We're Talking Bas-Ket-Ball!!!
OK, for anyone looking for some football or baseball talk, look elsewhere. It's officially time to start talking about basketball, basketball, and more basketball. You will have to excuse the lack of links in this post as well, my resources are a little short at present. I will point out that Brandon Funston of Yahoo Fantasy Sports has kept his Bigger Board of top 100 fantasy basketball players updated and has broken that down further in terms of top 25 at each position. Also, my buddy Eric Karabell has started mentioning fantasy basketball in his ESPN Fantasy Sports Blog. Check those out if you can, I will try to put up links later in the week to keep everyone fresh.
In the meantime, while I am still waiting for that review copy of John Hollinger's Pro Basketball Forecast 05-06, (c'mon John, you know you want to send me a copy) here are the most pressing thoughts concerning the Sixers and Fantasy Basketball.
Microfracture Surgery = Not Good Times
For anyone who already held their fantasy drafts and felt great about grabbing Amare Stoudemire with a top 10 pick, you have my most sincere sympathies. Stoudemire recently underwent microfracture surgery on his knee and is projected back, at the earliest, in 4 months. Which means February. Looking over the list of players that have had microfracture surgery, there isn't a really good success rate. Especially for someone like Amare, who's game is predicated on his athleticism and explosiveness, this comes as a huge blow. To be honest, unless he somehow is sitting around in the last round, I don't know how I can tell anyone to take a chane on this guy. I've said that with the offseason changes made to the Suns in an attempt to get physical, they remind me most of the 2001-02 Milwaukee Bucks, who in a rash decision to get tougher after making the Eastern Conference Finals, signed Antony Mason and completely missed the playoffs; now, without Amare, they might be even worse than that.
Even worse is what it does to the rest of his team. The Suns are now down to only 2 remaining starters from last year's team: Steve Nash and Shawn Marion. Nash's assist numbers were already in question at the start of this year after he lost his two wingmen and 3 point chuckers, now, with his main man in the middle out it'll be interesting to see how well all his new teammates compliment him. None of them has the outside shot or confidence that Richardson and Johnson had, and no one comes close to Amare's impact. His impact has taken a major hit. Nash will now have to shoulder more of the offensive load, and somehow learn where to get his new teammates the basketball. And this doesn't even mention his questionable durability.
Marion takes less of a hit, and in fact, may not take one at all. It was widely known that last year the Suns never ran a play for The Matrix, yet he still managed to average upwards of 19ppg. He's an incredible athlete who is just a fantasy stat stuffer. Somehow, despite all of what's going on around him, Marion takes no hit at all when considering his fantasy value.
Outlook: Amare falls off the list, Nash drops a few round, Matrix stays where he is, and keep an eye on Raja Bell, he's the most likely to find a lot of extra shots.
I Hear It Takes 2 Years to Really Come Back
One of the current NBA players who has had microfracture surgery on his knee is 76ers power forward Chris Webber. In all talks with Webber thus far in the preseason, his surgically repaired knee is feeling much better. In fact Webber has admitted that he probably tried to return too soon after having the surgery. It's a shame that he's missed the last week or so of the preseason with a bruised thigh (on his other leg), because everyone is very optimistic about having Webber and Iverson on the floor together this year. Mo Cheeks has stated that Webber will be much more involved in the offense, and that the team is really learning to move around him and best use his incredible passing talents. I like what I'm hearing, and have been saying since last season that Webber is too smart of a basketball player not to be able to play with Iverson, but after all this talking, I'll reserve final judgement for when I see the games.
But just to prove how much I'm looking forward to this, I went out this weekend and bought myself a Chris Webber jersey.
So Who Has Made Their Mark This Preseason?
With Webber out with his thigh injury, and Samuel Dalembert still resting his knee, who have the Sixers turned to in the preseason? Well, it looked like Michael Bradley was using the preseason to make his mark but then he got hurt. Shavlik Randolph, who was mentioned here as an interesting candidate, has also been out with an injury. Instead, Deng Gai has done the most to make his mark. The 6'9" undrafted rookie PF out of Fairfield is leading the Sixers in blocked shots in the preseason. Considering that Dalembert and Hunter are both athletic shot blockers and will be the #1 and #2 guys playing in the middle, the Sixers may have hoped for more of a scorer out of the backup PF role, but if Gai keeps playing the way he is, it'll be real hard to keep him off the roster. And really, who doesn't want a "Gai" jersey?
