Big first night of Free Agent signings. Nenad Krstic is Arctic-bound with a $61 dollar free agent bid. I guess my $4 dollar bid didn't get it done. There were a lot of BIG bids actually. A lot bigger than I would have thought.
Martell Webster for $41, Rudy Fernandez for $30, Ty Lawson for $26, and Earl Watson for $25 and there were more!
But what is Idaho doing signing Watson for $25 and Anthony Parker for $10 bucks?
Did anyone else even bid on the backup point guard in Indiana? Wouldn't a $1 dollar bid have earned Mr. Watson's services??
I get it, I mean I know that TJ Ford has gotten off to a slow start but it's only been 2 games!
Do you think the coaches in Indiana are really having this conversation...
Coach Jim O'Brien: Man, TJ is killing us. I can't believe he's this bad! I think we're going to have to change everything we do. Well, I guess it's because he's a rookie.
Asst. Coach Dick Harter: Uh, Jim, TJ's been in the league for 5 years already.
Coach Jim: Oh right, well, we have to get the young phenom PG we have waiting in the wings some playing time.
Coach Harter: Uh, Jim, I hate to break this to you but our backup is Earl Watson and he's been in the league 8 years.
Coach Jim: Well, Earl has to be better than TJ. Earl has an amazing ATO this season so far right?
Coach Harter: Actually Jim, Watson has 4 assists and 3 turnovers so far.
Coach Jim: Yeah, but think of all those steals.
Coach Harter: Earl has no steals yet.
Coach Jim: Oh right, well, what was my point?
Earl Watson is a career backup and I just don't see him taking over the starting PG gig in Indiana. So really, a $25 dollar bid to win a backup PG off an average team. What was Idaho thinking?
And to top it off, he also spent $10 bucks on Anthony Parker only to drop him about 12 hours later. What was the point of that? Maybe the JBL's $130 Free Agent bucks are too generous? Will there not be some injuries down the road here (23 weeks left) where this Free Agent money could be better spent? I guess we'll see.
Anyways, I won't pick on Idaho again for at least 12 hours...I just thought this should be mentioned. Oh, and Tuna, you might want to consider Rafer Alston for week 2 as I hear he's the STARTING PG in New Jersey since Devin Harris is out.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
JBL - Week One - Random Thoughts
Well, here we are a few days into the 19th JBL season and we have a new leader...the French Lick Celtics. Thank God Woo isn't in 1st. In French Lick, we have arguably the deepest team in the JBL has the early lead. Why? Well, how about he has 5 of the top 10 Fantasy players after 3 nights of action. His 3 Celtics have been great and he is covering all the categories...
What else is going on around the JBL?
The Arctic squad opened with a 210 point, 75 rebound opening night with 12 players. Amazing. What does that tell me? His team is very good. I think he's a definite contender if all things stay equal. He has the bigs (D12 and Horford), he has the PG's (Deron and Nash) and he has the shooters (Gordon & Barbosa). I like where this team is headed.
Benny's Chilliwack team is also scary good. Good thing his bench for week 1 included Granger, Lewis, and McGrady. And I see my sleeper rookie Terrence Williams went for 15 and 10 opening night. Too bad I didn't bid $2 dollars on draft night. Good job Benny. I guess he's happy with his 2 trades with his bro - getting Gasol (21 & 15) and Bargnani (28 & 5).
I see Trev has gotten off to his traditional crappy start...which can sometimes last all season. Now, that being said, his 2 studs have only played one game each and....the big AND....we are only 3 days into the frikkin' season. But hey, I have to report something...I think he will have some decisions to make on guys like Thabeet, Collison, and Nocioni. Will these guys play enough quality minutes to be factors?? I have said all along that Thabeet would be a bust and after 1 game - he's going down the road I thought he would.
Seoul has already made a trade....acquiring Marion and Mike Miller and trading away Jamison and Andre Miller. Marion appears to be rejuvenated in Dallas and Woo is excited to be adding his talents to his squad. What Lebron has done the first two games has been nothing short of spectacular. He looks like he could average 30-8-8. And look at what Chris Kaman has done in 2 games...wow. Plus, Woo has done pretty well so far considering Gasol is out, Udrih isn't playing and he's getting little from DeRozan.
Other random thoughts...
- Did Portland really need Andre Miller when Brandon Roy handles the ball in the 4th quarter?
- Who is the Blazers secondary scoring option late in close games?? Rudy? L-Train? Miller? Outlaw?
- Carmelo looks really good
- Tim Duncan is the best 'bank shooter' ever. I saw him hit at least half a dozed last night against the Bulls
- Is there another coach more than Don Nelson who needs to go?? First, Randolph is going to come off the bench and now he's going to start. Then, S-Jax will be traded, now he might not. Talk about indecision's.
- I have a feeling that the New Orleans team is going to miss the playoffs. Chris Paul is amazing, MVP type player, but the rest of that bunch really isn't that great. West and Okafor are both very good players but after them??? Morris Peterson, Julian Wright, Bobby Brown, Hilton Armstrong, etc. Really? That's a playoff team?? No way. I think they are the most over-rated team out there.
- Ty Lawson is fast, very fast.
- Chris Andersen is off to a slow start and I don't know why. He should block 3 shots a game with the way he flies around the court.
- George Hill in San Antonio is good enough to start at PG for a lot of NBA teams.
- Chuck Hayes is a co-captain in Houston?? Really? Chuck Hayes? Odd.
- Why did I draft so many question mark players??? I mean Corey Brewer? Really? And I have Landry, Wright, Jennings, and Casspi. I have to keep Jennings as I think I will need his ATO down the road. But I don't know about the other 3...
- Are there any Free Agents out there worth blowing a bunch of money on yet? I don't think so. Maybe Nenad Krstic just because he's a starter...but is he significantly better than the guys on your/my bench? Well, maybe if own Beno Udrih, the answer would be yes.
With next year being the 20th Anniversary of the JBL I think there is only one place to hold the draft.....VEGAS! Who's with me?
Well, that's it for today. Remember boys, it's early, week 1, it's not time to panic yet. Relax and enjoy the ride...it's a long season.
What else is going on around the JBL?
The Arctic squad opened with a 210 point, 75 rebound opening night with 12 players. Amazing. What does that tell me? His team is very good. I think he's a definite contender if all things stay equal. He has the bigs (D12 and Horford), he has the PG's (Deron and Nash) and he has the shooters (Gordon & Barbosa). I like where this team is headed.
