Wild And Crazy Guys

There are people out there who will tell you that there are more important things in life than winning. Those people say that because they’re losers. However, there is something to be said for having fun too. After all, very few of us would be willing to put in the amount of time that we do if fantasy basketball wasn’t fun.

Over the past month from perusing the various fantasy sites I have seen a countless number of rankings, strategies, and projections. What I don’t see a lot of, however, is experts taking the time to stop and discuss which players are flat out the most fun to own. I am going to try to fill that void today.

Before I do though I want to talk a little bit about NBA League Pass, aka the greatest thing ever. If you have the means I highly recommend getting NBA League Pass. Being able to watch every game of every player on your fantasy squad makes the game exponentially more enjoyable. It’s definitely worth the price, especially if you get in before the season starts and get an early bird rate.

The title of this post and picture are a homage to the Saturday Night Live skit "Two Wild and Crazy Guys" starring Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin. They were essentially the predecessors to the Butabi Brothers (Night At the Roxbury) and had one of the best skits of their era. Let's take a look at the "Wild and Crazy Guys" of the NBA today.

1. Gilbert Arenas: Arenas is, quite possibly, the most entertaining player in the league on and off the court. He is such an oddball off the court that you almost forget about what a talent he is on it. Who wouldn’t want a guy on their fantasy team that has the cajones to jack up a deep 3 for the win then turn around and start celebrating before the ball has gone in? It’s that “I can’t be stopped” attitude that makes Gilbert a ton of fun to watch, and the most entertaining player in basketball.

2. Dwight Howard: Does anyone remember the game “Slamball” that was on Spike TV a few years ago (back when they were TNN)? Basically the game tried to mix football, street basketball, and trampolines. Heavily padded players would go flying off of the trampolines and try to throw down the nastiest dunks that they could while roughing each other up with hard checks and physical play on the ground. Well, Dwight pretty much plays Slamball, except in the NBA. Oh, and he doesn’t need a trampoline. Just try not to focus on the fact that his free throw percentage is dragging your team down in the process.

3. Dwyane Wade: If you are a basketball purist you are likely offended by the number of calls Wade and others get by flinging themselves into defenders and then over-dramatizing the impact. While floppers may draw the ire of many fans, fantasy players love seeing their top free throw shooters get to the line. In addition to that, Wade will usually provide a few high light reel dunks along with some nice passes that makes him fun to watch. If you are watching for the love of the game though it’s best to avoid him, especially if you have high blood pressure already.

4. Kobe Bryant: He has the potential on any given night to go off and drop some ridiculous number of points on any opponent. When you have him on your fantasy team and he drops 81 on somebody it’s a very good day. What really makes Kobe fun to watch is that he scores all of these points (and gets assists, steals, boards, threes, free throw %) while shooting shots that no mortal should be able to make. He is one of the few players in the league who is truly unstoppable when he gets going.

5. Josh Smith: Check out the video I posted HERE for his credentials. J-Smoove is one of if not the most athletic player in the league, and will provide you with a ton of great dunks and blocks. Unfortunately, he has the tendency to not pick up his game until after the All Star Break. If he can finally live up to his potential all year he will justify his current second round average draft spot and then some. He alone is reason to never miss a Hawks game.

6. Steve Nash: Yes, people will call foul at Nash being a two-time MVP, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is a ton of fun to watch. Even when he was with Dallas I considered Nash to be the most entertaining point guard in the league because of his creative passing. In particular, his one handed bounce passes while on the break are a thing of beauty. And his brilliance leads to…

7. Amare Stoudemire: Like Dwight Howard, Amare seems to enjoy dunking on people. When you combine his athleticism with Nash’s pinpoint passes you get an awe-inspiring display of talent and sheer power. When he is on your team you just sit back and watch your FG % climb with every dunk. Not to mention the fact that Amare shoots free throws at 80%. Oh, did I mention he can shoot the three now too?

8. Kirk Hinrich: For the old-fashioned player in us all. Captain Kirk plays that gritty, in your face defense that you can’t help but admire. Add to that his solid ball handling skills and three point shooting and you have a guy who is a lot of fun to watch. Just make sure you change the channel quickly when he is having an off night. When he’s cold he is freezing.... as in 4 for 17 from the field. It was nights like these that in past seasons had me putting Hinrich on my “least fun” list, but these days the good nights far outnumber the bad.