Another interesting preseason stat - John Salmons is second on the team in free throw attempts. Every year it seems like Salmons draws nothing but praise in the preseason, only to find himself sitting on the bench all year. This year, especially with the loss of Willie Green, it looks like Salmons will have to take a much bigger role. Here at A Fantasy Life, I have been a proponent of placing Salmons in the starting lineup. He is a taller guard who can handle the basketball, thereby lessening the burden on Iverson, and he can play defense and has a nice outside shot. Starting Salmons would put Iguodala back in his natural SF position, plus it would bring Kyle Korver off the bench, where his Instant Korver 3 point offense would be an incredible change of pace weapon.
Oh My Beloved St. Joe's Hawks, How You Have Been Forsaken!!!
So it appears that with their recent trade for Dan Dickau, Delonte West is no longer going to be the starting PG for the Hated Celtics. The reasoning for this is... Well, I have no idea what it is. West is a better shooter than Dickau, he is a much better pressure player, and has experience running the team during their playoff push last year while Gary Payton was whining his way out of Atlanta. West never put up gaudy assist numbers, but with Paul Pierce still running the show in Boston, it wasn't really in his job description. West could handle the ball, play defense, and get open for 3's. Now he's back on the bench. Shame.
But an even bigger travesty is the sudden appearance of DeShawn Stevenson in the Orlando Magic starting backcourt. Despite him having the same name as an old high school wrestling teammate, Stevenson has little reason for being there. All offseason the talk was that Francis would be moved over to the SG spot, thereby freeing up the PG duties for Jameer Nelson. The Magic even went out and brought Keeyon Dooling to challenge for that role. Instead, it appears that Francis will be back hogging the basketball as the Magic PG and Nelson will have to settle for a 6th man role. Shame too, because despite him being a local favorite, Nelson put up very nice numbers last year during his stint as a starter. I don't know what would cause the Magic from not starting a PG who is a great team leader and clutch player, who averaged 15-5-5 while starting last year, but they should be fired immediately.
Steve Francis truly is Basketball A.I.D.S.
There's a Reason I Call Him Manlove
In his first appearance as a New York Knick, after missing most of preseason with the ongoing DNA/contract talks, Eddy Curry scored 16 points in 13 minutes. Just figured I'd point that out.
And of the Man Filling the Void In Chicago?
Now that they can officially begin the A.E. (after Eddy, and subsequently me as a fan) Era in Chicago, what does it look like for this starting front line? Well, it looks like Tyson Chandler will be officially moved into the starting center position. I don't know if this will truly affect his playing time, as Chandler played the most minutes of any Chicago big man last year coming off the bench, but it should be a nice confidence booster. Chandler will most likey be amongst the league leaders in rebounds and blocks, but what should be interesting is his increased presence in the offense. Without Eddy, Tyson will have to provide more of an offensive presence on the low post. Chandler has never been known for his shooting touch, but it really isn't that bad. And despite the way it looked at times last year, Tyson has taken incredible strides to improve his free throw shooting, and it's always good to have a big man who can shoot free throws.
And since Tyson is getting moved over to the center position, it appears that one of the players who came over in the Eddy Curry trade, Mike Sweetney, will be taking over as the starting PF. Last year in this space I made a big deal about Sweetney being placed in the starting lineup in New York when the Knicks traded Nazr Mohammed. Everyone thought that Sweetney's minutes would double and for a week or so they did. Well, it looks like he'll get another chance to show everyone what he can do in Chicago. Sweetney is a prototypical, back to the basket, low post player, who will probably be able to take up the scoring slack left by Eddy. Not to mention, Sweetney is actually a better rebounder than Eddy and due to his college grooming at Georgetown, understands where he is supposed to be on the basketball court on defense. Sweetney will probably go undrafted in fantasy drafts, but if he plays as well as some expect, he'll be one of the first free agent pickups.
Just Pray For A Top 2 Pick
For the first time in recent memory, there is complete unknown in ta fantasy basketball top 10. Aside from Lebron and KG, there is a great deal of question as to who to take next. Some would say that Dirk is an obvious choice, but with Yahoo taking away his center elligibility, his rough summer schedule with his national team, and with his ever increasing load carrying the Mavericks with Finley gone, I'm expecting a bit of a dropoff. Others may say Tim Duncan, some may opt for The Matrix, some may like the idea of having a Phil Jackson coached Kobe Bryant, and some of you may have already said Amare Stoudemire (my condolences again). Either way, unlike picks 1 & 2, when coming up on one of these picks you'll actually have to think about your decision. So without further ado, I present my own top 10 list:
1. Lebron
2. KG
3. Marion
4. Duncan
5. Dirk
6. T-Mac
7. Kobe
8. Wade
9. Iverson
10. Jermaine O'Neal
In the meantime, while I am still waiting for that review copy of John Hollinger's Pro Basketball Forecast 05-06, (c'mon John, you know you want to send me a copy) here are the most pressing thoughts concerning the Sixers and Fantasy Basketball.
