UPDATED Fantasy NBA Top 100 Rankings for 2013-2014 (Standard Head-to Head “Per Minute” Format)

The Preseason is underway and we are few weeks away from the start of the NBA regular season. Like the preseason movements, the preseason injuries are off the chain! No major casualties though. Whew. Enough yap, let’s update the rankings shall we?

As always, take note that this is based on a standard, 7-cat (points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, TO, TF) 82-game, head-to-head, “per minute” format. In short, Sports.ws fantasy basketball.

1	LeBron James
2	Kevin Durant
3	Kevin Love
4	Carmelo Anthony
5	Dwight Howard
6	Chris Paul
7	James Harden
8	DeMarcus Cousins
9	Tim Duncan
10	Dwyane Wade
11	Blake Griffin
12	John Wall
13	Kyrie Irving
14	LaMarcus Aldridge
15	Stephen Curry
16	Derrick Rose
17	Al Horford
18	David Lee
19	Josh Smith
20	Paul George
21	Al Jefferson
22	Kobe Bryant
23	Russell Westbrook
24	Anthony Davis
25	Brook Lopez
26	Dirk Nowitzki
27	Derrick Favors
28	Tony Parker
29	Greg Monroe
30	Paul Millsap
31	Monta Ellis
32	Damian Lillard
33	Pau Gasol
34	Larry Sanders
35	Deron Williams
36	Rajon Rondo
37	Carlos Boozer
38	Nikola Vucevic
39	Zach Randolph
40	Serge Ibaka
41	Kemba Walker
42	David West
43	Chris Bosh
44	Marc Gasol
45	Kenneth Faried
46	Roy Hibbert
47	Paul Pierce
48	Jrue Holiday
49	Nikola Pekovic
50	JaVale McGee
51	Ersan Ilyasova
52	Rudy Gay
53	Thaddeus Young
54	Jonas Valanciunas
55	Goran Dragic
56	Brandon Jennings
57	Spencer Hawes
58	Anderson Varejao
59	Andre Drummond
60	Joakim Noah
61	Tyreke Evans
62	Jeff Teague
63	Ty Lawson
64	Kevin Garnett
65	Kyle Lowry
66	Nene Hilario
67	Eric Bledsoe
68	Mike Conley
69	Greivis Vasquez
70	Marcin Gortat
71	Enes Kanter
72	J.R. Smith
73	Tobias Harris
74	Ryan Anderson
75	Tiago Splitter
76	Ricky Rubio
77	J.J. Hickson
78	Kawhi Leonard
79	Amare Stoudemire
80	Evan Turner
81	Andre Iguodala
82	Manu Ginobili
83	Tyson Chandler
84	Danilo Gallinari
85	Chandler Parsons
86	DeAndre Jordan
87	Victor Oladipo
88	Andrew Bogut
89	Chris Kaman
90	Amir Johnson
91	Andray Blatche
92	Luis Scola
93	DeMar DeRozan
94	Brandon Knight
95	Isaiah Thomas
96	Jeremy Lin
97	Andrew Bynum
98	Anthony Bennett
99	Glen Davis
100	Kevin Martin

NBA International Players for the 2013 season

This is a list of International Players who play for the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the year 2013-2014. This list will be UPDATED constantly throughout the 2013-2014 season. The list includes players with foreign citizenship and/or American-born players who are currently representing other nations in an international level.