9. Allen Iverson: Yep, AI can still entertain with the best of them. And now that his FG % is respectable he can be just plain fun to watch for fantasy owners and casual fans alike. It’s still a wonder that someone so small can be so effective in the land of the giants.

10. Vince Carter: Yes, the way he got out of Toronto was shady to say the least. VC can still get up though, and will prove plenty of dunks that will make you oohh and ahh. Besides, anybody who can do this has to be on the list:

So there you have it. If you draft any of these guys and NBA League Pass is a must have. They will wow you with their skills, horrify you with their behavior, or leave you awestruck with their athleticism. Fantasy basketball is all about winning, but there are a few players who can help you win and have fun too.

Look for part two of this series continuing the SNL theme with the "Debbie Downers" of the NBA.

-unposs

Josh Smith Top Ten Plays 06/07

Can Josh Smith live up to his first round potential or will he continue to be a post-All Star break wonder? More on this soon...

Guest Blog: Auction Drafting With Farwest Mojo

This is the first in a series of guest blogs that I am going to be featuring. If you would be interested in writing a guest blog shoot me an email at unpossibl1@gmail.com. - unposs

First, I would like to thank unpossible for inviting me to spew all over his great blog site.

AUCTION DRAFTS

By Farwest Mojo

I first Commished a weekly $$ fantasy football league while I was part time bartending at my Folks Tavern between 81-83. Anyone could enter for $10, all you had to do was pick 5 players incl QB, RB, & 3 receivers. The team with the most points won the weekly pot. I kept track using index cards & always bought a round or two if I won.

That was 25 years ago.

This bunch of fantasy addicted drunks evolved into a Auction Drafting League.

Greg C was the driving force…the man is brutal & smart. Our Commish was a HS Math Teacher named Leon B. I give those two all the credit for setting up a equitable game that resembled real GM & Coaching strategies as much as possible. It cost $100 cash to get into the league. Leon handled the draft, bank and payouts. All transactions were done by phone, he would send standings by mail every two weeks…his comments were hilarious. At one point they had a waiting list to get in.

Leon retired about the time the internet fired up, Greg took over as Commish and we voted to have 3 keepers with no termination. We always drafted in a bar and Greg would transfer the results to CBS for a couple of years. I started playing ESPN Fantasy hoop around the same time, even with a $100 buy in, the majority of the league refused to pay league fees when free leagues were avail (tightwads). Greg retired from Commish duties and I took over for a couple of years using Rotoworld one year and then Yahoo when they offered custom setups. Ive spent a lot of time here documenting my references because I want you to know, during all this time we have debated and experimented with many variations of conducting a auction draft. The following is the result of this evolution.

WHY PROMOTE AUCTION DRAFTS?

TODAY it is possible to become a hoop draft expert within a matter of hours because of all the internet spoon feeds (expert advice) that is available. Last week I spent 4 days putting together this seasons Player Rater when I should have been doing far more important things. I scoured every Team site, every team roster. I considered all offseason moves and IR updates. I checked player contracts and calculated last seasons production of 140 impact players in pencil. Same routine I have been doing for years.

When I finished my basic PR, I started comparing my list to a bevy of cheat sheets and mock draft results expecting to see some substantial variations. You know what? Turns out I was wasting my time! It isn’t even Oct yet and I found at least 5 cheat sheets and one average draft position site that were very similar, maybe better than my own…Ive done some adjusting since.

Here is the point guys, all of these spoon feeds and cheat sheets you consider are relative to the luck of your draw position in serpentine drafts. There is not one site I am aware of that offers hoop auctions. Below, I hope to illustrate how the combination of spoon feeds (expert knowledge) and auction draft strategies compliment each other far more than snake drafting.

3 PLAYER KEEPER LEAGUE AUCTION DRAFTING 101

My mentors, Greg and Leon both have math degrees; they proved to me a snake draft is not equitable long ago. (Simply ask yourself if you prefer any one snake pick over another? If you don’t care, please join my league, I will make sure you get #6, 7 or 8).