Benny's Chilliwack team is also scary good. Good thing his bench for week 1 included Granger, Lewis, and McGrady. And I see my sleeper rookie Terrence Williams went for 15 and 10 opening night. Too bad I didn't bid $2 dollars on draft night. Good job Benny. I guess he's happy with his 2 trades with his bro - getting Gasol (21 & 15) and Bargnani (28 & 5).
I see Trev has gotten off to his traditional crappy start...which can sometimes last all season. Now, that being said, his 2 studs have only played one game each and....the big AND....we are only 3 days into the frikkin' season. But hey, I have to report something...I think he will have some decisions to make on guys like Thabeet, Collison, and Nocioni. Will these guys play enough quality minutes to be factors?? I have said all along that Thabeet would be a bust and after 1 game - he's going down the road I thought he would.
Seoul has already made a trade....acquiring Marion and Mike Miller and trading away Jamison and Andre Miller. Marion appears to be rejuvenated in Dallas and Woo is excited to be adding his talents to his squad. What Lebron has done the first two games has been nothing short of spectacular. He looks like he could average 30-8-8. And look at what Chris Kaman has done in 2 games...wow. Plus, Woo has done pretty well so far considering Gasol is out, Udrih isn't playing and he's getting little from DeRozan.
Other random thoughts...
- Did Portland really need Andre Miller when Brandon Roy handles the ball in the 4th quarter?
- Who is the Blazers secondary scoring option late in close games?? Rudy? L-Train? Miller? Outlaw?
- Carmelo looks really good
- Tim Duncan is the best 'bank shooter' ever. I saw him hit at least half a dozed last night against the Bulls
- Is there another coach more than Don Nelson who needs to go?? First, Randolph is going to come off the bench and now he's going to start. Then, S-Jax will be traded, now he might not. Talk about indecision's.
- I have a feeling that the New Orleans team is going to miss the playoffs. Chris Paul is amazing, MVP type player, but the rest of that bunch really isn't that great. West and Okafor are both very good players but after them??? Morris Peterson, Julian Wright, Bobby Brown, Hilton Armstrong, etc. Really? That's a playoff team?? No way. I think they are the most over-rated team out there.
- Ty Lawson is fast, very fast.
- Chris Andersen is off to a slow start and I don't know why. He should block 3 shots a game with the way he flies around the court.
- George Hill in San Antonio is good enough to start at PG for a lot of NBA teams.
- Chuck Hayes is a co-captain in Houston?? Really? Chuck Hayes? Odd.
- Why did I draft so many question mark players??? I mean Corey Brewer? Really? And I have Landry, Wright, Jennings, and Casspi. I have to keep Jennings as I think I will need his ATO down the road. But I don't know about the other 3...
- Are there any Free Agents out there worth blowing a bunch of money on yet? I don't think so. Maybe Nenad Krstic just because he's a starter...but is he significantly better than the guys on your/my bench? Well, maybe if own Beno Udrih, the answer would be yes.
With next year being the 20th Anniversary of the JBL I think there is only one place to hold the draft.....VEGAS! Who's with me?
Well, that's it for today. Remember boys, it's early, week 1, it's not time to panic yet. Relax and enjoy the ride...it's a long season.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Well, with the 19th JBL draft in the books, who came out on top? Which teams need work? Who is really tired after staying up until the wee hours of the morning? I have the answers (maybe) on what I saw happen on the greatest night of the year. So, let me share my thoughts with you on what I like and don’t like about each team right now.
First of all, the online auction was the greatest thing ever. Despite a few hiccups with Pat’s computer and some auto-pilot errors, we flew through the draft. We didn’t start until about 6:20 and we were done before 10pm. We used to start at 7pm and go to about 2 in the morning. So we’ve gone from 7 hours to under 4 hours. Isn’t technology great?
As usual, the draft is very hard to break down because we just don’t know exactly how some players are going to perform. A quick glance at this year’s draft left me with 2 teams I really like and 2 teams I’m not that fond of. The other 8 are somewhere in the middle. So, I am giving two teams an ‘A’ grade, eight teams a ‘B’ grade, and two teams a ‘C’ grade.
ARCTIC – I love what he did on draft night. He had Dwight Howard as his big man and now he’s added super PG’s Deron Williams and Steve Nash. It must be cold up north as Arctic management brought in 4 players from Phoenix (Nash, J-Rich, Barbosa, and Grant Hill). Anytime you have fantasy players from one of the highest scoring teams in the NBA – that’s a good thing. This team appears to have lots of depth and will get stronger with the return of Kevin Love. Is there a weakness here? Hard to tell...he could be light in steals. His forwards group leaves a little bit to be desired but I think they will turn out better than expected. Beasley, despite the drunken photos plastered on the internet should have a good season – as long as he stays out of rehab. Can Yi provide some rebounds and blocks? Can Thad Young improve on his stellar season last year? This is one of the two Fantasy teams I really like. Well done Crikker. GRADE A
BANGKOK – No longer Tricky Rick he is now dubbed Sicky Rick. Maybe he should stay home more often because I like what Rick did with the Bangkok squad this year. His highest priced player is the ageless Tim Duncan at $46 bucks. And, as usual, he has a trio of top flight rookies (Evans, Griffin, and Stephen Curry). In fact, I predict those 3 will be your top three rookies in the NBA this season. Again, nicely done Rick. My one obvious concern for this team would be ATO as even true PG’s Westbrook and Lou Williams don’t have the best ATO. How long before Belgrade makes an offer for Peja? Can Manu and Duncan stay healthy? How will the arrival of Rasheed Wallace affect Kendrick Perkins’ value? How good will Jason Thompson be? Will there be enough secondary shot blockers? Can AK47 and Thompson block enough shots? I think Rick did a nice job on draft night. I put the Fighters in the middle pack. GRADE B
BELGRADE – the newbie held his own draft night. I could see his excitement thru his chat posts. I love the fact that this draft was from 2am to 6am his time. Great job buddy. Well done. I think there are several nice pieces on this team. I think Luis Scola will have a big year. And I like Courtney Lee and Mario Chalmers a lot. I think this team will struggle with FG% and 3PT% based on the number of chuckers on this squad (B-Diddy, Felton, Harrington) but I guess we’ll see what happens. How does Belgrade get those block shots? He has Turiaf and Blatche – but how does he get them in? This team should be very good in ATO with the likes of Calderon, Baron, Felton, Harris, Chalmers, etc. Belgrade has completed step one of his JBL maiden voyage, now he will have to manage the Free Agents and make the right trades throughout the season. I think he’ll have some tweaking to do as those %’s look like they will be an issue. Based on that, I’m going to give the rookie owner one of the bottom grades. GRADE C