#	PLAYER	COUNTRY	TEAM
1	Luis Scola	Argentina	Indiana Pacers
2	Carlos Delfino	Argentina	Milwaukee Bucks
3	Pablo Prigioni	Argentina	New York Knicks
4	Manu Ginobili	Argentina	San Antonio Spurs
5	Andrew Bogut	Australia	Golden State Warriors
6	Patrick Mills	Australia	San Antonio Spurs
7	Mirza Teletovic	Bosnia	Brooklyn Nets
8	Leandro Barbosa	Brazil	– Free Agent –
9	Anderson Varejao	Brazil	Cleveland Cavaliers
10	Fab Melo	Brazil	Memphis Grizzlies
11	Tiago Splitter	Brazil	San Antonio Spurs
12	Nene Hilario	Brazil	Washington Wizards
13	Luc Mbah a Moute	Cameroon	Sacramento Kings
14	Kris Joseph	Canada	– Free Agent –
15	Kelly Olynyk	Canada	Boston Celtics
16	Anthony Bennett	Canada	Cleveland Cavaliers
17	Tristan Thompson	Canada	Cleveland Cavaliers
18	Samuel Dalembert	Canada	Dallas Mavericks
19	Steve Nash	Canada	LA Lakers
20	Robert Sacre	Canada	Los Angeles Lakers
21	Joel Anthony	Canada	Miami Heat
22	Andrew Nicholson	Canada	Orlando Magic
23	Cory Joseph	Canada	San Antonio Spurs
24	Bismack Biyombo	Congo	Charlotte Bobcats
25	Jan Vesely	Czech Rep.	Washington Wizards
26	Al Horford	Dom. Rep.	Atlanta Hawks
27	Charlie Villanueva	Dom. Rep.	Detroit Pistons
28	Francisco Garcia	Dom. Rep.	Houston Rockets
29	Erik Murphy	Finland	Chicago Bulls
30	Johan Petro	France	– Free Agent –
31	Mickael Pietrus	France	– Free Agent –
32	Rodrigue Beaubois	France	– Free Agent –
33	Joakim Noah	France	Chicago Bulls
34	Evan Fournier	France	Denver Nuggets
35	Ian Mahinmi	France	Indiana Pacers
36	Ronny Turiaf	France	Minnesota Twolves
37	Nicolas Batum	France	Portland Trailblazers
38	Boris Diaw	France	San Antonio Spurs
39	Nando de Colo	France	San Antonio Spurs
40	Tony Parker	France	San Antonio Spurs
41	Rudy Gobert	France	Utah Jazz
42	Kevin Seraphin	France	Washington Wizards
43	Tornike Shengelia	Georgia	Brooklyn Nets
44	Zaza Pachulia	Georgia	Milwaukee Bucks
45	Dennis Schroder	Germany	Atlanta Hawks
46	Dirk Nowitzki	Germany	Dallas Mavericks
47	Chris Kaman	Germany	LA Lakers
48	Tim Ohlbrecht	Germany	Philadelphia 76ers
49	Ben Gordon	Great Britain	Charlotte Bobcats
50	Luol Deng	Great Britain	Chicago Bulls
51	Byron Mullens	Great Britain	LA Clippers
52	Joel Freeland	Great Britain	Portland Trailblazers
53	Kosta Kuofos	Greece	Memphis Grizzlies
54	G. Antetokounmpo	Greece	Milwaukee Bucks
55	Hamed Haddadi	Iran	– Free Agent –
56	Gal Mekel	Israel	Dallas Mavericks
57	Omri Casspi	Israel	Houston Rockets
58	Danilo Gallinari	Italy	Denver Nuggets
59	Andrea Bargnani	Italy	New York Knicks
60	Marco Belinelli	Italy	San Antonio Spurs
61	Luigi Datome	Italy	Detroit Pistons
62	Roy Hibbert	Jamaica	Indiana Pacers
63	Andris Biedrins	Latvia	Utah Jazz
64	Donatas Montiejunas	Lithuania	Houston Rockets
65	Jonas Valanciunas	Lithuania	Toronto Raptors
66	Pero Antic	Macedonia	Atlanta Hawks
67	Gustavo Ayon	Mexico	Atlanta Hawks
68	Nikola Pekovic	Montenegro	Minnesota Twolves
69	Nikola Vucevic	Montenegro	Orlando Magic
70	Steven Adams	New Zealand	Oklahoma Thunder
71	Aron Baynes	New Zealand	San Antonio Spurs
72	Festus Ezeli	Nigeria	Golden State Warriors
73	Josh Akognon	Nigeria	Memphis Grizzlies
74	Al-Farouq Aminu	Nigeria	New Orleans Pelicans
75	Gary Forbes	Panama	– Free Agent –
76	Marcin Gortat	Poland	Phoenix Suns
77	Jose Juan Barea	Puerto Rico	Minnesota Twolves
78	Andrei Kirilenko	Russia	Brooklyn Nets
79	Sergey Karasev	Russia	Cleveland Cavaliers
80	Timofey Mozgov	Russia	Denver Nuggets
81	Alexey Shved	Russia	Minnesota Twolves
82	DeSagana Diop	Senegal	– Free Agent –
83	Gorgui Dieng	Senegal	Minnesota Twolves
84	Vladimir Radmanovic	Serbia	– Free Agent –
85	Nemanja Nedovic	Serbia	Golden State Warriors
86	Aleksandar Pavlovic	Serbia	Portland Trailblazers
87	Beno Udrih	Slovenia	New York Knicks
88	Goran Dragic	Slovenia	Phoenix Suns
89	Jose Calderon	Spain	Dallas Mavericks
90	Pau Gasol	Spain	LA Lakers
91	Marc Gasol	Spain	Memphis Grizzlies
92	Ricky Rubio	Spain	Minnesota Twolves
93	Serge Ibaka	Spain	Oklahoma Thunder
94	Victor Claver	Spain	Portland Trailblazers
95	Jonas Jerebko	Sweden	Detroit Pistons
96	Thabo Sefolosha	Switzerland	Oklahoma Thunder
97	Hasheem Thabeet	Tanzania	Oklahoma Thunder
98	Omer Asik	Turkey	Houston Rockets
99	Ersan Ilyasova	Turkey	Milwaukee Bucks
100	Hedo Turkoglu	Turkey	Orlando Magic
101	Enes Kanter	Turkey	Utah Jazz
102	Kyrylo Fesenko	Ukraine	– Free Agent –
103	Vyacheslav Kravtsov	Ukraine	Milwaukee Bucks
104	Alex Len	Ukraine	Phoenix Suns
105	Greivis Vasquez	Venezuela	Sacramento Kings
106	Raja Bell	Virgin Islands	– Free Agent –

*as of Aug. 18, 2013

Post Season Analysis of a 16-Team Sports.Ws League – A Case Study in Futility

Time it goes so fast when you’re whooping ass.  It’s been a year since the winningest blog debuted.  Excuse the hiatus but it was necessary for obvious reasons.  It’s been a whole damn year of drafting, roster management, and waiver play.  A whole year of trash talking, trade talks, and unforgivable upsets.  But most of all, a whole year of domination and winning.  But enough about me, let’s talk about the subject matter at hand.

