Week 4 - Midweek...

Well, it finally happened, a JBL owner has released a rookie picked in the 2012 Rookie Lottery. Golden dropped Jae Crowder. While this really isn't news worthy in the big scheme of things - I do think JBL owners are definitely giving these prized potential 5 year players every chance to prove their worthy of a roster spot. How else could you explain guys like Crowder, Terrence Jones and Royce White still being on rosters?? White hasn't even played a single game yet!!

What maybe is worth noting in the Crowder release is that Golden has signed Alexey Shved for the 3rd time already this season. I'll admit it, I fell in love with Crowder's pre-season performance. His hustle. His willingness to do all the dirty work for what looked like a talented Mavs roster. Well, that roster is really struggling right now and despite Crowder starting the last 2 games he just really hasn't found his way.

So, with that, Golden turns to just another white kid in Minnesota. Alexey Shved really shouldn't be on a JBL roster just yet though. He's far too inconsistent and takes WAY too many 3 pointers. But something about this kid makes me like his potential. Maybe it's because Rick Adelmann has never really liked playing rookies (look at Derrick Williams last year and remember he was the #2 pick overall). But for some reason, it seems Adelmann is very comfortable playing this 6'6 rookie from Russia. Sure, Roy and Budinger are hurt so Shved has more chance to play - but it seems he's earning the trust of his coach. Take tonight for example. In a close 6 point loss to the Clippers, Shved played 36 minutes, more than anyone else on the entire team. I'm willing to stash the kid on the bench and wait and see what happens when Rubio comes back in a few weeks. He's not back on Monday (Tuna) but he could be back in a few weeks. I think a backcourt pairing of Rubio and Shved could be interesting to watch. In order for Shved to be active in Golden he has to stop shooting so many 3's. Coming into tonight exactly half of his shots (50%!!!) were from deep and he was only making 25% of those. Too much. So, rather than wait on Jae Crowder I've decide to wait on Shved.

Other observations from Week 4...

• OJ Mayo has cooled off with a 3rd straight average performance tonight
• Chauncey Billups returned to the starting lineup tonight. It's perfect he's in French because all injury risk players seem to be in French this season
• Seoul is becoming more and more impatient with his under-performing roster
• The Kok, who seems to think I don't give him enough credit in this space, continues to hover close to 800 points. He's doing this with a mostly no-name roster and awaits the hopeful return of John Wall and Andrew Bynum. This team could still be dangerous in the long run. Depending on Bynum of course.
• Arctic continues to rise in the standings behind a very deep and talented roster. A resurgent Tyreke Evans certainly helps that. Ibaka, Faried, and Tony Parker are all playing extremely well right now too. Crikker is getting some nice numbers from his big free agent signing Robin Lopez as well.
• Montreal sits in 3rd tonight as he is now the best shooting FG% team in the JBL. His weakness is rebounds (9th). 
• Brussels is currently in 4th and lays claim to the best shot blocking team in the JBL. He's only 10th in FG% and he can thank Byron Mullens and the Beez for doing the most damage there. I can say I'm still very impressed with those Blazers on his roster as Lillard and Batum continue to be stat stuffers. And on December 8th me and Timmy will be at the Blazers game watching them up close. Can't wait.
• Yuma has cooled off dramatically after a quick start. Injuries and a lack of scoring is hurting the roster currently. Yuma is the lowest scoring team in the JBL and isn't getting much from Pau Gasol these days (13ppg).
• I like Maui's pick up of Reggie Evans. Maui is actually the best scoring team (per game) in the JBL but is lacking rebounds. Reggie's last 5 games for rebounds read like this 12-14-10-14-10. Even though he doesn't score much Maui can certainly use the rebounds. Don't forget, Maui will be adding even more scoring when Unibrow and Dirty Dirk get active.
• One night after Bargnani made his impressive debut in Idaho - he sits out tonight due to an injury. Frustrating. 
• General Greivis Vasquez has been rock solid this year for Bangkok. Despite his lack of steals Vasquez has put up very good numbers in the other PG categories including a very impressive 4.0 rebounds per game. 
• Kevin Durant scored 37 tonight. His fantasy dominance continues this season. Compare these 2 players and tell me which one is the better Fantasy player?

Player A - 13 Games, 25ppg, 8reb, 84/31 ATO, 11 steals, 13 blocks, 53/44 %'s

Player B - 15 Games, 26ppg, 9reb, 67/55 ATO, 28 steals, 23 blocks, 50/44 %'s

A is Lebron and B is Durant. Yummy.

