newspaper framed and hung in Villanueva's apartment.

"It hurt," says Villanueva, who had been watching the ESPN telecast with his family. "It was my big day, you know. Getting drafted was something I'd dreamed about. To hear all those negative comments was tough." "But I decided it was just going to make me work harder. I feel I've got something to prove."

What the critics failed to mention about Villanueva on draft night was that he was only 20 years old and that he had been making progress. UConn observers say his work ethic had improved under coach Jim Calhoun's strict hand. They note he was always a willing passer and good teammate. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while helping lead the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.

Talent and Opportunity may make him a good mid to late round choice at Power Forward.

NBA Source: Magloire for Mason

2005-10-27T22:53:00.000-04:00

Well, there seems to be a difference of opinion with fellow Fantasy Basketball Blogger Give Me the Rock about my thoughts on Desmond Mason averaging 20 points per game as a result of his trade to the Hornets, which I'm fine with. Give Me the Rock has some good points about Bobby Simmons benefiting from the trade as well, which I agree with.

But I really think Mason can make it happen. He averaged 22.8 points per 48 minutes last season, and will most definitely see more time on the floor per game with the Hornets this season. Good players with opportunities on bad teams are usually pretty good guys to have on your fantasy team.

Trade! Desmond Mason For Jamal Magloire

2005-10-26T18:57:00.000-04:00

This trade has some significant Fantasy Basketball Implications. First and foremost of which is that Desmond Mason is now THE man on the Hornets. Don't be surprised to see lots of 20 + points per game with a still decent shooting percentage. The Hornets don't really have any other scorers and he will fill that need quite nicely for them. Whether or not it translates to actual wins for the Hornets is besides the point. From the Fantasy perspective it's great news for Mason owners and for Mason's many fans in Oklahoma who watched him in college at Oklahoma State. Additionally, it sounds like Mason has put on some extra muscle in the off season and is rebounding better as a result.

On the flip side, if you own Magliore, Dan Gadzuric or #1 rookie draft pick Andrew Bogut, you just lost a little ground. I question how the minutes at Center are going to be divided with those three on the same roster. Magliore is a former Eastern Conference All Star, albeit from a very week year for the East for Centers, but an All Star nonetheless, and should start at Center for the Bucks.

Magliore is in the last year of his contract, but despite that, I wonder if the Bucks are questioning their picking Bogut number 1 in last years draft. Bogut himself has actually been saying that he doesn't think he deserves to start, and that was before this trade.

Be wary of picking Bogut in your Fantasy draft this year.

On The Floor...

2005-10-22T08:47:00.000-04:00

In the late, late rounds of your fantasy NBA draft most peoples draft lists are trashed. By the 11th, 12th and 13th pick you often times are just looking for the best player available regardless of position. Part of your consideration for these last picks should be the amount of minutes these players will be on the floor per game.

A good player on a great team, may not get the minutes needed to really contribute statistically to your fantasy team. Selecting average players on bad teams that have the opportunity to play big minutes can be advantageous for you in the very late rounds of your draft.

The following players aren’t necessarily great, but they will see significant minutes this season that will lead to decent fantasy numbers, that will in many cases be better than other more talented players who may sit on the bench this season:

Rookie – Charlie Villanueva will see significant minutes in Toronto this season and will likely start. He is already one of the leagues leaders in minutes per game in the pre-season.

Center, Marc Jackson will play good minutes for New Jersey this season, especially when Nenad Kristic is getting beat up playing inside against more physical players.

Lorenzen Wright – is the only Center that will see any significant minutes in Memphis, now that Stromile Swift is gone. Look for him to be on the floor at least 30 minutes a game.

James Jones – a virtually unknown player – may actually start for Phoenix’s high powered offense at Small Forward, because of the Amare Stoudemire injury. Jones looks to be this seasons Bobby Simmons.

Smush Parker has made a career of being the third point guard on the roster, but it looks like he's going to start at point guard for the Lakers.

Remember, don’t just draft the best available players with your last picks. Draft the best available players that will play the most minutes.

Centers: Draft Early and Often

2005-10-22T05:48:00.000-04:00

Yahoo Fantasy NBA Basketball Leagues require you to play two Centers for 82 games a piece. As mentioned in our earlier article “Center of Concern”, good Centers are hard to come by. As of the date of this article there are approximately 113 Center eligible players that are active in Yahoo Fantasy NBA. Less than half of that number will see any significant minutes on the floor.

I strongly believe that if you want to win a Yahoo Fantasy NBA league you must draft a Center worthy of being drafted in the first three rounds. This is currently a very short list: Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Brad Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Emeka Okafor. Noticeably absent from that list are Shaq, Ben Wallace and Amare Stoudemire. As mentioned in “Center of Concern”, Shaq and Ben Wallace are fantasy “deal breakers” strictly on the basis of their free throw percentage. And, in case you’ve had your head in the ground, Amare Stoudemire is out with a knee injury for about four months.

After drafting your number one Center, you still have to draft another. The next tier of available Center talent includes: Marcus Camby, Mehmet Okur, Rasheed Wallace, Raef LaFrentz and P.J. Brown. These players typically will go anywhere from the fourth to the seventh round of your draft.

Tier three really isn’t that different in production from the second tier, but these players all tend to be drafted in the later rounds: Brendan Haywood, Samuel Dalembert, Eddie Curry and Nenad Kristic are good third tier options at Center. These are all players worth considering from the fifth round down as your second center.