Last year, I chose a poster child Sport.Ws league to be the basis of a rookie mock draft.  I’ll be looking at the same league this year, but this time, for post season analysis.  It’s funny because this particular league really illustrates the dos and don’ts of a standard scoring head-to-head fantasy basketball keeper league.  I’ll start from the bottom and work my way up to the no.1 seed.  Let’s begin shall we?

Seed #16 – The Bulldog

Last Year’s Seeding:  #13

Last Year’s Keepers:  Andrew Bynum, Eric Gordon, Marcus Thornton, Ramon Sessions, Drew Gooden

Key Acquisitions:  Andrea Bargnani (draft), JJ Hickson (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick:  Bradley Beal

Can I just say that this team reminds me of my favorite Discovery Channel show – Destroyed In Seconds.  This team is such a disaster.  First off, this team’s only hope of finishing with a respectable record didn’t even play a single game.  Then, the supposed to be second go-to guy had a very forgettable season.  When I say forgettable, I mean like the last chick you had drunk makeout sessions with.  And get this – on top of that sh*t, the team drafted Andrea Bargnani as 1^st veteran draft pick.  What a ‘trinity’ fail!  This team was 4^th on a linear draft for Christ’s sake. What… the… hell!  If I was the Commissioner, I’ll fire the owners ass!

On hindsight though, it was more bad luck than failure.  The team got JJ Hickson, Glen Davis, and the real deal Bradley Beal but these guys just can’t cut it.  Silver lining?  The team gets #1 pick in the linear. No more f*cking up, please.

Seed #15 – Razor

Last Year’s Seeding:  #6

Last Year’s Keepers:  Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin, Anderson Varejao

Key Acquisitions:  Danny Granger (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick:  Andre Drummond

From #6 to #15, pretty hard nose dive.  There’s nothing to “break down” here.  It’s just that every key player on this team broke down – be it statistically or by injury.  Danny Granger?  5 lousy games.  Anderson Varejao?  Looked like he’ll have a monster breakout in the first few games.  Went down too.  As for Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin? Hmmm… Did I say before the start of last year’s season that their numbers will drop? Well, it did.  And it dropped like a lead balloon. Dirk’s and Blake’s numbers? Dipped a bit this year and it’s never a good news to see your 2 best guys stagnating.  For Dirk – old age.  For Blake – adjustments, I hope.

This team needs to rebuild.  Obviously.  Gone are the Dirk and Nash glory years.  Jeremy Lin is a fantasy bust in Houston.  Varejao will be overshadowed by Andrew Bynum in Cleveland for sure.  Danny Granger is a big question mark fantasy-wise now that we know Paul George is the man in Indiana.  So who’s left on the roster?  Blake Griffin.  But we all damn know you can’t build a championship team with just one superstar.  Sometimes, 2 superstars ain’t enough.  What’s there to hope for? A healthy Andre Drummond and the #2 pick in the linear.

Seed #14 – Y2Awesomes

Last Year’s Seeding:  #4

Last Year’s Keepers:  Dwight Howard, Roy Hibbert, Derrick Rose, Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry

Key Acquisitions:  Goran Dragic (draft), Tristan Thompson (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick:  Dion Waiters

I know what you’re thinking. Derrick Rose. This team fell because of Derrick Rose.  Well, yes and no.  First of all, this team has a complete roster without Derrick Rose. Somewhat.  There’s Dwight Howard, Roy Hibbert, Kyle Lowry, and Goran Dragic.  So what’s up?  The team’s crappy supporting cast.  That’s what’s up.  This team needs to find gems in the waiver.  If not gems, maybe a couple of decent finds.  They’re there just waiting to get snagged.  Just like in everything, you’re only as good as your weakest link.  If you can’t get that through your head, then might as well quit now because fantasy basketball is way more than getting good guys in the draft.  Great drafting is just one foot in the door.  To bust that door wide open, you need to be a complete fantasy GM.  And that means drafting, roster management, in-season adjustments like trading, and waiver play.  On the flip side, Derrick Rose is Derrick Rose.  Numbers don’t lie.  He completes this former powerhouse.  Emphasis on “former”.

Now, the conspiracy theorist in me is thinking… Maybe this team just tanked last year to get lottery picks.  Possible.  In fact, it may have been ‘masterminded’.  But I don’t want to assume anything.  Kudos for him if he’s that tactical.  But I wouldn’t recommend it.  I’m just not built that way.

