Week 11 - A New Year is coming...

It's December 31st. New Year's Eve. We are just over 40% into the NBA/JBL season and there is one constant. The Maui Ribs. Despite covid protocols ravaging all the JBL teams, Maui has been able to maintain his lead and stay in the 1200 point range this entire team. It's exciting to watch. How can you not route for this squad?

I'm not doing a long drawn out post today. Just something short and sweet I think as I wanted to keep up my weekly posts. I think today will just be about something for each JBL team to look forward to in 2022.

For Maui, it's just more the same. The team has been amazing. The depth guys have been great. And to think, is Maui really needs to bolster the roster - he could leverage LaMelo and Mobley or even Bane to get some more talent on board to try and bring home his first ever title. And I think back to how this Maui roster came together. It was the summer of 2020 when Maui can actually thank one of his main title contenders for this epic season. Go back to the 2020 rookie draft when Bangkok took James Wiseman and that left LaMelo Ball to fall into Maui's lap. With that luck, it also meant that Maui would be protecting Lonzo Ball and the creation of the "B team" was formed. While the theme team didn't work out in 2020, it created the foundation, the Ball Brothers, and led to another high rookie pick in this year's draft. And yet again, luck strikes twice as Maui went with Eric Mobley over Jalen Green. Bingo bango bongo. The core of Maui was born....

A healthy Bangkok side needs more excellence from his role players. The Kok has done extremely well signing FA's this year and has had great production from guys like Luke Kennard, Cody Martin, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Herb Jones. Kok needs to keep finding those gems and get that same solid production. And if he needs to bolster the squad, will the Kok consider selling Scottie Barnes or Anthony Edwards for upgrades? We know there are offers for them but will the Kok bite. I will say that there is nothing worse than selling off fantastic keepers and not winning. 

And keep an eye on French Lick. Rocketing up the standings and now likely Maui's main threat to a title - the 4 time champs are still awaiting the return of Klay Thompson and Jonathan Isaac. Although there has been little in the way of info about when Isaac will be back. French's biggest weakness (10th) is his 3PT%. And he's getting Klay back? Hmmmm. Can French reel in Maui? 

The Wack is firmly in 4th and he's done it without much from Luka or Ja. They just can't stay healthy. But what if they were both healthy and added to Kevin Durant et al? And what if the Wack could get some ATO? I think the Wack would just like to see his big 3 all be on the court at the same time. And we know that the Wack will be stacked for next season with Morant and Doncic as prized keepers.

Juan de Fuca wants more of the same from Franz Wagner. I think I've undersold this kid. He's just $4 dollars and could be a 5 year keeper. He's having an amazing rookie season and is only going to get better. Can Juan crack the top 4? Maybe, just maybe. 

Brussels just wants Ben Simmons. That is all. Well, that and maybe some more FA dollars. 

Golden just wants it to be over. A good name team but not a good numbers team. Currently with 10 medical signs this season any hope of making a 2nd half charge is likely over. A likely 5th to 8th finish for 3 keepers is now the goal for this uninspiring squad.

Idaho is currently in 8th and continues to search for answers on the FA wire. A top 8 finish would be a fantastic result for this squad. I think any FA player signed in Idaho can expect to have their heart broken at some point as no matter how well you do (ie. Coby White) you are likely to get sent packing for another hot FA prospect. 

Seoul still projects well as a team and should be a strong top 8 contender. I'm sure Phil would love to see Zion return at some point but that seems less and less likely as each week passes. Seoul really just wants Josh Hart to continue his strong play so he can debate who's better - Josh Hart or Keldon Johnson. 

Arctic is still hanging around. I'm sure he'd like to see a healthy roster in 2022. His current bench of Towns, AD, and Russell are all out and he's anxiously awaiting to see Kyrie put up some numbers as well. Don't rule out a late season charge from this squad.

The Jizzlies are up to 8 medical signs now as well. But I think the most promising thing on this squad is still Cade Cunningham and his potential of being a cornerstone player for next season. 

Cali has been quiet recently. The international theme team didn't exactly work. At least they have Timelord as a building block for next season. Did you see his triple double game today with 2 steals and 5 blocks. Stud. 

