Pershick Christmas Summit

Well, it took awhile on Boxing Day, but a deal finally went down. I'm talking about the Pershick Christmas dinner. Idaho, Brussels, and Arctic all gathered together to share the Christmas spirit, some light beverages, and of course to try and wangle a few JBL trades. Well, late into the night, the CBS alert wire brought be news of an Idaho and Brussels trade.

Idaho gets Monta Ellis and Brussels gets Chris Bosh and Nick Young.

So Johnny, who got the better of the deal? I ask this of myself because everyone always wants to know what I think. Is that because of the 7 JBL crowns? Is it because they just want someone else's opinion of their deal? Or is it because I have a blog and could very well write about the trade? Maybe it's a combination of all of them.

OK, I'll break it down. First, I have to look at Idaho's roster to see who else is going to be playing this week in his lineup so we can compare apples to apples. This is ultimately a 2 for 2 trade. So, who is that 2nd player. It appears to be the recently signed Mickael Pietrus. So, lets see how it affects both teams...

Brussels - Timbo got the size he wanted by acquiring Bosh. He also acquired an adequate scorer in Nick Young. Of course, Young's increased production has come while John Wall has been out of the lineup. From Brussels' perspective, I do like this deal. Yes, he loses a lot of steals and a little bit in ATO. However, I see him gaining in most of the other categories.

I'm not sold on Nick Young from a fantasy perspective. Yes, he can score. And he actually shoots a decent FG% and 3PT%. However, I'm not a fan of the rest of his game. How does a Guard have a negative ATO? I don't get that. He also does contribute in steals or blocks and of course he's a weak rebounder. However, anytime you can acquire a 14ppg guy (for now), you do it.

Tim is really challenging himself this season in the JBL. He loves the challenge I sense. Take last week for example, he played with just 10 guys. Now, most of us in the JBL like to go with 12 man active rosters. Not Timmy. He went with 10 by electing to play Terrence Williams and the injured Gerald Wallace. Now, in fairness to Tim, his bench was filled with other guys he's holding out hope can gain (or re-gain) fantasy relevance. He's got Splitter, Troy Murphy and the Birdman all waiting in the wings. Well, none of these guys are good enough right now to help his squad. And in fact, that's why he played G-Wall last week. Because even 1 game from 'Crash' is better than a week's worth of those guys.

Tim is suffering from what I call "keeper-itis" or "don't-want-to-move-on-itis". We all have it. We never want to see a player have success if we drop them. Tim has it with Murphy, Splitter, Terrance Williams, etc. I have it with Roddy Beaubois. Yuma has it with Kelenna Azubuike. We all have those players that we don't want to let go for fear they turn out to be great on someone else's fantasy team. And in most cases, JBL teams stash these players on their injured list. However, most JBL teams have just one of these players. Brussels appears to have several and they are taking up bench spots.

Tim is caught in between "can I still challenge for a money spot" and "I want to have good keepers". It's a difficult place for anyone to be in. My 2 cents - no point in having multiple potential keepers when you're only going to be able to keep 1-2 guys. Enough about Brussels.

Idaho acquired Monta Ellis. Superstud scorer and Mr. Steals himself. I love his fantasy game. I was lucky enough to watch him in Chicago last season when the JBL roadtrip rolled through the Windy City. Why is Monta so great in Fantasy? Because he's a ball hog. Now, don't get me wrong, that's absolute great in terms of Fantasy!

Idaho gets a big time scorer and stealer and also improves slightly in ATO. However, he has lost a lot of rebounds by giving away Bosh. According to a reputable Fantasy basketball analysis website, this trade costs Idaho big time in the rebounds category. And as we all know, rebounds are very tight. Can Idaho keep his current 5th place standing in rebounds? We'll see. Idaho will need K-Mart to help in this category asap.

And what kind of fantasy impact will Mickael Pietrus have?? He had a great game the other night but isn't PHX loaded with guys just like him? Jared Dudley. Grant Hill. Josh Childress. Hakim Warrick. They're all very similar in my books. However, Pietrus does have the advantage, along with Grant Hill, because they play defense.

Pietrus could struggle to find consistent minutes in PHX and his all around fantasy game isn't that impressive. He's another guy who struggles to have a positive ATO. And he certainly isn't a great rebounder. He's a real wild card in the deal and his play (and K-Mart's) will have a big influence on how Idaho did in this trade.

So who won the trade?? Too soon to tell. Starting week 10 Idaho has 906 points and Brussels has 423. Let's see how many points they have in 3-4 weeks. And then we can crown the winner...

So this appears to be the only Pershick-summit trade that went down. I wonder if Arctic was ever in the mix?? Did he have anything brewing? From the sounds of things, Arctic is quite pleased with his Arctic juggernaut at the moment. Crikker is in the ultimate position because he will only do a deal if he wins the trade hands-down. The rest of us have to make 'speculative' trades where we have to risk that a player is going to improve in the coming weeks/months. We should all be jealous of the position the Arctic is currently in.

Anyways, that's all for this morning...

Christmas!

Well, it's 10:24pm and I am waiting for Ryan to fall asleep. Not the easiest task for a 7 year old at Christmas. He's anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival. He can't wait. He' so excited. I love this time of year.

So, what would the JBL teams want for Christmas? Let's have a look...and we'll start at #13 and work our way up...