Seed #13 – Punky

Last Year’s Seeding:  #15

Last Year’s Keepers:  Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony, Joe Johnson, Luol Deng, Aaron Afflalo

Key Acquisitions:  Rajon Rondo (draft), Omer Asik (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick:  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Speaking of tanking, this team screams tank.  And when I say tank, I mean drop-and-pick the hell out of your roster until you get caught.  Seriously, this guy needs a lesson in discretion.  The hell…  I’m still giving the GM the benefit of the doubt though.  This team should have taken last year’s most improved team award.  Not!  Anyway, enough with the jokes.  I feel for this guy a little bit.  All the hype went poof the moment Mr. Love broke that stupid hand of his.  Then, the other hype went down.  I’m talking about Rajon Rondo.  Maybe he can redeem last year’s failed hype this year, perhaps?  Now that he officially ‘owns’ the Boston Celtics.  So who was left?  Carmelo Anthony.  Even though Melo killed it last year, he’s just one guy.  One guy can’t give you a ring.  We already established that.  Omer Asik and MKG were great additions to the team but that’s just about it.  The team’s GM clearly had no choice but to… tank.  Hahaha.  Nope, tanking is never the way to go.  If you still don’t know the answer to this team’s problem, then stop browsing at porn sites and actually read this article.  I just mentioned it earlier.

Anyhow, tanking as it may be, this team will look scary good next season. Uh-oh, another pre-season hype.  But think about it. Love back,  Melo being Melo,  Rondo alone in Boston,  MKG still improving,  and the #4 pick in the linear.  This team will be built like a tank next season!

Seed #12 – Machogwapitos

Last Year’s Seeding:  #11

Last Year’s Keepers:  Paul Millsap,  Chris Bosh, Kevin Martin, Michael Beasley, Mike Conley

Key Acquisitions:  John Wall (draft), Andray Blatche (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Austin Rivers

Here’s one of the few teams that remained from where they stood last year.  Unfortunately, this team is the lowest seed compared to those other teams who were ‘clamped down’ so to speak.  11^th and now 12^th?  Not fun.  One more year in the bottom quarter of the league and this team will be a bonafide jobber.  It’s not that the team composition sucks.  It looks ok at face value.  The team has got some good horses.  But in order to be a great fantasy team, you need thoroughbreds.  The team has no top-20 player and it only houses 3 key players.  Not much you can do with that.  Although I know someone who’ll beg to disagree.  Let’s skip the post-season analysis for this team.  It’s downright sad. Really.  Let’s look ahead and focus on its future.

So, John Wall got his max contract.  Big whoop.  What else?  Paul Millsap got shipped to Atlanta.  I have mixed emotions on that.  Chris Bosh is still in Miami playing 3^rd fiddle.  Andray Blatche will probably be buried in the Nets roster unless he surprises us again this year.  What now?  Pin your hopes on being #5 in the linear?  Not really.  It’s possible that a team can steal gems at #5 but you can’t put all your eggs on that.  Here’s my two cents.  Revamp.  Pull a Danny Ferry.  Buy low, sell high.  I’ve seen it done before.  Great GMs do it every time. 🙂

Seed #11 – Undertaker

Last Year’s Seeding:  #1

Last Year’s Keepers:  Amare Stoudemire, Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer, Ryan Anderson, Louis Williams

Key Acquisitions:  Nene Hilario (draft), JR Smith (draft), Andrew Bogut (via waiver)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Royce White

Hear ye.  Hear ye.  The great and mighty Undertaker has fallen.  After 3 playoff runs in 3 consecutive seasons and two #1 seeds in the past, the team now finds itself in the bottom half of the barrel.  Missing the playoffs by a hair last year just added salt to the wound.  Truly heartbreaking.  Especially when you’re used to winning.  But hey, this is keeper league fantasy basketball, baby.  The great thing about this particular keeper league is that it was designed to balance out the teams.  Hence, the 5 keepers and a linear draft.  Needless to say, it frowns upon dynasties.  Good forward thinking, Mr. Commissioner.  That being said, I tip my hat off to this team for staying on top for that long.  No championships though.  Tough luck.  It’s somehow odd that every time the team is in the midst of taking that elusive gold, someone or something ‘superkicks’ it away.

The way I see it, the fall is recoverable if… Let’s leave that “if” first and move on.  Andrew Bogut seemingly became the team’s prodigal son last year.  Lost but then miraculously found. Hmmm… I wonder why.  Louis Williams was a fatality and never came back.  Speaking of injuries, that was the main cause of the fall.  Three of the four towers went down – Amare, Nene, Bogut.  And they all gave sub-par performances when they got back.  Damaged goods you say?  Major possibility considering their injury history.  Old age too.  This team is practically 4 years old!  In the beginning, there were Amare Stoudemire, Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer, and Andrew Bogut.  And they’re still there!  I think you know what needs to be done here, Mr. GM.