I strongly believe in playing it safe and having insurance in case of injury, so I always try to draft three Centers. You always have a minimum of three spots on your bench that you don’t have to play every night. Since Center is so important and so rare a position, you need a third Center.

The things to consider when drafting a third Center: Blocked Shots, Blocked Shots and Blocked Shots! Blocks are the rarest of fantasy basketball categories so you need to have a shot blocking Center specialist in reserve to keep you competitive in the category. It’s worth it to play a Center every now and then that provides you little else statistically in all the other categories, but excels at blocking shots. Theo Ratliff, Adonal Foyle and Chris Anderson are some of the best at doing this.

The other category, outside of blocks to consider when drafting a third Center is a non-scoring category. Minutes per game are always one of the most important considerations for any late round draft pick. Andrew Bogut was the number one draft pick of last season’s draft, and is already saying he doesn’t think he should start. However, Bogut will see significant minutes for the Bucks, even if he doesn’t start, and will provide rebounds, points and a few blocked shots. Another non-starting Center that will see significant time on the floor is Denver’s Nene. Nene is still very young, and has a huge upside for improvement. He will see big minutes with the Nuggets, especially if Marcus Camby gets injured.

NBA.Com Experts Draft

2005-10-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

The foremost "experts" in Fantasy Basketball got together for their annual experts draft for NBA.com.

Agree or disagree with their picks, but they are a very good guideline for what round all of these players should or will be drafted in.

Please keep in mind, again, this draft was for an eight-category rotisserie league, which means turnovers are not a scoring category, as they are in Yahoo Fantasy NBA.

Anatomy of the Steal

2005-10-18T21:13:00.000-04:00

I’m messing around with NBA.Com’s new sortable stats again. It really dissects a stat in a thousand different ways. Here’s what I found about steals last season:

Most Steals Per Game at Home: Larry Hughes - 3.03, Allen Iverson - 2.39

Most Steals Per Game on the Road: again Larry Hughes - 2.73, Allen Iverson – 2.41

Most Steals before the All Star Break: Shawn Marion – 115, LeBron James 114

Most Steals after the All Star Break: Larry Hughes – 80, Allen Iverson - 77

Most Steals per 48 minutes: Larry Hughes – 3.58, Brevin Knight – 3.24

Most Steals per 48 minutes Pre All Star Break: Larry Hughes – 3.62, Tony Allen 3.22

Most Steals per 48 minutes Post All Star Break: Brevin Knight – 3.8, Greg Buckner – 3.59

It appears that steals are harder to come by the later you get in the season, but bottom line, steals are hard to come by all season.

Pau Gasol - Muscled Up and Mentally Tough ?

2005-10-16T20:35:00.000-04:00

You know, this is the story I've been waiting to hear about Pau Gasol for years. It sounds like he's finally put on some muscle and is rested up. Playing in Spain in the summers has definitely not helped his game in the NBA. If this article is true, then he may actually live up to all that "potential" that people have said he has. Regardless, he's a good pick for your fantasy team from the fifth round of the draft on.

Eddie Jones couldn't lie.

The veteran swingman looked to his right, thought for a second and assessed the big man sitting in a neighboring locker.

Pre-Grizzlies, that is.

"I always thought he didn't go real hard," Jones said. "I always thought he had talent, but..."

That was Jones's perception of Pau Gasol from afar.

So what does Jones think about Gasol's game after spending two weeks with him in training camp? "It seems like he's putting guys in the rim," Jones said, still looking at the 7-footer as he spoke. "He's playing like every minute is his last."

Focused and forceful with the basketball, Gasol amassed 19 points to go with eight rebounds in 20 minutes, and led the Grizzlies to a 104-79 preseason win against the Washington Wizards on Saturday night in FedExForum.

Gasol returned to the Grizzlies bigger after lifting weights in a rare offseason he didn't play basketball.

Good thing. He's also carrying a load of anxiety.

"I'm approaching camp with more energy," Gasol said after making 9-of-12 shots. "I just want to compete. I haven't had that since the last game of the playoffs (against Phoenix in May). Plus, I'm motivated by the changes we've made."

Teammates not only are impressed by Gasol's improved physical strength but the newcomers see mental toughness. Gasol clearly wants to prove that he can lead the Griz back to the postseason as the team's unmistakable go-to guy.

"He looks fresh to me. He looks alive," Griz coach Mike Fratello said. "His concentration has been exceptional. ... He's way ahead of where he was a year ago defensively."

Gasol has made defensive principles a priority in camp. He's also intent on playing tougher. That doesn't mean dishing out punishment. But as Gasol showed against the Wizards, he'll attack the rim with better control of his body while absorbing contact.

"There's going to be more contact just like it's been every year," Gasol said. "Guys try to be more physical with me, so you have to show them you're not scared or intimidated."

Fratello is cautiously optimistic when it comes to issue of strength. "It's a long season," Fratello said. "He has to maintain that conditioning."

There is no question Gasol worked harder than ever after appearing in just 56 games last season because of a foot injury. He decided against playing for his national team at the European Championships. Instead, Gasol worked out with a personal trainer, and later spent a week with Griz strength coach Mike Curtis.

he Spaniard returned to Griz training camp well rested for the first time since joining the NBA. Gasol had played for Spain each summer. So full of energy was Gasol on Saturday night that he led an early rout by scoring 17 points on a variety of moves at the rim in the first half. The Grizzlies' lead swelled to 33 points just before halftime.