Greg and Leon also proved:

AUCTION DRAFTS GIVE ALL OWNERS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO AQUIRE ANY PLAYER using the following methods:

YEAR 1: Use a $100 bank to auction draft 1C, 2F & 2Gs. 10 teams x 5 auction players = 50 deep. This is followed by a random draw snake to finish the draft. Subsequent drafts use a snake in inverse order of the standings almost exactly like the existing ESPN keeper rules. It is that simple. The AUCTION draft starts off your keeper league equitably. NO ONE can complain they didn’t have a equal chance to acquire KG or Kobe. For the next 3 years you wont have to listen to whines about being lucky…or…unlucky victims of a snake draft.

I am often asked, why not auction everyone? Well, it would take forever. And, after the top 50 players are gone, the PR waters down and then position requirements and category balance become issues. Putting dollar values on these guys just makes the auction strategies more confusing and thus, not as much fun for the average bear (me).

AUCTION STRATEGIES

You can go in focused on paying whatever it takes to get Kobe or KG and then sit back and wait til the player values are down within reach of your remaining balance.

Or you can go in with a budget looking for bargains far below the $$ value of the top dogs and have enough bank left to buy better players near the end.

You can win with either strategy.

THE BEGINNING

You start the Auction draft by random drawing the nominating order. This gives no advantage to anyone at this point.

All players need to buy 1C, 2F, 2G with a $100 bank.

The minimum bid is $1.

The max you can bid for one player is $96.

Player A starts by nominating and bidding any amount on any player. Player B is given 60-90 seconds to bid or pass and this process goes around the table & eventually back and forth til everyone has passed just like any auction. You can bid up as many times as it takes for everyone to pass. The team owner, player, pos, amount paid and remaining balance is documented in some way everyone can see. We used poster boards tacked to the wall. Online you would need a applet formatted (more on this later).

Regardless who buys a player, the nominating order does not change. Now Player B nominates and bids on a player….this process keeps going in order til the end. Always keep in mind you will need at least $1 ea to buy players to comply to roster and position requirements. Typically, there will be several teams with just enough bank to comply at the end of the draft.

This can be a planned strategy.

IF BIDS ARE TIED, the player is taken in order of the nominating. Again, the nominating order does not change.

Example

A has Dirk @ $51 & Nash @ $46. This leaves A with a $3 bank to buy a F/G & C. (Yes, you have a good chance of putting Dirk and Nash together…no way in a snake)

B has Kobe @ $75, Camby @ $12, Deng @ $10 = $97 = $3 bank needing a G & F.

X has KG @ $85, Hinrich @ $11 = $96 = $4 bal needing G/F/C.

Y has Allen @ $20, Bosh @ $40, Paul @ $24, A Jefferson @ $13 = $97 = $3 needing a F

Man, I miss this.

The players and amounts paid so far is interesting reading here, but, at this point in the actual draft, those guys are gone, you are only interested in the remaining opponents BALANCES and POSITIONS that need filled to comply. Things can get confusing.

Below is a pretty typical finish; again, buying $1 players can be a planned strategy.

A has $3, needs F-G-C

B has $3, needs G-F

X has $4, needs G-F-C

Y has $3, needs a F

If you realize that Y has the hammer here, you are ready! None of the others can bid $3

on a F and comply. At this point I would have Y pick his $3 F (AK-47) & update.

Update;

A has $3, needs G-F-C

B has $3, needs G-F

X has $4, needs G-F-C

It is A's turn (coincidence). He knows X also needs a C. The two best Cs left are Okafor & Okur. A can only bid $1 and X can bid $2 on any position. A nominates and bids $1 on Okafor. X bids $2 & gets Okafor. Since no one else needs a C, A takes Okur for a buck.

Update

A has $2, needs G-F

B has $3, needs G-F

X has $2, needs G-F

B's turn in the nominating order & he needs assists. Parker, Bibby or TJ? He nominates Bibby for a buck. A & X cant bid higher. B gets Bibby for a buck.

A has $2, needs G-F

B has $2, needs F

X has $2, needs G-F

X turn, he nominates G/F Josh Howard for a buck. A cant bid, B bids $2 and gets Howard because X cant outbid him either. B is done.

A has $2, needs G-F

X has $2, needs G-F

At this point A and X get the player they want via nominating order.