• Anderson Varejao is playing like a monster right now. 14.5 PPG, and 14.9 rebounds per game! He also shoots 53%; his ATO is 45/24 and he has 21 steals in 14 games. OK, sure, he doesn't block shots (only 6) but look at those other numbers. The question remains - can he stay healthy?
• Serge Ibaka's improved offensive game is also worth mentioning. He's up to 15ppg while grabbing almost 8 boards and blocking over 3 shots per game. Oh, he's also shooting 59%! Ibaka's in the last year of his JBL contract so he'll be back in the Auction next season. I wonder how much he'll go for with those improving numbers?
• And who are some of the potential top keepers for next season? Is it too early to start looking at cheap guys? How about the $1 gem in Brussels - Patrick Patterson. He's having a nice breakout season in Houston. Or what about Kevin Seraphin ($1) in the Wack? He flew under the radar at Auction because of Okafor and Nene but he's carving out a solid role in DC. 
• Idaho has 2 stud keepers for next year in James Harden ($13) and Derrick Rose ($3). Yes, Rose is a potential keeper based on the current JBL constitution which states a player who is drafted at Auction can be protected (players acquired through free agent bidding must play 25 NBA games to be eligible). The question is does Idaho leverage Rose to improve his team for this year or does Idaho hold onto him and use him to build for next year? The key factor here is that Idaho can't afford to finish last, or even in the bottom 3, if he wants to be able to build around Harden and Rose. And of course, that doesn't even factor in Ricky Rubio and his $15 dollar salary. Tough decisions ahead in Idaho.
• One of my favorite mid-range keepers so far has to be Brook Lopez. MBB picked him up at Auction for just $26 bucks. I know he doesn't rebound (6.6) at all but how does a Center who can average 20ppg, shoot 54%, and block 35 shots in 13 games go for just $26 bucks? He's a bargain for $31 bucks in my opinion.
• Chandler Parsons ($4) is another player who has really surprised me with his early season play. He's averaging 16ppg, 7reb, 49/30 ATO, 15 steals, and shooting 48/42 in 14 games. That's really solid production for a $4 dollar player. Can he maintain it all season? Let's wait and see on him.
• Tyson Chandler is shooting 57/81 (70%) so far this season. For teams that need help in FG% he could certainly be a worthwhile target. 
• Marcin Gortat misses Steve Nash. A lot. After getting 5 double-doubles in his first 8 games this season - he hasn't done it since (a span of 8 games). His last 2 games - 6/3 and 6/4 debacles. He's in Gentry's doghouse me thinks. Mind you, that whole PHX team has been a mess lately. It would not surprise me if they consider a coaching change there. Gentry appears to be losing this crew already. I hope he can turn things around as Golden needs those blocks and boards.
• My hopes of a Ersan Ilyasova resurgence were crushed tonight when Scott Skiles held him to 13 minutes and Ersan went scoreless. What to do with this dude? Hold him? Drop him? I can't trade him because the only offer I've received was Isaiah Thomas. Mind you, Tuna also offered me Thomas for Gortat, Duncan, and Westbrook I think. Ersan's potential is just too great to simply release him at this stage. Now, if my team was lower in the standings and struggling more I would have to consider dropping him. However, right now, he can sit on the bench and hopefully he'll find his mojo again. Patience is running thin on this dude.
• How long before Detroit turns to Andre Drummond in the middle? What are they waiting for? I was wrong on this kid (and Waiters) about his ability to succeed at the NBA level. 
• Josh Smith had a Josh type of night. That's the Josh that Juan de Fuca was hoping they acquired last week. Meanwhile, Rusty had a so-so night for OKC. Tonight's head to head battle goes to Smith in ATL.
• Bismack Biyombo lost his spot in the Wack tonight. This on the night that he goes 6-8-4 and plays 27 minutes. Those blocks (20 on the season now) will probably attract some attention on the wire.

Well, that's enough rambling for one night...until the weekend boys.

Week 4 Wrap Up....

Well, it's Sunday night and Week 4 is in the books. What's going on? What's happening? Let me take you around the JBL.

We have a new 13th place team tonight. The Maui Ribs completed a solid week by moving up to 11th place. I'll say it again, this Maui team is not as bad as it appears in the Standings. They have the best scoring team in the JBL and are still missing Nash and Nowitzki. The new doormat is Idaho now and Tuna has started to remake his roster already.