Yahoo! Sports - Fantasy - Point Guards: Packin' Heat

2005-10-15T07:22:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! Sports - Fantasy - Point Guards: Packin' Heat

Outside of myself, and Brandon Funston, there isn't a lot of Fantasy Basketball Analysis specifically just for Yahoo Leagues. So check out his Point Guard rankings.

The cream of the '05 class of fantasy point guards runs deep, with at least a dozen players offering a proven track record of consistent production. I have Dwyane Wade at the top of the crop, even though he'll play mostly shooting guard for the Heat this season. He retains his PG eligibility, and should benefit fantasy owners most in that spot.
Wade did not rank as the top PG in the Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball game last season – Gilbert Arenas held that honor – but when you factor in Wade's one-plus blocked shots per game, he's a fantasy luxury, lessening the worry of having to take a stiff at center that satisfies a blocks need.
Steve Nash rated out just ninth among PGs in the Yahoo! game, but what is it worth to fantasy owners to lock up a fantasy league's assists title with one pick on draft day? That's, essentially, is what Nash offers, as he finished with 193 more assists than the next closest contender.
There is plenty of intrigue at the point guard position — Jameer Nelson gets a shot at starting out of the gate in Orlando, Marko Jaric finds himself with the good fortune of setting up shots for Kevin Garnett in Minnesota and Jamaal Tinsley and Sarunas Jasikevicius, a Euroleague superstar from Lithuania, showcase themselves for head coach Rick Carlisle in one the highest profile position battles of the preseason.
Taking all things into consideration, here is a look at the top 25 points guards for the '05-'06 fantasy basketball season: http://fantasysports.yahoo.com/analysis/news?slug=bf-pgrank-05&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&league=fantasy/nba

Living In the Back of the Draft

2005-10-15T06:24:00.000-04:00

There are moments immediately before your fantasy basketball draft that can be nerve racking. The questions everyone’s wondering are: “What is the draft order?” And “Where is my first pick?”

Yahoo Fantasy NBA randomly generates its leagues draft orders approximately 30 minutes before the start of each draft. So if you have the “unfortunate” luck of having to pick at spot number eleven or twelve in the draft order you better get over the grief of not having a top pick pretty fast. (Hint: check in as early as possible to see your draft order and plan how you will pick – DON”T BE LATE).

Having a multi-category stud like Kevin Garnett, LeBron James or Shawn Marion at the 11th or 12th Pick will likely NOT happen. But there is no reason to cry about it. You can still win your league. The key way to think about it is not that you are the last pick of the first round, but that you are also the first pick of the second round!

Some might argue that you get more talent with the 12th and 13th picks than with the 1st and 24th picks. The talent level at the 24th pick is considerably lower than even the 15th pick. Drafting near the top also makes you much more reliant on your number one pick to contribute to your team effort – which is a big risk if he gets injured.

If I draft in the very back of the first round, and the elite players of the league are off the draft board, I believe in drafting for “positional need”. The most rare players in Fantasy Basketball are Centers and good/great starting Point Guards. Yahoo Fantasy NBA of course requires that you start two Centers for 82 games each, and realistically there are only really five Center’s, not counting Shaq who is a Free Throw Deal breaker and Amare Stoudemire who is reportedly out for four months, who are worth picking in the first 3 rounds.

An ideal point guard in the late first and early second round should average at least 6 assists per game, should make his fair share of three pointers and average about a steal or more per game. (Think: Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury and Mike Bibby).

After picking for these two positions, which are the hardest to fill in your draft with good/great players, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to fill your roster with Guards and Forwards, which are in much greater supply. The drop off in talent level for these players between the 4th and 8th round is minimal.

I recently drafted in a private league of thirteen teams and had to pick at spots twelve and fifteen. I chose the league leader in assists last season, Steve Nash, to be my Point Guard at pick 12, and chose Yao Ming at the 15th pick to be my first Center. Considering my draft position, I was very happy to have both those players still available. It’s much easier to pick the best available player in the third round, than it is to draft the best available Center and Point Guard in the second and third round.

Also remember, whenever you are drafting around the first or last picks in each round, you need to think about picking pairs of players. If you are the 12th pick, you also have to pick 13th, etc. Be prepared and have two players in mind every time you are approaching time to pick.

Good Luck, no matter where you pick.

Down with Pleurisy? LeBron is Released From the Hospital

2005-10-14T22:31:00.000-04:00

Pleurisy? OK that's a new one. Either way it looks like a full recovery is expected and he will be OK to draft.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James was released from the hospital Friday following a two-night stay because of a virus that caused severe pain in his chest.
James was hospitalized Wednesday for what the team initially called a strained pectoral muscle. But Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said Friday that James came down with pleurisy, an inflammation of the thin layers of tissue covering his lungs and chest cavity.
The 20-year-old is being treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication, and the team said it expects James to make a ``quick, full recovery.''
James sat out the Cavs' preseason home opener Friday night against Philadelphia, and it remains unclear when the third-year pro will return.
``Yeah, I'm getting better,'' James, dressed in street clothes, said before joining his teammates on the bench for the club's third exhibition game.
The Cavaliers expressed relief that James' injury wasn't more serious.
``We're all happy that is was nothing more than that,'' Ferry said following Friday morning's shootaround. ``He's feeling better already. It's a minor thing.''