BOSTON – Trevor got the draft rolling by taking Dirk, Paul, and Iverson right away. I liked those moves a lot. The problem was not bringing his laptops power cord. He had to make a quick drive back to Langley and get it so he was on auto-pilot for a good 45 minutes. During that time, ‘Stingy Lou’ somehow managed to draft Artest, Mayo, Okur, and Prince. Trev got back in time to find himself with just $33 dollars left and numerous spots to fill. That being said, I like what Trev has pieced together but it still looks to have a few holes. Other than Dirk, is there enough rebounders? And yet again, who is going to block shots? Can Hasheem Thabeet be a factor in Memphis? Will Nick Collison play enough minutes to be a viable Fantasy option? How will Artest mesh with the rest of the Lakers? What kind of role will Nocioni have in Sactown? I like the potential of Brandon Rush in Indiana. This team should be exceptional in steals with the likes of Paul and others. Plus, I really like the white guy content of this squad (Dirk, Turkoglu, Nocioni, Okur, Collison, Hinrich). GRADE B
BRUSSELS – Apparently Timbo got around 80% of his draft night targets. So, how will that translate to the standings – we’ll find out. He’s already on the hunt for more ATO. Well, any team with Samuel Dalembert will always need additional ATO to make up for his efforts. I like the Bosh and Boozer combo up front, however, those 2 guys aren’t the best shot-blockers in the league. So other than Sammy D and Tyrus Thomas – who’s going to block shots? Marion? Gooden? Bogut? Could this be an area of concern as well? This appears to be a very deep team with a solid bench already in place. Can Arenas and Kevin Martin stay healthy? Both could be great bargains if they play 75+ games. Can youngsters Augustin and Douglas-Roberts carry over there excellent pre-seasons? I definitely like what Tim did on draft night and he looks poised to have another solid JBL season. GRADE B
CHILLIWACK – oh Benny. You’ve done very well. I think you should be the envy of the JBL. I think we could have a record setting rebounding squad here. Seriously, look at those guards and the rebounds they provide. He appears to have enough scoring with two top 5 scorers in Granger and Kobe. But will those bulky power forwards (Noah, Horford, Gasol, Biedrins) provide enough secondary scoring? Well, you know what, he addressed that with the late night signings of Lewis, Maggette, and T-Mac. He has blocks galore with the crew he’s assembled. What about ATO? Can Charlie V last the season in the Wack as he certainly doesn’t seem like a Benny-type player? What about T-Mac? Will he be healthy? Can Terrence Williams provide some value? Can Jason Kidd stay healthy? Despite all these questions, I think this is a really good team and it could be the front runner out of the gate – just like last year. GRADE A
FRENCH LICK – depth, depth, and more depth. When your most expensive player is $39 dollars – you are usually a very deep and talented team. Hildy has done the Johnny model and even been able to own 3 players from his beloved team, the Celtics. Rondo, Pierce, and KG will be the heart of the squad. Anyone else wondering why Paul Pierce went for just $24 dollars? I like the looks of this team a lot. He will need to keep some horseshoes in his back pocket as there are some health concerns with this group (Oden, Butler, KG). Like most teams, where will the blocks come from? I guess he’s hoping for a quick return of Marcus Camby. GRADE B
GOLDEN – ok, apparently drinking all that 2-litre Father John’s beer wasn’t the best idea I’ve had. And then, adding another 4 Kokanee on top of that added to the problems. I liked my additions of Wade, Josh Smith, and LaMarcus Aldridge. Then, I forgot to spend my money and wound up with a very un-Johnny like roster. That being said, I don’t hate my roster, but I have a lot of “IFS” on my team. There are a lot of question marks going into the season. Will Corey Brewer be a factor? Can Luol Deng stay healthy? Will Carl Landry have a role in Houston? Can Shaq stay healthy? Will Brandon Jennings and Omri Casspi be factors or will they be waiver wire fodder in a couple of weeks? And the biggest question mark has to be Anthony Randolph. The biggest super-sleeper and breakout predicted player of the 09/10 season is still an unknown. He plays in Golden State with an unstable line-up and apparently he’s going to come off the bench behind Maggette. So, can AR put up 15 and 7 and a couple of blocks or will he be 9 and 5? I hate to think that the success of my squad is dependent on one player – but it almost feels that way. Right now, with all these question marks, I just don’t know where I stand. GRADE B
IDAHO – oh Tuna. You were primed for a big season and I feel like your draft left me wanting more. I wanted more sure things from you. Do you really know what kind of season Amare is going to give you? And do you really feel comfortable with your guard group? Crawford, Flynn, Stuckey, and Duhon? Really? What’s their combined FG%? I like Parker and Ellis but those other four leave something to be desired. How good will Okafor be? He has great potential playing with Chris Paul but he didn’t play a single pre-season game. What kind of year will Elton have? Can Roy Hibbert live up to the hype? Nothing jumps out at me here. However, Tuna is always one to make (or at least offer) trades so if he sees something he doesn’t like – he will always be willing to make some moves. GRADE C
JUAN DE FUCA – well, now that you’ve coupled Kevin Durant with my boy Brandon Roy, I officially hate you guys. Just kidding. I like the addition of Roy to this group. I also really like the additions of Wallace, West, and Bynum. Is there enough ATO on this squad? What will the GS boys bring (S-Jax and Morrow)? I like the potential of this team a lot. They have a lot of solid players who have proven Fantasy track records. What kind of year will Zach have? Can Rafer Alston be a valuable fantasy player again or will TJ Ford be the better option. I like the potential big man rotation having JO on the bench. Juan de Fuca is usually a top team and I don’t see that changing this season. GRADE B
SEOUL – Come on, everyone has to admit having Philly Woo in the draft room is worth the price of admission. We all knew that Woo has a man crush on Pau Gasol’s greasy hair and now we know that Woo is willing to pay $52 bucks for his services. Woo also took the chance that AI and Zach will still pass to Rudy Gay. And then, to cap it off, Woo bought Vince’s services. That left Phil with a lot of holes to fill and not that much money to do it. Of course, he does Jamison waiting in the wings (until he decides to have the Elton Brand surgery). How long will Woo go with a guard lineup that includes DeRozan, Harden, Udrih and Miller? Will Azubuike be able to duplicate his season from last year? Can Tyson Chandler and Chris Kaman be fantasy factors again? No matter what the issues, he always has Lebron. GRADE B
YUMA – welcome back Mr. Elliott. How much more enjoyable was the draft room with Pat? Despite his CIA/FBI encrypted, password protected, proxy server laptop – he managed to do just fine when it came to drafting his first JBL team in a long time. He took the first player up for auction – Al Jefferson - and he hopes for a return to prominence before his knee injury. He also hopes that Michael Redd can stay healthy and for $20 bucks it seems like a good risk. Pat took some aging veterans and hopes they can continue their solid Fantasy play (Allen, Bibby, Terry, Rasheed, McDyess). I like the potential of this team and with some good Free Agent management he could be a factor all season. GRADE B
So, there it is...a quick JBL draft review. The season starts Tuesday, October 27th and then we’ll open up the Free Agent bidding. I think we have a lot of balance amongst the teams and it looks to be another competitive JBL season. Best of luck to all the teams. Thanks again for participating in the world’s greatest fantasy basketball league!!
