Well, as the playoffs march along, we see the dominance of the Cavs and Magic as they appear destined for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch. This time, the Magic won't have Turkoglu and the Cavs will have Shaq and Jamison. Me thinks the Cavs are Finals bound. But who will they face?? It doesn't look like the #2 seed Mavericks will be there as they now trail the Spurs 3-1. What about the Lakers?? They are knotted 2-2 with the upstart Thunder. I still think they are the favorites to get there and you know the NBA wants to see a Lakers vs. Cavaliers finals...
Anyways, the point of my rant tonight is to discuss Derrick Rose. He is having an amazing series against the Cavs and is currently averaging 27ppg and 8apg. So, my question is, should the Golden squad protect him for next season for $29 bucks?
The Argument for Keeping Him --- He'll be entering his 3rd year and the Bulls should have a new look next season. I would imagine their #1 priority will be to get a shooting guard who can stretch the floor and shoot 3's (look at how poorly the Bulls shot from downtown this season). Wouldn't Joe Johnson look nice in a Bulls jersey? I also think that they will have a new coach patrolling the sidelines. Vinny doesn't have "it" - plus, he got into a shoving match with his GM??? Come on, the guy is out as soon as the Bulls lose this series 4-1. So, in his 2nd season in the NBA, Mr. Rose averaged 21ppg, 6ast, and 4reb per game while shooting 48.9 from the field. OK, he doesn't shoot 3's very well, but then again, he doesn't take a tonne of them anyways. He should only get better in his 3rd season as his assists would likely go up if he was driving and kickin' to a 3PT marksman like Joe. What is Rose was a 19 and 8 guy??? Isn't that worth $29 dollars in the draft?
The Argument against keeping him --- well, for starters, he doesn't get many steals (57 in 78 games). Also, as previously stated in the "FOR" argument, what if Joe Johnson comes into town? Couldn't that mean that Rose's scoring drops to the 17-18 range? Is that enough? Plus, he doesn't help in the 3PT% category like a Billups. Also, the trend in last year's JBL draft was the players went for more than expected or they went for cheaper than expected. Wouldn't it be prudent to take the wait and see approach on Rose to see if he could be had for less? Or has he actually become a big enough name in his 2nd season to warrant protection?
Where would Rose fit in this upcoming JBL draft class? Based on the 2nd half of the seasons' stats and looking at the TENDEX rankings of the top PG's - Rose came in at #6. Who were the top 5?? Deron, Curry, Kidd, Rondo, and Nash. Now, we all know Curry will be protected by Bangkok for $15 and it's likely Nash will be back in Arctic for $39. Deron went for $56 and Kidd went for $30. I get it that Deron is in a different league but it appears that $30 for a top flight PG appears to be about right. Guys like Rondo and Kidd bring some different attributes to the game than guys like Rose and Billups. Rondo and Kidd get the big steal numbers while Rose has become a scorer. Did you know that Rose was 14th in the NBA in scoring this season? (I didn't until I looked it up).
Another potential comparison for Rose could be Brandon Roy ($49 dollar player this past season). Now, don't go laughing your ass off when I compare the two players until you hear me out. In my opinion, Roy is superior, but when you look at the numbers, they are much closer than you think.
PPG - Roy 21.5, Rose 20.8
REB - Roy 4.4, Rose 3.8
STL - Roy 0.94, Rose 0.73
BLK - Roy 0.25, Rose 0.35
FG% - Roy 47.3, Rose 48.9
3PT% - Roy 33.0% (221 attempts), Rose 26.7% (60 attempts)
ATO - Roy 2.372, Rose 2.161
So, depending on how you look at numbers, maybe you're thinking that Roy is clearly superior. And yes, in most categories, he is, marginally, but my point is that if Roy is a $50 dollar player wouldn't you rather get Rose for $30 bucks?? Think of what you could do with that extra $20 bucks...
So...what do you think? Does Golden keep Rose for $29? We have all summer to find out...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Guy Called Serge...
Who is Serge Ibaka?
He's the guy that everyone is going to want on JBL Draft night in October!
For those that don't know, he plays for those up and comers in Oklahoma City.
Over the last half of the 09/10 season, Serge played about 20 minutes per game backing up Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green in the power positions.
Serge averaged just 7ppg and 6reb per game. He shot 56% from the floor. His ATO was terrible with a ratio of 7/40. But he did manage 68 blocks over that stretch.
Juan de Fuca used him in their lineup down the homestretch in an attempt to improve their block totals.
Clearly, the kid can play.
Did anyone see the first 2 games of the Lakers/Thunder playoff series??
In game 2, Serge went for 6-5-7 in 28 minutes. That's right....7 blocks!
Serge comes from the Congo and is 6'10 and 235 pounds. He's a pogo stick and jumps out of the gym.
Here is NBA.com's BIO on Serge...
He's the guy that everyone is going to want on JBL Draft night in October!
For those that don't know, he plays for those up and comers in Oklahoma City.
Over the last half of the 09/10 season, Serge played about 20 minutes per game backing up Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green in the power positions.
Serge averaged just 7ppg and 6reb per game. He shot 56% from the floor. His ATO was terrible with a ratio of 7/40. But he did manage 68 blocks over that stretch.
Juan de Fuca used him in their lineup down the homestretch in an attempt to improve their block totals.
Clearly, the kid can play.
Did anyone see the first 2 games of the Lakers/Thunder playoff series??
In game 2, Serge went for 6-5-7 in 28 minutes. That's right....7 blocks!
Serge comes from the Congo and is 6'10 and 235 pounds. He's a pogo stick and jumps out of the gym.
Here is NBA.com's BIO on Serge...
Personal:
- Parents both played basketball for the National Team in the Congo
- Has 17 siblings
- Lived with his grandmother during the civil unrest in the Congo in the mid-to-late ‘90s in a house with no electricity or running water
- Learned the game of basketball playing on outdoor courts wearing shoes with cardboard inserts to cover the holes in the soles
-Made donations to the Congolese federation to help create opportunities for other young players to find success
Sounds like your typical upbringing. I think Woo has 17 siblings...no? Oh, okay.
I think the way this kid plays (he's only 20) that he is a prime candidate to be a shot-blocker extra-ordinary next season. OKC was one of the best defensive teams in the NBA this season and Serge fits that mold brilliantly. He's not going to be a scorer, but he could be a Ben Wallace, Dikembe type defender.
He should be one of those late round $1 dollar pickups you try and grab to fill out your roster at the end of the JBL draft. I just have a feeling that he will been 'on the radar' and ready for a breakout season. I mean really, he only has the defensive stalwart of Nenad Krstic in front of him.
Remember the name: Serge Ibaka.
Friday, April 16, 2010
2010 Offseason Power Rankings
OK, the rosters are being reduced day by day...
The JBL title was only decided 48 hours ago but I think it's time to do some quick hitting blogs. Sure, I could do my traditional season in review, but that can take hours to go through all those stats and details. And frankly, I'm far too busy these days for that. What I can do though, is these quick hitting blogs that might keep the JBL interest alive over the summer.
So, without further ado, I begin with my 1st official off season power rankings for the upcoming 2010/11 JBL season - the 20th season in our esteemed history.
#1 - Seoul Brothers - did you really expect anyone but the 2 time defending champs?? I mean come on - a championship has its privileges. We know that Phil knows what he's doing when it comes to the JBL. He drafts well. He pays attention to the FA wire. He trades well. He takes chances. And he gets lucky too. All good things for a JBL team.
This team will likely bring back Nene, Bogut and then maybe Lebron, Corey Brewer, or Marcus Thornton. He can keep 4 guys. Is $83 too much for Lebron? What about the old days when 10 guys would go for $100 bucks? Isn't Lebron worth $83 dollars? I guess we'll have to see what zip code Lebron calls home next year. My current guess is Cleveland. Now, if the Cavs go out and win the NBA championship - then maybe James says, "well, I won them a title, nothing left to accomplish, time to head to NYC". What's Lebron worth in a Knicks uniform with Mike D'Antoni as his head coach??? I think Woo is holding onto Lebron at this point to see if anyone will trade for him....
#2 - Bangkok Fighters - the 3rd place team from 2009/10 deserves this early perch based on his strong finish to the season and the fact that he will certainly bring back Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Kaman. Who the 4th will be is still up in the air. My bet would be Rudy Gay or Jonny Flynn.
Curry had an amazing season. He plays loads of minutes on a team that loves to score. He can shoot, pass, steal, and really does it all. Stud! Russell Westbrook took my advice and stopped shooting 3's in the 2nd half of the season (only 23 attempts in his last 41 games). His tendex over the last half of 2009/10 was over 20. Nice work Rusty. So, Bangkok gets the 2-hole for now...see if he can live up to these lofty expectations.
#3 - Brussels Muscles - how can a team that finished 10th in 2009/10 be ranked this high Johnny? Well, I'll give you 2 reasons - Tyreke and frickin' Kevin Durant. Both are extremely undervalued for next season. KD led the league in scoring! In the 2nd half of the season his tendex was over 30! The kid is only going to get better. Read that again and remember he averaged 31 and 8 over his 40+ games. While most JBL teams get a $260 starting budget, Timmy is essentially starting with a $300 budget as both Evans and Durant are severely under-valued to their true value. How does Timbo build around these 2 dynamic studs? More depth guys? Or another super stud? I can argue either way...but I won't. Not yet.
#4 - Golden Showers - OK, I have to put myself in here somewhere. I have to admit, I do know what I'm doing when it comes to building a JBL team. Sure, my latest team came up a bit short and maybe didn't have the usual Johnny-like-flair to it - but it was still pretty good. In the last 5 JBL seasons, the Golden team has been 1st or 2nd every year.
My keepers for next year could be Landry, Josh Smith, Luol Deng, Aaron Brooks, or Derrick Rose. Those would be my leading 5 guys at this point. But I will hang onto Darren Collison for now in case something happens in New Orleans. He proved he can play. No super values in my list but I do think Josh emerged as an all around Fantasy stud since he stopped shooting 3's this season. He ended up with over 300 steals/blocks combined. I believe only Dwight Howard can say he also accomplished that feat.
#5 - Chilliwack Offs - The 4th place team from this season now has back to back money spot finishes. Throw in 3 stud keepers in Marc Gasol, Andrea Bargnani, and AK47 and I like the looks of this team for next season. I mean, come on, the real reason to like this squad is the all-Euro potential that is screaming at them!! Come on Benny, do it, no one born in the USA on this team. That still leaves guys like Nash, Duncan, Nowitzki, Okur, Turkoglu, etc to fill out your roster. You gotta do it. How much fun would that be?? Heck, I'd help identify all those obscure guys born in weird places (Anthony Randolph born in Germany).