ESPN.com - NBA - LeBron hospitalized for tests for chest pain from strain

2005-10-13T21:49:00.000-04:00

First Amare, now this...

CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James remained hospitalized Thursday with pain in his chest from what the team called a strained muscle.

James was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic for tests Wednesday night, hours after he was wincing during practice. James said he doesn't know how he got the injury, which team doctors initially diagnosed as a strained left pectoral.

The Cavaliers did not reveal James' hospital stay until Thursday afternoon when he missed practice.

General manager Danny Ferry said tests on James have not shown anything abnormal, and his understanding is that James' heart "is not an issue."

"They're going to test everything," Ferry said.

Following Wednesday's workout at Quicken Loans Arena, James continued to be bothered by stiffness and soreness. At the Cavaliers' urging, the 20-year-old was taken to the hospital, Ferry said.

"Just as a precaution, we wanted to have tests to make sure he checks out well," Ferry said. "All the test results we have back so far have been good and there is nothing to be concerned about. Every indication is that it is a muscle injury."

It's about Time!: NBA.com: The Numbers Game

2005-10-13T18:20:00.000-04:00

NBA.com has finally gotten its act together and done something for fantasy players. They just added some sortability to their stats.

You can now do the following at http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Scoring.jsp:

Sort player stats by how many days rest a player has had;
Sort player stats by how they perform against specific teams;
Sort player stats by performance as a starter versus a reserve player;
Sort player stats by performance versus Eastern Conference teams or Western Conference Teams and their divisions;
Pre-All-Star break versus Post All-Star break;
Sort by draft class age for Rookies or sophomores; and
Sort player stats by days of the week.

The possibilities for getting data are enormous!

Examples:

Quentin Richardson scored more three pointers on the road last season than any other player in the league (122 for the season).
Joel Przybilla had more blocks after the All Star Game last season than any player (103).
Steve Francis lead the league in turnovers before the All Star Game last season (215 total).
Desmond Mason averaged 32 points per game last season versus the Warriors.
Kurt Thomas averaged 4.1 fouls per game after the All Star Break.

The obvious benefit for fantasy players is the ability to choose the best player on their team for each nights starting roster, based on the game situation (i.e. if Desmond Mason is playing Golden State, I'm not benching him that night!)

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

Looking for your draft "dark horse" Go to Lithuania!

2005-10-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has paid attention to international basketball knows that the best player in the World not playing in the NBA the last few years has been Sarunas Jasikevicius. But now that's all changed. In the biggest Free Agent signing this summer that no one even heard about, the Indiana Pacers signed him. It sounds like they want him to fill Reggie Miller's shooting guard role, but make no mistake this guy is a point guard and a really good one. I would question drafting Jamal Tinsley at this point because of his arrival.

A nice article on the Pacers web site discusses his adapting to the NBA game - and it's pretty modest http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/camp_jasikevicius_051009.html?rss=true.

Of the many new experiences awaiting Sarunas Jasikevicius, the business of being a 29-year-old rookie is unique.

"I get jokes for everything," he said, laughing. "I get jokes for old man, I get jokes for rookie. I've got the best of both worlds."

That's no joke. The 6-4 guard from Lithuania is living something of a dual life. With the Pacers, he is a newcomer quietly trying to fit in, hoping to earn a substantial role in the rotation if not the starting point-guard job. In Europe, however, he is a star of epic proportions whose every move commands attention; his life story is the subject of a soon-to-be-released movie.

It is the current job that has his complete attention. His seven years of professional experience, his three consecutive EuroLeague championships and his global legend aren't forgotten, but neither are they trumpeted. Within the confines of the practice court at Conseco Fieldhouse, he's just another guy trying to make a positive impression on his new coaches and teammates.

"I would like to have some kind of role on this team, there's no question about it but ultimately we help Pacers to win," Jasikevicius said. "Don't get me wrong. I would like to play. I would like to play a lot. That's not a question. But we're one month away from the season, and there's so much more important stuff than your role on the team. If you're in shape, if you come ready to play, if you take care of your body, then that other stuff will take care of itself. I really believe that. "

A deadly shooter, Jasikevicius is adjusting well to playing without the ball, coming off screens to get open. Individual defense, never a strength, remains a work in progress but his total package of offensive skills has been in evidence.

"He's experienced, he's a great shooter, he fits in with our personnel and the style we want to play," said Coach Rick Carlisle. "We're confident it's not going to take him much time at all to get acclimated. He's played against a lot of NBA players in the Olympics and other situations like that. He's doing well so far and we expect him to get better.

"It's different, but he played college ball at Maryland in the ACC so he's very familiar with American basketball and he knows the NBA game because he studied it a lot and he's played against a lot of the players. The learning curve for him as a 29-year-old shouldn't be that great."

His level of commitment to proving himself as a winner in the NBA also has been impressive. Jasikevicius did not play for Lithuania in the European Championship, a particularly difficult decision given his role as the biggest star on the national team. This after turning down offers of more money and playing time from other teams to sign with the Pacers because they offered the best chance to win.

His Lituanian National team mate, Arvydas Macijauskas, has also signed with the Hornets. He scored 24 points against the U.S. in Athens (a rare U.S. win) in the Bronze medal Olympic game.