First of all, the online auction was the greatest thing ever. Despite a few hiccups with Pat’s computer and some auto-pilot errors, we flew through the draft. We didn’t start until about 6:20 and we were done before 10pm. We used to start at 7pm and go to about 2 in the morning. So we’ve gone from 7 hours to under 4 hours. Isn’t technology great?
As usual, the draft is very hard to break down because we just don’t know exactly how some players are going to perform. A quick glance at this year’s draft left me with 2 teams I really like and 2 teams I’m not that fond of. The other 8 are somewhere in the middle. So, I am giving two teams an ‘A’ grade, eight teams a ‘B’ grade, and two teams a ‘C’ grade.
ARCTIC – I love what he did on draft night. He had Dwight Howard as his big man and now he’s added super PG’s Deron Williams and Steve Nash. It must be cold up north as Arctic management brought in 4 players from Phoenix (Nash, J-Rich, Barbosa, and Grant Hill). Anytime you have fantasy players from one of the highest scoring teams in the NBA – that’s a good thing. This team appears to have lots of depth and will get stronger with the return of Kevin Love. Is there a weakness here? Hard to tell...he could be light in steals. His forwards group leaves a little bit to be desired but I think they will turn out better than expected. Beasley, despite the drunken photos plastered on the internet should have a good season – as long as he stays out of rehab. Can Yi provide some rebounds and blocks? Can Thad Young improve on his stellar season last year? This is one of the two Fantasy teams I really like. Well done Crikker. GRADE A
BANGKOK – No longer Tricky Rick he is now dubbed Sicky Rick. Maybe he should stay home more often because I like what Rick did with the Bangkok squad this year. His highest priced player is the ageless Tim Duncan at $46 bucks. And, as usual, he has a trio of top flight rookies (Evans, Griffin, and Stephen Curry). In fact, I predict those 3 will be your top three rookies in the NBA this season. Again, nicely done Rick. My one obvious concern for this team would be ATO as even true PG’s Westbrook and Lou Williams don’t have the best ATO. How long before Belgrade makes an offer for Peja? Can Manu and Duncan stay healthy? How will the arrival of Rasheed Wallace affect Kendrick Perkins’ value? How good will Jason Thompson be? Will there be enough secondary shot blockers? Can AK47 and Thompson block enough shots? I think Rick did a nice job on draft night. I put the Fighters in the middle pack. GRADE B
BELGRADE – the newbie held his own draft night. I could see his excitement thru his chat posts. I love the fact that this draft was from 2am to 6am his time. Great job buddy. Well done. I think there are several nice pieces on this team. I think Luis Scola will have a big year. And I like Courtney Lee and Mario Chalmers a lot. I think this team will struggle with FG% and 3PT% based on the number of chuckers on this squad (B-Diddy, Felton, Harrington) but I guess we’ll see what happens. How does Belgrade get those block shots? He has Turiaf and Blatche – but how does he get them in? This team should be very good in ATO with the likes of Calderon, Baron, Felton, Harris, Chalmers, etc. Belgrade has completed step one of his JBL maiden voyage, now he will have to manage the Free Agents and make the right trades throughout the season. I think he’ll have some tweaking to do as those %’s look like they will be an issue. Based on that, I’m going to give the rookie owner one of the bottom grades. GRADE C
BOSTON – Trevor got the draft rolling by taking Dirk, Paul, and Iverson right away. I liked those moves a lot. The problem was not bringing his laptops power cord. He had to make a quick drive back to Langley and get it so he was on auto-pilot for a good 45 minutes. During that time, ‘Stingy Lou’ somehow managed to draft Artest, Mayo, Okur, and Prince. Trev got back in time to find himself with just $33 dollars left and numerous spots to fill. That being said, I like what Trev has pieced together but it still looks to have a few holes. Other than Dirk, is there enough rebounders? And yet again, who is going to block shots? Can Hasheem Thabeet be a factor in Memphis? Will Nick Collison play enough minutes to be a viable Fantasy option? How will Artest mesh with the rest of the Lakers? What kind of role will Nocioni have in Sactown? I like the potential of Brandon Rush in Indiana. This team should be exceptional in steals with the likes of Paul and others. Plus, I really like the white guy content of this squad (Dirk, Turkoglu, Nocioni, Okur, Collison, Hinrich). GRADE B
BRUSSELS – Apparently Timbo got around 80% of his draft night targets. So, how will that translate to the standings – we’ll find out. He’s already on the hunt for more ATO. Well, any team with Samuel Dalembert will always need additional ATO to make up for his efforts. I like the Bosh and Boozer combo up front, however, those 2 guys aren’t the best shot-blockers in the league. So other than Sammy D and Tyrus Thomas – who’s going to block shots? Marion? Gooden? Bogut? Could this be an area of concern as well? This appears to be a very deep team with a solid bench already in place. Can Arenas and Kevin Martin stay healthy? Both could be great bargains if they play 75+ games. Can youngsters Augustin and Douglas-Roberts carry over there excellent pre-seasons? I definitely like what Tim did on draft night and he looks poised to have another solid JBL season. GRADE B
CHILLIWACK – oh Benny. You’ve done very well. I think you should be the envy of the JBL. I think we could have a record setting rebounding squad here. Seriously, look at those guards and the rebounds they provide. He appears to have enough scoring with two top 5 scorers in Granger and Kobe. But will those bulky power forwards (Noah, Horford, Gasol, Biedrins) provide enough secondary scoring? Well, you know what, he addressed that with the late night signings of Lewis, Maggette, and T-Mac. He has blocks galore with the crew he’s assembled. What about ATO? Can Charlie V last the season in the Wack as he certainly doesn’t seem like a Benny-type player? What about T-Mac? Will he be healthy? Can Terrence Williams provide some value? Can Jason Kidd stay healthy? Despite all these questions, I think this is a really good team and it could be the front runner out of the gate – just like last year. GRADE A
FRENCH LICK – depth, depth, and more depth. When your most expensive player is $39 dollars – you are usually a very deep and talented team. Hildy has done the Johnny model and even been able to own 3 players from his beloved team, the Celtics. Rondo, Pierce, and KG will be the heart of the squad. Anyone else wondering why Paul Pierce went for just $24 dollars? I like the looks of this team a lot. He will need to keep some horseshoes in his back pocket as there are some health concerns with this group (Oden, Butler, KG). Like most teams, where will the blocks come from? I guess he’s hoping for a quick return of Marcus Camby. GRADE B
