The Top 5 Keepers...

Well, first I'll count down my top 5 keepers for the 10/11 season...and then I'll deal with this monstrous 6-player trade between Juan de Fuca and Brussels...

Without further ado...

#5 - Brandon Jennings - Golden - $11 keeper value. The 55-kid has taken the NBA by storm. No one expected him to be this good. And if anything, people are now disappointed in his play since he nearly dropped a triple-double in his first NBA game and then went for 55 points shortly thereafter. Look, the kid has his flaws, but he also has his upside. Remember, he's 20 years old. He's averaging close to 20ppg, with 6AST, and 4rebs. His ATO is over 2.000 and he has been getting over a STL per game. On top of that he is shooting over 40% from downtown. The bad news, he's only a slightly better shooter than Westbrook and he plays for a shitty Bucks team. However, they are in a rebuild mode and BJ and Bogut should be the cornerstones for years to come.

#4 - Tyreke Evans - Bangkok - $18 keeper value. Another kid who has been way better than experts predicted. Maybe his development was accelerated when K-Mart went down in game 5 of the season. No matter, pretty sure his talent would have had him on the court anyways. He is averaging 20-5-5 and not many rookies have accomplished that over a full season. He is the future of the Kings (along with a kid named Casspi). He has 44 steals in 30 games and shoots a respectable 45%. OK, he hasn't mastered the 3PT'er yet but come on, give the kid a break. He's a stud. He's one of many keeper-studs in Bangkok. The question is - which one will he have the balls to deal????

#3 - Nene - Seoul - $12 keeper value. The forgotten man in Seoul. He has been every bit as valuable to that team as the big name boys this season. Nene does it all with 14ppg, 9reb, 58 STL, 38 BLK, 1.673 ATO, and he shoots 57.5%. All for $7 dollars this season!! Unreal production. When you get a guy this good for that cheap it allows you to do so much more with the rest of your lineup. The bonus with Nene is the ATO too as most Centers don't come anywhere close to his numbers. But if you want him - you will have to pay a steep price as Seoul is well aware of his value.

#2 - Brook Lopez - Juan de Fuca - $11 keeper value. Lopez has improved in his 2nd season and can already be considered an elite Center in the league. He's averaging 18 and 10 and he's shooting 48%. Add in 68 blocks and you can't ask for anything more from your Center (well, maybe a little higher FG%). His ATO is almost 1.000 but he still turns the ball over a bit too much. His STLS are good for a big man too. Look, he could be the #1 keeper in my books...it's that close in my mind. And don't forget, it depends on how you're building a team. Let's consider him 1B in this case.

#1 - Marc Gasol - Chilliwack - $13 keeper value. My 1A choice this season based on how the Grizzlies play. They have no bench to speak of and Hasheem Thabeet has turned out to a bust so the younger Gasol can play all night long. The strong points for Gasol is the 15ppg, 10reb and 62% shooting. Think about that - 62% - wow. Add in the positive ATO (just), 29 STLS, and 46 blocks. Why does he get the nod over Lopez - I'm giving it to him for the 62 FG%. Every other category between Gasol and Lopez is pretty close - except for that one. Think about this...Gasol shoots 14% better than Lopez. Unreal...

So, there you have it...the top 10 keepers for the 2010/11 season. I know, I know, there are lots of other guys who are good values. Kevin Durant is probably one of the better studs for a bigger dollar value (also Boozer, Carmelo, Josh) What about CDR, Yi, Love, Curry, Ellis, etc. Heck, I still think Lebron is a bargain at his price...look at what he does. For my squad, I like the potential of Casspi, Deng, and Eric Gordon as well...but we'll see. Don't like my top 10 - comment right here on the blog.

So, what about the big 6 player deal???

Juan gets Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and CDR
Brussels gets Durant, West, and Webster.

Who wins??? You tell me.

Oh right, my blog, I gotta write something. Bottom line on this trade, Juan is now the clear cut favorite for the JBL title if every other team remained the same. He has the ultimate luxury of being so far in front in PTS and REBS that he could afford to give up a bit in these 2 categories. Ultimately, he didn't really give up much - the guys they bring back average 16.5 and 4.58. So, he does lose rebounds. Juan's 2 biggest weaknesses - ATO and 3PT% - are certainly addressed in this deal. He also gains big time in steals (1.39). So, I like it a lot from Juan's point of view.

As for Brussels...this deal, to me, is not the typical "I give up" trade. He's actually still trying to make a move up the ladder. Did he do it? Only time will tell. He definitely gained in REBS (5.97) and in scoring (18.4). His ATO is doomed now and his 3PT% should slowly drop as well. So, why did Brussels do the deal? I'm assuming to get his hands on super stud Kevin Durant to protect for next season. Durant averages 28 and 7 and shoots 47%. His TO's are horrible this year and his 3PT% has plummeted but it appears now that Brussels could make a run in scoring as he will have Kevin Martin returning from injury soon as well. He will be able to start four 20+ PPG guys. The problem in Brussels - too many role players. Can he really compete with Boykins, Blatche, Harden, CJ Watson, TJ Ford and others having to start every week? I'm all for a couple of stat stuffers, but I'm not sure this team has what it takes to climb back into contention. But hey, I've been wrong before. I give Tim credit for pulling the trigger and I'm thankful for 2 things out of this deal.
1) He didn't just sell off Chris Paul for 1 player...he made the massive fairly even deal. If he had moved Paul for Brook Lopez - I'd really be doomed.
2) The moves Brussels has made should help my Golden squad a bit as I will be able to pass Tim in 3PT% and stay in front of him in ATO. I also might be able to catch Juan in FG% now. I will get passed by Juan in steals now though - so it's not all good.

Tim texted me just minutes before this deal went down. He was trying to pry an offer out of me for Paul. I couldn't do anything as I was driving home and didn't want to risk the $167 dollar fine for texting while driving. In my head, I was going to offer Jennings and Eric Gordon for Chris Paul. Oh well.

Anyways, great trade for the JBL. Congrats boys on shaking things up and now it makes the other contending teams make a move to counter this strong move from Juan de Fuca. Let the games begin.