He might start with Hornets, but could end up being the sixth man as well. He should be good for three pointers and will get some good minutes with a team like the Hornets. (Note: there are some rumors about a foot injury he picked up in Europe).

Both of these guys are worth picking up in the later rounds of your draft. By Christmas time everyone in your league will be calling you a genius for picking them up.

Focus on the "Rare" categories

2005-10-10T16:35:00.000-04:00

If you like reading the big fantasy basketball preview magazines that always come out this time of year, you should check out the First Official “NBA.Com Fantasy Draft Guide”. It’s the best of the guides out there this year in my opinion.

An article by Matthew Berry, from The Talented Mr. Roto http://talentedmrroto.com/nba.asp , called “Our 2005 Draft Day Manifesto” has some pretty good points to think about:

Last season only 21 players averaged 1.5 blocks a game or more. Eleven of those players averaged 2 or more blocks a game.

Only 16 guys averaged 1.5 steals per game.

Only 21 players had at least 130 three pointers last season.

32 players averaged 7 or more rebounds a game.

46 players averaged 15 or more points per game.

62 players averaged over 45% Field Goal percentage.

65 players averaged over 80% from the Free Throw Line.

The point: Three Pointers, Steals and especially Blocked Shots are hard to come by.

Berry’s main position in the article centers around building on strength at the point guard position.

As it relates to assists, only 7 point guards averaged seven or more assists per game last season. His theory for winning is to draft four point guards who average at least 5.5 assists per game and make at least one hundred three pointers.

This will work in a lot of leagues, but Yahoo leagues count turnovers and four point guards will kill your chances of winning in my opinion. Nonetheless, he has some great points for any league.

Theo Ratliff is still on the draft board…you better take him.

Fantasy Impact of The Eddie Curry Trade: USATODAY.com - Fantasy Sports News

2005-10-10T15:03:00.000-04:00

I think the guy that has the greatest impact Fantasy wise out of this trade may end up being Mike Sweetney.

USA Today's Tom Carpenter says the following:

So what does the deal do for the fantasy owner? There will always be a concern in the back of your head regarding the condition of his(Curry's) heart. But assuming he remains healthy, is he better off in New York? He managed to escape the wrath of no-nonsense coach Scotty Skiles but ends up with equally no-nonsense coach Larry Brown. Brown, just like Skiles, is notorious for not wanting to have lazy or out-of-shape players on the floor, so Curry isn't exactly headed to greener pastures in New York, unless he suddenly turns into the dedicated player we've been waiting three years to see. To make matters worse, the Knicks have an even deeper roster than the Bulls, so Brown will have other options. Even if he can get himself into the good graces of his coach, from a fantasy perspective, all Curry has offered thus far is scoring and a great field goal percentage - and little in the way of boards, blocks or assists. Not that enticing an option at center for fantasy folk.

At first it was rumored that Antonio Davis would be released by the Knicks and re-sign with the Bulls. It would be hard to imagine why, if he became a free agent, Davis would choose to re-up with the Bulls rather than a contender. But regardless, it appears the Knicks will hold onto the veteran for now. In fact, he's just the kind of hard-nosed player that Brown loves. It wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see Davis start at power forward or at least see enough action between the four and five spots to be worthy of a late-round, roster-filling pick.

Jerome James was brought in during the offseason to start at center. While he was on some early sleeper lists, he was already on my bust list. Whether Thomas got a sneak peak at my busts or just figured it out on his own, it should have been clear that James was not going to be the answer as the starting center. Now he goes to a reserve role and likely will have no fantasy value, as usual.

How about the fantasy effect of the trade on the Bulls? The biggest beneficiary should be Tyson Chandler, who has been limited for years by a deep frontcourt roster in Chicago. The Bulls should start Sweetney at power forward and Chandler at center. I say "should" because Skiles is still the coach, which means rational thinking may give way to his gut feeling on how to win. But let's assume Chandler starts and boosts his minutes per game from 27 last year by even five minutes, we could see a significant boost in production. His averages spread out to 48 minutes last year would have been 14 ppg, 17 rpg and 3.1 bpg, so you see the fantasy potential of Chandler, especially now that he should get center eligibility. Don't count on him for a lot of scoring, but his rebounds and blocks could end up among the league leaders. Sweetney will have to beat out veteran Othella Harrington to earn the starting power forward job in Chicago. As mentioned before, this could come down to the mood of coach Skiles. Odds are that Skiles would prefer the scoring punch off the bench that Harrington could offer. Sweetney won't be a big scorer this season, but he can hit the glass. Assuming Skiles maintains his playing-time sharing approach, neither will see enough action to make a big splash. But Sweetney offers some intrigue based on potential alone.

Stoudemire sidelined by knee problem - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

2005-10-09T05:09:00.000-04:00

This has the potential to hurt a lot of teams that have already drafted. If you have a choice, try to draft late in the pre-season to avoid problems like this.

Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire saw the team doctor Friday because of pain in his troublesome left knee.
Stoudemire has been trying to play through the discomfort at training camp by resting in the morning and practicing in the afternoon after heat treatments.
On Friday, he did little at the morning practice and skipped the next session to consult with Dr. Tom Carter.
Team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said the possibilities ranged from Stoudemire continuing to play to ``diagnostic surgery.''
``We have no information at this time with respect to a direction with regard to Amare's knee,'' Colangelo said. ``We are continuing the evaluation process and trying to determine the best course of action.''