GOLDEN – ok, apparently drinking all that 2-litre Father John’s beer wasn’t the best idea I’ve had. And then, adding another 4 Kokanee on top of that added to the problems. I liked my additions of Wade, Josh Smith, and LaMarcus Aldridge. Then, I forgot to spend my money and wound up with a very un-Johnny like roster. That being said, I don’t hate my roster, but I have a lot of “IFS” on my team. There are a lot of question marks going into the season. Will Corey Brewer be a factor? Can Luol Deng stay healthy? Will Carl Landry have a role in Houston? Can Shaq stay healthy? Will Brandon Jennings and Omri Casspi be factors or will they be waiver wire fodder in a couple of weeks? And the biggest question mark has to be Anthony Randolph. The biggest super-sleeper and breakout predicted player of the 09/10 season is still an unknown. He plays in Golden State with an unstable line-up and apparently he’s going to come off the bench behind Maggette. So, can AR put up 15 and 7 and a couple of blocks or will he be 9 and 5? I hate to think that the success of my squad is dependent on one player – but it almost feels that way. Right now, with all these question marks, I just don’t know where I stand. GRADE B
IDAHO – oh Tuna. You were primed for a big season and I feel like your draft left me wanting more. I wanted more sure things from you. Do you really know what kind of season Amare is going to give you? And do you really feel comfortable with your guard group? Crawford, Flynn, Stuckey, and Duhon? Really? What’s their combined FG%? I like Parker and Ellis but those other four leave something to be desired. How good will Okafor be? He has great potential playing with Chris Paul but he didn’t play a single pre-season game. What kind of year will Elton have? Can Roy Hibbert live up to the hype? Nothing jumps out at me here. However, Tuna is always one to make (or at least offer) trades so if he sees something he doesn’t like – he will always be willing to make some moves. GRADE C
JUAN DE FUCA – well, now that you’ve coupled Kevin Durant with my boy Brandon Roy, I officially hate you guys. Just kidding. I like the addition of Roy to this group. I also really like the additions of Wallace, West, and Bynum. Is there enough ATO on this squad? What will the GS boys bring (S-Jax and Morrow)? I like the potential of this team a lot. They have a lot of solid players who have proven Fantasy track records. What kind of year will Zach have? Can Rafer Alston be a valuable fantasy player again or will TJ Ford be the better option. I like the potential big man rotation having JO on the bench. Juan de Fuca is usually a top team and I don’t see that changing this season. GRADE B
SEOUL – Come on, everyone has to admit having Philly Woo in the draft room is worth the price of admission. We all knew that Woo has a man crush on Pau Gasol’s greasy hair and now we know that Woo is willing to pay $52 bucks for his services. Woo also took the chance that AI and Zach will still pass to Rudy Gay. And then, to cap it off, Woo bought Vince’s services. That left Phil with a lot of holes to fill and not that much money to do it. Of course, he does Jamison waiting in the wings (until he decides to have the Elton Brand surgery). How long will Woo go with a guard lineup that includes DeRozan, Harden, Udrih and Miller? Will Azubuike be able to duplicate his season from last year? Can Tyson Chandler and Chris Kaman be fantasy factors again? No matter what the issues, he always has Lebron. GRADE B
YUMA – welcome back Mr. Elliott. How much more enjoyable was the draft room with Pat? Despite his CIA/FBI encrypted, password protected, proxy server laptop – he managed to do just fine when it came to drafting his first JBL team in a long time. He took the first player up for auction – Al Jefferson - and he hopes for a return to prominence before his knee injury. He also hopes that Michael Redd can stay healthy and for $20 bucks it seems like a good risk. Pat took some aging veterans and hopes they can continue their solid Fantasy play (Allen, Bibby, Terry, Rasheed, McDyess). I like the potential of this team and with some good Free Agent management he could be a factor all season. GRADE B
So, there it is...a quick JBL draft review. The season starts Tuesday, October 27th and then we’ll open up the Free Agent bidding. I think we have a lot of balance amongst the teams and it looks to be another competitive JBL season. Best of luck to all the teams. Thanks again for participating in the world’s greatest fantasy basketball league!!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Bibby Dilemna
Well, Timbo has posted the poll that was in the back of mind...should Benny have been allowed to bring back Bibby after dropping him???
I can argue both sides of this no problem. Bottom line is there are no WRITTEN rules about what we were doing with summer trades. And I want to clarify why there are no written JBL rules - because as soon as you write something down - someone tries to find a loophole around it. Never fails.
So...let me throw some random thoughts around this whole scenario...
I can argue both sides of this no problem. Bottom line is there are no WRITTEN rules about what we were doing with summer trades. And I want to clarify why there are no written JBL rules - because as soon as you write something down - someone tries to find a loophole around it. Never fails.
So...let me throw some random thoughts around this whole scenario...
- should we really be too concerned that Benny has decided to bring back an aging PG for $18 dollars?? (It's not like he has Lebron for $10 bucks)
- my initial feeling were "No Benny, you dropped him, you don't get him back now" - but again, we never discussed if this was an option.
- our initial plan, which occurred, was to get every team down to a maximum of 5 players before trades began. That worked. Seemed fair.
- Looking at this now, in a loophole sense, I should try to trade all 4 of my guys for one superstar keeper - then bring back D-Wade. Would that be fair? I don't think so...I wouldn't do it...it's not in the spirit of the JBL in my eyes.
- did Benny bring Bibby back because I had to re-sign Turkoglu for Boston after mistakenly dropping him from the roster? (in this case, I re-signed Turkoglu to Boston's roster about 14 seconds after I dropped him. In Benny's case, Bibby was re-signed about 3 weeks after)
- should we really have off-season trading? Does that take away from the draft or league? I don't know.
Anyways, I am interested to see what the JBL owners vote for on Timmy's poll. In my opinion, if I had the ultimate decision, I don't think Benny should have been allowed to bring Bibby back. That being said - I am not overly concerned about it. Bibby really isn't worth fighting over is he? Is Benny's team significantly better for having Mike Bibby for $18 dollars. I don't know.
Anyways, this time next week...we'll all be in heaven.
Chilliwack and Arctic Make a Deal
Well, another pre-draft trade has occurred. Just a few days after Arctic put Marc Gasol on the block - he found a trading partner in his big brother Benny. Marc Gasol for Ben Gordon. I thought I would argue both sides of why they did this deal.