 

Seed #10 – Higantes

Last Year’s Seeding:  #9

Last Year’s Keepers:  Deron Williams, Al Jefferson, Rudy Gay, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young

Key Acquisitions:  Brook Lopez (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Thomas Robinson

This team is the epitome of non-movement.  Figuratively and literally.  The team has been stuck in this spot ever since it joined the league 3 years ago.  Most of its original key players (Deron, Al Jeff, Gay, Brand) are still there but unfortunately, they are not as “powerhouse” as the original players of the team mentioned above.  Look, if you have been keeping Elton Brand for three straight years, then don’t be surprised if you’re going nowhere.  Seriously. Brand?!  Anyway, let’s not fixate on Brand as he is not the root of the problem.  He is just the visible proof of the underlying cause – player movement.  I don’t mean player movement as in roster management or waiver play.  I’m talking about… Yeah, you guessed it – trades!

To be good at this game, you should be constantly scouting and perpetually making your team stronger.  A little premeditated trade proposal here and there at the right time goes a long way.  Premeditated being the operative word.  That entails foresight.  This goes out to other teams as well.  And besides, isn’t trading fun? 😉

Some wise dude once said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”  And on this note, the winningest advice is this:  “Break it (the team) down and Suck it (up).“ One step back, two steps forward.  It will get worse before it gets better. Believe me. J  Best of luck.

Seed #9 – Loudmouth

Last Year’s Seeding:  #16

Last Year’s Keepers:  Stephen Curry, Al Horford, Jason Kidd, Kawhi Leonard, Courtney Lee

Key Acquisitions:  LaMarcus Aldridge (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Anthony Davis

The Dark Horse.  I didn’t believe it at first but I was proven wrong.  Why, isn’t that a delight. J From dead last to mid-tier and with Jason Kidd as keeper, mind you.  Wow.  Hahaha.  But seriously, this team’s upside going into next season is no laughing matter.  I’m one of the Curry doubtfuls out there but man did he went nuclear last year.  Anthony Davis might not have been Rookie of the year but as I said, he is THE investment last rookie draft and a future superstar in the association at that.  LaMarcus Aldridge will always be a star in Portland until shipped elsewhere.  And Kawhi is getting his stock up. Y’all watched the NBA Finals, right?

Finally, the first team in this article that actually moved up, and moved up significantly.  Well, once you hit rock bottom, there’s no other way but up.  But there’s no room for premature celebrations just yet.  This is just the beginning of a looong and usually brutal journey.  This is keeper league, my friends.  Just reminding everyone.

The team is strong but just being ‘strong’ will not win the coveted prize.  ‘Strongest’ is the word we’re aiming for.  To do that, we need to see activity from this team.  Activity on all post-draft aspects.  Let me repeat that again.  All post draft aspects – meaning waiver play, roster management, and if need be, trading.  You can check out your team all you want but if you’re just doing that to see the boxscores, then you’re not really “playing”.  Spectating is not playing.  No lurker has ever won fantasy gold.  You can quote me on that!

Seed #8 – Darak

Last Year’s Seeding:  #12

Last Year’s Keepers:  Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Bass, Darren Collison

Key Acquisitions:  Marc Gasol (draft), Jrue Holiday(draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Meyers Leonard

Nice turnout for this team last season.  Looks like the rock is “getting up”.  Kobe was just nuts last year.  Everybody was giving him the fantasy cold shoulder just because D12 went to Hollywood; same case when Lebron took his talents to South Beach.  But then, Kobe got back and gave a resounding bitch-slap to them doubters.  Vino.  Then there’s Marc Gasol.  Still a stat-filler but now he’s defensive player of the year.  And then there was the surprise all-star in Jrue Holiday.  He’s on a relatively more loaded team now but he is no all-star for nothing.  The team had a great draft last year considering these two finds.  The #5 linear picks didn’t go to waste.  I wish I can say the same for Meyers Leonard though.  This team could have been so much better with Drummond.

But the pertinent question stands:  can the rock “get it up” next year still?  Yes, especially when Kobe’s still around.  Another round of Vino? Probably.  Marc and Jrue should be alright.  Iggy is a wait and see in GSW.  If the team wants to debut in the playoffs, it needs to acquire solid 6ths, 7ths, and 8ths.  Bench players.  Right now, it’s non-existent.  The great thing about this year’s NBA off-season shake up is that any fantasy owner is bound to find gems this year.  Good news not only for this team but for everybody.  Second pertinent question:  will we see the team let go of Kobe this year?  I see a Catch-22 here.

Seed #7 – Hbk

Last Year’s Seeding:  #3

Last Year’s Keepers:  Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Ty Lawson, Serge Ibaka, Paul George

Key Acquisitions:  JaVale McGee (for Ersan Ilyasova from waivers), Tyreke Evans (for Pau Gasol), Joakim Noah (for Serge Ibaka), Tobias Harris (via waiver)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Perry Jones

The show-stopper.  The icon.  The main event.  The 2-time league champion.  You should be wondering… seed #7?!  Oh, yes.  It’s true.  It’s true.  This team has never taken the #1 or #2 seed and yet it’s arguably the most successful franchise in this league.  So what’s the angle you say?  I hate to admit it but the team has it all.  Player talent, tactics, luck and an overall understanding of how keeper leagues are supposed to be played.  If the team’s GM doesn’t have the latter, then he’s got no business being the Commissioner doesn’t he?   Whatever, on with the analysis…

When I say player talent, I mean this team is always loaded.  There is always Durant and at least 2 badass sidekicks.  That scenario is always maintainable if 1) you waiver like hell (98 free agent transactions on last year alone. Wtf.  🙂 ),  2) diligent scouting and actually waiting for your investments to pay off , and 3) read the next paragraph.