Idaho traded Andrew Bynum to Bangkok for Andrea Bargnani. I think Idaho actually did OK in this deal as he needs healthy bodies now. He couldn't afford to wait for Rubio, Bynum and Derrick Rose to come back - he needs horses now. Bargnani, while a soft white big man, is able to come in and score some points for Tuna. The Kok on the other hand lands one of the best Centers in the NBA - when he's healthy. And that, of course, is the 64 million dollar question. When will Bynum get healthy? The word is he's scheduled for a MRI on December 10th and will be re-evaluated after that. If Bynum returns to his old self then the Kok will have a game changer in the middle. If he doesn't, then the Kok will still have the return of John Wall to hang his hopes on.

French's injury woes continue. After acquiring Mo Williams last week Mo only last a game and half before turning an ankle. Then Aldridge misses Sunday's game with a bad back. Now I see Stuckey sprained his ankle Sunday too. Hildy can't catch a break. He's already missed games with Nene, Okafor, Gordon, Wallace, Kaman, and others. There are some positive as Nene appears to be regaining his form and Teague and Lawson both had good weeks.

David Lee had a big week for Yuma. Also, Chubby gets to put Kyle Lowry back into the lineup next week as he's returned better than ever from an ankle injury. There are questions around the health of Brandon Jennings when he tweaked his ankle vs the Bulls the other night. Pau Gasol continues to struggle in the new Lakers lineup.

Seoul will have Kobe in his lineup next week and can sure use his scoring. MKG has been better than advertised and has caught the eye of a few trade offers around the JBL I'm hearing. The top 6 players on the this team are very good while Phil is still searching for the right combination with his role players. K-Mart cooled off this week after starting out on a tear.

Montreal remains in 4th place and is 4th to 8th in all 7 categories. Consistency is the name of the game and Marko & David are hanging in there. Dwight and Big Al continue to man the middle and I would say have actually under performed so far this season. I think they both will have much better weeks (Dwight averaged 13ppg this week). Jason Thompson continues to be a very serviceable forward while Jeremy Lin continues to struggle.

As previously mentioned the Maui Ribs have climbed out of the basement on the strength of strong weeks from Carmelo, Chandler Parsons (20ppg, 9reb, 56/50 %'s), Varejao and Pierce. This team is coming together and still have Nash and Nowitzki to add to the roster in a couple of weeks. Dwyane Wade is flying under the radar in all of this too. Yes, it's an old team and has major injury concerns. But if they can stay healthy for awhile they may be able to move up the Standings.

The Beach Ballers will get a boost next week when Kevin Love and the new starting PF in PHX Markieff Morris hit the active lineup. I'm wondering if Meyers Leonard might even get a crack next week. The MBB are relying on Lebron, Paul, Love and Lopez as a big 4 to lead them while hopefully getting support from Crawford, Manu, Markieff, and others. MBB needs Love's return as they are a long way back in rebounding.

Juan has to be disappointed with Cousins' season so far. He's been OK but I'm sure, like me, Juan expected him to become a monster this year. Josh's debut this week was so-so as he only averaged 5 rebs but did average over 1 steal and over 2 blocks for the week. Juan sits in 10th and is struggling in the %'s right now. Having a guy like Kemba Walker can sometimes hurt although it's tough to ignore his 18ppg and 28 steals. David West had a monster week averaging 23 and 8. Must be a contract year :)

The Wack had another monster week led by Kevin Durant who poured in 33ppg and added 3.3 steals and over 1 block per game. Griffin, Mathews, Mayo and George also had big weeks and that's why the Wack is over 1000 points. Benny is 1st to 4th in all categories except for ATO (13th). Benny continues to get production from his role guys (Drummond, Wright, McGee, and Aminu) as all had decent weeks filling the stat sheet.

The Muscles squad got a monster week from Roy Hibbert (13ppg, 11reb, and 6 bpg). He also saw fine performances from ROY leader Lillard; All-Star Rajon Rondo, and breakout stars Mullens and Patterson. Brussels has to be disappointed with Beasley's week (despite Sunday's good effort) as well as the demotion of Luis Scola to the PHX bench. John Henson came in as a $27 dollar free agent but didn't last the weekend. The Muscles remain in 3rd place and look to build on a good stretch in week 5.