#6 - Juan de Fuca. This squad now has some tough choices to make as they will only be able to keep 3 players for next season. They have Monta, Danilo, G-Wallace and Z-Bo all under-valued at their current price. So, which 3 will they choose?? I think you know what to expect from Monta, Zach, and Wallace. What will Danilo do in NYC? Will he be the #4 option or the #2 option - all depends on what the Knicks do. Juan's 3 headed monster are coming off back to back disappointing seasons. This year's 7th place finish is only marginally better than the 9th place finish the year before. However, they do get some slack as they were devastated by injuries all year in Juan. Losing Chris Paul was a killer. Throw in all the other man games lost and I am willing give them a slight mulligan and rank them #6 for the 2010/11 season.
Quickly, here's how I break down the rest of the JBL....
#7 - French Lick - his team looked great in 2009/10. Another team crushed by injury. Always seems to wind up just out of the top tier.
#8 - Arctic - has some good keepers and appears to be right on the cusp each year.
#9 - Yuma - Pat figured some things out this year. Can he make the jump into the elite in 2010?
#10 - Boston - Trev will participate in his 20th JBL draft in October 2010, but his 1st as a married man. Does that change his luck? He must change his team name before being allowed to participate in the draft.
#11- Belgrade - rookie owner felt the rookie lumps. But he's pumped for a comeback in 2010. He will need to earn a higher ranking though.
#12 - Idaho - look, there is no easy way to put this, Idaho sucked balls in 2009/10. There is nothing positive to report. He is starting from scratch though and that might be a good thing. Tuna will have to prove he belongs higher than this as his 2008/09 money finish appears to be nothing but a fluke at this time. Prove me wrong young one.
The JBL title was only decided 48 hours ago but I think it's time to do some quick hitting blogs. Sure, I could do my traditional season in review, but that can take hours to go through all those stats and details. And frankly, I'm far too busy these days for that. What I can do though, is these quick hitting blogs that might keep the JBL interest alive over the summer.
So, without further ado, I begin with my 1st official off season power rankings for the upcoming 2010/11 JBL season - the 20th season in our esteemed history.
#1 - Seoul Brothers - did you really expect anyone but the 2 time defending champs?? I mean come on - a championship has its privileges. We know that Phil knows what he's doing when it comes to the JBL. He drafts well. He pays attention to the FA wire. He trades well. He takes chances. And he gets lucky too. All good things for a JBL team.
This team will likely bring back Nene, Bogut and then maybe Lebron, Corey Brewer, or Marcus Thornton. He can keep 4 guys. Is $83 too much for Lebron? What about the old days when 10 guys would go for $100 bucks? Isn't Lebron worth $83 dollars? I guess we'll have to see what zip code Lebron calls home next year. My current guess is Cleveland. Now, if the Cavs go out and win the NBA championship - then maybe James says, "well, I won them a title, nothing left to accomplish, time to head to NYC". What's Lebron worth in a Knicks uniform with Mike D'Antoni as his head coach??? I think Woo is holding onto Lebron at this point to see if anyone will trade for him....
#2 - Bangkok Fighters - the 3rd place team from 2009/10 deserves this early perch based on his strong finish to the season and the fact that he will certainly bring back Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and Chris Kaman. Who the 4th will be is still up in the air. My bet would be Rudy Gay or Jonny Flynn.
Curry had an amazing season. He plays loads of minutes on a team that loves to score. He can shoot, pass, steal, and really does it all. Stud! Russell Westbrook took my advice and stopped shooting 3's in the 2nd half of the season (only 23 attempts in his last 41 games). His tendex over the last half of 2009/10 was over 20. Nice work Rusty. So, Bangkok gets the 2-hole for now...see if he can live up to these lofty expectations.
#3 - Brussels Muscles - how can a team that finished 10th in 2009/10 be ranked this high Johnny? Well, I'll give you 2 reasons - Tyreke and frickin' Kevin Durant. Both are extremely undervalued for next season. KD led the league in scoring! In the 2nd half of the season his tendex was over 30! The kid is only going to get better. Read that again and remember he averaged 31 and 8 over his 40+ games. While most JBL teams get a $260 starting budget, Timmy is essentially starting with a $300 budget as both Evans and Durant are severely under-valued to their true value. How does Timbo build around these 2 dynamic studs? More depth guys? Or another super stud? I can argue either way...but I won't. Not yet.
#4 - Golden Showers - OK, I have to put myself in here somewhere. I have to admit, I do know what I'm doing when it comes to building a JBL team. Sure, my latest team came up a bit short and maybe didn't have the usual Johnny-like-flair to it - but it was still pretty good. In the last 5 JBL seasons, the Golden team has been 1st or 2nd every year.
My keepers for next year could be Landry, Josh Smith, Luol Deng, Aaron Brooks, or Derrick Rose. Those would be my leading 5 guys at this point. But I will hang onto Darren Collison for now in case something happens in New Orleans. He proved he can play. No super values in my list but I do think Josh emerged as an all around Fantasy stud since he stopped shooting 3's this season. He ended up with over 300 steals/blocks combined. I believe only Dwight Howard can say he also accomplished that feat.
#5 - Chilliwack Offs - The 4th place team from this season now has back to back money spot finishes. Throw in 3 stud keepers in Marc Gasol, Andrea Bargnani, and AK47 and I like the looks of this team for next season. I mean, come on, the real reason to like this squad is the all-Euro potential that is screaming at them!! Come on Benny, do it, no one born in the USA on this team. That still leaves guys like Nash, Duncan, Nowitzki, Okur, Turkoglu, etc to fill out your roster. You gotta do it. How much fun would that be?? Heck, I'd help identify all those obscure guys born in weird places (Anthony Randolph born in Germany).
#6 - Juan de Fuca. This squad now has some tough choices to make as they will only be able to keep 3 players for next season. They have Monta, Danilo, G-Wallace and Z-Bo all under-valued at their current price. So, which 3 will they choose?? I think you know what to expect from Monta, Zach, and Wallace. What will Danilo do in NYC? Will he be the #4 option or the #2 option - all depends on what the Knicks do. Juan's 3 headed monster are coming off back to back disappointing seasons. This year's 7th place finish is only marginally better than the 9th place finish the year before. However, they do get some slack as they were devastated by injuries all year in Juan. Losing Chris Paul was a killer. Throw in all the other man games lost and I am willing give them a slight mulligan and rank them #6 for the 2010/11 season.
Quickly, here's how I break down the rest of the JBL....
#7 - French Lick - his team looked great in 2009/10. Another team crushed by injury. Always seems to wind up just out of the top tier.
#8 - Arctic - has some good keepers and appears to be right on the cusp each year.
#9 - Yuma - Pat figured some things out this year. Can he make the jump into the elite in 2010?
#10 - Boston - Trev will participate in his 20th JBL draft in October 2010, but his 1st as a married man. Does that change his luck? He must change his team name before being allowed to participate in the draft.
#11- Belgrade - rookie owner felt the rookie lumps. But he's pumped for a comeback in 2010. He will need to earn a higher ranking though.
#12 - Idaho - look, there is no easy way to put this, Idaho sucked balls in 2009/10. There is nothing positive to report. He is starting from scratch though and that might be a good thing. Tuna will have to prove he belongs higher than this as his 2008/09 money finish appears to be nothing but a fluke at this time. Prove me wrong young one.
Seoul Wins it All in 2009/10
Well, it's all over. Seoul came through on the final night to hang on for his back-to-back titles and his 4th overall JBL crown. Damn you Woo. Damn you!
Well, I had predicted I would come up short - and I was right. It was very close though. I ended up passing French in 3PT% (which ultimately cost him a money spot). I couldn't catch Boston in ATO and Arctic in steals...and then Seoul passed Belgrade in steals as those Zombies didn't help my squad out at all (I think he missed 5 man games on the final night due to injury).
So, Philly Woo's squad, who were almost blown up at the trade deadline, hang on to win the title. This is Woo's 4th title now and has won 3 of the last 5 crowns. How's that for a dynasty? So, how did he do it? It starts with 1 player - Lebron. King James was simply the biggest and best Fantasy player in the NBA this season. Have a look...
30ppg, 9reb, 7ast, 2.494 ATO, 124 STL, 76 BLK, 50.3 FG%. OK, he was mediocre from downtown as he shot just 33.3%. But come on, those are insane numbers.
Then Philly Woo added in his Laker stalwarts in Gasol and Odom. Gasol was a monster and Odom, I think, is quietly under-rated as a Fantasy player. He does the little things quite well. He rebounds, steals, blocks, gets ATO - all the nice little ticks to check off every night.
Then, to top it off, Woo got good/great years from Nene (played all 82 games), Bogut, Marion, Mike Miller, and Corey Brewer.
And when Woo needed to sign a Free Agent - he hit home runs on those guys too. Golden and Bangkok test-drove Boris Diaw this season and he was terrible. He comes in to Seoul and plays 33 games and posts 13-5-4 while shooting 53% and getting almost 0.85 steals and 0.85 blocks per game. Come on, nice work. Other guys who chipped in mightily - Marcus Thornton, Brandon Rush, Shane Battier, and Thabo Sefolosha. Certainly not household Fantasy names - but they fit in perfectly with this crew.
Seoul set a JBL record for BLOCKS and REBOUNDS this year - that always helps!
Woo only made 6 trades this season.(3 with Brussels, 1 Golden, 1 Bangkok, 1 French) We certainly can't say he hooked up with his good buddy Bangkok to buy a winner.
Woo should get full marks for being patient with his team and tweaking it here and there. We can no longer argue about Tendex - I think Phil has made his point. Was there some luck in winning this JBL title, absolutely, but there is always luck involved. Do your homework fellas because Woo is gearing up to attempt the 3-peat - something only done by the Golden Showers and Chicago Bulls in recent memory.
Well, I had predicted I would come up short - and I was right. It was very close though. I ended up passing French in 3PT% (which ultimately cost him a money spot). I couldn't catch Boston in ATO and Arctic in steals...and then Seoul passed Belgrade in steals as those Zombies didn't help my squad out at all (I think he missed 5 man games on the final night due to injury).
So, Philly Woo's squad, who were almost blown up at the trade deadline, hang on to win the title. This is Woo's 4th title now and has won 3 of the last 5 crowns. How's that for a dynasty? So, how did he do it? It starts with 1 player - Lebron. King James was simply the biggest and best Fantasy player in the NBA this season. Have a look...