Tactics, in general.  That includes draft tactics, roster management tactics and more importantly trade tactics.  I can’t seem to put my finger on it but this team’s owner always seems to have perfect timing on when to bamboozle someone in a trade.  Sorry, about that.  Bamboozle is a strong word.  Let me rephrase:  this team’s owner always seems to have perfect timing on when to screw someone in a trade.  Hahaha.  That’s better.  Seriously.  Once upon a time, he snagged a Monster Pau Gasol (then top 13) for a budding LaMarcus Aldridge(then top 32) and Devin freaking Harris.  Now that Pau is starting to smell like soil, he gets rid of him in a highway-robbery type double trade!  Two young superstars with a huge possibility to go nuclear this year for an aging star and a waiver-salvaged keeper?!  Sigh.  Rules are rules.  Shiiiiit.

Luck goes with tactics and vice versa.  Never the top seed but twice the champion.  Apparently, the seeds don’t matter with this team.  And isn’t that the way it should be?  Although we find it extremely irritating for opponents to have their players punch in statistical anomalies at the perfect moment, credit is still due.  Remember, luck always favors the prepared mind.  Or should I say, the greatest mind?

Seed #6 – Hitman

Last Year’s Seeding:  #2

Last Year’s Keepers:  Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Luis Scola, Tiago Splitter, David West

Key Acquisitions:  Ricky Rubio (draft), Larry Sanders (via waiver)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Tyler Zeller

This team is a perennial contender seeding #4 and #2 consecutively in the past years and now it’s at #6.  No surprise for a team always packed with multiple superstars.  In the beginning there were Wade & Ellis with a budding Monroe, then the nasty G trio of Wade, Paul & Ellis.  Man, that backcourt was built to go all the way but no dice unfortunately.  Now, Ellis is gone thanks to last year’s “Competitive Balance Adjustment” Format.  The team is still a contender, no doubt about that.  But why the slip to #6 (the team’s lowest seed so far)?  Can this perpetual contender still gun for the gold this year?

The slip to #6 can be attributed 2 factors as far as I can see.  Number 1 (and the most obvious), some teams just got stronger this year.  You’ll realize why when I break down the higher seeds later.  Number 2, bad 1^st veteran pick.  The team virtually lost Monta Ellis for nothing.  Ersan Ilysova seemed to have promise but was thrown into the pit after 17 games  (I have a feeling I’ll be mentioning Ersanity again later).  I don’t know what was worse though, picking him as 1^st veteran pick or waiving him prematurely.  And that’s just about it really.  Well, you can say DWade is dipping a little bit but David West had a Renaissance season last year so that cancelled each other out.  Yes, you heard it right.  David effin West.  From 21.5 FPPG & 0.74 FPPM to a whopping 27.4 FPPG & .82 FPPM.  Too bad somebody ‘lost faith’ in the guy.  To tell you honestly, the ‘slip’ to #6 is quite deceiving.  We saw the league at arguably their most “balanced” season to date last year and the battle from 8^th to 1^st seed was very tight. Just 6 wins separating #1 and #8.  This team can still go for gold, of course.  Few adjustments here and there, timely waivers, and just maybe – a little help from lady luck.

Seed #5 –  Brock

Last Year’s Seeding:  #7

Last Year’s Keepers:  David Lee, Marcin Gortat, Tyreke Evans, Kemba Walker, Javale McGee

Key Acquisitions:  Ersan Iyasova (for JaVale McGee), Pau Gasol (for Tyreke Evans), Greivis Vasquez (via waiver)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Jared Sullinger

First division championship.  First visit to the playoffs in 3 years (no matter how short-lived it may be).  Overall, a helluva year for team Brock.  Things are finally falling into place for the one and only mad scientist GM of the league.  There is a method to this teams madness.  What is it you ask?  Beats me.  Your guess is as good as mine.  And for that reason alone, doing a ‘textbook’ analysis on this team will be like wiping your ass with a plastic bag.  It seems profound at first, but it just won’t make sense.  Probably because the GM himself doesn’t make any sense to begin with.  Hahaha.  But hey, the team is division champion, baby.  The method works as odd as it may be, so I’ll try nevertheless.  Let’s decipher the code…

First factor in this team’s successful year?  Bench production.  Not surprising as the team’s GM lives in the Waiver Wire.  The owner is a waiver rat (if there’s such a thing).  If you waiver 24/7, you’re bound to find decent role players like Speights, Thad Young, and Greivis.  The ‘waiver prowess’ virtually erased the blunder of the”Klay Thompson overreach” and the “Evan Turner project”.  Impressive.  It’s like the owner botches his draft on purpose just to show us how ‘that damn good’ he is on waiver play.  It’s not for the faint of heart, really.  Kids, do NOT try this.

Pair that bench with a solid cast like D. Lee, Kemba, Gortwat,  McGee, Tyreke… Wait.  Wait a minute.  No more Tyreke & McGee? Whaaat?!