It is A's turn, he takes West (F).

A has $1, needs G

X has $2, needs G-F

X picks Ellis.

A has $1, needs G

X has $1, needs F

A is heartbroken. He takes Parker.

X takes Durant. Auction Draft is over. Either redraw or continue the order to snake draft the rest of the players.

Just for grins, here is how the examples shake out.

A Dirk/Nash/Okur/D West/Parker

B Kobe/Camby/Deng/Bibby/Howard

X KG/Hinrich/Okur/Ellis/Durant

Y Allen/Bosh/Paul/A Jefferson/AK-47

These are fair examples of how different strategies pay out. If you buy high, you need to plan on dealing with low ball bidding. Beware; the balanced budget strategy of Team Y will only work as long as the KGs and Kobes don’t go too low. You need to have the guts to force the bidding on top ranked players as high as you can knowing they might drop it on ya at any time. In this case it does work for the Y team. If KG & Kobe only sell around the $60 range, the B & X owners would have had enough bank to buy a upper-middle ranked player or two also. Yeah, it’s a little bit like playing Poker…a lot of feel and intuition is involved…you don’t know who is bluffing and who isn’t. If you know your PR (cards), your instincts will pull you thru.

We've used several different time limits during the auction. I wouldn’t advise rushing things for first timers having a keeper draft.

_______________________________________

Are you sold? Let's giterdun.

Now is the time for programmers to put it together for 08.

Maybe a Entrepreneur out there will grab the ball and run with it, Id be glad to help ya out, maybe even invest. Unless we can prove there is a lot of interest (profitability), nobody is gonna move on it.

Thanks again Unpossible, thanks all for your time and support.

M K Johnson

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Gilbert Arenas' Game-Winner vs. Utah

Since I nabbed Gilbert Arenas in my recent experts league draft here are a few of his game winners.

Gilbert Arenas beats the Bucks

It's Getting Drafty In Here

My ESPN Experts league, which runs on 8 category, roto keeper settings, just had our draft last night. What follows is the draft round by round, along with my thoughts on each round.

First though, just a quick comment. We are running this on NBA.com, who has revamped their fantasy site somewhere compared to last season. However, the draft applet was terrible. It was very slow and froze up on several people. We had a consistent issue with players not being able to make their picks because the applet locked up and then auto drafted for them. Other sites occasionally have live draft issues, but the NBA.com one was particularly bad. Hopefully they rectify those issues soon.

Anyway, on to the draft:

Round 1

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Kevin Garnett - BOS [PF]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Kobe Bryant - LAL [SG]
	3	The City Boy$	LeBron James - CLE [SF]
	4	Unpossibilities	Gilbert Arenas - WAS [PG]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Yao Ming - HOU [C]
	6	TGB	Shawn Marion - PHX [SF, PF]
	7	papabear22	Dirk Nowitzki - DAL [PF]
	8	Team shutton2	Steve Nash - PHX [PG]
	9	Team Sillyball	Dwyane Wade - MIA [SG]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Pau Gasol - MEM [C]

Just about everyone went where I thought they would here with the exception of Yao going #5 overall. I don’t think anyone saw that coming, although it may not be a bad pick when all is said and done. It was a little surprising to see Amare last until the second round, as I figured he would be long gone before then. I was happy to get Arenas with the 4^th pick, but would have been satisfied with any one of the LeBron/Kobe/Arenas/KG top 4.

Round 2

	1	Fighting Frodos	Chris Paul - NOH [PG]
	2	Team Sillyball	Amare Stoudemire - PHX [C]
	3	Team shutton2	Tim Duncan - SAS [PF]
	4	papabear22	Jason Kidd - NJN [PG]
	5	TGB	Chris Bosh - TOR [PF]
	6	Fareast Mojo	Andre Iguodala - PHI [SG, SF]
	7	Unpossibilities	Josh Smith - ATL [SF, PF]
	8	The City Boy$	Paul Pierce - BOS [SG, SF]
	9	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Allen Iverson - DEN [PG, SG]
	10	LB DESTROYAZ	Rashard Lewis - ORL [SF]

There were few surprises in the second round, much like the first. One shocker was seeing Kidd go so early in a keeper draft due to his age. Of course, experts have been predicting a drop in stats due to his age for years, but he hasn’t slowed down yet. I was happy to land Josh Smith at 17, and think that Sillyball got a bit of a steal with Amare at 12. Allen Iverson went a little early for my liking, but I wouldn’t quite call him a reach there.