#13 - Maui Ribs. Trev could use some health for starters. He's been ravaged by injuries this season. Unfortunately, those injuries have killed his 'average' players. There are no superstars on this team and that has hurt Trevor all season long. He can block (4th) but everything else he's in 12th or 13th place. What Trevor needs for Christmas is a stud keeper for next season and then the ability to climb into 12th place so he can keep said stud keeper. Maybe Trevor can leverage Granger or Bogut into someone magical for next season?

#12 - Belgrade Zombies. Marko needs his role players to emerge and become blossoming stars. He needs the DJ Augustin, Carl Landry, DeMar DeRozan, and Linas Kleiza types to become better than what they currently are. He needs Lopez to rebound like a big man - not like a small forward. He needs Carmelo and Odom to continue their all-star like play. And he really needs a time machine to go back and re-think trading Chris Bosh for Devin Harris.

#11 - Brussels Muscles. Here's another team that needs some health. Timmy needs John Wall and Gerald Wallace to get healthy, get on the court, and perform like the potential superstars they are. Brussels also needs time. He has some big names (Zach, Monta, Wall, Wallace) but he is going to need more from those so-called role players (Flynn, Ilyasova, and Terrance Williams). And most of all, Timbo needs Troy Murphy out of New Jersey and back into Fantasy relevance asap.

#10 - Juan de Fuca Yo Mamas. The 3-headed Ontario monster team needs Mr. Bargnani back soon. This team is loaded with 'name' players but needs to stay healthy as he's lost man games to Bargs, Johnson, Barbosa, and Gooden. Juan is 11th in 4 categories, one of which is Scoring, and I think they should be better than that with the players on this squad. I am thinking Juan needs some patience to see what this team can do when healthy. But if it's not working, he has the ultimate keeper chip to play with Kevin Durant. He should be able to parlay KD into any keeper he wants.

#9 - Golden Showers. My team is slowly climbing in points but still has a long way to go. Golden needs 2 players to become Fantasy factors in 2011. Tyrus Thomas and Roddy Beaubois. Both have oodles of talent and just need to be set free. The coaching change in Charlotte could be a dream come true for Tyrus and Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki still rave about Roddy Buckets and can't wait to get him on the court. So, that's what Golden wants for Christmas - for those 2 guys to become Fantasy must-start players.

#8 - Manhattan Beach Ballers. Bobby Hucul needs a 4th stud to emerge from his team of balance. He has Amare, Pau, and Manu leading the way. But he needs someone else to elevate their game. Can that guy be Baron Davis if he leaves LA? Can Josh Howard be a fantasy factor again? The other thing Santa should bring Bob is a permission slip. Santa should let Bob know it's OK to trade and shake things up. Answer me this readers of the Chronicles - have you been offered a trade from MBB? Have you? Cause I would love to know if Bob has thrown something out there. I mean, come on, MBB has enough blocks...he should be moving Darko for some other categories...shouldn't he? This team is 13th in ATO and should look to acquire someone to assist him there (get it?).

#7 - Yuma Thurmans. Chubby needs to get out of mediocre-ville. Yuma spent a lot of time there last season. You remember, he was 8th for 20 of 24 weeks (or something like that). Well, this season appears to be shaping up to be quite similar. Pat is lacking in blocks and rebounds right now and that equates to the need for a big man (something many JBL teams could use). Hey, wait a second, Yuma is 2nd in ATO and is lacking REBS and BLKS? MBB is strong in BLKS and is lacking in ATO? Shouldn't a Darko for Mike Conley deal be discussed? Anyways, Pat is not afraid to trade and will likely be looking to make a move to improve the squad in 2011.

#6 - Chilliwack Offs. Benny is nicely positioned in the top 6. Or the elite status teams as I like to call them. Losing Joakim Noah for 10 weeks hurts but Benny is still loaded with talent to compete. Benny's weakest category is 3PT% and he could really use a Reggie Miller or Glen Rice type right now. The Wack is the #1 scoring team in the NBA these days and it will be difficult to pry top scorers away from the Offs. However, if you look at a team like Juan (11th in scoring and 4th in 3PT%) maybe there's a way for those two teams to hook up on some sort of deal. Just saying. Benny is no stranger to tweaking himself or his JBL team and I expect this team to be in the running come April.

#5 - Idaho Udapimps. The youngster has assembled a solid, well-balanced team led by Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, and Chris Bosh. Tuna has been blessed with good health through the first 8 weeks but is starting to feel the effects of the long NBA season as he lost Brandon Jennings for 4-6 weeks. He traded for the hurting and struggling Tyreke Evans and he also brought in Mr. No Meniscus Brandon Roy. Tuna is certainly hoping for a magic elixir in Santa's bag to keep his team healthy because his roster from 10 to 12 isn't that pretty (Dragic, Sessions, Ben Gordon).

#4 - Seoul Brothers. Philly Woo is still hoping for those platform sneakers that Santa promised him in 1994. It's not happening, move on. Philly Woo is cursing the trade that took J-Rich from PHX to ORL. Damn you NBA trades! The Brothers are a very good team and their only real weakness right now is ATO. However, his team has been OK in this category lately. As usual, Woo is waiting in the wings and his teams traditionally go on late season runs. Woo is looking for the 3-peat and still has some tricks up his sleeve. Look out Santa, I mean JBL, the Brothers are coming.