The Kok is in 6th and will have some new blood in the lineup next week. Kobe and Bargnani have been shipped out and Al Horford comes to town. The Kok had a great week 4 led by Bosh, Kobe, Holiday, Turner and Sessions. The Kok is right in the 'hunt pack' and will be counting on a Wall/Bynum return in the coming weeks to help in a number of categories. Bangkok has been the #1 scoring team so far this year but the loss of Kobe and Bargnani should see him come back to the pack in the coming weeks. That being said, I like the moves he made provided Wall and Bynum return sooner rather than later. Golden's man crush on JJ Hickson continues but I just can't find the right piece(s) to offer up for his services.

Arctic is in 5th and had strong weeks from Tony Parker, Steph Curry, Tyreke Evans, and Raymond Felton. The guards led the way while his bigs Lopez (13ppg, 7reb, 3blks), Faried and Ibaka also had very strong weeks. Arctic is another team in the mix and is hoping for improved FG% and rebounding to move him up in the standings. 6 man games on Sunday night saw Arctic drop 124 points, 35 rebounds, 10 steals, 3.000ATO while shooting 51%. It's night's like tonight that can sure help.

And I've saved my Showers to last. However, because of my respect for the JBL Gods. I will say nothing other than I am very pleased with how the boys played this week.

I'm wondering if Beno Udrih gets a look tonight off the waiver wire. He's put up decent numbers with Jennings healthy so I'm wondering if he gets snagged with Jennings availability in question?

I hope no one falls for the Charlie V game today. That won't be a common occurrence. The Pistons are a mess. Why don't they just decide to go young and get Drummond into the lineup at Center and let him learn to play beside Monroe. Keep Knight and Singler in there too with Prince and see what kind of a run you can go on. No point in running Maxiell out there night after night. He's not the long term solution.

I wonder if any Wizards get picked up tonight after their double overtime loss. Guys like Chris Singleton, Martell Webster and Shaun Livingston could all get a sniff tonight. I'm staying away as I still haven't figure out the time share yet.

I was disappointed to let Alexey Shved go again. I like the kid's game, talent, and opportunity in Minnesota. I just don't like that he's taken 50 3-pointers already this season and only made 12. I still think he could be the long term answer at SG in Minny but he'll have to develop a better outside shot to stick.

I'm intrigued by Jeffrey Taylor in Charlotte. He's another 2nd round draft pick this past season and has been starting for the Bobcats ever since Gerald Henderson went down. He could be a one week answer in the Golden lineup but it's heavy minutes (30+ in 4 straight games) that has me curious about what he can do.

I feel bad for Isaiah Thomas in Sacramento. He played really well as a rookie last season and I don't think he deserved to be dropped out of the rotation. I hate to admit it but I did see this coming. Remember I was going to protect Thomas for $6 bucks but instead traded him to Idaho for the #11 rookie pick. Yes, I know, Thomas Robinson ($1) has not panned out but I'm looking at that trade like I saved $5 bucks. Small victories. That being said, I don't believe Thomas will get his starter's job back anytime soon and therefore I am not interested in acquiring him for anyone on my roster. (Hoping Idaho reads this darn thing and gets the hint)

I am hanging onto Ilyasova still. Mostly because I didn't land Larry Sanders with my $1 dollar bid the other night and because I will kick myself if I drop him and then he figures it out. I watched him play the other night against the Bulls when he had one of his best games of the season (6pts, 6rebs, 3/0 ATO, 1stl, 2blks). Yes, it's sad to say that's one of his best games this year. Ugh. I just can't let him go because of what he did last year. A number of websites talk about his slow start last season so I will have to try and stick it out with him because his trade value (Isaiah Thomas) is currently so low it's not even worth trying to deal him.

That's all for now...wishing everyone health and happiness for Week 5....

Happy USA Thanksgiving!

Well, it's Turkey day in the USA. 3 football games, black Friday shopping eve, no NBA games, and of course an 18 course meal with Turkey, ham, stuffing, roasties, mashed spuds, carrots, turnips, veggies, cranberries, 8 kind of desserts and of course gravy!

What a great day south of the border. But, like many holiday meals, there is usually one item on that dinner table that scares me to death. You see, I was told growing up to eat everything on my plate. And unfortunately I was always given a little bit of everything that was being served. And that's when it happened. Those little green things, usually 4-5 of them, would be placed onto my plate. You know what I'm referring to - brussel sprouts (no relation to our JBL franchise Brussels Muscles).

I was never fond of the brussel sprout as a kid. Didn't like the taste of them. Now, older and wiser, I can handle them (mainly because we cook them in butter with onions and bacon).

