Draft recap of Any1seenMyDime? Fantasy basketball league 2015-2016

This is the 7^th year of our fantasy basketball league and I try to do a draft recap as before the season starts. It lets me put my full bias into my thoughts without any regular season stats tallied yet.  You’ll see the usual for each round: what I like, what I don’t like, and what I was thinking.  You can follow along with the draft order here: http://games.espn.go.com/fba/tools/draftrecap?leagueId=33535

Round 1: Can you go wrong with any of these guys?

What I liked: Obviously the Brow and Steph going 1 and 2. I like seeing LeBrick out of the conversation for #1 and seeing him fall to 6 is pretty good. I probably would even take the likes of Damian Lillard above LeBron in most fantasy formats. (Lillard could be MVP this year.)

What I didn’t like: Nothing. Statistically speaking, all 10 of these guys should stuff the stat sheet this year.

What I was thinking: Rodriguez had the first pick… but was also on his Honeymoon. Obviously, he had his priorities straight. Or did he? I had a hard time with the 2^nd pick. I wanted Steph. I wanted KD. And to be honest, I almost pulled the trigger on Lillard. He’s probably the only one who will play all 82 games this year, and with Aldridge in San Antonio and the ball in his hands, he’s going to have HUGE games this year. I ultimately chose Steph because of his defensive abilities. And I love him, and his game.

Round 2: Possible 1^st rounders

What I liked: You could make the case that some of these guys drafted in Round 2 could be drafted in Round 1. LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul George, and Melo are your typical borderline 1^st rounders. Klay Thompson is only getting better, and Jimmy Butler was awesome last year.

What I didn’t like: Two words. Rudy. Gobert. Really, Willie? I know you love the Jazz. But round 2 is not a round for risk. Gobert has upside… but not #11 upside. Also, Luther passing on Paul George. Unexplainable for a guy who swears by his Indiana teams.

What I was thinking: I wanted either Melo or LA. Carmelo should lead the league in scoring (or close to it.) And he does enough in the other categories that I was happy with him at 19. Plus he’s a SF/PF combo.

Round 3: Where the draft is won.

What I liked: A lot of big guys flying off the board.

What I didn’t like: Draymond Green was my waiver wire pick-up last year. He was great. But without improving his 3PM, I don’t see him as a 3^rd round pick. DeAndre Jordan. Gross. In a league that counts FT% and FT missed, Jordan is a plague.

What I was thinking: I wanted Vucevic all of last year. He is skilled offensively for a center, has great range and touch, and the Magic will run their offense through him. Marc Gasol probably has better defensive stats. But Vucevic will be an All-Star.

Round 4: Also where the draft is won

What I liked: A lot of great talent still available in this round. Rudy Gay has always been a favorite of mine, as he does a little bit of everything. Al Horford is apparently shooting 3’s this year.

What I didn’t like: This is OBVIOUS. I had my fingers crossed that KLove would drop to 39. I knew the chances were slim with Jared in front of me. But Mikey had no business grabbing Love. Completely uncalled for. I still don’t see KLove as a legit superstar, like he was in the past. But I still KLove him. (See what I did there?)

What I was thinking: I would have been ecstatic to get Love at 39. But I already knew chances were slim. I was happy with Lowry in round 4. I feel he’s extremely undervalued and is easily a 2^nd round pick. He was my targeted PG in this years draft.

Round 5: Last chance to win your draft

What I liked: This is the round where we see the last of the really great fantasy players go off the board. Batum should be beastly in Charlotte this year. The Greek Freak is just fun to own.

What I didn’t like: Kyrie is coming off a major injury and probably won’t be the player he’s been in the past. Isaiah Thomas is coming off the bench in Boston.

What I was thinking: I love PGs. I already drafted Steph and Lowry. I felt Ty Lawson is going to have a huge year in Houston along side the Beard. Ty and James Harden have a similar style of play: fast. They both penetrate, attack the basket, and drive and dish. There’s plenty of that to go back-and-forth so I expect Ty’s assists and 3s to be high this year.