#3 - French Lick Celtics. French should want 1 thing for Christmas - a shot blocker. He is 20 blocks away from gaining 52 points and going over the 1000 point plateau. Just 20 blocks. That's all. In fact, if you look at the other categories, French is very close to going over 1000 points and it could happen in the next 4-5 days in fact. He's close in ATO. He's close in FG%. He's close in steals. He should gain more in PTS. Yup, this is another 1000 point JBL team in a heartbeat. Now, if he adds that shot-blocker - look out JBL. Look out.

#2 - Bangkok Fighters. The crown jewel of the JBL thus far this season. He's spent the majority of the year in 1st place and at the moment trades places with Arctic for 1st place on a nightly basis. This team is strong but does need to get healthy again. He's missing Biedrins and Kaman right now and that's a lot of rebounds out of the lineup. He's also missed Stephen Curry for the better part of almost 3 weeks now. He has been able to maintain a strong position in the standings despite the injuries because of the great depth he has and the strong seasons he's getting from unexpected sources (Brand and Dorell Wright). I think Rick is asking Santa for some health pills and some consistency in 2011. He has the horses. We'll see what happens.

#1 - Arctic Circle Jerks. 2010 has been a magical season for Crikker. He won the baseball pool on the last day and he has assembled an absolute JBL juggernaut that is fighting for the ultimate Fantasy prize. His big man combo of Love, Griffin, Horford, Camby, and Beasley is stuff that GM's dream of. And think about this - he has 1061 points as I type this and he's 10th in blocks. 10th I say!! With a mere 25 more blocks the Arctic squad would be at 1227 points!! So, how would Arctic get those blocks without sacrificing much else?? I've long thought that the perfect trade for Arctic would be Kevin Love for Dwight Howard. I have no idea if Tuna would be interested in something like this but this would a killer trade for Arctic in my mind. What does Chris want from Santa. He wants 2011 to be just like 2010 - because 2010 was working out just fine.

A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

John

Early Christmas Gift...

Well, when Timbo woke up this morning he must of thought it was the 25th already...
You see, he received an early Christmas gift when he landed Monta Ellis AND Andrew Bynum for Brook Lopez and DJ Augustin.

Which one of those players is #5 in the NBA in scoring? Answer: Monta Ellis.
Which of those players has the most steals? Answer: Monta Ellis.
Which one of those players is the best rebounder? Answer: Andrew Bynum (assuming he stays healthy).
Which player has the best FG%? Answer: Monta Ellis. No, its not Lopez. It's Monta.
Who is the best shot blocker? Answer: ??? Right now it's Lopez with 41 blocks. However, we know that Bynum can block shots. Last year he did it at 1.4/game. Lopez is at 1.5/game this year. So, they can both block shots.

I could listen to an argument that Lopez is the best rebounder but the stats do not indicate that's the case. Lopez is averaging 6.3 rebounds this season!! For comparison sake, Luol Deng is averaging 6.3 rebounds. Andre Iguodala is averaging 6.3 rebounds. So, these 2 small forwards are rebounding at the same level as this big center!!

No matter how I slice this deal, I keep coming back to the conclusion that the Brussels won this trade hands down. I'm struggling to figure out what Belgrade is getting from the deal...
Now again, when I look at this trade, I am assuming that Bynum is going to play the rest of the season. If he gets injured and misses time then this deal will be a bit different...

I know why Brussels made this trade. He was looking for scoring and rebounds and he got both!

From Belgrade's perspective, I'm not sure what the motivation was...
Lopez is a good center (19 & 6 and blocks) and DJ Augustin is a good PG. But he traded away Monta Ellis who is the best scorer of the 4 players.
Monta has 61 steals this season. Lopez and Augustin have a combined 34 steals.
I don't think Lopez or Augustin are great keepers at their current price either.
So, I am confused. I don't get it. Help me understand...

And Merry Christmas Brussels...you got the early Christmas gift.
And Merry Christmas Maui - I think you got one as well as you have a real shot of getting out of the basement now as I think Belgrade will be sliding.
Next up for the JBL, after seeing this trade, will be the pursuit of Carmelo and Lamar Odom from the Belgrade roster.

Now, having said my 2 cents, Andrew Bynum could go down again with injury and the dynamics of this deal will change. And maybe I'm wrong about how lopsided this deal but I guess only time will tell. When this deal went down it was one day away from the end of week 8. Brussels had 440 points and Belgrade had 355 points. Let's see where they are 4 weeks from now.

Week 8 is Great...

It's Saturday morning, 8am. Jayne and Ryan are still sleeping. I am up watching soccer in HD. It's one week to Christmas. The busiest 4 week stretch of my 14 year career at ICBC is over. And the JBL is as competitve as ever. Life is good.

Week 8 has been an interesting one as we've seen a couple of significant injuries to key players. Namely Joakim Noah, Rajon Rondo, and Yao Ming. Yes, Yao hasn't been a factor this season but I think French's next move regarding the big fella is pretty easy at this point. Yao is done in the NBA in my opinion.

I already discussed Benny's loss of Noah. He has put Lebron on the block. I would imagine this is the classic - "I'll trade one of my grade A players for two of your grade B players". We'll see if he can get it done.

And it appears that Arctic has lost Rondo for a couple of weeks as well. Arctic did the right thing last night and signed Nate Robinson. When you lose a stud player - you have to get his back-up. Smart move by Crikker.

Idaho pulled off another good move on the FA wire last night. He signed Ben Gordon. Sure, BG is not one of my favorite players, but with Idaho losing Brandon Roy for a week it's not a bad idea to sign a player who is clearly underachieving on a very bad team. Idaho now has to hope that BG wakes up from his coma. Of course, Idaho could have signed Rudy Fernandez as it appears Rudy could benefit from the absence of Roy and now Batum.