What's my point?? Well, just like the disappointment on my face when I was a kid of seeing those brussel sprouts there are numerous NBA Fantasy players who leave me less than impressed these days. And I don't think even bacon would help these turkeys! So, here's my Thanksgiving Day brussel sprout awards for each JBL team for those players who I just can't stomach.

Arctic - Crikker finds 2 sprouts on his plate. Andrew Bogut and Elton Brand. Bogut due to injury and Brand due to getting old? Bogut went for $34 bucks at Auction and has only been able to play 4 games so far for Arctic. That sucks. Brand has played. He just doesn't play well anymore. 6 and 6 while in Arctic's lineup just doesn't cut it.

Bangkok - Rick knows who his sprout is. It's the player he once thought had 16-5-5 potential. That's right. Mr. Jared Dudley gets the award for Kok sprout early on this season. 8ppg and 31% from downtown just isn't good enough.

Brussels - What an honour to have a sprout award in the name of your JBL team. Timmy's sprout goes to Michael Beasley. I have to admit, I expected big things from the Beez in PHX but his $19 dollar salary is too rich for his 12 and 5 stinky vegetable numbers. His 36/27 %'s just add insult to injury.

Chilliwack - Benny's sprout award goes to Gerald Green. Not so much for his mediocre play but more because of the expectation that we would excel without Granger around. I thought he would explode. But nope. He's 8 and 5 and doesn't do much else. I expected way more from him and no amount of gravy will make him eatable.

French Lick - oh Frenchie. It's been a rough start and I could fill your plate with these little green bad boys. How about Gerald Wallace and his $23 dollar salary for yet another injury? Or maybe $17 for Nene and his bad feet? Or Jeff Green's disappointing start that found him kicked off the island after just 8 games. Hildy will be the healthy though with all of these sprouts on his plate.

Golden - I'm giving myself 3 sprouts for sure. Mr. Ilyasova. You suck. I'm also giving sprouts to my rookie picks (Crowder and Robinson) for making me feel like an idiot. I had the 5th pick but traded down (TWICE) because I thought these guys would earn spots in rotations. I could have just picked Waiters or Barnes and been happy. But no, I had to get extra sprouts for my plate.

Idaho - Isaiah Thomas and Landry Fields find themselves as little green veggies this day. Fields has been a complete bust in Toronto and was on the waiver wire pretty quickly. Thomas, after a wonderful rookie season, can't get on the floor in Sactown anymore and is losing minutes all the time. Poor little guy.

Juan de Fuca - I would never want B-Roy to be a sprout and I had high hopes for a positive return to the NBA. But when you have bad knees - you have bad knees. I think Roy should quietly walk off into the distance knowing he tried. Take some bacon with you B-Roy - you'll taste a lot better.

Manhattan Beach - 2 sprouts for MBB and those are Jerryd Bayless and Manu Giniboli. Manu's is because he's been fighting off injuries and Bayless is because I'm not sure why or how he's been able to play 8 games for the Ballers already. Sure, he doesn't really hurt them - but does he help. And hey, you can't hide your sprouts under your mashed potatoes - I can still see them.

Maui - You have giant sprouts on your plate Trev. One is shaped like Steve Nash and the other looks like D-Wade. Injuries are the cause of them being there but this goes to show that you can't mash brussel sprouts to make them test better. You need to have them whole. Steamed nicely. I'm sure 2 months from now Nash and Wade will be a nice stuffing smothered in gravy.

Seoul - Can I just give your entire backcourt the award and put a dozen sprouts on your plate? Hinrich? Thabo? Crawford? Oh man. And you're not leaving the table until you eat them all.

Yuma - I'm sure Lamar Odom is eating a big portion today but I'm pretty sure he isn't any green leafy vegetables. I think he just puts a straw in the gravy boat and goes to town. Look at those arms!! They are filled with gravy.

He's averaging 1.8ppg and 3 rebs while shooting 9/39 from the field. Oh my.
He needs to start eating more brussel sprouts and less of this...

So, there you have it...the brussel sprout awards on this Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy the weekend everyone as week 4 wraps up...

Week 3 Observations...