Microfracture Surgery = Not Good Times
For anyone who already held their fantasy drafts and felt great about grabbing Amare Stoudemire with a top 10 pick, you have my most sincere sympathies. Stoudemire recently underwent microfracture surgery on his knee and is projected back, at the earliest, in 4 months. Which means February. Looking over the list of players that have had microfracture surgery, there isn't a really good success rate. Especially for someone like Amare, who's game is predicated on his athleticism and explosiveness, this comes as a huge blow. To be honest, unless he somehow is sitting around in the last round, I don't know how I can tell anyone to take a chane on this guy. I've said that with the offseason changes made to the Suns in an attempt to get physical, they remind me most of the 2001-02 Milwaukee Bucks, who in a rash decision to get tougher after making the Eastern Conference Finals, signed Antony Mason and completely missed the playoffs; now, without Amare, they might be even worse than that.
Even worse is what it does to the rest of his team. The Suns are now down to only 2 remaining starters from last year's team: Steve Nash and Shawn Marion. Nash's assist numbers were already in question at the start of this year after he lost his two wingmen and 3 point chuckers, now, with his main man in the middle out it'll be interesting to see how well all his new teammates compliment him. None of them has the outside shot or confidence that Richardson and Johnson had, and no one comes close to Amare's impact. His impact has taken a major hit. Nash will now have to shoulder more of the offensive load, and somehow learn where to get his new teammates the basketball. And this doesn't even mention his questionable durability.
Marion takes less of a hit, and in fact, may not take one at all. It was widely known that last year the Suns never ran a play for The Matrix, yet he still managed to average upwards of 19ppg. He's an incredible athlete who is just a fantasy stat stuffer. Somehow, despite all of what's going on around him, Marion takes no hit at all when considering his fantasy value.
Outlook: Amare falls off the list, Nash drops a few round, Matrix stays where he is, and keep an eye on Raja Bell, he's the most likely to find a lot of extra shots.
I Hear It Takes 2 Years to Really Come Back
One of the current NBA players who has had microfracture surgery on his knee is 76ers power forward Chris Webber. In all talks with Webber thus far in the preseason, his surgically repaired knee is feeling much better. In fact Webber has admitted that he probably tried to return too soon after having the surgery. It's a shame that he's missed the last week or so of the preseason with a bruised thigh (on his other leg), because everyone is very optimistic about having Webber and Iverson on the floor together this year. Mo Cheeks has stated that Webber will be much more involved in the offense, and that the team is really learning to move around him and best use his incredible passing talents. I like what I'm hearing, and have been saying since last season that Webber is too smart of a basketball player not to be able to play with Iverson, but after all this talking, I'll reserve final judgement for when I see the games.
But just to prove how much I'm looking forward to this, I went out this weekend and bought myself a Chris Webber jersey.
So Who Has Made Their Mark This Preseason?
With Webber out with his thigh injury, and Samuel Dalembert still resting his knee, who have the Sixers turned to in the preseason? Well, it looked like Michael Bradley was using the preseason to make his mark but then he got hurt. Shavlik Randolph, who was mentioned here as an interesting candidate, has also been out with an injury. Instead, Deng Gai has done the most to make his mark. The 6'9" undrafted rookie PF out of Fairfield is leading the Sixers in blocked shots in the preseason. Considering that Dalembert and Hunter are both athletic shot blockers and will be the #1 and #2 guys playing in the middle, the Sixers may have hoped for more of a scorer out of the backup PF role, but if Gai keeps playing the way he is, it'll be real hard to keep him off the roster. And really, who doesn't want a "Gai" jersey?
Another interesting preseason stat - John Salmons is second on the team in free throw attempts. Every year it seems like Salmons draws nothing but praise in the preseason, only to find himself sitting on the bench all year. This year, especially with the loss of Willie Green, it looks like Salmons will have to take a much bigger role. Here at A Fantasy Life, I have been a proponent of placing Salmons in the starting lineup. He is a taller guard who can handle the basketball, thereby lessening the burden on Iverson, and he can play defense and has a nice outside shot. Starting Salmons would put Iguodala back in his natural SF position, plus it would bring Kyle Korver off the bench, where his Instant Korver 3 point offense would be an incredible change of pace weapon.