The Essential Guide to The Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet: Part II

2005-10-09T04:49:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in Part I of this article, preparing for a fantasy league draft is a lot of work. Part I of this article discussed how to make a scoring category Cheat Sheet, but the real work is in making position based Cheat Sheets.

In Yahoo Fantasy NBA your roster consists of a Point Guard, Shooting Guard, Guard, Small Forward, Forward, two Centers and two Utility players. Each roster spot plays a full 82 game schedule. Additionally, you chose three bench players.

Obviously, you have to come up with some sort of draft order by position. This involves ranking your players by position using last season’s statistics. I consider every single scoring category when making my positional Cheat Sheets. I make a simple grid with the players name and statistical scoring categories for every player I would consider drafting. For the non-percentage based scoring categories I try to use per game averages to make it a little more clear what each player is going to give me every night.

For example, my Power Forward Cheat Sheet starts out with Shawn Marion - http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3332 whose averages last season were: FG%: 47, FT%: 83, 3PM: 1.4 per game, Points: 19 per game, Rebounds: 11 per game, Blocks: 1.5 per game, Steals: 1.4 per game, Assists: 2 per game and Turnovers: 1.5 per game. If a player is in the top 5 statistically for a scoring category for that position, I try to circle or high light those specific numbers. A player like Marion has lots of circled and highlighted numbers. I also try to highlight especially bad numbers to consider, like Allen Iverson’s Turnovers or Shaq’s Free Throw Percentage. I do this for every player that I would consider drafting.

It is an exhausting exercise, and may lead to certain levels of alienation from your significant other (i.e. wife or girlfriend), but it’s what you have to do to win.

Once you have your grid made, you need to use it to decide on a depth chart for your choices of who to draft. This is the equivalent of the Draft Board that real NBA teams use when drafting. My Power forward list starts with Kevin Garnett and makes it’s way down to Mike Sweetney… I don’t just use last years numbers in deciding this order, you have to take into consideration all the variables for the coming season: potential for injury, player age, a new coach, off season trouble, the impact of free agent acquisitions or draftees on that players minutes and gut instinct. It’s important to know the numbers, but not be a slave to them.

Once I have each Cheat Sheet made by position, I start pre-ranking all my players for the draft, using the cheat sheet as a guide. I try to “spy” on some other Yahoo Fantasy drafts to get good estimates on what round each player will typically be drafted in to rank players. (See the Article “Spy on Someone Else’s Draft” to find out how to do this.) Make your Pre-ranking list completely exhaustive, because the draft will go over 140 players deep.

On draft day I have my Statistical Cheat Sheet and Positional Cheat Sheets close by for reference. The best part about spending all the time making Cheat Sheets, is after putting in all the time to make them, you don’t even have to look at them that much, because you have learned what each player offers by creating them.

Good Luck. Now get to work!

Spy on Someone Else's Draft!

2005-10-06T21:52:00.000-04:00

Who will be gone after the first round? How many rounds can you wait to draft Kyle Korver? When will all the good Centers be gone?

It’s sometimes hard to tell. You can check out expert mock drafts every now and then, but the more accurate way of figuring out how the non-fantasy expert is going to draft is to spy on another leagues draft results.

Yahoo uses the same URL format for all their leagues. Every league has a league number that is part of their URL, which is found in your browser window. If you are in league number 26436, your leagues URL is http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/26436 .

If you play with the numbers in that league number in the URL you can “mine” out leagues that have already drafted and see how their drafts turned out. It will be hit or miss on guessing a correct number in order to find a league that has already drafted, but stick with it, because it’s great information to have.

Keep in mind, if you are in a Rotisserie League, Head-to-Head league draft results may not be as relevant. You can tell the difference by the front page of the league. If the league standings have W-L-T : Win-Loss-Tie information, then you are looking at a Head-to-Head league.

Once you find a league that appears to have drafted, go to the lower right hand box at the bottom of the page to the link marked “Draft Results”.

Here are two links to draft results:

http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/61076/draftresults
http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/61075/draftresults

PS: I’d take Korver before the end of the third round, but that’s just me…

NBA Mock Draft - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

2005-10-06T08:37:00.000-04:00

It's always a good idea to check out as many mock drafts as you can before your draft. This one from Rotowire.com is a good start http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=rotowire-ockraft&prov=rotowire&type=lgns.

However, keep in mind that this league does not use turnovers as a scoring category like Yahoo Fantasy NBA does.

Mock drafts are a good way to gauge the draft order of where the players you want to draft will be. Is Gilbert Arenas a first round selection? Or can you wait until the second round to pick him?

It's also a good idea to at least estimate which players you think will be gone after the first two rounds.

Anyone can choose the first round pick, but it's the middle to late rounds that will decide your fate.

Yao Is the Man

2005-10-04T22:36:00.000-04:00

I whole-heartedly agree with this analysis from NBA.com...