30ppg, 9reb, 7ast, 2.494 ATO, 124 STL, 76 BLK, 50.3 FG%. OK, he was mediocre from downtown as he shot just 33.3%. But come on, those are insane numbers.
Then Philly Woo added in his Laker stalwarts in Gasol and Odom. Gasol was a monster and Odom, I think, is quietly under-rated as a Fantasy player. He does the little things quite well. He rebounds, steals, blocks, gets ATO - all the nice little ticks to check off every night.
Then, to top it off, Woo got good/great years from Nene (played all 82 games), Bogut, Marion, Mike Miller, and Corey Brewer.
And when Woo needed to sign a Free Agent - he hit home runs on those guys too. Golden and Bangkok test-drove Boris Diaw this season and he was terrible. He comes in to Seoul and plays 33 games and posts 13-5-4 while shooting 53% and getting almost 0.85 steals and 0.85 blocks per game. Come on, nice work. Other guys who chipped in mightily - Marcus Thornton, Brandon Rush, Shane Battier, and Thabo Sefolosha. Certainly not household Fantasy names - but they fit in perfectly with this crew.
Seoul set a JBL record for BLOCKS and REBOUNDS this year - that always helps!
Woo only made 6 trades this season.(3 with Brussels, 1 Golden, 1 Bangkok, 1 French) We certainly can't say he hooked up with his good buddy Bangkok to buy a winner.
Woo should get full marks for being patient with his team and tweaking it here and there. We can no longer argue about Tendex - I think Phil has made his point. Was there some luck in winning this JBL title, absolutely, but there is always luck involved. Do your homework fellas because Woo is gearing up to attempt the 3-peat - something only done by the Golden Showers and Chicago Bulls in recent memory.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Grand Finale!
OK, tonight's the night.
It all comes down to this.
I'm going to give 110% and make it happen.
I'm going to take it one game at a time.
Whatever happens, happens.
It is what it is.
It's time to put all the cliches aside and play some Fantasy hoops. Here's the situation for tonight...
Seoul is up by 3.
Seoul will likely have 10 guys playing (Lebron is out - apparently)
Golden will likely have 10 guys playing (Bosh is out- pussy)
Let's look at the categories where there could be some movement...
3PT%
Seoul is at 34.669 and Bangkok is at 34.795. So, its possible.
Golden is at 36.215 and French Lick is at 36.323. Again, possible.
It will take tremendous efforts from Golden and Seoul to move up...but anything is possible.
ATO
Golden can move here for sure. He is just .001 behind Boston. 13 points up for grabs. Now, on the other hand, Golden is only 0.010 ahead of Yuma so Golden could drop (with a bad night). There is an outside chance that Seoul could catch Bangkok (0.011 behind) but I don't think it will happen.
PTS
Neither team is going anywhere
REBS
Seoul is in 1st and I don't think Juan will catch him.
Golden starts the night 9 rebounds behind Arctic. Again, Golden will not have Bosh and Carl Landry is also done for the year.
Arctic is likely to have 11 players going with the big boys Howard, Horford, and Love being counted on to maintain the rebound edge.
It goes without saying this would be a huge category of interest tonight for Golden.
FG%
No movement expected
STLS
Seoul is just 4 steals behind Belgrade. Again, Seoul should have 10 guys going while Belgrade is pretty banged up and at most could have 10 guys playing - but I think it's going to be more like 5 guys as Aldridge, Boozer, Gooden, Baron and Eric Gordon could all sit out. This would be a huge 13 pts for Seoul and if he gets it, which I suspect he will, it would force Golden to move up in 2 categories as the Seoul lead would be 16 points.
Golden still needs to steal well as Yuma and Juan are within striking distance.
BLKS
This is another key category for Golden. They are 1 block ahead of the Wack and absolutely, 100%, must maintain that lead in order for them to have a chance to win. The Wack will play 10 guys as Kobe and AK47 are likely out. Big category to monitor for Golden tonight.
So...who wins it? You tell me.
Here's my 2 cents on what I predict will happen (I'm typing this at 4:07pm)...
Seoul passes Belgrade in steals and takes a 16 point lead.
Golden fails to pass Boston in ATO; doesn't catch Arctic in rebounds; and is unable to nip French in 3PT%....which give Seoul his 4th JBL title.
I think the miraculous 24th period that Golden has been having comes to an end tonight and I come up just short.
Some other predictions....
Idaho finishes 12th
Belgrade remains in 11th
Brussels finishes 10th and gets his 2 keepers
Boston grabs 9th
Yuma gets 8th (duh) - he's been guaranteed that since week 8
Chilliwack gets to keep that shiny 7th place ribbon
Arctic grabs 6th
Juan takes 5th
Bangkok breaks even and grabs the final money spot
French Lick grabs 3rd on the strength of his scoring and 3PT% shooting.
More later....
It all comes down to this.
I'm going to give 110% and make it happen.
I'm going to take it one game at a time.
Whatever happens, happens.
It is what it is.
It's time to put all the cliches aside and play some Fantasy hoops. Here's the situation for tonight...
Seoul is up by 3.
Seoul will likely have 10 guys playing (Lebron is out - apparently)
Golden will likely have 10 guys playing (Bosh is out- pussy)
Let's look at the categories where there could be some movement...
3PT%
Seoul is at 34.669 and Bangkok is at 34.795. So, its possible.
Golden is at 36.215 and French Lick is at 36.323. Again, possible.
It will take tremendous efforts from Golden and Seoul to move up...but anything is possible.
ATO
Golden can move here for sure. He is just .001 behind Boston. 13 points up for grabs. Now, on the other hand, Golden is only 0.010 ahead of Yuma so Golden could drop (with a bad night). There is an outside chance that Seoul could catch Bangkok (0.011 behind) but I don't think it will happen.
PTS
Neither team is going anywhere
REBS
Seoul is in 1st and I don't think Juan will catch him.
Golden starts the night 9 rebounds behind Arctic. Again, Golden will not have Bosh and Carl Landry is also done for the year.
Arctic is likely to have 11 players going with the big boys Howard, Horford, and Love being counted on to maintain the rebound edge.
It goes without saying this would be a huge category of interest tonight for Golden.
FG%
No movement expected
STLS
Seoul is just 4 steals behind Belgrade. Again, Seoul should have 10 guys going while Belgrade is pretty banged up and at most could have 10 guys playing - but I think it's going to be more like 5 guys as Aldridge, Boozer, Gooden, Baron and Eric Gordon could all sit out. This would be a huge 13 pts for Seoul and if he gets it, which I suspect he will, it would force Golden to move up in 2 categories as the Seoul lead would be 16 points.
Golden still needs to steal well as Yuma and Juan are within striking distance.
BLKS
This is another key category for Golden. They are 1 block ahead of the Wack and absolutely, 100%, must maintain that lead in order for them to have a chance to win. The Wack will play 10 guys as Kobe and AK47 are likely out. Big category to monitor for Golden tonight.
So...who wins it? You tell me.
Here's my 2 cents on what I predict will happen (I'm typing this at 4:07pm)...
Seoul passes Belgrade in steals and takes a 16 point lead.
Golden fails to pass Boston in ATO; doesn't catch Arctic in rebounds; and is unable to nip French in 3PT%....which give Seoul his 4th JBL title.
I think the miraculous 24th period that Golden has been having comes to an end tonight and I come up just short.
Some other predictions....
Idaho finishes 12th
Belgrade remains in 11th
Brussels finishes 10th and gets his 2 keepers
Boston grabs 9th
Yuma gets 8th (duh) - he's been guaranteed that since week 8
Chilliwack gets to keep that shiny 7th place ribbon
Arctic grabs 6th
Juan takes 5th
Bangkok breaks even and grabs the final money spot
French Lick grabs 3rd on the strength of his scoring and 3PT% shooting.
More later....
Monday, April 12, 2010
3 Days To Go!
Sorry boys, I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to post on here. I will try to do better.
I am online watching live right now as Seoul reaches 900 points and my Golden squad has slipped back to 871. Arctic has passed me in rebounds (as I predicted they would all along). I'm not sure if my remaining man games will be enough to catch him. Why can't Orlando rest Howard?? Come on!
Big battle going on for 3rd as French (807), Bangkok (806) and Chilliwack (802) are all right there. Apparently Benny has already conceded to Bangkok that the Fighters squad was superior this season. Well, well, well, it looks like the Offs are going to make a last second run.
Brussels has pulled ahead of Belgrade for 10th (currently up 424 to 369). Can Brussels hang on for that 2 keeper spot? If that happens - he will be ranked quite high in my off season power rankings.
So, can Woo be caught?? I don't think so. I would need 29 points currently to catch him. Well, I could maybe pass Boston in ATO. I would have to pass the Wack in blocks and I would have to pass Arctic in rebounds to do it. It doesn't look like Woo will drop any points as Idaho's 3PT shooting has really dropped off tonight (or Woo has forged ahead). It doesn't look like Belgrade will catch Seoul in steals - unless they go hog-wild later.
Whoa, look at Brussels now. Up to 452! 8-8 and 6 blocks from JaVale McGee tonight. Another 19 and 10 performance from Blatche. 28 points from Johnny Salmons. Oh yes, Brussels is finishing strong (for a 9th place team).
Bench guys galore from San Antonio tonight. It's hard to have any Spurs down the stretch as they ALWAYS rest their starters.
Idaho down to 276 tonight. -26 points for Monday. Idaho is 4th in ATO and no better than 10th in all the other categories. As I have previously mentioned, it appears his money finish from last season was an aberration, a fluke, maybe a miracle. Come on Idaho - pressure is on you in 2010/11 to prove me wrong.
So, who is going to get 3rd and 4th? Is it just down to the 3 teams (French, Bangkok, and the Wack)? Can Juan or Arctic make a late surge? I don't think Arctic has the horses. I think they get to 774 and maybe 794 if they move up in scoring - but I think they are almost maxed out. The thing with Juan de Fuca is that they are just ravaged with injuries. As Woo mentioned on the Scoreboard tonight - Juan is missing Chris Paul, Jermaine O'Neal, Gerald Wallace, and Brandon Roy tonight. That's 4 man games when he is trying to gain PTS on Seoul. Juan is only 60 pts behind Woo in scoring tonight and he's missing some serious scoring this last period. Throw in the fact he went with Serge Ibaka and Hasheem Thabeet - that certainly doesn't helpt the scoring category does it? If Juan could have passed Seoul in scoring I think I would have had a shot at the title...but without Woo losing those 20 points - I think I will come up short.
So can Benny move up from 802 points? I went through the categories and saw only FG% for a chance to move up and in fact the Wack is in danger of losing points in other categories (PTS, STLS). So I don't think Benny is moving up much more.