I also like Bangkok's signing of JJ Hickson. Here's another player with significant upside who is just sucking the bone right now. However, long term, do we think that Antawn Jamison is simply going to play out the year in Cleveland? Won't the Cavs trade him for youngsters at some point? Which means Hickson should be fantasy relevant again down the road. Rick is hoping sooner rather than later I'm sure.

So if Hickson is going to be good again - why did Golden drop him. Well, a couple of reasons. I needed steals desperately (Thabo and Brewer) and I may have discovered a gem in Spencer Hawes. He has been a real find for my squad this week. I know he's not going to average 13ppg, 8reb, and 2blks a game for the rest of the season - but it certainly appears that he can be a serviceable center moving forward. So, with Hawes emerging, Hickson was the odd man out. I don't have time to wait for him to fantasy relevant again. I need to put players out there now that can play and hopefully improve my place in the standings. Also, Hickson is $17 bucks so he's not worth keeping.

Talk about a big surprise player in week 8. Let's discuss Kyle Lowry. Oh my. What a week. And for that matter, what a stretch he's had since Aaron Brooks has been out. When Brussels traded Tyreke Evans for Iggy and Lowry - who knew that Lowry was the best player in the deal?? What a great deal for Brussels.

What will Houston do when Brooks comes back? Can the two co-exist? Will Houston want to move Brooks or Lowry? I say Brooks because it seems clear to me that Houston is better with Lowry at the helm. I also think the trade market for Aaron Brooks would be very good as well. Teams like Sacramento and Charlotte could certainly use a PG with 20ppg potential. And what about Portland?? With Roy out - and Andre Miller apparently "slow" - wouldn't a homecoming of the Oregon product make sense? Anyways, Brooks is one of the players I expect to be moved in the coming weeks.

Plenty of rumors surrounding Gilbert Arenas and the Magic. Really? Acquiring Gilbert makes the Magic a contender with the Celtics and Heat? Really? I'm not buying it. We'll see if this deal goes down.

And Charlotte is apparently shopping S-Jax and Gerald Wallace. Will they move one of them? I think the answer could be yes considering last season Charlotte was a playoff team (albeit a bad one) and now they are struggling mightily at 9-17. With MJ and Larry Brown running the show, I can't see them standing pat and watching this team struggle all season. I really expect Charlotte to make a deal.

Well, that's it for me this morning. Ryan is up. Coffee is brewing. Today will be a great day.

Big Injury = Big Free Agent $$

Well, we've had a significant injury and a big night of free agent spending.Last night, Chilliwack's Joakim Noah went down with a big injury - ligament damage to his thumb. He requires surgery and will miss anywhere from 6-10 weeks. In this absence, Taj Gibson, recently released from Bangkok, will be asked to step up and play big minutes.

Before I go much further, Bangkok almost lucked out in this whole matter. You see, Bangkok, in an effort to diversify/stabilize his roster traded Brandon Roy for Richard Jefferson and Rashard Lewis. This meant that someone on his roster had to go. He had 2 obvious choices - Jordan Farmar (who he had signed because Devin Harris was having some injury woes) or Taj Gibson (because he was fading away with the return of Carlos Boozer). Bangkok originally decided to release Jordan Farmar. However, he phoned the Commish to reverse this drop advising he meant to drop Taj Gibson. So, because the JBL Commish is so accommodating, Bangkok was allowed to bring back Farmar and release Gibson.

This is called JBL Karma.

Anyways, Gibson is now Fantasy relevant again and could post some big rebound and block totals over the coming 2-3 months.

As expected, a big Free Agent bid was necessary to acquire his services. French went to $66 bucks to secure him. Personally, I had started at $20 bucks and realized that 10ppg, 6reb, and 34 blocks on the season wasn't going to come cheap. I maxed my bid out at $48 bucks. Obviously well shy of what I needed to be at. French can move in blocks and Taj should help him there for sure. I think it was a great signing for French. He has left himself $10 bucks in FA money to use over the remaining 16 weeks - which isn't much - but it should be enough to carry him through the season.

Despite the JBL poll results - I think it was a worthy risk.

I do wonder where if other JBL teams bid on Taj?? Yuma? Belgrade? Manhattan Beach? These are the teams with all the FA money...where were their bids? Belgrade is last in steals and blocks - wouldn't Taj help out there?? Yuma certainly could have used his services as well. If they bid - good for them for trying - and if they didn't bid - shame on them.

And I know most of you don't look far enough down the standings to notice the Golden squad this year, but the Showers finally had a big night. 190 points and 70 rebs. I haven't had many (any) nights like this so far this season so I had to mention it.

I also picked up 2 Free Agents on the Wednesday night frenzy - Thabo Sefolosha and Ronnie Brewer. The Golden squad is really hurting in steals and both of these players should help me out in the coming weeks in my attempt to get back into the middle of the pack in steals. I guess me working in the Fraud Industry really has affected my players because none of them steal a thing!! Adding Thabo and Brewer they instantly become my top two producers in steals. Go figure.

Maui also got in on the action and brought in Reggie Williams. He has performed very well in the absence of Stephen Curry. Can he keep it up when he returns? Maybe. I'm not sure why he can't be a top 6th man with the way he can score. If you look back to his 2nd half in GS last season - he was really quite good.

