First hand review: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have hit the road for most of November. My buddy Larry has been fuming over their lack of defense. Ironically he was loudest during a two-game stretch where they held their opponents to under 90 points. Granted, he makes a good point. When only the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks rank below you in opposing team scoring, it should send a message that the D needs to be cranked up.
The Miami Heat came to town riding low on a similar three-game losing streak. These two downward trending teams meeting each other resemble the proverbial unstoppable force against the immovable object, only much less impressive. I had not been to a game since the thrilling season opener win against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are my first-hand impressions of the game, with of course some fantasy spin thrown in when possible.
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NBA Fantasy Basketball Early Season Guide
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, NBA
At this early point of the NBA fantasy season, it’s tough to know what to do. Whether to have a fire sale and completely rearrange a team, whether to make a few bold moves, or whether to sit tight. It all depends on the fantasy owner, but there are some rules of thumb to follow. Here are some suggested approaches to various rotisserie fantasy basketball situations. In some cases, the same might be applied to head-to-head.
Getting Crushed in One, Two, or Three Statistical Categories (“Stat Cats”)
At this point in the season, it’s important not to panic. Remember, it’s a long season and fantasy basketball is a marathon, not a sprint. However, if at this point, your team is getting crushed in one to three stat cats, without possibility of remedy (perhaps a player who might help in that category is due back from an injury soon), it might be prudent to try to balance out the team with a trade. In head-to-head, balance isn’t as important as it is in rotisserie.
Assess the situation. If your team is dominating in one or two categories, identify players on the team who perform well in those categories and make trade offers to teams who struggle in that stat cat. Be persistent. Trades can be tough to pull off, so don’t give up after one or two tries. Also, ensure your team can afford to be without that player. For instance, if a manager tries to trade Chris Bosh because his rebounding isn’t needed, keep in mind that he also scores points and shoots well from the field.
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NBA Score Boxing: November 12, 2009
The NBA schedule saw a full slate of games last night, and I am up early to make sure the garbage gets to the curb on time. Let us blast through the box scores, focusing on one or two players from each team and their fantasy basketball relevance.
Indiana 108, Golden State 94. Even with all the dysfunction in Golden State, the team usually puts up 100 points a night, but the Pacers outpaced andoutgunned them this game. Anthony Randolph has made a fantasy comeback, and had 17 pts, 13 rebs, 3 stl and 2 blk on his line last night. Owners need to see what happens to him when Andris Biedrins comes back because coach Don Nelson has not shown him much love at all with his playing time. On the Pacers, Tyler Hansbrough managed to put up 12 shots and get to the line eight times in just over 16 minutes of play. He finished with 11 points and 8 boards with a block, so might be worth a gander in deep leagues as a final bench spot guy.
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NBA Fantasy Alphabet: Western Conference, Week 2
I appreciate musical mash-ups. Fantasy Alphabet will be my mash-up combining articles that look at hot waiver wire pick-ups, players of the week, and notable injuries. The format will consist of quick hits focusing on one player per team, and arranged in alphabetical order to help make quick scanning easier.
Dallas Mavericks: Erick Dampier. It looks like one crazy season ahead if Dampier can generate significant fantasy buzz. Since arriving in Dallas, he has never averaged double digits in points or rebounding, but so far he is doing just that. He has also pumped up his shot-blocking. Consider him as a sneaky play for the short-term as he could net you wins in the big ball categories (he has also been shooting 66%!), but the long-term outlook remains capped on the low side.
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NBA Fantasy Alphabet: Eastern Conference, Week 2
I appreciate musical mash-ups. Fantasy Alphabet will be my mash-up combining articles that look at hot waiver wire pick-ups, players of the week, and notable injuries. The format will consist of quick hits focusing on one player per team, and arranged in alphabetical order to help make quick scanning easier. This week, I arrange the teams in reverse alphabetical order because I want to shine the spotlight on the artist, I mean player formally known as Agent Zero.
Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas. I experienced immediate non-buyer’s remorse on Arenas. Over his first four games, he averaged 36 minutes of playing time while putting up 26.5 ppg on 47.3% shooting and 6.3 apg. On the down side, he has coughed the ball up four times a game, and has shot less than 80% from the charity stripe. Yet his threats to curb his three-point shooting have not come to pass, as he has drained two moneyballs a game. I took Andre Iguodala over him in one league after much deliberation, and opted for Vince Carter in another, and feel okay about those selections, but will still shake my head in frustration any night Gilbert goes for 30-plus. He came back to earth a bit on Friday against the Pacers as the Wizards were down pretty much from the start, but he shot 50% for the game so there are still good signs from a down game.
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First hand review of Toronto Raptors Season Opener 2009-2010
Most of the sports world focus rests in New York tonight, as the Yankees and Phillies kick off the World Series. I joined a packed house as the Toronto Raptors kicked off their season against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some observations need to be made directly, and what follows are some overall impressions of the game, the teams, and the players, as well as some fantasy impact thrown in.
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Fantasy NBA: Analysis of Fifth Round
There is a lot of good talent available in the early middle rounds, but most of the players typically taken in this area have at least one tragic fantasy flaw. Otherwise people would nab them earlier on. This looks like a good year to pass on the top tiers of point guards, because a lot of useful players at that position are available now. Let us break down the players typically taken in the fifth round based on Yahoo’s average draft position rankings. As always, the advice will focus on head-to-head leagues.
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Fantasy NBA: Analysis of Fourth Round
The saying is way too simplistic to capture how sophisticated some strategies are in fantasy sports, but for hoops, the first three rounds more or less involve drafting so-called “best available” talent. People have their preferences, but no one really goes too off the board. Generally in fantasy basketball, early draft picks end up as busts due to injury, not poor play. Match-ups are not as important as in football; for example, LeBron James might struggle against a good defensive team like the Spurs, but he will still get 25 points one way or the other. Contrast that to football where a high draft pick this year like Steve Slaton continues to struggle.
The middle rounds are where people try to mold their team. Injuries are out of anyone’s control, so if a top three pick succumbs to an unexpected health problem, there is not much you can do. However, you can soften the blow by hitting on a few of your picks from the fourth to eight rounds. These picks are often the ones that separate the strong teams in your league from the weak ones. Here is how the fourth round is shaping up using Yahoo’s average draft position rankings as of today. These numbers change often, and as we move past the early rounds, the stats will vary day to day, so use this tool yourself for the latest updates.
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Fantasy NBA: Analysis of Third Round
The third round seems shallow this year, especially towards the tail-end. Thus, the third name you call on draft night stands to be the make-or-break selection. A lot of good prospects seem available in the middle rounds, and the list of attractive players to take a flier on in the last couple of rounds looks extra-long heading into this season. The challenge ahead will be how to pass the baton around the track from your top two picks to the targeted sleepers.
As before, let us look at the average draft position (ADP) rankings from Yahoo, with some specific consideration towards head-to-head leagues.
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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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