Bangkok has room to move in a lot of categories - but I'm not sure he will. They could move in 3PT% but time is running out. There could be as much as 39 points upward movement in 3PT% but he is now 0.3 behind Yuma and Brussels so that seems unlikely. Maybe he could gain 13 points by passing Juan. In ATO, he could move up 26 points if he could catch Golden and Boston - but again, time is running out. Maybe 13 points available in FG%. They'll probably gain 13 pts by passing the Wack in steals and PTS and REBS he's maxed out. So, that's a possible 78 points but it seems that 26-39 points is more likely as after tonight he'll only have 13 man games left.
French could move in scoring as he's close behind Yuma and Chilliwack. Plus, French will have 16 man games left after tonight. He could gain 13 in 3PT% is he gets hot and Arctic goes cold. ATO, BLK, and FG% appears he's maxed out (although I guess maybe FG% is possible). STLs and REBS he's maxed out. In the PTS category, there could be +40 there if he can outscore Yuma and the Wack. That category will be the key to where French finishes. Will his Celtics boys be rested? And I will say it again, Terrence Williams has been a God send for this squad. 21 and 13 tonight! Kevin Martin has 30 points tonight so far so he's trying his darndest as well.
Well, we'll see what the end of the night looks like....
I am online watching live right now as Seoul reaches 900 points and my Golden squad has slipped back to 871. Arctic has passed me in rebounds (as I predicted they would all along). I'm not sure if my remaining man games will be enough to catch him. Why can't Orlando rest Howard?? Come on!
Big battle going on for 3rd as French (807), Bangkok (806) and Chilliwack (802) are all right there. Apparently Benny has already conceded to Bangkok that the Fighters squad was superior this season. Well, well, well, it looks like the Offs are going to make a last second run.
Brussels has pulled ahead of Belgrade for 10th (currently up 424 to 369). Can Brussels hang on for that 2 keeper spot? If that happens - he will be ranked quite high in my off season power rankings.
So, can Woo be caught?? I don't think so. I would need 29 points currently to catch him. Well, I could maybe pass Boston in ATO. I would have to pass the Wack in blocks and I would have to pass Arctic in rebounds to do it. It doesn't look like Woo will drop any points as Idaho's 3PT shooting has really dropped off tonight (or Woo has forged ahead). It doesn't look like Belgrade will catch Seoul in steals - unless they go hog-wild later.
Whoa, look at Brussels now. Up to 452! 8-8 and 6 blocks from JaVale McGee tonight. Another 19 and 10 performance from Blatche. 28 points from Johnny Salmons. Oh yes, Brussels is finishing strong (for a 9th place team).
Bench guys galore from San Antonio tonight. It's hard to have any Spurs down the stretch as they ALWAYS rest their starters.
Idaho down to 276 tonight. -26 points for Monday. Idaho is 4th in ATO and no better than 10th in all the other categories. As I have previously mentioned, it appears his money finish from last season was an aberration, a fluke, maybe a miracle. Come on Idaho - pressure is on you in 2010/11 to prove me wrong.
So, who is going to get 3rd and 4th? Is it just down to the 3 teams (French, Bangkok, and the Wack)? Can Juan or Arctic make a late surge? I don't think Arctic has the horses. I think they get to 774 and maybe 794 if they move up in scoring - but I think they are almost maxed out. The thing with Juan de Fuca is that they are just ravaged with injuries. As Woo mentioned on the Scoreboard tonight - Juan is missing Chris Paul, Jermaine O'Neal, Gerald Wallace, and Brandon Roy tonight. That's 4 man games when he is trying to gain PTS on Seoul. Juan is only 60 pts behind Woo in scoring tonight and he's missing some serious scoring this last period. Throw in the fact he went with Serge Ibaka and Hasheem Thabeet - that certainly doesn't helpt the scoring category does it? If Juan could have passed Seoul in scoring I think I would have had a shot at the title...but without Woo losing those 20 points - I think I will come up short.
So can Benny move up from 802 points? I went through the categories and saw only FG% for a chance to move up and in fact the Wack is in danger of losing points in other categories (PTS, STLS). So I don't think Benny is moving up much more.
Bangkok has room to move in a lot of categories - but I'm not sure he will. They could move in 3PT% but time is running out. There could be as much as 39 points upward movement in 3PT% but he is now 0.3 behind Yuma and Brussels so that seems unlikely. Maybe he could gain 13 points by passing Juan. In ATO, he could move up 26 points if he could catch Golden and Boston - but again, time is running out. Maybe 13 points available in FG%. They'll probably gain 13 pts by passing the Wack in steals and PTS and REBS he's maxed out. So, that's a possible 78 points but it seems that 26-39 points is more likely as after tonight he'll only have 13 man games left.
French could move in scoring as he's close behind Yuma and Chilliwack. Plus, French will have 16 man games left after tonight. He could gain 13 in 3PT% is he gets hot and Arctic goes cold. ATO, BLK, and FG% appears he's maxed out (although I guess maybe FG% is possible). STLs and REBS he's maxed out. In the PTS category, there could be +40 there if he can outscore Yuma and the Wack. That category will be the key to where French finishes. Will his Celtics boys be rested? And I will say it again, Terrence Williams has been a God send for this squad. 21 and 13 tonight! Kevin Martin has 30 points tonight so far so he's trying his darndest as well.
Well, we'll see what the end of the night looks like....
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Week 24 - Tuesday, April 6th
And so it begins...to the end. So to speak. You know what I mean. So, here we go. Last chance to make a move, make a push, run for the money, however you want to put it.
A few interesting roster choices this week...
Seoul decides to go with Shaun Livingston and he puts up 21 and 8 (0 TO's) on 9/11 shooting. Come on. That's just not fair!
Bangkok decides to play the injured Joe Johnson despite the fact that Joe has been ruled out for 2 games this period.
Boston activates Hedo Turkoglu and benches Hakim Warrick. Turk will certainly help the ATO battle that the 'Cakes are in with Bangkok and Golden.
Juan de Fuca goes with youngsters Serge Ibaka and Hasheem Thabeet over the likes of Emeka Okafor and Dejuan Blair.
Golden goes with the injured center Jason Maxiell because (1) I have no one else and (2) I have no one else. Thank you, thank you very much.
So what's happened tonight???
Seoul was up to 926 briefly but as I type he's at 880.
Golden is up 13pts as I have moved past Juan in steals.
Brussels up 46 points as he is making a move in 3PT% and scoring. His battle with Idaho in scoring could decide whether he finishes 10th or 11th. In Idaho's defense, he only has 3 man games tonight while Brussels had 10 man games...
Bangkok, Juan, and Chilliwack all losing ground tonight so far...
Looking around the NBA...
A few interesting roster choices this week...
Seoul decides to go with Shaun Livingston and he puts up 21 and 8 (0 TO's) on 9/11 shooting. Come on. That's just not fair!
Bangkok decides to play the injured Joe Johnson despite the fact that Joe has been ruled out for 2 games this period.
Boston activates Hedo Turkoglu and benches Hakim Warrick. Turk will certainly help the ATO battle that the 'Cakes are in with Bangkok and Golden.
Juan de Fuca goes with youngsters Serge Ibaka and Hasheem Thabeet over the likes of Emeka Okafor and Dejuan Blair.
Golden goes with the injured center Jason Maxiell because (1) I have no one else and (2) I have no one else. Thank you, thank you very much.
So what's happened tonight???
Seoul was up to 926 briefly but as I type he's at 880.
Golden is up 13pts as I have moved past Juan in steals.
Brussels up 46 points as he is making a move in 3PT% and scoring. His battle with Idaho in scoring could decide whether he finishes 10th or 11th. In Idaho's defense, he only has 3 man games tonight while Brussels had 10 man games...
Bangkok, Juan, and Chilliwack all losing ground tonight so far...
Looking around the NBA...
- Bosh takes a Jamison elbow to the face like 2 minutes into the game and doesn't return. Thank God the Raptors are in a fight for their playoff lives and will need him to return asap. He almost is forced to play with a mask next game no matter what. Could you imagine if the Raptors had already clinched a spot or were eliminated from the playoff race?? He would likely be shut down for the season...I will be watching this injury very closely over the next 24 hours. Come on CB4 - the Showers need you.
- I'll take Earl Barron for $1 dollar. Where did this come from? Quick, who does Earl Barron play for? Tick Tock. The NY Knicks of course. The recent NBDL (I think) call up just posted 17 pts and 18 rebs while playing 44 minutes as the Knicks starting Center tonight.
- And did anyone see the finish to this game??? Boston vs. New York...The Celts were down 3 with 8 seconds left. They couldn't even get a shot off in time?? Really? 8 seconds left and you can't get a shot off before the clock expires?? Come on man.
- Fantasy bonerland tonight in Utah where the Jazz and Thunder are deadlocked at 129 with just seconds left in the game. Durant, Boozer, Williams, Okur, Westbrook all putting on a show. This Kevin Durant kid is good.
- Speaking of good, Tyreke has posted 16-5-5 in the 3rd quarter - what a boner Timbo should sport if he lands 10th and gets those 2 superstuds. If it happens, I think the top 4 teams in the off-season rankings will be the 2-time defending champions Seoul squad, Brussels, Bangkok, and Chilliwack.
- Has Stephen Curry really become one of the most reliable players already? Doesn't he score 20pts every night? And on that note, is he the Rookie of the Year now? Compare his numbers to Tyreke since January 1st. See?
- Javale McGee and Andray Blatche should see HUGE minutes in Washington next season. It's hard to say this, but I think the Wiz actually did the right thing by blowing it up and moving Butler, Jamison, and Haywood. Now they say they will not bring back Foye. Good for them. Let the young guys play (Blatche, McGee, Young, Livingston). But what to do with Gilbert?
- Charlie V siting in Detroit! Can't believe they threw big money at this guy! Joe D might not have a job much longer. And in case you didn't notice, Ben Wallace, the Ben Wallace, scored 18 pts tonight on 8/10 shooting.
- And what the heck happened to Louis Williams in Philly? Ever since he broke his face and missed all those games he never got his game back. He was having a really good season up to that point - now he sucks the big one. Oh well.
- Charlotte beats Atlanta. Boris Diaw has 17-9-9. That's the Spider I thought I was protecting. Instead, in Golden, he averaged like 8-5-3. Ugly. I move him to Bangkok and he sucks goats there too...then, Seoul signs him as a depth guy and he goes off. Come on Boris. You suck.