Why Arctic made this trade?
For starters, Arctic was a big team. He had D12, Bargnani, and Gasol. He apparently has a man-crush on another Centre and wanted to move Gasol. Gasol was the weakest of the 3 centers and enters a situation in Memphis this season in a very different state than he left in 08/09. The Grizz have added Zach and AI as well as #2 pick Hasheem Thabeet. How many shots will Gasol be able to get behind ZBo, AI, and Gay? Does ZBo take away from Gasol's rebounds? Does Thabeet take some of his playing time? All unknowns at this point. So, Arctic was able to obtain Ben Gordon from the Wack. Gordon is a legitimate 20 point scorer. He shoots the 3 ball well and should be the Pistons leading scorer. So, when you have great depth at the Center position...I like grabbing a talent like Gordon as he is a bargain at $11 bucks.
Why Chilliwack made this trade?
Rebounds and blocks. Maybe 2 of the most competitive categories in the JBL. That's why Benny pulled the trigger here. There is a great belief that SG's are a dime and dozen and there are plenty of guys who could put up decent numbers from the SG spot. However, there aren't that many guys who can block 100 shots in a season. Benny, like me, obviously believes that Gasol will be fine in Memphis and that Thabeet will be a BUST. Gasol is just 24 years old and is a cornerstone piece of the Grizz moving forward. Benny decided to bring back Mike Bibby for $18 bucks as well - although I have bad feelings about this move. I think Mr. Bibby may get some pressure from Jeff Teague this season and I'm not sure if keeping Bibby at this price is the right thing to do. We'll see.
I emailed Ron in Juan de Fuca this morning. Today is D-Day for their roster. Who will their 2 keepers be?? He emailed me about Troy Murphy being a Forward only this season. Could this be a big drawback?? Can Murphy be more valuable than Brook Lopez? Is Devin Harris even in the discussion? Harris is poised to be the #1 guy in New Jersey now that Vince is gone. Could Devin score 25ppg? Can you really pass on that for just $18 bucks. Or is Brook Lopez the answer at $6 bucks? How many centers can you draft one week from now that will average 15 and 10 and 2 blocks and get that for $6 bucks???? How about none! I am assuming that KD is locked up for $38 bucks. This is a no-brainer in my books. I am with the other experts that predict a monster season from Durant.
I am so excited for the Draft next weekend. Now only is it already the best day of the year but it caps off a brilliant run for me.
Thursday - Oct 22 - Ryan and I are going to GM Place to watch the Suns v. Blazers pre-season game.
Friday - Oct 23 - my 36th birthday (which also means the outside chance of bedroom action!)
Saturday - Oct 24 - Christmas, er, I mean JBL Draft and season #19 begins. Oh the excitement!! I am looking forward to seeing some good friends, having some laughs, mocking some picks, playing some poker, hanging out with the boys, and loving the night! I can't wait.
Why Arctic made this trade?
For starters, Arctic was a big team. He had D12, Bargnani, and Gasol. He apparently has a man-crush on another Centre and wanted to move Gasol. Gasol was the weakest of the 3 centers and enters a situation in Memphis this season in a very different state than he left in 08/09. The Grizz have added Zach and AI as well as #2 pick Hasheem Thabeet. How many shots will Gasol be able to get behind ZBo, AI, and Gay? Does ZBo take away from Gasol's rebounds? Does Thabeet take some of his playing time? All unknowns at this point. So, Arctic was able to obtain Ben Gordon from the Wack. Gordon is a legitimate 20 point scorer. He shoots the 3 ball well and should be the Pistons leading scorer. So, when you have great depth at the Center position...I like grabbing a talent like Gordon as he is a bargain at $11 bucks.
Why Chilliwack made this trade?
Rebounds and blocks. Maybe 2 of the most competitive categories in the JBL. That's why Benny pulled the trigger here. There is a great belief that SG's are a dime and dozen and there are plenty of guys who could put up decent numbers from the SG spot. However, there aren't that many guys who can block 100 shots in a season. Benny, like me, obviously believes that Gasol will be fine in Memphis and that Thabeet will be a BUST. Gasol is just 24 years old and is a cornerstone piece of the Grizz moving forward. Benny decided to bring back Mike Bibby for $18 bucks as well - although I have bad feelings about this move. I think Mr. Bibby may get some pressure from Jeff Teague this season and I'm not sure if keeping Bibby at this price is the right thing to do. We'll see.
I emailed Ron in Juan de Fuca this morning. Today is D-Day for their roster. Who will their 2 keepers be?? He emailed me about Troy Murphy being a Forward only this season. Could this be a big drawback?? Can Murphy be more valuable than Brook Lopez? Is Devin Harris even in the discussion? Harris is poised to be the #1 guy in New Jersey now that Vince is gone. Could Devin score 25ppg? Can you really pass on that for just $18 bucks. Or is Brook Lopez the answer at $6 bucks? How many centers can you draft one week from now that will average 15 and 10 and 2 blocks and get that for $6 bucks???? How about none! I am assuming that KD is locked up for $38 bucks. This is a no-brainer in my books. I am with the other experts that predict a monster season from Durant.
I am so excited for the Draft next weekend. Now only is it already the best day of the year but it caps off a brilliant run for me.
Thursday - Oct 22 - Ryan and I are going to GM Place to watch the Suns v. Blazers pre-season game.
Friday - Oct 23 - my 36th birthday (which also means the outside chance of bedroom action!)
Saturday - Oct 24 - Christmas, er, I mean JBL Draft and season #19 begins. Oh the excitement!! I am looking forward to seeing some good friends, having some laughs, mocking some picks, playing some poker, hanging out with the boys, and loving the night! I can't wait.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
MLB v. NBA
Well, the Fantasy Baseball pool wrapped up this week and the JBL excitement is starting to build as well so I thought I would comment on both leagues quickly.
My MLB team (Kirby's Puckett) finished 3rd in the pool...my first year back in the Baseball pool after a few years away. The baseball pool is run on the same platform as the JBL - using CBS Sportsline as a host. The big difference for me between the 2 sports/leagues is the passion surrounding the sport and league. For example, I didn't watch one single baseball game from start to finish this year. I could go further and say the amount of baseball games I turned on and then turned away from - if you added up all those innings I still don't think I'd get to 9 innings. In a way, it's weird because I played baseball for 15+ years growing up and back then followed it quite closely. Now, I don't even watch it. I find it waaay too boring for my taste. Sure, I would try to follow the baseball pool as closely as possible but it certainly wasn't by reviewing box scores (which is a nightly routine in the JBL). Thank god CBS offers a stats section that you can sort easily to find out who's hot or whatever. A lot of the guys on my baseball team I had no idea who they were - which says something considering how much I follow sports.
