No, I'm not talking about Bangkok's special start to the JBL's season. No, I'm not talking about Idaho being a contender. No, I'm not talking about Seoul's quest to a become back-to-back-to-back champion. I'm talking about Serge Ibaka becoming a Fantasy stud.
Now, sure, I may be jumping the gun a bit here. But let me tell you, when you're in 13th place and your team sucks - you have to get excited about something.
Tonight, albeit in the absence of Jeff Green, Mr. Ibaka posted 22pts, 11rebs, and 4 blocks. For the season, prior to tonight, he was averaging 11ppg, 8reb, and over 2 blocks per game. Let's remember that he is just 21 years old and in his 2nd season in the NBA.
I actually blogged about his coming out party last April when the Thunder scared the Lakers in the 1st round of the Playoffs. One game, Ibaka rejected 7 shots and looked very impressive against the Laker big men.
Can Ibaka keep it up all season? Who knows. But at just $4 dollars he could be a prize keeper for next season. And if Golden continues to stay near the bottom of the pool, Ibaka actually becomes more valuable than the other players who actually put up bigger numbers. Is Ibaka better than LaMarcus Aldridge? No, but he's better value. Is he better than Luol Deng? No, but he's better value.
So, as I have mentioned, pretty much the entire Golden squad could be had via trade except for those 4 players who appear to be undervalued looking at next season.
Roddy Beaubois $1
Nicolas Batum $1
Serge Ibaka $4
Carlos Boozer $30
If the 2011 draft was to be held tomorrow, all of these players (with the exception of Beaubois and Boozer because they hasn't played) would likely go for more than their current salary. So, at this point, there is absolutely no reason for me to trade them. None.
Do I want to improve in the standings? Absolutely, but I need to find a way to do that while keeping the 4 players mentioned above. Those 4 guys have to be a part of the rebuilding project for this season. Because of the brilliant staggered keeper system in place in the JBL I need to climb as high as possible in the standings in order to maximize the number of players I can protect. I admit that things don't look that rosy in Golden these days but I have to do all I can to climb the standings if only for the benefit of keepers for next season.
Again, genius keeper system to keep me motivated to improve - regardless of how bleak the current situation seems. There are currently 7 teams below 600 points so those teams have to be my target for now. A 7th place finish would get me 3 keepers - which isn't too shabby at all. Baby steps first. Let's see what this Golden team can do when everyone is healthy and then decide what drastic moves need to be made.
I've become a big Ibaka fan over 2010 - starting with the playoffs and into the first 10 games of the 2010/11 season. And could you imagine if the Thunder were still in Seattle? Oh man, that would be sooooo cool to watch this young team with Kevin Durant. Curse you Clay Bennett, curse you!
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