2009-2010 NBA Northwest Division Preview
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NBA,
There are plenty of reasons for NBA fans to be interested in the Northwest Division with several captivating stories to pique their interest. For starters, will the Utah Jazz go with Carlos Boozer as its starting power forward, or will it opt for up-and-comer Paul Millsap, thereby making Boozer expendable? Will Chauncey Billups be able to continue the great leadership role he exhibited with the Denver Nuggets last season? Will Greg Oden make strides to becoming a top flight NBA center? Will Al Jefferson and Kevin Love be able to coexist in Minnesota? Will Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder be able to become a true point guard?
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Fantasy NBA: Analysis of Second Round
The first two picks usually define the direction your fantasy team builds towards. For example, matching Dwight Howard with Jose Calderon would not be the best play for a head-to-head league; although this pairing begins to cover all the various categories, the strengths of these players do not overlap. Punting categories gets too much attention in head-to-head articles; however the art of building up strength in certain categories is a requirement for success. And so, let us now look at the second round based on Yahoo average draft position (ADP) rankings, with some specific attention to how these players might complement certain players taken in the first round.
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One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 2, Pick 7
How much would an opinion change, in regards to a career, if you could review the complete production all at once? Take a band like U2. Will people born in the future enjoy their more recent albums more because they are not saddled with expectation from their prior albums? Or will songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and albums like “War” and “The Joshua Tree” always still stand out?
This next player has been recording seasons to the tune of 21 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks for 12 years now. Future NBA enthusiasts may wonder why he was not appreciated more in the fantasy realm as they, unlike us, hold the advantage of not being saddled by expectation and the need to be entertained.
Round 2, Pick 7: Tim Duncan, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
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One Man Mock Draft: Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 2, Pick 1
The first major injury disclaimer proclaimed in this mock draft, in the 50 games he played last season, this guy delivered. Battling back from an ACL injury can prove to be a tough task indeed, but the word on the street regarding his rehab has been quiet this summer, which hopefully indicates that it has gone well.
Drafting at the turn basically breaks down into two strategies when it comes to the top two picks: 1) Take one guard and one big man so you have the option of tailoring your team depending on what players are available in the later rounds or 2) Stacking two players who have similar strengths in an attempt to become very formidable in a few core categories at the expense of other categories you effectively punt. Generally at the top of a draft, the NBA players are so good that you do not have to give up on a category so early, with the notable exception being Dwight Howard and his free-throw percentage.
A friend of mine we call Dice, tabbed these two guys last year as his top two picks, so in a tribute to him, let’s see how the one guard/one big guy tandem can work out for you.
Round 2, Pick 1: Al Jefferson, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves
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One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 11
Part of the big free agent class of 2010, this next player is one of the three players most mentioned as guys who went off the board after the infamous Darko Milicic pick (Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade are the other two guys). After two playoff appearances, everything went wrong with the Toronto Raptors last year. “CB4” however was a monster in head-to-head playoffs to close last season. In my friends and family league, a three-headed monster of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and this player destroyed my team in the finals.
Round 1, Pick 11: Chris Bosh, PF/C, Toronto Raptors
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One Man Mock Draft: Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 9
I act as a one-man army for this draft, but it would be neglectful to ignore identifiable mock draft trends that have materialized this summer. This player had follow-up surgery less than two months ago, and only stepped back onto the court last week, but a jaunt around the web reveals that his name is getting read towards the middle-end of the first round. He will be wearing new goggles for the upcoming season. Will drafting him have you seeing double? Or does he reward you by having a great season that vault him back into the conversation of top five fantasy players in the league today?
Round 1, Pick 9: Amar’e Stoudemire, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
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One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 1, Pick 8
Only a few years ago, Dirk and Kevin Garnett led off the top of each fantasy draft. Back then Dirk was eligible at center for fantasy teams, which made him a truly unique player. Very few centers in the league could rain buckets like Dirk as he shot the lights out from everywhere and he could drop the moneyball.
Fast forward to the present and Dirk still does his thing, game-in and game-out. His draft stock continues to trickle down towards the end of the first round, to the point that he now represents underrated value.
Round 1, Pick 8: Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks
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