Round 3

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Chauncey Billups - DET [PG]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Deron Williams - UTA [PG, SG]
	3	The City Boy$	Al Jefferson - MIN [PF, C]
	4	Unpossibilities	Joe Johnson - ATL [SG]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Ray Allen - BOS [SG]
	6	TGB	Vince Carter - NJN [SG]
	7	papabear22	Caron Butler - WAS [SF]
	8	Team shutton2	Dwight Howard - ORL [C]
	9	Team Sillyball	Tracy McGrady - HOU [SG]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Marcus Camby - DEN [C]

The third round saw some young guys with potential to continue growing (Williams, Jefferson, Johnson, Butler) mixed with a large group of older players hoping for one more season of brilliance and health (Camby, TMac, Ray Allen, Carter, Billups). I don’t like the Billups pick in particular, since Deron Williams was still on the board. I think Williams will have a better season this year, and since he is much younger has more potential for the future, which is key in a keeper league. Dwight Howard may have gone a little early for a roto league, but his talent is undeniable. I was torn between Joe Johnson and Caron Butler (after Jefferson and Williams went just before my pick), but decided that JJ’s threes and scoring would fit my team best.

Round 4

	1	Fighting Frodos	Carmelo Anthony - DEN [SF]
	2	Team Sillyball	Michael Redd - MIL [SG, SF]
	3	Team shutton2	Brandon Roy - POR [SG]
	4	papabear22	Gerald Wallace - CHA [SF, PF]
	5	TGB	Carlos Boozer - UTA [PF]
	6	Fareast Mojo	Mo Williams - MIL [PG, SG]
	7	Unpossibilities	Emeka Okafor - CHA [PF, C]
	8	The City Boy$	Kevin Durant - SEA [SG, SF]
	9	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Baron Davis - GSW [PG]
	10	LB DESTROYAZ	Jermaine O'Neal - IND [PF]

There were some really great players still available in the 4^th round. In particular Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Roy should have big years. Rookies are always a risk, but Durant could also be a great value here. I like the Jermaine O’Neal pick, IF he can stay healthy he will likely perform better than his draft spot suggests. I was happy to get Emeka Okafor’s rebounding and shot blocking, although truthfully I was hoping Carlos Boozer, Anthony, or Roy would slip.

Round 5

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Zach Randolph - NYK [PF]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	David West - NOH [PF]
	3	The City Boy$	Mike Bibby - SAC [PG]
	4	Unpossibilities	Kirk Hinrich - CHI [PG, SG]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Luol Deng - CHI [SF, PF]
	6	TGB	Leandro Barbosa - PHX [PG, SG]
	7	papabear22	Josh Howard - DAL [SF]
	8	Team shutton2	Raymond Felton - CHA [PG, SG]
	9	Team Sillyball	Lamar Odom - LAL [PF]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Ron Artest - SAC [SF]

If Lamar Odom gets traded to Phoenix Sillyball will have the steal of the draft here. If I had seen the rumors before I picked I would have taken Odom myself, since I was going back and forth between him and Hinrich. Zach Randolph is a risky pick in NY, since no one knows how well he will play alongside Curry (can 2 bigs who don’t play D be on the court at the same time?). I also think David West went a little early, but if he can up his rebounding numbers it will be a justifiable pick. Shutton may have gotten a major steal with Felton as well now that Brevin Knight is out of Charlotte. Overall, a solid round with a lot of guys who could be amazing picks here.
Round 6

	1	Fighting Frodos	Tony Parker - SAS [PG]
	2	Team Sillyball	Antawn Jamison - WAS [PF]
	3	Team shutton2	Jason Terry - DAL [PG, SG]
	4	papabear22	Kevin Martin - SAC [SG]
	5	TGB	Mike Miller - MEM [SF]
	6	Fareast Mojo	Monta Ellis - GSW [PG, SG]
	7	Unpossibilities	LaMarcus Aldridge - POR [C]
	8	The City Boy$	Andre Miller - PHI [PG]
	9	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Andrei Kirilenko - UTA [SF]
	10	LB DESTROYAZ	Ricky Davis - MIN [PG, SG]