Round 6: A few question marks

What I liked: Karl-Anthony Towns could be the rookie of the year. Mike Conley is a great pickup at this point in the draft (there’s that PG love again).

What I didn’t like: A lot of question marks. Can Wiggins repeat on last years performance? Will Monta Ellis and PG13 coexist in Indiana? Is Reggie Jackson a legit starting PG? Does Dirk have anything left? Is Danny Green effected  by Pops regimented playing time?

What I was thinking: The only sure-fire picks in this round were Mike Conley and Tobias Harris. I already picked point guards and I needed a PF. I had Tobias Harris on my team last year and he can do everything. He’s going to play a ton of minutes for Orlando and pairing him with Vucevic made sense. Plus he has SF eligibility.

Round 7: Former 1^st rounders

What I liked: There were several former 1^st round picks in this round. Tyreke Evans, DRose, Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade. That made for some interesting justifications. When seeing these names, you can’t help but be tempted to pick them as you consider their past fantasy season greatness.  C.J. McCollum. He could be in for a huge year starting along side Damian Lillard.

What I didn’t like: Tim Duncan. He’s old and slow and in Pops system. He’s not going to play every night.

What I was thinking: I was looking hard at Greg Monroe. He’s always been a solid fantasy player, capable of a double double every night. I saw DRose. (Curse my love for PGs!) It took me down to the last second to pick Derrick Rose. I know he hasn’t been healthy, and he got hurt in practice already. But it looks like he’s going to start the season opener. And sometimes you gotta take risks… on guys like Derrick Rose… for the 3^rd season in a row…

Rounds 8-9: Potential Rock Stars

What I liked: Brandon taking ZBo again. DeMar DeRozan is probably the best SG value out of this group. Ryan Anderson is STILL the darling of our league. Thaddeus Young is a great pick here.

What I didn’t like: All the SGs. Probably the least valuable position in fantasy basketball, as players in other positions are starting to shoot further away from the hoop. I’m just not a fan of SGs in fantasy, especially when I can get a PG that qualifies as SG as well. (I still get 3s from PGs plus better assists and and defensive stats.) I still hate Kobe.  And seeing Rajon Rondo anywhere near a basketball team is ridiculous. He’s going to destroy the Kings organization from the inside out.

What I was thinking: PGs. Like I said. I can get a lot of value from a PG. Especially someone like Michael Carter-Williams who is a triple-double threat. I think Emmanuel Mudiay could contend for Rookie of the Year honors as the starting PG for the Denver Nuggets.

Round 10-11: Draft strategy goes out the window

What I liked: It’s generally at this point I draft ‘flyers’. Guys I think should be really good, even though they might not. Trevor Ariza should be good again this year. Gortat is better than people think. Marcus Smart is starting for Boston.

What I didn’t like: Everything about round 10 (except for Ilyasova). JR Smith is terrible. Joakim Noah probably wont start this year. Terrance Jones, Robin Lopez, and Enes Kanter are all question marks.

What I was thinking: I panicked. I had one sleeper pick this year. Meyers Leanard. I could have drafted Gortat. But no… I freaked out and picked Leonard fearing someone else might snag him. (A young freak athlete that is a starting big man filling the hole left by LA and can shoot 3s.) We’ll see how long he stays on my roster.  Jrue Holiday is supposed to be on a minutes restriction with his stress-fractured broken leg. But with Tyreke Evans out, I don’t see how the Pelicans can be competitive without Holiday. They need him to get back to the playoffs. He may get a full compliment of minutes sooner than January.

Round 12-13: The end of it all

What I liked: A lot of old, interesting players. Kevin Martin, Tony Parker, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Jeff Green, Luol Deng, Josh Smith. These guys used to be fantasy gold. Now? Who knows?

What I didn’t like: Patrick Beverly. Yuck. Josh Smith. Yuck.