Oh My Beloved St. Joe's Hawks, How You Have Been Forsaken!!!
So it appears that with their recent trade for Dan Dickau, Delonte West is no longer going to be the starting PG for the Hated Celtics. The reasoning for this is... Well, I have no idea what it is. West is a better shooter than Dickau, he is a much better pressure player, and has experience running the team during their playoff push last year while Gary Payton was whining his way out of Atlanta. West never put up gaudy assist numbers, but with Paul Pierce still running the show in Boston, it wasn't really in his job description. West could handle the ball, play defense, and get open for 3's. Now he's back on the bench. Shame.
But an even bigger travesty is the sudden appearance of DeShawn Stevenson in the Orlando Magic starting backcourt. Despite him having the same name as an old high school wrestling teammate, Stevenson has little reason for being there. All offseason the talk was that Francis would be moved over to the SG spot, thereby freeing up the PG duties for Jameer Nelson. The Magic even went out and brought Keeyon Dooling to challenge for that role. Instead, it appears that Francis will be back hogging the basketball as the Magic PG and Nelson will have to settle for a 6th man role. Shame too, because despite him being a local favorite, Nelson put up very nice numbers last year during his stint as a starter. I don't know what would cause the Magic from not starting a PG who is a great team leader and clutch player, who averaged 15-5-5 while starting last year, but they should be fired immediately.
Steve Francis truly is Basketball A.I.D.S.
There's a Reason I Call Him Manlove
In his first appearance as a New York Knick, after missing most of preseason with the ongoing DNA/contract talks, Eddy Curry scored 16 points in 13 minutes. Just figured I'd point that out.
And of the Man Filling the Void In Chicago?
Now that they can officially begin the A.E. (after Eddy, and subsequently me as a fan) Era in Chicago, what does it look like for this starting front line? Well, it looks like Tyson Chandler will be officially moved into the starting center position. I don't know if this will truly affect his playing time, as Chandler played the most minutes of any Chicago big man last year coming off the bench, but it should be a nice confidence booster. Chandler will most likey be amongst the league leaders in rebounds and blocks, but what should be interesting is his increased presence in the offense. Without Eddy, Tyson will have to provide more of an offensive presence on the low post. Chandler has never been known for his shooting touch, but it really isn't that bad. And despite the way it looked at times last year, Tyson has taken incredible strides to improve his free throw shooting, and it's always good to have a big man who can shoot free throws.
And since Tyson is getting moved over to the center position, it appears that one of the players who came over in the Eddy Curry trade, Mike Sweetney, will be taking over as the starting PF. Last year in this space I made a big deal about Sweetney being placed in the starting lineup in New York when the Knicks traded Nazr Mohammed. Everyone thought that Sweetney's minutes would double and for a week or so they did. Well, it looks like he'll get another chance to show everyone what he can do in Chicago. Sweetney is a prototypical, back to the basket, low post player, who will probably be able to take up the scoring slack left by Eddy. Not to mention, Sweetney is actually a better rebounder than Eddy and due to his college grooming at Georgetown, understands where he is supposed to be on the basketball court on defense. Sweetney will probably go undrafted in fantasy drafts, but if he plays as well as some expect, he'll be one of the first free agent pickups.
Just Pray For A Top 2 Pick
For the first time in recent memory, there is complete unknown in ta fantasy basketball top 10. Aside from Lebron and KG, there is a great deal of question as to who to take next. Some would say that Dirk is an obvious choice, but with Yahoo taking away his center elligibility, his rough summer schedule with his national team, and with his ever increasing load carrying the Mavericks with Finley gone, I'm expecting a bit of a dropoff. Others may say Tim Duncan, some may opt for The Matrix, some may like the idea of having a Phil Jackson coached Kobe Bryant, and some of you may have already said Amare Stoudemire (my condolences again). Either way, unlike picks 1 & 2, when coming up on one of these picks you'll actually have to think about your decision. So without further ado, I present my own top 10 list:
1. Lebron
2. KG
3. Marion
4. Duncan
5. Dirk
6. T-Mac
7. Kobe
8. Wade
9. Iverson
10. Jermaine O'Neal
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