Some really surprising names still sitting around here in Round 6. Jamison, Mike Miller, and Kevin Martin all should have great seasons (of course they all went off the board before I could get them). In particular, Papabear and TGB both got major steals there. With Oden’s injury keeping him out for the year I felt like the 6^th round was a great spot to grab Aldridge, so I was happy with that. AK47 probably won’t play any worse than he did last season…if he is still in the country. Ricky Davis is a talented player and will put up great stats if he stays in Minnesota. However, with Lurch McHale looking to make another move Davis is likely to be traded, and who knows where he will end up (maybe McHale will gift wrap him to Larry Bird and help out yet another former teammate.

Round 7

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Ben Gordon - CHI [SG]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Tyson Chandler - NOH [C]
	3	The City Boy$	Randy Foye - MIN [PG, SG]
	4	Unpossibilities	Danny Granger - IND [SF]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Rasheed Wallace - DET [PF]
	6	TGB	T.J. Ford - TOR [PG]
	7	papabear22	Samuel Dalembert - PHI [C]
	8	Team shutton2	Rudy Gay - MEM [SG]
	9	Team Sillyball	Rajon Rondo - BOS [PG]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Manu Ginobili - SAS [SG]

Hey, after writing a blog all about how smart it was to take Granger in the 7^th round I couldn’t ignore my own advice. Manu Ginobili at the end of the round to Frodo was a great pick as was Rasheed Wallace. Who would have thought either of them would be available so late in the draft? In fact, there really weren’t any picks in this round that I disagreed with.

Round 8

	1	Fighting Frodos	Andrew Bogut - MIL [C]
	2	Team Sillyball	Andris Biedrins - GSW [C]
	3	Team shutton2	Stephon Marbury - NYK [PG]
	4	papabear22	Mehmet Okur - UTA [C]
	5	TGB	Jason Richardson - CHA [SG, SF]
	6	Fareast Mojo	Corey Maggette - LAC [SF]
	7	Unpossibilities	Richard Hamilton - DET [SG]
	8	The City Boy$	Darko Milicic - MEM [PF]
	9	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Chris Kaman - LAC [C]
	10	LB DESTROYAZ	Brad Miller - SAC [C]

We saw some interesting picks here in the 8^th round. Most of the round is full of guys who are looking to get their careers back on track (Kaman, Marbury, Miller, Darko, JRich, Maggette), which means that there are some real talents here who have the ability to play at a high level in the right situation. In particular I really like the Maggette pick here by Mojo. If he hadn’t taken him I certainly would have.

Round 9

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Jameer Nelson - ORL [PG]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Stephen Jackson - GSW [SG, SF, PF]
	3	The City Boy$	Richard Jefferson - NJN [SF]
	4	Unpossibilities	Andrea Bargnani - TOR [SF, PF]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Ben Wallace - CHI [C]
	6	TGB	Eddy Curry - NYK [C]
	7	papabear22	Jarrett Jack - POR [PG, SG]
	8	Team shutton2	Nene Hilario - DEN [PF]
	9	Team Sillyball	Zydrunas Ilgauskas - CLE [C]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Peja Stojakovic - NOH [SG

Quick note: the Eddy Curry pick in this round was a mistake caused by NBA.com’s draft applet. He should not be drafted in 10 team leagues. As for the rest of the picks, I think there were a few reaches. In particular, I just don’t think Jarrett Jack, as much as I like him, is going to get the playing time to make a real impact. There are just too many guards in Portland. Also, I’m not a big fan of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He seems to be getting slower every season, and the new, quick NBA is passing him by. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cleveland start running Gooden and Varejao on the floor at the same time in order to get more athletic. I do like the Richard Jefferson pick by City Boys…very low risk, high reward since the chances are good that Jefferson improves over last season. Recent reports indicate the Nene’s knee is still not 100%, but if he is ready to go by opening day he will be a solid pick for Shutton.