- Oh look, John Salmons went off again. I had an offer for him months ago from French (when Salmons was still a Bull). He offered me Salmons for the then-hot Omar Casspi. I turned him down as I had fallen in love with Omar and Salmons was withering away in Chi-town. Plus, I already had Rose, Hinrich, and Deng and didn't want a 4th player from a non-playoff team. Oh man, I wish I had his cool beard now.
- Kevin Durant and Deron Williams are playing it old school. Look at that boxscore. http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2010040626. Oh man, that's exciting. Why can't more games be like this? Why couldn't the Thunder still be the Sonics?
- So, if you could only keep 1 - Durant or Tyreke - who would it be? Durant for $43 or Tyreke for $18? Yes, KD is the superior player in almost every category but if you kept Tyreke you would have an extra $25 bucks to spend. So, you could say have Durant or Tyreke and Derrick Rose or Tyreke and Zach Randolph or Tyreke and some other $25 dollar player. Tough choice...but I know what I would do....
- Look at Carl Landry go tonight. The unwanted man. I offered him around the JBL twice over. No one wanted him. Heck, I didn't want him. Now look at him - I may have to friggin' keep him! His Sactown numbers are 18ppg, 7reb, and 52% shooting. Sure, his ATO isn't great and he doesn't get a bunch of steals or blocks...but 18 and 7 for $10 bucks...I have to consider it. But what direction are the Kings going? Are they going to play Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes at Center? Does Landry always start? Unknown, I'll have to see what happens over the summer.
- The one kid I do like the looks of for next season is Terrence Williams. My pre-season Podcast "rookie to watch" has been on fire lately and French is loving him I'm sure. He should start for the Nets next season. Check out his last 10 games...a Tendex of 18 my friends.
- Final score from Utah. 140-139 in OT. Jazz win it over the Thunder. WOW. Durant 45. Deron 42. Oh yeah. Boner me. Boozer goes for 28 and 15 and is the 3rd best Fantasy guy in the game.
Well, that's it for tonight...the Spurs/Kings game is winding down (3 minutes to go) so there won't be many more changes in the standings tonight...
Tomorrow is hump day and we'll see what tomorrow night's action brings. I will do my best to comment on the nightly actions each night from now until the end of the season. I can't make any promises, but I will do my best. Hope you enjoy....
Cheers.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Contenders - Week 24 Preview and Beyond...
So, we're on the cusp of week 24 and the final roster decision you will have to make in the 2009/10 season. Do I start Carlos Delfino with 6 games or Darren Collison with 4 games? Do I believe Chris Paul will get rested? Will Carlos Delfino jack up too many 3's? These are the type of decisions that each of the contending teams will have to make. So what happens? Who wins it all? Let's check out the top 6 teams chances...
Chilliwack - 802 points. As I write this it's Benny sitting in 6th place. He's just 33 points from being in 2nd...that's how close it is. So where can Benny move up? 3PT% - well, he's 0.4% behind Arctic but I don't think the move is happening. ATO - Benny is 1st and it looks like he will stay put as Arctic is a ways behind. BLKS - this is where the Wack can gain 13 pts...he's just 2 blocks behind Golden and that would be a big +/- 13 points for these 2 teams. FG% - Benny has plummeted down the FG% standings and appears he's stuck with the points he has in this category. PTS - The Wack is only 40+ points ahead of Yuma. Can he hold him off? Can Benny make up the 100+ points he's behind Arctic? I don't think so, but we'll find out. That would obviously be a HUGE +20 if he could do it. STLS - only 8 steals behind French. A big 13 points on the line here. REBS - The Wack is stuck where they are, about 100 ahead and 100 behind the teams around him. No obvious movement coming. So, how many points can Benny gain this week? Benny could see 13-26 points for sure with the outside shot of 46 points if he can outscore the Arctic. It looks like 802 to 828 total points is most likely for this squad. Where will that finish? Unknown really, as it really is muddy waters at the top these days. As for keepers next season Benny is loaded with the likes of Marc Gasol, Andrea Bargnani, AK47, Mike Conley and/or maybe Antawn Jamison. No matter where he finishes, Benny will be a favorite in the 2010/11 rankings going into the draft.
Bangkok - currently in 5th with 806 points. Talk about peaking at the right time. Rick has made all the right moves this season and his team is finishing on a high. I'd just like to point out that about 2 weeks into the season I received a trade offer of Stephen Curry for Boris Diaw and I turned it down. Nice work Johnny. I had too much faith in Boris the Spider and look where it got me. Oh well. So, can Bangkok win this thing? Let's look. You really don't have to look any further than 3PT%. There are potential 52 points here for Bangkok if the team gets hot. The question is can he and will he? ATO - no room to move up but there is a possibility he could lose 13-26 points if Boston and Golden can catch him. It's very close here. BLKS - Rick is going nowhere here. FG% - Rick can gain or lose 13 points in this category. PTS - our 1st place scoring team is maxed out. STLS - another 26 points are possible here if he can pass Belgrade and Seoul. REBS - not going anywhere. So, if everything went perfectly, Bangkok could gain another 91 points. Will he? I don't think so as I think his 3PT% dreams will not be realized - but then again - I've been wrong many times before. So, in this perfect world Bangkok moves to 897. That could actually be enough to win it all (if Seoul drops in certain spots). So, I'll say it, Bangkok can still win the title. And this could be the pre-season 10/11 favorite with keepers likes Curry, Westbrook, Kaman, and Flynn. That would cost him just $53 bucks if those were his 4 keepers. Of course, he could also choose to protect Rudy Gay for his all around game. Oh the choices. No matter what happens here, Bangkok should be a contender, no, a favorite for the 2010/11 season.
Currently tied for 3rd (but technically 4th) are the French Lick Celtics with 820 points. French loses the tie-breaker to Juan 4 categories to 3 at the moment. However, with the way this season has gone I'm sure we'll see lots of movement in the last 10 days. Can French make a run? 3PT% - a possible 13 pts here but French has to get hot and Boston has to shoot bricks. Unlikely to move up I think. ATO - French is closing in on the Arctic squad and is just 0.011 behind. This would be a HUGE +13 for the French squad. BLKS - no more points here. FG% - a chance for +26 in this category if his boys hit the nets this week. PTS - 100 points behind Yuma. Not impossible, but not a sure thing. I'm thinking he doesn't catch them as the Celtics (the real ones) will be rested down the stretch I'm sure. STLS - already in 1st and only 8 steals ahead of the Wack. French needs to maintain his spot and not lose the points. REBS - stuck where he is. So, with some good play, French could gain 39-52 points. That would get him up to the 860-870 range. That could be right there too you know. French is really built to win right now and doesn't have any show-stopping keepers. He could protect guys like Millsap (with the hope Boozer leaves), Dalembert (with the hope his current coach is canned or he gets traded), Felton (with the hope he follows up his breakout year with another good season), or Paul Pierce (because he's the Truth).
In 3rd place right now are the Juan de Fuca Yo Mamas - also at 820 points. Can they make the big move? Let's see. 3PT% - a possible 26 points here if Anthony Morrow continues his torrid pace. Of course, there is a possibility to lose as much as 52 points here as the teams behind Juan start to bunch up. ATO - no more points coming here. BLKS - just 8 blocks behind Brussels he could gain 13 points here. FG% - a tight race here as Juan could either gain 13 points or possibly lose 26. A big category to watch over the last 10 days. I think at most they would drop 13 as the Arctic is now 0.2% behind. PTS - Juan is just 7 measly points ahead of the juggernaut we know as Woo. Will Woo catch him now that Bogut is out? Unknown. What I do know is that Woo made up a few hundred points on Juan over the last couple of weeks so I think the trend would be to say that Seoul will pass Juan and the Mamas will drop a crucial 20 points here. STLS - just 2 behind Yuma and yet just 2 ahead of Golden. Lots could happen here too. REBS - going nowhere. The simple math tells you that Juan could gain maybe 65 points. That would get him to 885 and be right in the mix. However, the unfortunate truth is that Juan could also lose as many as 98 points if everything went in the shitter. That would obviously drop him WAY down the standings. What will happen? Well Juan has to be the hardest to predict for sure. As for next season, Juan will likely bring back an experienced middle salary class including Zach Randolph, Monta Ellis, Gerald Wallace, and cheap sharpshooter Gallinari. Where will Juan finish? I have no idea.
Currently in 2nd place is my beloved/hated Golden Showers squad with 834 points. My cast of characters are barely holding on and it's been the stellar play of called-out stars Bosh and Nowitzki who have kept me afloat this week. Can Golden climb any higher or will they drop like Anthony's 2nd nut on his 17th birthday? 3PT% - the crowd is building behind the Showers. The only place to go is down. So, does that mean I play Delfino or sit him? Undecided. ATO - a possible 26 points here as I am 0.011 behind 2 squads (Boston and Bangkok). Will I do it? I say unlikely. BLKS - only 2 ahead of the Wack and I will be playing with 11 men this week as Maxiell is my only center (I lost Robin Lopez and Spencer Hawes to season ending injuries). My center spot was weak all season and I ended up losing 3 guys to injury (don't forget I was the proud owner of Shaq-Daddy). I may focus a bit more next season on drafting better up the middle. Anyways, I think I'm likely to lose the 13 points here, but you never know. FG% - a possible 13 points up or down here. PTS - going nowhere. STLS - just 3 steals away from +26 points. Can I catch Juan and/or Yuma? That would be a big 26 points. REBS - just 40+ rebounds ahead of Arctic. I really need to maintain my spot and hold onto those 15 points. In the end I could lose maybe 28 points or gain as many as 65. That assumes I stay put in 3PT% - which certainly isn't a guarantee by any means. So, my range is likely low 800's to 899 points. But look, I'm not expecting much as I think a lot of my guys (Brooks, Rose, Deng, etc) will be rested down the stretch as their teams are eliminated from playoff contention. As for next season, I really haven't gathered much cheap talent at all. I can choose from Aaron Brooks, Luol Deng, and Carl Landry as cheaper options or I can turn to all-round stud Josh Smith. To date, Josh has 281 combined steals + blocks. Who else can say that? Well, Dwight Howard has also posted 281 combined steals and blocks. I know you're curious as to who else puts up monster combined steals/block numbers.... well, Lebron has 197, Durant 174, Rondo 190, and D-Wade is at 215. A surprise in this mix - Andrew Bogut with 213 combined!!! Good on ya Aussie.