What I was thinking: Once again. I freaked out. I was looking for Marcus Smart. I didn’t realize he’d been taken so I half-hazzardly grabbed Julius Randle and Alec Burks. Randle has a lot of upside as the starting PF for the Lakers. And Burks was the surprise of fantasy last year until he was injured, he’s just not a good 3pt shooter for a SG (which drives me crazy).

All in all, I hope everyone had fun. Should be a great year for basketball. I’ll see ya’ll in the playoffs. (Except for 2 of you).   Overall I think I fared okay in my draft. 7 PGs is a bit much… but then again… maybe not. You never know.

Why the Suns Can Win the Championship

If dreams are more than dreams, and actually can, somehow, come true… then last night the Phoenix Suns lost to the Utah Jazz in the first game of their first round series... and I cried. Luckily, when I woke up this morning, I found out that my dreams are just dreams... and pillows make really good Kleenex.

As the playoffs are about to begin, I started to daydream about the possibilities. The Suns have been on a tear and I have felt that they can beat anyone. I started telling people that I wanted the Suns to play the Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers, and Cavs, in that order, to win the ‘Ship. ‘Why would you want the hardest road possible to win it all?’ My thinking was, to be the best you have to beat the best. …And get as many monkeys of your back as you can at the same time.

While my daydream was plausible, it was no more real than my dream last night. I now see that reality brings much higher probability for ascendancy to victory.

5. The Suns are HOT!

Best team headed to the playoffs. The Suns are 23-6 since the All-Star break. Really? Yes. Really. They’re finally getting production from Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson. Leandro Barbosa is finally healthy. And they are finally playing defense. Really? Yes. Really.

Big blowout wins over Denver and Utah. Getting back to back wins pushed them from 5th to 3rd, locking up home court advantage in the first round and giving them loads of confidence. And not only did they win, they won BIG. They handled both teams easily, carrying 20+ point leads throughout both games. Some of you say, no big deal. But winning a game when you need to… I’d say that’s a pretty big deal. And it’s something both Denver and Utah could not do.

4. Favorable Schedule

No back to backs. Arguably the toughest part of playing in the NBA is the scheduling. Road trips and switching time zones. Playing 5 games in 7 days. Playing on back to back nights. Older legs struggle in back to back games, just ask Steve Nash and Grant Hill, as 9 of their 28 losses during the regular season came on those second nights. Take away back to backs and you can take away a lot of losses. Luckily, they will get plenty of rest between games in the playoffs.

Portland in round one. To be honest… The Suns usually struggle against Portland. And a few weeks ago, I said that the only team we don’t want to face is Portland. They play a slow, deliberate game and have, probably, the best crowd in the NBA. (i.e. Utah and Golden State) But then, something happened. It was like Tanya Harding’s skating-ghost sprang from her skating-coffin from 1994 and took out all her frustrations on Brandon Roy’s knee. (Did you know she was a boxer in the early 2000’s?) With Roy out for the season, the Suns should easily advance to round two versus Dallas/San Antonio. (And by ‘easily’, I mean ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blazers steal a game… or two’. Serious. We really struggle against them.)

Dallas or San Antonio in round 2. Either way, the Suns get a chance for revenge. And what is more motivating than revenge? (See #1)

Maybe the Lakers choke against Denver. The Nuggets should have beaten the Lakers last year. This year they have a chance to prove it (if they beat Utah, of course). And if all goes according to plan… that would be a favorable matchup for Phoenix in the Western Conference finals. (PHX would have home court advantage AND an up-tempo opponent, which they prefer.)

And if the Lakers cruise right into the Western Conference Finals like they're supposed to... expect a battle of epic proportions! The Suns have normally owned the Lakers in the postseason... and most remember the Suns historic comeback after being down 3-1 in the series. Now, this is obviously not the same Lakers team... but neither are the Suns. This year, the Suns have a deeper bench, far better point guard, and history is by our side.

Anyone but the Cavs in the Finals. Really… I’m dead with seriousness.