Juan de Fuca brought in Martell Webster to help shore up his 3-point shooting. I wonder if there are enough minutes for him in Minny?

And Arctic picked up Chris Douglas-Roberts. Can he stay in Milwaukee's constantly rotating lineup?? I really wonder if he can. I think the only 2 constants in Milwaukee are Bogut and Jennings - everyone after that really is a fantasy risk (in my opinion). However, he's played big minutes in 3 straight games so we'll see how he pans out. It looks like Arctic is going to play CDR next week.

Going back to Noah's injury for a minute I noticed that Chilliwack essentially offered him up on the Live Scoreboard. What would it take to get Noah?? Is he a good value for next season? He's $22 bucks currently. Is he worth $27?? Looking at his numbers this season I would have to say absolutely yes - he's keeper material. So, what would it take to get him?? And will anyone make Benny an offer? And what is Benny looking for?? Would Tyrus Thomas and Nicolas Batum be enough?

Still working on my list of top keepers for next season...stay tuned.

JE

Crazy....

I know, here I am again, blogging away. Oh well, I'm on a roll I guess.

So, today I got a trade offer from Idaho. It's been weeks. Today he offered me Tyreke Evans and Nick Young for Derrick Rose. Of course he included the comments that Tyreke at $18 bucks would be an awesome keeper to protect alongside Carlos Boozer. While I'm not going to disagree that Tyreke has value as a potential keeper - it's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too early to make this sort of trade. This is last minute desperation at best. It's not a good trade for me in week 8.

Tyreke is a talented player. He averaged 20-5-5 last season. One of few rookies to approach those numbers. However, he's currently injured and has not played well this season. Is he worth keeping at $23 bucks? Absolutely. But I think he has a lot to prove over the coming months of this NBA season. Can he stay healthy? What is his injury exactly? And how does it get better? If the remedy is to take 8 weeks off from basketball activities then I'm not really interested in his services right now. And how is his injury going to affect him next season? Does it linger? Does he have ongoing problems for the rest of his career?

You know how you always over-value your own players? It's very common when you have middle of the road players to over-value them and what they 'could' do down the line. Now, imagine how I value Derrick Rose. A player who is clearly playing some great basketball right now. Rose is #5 in the NBA in scoring right now. He's learned to shoot 3 pointers (over 40% currently). He's averaging a steal a game (up from last season) and his ATO is over 2.000. Rose is having his best season ever. What's my point? It's going to take a lot more than Tyreke to get him.

Part of the reason for my stiff demands is that I already have a plethora of potential keepers. Depending on where I finish in the standings I might only be able to keep 1, 2, or 3 guys. I already have a bunch of players that could be good values for next season. So if I'm going to move Rose it has to be for a player who I know is severely under-priced and is a good or better bargain than any of the current players I can protect for next season.

I posted a JBL poll today asking what others thought about potential keepers for next season (looking at the current top 6 JBL teams). All of them have some good keepers. Some have more than others. Seoul has Scola. He's a good value at that price. Will Seoul move him? If it means it improves his team -then yes he would. Will Arctic move Love or Beasley? I don't know. We haven't had to see that side of Crikker in some time. I know Benny, Rick, Hildy, and Tuna would all make moves if it meant their team got better. So, it will be interesting to see who they target as players who could help them.

I would think players in Golden like Rose, Aldridge, and Deng would be of interest.

Maui has Andrew Bogut and Danny Granger. And before you go knocking Trev that he doesn't make any deals - I think it needs to be pointed out that he has already made a couple this season - which is more than can be said of some other JBL teams.

Belgrade has Odom, Carmelo, and Monta.

Brussels has Zach, Brook Lopez, Iguodala, and Wallace.

Juan de Fuca has Durant, Kidd, and Bargnani.

My point is that all the lower tiered teams do have talent that the top teams may want to add in exchange for one of their keepers.

Arctic needs blocks. Is it hard to fathom that he would go to Maui to try and get Bogut? What about a Love/Beasley for Granger/Bogut trade?

And if any top team wanted to improve their scoring - wouldn't they go to Juan de Fuca to inquire about Durant - or to Belgrade for Monta - or to Golden for Rose?

I think this season's keeper trade deadline will be very busy....

I think my next poll will be around who the best keepers are for 2011...

Is it Curry? Love? Beasley? Boozer? Ibaka? Fields? Gay?

There are a number of choices. I think I would find it very difficult to narrow it down to just 10 choices.

Anyways, that's discussion for another day....

Bangkok & Idaho Trade

Well, Bangkok has made his 1st significant move. He has traded Brandon Roy over to Idaho for Rashard Lewis and Richard Jefferson.

This is the classic 'hedge' trade by Bangkok. With the news about Brandon Roy's knees being less than optimistic, Rick decided to get all he could for suddenly fragile star. Roy has not performed up to his usual standards this season and the meniscus in his knees won't be growing back anytime soon. So, Bangkok got all he could. In this case, he picked up two solid role players (and guys that are usually healthy). These 2 players really don't 'improve' Bangkok - but they could help stabilize his squad.

Why did Idaho do this deal? It's the classic risk/reward trade for him. He probably got the 'best player' in the 3 player trade, but he also took on the guy with bad knees. If Roy can stay healthy for the rest of the season then Idaho probably does OK in this trade. The concern I would have is that we know the likelihood of a player with really bad knees staying healthy for another 50+ games is highly unlikely.