So this was the team who landed the oh so coveted Pau Gasol?  Madness.  I thought the goal in a keeper league was to muster a strong and young team?  Emphasis on young.  Keeper league equals premium on youth and potential.  Always.  McGee is getting unleashed this year in Denver and so is Tyreke in New Orleans.  Not the GM’s fault though.  How could he possibly know, right?  But still…  So much for holding on to your investments.  A classic case of good scouting, bad follow through.

Getting your team old is one thing but to give up 2 of “your guys” for an oldie and a waiver pick?!  I say no more.  Well, maybe the trade was for a championship push right?  Sacrifice the future for the present?  Please. 😉  The flip side is that the trade is statistically justified and moreover, it brought the team to the playoffs.  The big question now is:  Will team Brock continue to contend and be a playoff mainstay from here on out?  Probably.  Probably not.  I won’t dare to venture a guess.  As long as the mad scientist keeps on conjuring up these Frankenstein monsters, all we can do is watch… and be entertained.

Seed #4 – Big Daddy

Last Year’s Seeding:  #10

Last Year’s Keepers:  DeMarcus Cousins, Kenneth Faried, Tim Duncan, Kris Humphries, Brandon Jennings
Key Acquisitions:  Monta Ellis (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Jeremy Lamb

Another huge jumper.  This team leaped from 10^th to 4^th.  Amazing isn’t it?  What’s more amazing is that the team just made 5 waiver moves last year.  Not surprising as this is the usual team MO – a kind of draft and forget sort of thing.  The team drafts strong.  Or as I see it – drafted strong.  Last couple of years, the team booked a ticket to the finals with a below 500 record!  Add to the fact that it only made 2 waiver waiver acquisitions!  My friends, that’s the Kenneth Faried effect.  The team got Faried as a rookie pick and never thought of kicking him out.  How would he think of kicking him out if he doesn’t even know that Faried was benched for the entirety of the first half of last season?  Being an absentee GM does have its merits.  I won’t recommend it though.  Really, I don’t.  🙂

But that’s just the half of the story.  The real scoop is the rebirth of the Big Fundamental last year and the continuing FPPM wizardry of DeMarcus Cousins.  No wonder the team had the best C production in the league.  I doubt that it will still be the case though now that Sports.ws decided to revamp player positions.  Position changes aside, the team will still be intact position-wise with Cousins  at C, Duncan and Faried on the F, and the used to be teammates Monta and Jennings at G.  The Ellis-Jennings split will be a huge factor in the team’s success this year.  It is reasonable to assume that their fantasy numbers will slightly go up now they’re not splitting minutes but it’s not quite a sure thing for now.  My concern is more on Jenning’s side than Monta’s.  Best case scenario is that both guys will go up to the .80ish FPPM range.  If that happens, this team will surely be a legit draft and forget championship team.  Lol. Kidding aside, if the team’s GM will actually learn post-draft tricks and not just marvel at his keeper’s contributions, a nuclear bomb might just go off this year.  Wishful thinking, I suppose.

Seed #3 – HHH

Last Year’s Seeding:  #14

Last Year’s Keepers:  Greg Monroe, Zach Randolph, Manu Ginobili, Antawn Jamison, DeJuan Blair

Key Acquisitions:  Tony Parker (draft), Derrick Favors (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Damian Lillard

Not a single player in the top 20.  Translation: no superstar aboard.  The team’s top man, Tony Parker, just played 66 games in the regular season.  The former team anchor, the monstrous  Zach Randolph who used to post 33.6 FPPG on a 0.93 FPPM, is nothing but a faint memory.  To say that the team’s last two keepers, Blair and Jamison,  was a bust last year is an understatement.  And yet, team HHH just got edged out in the #2 seed via point average to claim 3^rd.  From bottom 3^rd to 3^rd seed – no doubt the biggest leap in the league’s rich history.  These are the cold hard facts and they are irrefutable.

If Manager of the Year was not a popularity contest, the cerebral assassin HHH deserves the accolade.  Just like an MVP doesn’t always translate to a championship – think Steve Nash or Derrick Rose.  It’s a damn shame.  Hahaha.  Anyhow, I can go on and on but let’s get to the analysis…  The team lacks fantasy monsters but not firepower.   It’s like World War 2 people.  How do you take on 3 Tiger tanks?  By fielding 7 Shermans.  Balanced attack as they say.  Have you guys watched Moneyball?  If you did then you know by now that you only need a deep understanding of numbers to win.  (Speaking of numbers, watch out for my fantasy basketball version of sabermetrics when I release my yearly top 100 projections soon!)

Moving on… sure manipulating numbers is key to winning,  but this is fantasy basketball, baby.  It’s not all numbers.  If that’s the lone basis of winning, then it would be a damn boring game.  Luck is involved.  Upsets happen.  That makes the game worth playing.  And that’s why you need this as well –> an oracle-like foresight.  You don’t’ have to actually ‘see’ the future.  Nobody can do that.  That’s why astrology is a fraud!  You just have to have a little gamble in you.  Play safe and you’re stuck.  A successful man once said,  “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”  That’s the team’s secret really, if there actually is a “secret”.  There I said it.  Do that and you won’t need a top 20 player to get 40+ wins.