• Montreal is a well constructed team. 2 monsters (D12 and Jefferson) in the middle. He has AK47 turning back the clock. And Kyrie is playing like an All-Star. Don't look now but they still have Amare waiting in the wings. He could add some more scoring punch down the road.
• Maui is in last place but there is something about this roster that gives me hope. When healthy the Guards in Maui could be - Wade, Nash, Lou Williams, and Ben Gordon. The Forwards could read: Nowitzki, Carmelo, Pierce, Unibrow, Parsons and World Peace with Varejao and Haywood manning the middle. They need to get healthy though as they have played 20+ games less than the leaders. 
• The first big trade of the year went down this week. Josh Smith for Russell Westbrook. Why did Golden make this move? It was mostly after watching 3 ATL games. I'm not convinced Josh can be 'the man' and hate his love of his jump shot. The other reason for the move was the need for a 20+ PPG scorer. Golden didn't have one. Other top scoring teams like the Wack, the Kok, and Idaho have multiple guys who can drop 20 on any given night. Golden didn't have any so the hope is Westy (who was 5th in the NBA in scoring last year) can help out. Of course, this has left Golden with too many guards and is now trying to move Mo Williams for some forward depth. Despite Mo's 16ppg and 7ast averages - he's proving difficult to move.
• Minnesota is getting killed by injuries. Love, Rubio, Pekovic, Busdinger, Roy, Barea, and others have all missed time this season already. It has allowed the young Russian Alexey Shved to show his stuff. Besides some awful shooting %'s he could earn more minutes down the road. Golden likes his long term potential at the 2-spot in Minny.
• The Jae Crowder experiment almost came to an end tonight. 
• The Royce White and Terrence Jones experiments can't be far behind.
• Steph Curry looks healthy in GS. 
• The Wizards are this year's Bobcats. Man they look awful
• Kenneth Faried is awesome. 14ppg. 11reb. A steal and a block per game. 55% shooting. I think I'm in love.
• Bangkok is living off of the 3 headed monster known as Kobe, Bosh and Holiday. After that, things get muddy in Kokland. JJ Hickson has done a nice job in PDX but somehow is losing time to the young Meyers Leonard. And Harrison Barnes is emerging as a strong rookie candidate. Of course he is because the Kok knows his rookies.
• Nickolas Batum has to be this years breakout star so far. He is a 7 category player right now and Brussels has to be loving it. The Muscles squad is off to a great start after last season's year long debacle. 
• How good is OJ Mayo playing right now? 21PPG while shooting 59% from downtown? Crazy hot start. What happens when Dirk comes back? 
• Which coach will get fired first? Randy Wittman in Washington or Keith Smart in Sacramento? I can see Wittman's excuse - he has no talent. He's missing John Wall and Nene. Keith Smart has plenty of talent to work with - he's just not a good coach. I think Smart is the next coach to go. 
• I was wrong about Dion Waiters. The kid can play. 
• James Harden, despite his 27-5-5 averages, is actually not ranked that high in Fantasy rankings. Could be the 44/25 shooting %'s. Plus, when you're shooting 25% from downtown and taking over 6 per game - that's gonna hurt. Still, 27-5-5 is pretty darn good.
• The Beach Ballers are still kickin' around with Lebron, Paul, Lopez, Jamal Crawford and Carl Landry holding things together. Kevin Love will certainly help this rebound starved (13th) team upon his return.
• Philly Woo's team is still in the hunt despite some unknowns still in his lineup. Can you believe Seoul is still trotting out Sefolosha, E'Twaun Moore, and Amir Johnson these days. Whatever, it's working because of the big horses he has up front. And MKG is proving to be a nice rookie pick at #3. 
• Yuma is using a very balanced approach for his squad. The Thurmans are led by Jennings and Collison in the backcourt and David Lee, Pau Gasol, and DeAndre Jordan up front. I also was impressed with Yuma picking up Marcus Morris and Dante Cunningham tonight off the free agent wire. That tells me Chubby is paying attention to who's hot on the wire. Well done.
• My patience is running thin with Ersan. He did have a biggish game tonight (current standards) with 10pts and 5rebs. If he doesn't turn it around I may regret trading away Josh Smith. I need Ilyasova to find his groove and get back to his 14-8-1-1 ways from last season. I think he can do it - it's just frustrating trotting him out there 3 weeks in a row and getting next to nothing from him. He really could be the key to a successful Golden season. I need him to turn it around. Is that enough positive thoughts Ersan? Come on man. 
• Timmy and I are off to see the Blazers play the Kings on December 8th. We're booked into the club seats in section 213. This is of course the all you can eat food section. Me, Hildy, and Tuna made this journey last year and the food is actually really really good. Looking forward to a roadie with Brussels - should be a lot of fun. And of course, we will do our best to make a deal. And yes, I'm working on acquiring a Blazer (or King) to root for that night. Stay tuned.