And then there is the Seoul team Phil is 10 days away from his 3rd title in 5 years and we are staring at another 5-6 emails about Tendex, role players, and the quality of Asian porn. Look, I get it, he knows his stuff. He does his homework. You may not like it, but the guy knows his JBL stats. You may not like his sarcasm or bluntness at times but the guy is passionate. You can't take that away from him. Plus, we have to remember that for a 4-5 week period in December and January we almost lost Philly Woo. He was that sick. He spent weeks in hospital and was unable to even look at his Fantasy team. I visited him at VGH and Benny and I had bought him the Bill Simmons book - Phil couldn't even hold it when I passed it to him. For what Phil went through, he deserves this win.
Now, with all that said, is there anyway he can't win this thing? He's currently at 893 points.
Chilliwack - 802 points. As I write this it's Benny sitting in 6th place. He's just 33 points from being in 2nd...that's how close it is. So where can Benny move up? 3PT% - well, he's 0.4% behind Arctic but I don't think the move is happening. ATO - Benny is 1st and it looks like he will stay put as Arctic is a ways behind. BLKS - this is where the Wack can gain 13 pts...he's just 2 blocks behind Golden and that would be a big +/- 13 points for these 2 teams. FG% - Benny has plummeted down the FG% standings and appears he's stuck with the points he has in this category. PTS - The Wack is only 40+ points ahead of Yuma. Can he hold him off? Can Benny make up the 100+ points he's behind Arctic? I don't think so, but we'll find out. That would obviously be a HUGE +20 if he could do it. STLS - only 8 steals behind French. A big 13 points on the line here. REBS - The Wack is stuck where they are, about 100 ahead and 100 behind the teams around him. No obvious movement coming. So, how many points can Benny gain this week? Benny could see 13-26 points for sure with the outside shot of 46 points if he can outscore the Arctic. It looks like 802 to 828 total points is most likely for this squad. Where will that finish? Unknown really, as it really is muddy waters at the top these days. As for keepers next season Benny is loaded with the likes of Marc Gasol, Andrea Bargnani, AK47, Mike Conley and/or maybe Antawn Jamison. No matter where he finishes, Benny will be a favorite in the 2010/11 rankings going into the draft.
Bangkok - currently in 5th with 806 points. Talk about peaking at the right time. Rick has made all the right moves this season and his team is finishing on a high. I'd just like to point out that about 2 weeks into the season I received a trade offer of Stephen Curry for Boris Diaw and I turned it down. Nice work Johnny. I had too much faith in Boris the Spider and look where it got me. Oh well. So, can Bangkok win this thing? Let's look. You really don't have to look any further than 3PT%. There are potential 52 points here for Bangkok if the team gets hot. The question is can he and will he? ATO - no room to move up but there is a possibility he could lose 13-26 points if Boston and Golden can catch him. It's very close here. BLKS - Rick is going nowhere here. FG% - Rick can gain or lose 13 points in this category. PTS - our 1st place scoring team is maxed out. STLS - another 26 points are possible here if he can pass Belgrade and Seoul. REBS - not going anywhere. So, if everything went perfectly, Bangkok could gain another 91 points. Will he? I don't think so as I think his 3PT% dreams will not be realized - but then again - I've been wrong many times before. So, in this perfect world Bangkok moves to 897. That could actually be enough to win it all (if Seoul drops in certain spots). So, I'll say it, Bangkok can still win the title. And this could be the pre-season 10/11 favorite with keepers likes Curry, Westbrook, Kaman, and Flynn. That would cost him just $53 bucks if those were his 4 keepers. Of course, he could also choose to protect Rudy Gay for his all around game. Oh the choices. No matter what happens here, Bangkok should be a contender, no, a favorite for the 2010/11 season.
Currently tied for 3rd (but technically 4th) are the French Lick Celtics with 820 points. French loses the tie-breaker to Juan 4 categories to 3 at the moment. However, with the way this season has gone I'm sure we'll see lots of movement in the last 10 days. Can French make a run? 3PT% - a possible 13 pts here but French has to get hot and Boston has to shoot bricks. Unlikely to move up I think. ATO - French is closing in on the Arctic squad and is just 0.011 behind. This would be a HUGE +13 for the French squad. BLKS - no more points here. FG% - a chance for +26 in this category if his boys hit the nets this week. PTS - 100 points behind Yuma. Not impossible, but not a sure thing. I'm thinking he doesn't catch them as the Celtics (the real ones) will be rested down the stretch I'm sure. STLS - already in 1st and only 8 steals ahead of the Wack. French needs to maintain his spot and not lose the points. REBS - stuck where he is. So, with some good play, French could gain 39-52 points. That would get him up to the 860-870 range. That could be right there too you know. French is really built to win right now and doesn't have any show-stopping keepers. He could protect guys like Millsap (with the hope Boozer leaves), Dalembert (with the hope his current coach is canned or he gets traded), Felton (with the hope he follows up his breakout year with another good season), or Paul Pierce (because he's the Truth).
In 3rd place right now are the Juan de Fuca Yo Mamas - also at 820 points. Can they make the big move? Let's see. 3PT% - a possible 26 points here if Anthony Morrow continues his torrid pace. Of course, there is a possibility to lose as much as 52 points here as the teams behind Juan start to bunch up. ATO - no more points coming here. BLKS - just 8 blocks behind Brussels he could gain 13 points here. FG% - a tight race here as Juan could either gain 13 points or possibly lose 26. A big category to watch over the last 10 days. I think at most they would drop 13 as the Arctic is now 0.2% behind. PTS - Juan is just 7 measly points ahead of the juggernaut we know as Woo. Will Woo catch him now that Bogut is out? Unknown. What I do know is that Woo made up a few hundred points on Juan over the last couple of weeks so I think the trend would be to say that Seoul will pass Juan and the Mamas will drop a crucial 20 points here. STLS - just 2 behind Yuma and yet just 2 ahead of Golden. Lots could happen here too. REBS - going nowhere. The simple math tells you that Juan could gain maybe 65 points. That would get him to 885 and be right in the mix. However, the unfortunate truth is that Juan could also lose as many as 98 points if everything went in the shitter. That would obviously drop him WAY down the standings. What will happen? Well Juan has to be the hardest to predict for sure. As for next season, Juan will likely bring back an experienced middle salary class including Zach Randolph, Monta Ellis, Gerald Wallace, and cheap sharpshooter Gallinari. Where will Juan finish? I have no idea.
Currently in 2nd place is my beloved/hated Golden Showers squad with 834 points. My cast of characters are barely holding on and it's been the stellar play of called-out stars Bosh and Nowitzki who have kept me afloat this week. Can Golden climb any higher or will they drop like Anthony's 2nd nut on his 17th birthday? 3PT% - the crowd is building behind the Showers. The only place to go is down. So, does that mean I play Delfino or sit him? Undecided. ATO - a possible 26 points here as I am 0.011 behind 2 squads (Boston and Bangkok). Will I do it? I say unlikely. BLKS - only 2 ahead of the Wack and I will be playing with 11 men this week as Maxiell is my only center (I lost Robin Lopez and Spencer Hawes to season ending injuries). My center spot was weak all season and I ended up losing 3 guys to injury (don't forget I was the proud owner of Shaq-Daddy). I may focus a bit more next season on drafting better up the middle. Anyways, I think I'm likely to lose the 13 points here, but you never know. FG% - a possible 13 points up or down here. PTS - going nowhere. STLS - just 3 steals away from +26 points. Can I catch Juan and/or Yuma? That would be a big 26 points. REBS - just 40+ rebounds ahead of Arctic. I really need to maintain my spot and hold onto those 15 points. In the end I could lose maybe 28 points or gain as many as 65. That assumes I stay put in 3PT% - which certainly isn't a guarantee by any means. So, my range is likely low 800's to 899 points. But look, I'm not expecting much as I think a lot of my guys (Brooks, Rose, Deng, etc) will be rested down the stretch as their teams are eliminated from playoff contention. As for next season, I really haven't gathered much cheap talent at all. I can choose from Aaron Brooks, Luol Deng, and Carl Landry as cheaper options or I can turn to all-round stud Josh Smith. To date, Josh has 281 combined steals + blocks. Who else can say that? Well, Dwight Howard has also posted 281 combined steals and blocks. I know you're curious as to who else puts up monster combined steals/block numbers.... well, Lebron has 197, Durant 174, Rondo 190, and D-Wade is at 215. A surprise in this mix - Andrew Bogut with 213 combined!!! Good on ya Aussie.
And then there is the Seoul team Phil is 10 days away from his 3rd title in 5 years and we are staring at another 5-6 emails about Tendex, role players, and the quality of Asian porn. Look, I get it, he knows his stuff. He does his homework. You may not like it, but the guy knows his JBL stats. You may not like his sarcasm or bluntness at times but the guy is passionate. You can't take that away from him. Plus, we have to remember that for a 4-5 week period in December and January we almost lost Philly Woo. He was that sick. He spent weeks in hospital and was unable to even look at his Fantasy team. I visited him at VGH and Benny and I had bought him the Bill Simmons book - Phil couldn't even hold it when I passed it to him. For what Phil went through, he deserves this win.
Now, with all that said, is there anyway he can't win this thing? He's currently at 893 points.
- 3PT% - he's 11th and can only move up. With some hot shooting he could actually gain 65 points.
- ATO - he could actually lose 13 points here. He's just 0.002 ahead of Yuma so it's possible. There is an outside chance that Seoul could move up if he had a wicked ATO week, but it's unlikely.
- BLKS - are you kidding me, he's 108 blocks ahead.
- FG% - currently at 47.8% he is just 0.2 ahead of Juan and Golden. There is a slight chance that he could lose 26 points, but I doubt it, not with the likes of Gasol, Lebron, and Nene shooting such high %'s.
- PTS - he's right on Juan's tail (7 points behind) and I firmly believe that Seoul will pass Juan and gain another 20 points here. It is possible though that guys like Lebron, Pau, Nene, Ray Allen and others will be rested down the stretch. That can be said about Juan's players as well though, so I'm going to say +20 for Seoul.
- STLS - unlikely to move up but there are 26 points to lose if Belgrade and Bangkok go hog-wild in the steals department. They are only 8 and 6 steals behind. So, it's possible that Woo loses a maximum of 26 points here.
- REBS - the best in the JBL and he's not going anywhere.
So, it's possible that Seoul could actually gain another 85 points if he scores well and shot lights out from downtown. It is also possible however that he could lose approximately 65 points. With a bad 10 days he could go from 893 down to 828. All eyes will be on the Brothers to see if he can repeat and win it all again. This would be his 4th title and would probably be the most satisfying considering what he endured personally this year.
Oh, just in case you thought the Seoul team would be starting from scratch, think again. He has Nene, Bogut, Mike Miller and stud-in-the-making Marcus Thornton as potential keepers. And if he really wanted to shake it up - he could keep that Lebron guy.
