- First off, Brussels must be ecstatic that Beasley didn't go off for big numbers as soon as he was dropped. Safe to say, doesn't look like the Beez will be an 'add' anytime soon
- Speaking of the Suns, they beat the Kings tonight and for the first time that I can remember actually played a somewhat structured rotation (unlike the Kings). Gortat had his first big game in a long time (14-13 and 6 blocks) against a struggling DeMarcus Cousins (1/10FG). And to think I had offered Big Baby for him a week ago.
- Speaking of Glen Davis - he took a shot at Dwight Howard in his post-game interview tonight. He described their win over the T-Wolves as a 'team effort' and they are 'no longer about one guy'. It was pretty cool for him to say it and for tonight, he was right. And Golden appreciates his 28 and 5 tonight on 13/17 shooting.
- Arctic must be digging Ibaka's 25 and 17 tonight. As I mentioned in the latest poll, Ibaka is destined to go back to Auction next fall. I wonder what his price will be?? $50? $60? He's posting monstrous numbers this season and is only getting better.
- Arctic's still in 3rd place and has a pretty good battle going on with Montreal and others. I'm anxious to see what Utah does with all those big men soon. Will Favors finally be unleashed? Arctic is 10th in rebounds and could use some more PT from this kid.
- Montreal continues to hang with the big boys behind the play of Kyrie, Dwight, and a solid cast of very good role players (AK47, JJ, Ridnour, etc). Now he's getting Rubio back into the mix and he'll also be adding Amare in the next week or so. The Poutang has a chance to gain some major points in the coming weeks. I also like this team because he has 3 T-Wolves. I find myself watching their games all the time (I have 2 T-Wolves). They are the whitest team in the NBA in a long time and they run and run and run. Fun team to watch. When are they coming to Portland? Roadtrip!
- Yuma has hit rock bottom. The Thurmans are now in 13th place after being hit pretty hard by injury. Kyle Lowry has been injured. Pau Gasol has been a HUGE disappointment so far. And even Kawhi Leonard missing time has impacted this roster. Throw in disappointing starts for Humphries and Gerald Henderson and I can see why this team has fallen so fast. The MVP of this team has to be David Lee as he is once again putting up monster numbers for the very surprising Golden State team. Lee will certainly be a likely target of many contending teams when it comes time to load up for the stretch drive.
- Idaho has been quiet lately. From his Facebook photos it appears he's in Mexico. Idaho's on a bit of a resurgence right now and he's almost back to 600 points in the standings. He's riding this monster team of rebounders back to mediocrity. 8 man games tonight and he hauled in 57 rebounds. Well done. This is a very typical Idaho squad built around scoring (3rd) and steals (1st) while pretty much ignoring other categories. He's 13th in FG% and 12th in 3PT%. Add in 13th in blocks and you can see where the struggles come from.
Alright, switching gears now. I think I'll look at some of the guys I like for next year as potential keepers. I know, I know, it's not even Christmas but what the heck. I'll try to pick a couple of guys out of left field if I can...
- Arctic - how about Raymond Felton. He's only $14 bucks and is putting up very solid numbers in NY. Now is that because Amare has been out? I guess we'll find out. Check this comparison out...
Here's a look at the numbers between Curry ($44) and Felton ($14). If Curry is worth his salary (and that could be low because of his injury risk) then isn't Felton worth $19 as a keeper. Yes, Curry has the edge in most categories but Felton is having a very good year. Others to watch in Arctic include Faried and Favors of course.
- Bangkok has a couple of potential keepers as well. How about Evan Turner's breakout season? Or General Greivis taking charge of the Pelicans? Will Harrison Barnes rookie season develop into something keeper worthy? Will JJ Hickson's double-double convince the Kok to keep him? Too early to tell with this bunch me thinks.
- The Brussels squad might as well throw the 5 year contract at Damian Lillard right now. This $12 dollar rookie isn't going anywhere. Honestly, what would it take to get him from Timmy? Would Tim trade him for anyone right now? Would Timmy trade him for a $3 dollar Derrick Rose? What if Seoul offered him Kobe? Is it about right now or the next 5 years? Besides Lillard, Timmy has cheap promising players on his roster. Patrick Patterson ($1) is having a nice season. Nicola Vucevic ($1) has been very good in Orlando. What about Batum at $30 bucks? He's become an all round Shawn Marion in his prime type player.What about Jeff Teague at $11 bucks? So many choices on this roster. The first task is to move up in the Standings so he can keep more of them.
- The Wack is contending and licking his lips over his potential keepers. OJ Mayo and Paul George could both be back again at the current rate. Mayo $12 and George $13 are exceeding all expectations so far. Then Benny has his rookie pick Andre Drummond sitting there for just $3 bucks. As stated before, I didn't think this kid would be that good - boy, I was wrong. Benny also has emerging Kevin Seraphin in Washington for just $1 dollar. And would Benny consider keeping Durant for $78 bucks. He's probably worth every penny at that price the way he's been playing.