The other thing I noted about the baseball pool is the lack of participation from the owners. I was as guilty as the rest of them but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of passion for interaction. I know lots of guys sign FA's every day (Paul) but you don't see guys writing articles or posting polls or even making trades. There just isn't the involvement from the owners as there is in the JBL.
The JBL is just so different. I have spent more time looking at NBA pre-season box scores than I did all year looking at MLB box scores. I constantly read various websites for updates on players, training camp notes, etc in regards to a league that doesn't even start for another 3+ weeks. My passion certainly follows the NBA all year round now.
The JBL is amazing simply because I see/hear the guys getting ready for the draft...Tuna is wasting hours of his evening education on the pool. Timbo is constantly emailing me about players and projections. Marko is very anxious to get things going. It will be 2am his time when the draft starts and he couldn't be more excited. The JBL is great....end of story. No other Fantasy pool can compete in my eyes....
My MLB team (Kirby's Puckett) finished 3rd in the pool...my first year back in the Baseball pool after a few years away. The baseball pool is run on the same platform as the JBL - using CBS Sportsline as a host. The big difference for me between the 2 sports/leagues is the passion surrounding the sport and league. For example, I didn't watch one single baseball game from start to finish this year. I could go further and say the amount of baseball games I turned on and then turned away from - if you added up all those innings I still don't think I'd get to 9 innings. In a way, it's weird because I played baseball for 15+ years growing up and back then followed it quite closely. Now, I don't even watch it. I find it waaay too boring for my taste. Sure, I would try to follow the baseball pool as closely as possible but it certainly wasn't by reviewing box scores (which is a nightly routine in the JBL). Thank god CBS offers a stats section that you can sort easily to find out who's hot or whatever. A lot of the guys on my baseball team I had no idea who they were - which says something considering how much I follow sports.
The other thing I noted about the baseball pool is the lack of participation from the owners. I was as guilty as the rest of them but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of passion for interaction. I know lots of guys sign FA's every day (Paul) but you don't see guys writing articles or posting polls or even making trades. There just isn't the involvement from the owners as there is in the JBL.
The JBL is just so different. I have spent more time looking at NBA pre-season box scores than I did all year looking at MLB box scores. I constantly read various websites for updates on players, training camp notes, etc in regards to a league that doesn't even start for another 3+ weeks. My passion certainly follows the NBA all year round now.
The JBL is amazing simply because I see/hear the guys getting ready for the draft...Tuna is wasting hours of his evening education on the pool. Timbo is constantly emailing me about players and projections. Marko is very anxious to get things going. It will be 2am his time when the draft starts and he couldn't be more excited. The JBL is great....end of story. No other Fantasy pool can compete in my eyes....
Sunday, October 4, 2009
October Arrives...
Last night, Saturday, October 3rd, marked the 3 weeks away night before the JBL Draft. Owners are likely to begin focusing more and more on their draft night strategy. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Falling asleep every night I think about the options I could draft to fill out my roster. Of course, to that statement, Timbo would smartly reply "You are sleeping while I'm preparing."
Is it wise to have just one strategy? Of course not. A good JBL owner needs to have multiple plans for draft night, otherwise, panic sets in and disaster strikes. You can't tell me that Brussels last season didn't panic when he paid $46 for Rashard Lewis and $45 for Marcus Camby. And Dildo panicked when he paid $50 for David West. That is simply too much jake for those guys. And I don't buy the argument that "West was the last good power forward available." Nick could have had a 3-4 player combo for $50 bucks.
Now, that being said, if West was his favorite player then I'm all for overpaying. Look, Fantasy basketball is competitive and everyone wants to win - but, what makes it so much fun is following guys you like. Following teams that you like. If your team does well, your fantasy players do well, and then your Fantasy team will do well. This strategy can work (provided your favorite team doesn't rhyme with Zacramento). I have used this strategy for many years, loading my team with Sonics and Blazers while avoiding those players that I just don't like (ie. Iverson, Francis, Artest, etc).
Yesterday I saw that the Oregonian is reporting that Greg Oden is in great shape and looks amazing. Isn't this what they said last year?? Are they hyping him up again? How much does one buy into the hype? Considering I'm a big Blazers fan I definitely hope he will be a stud this season - I'm just not sure I can trust him after the year he had last year. Inconsistent play. Injuries. Limited minutes. Hmmm. And what happened to those bone chips in his knee? Did he have surgery? Now, I'm no doctor, but to my knowledge, bone chips don't just disappear. How long before those bone chips start bothering him again? The kid has potential to be a dominant rebounder and shot-blocker - but not while his knee has bone chips in there. Buyer beware me thinks.
I'll be seeing Trev today as he's helping me move furniture at my Dad's house. I'm sure we'll chat about the upcoming JBL draft. He still hasn't decided on a new team name yet. Not sure if he really liked any of our suggestions from the Podcast. Oh well, I had a blast doing it so all is not lost. I'm sure we'll chat players and strategy as well. I respect Trevor a lot for coming back every year to the JBL. His track record hasn't been great but he keeps coming back. Because of his new job and his travel schedule his online time is quite limited so I think it's great he's back in the pool. And again, when the Chicago road trip came up - Trev and Benny were in like flynn. I hope Trev can draft a good team with players he likes to watch (when he has time to turn on the TV). And maybe this season his guys can stay healthy. Last year his team was decimated by injury. He was pretty much out of it by December. Good luck ole buddy.
3 weeks until the big night. My plans are coming together. It looks like Tim will be bringing up the 1st player for auction (unless you can change this feature somehow). He is "threatening" to bring up Brandon Roy (my favorite player?). Tim has a boner for BRoy (or it's a bluff) and thinks BRoy will not be back in Golden. Well, he may very well be right. My team already has 3 guards and I don't think it would be wise to spend big bucks on another guard while I have zero rebounding. That being said, for the right price, I am definitely interested in bringing him back.
Just to touch on the favorite player thing...here's my thoughts on that. I'm 35 years old...I can no longer have a favorite player in the NBA? Why? Because they are all younger than me. In my mind, thinking back to when I was late teens, early 20's, my favorite player(s) were guys I followed through their College ball and then into the NBA. They were my age. They likely played the same video games as me. They probably drank too much tequila like me. They chased girls at the bars like me (probably even at Cheers). We kinda sorta had some things in common. But now things are different. I'm almost old enough to be their Dad. I don't have anything in common with them. I am now the GM of these guys. If anything, I should have a favorite GM. Like Sam Presti or Kevin Pritchard. I feel more of a connection with these younger GM's (trying to build a winning franchise, scouting talent, balancing budgets (his is team payroll while mine is monthly family expense) all while having a family and kids).