So who "wins" this trade? We really won't know until later on this season...

How many games does Brandon Roy play in Idaho? Can he stay healthy?

What kind of impact do Rashard and RJ have in Bangkok?

I think it's a pretty even deal and probably a smart one for Bangkok in his quest to stay atop the JBL Standings. He took a highly injury prone player and turned him into 2 serviceable role players. If Rick was in 5th place and was trying to move up in the standings, I don't think I would like this deal as much for him. But since he's already out front and wants to stay there - I like this 'safe' move.

Idaho on the other hand is taking a huge risk in Roy as he could (emphasize could) miss significant time down the road. Idaho also recently brought in the ailing Tyreke Evans from Brussels. In that deal, Idaho parted with Iguodala and the unheralded Kyle Lowry. The Houston's PG inspiring play will likely end up causing Aaron Brooks to get moved out of Texas. So Idaho is definitely making some risky moves in hopes of moving up in the standings. Time will tell if these moves pay off or not.

How many teams bid on Mike Dunleavy last night? Seoul won his services with a $45 dollar bid. I bid $42 and I heard many other teams tried to acquire his services. Dunleavy isn't a star but he is serviceable. His tendex is 14.8 and we all know how Seoul loves his tendex ratings. Mike Jr's Seoul debut tonight was 12pts, 8rebs, 1stl, 2blks, but he did go 1/7 from downtown. Still, are there many FA's that you could sign right now that would get you 12 and 8?? I don't think so...

With Bangkok and Idaho hooking up on a 2 for 1 deal the FA pool got a little deeper tonight. Taj (Mahal) Gibson and Reggie Williams both ended up as castoffs and I expect both will be signed on Wednesday night. Taj has 29 blocks this season and Reggie is getting lots of minutes with the recent absense of Stephen Curry in Golden State. Reggie put up a sparkling 19pts, 5 rebs, 6 asts tonight with good %'s. His downside is limited steals and blocks and he has struggled when Curry is healthy. So, how much do you bid on their services? Do you blow your wad or do you wait for the next big injury? Do you wait for the NBA teams to start making some trades. Remember, December 15th is the day that NBA teams can trade those guys they signed in the summer. I can think of a few of my players that I wouldn't mind seeing change teams!

What's going on in Belgrade? All is quiet. Has anyone received a trade offer? Has anyone offered him anything? Belgrade started off quite strong but they have faded down to 12th and are really struggling right now. I know he is anticipating the return of Andrew Bynum but I don't know if AB can put up the much needed HUGE numbers. Right now, Belgrade is Carmelo, Monta, and Odom and not much else is going right.

And what is Brussels' next move? This was supposed to be his year. Brussels went into the JBL draft as a pre-season favorite and has had a very disappointing season. He made the big deal and shipped off Kevin Durant but that didn't seem to help. What will he do next?

And for those of you wondering what's going on in Golden. Well, I am trying to be patient, but that's proving to be more and more difficult each week. I really regret my trade of Varejao to French for Batum. That was a panic deal for sure. My team sucked and Batum was on fire. He was a $1 buck and I was thinking next year waaaay too soon. Now, I'm searching for rebounds across the JBL. I think it's well known amongst the top teams (well, Bangkok, Arctic, and Seoul anyways) that when the keeper deadline approaches that one of those 3 teams will be hot on the trail of Derrick Rose. And Golden has been very forward with these 3 teams that Rose will be moved by the deadline. The price is a top flight keeper. I'm sure other contenders like Chilliwack, Idaho, and French could also be in the hunt for his services.

Right now, I'm trying to improve Golden by moving secondary pieces (which can be very difficult when those pieces aren't very good). There is no point in me trading guys like Boozer, Ibaka, or even Eric Gordon right now as they are prime potential keepers for next season. Eric Gordon? A keeper? Really? Well, yes, because he's 6th in the NBA in scoring right now and he's only $23 bucks. Look at all the other top scorers in the NBA and see what their JBL salaries are. Scoring is really hard to come by and EG is having a great season. To have a top flight scorer for just $28 bucks next season is almost a no-brainer.

I can envision a lot of Golden's role players being moved at the deadline as top tier teams try to shore up their contending teams. Arctic needs blocks and a guy like Tyrus Thomas could possibly help out (depending on whether or not Tyrus is in Larry Brown's doghouse at the time). And I know that Bangkok gets a big boner when LaMarcus Aldridge's name comes up. I can see Bangkok making a play for him too.

I am anxiously anticipating the return of last year's standout PG Aaron Brooks. Recently acquired from Chilliwack for Mo Williams I am hoping that a return to Golden will spark his play and he'll be able to add more scoring and his 3PT% can help out my struggling team. Mo Williams is a nice player but I didn't like him being the #1 option in Cleveland. I think he fits better as a #2 or #3 guy. Plus, I am hating all those guys in Cleveland (except for Varejao!). There are rumors that Brooks could be dealt to Sacramento for Carl Landry. I think I'd be OK with this deal as Brooks might be a better fit there. I guess we'll see if he gets moved. Based on how the Rockets have played since he's been out (better) I can certainly see him getting shipped out of Texas.

I am also still waiting for Roddy Buckets to return. This is the kid who dropped 40pts in a game last season by constantly blowing past Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry one night. The kid is fast. Mark Cuban loves him. He's apparently going to start at SG. Jason Kidd says he'll move to the bench to let this uber-talented kid play. I've read the hype. Now I want to see the kid play. Come on already. Let's see what he can do.

