Week 1 - Random Thoughts....

Well, here it is mid-week 1 and we've seen a lot of action so far...

• OKC is 4-0 and Dallas is 0-3
• 2 of the JBL teams I pegged for failure are the #2 and #3 in the current standings - goes to show you maybe I've lost my touch at predicting fantasy fortunes
• A record 16 Free Agents went on the 1st night FA's were available.
• $341 Free Agent dollars were burned up on opening FA night - incredible!
• I liked a few of those FA signings - Jonas Jerebko, James Johnson, and Marvin Williams
• Others are flyer's that I think were overbid....what was the next highest bid on Jon Leuer? I mean, really, $26 bucks? And hey, let me make this clear, I like the guy...he has talent and I think Skiles loves him - but I think he could have been had for less. And Patrick Patterson for $21? He hadn't played a game yet in Houston and is behind Scola and Dalembert...I think he could have been had for $1 dollar. But what do I know?
• One of the most interesting stat lines I've noticed is that neither Dwayne Wade or Lebron James have attempted a single 3 pointer. If they stop shooting 3's - their value actually goes WAY up. Lebron is a fantasy beast if he isn't shooting all those 3's. Lebron is the reason Manhattan Beach is in 1st place.
• Speaking of MBB - how about those role players he's got going right now? Spencer Hawes a fantasy monster? James Harden wants the 6th man award now. Andre Miller still producing in Denver! Gotta love the way the collective MBB team is performing so far. He's added Biedrins and Cole with huge FA bids so you know Bobby is excited about his start to the season.
• The other awesome start is for Juan de Fuca and Montreal. Juan does have a JBL title under the belt but that feels like a decade ago. Oh wait...Juan is led by Durant and Dirk. KD is off to a massive start and has MVP written all over him. Juan is getting 12 guys to contribute across the board and that always helps. Montreal is led by the ageless wonder Manu Ginobili and roto-stud Andre Iguodala. Both are off to wicked starts.
• Maui is off to a slow start - thanks to wonderfully horrible performance from Lamar Odom and others. At least Trevor can get the surprising Gerald Henderson into his lineup for week 2.
• The Jared Dudley 'watch' is officially underway. Bangkok is very high on Dudley this year and has apparently predicted 16-5-5 for the season. So far, Jared is a Dud.
• Kevin Love almost had a new address a couple nights into the season....Golden was very close on pulling the trigger but decided it was WAY too early to make that sort of move. I'm well aware that I drafted extremely poorly this year and my chances of being the team to knock Seoul out of the winners' circle are slim...but that doesn't mean I have to sell the farm already and think about next season. That being said, JBL teams should always be thinking about the current year and the future. If you have a chance to win the JBL title - you go for it. If you aren't going to win - or finish in the money - then shouldn't your roster moves be geared for next season. That's the beauty of the JBL. Seasons blur together. Now, I'm not saying that it's time for teams to look at next season already but it's always a good idea to have a strategy towards the following season. For me and my Golden squad - I have some very attractive top end players (Wade GayLove - that's what I call 'him'). If, by the trade deadline (which we need to figure out), my Golden team doesn't have a shot at the title - I will need to try and turn these talents into guys I can use for next season. The challenge and fun behind doing that is making sure I finish high enough to keep multiple players. I tried this last season and sold all my top end talent for great keepers - but could only protect one guy based on my horrible finish. Whether you're fighting for the money spots or just climbing the standings - the JBL offers many incentives to stay focused on your team all year round. God I love this league.
• Wade has come up in some trade discussions but again, it's too early.
• Has anyone seen Paul George in Indy play? Man, looks like he good be a blue chipper.
• In case anyone wants to see some free NBA games - check out www.nba.com and sign up for League Pass - it's free to join until January 9th. Very cool.
• Is Utah or New Jersey the worst team in the league? I wonder who would win a best of 7?
• Just checked the NBA schedule and the All-Star game is Sunday, Feb 26th. So, in years past, this has been our keeper trade deadline. We can stick with that or we can mirror the NBA's trade deadline - which is March 15th (making our trade deadline the Sunday, March 18th). This should be put to a vote to determine which date we use.
• How about this for a potential road trip....on Thursday, March 1st, fly to Phoenix. That night watch the Suns play the T-Wolves. Then, Friday night watch the Suns play the Clippers. Saturday would have to be a round of golf somewhere. And then Sunday watch the Suns play the Kings. Fly home Monday, March 5th. Whoa. That sounds nice.
• So, we're at the midway point of week 1 and it's pretty tight. Could we finally be seeing some parity in the JBL standings? We'll see...