Yao is prepared to break out. Experiencing his first off-season without summer obligations to native China, Yao received time to rest his weary body and was able to focus on improving his upper-body strength. By simple virtue of not having to play basketball year-round, he should be much fresher this year. What truly plagued Yao last season were fouls, as he averaged a stunning 3.7 fouls in only 30.6 minutes. A major part of that was poor conditioning.
It’s no coincidence that in Yao’s best month last year, December, (where he averaged 19.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, shoting 51.2% from the field, and attempted a whopping 8.9 foul shots per game for a .783 percentage), he also averaged a season-low 3.2 personal fouls. Without being yanked out of the game just as he hits his stride, Yao was able to get into his comfort zone.
Regardless, despite what others imply, Yao has been far from a disappointment: his field goal percentage, free throw attempts made per game (and attempts), blocks, and points have increased each year, so he is indeed on an upward trend. Also, because Yao rarely misses a game (2 out of 246), he is a very safe pick to live up to his draft position. As another bonus, and unlike most big men, he not only is accurate from the line (78.3%), but also shoots a fairly high amount of attempts, leaving a bigger impact on your FT percentage than normal.

The Essential Guide To the Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet: Part 1

2005-10-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

If you want to win your league, you have to do your homework now, BEFORE THE DRAFT.  The easiest way to do this is to make a Cheat Sheet.

In the past, I’ve used two methods for making my Cheat Sheets:  1.) I use large Post-It Notes to display my information and stick them to the shelf above my computer screen in an easily viewable row; or 2.) I make the old fashioned 8 ½ “ by 11” blank sheet of paper cheat sheet.  Which ever you pick is just a matter of convenience to you.  The important part is the information you put on those cheat sheets.

The first Cheat Sheet I make is for each statistical category that is scored in the league.  Standard Yahoo Fantasy NBA scoring categories are:  Field Goal %, Free Throw %, Three Pointers Made, Total Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks and Turnovers.

Every category is important, so you have to be aware of who the leaders are in each and who the Deal Breakers are in each category.  It is virtually impossible to win your league and be in last place in any of these scoring categories.  You can’t always be strong in every category, but you have to be at least average in them.

The essential tools for compiling this information are:

The sortable stats found under the “Players” link in every Yahoo Fantasy NBA league;

Yahoo Sports NBA Sortable Stats http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/stats/byposition?pos=PG,SG,G,GF,SF,PF,F,FC,C ; and

NBA.com’s Statistics web page http://www.nba.com/statistics/

Using these tools, it’s simply a matter of making lists.  You need to use all of these tools however in making your lists for each statistical category to get every angle on how these players actually accrue those statistics.  Before the draft, the “Players” link of Yahoo Fantasy NBA only has last season’s total accumulated statistics.  Both Yahoo Sports NBA statistics and NBA.Com’s statistics give you more understandable per game averages that tell a more complete story for last season when a player had a lot of games off for injury or suspension.

One of the best tools for compiling categorical statistic lists is NBA.com’s Statistics per 48 minutes.  Projecting statistics for last years young rookies, inexperienced or injured players, who will get more time this season can best be done with per 48 minute statistics.  It shows you what kind of impact those players had when they were in the game, despite their lack of playing time.

In making my Cheat Sheets, I try to list the leaders in each statistical category that I know I would draft, from the category leader down to the better than average players in that statistic.  I give greater weight in the shooting percentage categories to the players who shoot and score the most. It’s best to use Yahoo Sports NBA Statistics to see who the true statistical users are with shooting percentages.  This helps eliminate players that barely even scored or shot last season from the percentage rankings.

It’s also important to find players that will hurt your chances of winning a statistical category.  I call these players the “Deal Breakers”.  Oftentimes a Deal Breaker is great in most statistical categories, but is absolutely horrid in one category, horrid enough to keep you from winning your league.  The All-time biggest Deal Breaker in Fantasy Basketball is Shaq.  Shaq shoots more free throws than any player in the league and shoots a miserable 53.1% from the free throw line.  He might actually miss more free throws in one night than the rest of your starting 5 might attempt…  Find the Deal Breakers and exclude them from your draft list.

It’s also good to look at statistics like assist to turnover and steal to turnover ratios.  NBA.Com’s statistics will give you access to this information.  Assist to turnover ratio can be a very valuable tool in picking point guards to draft.  Any player with a high steal to turnover ratio is a solid pick for your draft as well.

I always try to focus on the shooting percentages first when drafting, but I’ve also found that players that get a lot of steals are always ranked very highly in Yahoo Fantasy leagues.  Steals always seem to lead to more assists, high percentage shots and lots of free throws.

Turnovers are the most ignored statistic in Fantasy Basketball.  People tend to go for the highflying, high scoring players when drafting for fantasy leagues.  I have found that I have more success winning fantasy leagues by drafting solid, less spectacular players, than superstars that are fun to watch.  Some of the players that lead the league in turnovers are the games superstars:  Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant and Steve Francis.  A more successful Fantasy basketball alternative to these players, with regard to turnovers might be:  Donyell Marshall, Michael Finley, Raef LaFrentz and Shane Battier.

In part 2 of this article we will look at putting together a draft board Cheat Sheet.

It's the Percentages...

2005-09-29T21:55:00.000-04:00

Math is hard. But guess what, it’s necessary to win a Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Rotisserie League. Shooting percentages (Field Goal, Free Throw and Three Point) are often the most overlooked statistics by Fantasy Basketball participants, often times because it takes the most analysis to figure out.