3. Amare

Is a beast. Amare Stoudemire is averaging 26 points and 10 rebounds per game since the All-Star break. He’s in great shape and his defensive effort is steadily improving. He leads the league in points in the paint (with 1,110 or some absurd number like that). And he knocks down his free throws. No one can stop him. (And many have tried. Ask Anthony Tolliver and Kosta Koufos.)

Round 2- Dirk or Tim (remember 2005?) Amare is playing his best basketball right now, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. The Suns missed the playoffs last year after Amare was poked in the eye and missed the rest of the season with a detached retina. The two games right before that the Suns scored 140 points in BOTH games. The Suns are dangerous with a healthy Amare Stoudemire. Neither Dirk or Tim are athletic or quick enough to hang with Amare. In 2005, Amare averaged 37 points per game against Duncan in the playoffs. (Yes, the Spurs won, but Joe Johnson had a broken face.) And that was a much younger, more agile Tim Duncan.

2. Style of Play

Efficient Offense/Solid Defense. The Suns lead the league in points per game 110, FG 49.2% and 3FG 41.2% and they’re 4th in assists per game. Yes, they are their usual offensive-juggernautish selves. But more importantly, their defense has improved incredibly. They’re 6th in rebounding and 11th in blocked shots. Surprised?

Second Unit. Everyone knows about Leandro Barbosa after his 2007 Sixth Man of the Year campaign when he averaged 18 ppg off the bench. But what about the rest of these guys? Jared Dudley and Channing Frye are among the league leaders in both 3 point% and 3 pointers made. Louis Amundson has become a force in the middle, and is ranked 10th in the league in blocks per 48 minutes played at 3.00. And probably most improved is Goran Dragic. He still struggles through growing pains, but he has improved his shooting and decision making. This scrappy bunch’s job is clear. Hold the lead. But when they’re on top of their game and are actually extending the lead, you will not beat the Suns.

Chemistry. (From Bill Simmons) Wednesday night, Phoenix at Utah. If the Suns lose, they land a 4-seed and a preferable matchup with Denver (who plays an open style that favors Phoenix). If they win, they jump to a 3-seed and a tougher matchup with Portland (more size, slowdown style, great crowd). General manager Steve Kerr heads to the locker room that night thinking, "We should bench the older guys (Nash and Hill), play our subs and settle for the 4-seed." What happens? Everyone wants to play. Better yet, they're excited to play. Kerr talks it over with Alvin Gentry; they decide to go for it and end up winning by 20. In their euphoric locker room afterwards, Grant Hill tells Kerr that the Suns have better chemistry than any team he's ever played for. And he means it. … Those are the stories I need to hear about my title contenders.

1. Steve Nash

Past Playoff Pains. Steve Nash has been through a lot in recent years. In 2005, the Suns star shooting guard Joe Johnson suffered a displaced fracture of the left orbital bone in Game 2 of their second round series with Dallas. They limped into to the Western Conference Finals to take on the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns lost 4-1.

In 2006, Amare Stoudemire had knee surgery and was shut down for all but a few games of the season. A run to the Western Conference Finals ended against the Mavs.

In 2007, the Suns played the Spurs again, this time in the Semifinals. Nash's nose split in game one. A Robert Horry flagrant foul on Nash in game 4 earned him an ejection from the ballgame and caused Amaré Stoudemire and Boris Diaw to leave their seats on the bench. For his actions, Horry would be suspended for each of the next two contests in the series. STAT and Diaw were suspended for the pivotal Game 5 back in Phoenix. Without two of their primary low-post players, the Suns put on one of the gutsiest performances the game has seen in quite some time – at least for three quarters that is. They ran out of gas in the 4th quarter, lost 88-85, and eventually lost the series.

In 2008, the Tim Duncan 3 pointer. Just mentioning it makes me shake my head in disgust.

In 2009, the Suns failed to make the playoffs after losing Amare Stoudemire to a season ending eye injury.

In 2010,… please… just no more injuries and no more Duncan threes. Please.