- French has to toss Ty Lawson back into the Auction next fall. Finally, the rest of us will have a chance to get our hands on this little speed demon. Zach Randolph $21 is having a resurgent year. He's 2nd in the NBA in rebounds! And what about Chris Kaman $8? Where will he be playing next season? He's injury prone but seems to be able to get 14 and 7 in his sleep. Plus, the hair. I even think Austin Rivers for $1 buck is worth keeping an eye on. Sure, he has a long way to go to become a 'good player' even - but he's worth watching.
- Golden has a bunch of options as well. Big Baby, Ryan Anderson, and Pekovic would all be contenders based on how they've played so far this season. Biyombo and Shved could be longer term options and I'm interested in seeing how their playing time goes through the season. I think they both have potential. Is Jose Calderon $5 worth a look if he finds the right home? And what to do with those middle priced studs on opposite ends of their careers (Duncan and Young)?
- Idaho has James Harden for just $13 bucks and he can be protected one more year. Idaho also has George Hill for $5 bucks and he's really having a good start to the season. Of course, the big name that Idaho has in the stable is Derrick Rose for just $3 bucks. This was a crafty late round selection in the Auction. As our current constitution states - any player drafted in the Auction can be protected. Had Rose been signed as a Free Agent he would have had to play at least 20 NBA regular season games (again in the JBL Constitution). So, Idaho will likely have Derrick Rose on his team for $8 bucks next season. Hey, I like Derrick Rose, and he's worth way more than $8 bucks but he's not a fantasy superstar in my mind. Last year he shot 43 and 31. Sure, he averaged 22 and 8 but he didn't get more than 1 steal a game. Idaho could have some great keepers in Rose, Harden, and Hill but I wouldn't go and hand him any trophies for next season just yet. Remember, Tuna had Andrew Bynum, James Harden, Isaiah Thomas and Ricky Rubio to start this season. Things don't always work out as planned.
- Juan de Fuca is following up their success from last season and continue to climb in the standings. They have Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker as cheap PG options for next season. I also really like David West at $16 bucks. Yes, he's 31 years old and is playing for a new contract but man, I really like him. I also like their recent acquisition of Enes Kanter off the waiver wire. If Utah moves Millsap and/or Jefferson and let this kid play - Juan could have another keeper on their hands.
- Manhattan Beach has Brook Lopez for $26 bucks and he intrigues me. Sure, he's had some injury problems and he can't rebound but for that price he's really good. He's averaging 18 and 7 with 40 blocks in 16 games. Wow. I like those numbers. Jamal Crawford ($2) is certainly turning some heads with his bench play in LA. He's a notoriously bad shooter so 43/38 is certainly an improvement. Kevin Love is just $44 bucks. I say "just" because had he not been hurt to start the season he would have gone for so much more. Is he worth $49 bucks as a keeper? Absolutely. Do you feel like MBB has a huge advantage going into next season because he has Love for $49? No, not at all. And the biggest question - will MBB keep Lebron for $82? It seems like forever since Lebron was in the Auction.
- Maui has a couple of potential locks for next season. The Unibrow will be back in Maui. It would probably take a monster offer to get him out of there. Chandler Parsons ($4) is having a really good year in Houston so far. He's a 6 category guy right now and is really undervalued. Varejao ($16) is playing like a man possessed. Will he still be in Cleveland though? I just finished talking about Love being $49 dollars - well, Carmelo can be had for the same price. He's only averaging 28ppg and 6reb while shooting 47/46. Is he worth the money?
- Montreal has Kyrie locked in for another few years. Rubio can be protected for $20 bucks but that would be his last season before going back to Auction. Jason Thompson is just $1 dollar and is a very serviceable PF these days. Amare is only $28 bucks and he could have value for next season if the Knicks can figure out how to use him. I'm sure they'd love to ship him out of town. Would a team like Charlotte be interested? Lord knows they need a star. Does Amare have a no trade clause? Anyways, he could have some value at $33 bucks - if he can stay healthy. Is Jeremy Lin worth a look for $17? Is Kirilenko worth $25? A lot of potential here for next season.
- Seoul, as usual, is built for present day. However, MKG has great keeper potential but I know Seoul would move him in a heartbeat if he could improve his chances at getting into the money spots. Tyler Zeller ($1) is an interesting player here too because of Varejao's situation. Zeller could be thrust into a starting role is the Cavs move Andy and don't get a big man in return.
- Yuma has Brandon Jennings for $22 bucks and he could be back for one more season. He could also find a new home in the NBA if Milwaukee decides to part ways. Arron Afflalo ($14) has some potential depending on what Orlando decides to do in the coming months. They are certainly not as bad (record-wise) as I thought they would be. Kawhi Leonard ($10) was called the face of the franchise by Coach Pop earlier this year. Let's see if he can improve his numbers to earn that title. Right now, I'd say he's borderline at best. And if Jason Kidd wasn't 47 years old I'd say he'd be worth a look at that cheap price.
Well, that's that for tonight. Time to hit the sack...then go to bed.
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