Three point percentages are not official scoring categories in standard Yahoo Rotisserie leagues but they affect your Field Goal percentage, which is a scoring category. Last season Joe Johnson shot an amazing three-point field goal percentage of 47.8%. But it’s doubtful that he’ll come anywhere close to that percentage playing point guard in Atlanta this season. Your best bet is to cross reference three pointers made and three-point percentage when drafting three point shooters. Kyle Korver led the league in three pointers made last season (226) and shot 40.5 % from three-point range. In contrast, Barron Davis had good numbers for three pointers made (averaging 2.6 per game) but shot only 33% from three point range which drug his total field goal percentage down to 38.7%. The bottom line, if you pick someone to score well in total three pointers, they must shoot a lot of three pointers. Expect those players to drag your team field goal percentage down. Mike Miller and Steve Nash are efficient three point shooters worth looking at this season.

As for total field goal percentage and free throw percentage the same principals apply. Make every attempt to try to draft players who shoot at least 42% from the field and 70% from the free throw line. Keep in mind a big scorer with a low field goal percentage might do your team more harm than good. For example, if Carmello Anthony scores 24 points in one game he is definitely contributing to your points scored category, but if he shoots 35% to get those 24 points he just killed your team’s field goal percentage. In contrast, its good to be efficient with field goal percentage, but if you don’t score a lot, like Stephen Hunter, who shot 61.4% last season but only averaged 4.6 points per game, you can’t expect your total team percentage will be impacted very much.

Corey Maggettee is the best-kept secret at the free throw line in the NBA. Last season he averaged 10 free throws per game and had a free throw percent of 85.7%. In contrast, Shaq gets to the free throw line the same 10 times but only makes 46.1% of those shots. Ben Wallace actually has a worse Free Throw percentage (42%), but can’t do as much damage to your percentage as Shaq because he averages only 2.6 free throw attempts per game over his career.

It’s definitely a balancing game. But, it’s important to draft good shooters and trade early in the season for good shooters. If you are trying to catch up in the shooting percentage categories in February, you are in trouble. The later in the season it gets, the harder it is to improve your percentages. An increase of 0.10 percent in team shooting percentages in March is huge.

Do your math homework now!

FOXSports.com - Fantasy- Draft preview: Player movement roundup

2005-09-29T08:24:00.000-04:00

This is a pretty good article on who has gone where in the NBA off season. It doesn't really offer any advice but it's a good tutorial on all the personnel changes in the league.

Fantasy Basketball Player Rankings - Center Rankings

2005-09-24T12:32:00.000-04:00

Fantasy Basketball Player Rankings - Center Rankings

Brendan McGovern's Center Rankings on About.com. I totally disagree with his picks for Shaq and Ben Wallace as #1 and #2 in the Yahoo Fantasy NBA leagues. Both can't shoot free throws to save their own lives and will destroy any hope of winning your league.

Yahoo! Sports - Fantasy - Big Board: Basketball

2005-09-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

Yahoo! Sports - Fantasy - Big Board: Basketball

Brandon Funston's latest Fantasy Rankings.

Joe Johnson is dropping after his move to the Atlanta Hawks.

Center of Concern

2005-09-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

One of the most unique things about Yahoo Fantasy NBA games is that it requires you to play two Centers. Other Internet rotisserie leagues only require one Center. The problem you face with your Fantasy team is the same real NBA general managers face: Good big men are in very short supply…

As of today, there are only 107 players in Yahoo Fantasy NBA that are Center eligible. Well over half of those will not see even 15 minutes of playing time per game. The remaining serviceable Centers have very one dimensional games and you have to focus on what they are supposed to do well, rather than say three point shooting skills. Getting three pointers, assists and steals out of a Center is a luxury that you shouldn’t focus on when drafting a center.

If you want to win your league you must focus on the following when drafting your Centers:

1. Blocked Shots count just as much in Rotisserie scoring as points do, and they are much harder to come by. Getting a Center that is a top shot blocker is essential for winning a championship and you can’t ignore it. Player’s like Theo Ratliff may not produce in other categories like scoring and sometimes even rebounding, but he is worth his weight in gold just for his blocked shots alone. He’s worth having even if you already have two Centers on your roster, just to play every once in a while as a Utility player.

2. Field Goal Percentage. A good shooting Center with a high field goal percentage can offset for a high scoring/low field goal percentage or three point shooter who’s happy to make one of every three he launches (See Jamal Crawford http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3407 ). Centers like Amare Stoudemire – FG% 0.559, Yao Ming – FG% 0.552 and Brad Miller – FG% 0.524 shoot a lot of shots and make a high percentage of them.

3. Rebounding: Centers need to have decent rebounding numbers. While they don’t necessarily need to lead your team in rebounding, they do need to contribute to the effort. There are plenty of great rebounding power forwards that can lead your team in rebounding, but guys like Marcus Camby will give you great rebounding game after game at Center.

The deal breakers in this unfortunately, do all of the above things incredibly well. Shaq is near the top of the league in all those stats, but unfortunately he will absolutely kill your team with his free throw percentage. He’s the most fouled player in the league and misses more free throws than any player in the league. He’s a career 51.3 % Free Throw shooter and shot only 46.1% last season. Ben Wallace is also in the same boat, he’s a career 41.9% free throw shooter. Championship teams do not draft these Centers.

Don’t wait past the third round to draft at least one Center.

Yahoo Fantasy NBA

2005-09-24T00:32:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again. Be sure to sign up early to reserve a time to draft as close as possible to the beginning of the regular season. You want to draft as late as possible in the pre-season. Why? What if your number one pick shred's his ACL in an exhibition game...Sunday October 30 is a great night to draft.