I do have a greater respect for a guy like Brandon Roy because he spent all 4 years at Washington getting a degree (I'm sounding old and parental like now). That being said, some of these 20 somethings are making more money in one year than I will make in 50!! I like Brandon Roy as a player because he plays for my favorite team...if Roy gets traded to Memphis...guess what...the love affair is over. So, Timbo, buyer beware buddy. If you are trying to jack up the price on my Blazers - be sure you are really comfortable pushing that button to bid the big number...because Johnny is not afraid to back away. I am also more than happy to be "stuck" with Blazers on my team...are you?
All that aside, I love the passion Tim brings to the JBL. One of my favorite guys for sure. I really wish he could have joined us in Chicago. I loved the Portland trip with the 4 of us..it was a great time...one of the best roadies I have ever done (and I have done some wicked golf roadies over the years). I'm really looking forward to seeing the boys on the 24th. I have suggested we play some poker afterwards to keep the night rolling. The night ends too soon now and with our draft to likely go even quicker now that it's online - we need to keep the fun going. Poker anyone??? How about a game of guts where everyone puts a bench player on the line?? I am very excited. I also think it's time for 2 Podcasts....one previewing the Western Conference and the other for the East. Crikker and I could talk about some fantasy studs and duds, breakout season players, fading stars, rookie surprises, etc....I think it could be fun. I'll suggest it this week. That's all for now....get ready boys, the JBL draft approaches...
Is it wise to have just one strategy? Of course not. A good JBL owner needs to have multiple plans for draft night, otherwise, panic sets in and disaster strikes. You can't tell me that Brussels last season didn't panic when he paid $46 for Rashard Lewis and $45 for Marcus Camby. And Dildo panicked when he paid $50 for David West. That is simply too much jake for those guys. And I don't buy the argument that "West was the last good power forward available." Nick could have had a 3-4 player combo for $50 bucks.
Now, that being said, if West was his favorite player then I'm all for overpaying. Look, Fantasy basketball is competitive and everyone wants to win - but, what makes it so much fun is following guys you like. Following teams that you like. If your team does well, your fantasy players do well, and then your Fantasy team will do well. This strategy can work (provided your favorite team doesn't rhyme with Zacramento). I have used this strategy for many years, loading my team with Sonics and Blazers while avoiding those players that I just don't like (ie. Iverson, Francis, Artest, etc).
Yesterday I saw that the Oregonian is reporting that Greg Oden is in great shape and looks amazing. Isn't this what they said last year?? Are they hyping him up again? How much does one buy into the hype? Considering I'm a big Blazers fan I definitely hope he will be a stud this season - I'm just not sure I can trust him after the year he had last year. Inconsistent play. Injuries. Limited minutes. Hmmm. And what happened to those bone chips in his knee? Did he have surgery? Now, I'm no doctor, but to my knowledge, bone chips don't just disappear. How long before those bone chips start bothering him again? The kid has potential to be a dominant rebounder and shot-blocker - but not while his knee has bone chips in there. Buyer beware me thinks.
I'll be seeing Trev today as he's helping me move furniture at my Dad's house. I'm sure we'll chat about the upcoming JBL draft. He still hasn't decided on a new team name yet. Not sure if he really liked any of our suggestions from the Podcast. Oh well, I had a blast doing it so all is not lost. I'm sure we'll chat players and strategy as well. I respect Trevor a lot for coming back every year to the JBL. His track record hasn't been great but he keeps coming back. Because of his new job and his travel schedule his online time is quite limited so I think it's great he's back in the pool. And again, when the Chicago road trip came up - Trev and Benny were in like flynn. I hope Trev can draft a good team with players he likes to watch (when he has time to turn on the TV). And maybe this season his guys can stay healthy. Last year his team was decimated by injury. He was pretty much out of it by December. Good luck ole buddy.
3 weeks until the big night. My plans are coming together. It looks like Tim will be bringing up the 1st player for auction (unless you can change this feature somehow). He is "threatening" to bring up Brandon Roy (my favorite player?). Tim has a boner for BRoy (or it's a bluff) and thinks BRoy will not be back in Golden. Well, he may very well be right. My team already has 3 guards and I don't think it would be wise to spend big bucks on another guard while I have zero rebounding. That being said, for the right price, I am definitely interested in bringing him back.
Just to touch on the favorite player thing...here's my thoughts on that. I'm 35 years old...I can no longer have a favorite player in the NBA? Why? Because they are all younger than me. In my mind, thinking back to when I was late teens, early 20's, my favorite player(s) were guys I followed through their College ball and then into the NBA. They were my age. They likely played the same video games as me. They probably drank too much tequila like me. They chased girls at the bars like me (probably even at Cheers). We kinda sorta had some things in common. But now things are different. I'm almost old enough to be their Dad. I don't have anything in common with them. I am now the GM of these guys. If anything, I should have a favorite GM. Like Sam Presti or Kevin Pritchard. I feel more of a connection with these younger GM's (trying to build a winning franchise, scouting talent, balancing budgets (his is team payroll while mine is monthly family expense) all while having a family and kids).
I do have a greater respect for a guy like Brandon Roy because he spent all 4 years at Washington getting a degree (I'm sounding old and parental like now). That being said, some of these 20 somethings are making more money in one year than I will make in 50!! I like Brandon Roy as a player because he plays for my favorite team...if Roy gets traded to Memphis...guess what...the love affair is over. So, Timbo, buyer beware buddy. If you are trying to jack up the price on my Blazers - be sure you are really comfortable pushing that button to bid the big number...because Johnny is not afraid to back away. I am also more than happy to be "stuck" with Blazers on my team...are you?
All that aside, I love the passion Tim brings to the JBL. One of my favorite guys for sure. I really wish he could have joined us in Chicago. I loved the Portland trip with the 4 of us..it was a great time...one of the best roadies I have ever done (and I have done some wicked golf roadies over the years). I'm really looking forward to seeing the boys on the 24th. I have suggested we play some poker afterwards to keep the night rolling. The night ends too soon now and with our draft to likely go even quicker now that it's online - we need to keep the fun going. Poker anyone??? How about a game of guts where everyone puts a bench player on the line?? I am very excited. I also think it's time for 2 Podcasts....one previewing the Western Conference and the other for the East. Crikker and I could talk about some fantasy studs and duds, breakout season players, fading stars, rookie surprises, etc....I think it could be fun. I'll suggest it this week. That's all for now....get ready boys, the JBL draft approaches...
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