As for the future, the team must be looking forward to it.  The team is one of the youngest, if not the youngest, in the league.  The hunt for the championship will all depend on ROY winner Lillard, Monroe, and the soon to be unleashed Derrick Favors.  Did I also mention that the lowest FPPM player on this team last year was Damian Lillard?  Puzzling isn’t it?

Seed #2 – Sheamus

Last Year’s Seeding:  #8

Last Year’s Keepers:  Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Spencer Hawes, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce

Key Acquisitions:  Serge Ibaka (for Joakim Noah from draft), Nikola Vucevic (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Harrison Barnes

This is the one team that actually lived up to last year’s hype.  There were two of them if you’re not aware of it – this team and the back-to-back tank team that I’ve mentioned earlier.  Coming into the season last year, team Sheamus already had some promise with future superstar Kyrie Irving at the helm.  Then, the unbelievable happened… James goddamn Harden!  Let me just say this first:  if you happen to hear some pompous GM say that he drafted the bearded one because he ‘knew’ the Harden explosion will materialize last season, then that GM is a fraud.  Nobody could’ve known.  I repeat.  Nobody.  But almost everyone who rode at the statistical anomaly last year felt brilliant for taking Harden…  in the third round of last year’s draft!  Please.  If I have known he will be a top 5 player, I’ll take him in the first round, duh?  Not to mention the trade transpired late October.  Every league has long finished drafting by then.  Sheesh.  Excuse the rant, I just got carried away.  Maybe because I had no Harden teams last year. Hahaha. Ok, moving on…

I’m not saying team Sheamus doesn’t deserve the credit or anything like that.  I mean quite the opposite.  The above rant is about one year leaguers.  This is a keeper league.  It shows the GM has an eye for talent and big sleepers.  While the waiver vultures were dropping and picking Harden a couple of years back, team Sheamus took Harden aboard and kept him ever since.  That’s how you follow through with your investment, Mister.  Statistical anomaly aside, all credit goes to the team’s GM.

Another case in point – Nikola Vucevic.  If you have 2 of the 3 highest impact guys last year (the 3^rd one was Tobias ‘Faried light’ Harris in case you were wondering), then your team will definitely leap like Nate Robinson on steroids.  Seed #8 to #2 and, of course, the neeeeeewww champion! That’s what’s up.  Though I‘m not a fan of the Noah for Ibaka trade (I felt the owner got screwed by you know who), I’m still a fan of this team.  Fearless forecast alert:  I feel that this team will be a back-to-back finalist. If not, back-to-back champion.

Seed #1 – Cena

Last Year’s Seeding:  #5

Last Year’s Keepers:  LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Chris Kaman, Danilo Gallinari, Gerald Wallace

Key Acquisitions:  Nikola Pekovic (draft)

Last Year’s Rookie Pick: Terrence Ross

This team should be shouting, “At last first seed … At last finals… At last silver medal…!!!”.  Whuuut?  Sorry, team Cena.  I didn’t mean to rain on your happy parade.  Hahaha.  But hey, silver is silver.  It’s a big achievement when you play against an accomplished pool of GMs.  The same pool of GMs who’s been trying so hard to snag the team’s heavyweights – the king Lebron James and the mascot-loving Russell Westbrook.  You can’t blame them, those two are 1 FPPM guys.   Lebron and Westbrook IS the team – literally.  I used to think that the team would be better if you split the two together for ‘fantasy sabermetric’ reasons.  Now I realize that the team can go all the way with both players on board.  The key is as simple as timing… and trading.  Such is the power of player movement.  Let’s break it down.

The team has the best F production.  Not surprising.  You can put Lebron with 2 Zaza Pachulias on your team and you’ll still get the best in F trophy.  What I’m saying is that the frontcourt could be better.  The team’s supporting Fs should be re-evaluated.  Gallinari and Landry are anchors, Mr. GM.  Let them go.  Same in the G spots (no pun intended).  After Westbrook, who’s next in line?  Jarret Jack!?  Mayo?  Teague is quite alright but it’s safe to say that it needs an upgrade.  If this is a mid-tier team, then it’s ok, but this is a championship gunner.  Every piece must be strong.  Every hole must be filled (oops, that sounded sleazy).  Lastly, the C ‘issue’ must be decided.  Having two Cs who can put up 30 minutes in any given game and can put up identical numbers  rarely work.  It’s darn redundant.  Why not just choose one and leverage that other ‘sunken asset’ to address the team’s G & F needs?  Two birds in one stone.  Simple.  Elegant.

I must admit though, team Cena could’ve won it all last year if not for the  ill-timed injuries to Westbrook and Galo.  I’m not saying team Cena got robbed. I’m saying the team could’ve won.  Shoulda woulda coulda.  Good and bad fortunes.  Lady Luck can be a bitch sometimes.  And the only way you can f*ck her in the ass is to invent the future.  On that note, I rest my case.