Well, that's it for tonight...enjoy your Sunday. Go Lions. 

2012 JBL Rookie Lottery Draft Results

Just for historical purposes...
Again, as long as these players remain on a JBL roster they will be eligible for 5 years protection. They can be traded and still be eligible for 5 years. Once dropped to the waiver wire - standard protecttion rules apply.


2012 JBL Rookie Draft 

1. October 14th - Maui - Anthony Davis $15 
2. October 15th - Brussels - Damian Lillard $12 
3. October 16th - Seoul - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist $10 
4. October 17th - Arctic - Bradley Beal $8 
5. October 18th - French Lick - Dion Waiters $7 
6. October 19th - Manhattan - Meyers Leonard $6 
7. October 20th - Chilliwack - Jared Sullinger $5 
8. October 21st - Bangkok - Harrison Barnes $4 
9. October 22nd - Chilliwack - Andre Drummond $3 
10. October 23rd - Golden - Jae Crowder $2 
11. October 24th - Golden - Thomas Robinson $1 
12. October 25th - Juan de Fuca - Terrence Jones $1 
13. October 26th - Montreal - Royce White $1 

Auction & Vegas

When we were doing the JBL Draft, my kid was in Vegas bringing home some hardware. Check it out...

http://www.langleyadvance.com/sports/Barcelona+runs+table+Vegas+tourney/7538862/story.html

Langley FC Barcelona cashed in at Las Vegas recently.

The soccer team consisting of nine-year-old boys won its division at the Mayor's Cup Tournament, which ran Oct. 2628 in Sin City.

In FC Barcelona's first game the morning of Oct. 27, the local boys romped to 12-0 victory. over the host team of the tournament, the Downtown Las Vegas Soccer Club Rapids.

Langley FC's goal scorers were Tommy Millar and Nolan Premack with four each, and Sevak Lehal, Keishean Francois, Ryan Edwards, and Ishaan Sidhu with singles.

Nolan Premack and Karmveer Rai shared the shutout.

In FC Barcelona's second game later that evening, Langley went up against a very tough Las Vegas Heat club.

The local boys jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes on goals by Francois and Mandev Sarai.

Langley FC had a couple of chances to put the game away but was unable to find the back of the net.

Late in the second half, the Heat got one back on a penalty shot.

The game ended with a 2-1 win for Langley FC.

The morning of Oct. 28, in the semifinal, Barcelona was matched up against a very difficult side from Central California Alliance.

"The boys had to battle for everything in this match," Barcelona head coach Steve Millar said.

The game proved to be an exciting end to end battle, that looked destined to be settled by penalty kicks, thanks to what Millar described as "incredible goalkeeping by Nolan Premack and the California 'keeper," and some tenacious defending by both teams.

However, with fewer than six minutes left, Langley FC was able to put the game away, when Edwards was able to knock a ball into the box and find Tommy Millar alone about 10 yards out from goal.

From there, Millar calmly one-timed a shot into the corner past the diving 'keeper to lift Langley to a 1-0 win.

In the final, played in the middle of the afternoon in the Las Vegas heat, Barcelona was matched up against Real Colorado Olympico, a team described by Millar as "very skill-ful and physical."

Langley jumped out to an early lead in the first three minutes off a Millar free kick from 25 yards out, that sailed into the corner past a diving 'keeper.

From there Langley pressed and put a lot of pressure on Colorado for the rest of the half.

It remained 1-0 until halftime.

Then, with about 15 minutes left in the game, Langley FC went up 2-0, when Millar scored on a penalty kick.

The score remained that way until the last minute, thanks to the tenacious defence of Langley FC's back three, Lehal, Cadell Rees, and Rai.

In the final minute, Colorado scored on a penalty shot past an otherwise unbeatable Premack to finish off the day's scoring.

"The boys battled extremely hard all weekend long against bigger and older boys, and it was amazing to watch these nine-year -lds conduct themselves, both on and off the field, with such class and sportsmanship," Millar said. "A truly great experience that these nine-year-olds and all of the parents and coaches will not soon forget."

The team roster for this trip included, in coach Millar's words:

. Nolan Premack, who was regarded by many observers at the tournament as the top goalkeeper of the U10 age bracket;

. The defensive three that made Langley so difficult to beat: Lehal, Rai, and Rees.

. Edwards, who dominated the central midfield with his tireless work ethic and great skill.

. Striker Millar, who led the way with seven goals in four games, including three game-winning strikes during the tournament.