Our only hope to take Woo down is to make sure he's nice and "toasty" in Las Vegas. That's right, another reason to book your ticket now, I have it on good authority that Mr. Woo (and posse) will be making a Vegas appearance for the 20th JBL draft in October.
Alright boys, there you have it. I think I have pretty much told you who will win it and who will finish 2nd through 6th. Pretty easy isn't it? Not! We really couldn't ask for a better finish could we? We still have 6 teams with title aspirations. It's not locked up quite yet for the Seoul squad but it will take a really bad week from the Brothers and a really HOT week from someone else in order to change the top of the table. Who will win it? Who misses out on the money? Two very good Fantasy teams will miss out on the top 4. They miss out on the money and they miss out on that 4th keeper (remember, teams 5th to 8th can only protect 3 guys).
I was going to take a shot at predicting 1st to 6th but it really is a crap shoot. Maybe we can all have a go on the Live Scoreboard and see who can nail it? Best of luck guys. Thanks for another memorable season. 10 days to go. Cheers.
Week 24 - Preview - The Also Rans...
Well, we're on the eve of the final week of the JBL season. I think everyone is quite excited...well except for maybe 2 teams - Arctic and Yuma. Why would they not be excited? Because they are stuck in JBL no man's land.
ARCTIC sits at 726.5 points this fine Sunday morning and is only about 100 points out of being a contender. The problem is that Arctic just hasn't shown any signs (being in the 800's) lately that they can make a last period push. In 3PT% - he's unlikely to move anywhere. ATO - 2nd - unlikely to move up. For blocks, he's in a big positional battle with Belgrade and this category clearly means more to Belgrade than it does Arctic. Nevertheless, there are 6.5 more points for Arctic here possibly. FG% - he's close. He could move up maybe 26 points if Golden and Juan shoot it sucky over the last 10 days. PTS - well, things could get interesting as Arctic is only 75 points back of Seoul and Mr. Woo is now without Bogut and maybe Marion. Can Arctic catch him and gain a big 20 points? STLS - going nowhere. REBS - there are another 15pts available if Arctic can catch Golden. This is a huge category for Golden ands Arctic could play spoiler if he catches the Showers. So, how many points can Arctic gain? Well, if my math is right, that's about 77.5 points he could move up. That would take him up to 804 - which might be good enough for a money spot if he got there - but it certainly isn't enough to win it all. As for potential keepers for next season, Arctic has Kevin Love, Jamal Crawford, Steve Nash, and maybe Michael Beasley. I think the first 3 guys are more likely than the Beez though. The most anticipated thing from the Arctic is the season ending article which we all love!
YUMA has been in no-man's land forever. Since JBL draft night, where Pat sat sharing a computer terminal with Arctic (oh, that's why they both are middling teams), the Thurmans have been right in the middle (except for that horrendous start to the season). Can we not just rest this average season on the shoulders of Al Jefferson? This stud was supposed to be the cornerstone of the franchise and instead put up 17 and 9? Oh my. I'm thinking Pat will no re-invest in Big Al every again. Rather than try and figure out how many points Yuma can gain, let's look at where Yuma can play the spoiler role. Let's start in 3PT%. Yuma is in a cluster of 5 teams all within .6 of each other. How Yuma shoots from downtown this week really could swing the balance of some teams' fortunes. Yuma is also only .002 ahead of Seoul in ATO. This would be a HUGE extra 13 pts for the Brothers if he could pass the Thurmans. YUMA has a couple of categories with direct implications on the Chilliwack squad. Currently, Yuma is % points ahead of the Wack in FG% as they are both shooting 46.3. That would be a big 13 pts for Benny. The other category in question is PTS as Yuma is only 29 points behind Benny in scoring and that would be a HUGE 20 points lost for the Wack if Yuma heated up. How many steals Yuma gets this last 10 days also affects Golden and Juan as Yuma is only 7 steals ahead of both teams right now. And finally, Yuma is 40+ rebounds ahead of Brussels and Timbo really needs those 15 points to avoid 11th place. For 2010/11, Yuma has Charlie V and Ben Wallace as good keepers....haha, kidding. How about David Lee and Brendan Haywood. What about Stephen Jackson - or do his %'s scare him away? What about the scoring of Corey Maggette for $9 dollars - that seems like a bargain doesn't it? Anyways, Pat's role of spoiler is just beginning and I hope he has enjoyed his return season to the JBL and will be back for more next year - with a laptop that doesn't have a security feature on it!!!
Oh Idaho. How's 12th place sounding? Is there a chance you can escape? Let's check it out. Currently at 322 points you are about 50 points behind 11th place. If you want to make the climb it's all about 3PT%. There are 52 points alone in 3PT% if you can gain say 0.3% points this week. Not an easy task, but when looking at your other categories, it might be your best chance. In ATO you are 0.020 behind French Lick and that could have huge ramifications on the Celtics chance at a title. That being said, I don't think you'll close the gap. Blocks - you are done. FG% - you are just % points ahead of Belgrade and you really need those 13 pts. That being said, the Zombies really want those 13 points as well to try and secure Brussels into 11th place. Should be interesting to see how both teams shoot this week. In PTS - I think you are staying right where you are. STLS - going nowhere. Rebounds - you are done like dinner. So, best case is about +65 points if you shoot lights out from downtown and pass French in ATO. My prediction - not happening. But, as my past predictions have shown, I've been wrong many a times this season. Can guys like Jennings, Dudley, J-Rich, and Matt Barnes shoot about 40% from downtown over the next 10 days? I just don't see it happening. So, with a 12th place finish the rest of the JBL will be excited to see the likes of Brook Lopez and Brandon Jennings go back into the Vegas Draft. Brook has developed into an elite center and should go for top dollar in October. No keepers for you my young Idaho squad. It looks like your miraculous money finish in 08/09 was all a mirage.
BRUSSELS - currently in 11th with 371 points and just 24 points behind the Belgrade squad. This could be the biggest battle over the last 10 days as Brussels has Kevin Durant and Tyreke Evans on his team. An 11th place finish means he can only keep one of the super studs. What a decision he would have to make. So, it's imperative for Brussels to get into 10th and get that 2nd keeper spot. So where can Brussels gain some points? How about 3PT%? With an improvement of 0.4% he could catch 3 teams and gain 39 points. Too bad Brussels didn't have any FA dollars - he could have loaded up on 3PT marksmen. But no...the money is all gone. ATO - last place and unlikely to move up to catch Juan (but feel free to). BLKS - currently 2nd place and needs to hold off Juan de Fuca. Juan loaded up with 2 more big men (Ibaka and Thabeet) in attempts to wrestle these 13 pts away from Brussels. For Timmy's sake (and mine), I hope Brussels can hold them off. FG% - done. PTS - going nowhere. STLS - unlikely to move up - unless they out-steal Juan and/or Golden by 30 steals over the next 10 days (anything is possible I guess - but I would call this one unlikely). REBS - just 40 rebounds behind Yuma this would be a HUGE, MONSTROUS, and amazing 15 points for the Muscles squad. Can he do it? Maybe, just maybe. This team has already started preparing for 2010/11 Vegas and he is hoping he will be starting his squad with Durant and Evans. Oh my, what a combo that would be . Will 10/11 be the year that the Brussels squad pops his JBL cherry?? He's currently seeking back to back titles in the baseball pool - but come on, that's baseball and no one really cares about that title. We're talking about the JBL. A league with 19 years of history and a JBL title would legitimize all other Fantasy titles. Timbo, with a combo of KD and Evans, you would be one of the favorites for the 2010/11 title. Good luck over the last 10 days. I will be watching.
BELGRADE - our rookie owner has gone through many ups and downs this season (well, mostly downs). Now, that being said, he is in the fight of his life with the guy who introduced him to the JBL. Would anything be more satisfying than beating out your sponsor into the league? It would be like chasing the hot chick at the bar and going up against your better looking buddy who is hung like a donkey and is known by everyone in the joint. If you were able to land that chick over him - you would gain instant credibility and have "status". Sure, Belgrade is staring at a 10th (maybe 9th with luck) place finish - but he really wants to say, "I beat you Timmy". So, can you Belgrade hold off the Muscles? Well, he'll have to do it without 3PT% help because the Zombie squad has chucked bricks all season (thanks to Baron de Beouf). ATO - not moving here. Blocks - another 6.5 points available if he can out-block Arctic over the next 10 days. FG% - another 13 pts available here if he can out-shoot Idaho. A very real possibility. PTS - just 50 points ahead of Idaho he needs to hold this position as losing 20 points here would REALLY hurt his 10th place finish chances. STLS - big category here as the Zombies could gain or lose 13 points. REBS - unlikely he's moving anywhere here...So, can he do it? Can he hold off his sponsor? Can he take down the man who introduced him to the JBL? He's paid his money and he is well liked amongst JBL owners - so he will be back. Can he improve on his 09/10 finish? Did he learn the ropes? Will he trash talk the league again only he kicked squarely in the nuts by the savvy veteran JBL owners. A collective nut shot does not feel nice - Tuna knows - he takes one every year it seems - and he keeps coming back. Oh, keepers, who will Belgrade bring back? How about Beno Udrih for $6 bucks? What about Ilyasova (if he was a starter)? What about James Harden - will he be starting next season? What about the big boys - Carmelo and Boozer? Are they under-valued? Some interesting choices for sure.
BOSTON - Trev has sort of been in the basement no-mans land for the last couple of weeks. He's been in the bottom 4 but he's not really associated to the others. The first thing Trev needs to do next season is change his team name. We did a podcast last October putting forward numerous team name options for Trev and not one was acceptable apparently. The Pancakes are over...they need a change. Maybe his April 28th wedding in Maui will inspire him? As for the Pancakes squad...it looks like 9th place is the final resting place - but they will need to play well to ensure this top 10 finish. The Pancakes are #1 in downtown marksmanship - although I think that French would like to see them slip. I think Trev finishes 1st in this category. ATO - this is where it gets interesting...as the Pancakes are just .003 ahead of the Showers and they are also only 0.005 behind the Fighters. This category has serious implications on two of the top teams. We'll see how the 'Cakes pass the ball over the last 10 days. BLKS - our 12th place shot blocking team will finish 12th. FG% - just 0.2% ahead of French - can he hold the spot down? PTS - unlikely to catch Brussels. STLS - just 20 steals behind Arctic - can it be done? Maybe...but it really doesn't matter does it? REBS - going nowhere. So, who does Trev bring back for 10/11? Not a lot in the cupboard really...how about Varejao? Maybe the Cavs don't bring Shaq or Big Z back and he becomes the starter? What about Tayshaun Prince? What about Channing Frye? Sure, there aren't many super stud keepers here, but I think Trev could find a couple. Maybe he becomes enlightened in Maui and finds his 2007 form where he finished 2nd in the JBL. Good luck ole buddy and congrats again on your upcoming wedding!!