4th MVP. First of all, look at these numbers: 16.5 PPG, 11.0 APG, 51% FG, 43% 3FG, 94% FT. Now tell me who is even close? (Maybe Chris Paul, if he hadn’t gotten injured.) Steve Nash is STILL the best point guard in the NBA. He’s led the league in assists 4 times, all after turning 30 years old. Did I mention he’s now 36? The guy is magnificent. He’s won two MVP awards (should have won a 3rd) and I could argue he’s in the top 5 this year. He makes everyone around him better. He’s the ultimate teammate and an even ultimate-er competitor.

Remember at the beginning of the year how all the haters said the Suns wouldn’t make the playoffs? Remember how all the so-called experts said the Suns were bound for the lottery or would maybe get the 8th seed? To all of you at ESPN I say, Remember how we have Steve Nash?

So, can the Suns win the Championship? You tell me.

Frienemies

Yeah, that's right. Frienemies. You know, the kid who says he's gonna pick you first because you picked him first yesterday (he gets to be a captain because he brought his football), but you don't even end up in the top five. The ones that promise they'll trade their Jason Kidd rookie card for your Penny Hardaway rookie, but don't. Your pal who says you'll be best buds forever, and then moves away after 8th grade never to be heard of again. And yes, the people who act like your friends when you're right in front of them, but talk about you behind your back.

We all know people like this. My roommate Garlan has had recent experience with one: the Seattle Supersonics. (His once beloved Sonics recently moved to Oklahoma City and are now the Thunder.) The sad thing for Garlan is that now the Sonics don't exist. Future NBA fans will never experience the joy of watching their favorite team destroy the likes of Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, or Detlef Schrempf again.

Of course Garlan is upset. But how would you feel if your favorite team moved halfway accross the country and changed their team name only slightly (Supersonics to Thunder, both really loud nosies, Thunder is obviously the lesser of the two sounds), making sure you know that they used to be your team. (It would be like the Suns moving to Nashville and becoming the Moons. Or the Jazz moving to St. Louis and becoming the Oldies. Yeah. Like that.) But that will never happen, because our teams are actually GOOD.

The Seattle Mariners were the second worst team in baseball this year going 61-101. (The only other team to lose 100 games was the Washington Nationals, no surprise, but that's how bad the Mariners were.) The Seattle Seahawks are currently 2-9. So... if they win the last 5 games this season... they still won't make the playoffs. His beloved University of Washington Huskies are 0-11. They had a chance to beat Washington State (a team that is 2-10 and actually worse than U double-U) in OT... but couldn't do it. Now, HIS Seatt... er, uh, Oklahoma City Thunder are 1-13. The worst record in the NBA. At this rate, by the end of the season they will have won 6 games.

But Garlan won't let that keep him down. He has other activities to occupy his time: grilling Polish sausages and burgers, admiring all films featuring Jason Statham, arguing Ray Allen's case as the best shooter in NBA history and this years MVP, and growing/cutting his hair. I've neglected to state that Garlan is kind of white trash. Some might say a redneck. Actually, he's more than a white trash redneck. He's a red trash whiteneck.

But Garlan really is a nice guy. He likes going on blind dates. He volunteers a lot of his time at church. And his favorite TV show is Paris Hilton's My New BFF. Can you blame him? Anyone who can show you how to go 'from Frienemies to Bikini Besties' is worth watching. 'We love you Paris!'

At the end of each show one of the girls gets eliminated from the running to become Paris' new 'best friend forever'. Nothing beats elimination time. On the most recent episode, Paris decides to put all the girls up for elimination. The scene: the jacuzzi. (If you're a guy and you weren't watching the show, you are now.)

I think I may have commented something along the lines of: That Brittany is a hottie but I'm pretty sure she's a psycho-hose-beast-wench. And Shelley is a doll, but she's way too quiet for a girl like Paris."

Garlan replied (with a wry smile), "It's not about the body. It's about the girl inside the body."

And that's exactly why all of those girls are on the show. 'We love you Paris!'