. The three other key members who worked tirelessly and displayed a lot of skill, taking on defenders and scoring timely goals. They are wingers Sidhu, Francois, and Sarai.

Barcelona FC is coached by Millar and managed by Moe Sidhu.

Read more: http://www.langleyadvance.com/sports/Barcelona+runs+table+Vegas+tourney/7538862/story.html#ixzz2CBBeNH5h

Week 2 Observations...

Well, here we are in week 2 and I have to admit it's pretty nice having a full 82 game schedule this year. The world of Fantasy Basketball is a marathon and not a sprint. Where your team sits in the Standings on November 8th really doesn't matter - it's where you sit on that last night in April that really counts. So, some quick hitters on the season so far...

• After getting mocked post-Auction the Seoul Brothers have quickly righted the ship. 5 Free Agents on the squad already and a typical low scoring, balanced roster is now in Seoul. Marc Gasol is now the best Gasol. 
• No trades yet in the JBL?
• Dallas is 4-1 without Dirk Nowitzki. OJ Mayo and Collison playing awesome right now
• San Antonio is 4-1 behind a 29 year old Duncan? No wait, he's still old. He's just playing like a 29 year old.
• Minnesota is mostly white guys. Fun team to watch. They have 8 white guys on the roster right now and can add Love and Rubio down the road. Awesome. AK47 is playing like his former self back in the day when he went for huge JBL dollars.Brandon Roy is not. 
• I love my Trail Blazers but they have to have the worst bench in the NBA. Maybe the worst bench of any NBA team in the last 10 years. Seriously. Their bench is horrible. 
• The Pistons are 0-5. Stuckey can't throw it in the ocean from a boat. The only bright spots appear to be Monroe, Knight and Drummond. You can get rid of everyone else. Joe D needs to go. The full rebuild should begin. Let Drummond play. Let Singler play. Let English play. Dump the rest of them.
• I'm not a fan of Keith Smart. He has some decent talent in Sac-town but his rotations make no sense. I don't think he lasts the season. Isaiah Thomas is putting up decent %'s but how can he only have 7 assists in 5 games? He's your point guard? He also has 13 TO's. Someone needs to be moved. My guess is it will be Tyreke.
• Another coach I'm not a fan of? Kevin McHale. I get why Houston acquired all these 1st round picks in order to acquire a superstar. That didn't work so they picked Lamb, White and Jones. They were able to get Harden via trade but Jones and White have yet to play a single minute?? Really? Couldn't find your 2 remaining 1st rounders a single minute Kevin? Not a minute? Really? Even Daquan Cook got 6 minutes.
• Another non-friendly fantasy coach? Scott Skiles. Milwaukee was nice enough to invest 5 years and 40 million dollars into Ersan Ilyasova over the summer. So far, in 3 games, he's made a total of 7 buckets. He's only playing 24 minutes a game. I'm sure the owner loves it when he forks out 40 million bucks for a guy to sit on the bench. 
• Kyrie Irving is averaging 25-6-5 so far. Kid is a monster in the making and Montreal has him for 5 years. Very cool for them.
• The 3 best rookies so far this season? Davis, Lillard and Dion Waiters me thinks. I didn't like Waiters that much coming in but French called it. The kid can play. I wonder how much longer teams will hang onto rookies that just aren't performing? Will Montreal keep Royce White much longer? 
• Yuma's in 3rd place and has a strong roster. Nice to see Chubby in the hunt.
• Maui's in 13th but he's played 15 less man games than everyone else. A healthy roster with Wade, Nowitzki, Carmelo, Pierce, Nash, Unibrow, Varejao, Lou Williams and others will not finish last. Mark my words.
• I'm pleased with Golden's start to the season. I've only had 2 Josh games so far and I'm right in the thick of things. Go team go.
• Brussels is off to a great start. He's trying to make up for a forgettable 2011/12 season where he set records for sucking.
• Lakers are 1-4 and look horrible. Antawn Jamison is averaging 3.8PPG. What's up with that? Last year he averaged 17ppg and 6reb. What happened to him over the summer?
• As I type this the Wack is in 1st place. He's using his own pythageron theory to build a roster around Durant, Griffin, and Mayo that could be very tough to beat. Some of the names around the big 3 do seem a bit underwhelming - Sullinger, Drummond, Wright, Gerald Green, Seraphin - not exactly household names. However, it's working.  

Well, that's all for tonight. Friday will be a busy night on the NBA schedule...