And all that being said, I'm still searching for a some rebounds. Trying to package a deal together involving second tier players. However, that's tough to do when those players aren't playing very well. Other teams typically aren't interested in Tyrus Thomas when he's hurt.

Well, that's it for me...take it easy boys.

JE

Another Idea Shot Down...

Well, so much for reducing roster sizes...the JBL masses are voting and already the vote is 5-3 in favour of keeping roster sizes just the way they are...

Am I disappointed? Actually, not at all. I keep throwing ideas out there to see if any change is needed...and the masses are saying no. So, I am good with it. If the JBL doesn't want change it must mean the we are doing it right already.

Most of the proposals I can argue either way and I can live with either outcome too. On the argument of longer protection (3 to 5 years was the proposal) - I thought it would be great to keep Derrick Rose another 2 years. On the flip side, I'm glad Bangkok doesn't get Russell Westbrook for 2 more years! So I am happy either way.

As mentioned in my previous posts, the JBL is becoming a 3 tiered league. The top 5 (over 800 points), the middle group of 3 teams (600-800) and the bottom 5 teams (all sub-500 right now). The question is which teams can change tiers?

Can French push into the upper echelon? Can Juan de Fuca hit middle ground?

Is it time to start thinking about keepers for next season? Is it too early? Noooo, of course not. So, who has some good potential keepers?

Let's start with the top 2 teams because Bangkok and Arctic do have some potential keepers they could leverage in trades to solidify their JBL title hopes.

Bangkok - Stephen Curry is one of the top keepers available. He's $15 bucks and has 1 more year on his contract. I imagine Bangkok will demand a hefty price to obtain his services. Although, if Bangkok tries to risk winning the JBL title and keep Curry - and then fails to win the JBL title - that move would be criticized for years to come. If there is any doubt about Bangkok winning the title (when the trade deadline arrives in February), then Bangkok has to trade Curry. We'll see what happens.

What about guys like Tony Parker ($15), Elton Brand ($14), Chris Kaman ($14), or even Rudy Gay ($24) - are they worth protecting?? Can Bangkok move them for better pieces? I'm not sure any of them are outrageous bargains but they could be...

Arctic - he has the big man Kevin Love for $17 bucks. If Curry is the #1 keeper then Love is 1A. Love is 20ppg and 15reb. Plus, he's making his 3's. Sure, he doesn't shoot 50% or get many steals or blocks. But he gets 15 rebounds per game. Think about that for a second. Compare Love to Al Horford (another Arctic product). Horford is a top notch rebound averaging close to 10 boards a game. On the season, Horford has 218 rebounds so far. Well, Love has 125 more!!!! Love is an absolute beast on the glass. Heck, even Dwight Howard - Superman, D12, a monster - has 100 fewer rebounds than Kevin Love!

Arctic also boasts a $12 option in Michael Beasley. Sure, Beasley is just a 4 category player right now...but $17 bucks to protect a guy who is averaging 21 and 6 with good %'s is a bargain folks. Will Arctic use one of these T-Wolves to net him some more talent? Only time will tell...

Seoul - Woo doesn't have a lot of keeper talent to move. Luis Scola ($18) is probably a bargain and worthy of protecting at that price. After Scola though, Seoul doesn't have many bargains. Woo is shooting for a 3-peat and it will be interesting to see if he tries to acquire some cheap talent for possible protection while also trying to gain ground on the 2 front runners.

Idaho - Idaho is in contention (for a change) and will have be in an unfamiliar position this coming February. In years gone by it's always been Idaho who has been selling the farm for cheap talent. Remember last season he made outrageous moves to grab Brook Lopez and Brandon Jennings only to finish last and have to throw both of them back into water? The kid has guts and isn't afraid to make a trade (or a bad trade offer). So, what will Idaho do with guys like Tyreke Evans and Brandon Jennings? Both are potential keepers and both could fetch some star power for his stretch run. Richard Jefferson and Amir Johnson are both $3 bucks but I don't fancy either of them as being sought-after keepers. Another bargaining chip could be Kenyon Martin for $1 buck - but I don't think he has much left in the tank to be a difference maker at $6 bucks next season.

Chilliwack - Benny has a team built to win right now. At first glance at this roster there aren't many guys that jump out at me and scream top notch keeper. Joakim Noah for $27 bucks would definitely interest me though. I think he is a value pick at that price. Surprisingly, Gilbert Arenas at $11 bucks is probably worth a look. His %'s are horrible but his other numbers warrant a look. Is Paul Millsap worthy of a $35 dollar contract? Hard to say...maybe. Is Jameer Nelson worthy of a $15 dollar contract? Again, based on what's gone on in the last couple of Auctions, that might be pushing his limits.

I'll quickly scan the other teams for keepers that pop out at me...I apologize if I miss some of your personal favorites...

French Lick - Wilson Chandler, Landry Fields, Mike Miller, and Anderson Varejao

Yuma - Mike Conley. I would say Nash but he always goes for $34 so why pay $39?

Manhattan Beach - Ginobili, Darko, Casspi, Josh Howard (maybe), and even Pau Gasol and Amare could be potential keepers.

Juan de Fuca - Gallinari is a no brainer. What about Hibbert? Cousins?

Golden - Boozer, Gordon, Ibaka, Batum, Brooks, Beaubois (when will he be healthy?)