So, that's leaves us with 6 teams for 4 money spots and 1 JBL title. Who has the firepower to win it all? Can anyone catch Seoul? Will the injury to Bogut affect the Brothers at all? Who is on shut-down alert that would severely hamper their teams' chances? These are the things that I will discuss in my next posting....stay tuned.
ARCTIC sits at 726.5 points this fine Sunday morning and is only about 100 points out of being a contender. The problem is that Arctic just hasn't shown any signs (being in the 800's) lately that they can make a last period push. In 3PT% - he's unlikely to move anywhere. ATO - 2nd - unlikely to move up. For blocks, he's in a big positional battle with Belgrade and this category clearly means more to Belgrade than it does Arctic. Nevertheless, there are 6.5 more points for Arctic here possibly. FG% - he's close. He could move up maybe 26 points if Golden and Juan shoot it sucky over the last 10 days. PTS - well, things could get interesting as Arctic is only 75 points back of Seoul and Mr. Woo is now without Bogut and maybe Marion. Can Arctic catch him and gain a big 20 points? STLS - going nowhere. REBS - there are another 15pts available if Arctic can catch Golden. This is a huge category for Golden ands Arctic could play spoiler if he catches the Showers. So, how many points can Arctic gain? Well, if my math is right, that's about 77.5 points he could move up. That would take him up to 804 - which might be good enough for a money spot if he got there - but it certainly isn't enough to win it all. As for potential keepers for next season, Arctic has Kevin Love, Jamal Crawford, Steve Nash, and maybe Michael Beasley. I think the first 3 guys are more likely than the Beez though. The most anticipated thing from the Arctic is the season ending article which we all love!
YUMA has been in no-man's land forever. Since JBL draft night, where Pat sat sharing a computer terminal with Arctic (oh, that's why they both are middling teams), the Thurmans have been right in the middle (except for that horrendous start to the season). Can we not just rest this average season on the shoulders of Al Jefferson? This stud was supposed to be the cornerstone of the franchise and instead put up 17 and 9? Oh my. I'm thinking Pat will no re-invest in Big Al every again. Rather than try and figure out how many points Yuma can gain, let's look at where Yuma can play the spoiler role. Let's start in 3PT%. Yuma is in a cluster of 5 teams all within .6 of each other. How Yuma shoots from downtown this week really could swing the balance of some teams' fortunes. Yuma is also only .002 ahead of Seoul in ATO. This would be a HUGE extra 13 pts for the Brothers if he could pass the Thurmans. YUMA has a couple of categories with direct implications on the Chilliwack squad. Currently, Yuma is % points ahead of the Wack in FG% as they are both shooting 46.3. That would be a big 13 pts for Benny. The other category in question is PTS as Yuma is only 29 points behind Benny in scoring and that would be a HUGE 20 points lost for the Wack if Yuma heated up. How many steals Yuma gets this last 10 days also affects Golden and Juan as Yuma is only 7 steals ahead of both teams right now. And finally, Yuma is 40+ rebounds ahead of Brussels and Timbo really needs those 15 points to avoid 11th place. For 2010/11, Yuma has Charlie V and Ben Wallace as good keepers....haha, kidding. How about David Lee and Brendan Haywood. What about Stephen Jackson - or do his %'s scare him away? What about the scoring of Corey Maggette for $9 dollars - that seems like a bargain doesn't it? Anyways, Pat's role of spoiler is just beginning and I hope he has enjoyed his return season to the JBL and will be back for more next year - with a laptop that doesn't have a security feature on it!!!
Oh Idaho. How's 12th place sounding? Is there a chance you can escape? Let's check it out. Currently at 322 points you are about 50 points behind 11th place. If you want to make the climb it's all about 3PT%. There are 52 points alone in 3PT% if you can gain say 0.3% points this week. Not an easy task, but when looking at your other categories, it might be your best chance. In ATO you are 0.020 behind French Lick and that could have huge ramifications on the Celtics chance at a title. That being said, I don't think you'll close the gap. Blocks - you are done. FG% - you are just % points ahead of Belgrade and you really need those 13 pts. That being said, the Zombies really want those 13 points as well to try and secure Brussels into 11th place. Should be interesting to see how both teams shoot this week. In PTS - I think you are staying right where you are. STLS - going nowhere. Rebounds - you are done like dinner. So, best case is about +65 points if you shoot lights out from downtown and pass French in ATO. My prediction - not happening. But, as my past predictions have shown, I've been wrong many a times this season. Can guys like Jennings, Dudley, J-Rich, and Matt Barnes shoot about 40% from downtown over the next 10 days? I just don't see it happening. So, with a 12th place finish the rest of the JBL will be excited to see the likes of Brook Lopez and Brandon Jennings go back into the Vegas Draft. Brook has developed into an elite center and should go for top dollar in October. No keepers for you my young Idaho squad. It looks like your miraculous money finish in 08/09 was all a mirage.
BRUSSELS - currently in 11th with 371 points and just 24 points behind the Belgrade squad. This could be the biggest battle over the last 10 days as Brussels has Kevin Durant and Tyreke Evans on his team. An 11th place finish means he can only keep one of the super studs. What a decision he would have to make. So, it's imperative for Brussels to get into 10th and get that 2nd keeper spot. So where can Brussels gain some points? How about 3PT%? With an improvement of 0.4% he could catch 3 teams and gain 39 points. Too bad Brussels didn't have any FA dollars - he could have loaded up on 3PT marksmen. But no...the money is all gone. ATO - last place and unlikely to move up to catch Juan (but feel free to). BLKS - currently 2nd place and needs to hold off Juan de Fuca. Juan loaded up with 2 more big men (Ibaka and Thabeet) in attempts to wrestle these 13 pts away from Brussels. For Timmy's sake (and mine), I hope Brussels can hold them off. FG% - done. PTS - going nowhere. STLS - unlikely to move up - unless they out-steal Juan and/or Golden by 30 steals over the next 10 days (anything is possible I guess - but I would call this one unlikely). REBS - just 40 rebounds behind Yuma this would be a HUGE, MONSTROUS, and amazing 15 points for the Muscles squad. Can he do it? Maybe, just maybe. This team has already started preparing for 2010/11 Vegas and he is hoping he will be starting his squad with Durant and Evans. Oh my, what a combo that would be . Will 10/11 be the year that the Brussels squad pops his JBL cherry?? He's currently seeking back to back titles in the baseball pool - but come on, that's baseball and no one really cares about that title. We're talking about the JBL. A league with 19 years of history and a JBL title would legitimize all other Fantasy titles. Timbo, with a combo of KD and Evans, you would be one of the favorites for the 2010/11 title. Good luck over the last 10 days. I will be watching.
BELGRADE - our rookie owner has gone through many ups and downs this season (well, mostly downs). Now, that being said, he is in the fight of his life with the guy who introduced him to the JBL. Would anything be more satisfying than beating out your sponsor into the league? It would be like chasing the hot chick at the bar and going up against your better looking buddy who is hung like a donkey and is known by everyone in the joint. If you were able to land that chick over him - you would gain instant credibility and have "status". Sure, Belgrade is staring at a 10th (maybe 9th with luck) place finish - but he really wants to say, "I beat you Timmy". So, can you Belgrade hold off the Muscles? Well, he'll have to do it without 3PT% help because the Zombie squad has chucked bricks all season (thanks to Baron de Beouf). ATO - not moving here. Blocks - another 6.5 points available if he can out-block Arctic over the next 10 days. FG% - another 13 pts available here if he can out-shoot Idaho. A very real possibility. PTS - just 50 points ahead of Idaho he needs to hold this position as losing 20 points here would REALLY hurt his 10th place finish chances. STLS - big category here as the Zombies could gain or lose 13 points. REBS - unlikely he's moving anywhere here...So, can he do it? Can he hold off his sponsor? Can he take down the man who introduced him to the JBL? He's paid his money and he is well liked amongst JBL owners - so he will be back. Can he improve on his 09/10 finish? Did he learn the ropes? Will he trash talk the league again only he kicked squarely in the nuts by the savvy veteran JBL owners. A collective nut shot does not feel nice - Tuna knows - he takes one every year it seems - and he keeps coming back. Oh, keepers, who will Belgrade bring back? How about Beno Udrih for $6 bucks? What about Ilyasova (if he was a starter)? What about James Harden - will he be starting next season? What about the big boys - Carmelo and Boozer? Are they under-valued? Some interesting choices for sure.
BOSTON - Trev has sort of been in the basement no-mans land for the last couple of weeks. He's been in the bottom 4 but he's not really associated to the others. The first thing Trev needs to do next season is change his team name. We did a podcast last October putting forward numerous team name options for Trev and not one was acceptable apparently. The Pancakes are over...they need a change. Maybe his April 28th wedding in Maui will inspire him? As for the Pancakes squad...it looks like 9th place is the final resting place - but they will need to play well to ensure this top 10 finish. The Pancakes are #1 in downtown marksmanship - although I think that French would like to see them slip. I think Trev finishes 1st in this category. ATO - this is where it gets interesting...as the Pancakes are just .003 ahead of the Showers and they are also only 0.005 behind the Fighters. This category has serious implications on two of the top teams. We'll see how the 'Cakes pass the ball over the last 10 days. BLKS - our 12th place shot blocking team will finish 12th. FG% - just 0.2% ahead of French - can he hold the spot down? PTS - unlikely to catch Brussels. STLS - just 20 steals behind Arctic - can it be done? Maybe...but it really doesn't matter does it? REBS - going nowhere. So, who does Trev bring back for 10/11? Not a lot in the cupboard really...how about Varejao? Maybe the Cavs don't bring Shaq or Big Z back and he becomes the starter? What about Tayshaun Prince? What about Channing Frye? Sure, there aren't many super stud keepers here, but I think Trev could find a couple. Maybe he becomes enlightened in Maui and finds his 2007 form where he finished 2nd in the JBL. Good luck ole buddy and congrats again on your upcoming wedding!!
So, that's leaves us with 6 teams for 4 money spots and 1 JBL title. Who has the firepower to win it all? Can anyone catch Seoul? Will the injury to Bogut affect the Brothers at all? Who is on shut-down alert that would severely hamper their teams' chances? These are the things that I will discuss in my next posting....stay tuned.
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