The Black Michael Phelps

You know him as Shaq, The Diesel, Daddy, and Shaq Fu. The Big Cactus, The Big Shaqtus, The Big Galactus. Wilt Chamberneezy, The Big Baryshnikov, and Shaq Albert. Yes, Shaquille O’Neal is a man of many names. But my personal favorite, which just barely edged out the runner-up Kazaam, (and if you haven’t seen the movie Kazaam, you MUST) is also the most recent: The Black Michael Phelps.

I’ll have to admit, I laughed pretty hard when I first heard it. But as it rolled around in my head for a few minutes, the thought kept coming back to me: MTV Deathmatch: Shaquille O’Neal vs Michael Phelps. Lets get it on! No, but really… comparing them seems absurd.

vs

First of all, ‘The Big Aristotle’ is black. This automatically separates them by eons and schwartamuhranacks (This is a word I just made up. It means: lots more than ‘a lot’.) Everyone knows black people are better athletes, better dancers, and better singers. In his prime, ‘The Big Elvis’ could probably sing, dance, run, and jump among the best of them. And even though Michael had a lot of practice singing the National Anthem in Beijing this summer, I don’t see him coming out with an album anytime soon.

‘Big Shaq Daddy’, on the other hand, has been rapping since 1993 and has released five albums (not counting compilations or soundtracks). Two of which were Gold certified by the RIAA. What’s even more amazing is that more than one million people bought his debut album, Shaq Diesel. One million plus! That’s right, ‘Osama Bin Shaq’ has gone platinum. Hey, Mike… call me the next time you win a Platinum medal.

Now, obviously, Michael Phelps is the best swimmer in the world, galaxy, universe… um, ever. (This includes past, present, and future swimmers, from other galaxies and universes, and spans accross all time continuums and the intergalactical existence of space. He's that good.) I was among the millions jumping and shouting at the TV during his come-from-behind victory in the 100m butterfly for his 7th gold. (Not to overshadow Jason Lezak’s improbable run-down of the Aussie, Alain Bernard, in the anchor leg of the 4X100 m freestyle relay, which kept Phelp’s hopes for 8 gold alive.) And never have I witnessed a more rigorous domination than what I saw from him in swimming those 17 events in 9 days. Truly it was an awe-inspiring, gutsy performance by one of our generations greatest atheletes. So how will the greatest Olympian of all time fare in a 100 meter race against ‘M.D.E. (most dominant ever)’?

Yeah, um, never mind. I’ve decided that there’s really no need to even attempt to put on such a spectacle. The only way 'The Land Shark’ could beat Phelps swimming, is if the pool was only ten feet long. One full extension from the 7’1” ‘Big Fella’ and the race is over. Hmmmm… that gives me an idea.

Shaq Attack vs. Phelps: a best-of-three, winner-take-all series. It will take place in a neutral arena, (We’ll say Mexico because Canada would give ‘The Big Deporter’ an advantage. He could get tips from Steve Nash.) and the two competitors will wager twenty-three items of extreme importance and value.

Phelps will put his 21 gold medals and 2 bronze medals, from the ’04 and ‘08 Olympics and the ’07 World Championships, up against ‘The Yellow Submarines’:
4 NBA Championship rings,
1 NBA MVP award,
1 NBA Rookie of the Year award,
3 NBA Finals MVP awards,
2 All-Star MVP awards,
1 FIBA World Championship gold medal,

1 Olympic gold medal,
1 High School state title ,
1 framed Bachelor’s degree,
1 online Masters in Business Administration,
5 RIAA gold certified albums,
1 RIAA Platinum* certified album,
and 1 gold-plated, honorary, U.S. Deputy Marshall's badge.

(*According to the Barttimesnow Gold, Platinum, and Other Fine Artifacts Committee, the platinum album is the equivalent of 4 Olympic gold medals. Thus, compensating for any perceived ‘lack of value’ of ‘Dr. Shaq’s high school state title, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree. Thus, keeping the bet even at 23 items per contestant.)

The three events will take place in this order: the 100 meter freestyle, the 10 foot freestyle, and the 5 bazillion meter backstroke in a pool of Jello. May the best Superman win.