Brussels - Ty Lawson (if Billups leaves), Zach, Wallace, Splitter, McGee...there are some options for sure

Belgrade - Andrew Bynum, Odom, and even Monta could be value adds.

Maui - Evan Turner, Sonny Weems, Andrei Kirilenko, Dalembert, and Morrow could all be potential value picks (depending on where a couple of them play in 2011/12)

So, there you have it...a quick look at some of the potential keepers that jumped off the page at me tonight. I'm sure I missed some and I'm sure you think I'm crazy for listing some of the players that I did. Oh well. That's the great debate around keepers and what their value is. That's why we do an Auction draft. Isn't the JBL awesome? Well, of course it is, that's why all new ideas about changing the JBL are always shot down. Silly question Johnny, silly question....

New Wrinkle?

Look at me...an extended Chronicles absence and now two posts close together. Way to go Johnny.

So, there were some ideas thrown around earlier this season about potential changes to the JBL. All of the new ideas were voted down as the masses in the JBL like it just the way it is...

Well, I'm about to suggest one more idea...and ultimately put it to a vote.

I'll explain what it is and argue both sides...

The proposal is simple. Currently, JBL rosters can be a maximum of 16 players. 12 active, 3 bench, and 1 injured reserve player. My proposal is that the JBL roster maximum in 2011/12 and onwards would be 15. For anyone struggling with the math, I'm suggesting the roster max is reduced by 1 spot.

So...why should we do consider this rule change???

• NBA rosters have a 15 player maximum
• Now that the JBL is 13 teams deep, reducing the roster size by 1 player per team would potentially add 13 players into the Free Agent pool (which I think we can all agree is pretty shallow)
• Currently, a lot of JBL teams 'stash' away injured players on the their IR without much risk. Reducing the roster size by one player would mean JBL owners would have to use a little more strategy if they wanted to keep those injured players. Would Golden really have wasted a roster spot on Roddy Beaubois this long?? Would Idaho and Arctic really have signed Kenyon Martin and Michael Redd??
• Essentially this rule change would eliminate the need for the injured reserve spot - which would ultimately firm up our $300 dollar salary cap. Currently, we can exceed the $300 cap as the injured player's salary doesn't count. If we eliminate the IR spot - we have a hard cap.

What are some arguments against this proposed change?

• Why do we need to change?
• NBA teams have an injured reserve spot - so should the JBL
• If you like the current challenge of finding quality FA's then this rule change really wouldn't be necessary.

Hey, I realize this isn't an earth shattering proposal here...but I thought I would throw something out there. I'll post in the Live Scoreboard and give everyone a chance to read the proposal and then set up a poll this weekend.

The Chronicles are Silent

My apologies to all 4 of my avid readers. I have been very busy with work, family, home insurance claims, and Ryan's sports to have the time to get on here and talk about my JBL feelings. I know the Showers are a disgrace this season and my streak of 5 years finishing either 1st or 2nd is clearly in jeopardy. OK, let me clarify, it's not going to happen. The Golden squad is going to have their worst season ever. My worst finish was an 8th place debacle back in the late 90's. And even 8th might be a stretch for the Golden boys.

But enough about me and my struggles. The JBL is still as competitive as ever. Bangkok has been in 1st place at the end of every Period so far this season. Heck, he's been in 1st place for every single night (except for one where Arctic squeezed him out). Bangkok is very strong - and yes, he knows it. Give Rick some credit, he drafted an excellent team from his couch position in Vegas. And of course, we have to give him credit for his awesome keepers that he was able to bring into the season as well. Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook would have probably gone for around $50 bucks each had they been in the Auction. It's always nice to have that kind of keeper talent available. Bangkok - you will be tough to catch.

Arctic is looking for the double-double. Crikker won the Baseball pool this season and now he is in contention in the JBL. This Arctic team is HUGE and has more rebounds already than my Showers squad might get all year. Kevin Love, Al Horford, Marcus Camby, and Blake Griffin make up maybe one of the greatest rebounding teams the JBL has ever seen. Through in Rajon Rondo, the emerging Michael Beasley, and breakout stud Raymond Felton and this team is a contender.

Those two teams have separated themselves a bit from the pack...with Seoul, Idaho, and Chilliwack making up the immediate chase pack. The middle tier teams (700+ points) are Yuma, French Lick, and our expansion man Bobby Hucul in Manhattan Beach. If the Ballers keep this up they could be one of the more successful JBL expansion teams ever.

The remaining 5 teams are all sub-500 points and have a lot of work to do...

We are almost to week 8 - the 1/3 pole of the JBL season. Christmas is approaching and December & January are big months for all those teams trying to make up ground. Because we know what happens in February!! The keeper deadline will be upon us at the NBA All-Star weekend and I can guarantee this will be a busy trading deadline. Why? Because the shitty teams right now, if they remain there, will have plenty of top notch talent available to try and get those top notch keepers for next season. Golden has Derrick Rose; Maui has Danny Granger; Brussels has Brook Lopez; Belgrade has Carmelo; and Juan de Fuca has Kevin Durant!! You're going tell me that those teams in contention for the JBL title (yes, the JBL title that has only been won by 6 owners in the 20 year history of the JBL) wouldn't want to get their hands on these top notch studs for the stretch run??? Oh yes they will.

Anyways, time for me to go...again, my apologies to all 4 of you for not updating the Chronicles sooner. Best of luck this season...and if you want me to blog about something because you want my 2 cents on an issue - drop me an email and I'll do my best to post something.

Cheers,

JE