Round 10

	1	Fighting Frodos	Jamal Crawford - NYK [SG]
	2	Team Sillyball	Al Harrington - GSW [SF, PF, C]
	3	Team shutton2	Nenad Krstic - NJN [C]
	4	papabear22	Brevin Knight - LAC [PG]
	5	TGB	Elton Brand - LAC [PF]
	6	Fareast Mojo	Larry Hughes - CLE [PG, SG]
	7	Unpossibilities	Mike Conley Jr. - MEM [PG, SG]
	8	The City Boy$	David Lee - NYK [PF]
	9	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Channing Frye - POR [SF, PF]
	10	LB DESTROYAZ	Boris Diaw - PHX [SF, PF]

All I can say about this round is that every owner in the league may have just gotten worked by TGB. Right when people had forgotten about him or were waiting on him too long, BAM, TGB busts out the Elton Brand pick. In a keeper league Brand shouldn’t have sat around this long. He will provide a solid boost to finish the season for TGB, as well as a potential top 15 keeper for next year. Great pick.

Round 11

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Raja Bell - PHX [SG]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Charlie Villanueva - MIL [PF]
	3	The City Boy$	Luke Walton - LAL [SF]
	4	Unpossibilities	Chucky Atkins - DEN [PG]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Kyle Korver - PHI [SF]
	6	TGB	Jamaal Tinsley - IND [PG]
	7	papabear22	Shane Battier - HOU [SF]
	8	Team shutton2	Andres Nocioni - CHI [SF, PF]
	9	Team Sillyball	Morris Peterson - NOH [SG]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Troy Murphy - IND [PF, C]

Now things have really thinned out. Raja Bell and Shane Battier are the only two consistent fantasy options in this bunch, although I do have a feeling that Sillyball got a great pick with Mo Pete. We Talkin About Practice may have made a mistake with Charlie Villanueva. As talented as he is, the Bucks have already guaranteed a minimum of 20 minutes per game to Yi Jianlian, which will cut into Villanueva’s minutes. If Yi can show the quickness to spend time at the 3 then Charlie should be fine, but I am not convinced that will be a legitimate option for Milwaukee. I took a flyer here on Chucky Atkins, just looking for a few assists and threes. I really don’t like Chucky personally, but if he can help my fantasy team it’s all good.

Round 12

	1	Fighting Frodos	Corey Brewer - MIN [SF, PF]
	2	Team Sillyball	Luis Scola - HOU [SF, PF]
	3	Team shutton2	Marvin Williams - ATL [SF]
	4	papabear22	Tayshaun Prince - DET [SF]
	5	TGB	Nick Collison - SEA [C]
	6	Fareast Mojo	Daniel Gibson - CLE [PG, SG]
	7	Unpossibilities	Al Thornton - LAC [SF, PF]
	8	The City Boy$	Marco Belinelli - GSW [PG, SG]
	9	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Joel Przybilla - POR [C]
	10	LB DESTROYAZ	Devin Harris - DAL [PG, SG]

Wow, Sillyball may have gotten another steal here with Luis Scola. As we saw over the summer Scola can really play, and with Rick Adelman running the show in Houston he should get plenty of opportunities to show his offensive skills. Devin Harris and Marvin Williams were also great low risk-high reward picks from LBDestroyaz andShutton respectively.

Round 13

	1	LB DESTROYAZ	Mike Dunleavy - IND [SG]
	2	We Talkin Bout Practice?	Andrew Bynum - LAL [C]
	3	The City Boy$	Al Horford - ATL [PF, C]
	4	Unpossibilities	Drew Gooden - CLE [PF]
	5	Fareast Mojo	Shaquille O'Neal - MIA [C]
	6	TGB	Reggie Evans - PHI [PF]
	7	papabear22	Paul Millsap - UTA [SF, PF]
	8	Team shutton2	Chris Wilcox - SEA [PF]
	9	Team Sillyball	Jose Calderon - TOR [PG]
	10	Fighting Frodos	Sam Cassell - LAC [PG]

Well, Shaq got drafted. I thought we had finally hit the point where no one would take him after years of people foolishly picking him in roto leagues. I think it was more of a pity pick than anything else, although Mojo swears he is going to deal Shaq to whoever is last in free throw percentage. I will believe it when I see it.

Overall, this was a very fun draft and looks like it’s going to be a great season. I don’t really see any one team with a huge advantage over any of the others, which should make for a very competitive league.

-unposs

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