Bellingham would love to see some signs of life. It's like riding a bicycle but not in gear. Sure, you'll roll forward a bit, but you aren't really going anywhere. And no matter how hard you peddle, you don't go any faster. The key for Ham is to stay out of the basement and be able to protect Kawhi for next season. That's all that matters.

In what should actually be an interesting battle - the race out of 14th is actually a thing. Look, no one wants to finish last. Period. And of course, if you do, you don't get any keepers! None. Zip. Zilch. So that's not good. So I'm hopeful that Norfolk gives it the old college try and does everything he can to get out of the basement and get himself a keeper. I'm not sure who that prized keeper is yet or if that keeper is even on this roster yet - but I'm hoping Norfolk keeps grinding. Go on Doc. Give it a go.

Well gents - that's all for now. Short and sweet. Just a little something and light reading as 2021 comes to a close. All the best boys. Have a great New Year and looking forward to watching the title (and toilet) race in 2022. 

Week 10 - Christmas Chronicles. Dear Santa....

It’s that time of year. Christmas is here. The NBA and JBL teams are being ravaged by health and safety protocols. JBL teams are trying to figure out their chances - which is much harder to do in a year like this with so many uncertainties and unknowns. Nevertheless, my week 10 chronicles is all about the wish list for each JBL team. And I will do my best to avoid the ‘stay healthy’ part as that clearly applies to all 14 JBL rosters these days.

OK here we go….

Belllingham – as I write this, Ham is now our 14^th place team. If the season finished today – that would mean no Kawhi as a keeper. So, this is not the place Ham wants to finish obviously. So how does he get himself out of the basement? It’s about trying to find those categories that you can gain points in and which categories are write-offs. Like blocks – Ham isn’t going to catch anyone – so is Jarrett Allen really an asset to the squad? Could he be swapped for someone to get some steals or more ATO or some 3PT%? Trying to move up to get a 2^nd keeper (9^th-12^th) should be the short-term target. Is there a 2^nd worthy keeper on this roster right now? Is it Cole Anthony? If it isn’t him, acquiring a possible 2^nd keeper should be priority on the Santa wish list. On top of that, return to form for Dinwiddie would be nice. His 12ppg must be very disappointing. At this stage, just doing anything would be good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv61yEcOqpw

Norfolk – it’s been awhile since Norfolk was out of the basement. So now that they are in 13^th they would be looking at 1 keeper. The big question is – who is that stud keeper for next season? So far, I don’t see one here on this roster. So that should be the #1 item for Santa this holiday season – a STUD keeper. Norfolk has the assets with guys like JJJ, Beal, Porzingis and a few others that could help out contending JBL rosters. Need some FG% - come get Montrezl Harrell. Need some scoring – hello Mr. Beal. Need some blocks – welcome JJJ or Porzingis or Drummond. So Santa – bring Norfolk that stud keeper.

Cali – the theme team continues and I think we can see how difficult this idea can be. Maui tried the all B names last year and Cali’s international squad is seeing similar success (or lack there of). I do see room for improvement with this roster. Let’s face it – missing 2 weeks of Giannis is going impact some categories. It seems a big rebounder would be nice gift from Santa. Cali is just 45 rebounds away from +60 points. Cali could go +26 with some better 3pt shooting too. And like the other teams, does Cali have that sure-fire stud keeper for next season? I think Timelord is that guy. But is there another one? And does that player have to be an international player? Or is this theme team a one-year wonder?  Is Dillon Brooks worth $7 bucks (not in my eyes – but hard to ignore almost 20ppg).  Cali just needs to make sure that he has some good keeper options ready for next season. I appreciate whoever took the time to put this together. 

  

Idaho – oh boy, Santa gets 67 letters a month from this guy already. But what’s one (or several) more present for under the tree? This stars and scrubs team really wants consistency. He’s got his keepers lined up for next season. He’s got the big name players. And then he’s got all these FA’s that are hot and cold. But the one thing Idaho could use would be some Nick Nurse faith in Chris Boucher. Imagine if could go back to that stretch last season where he was almost a nightly double-double with multiple blocks per game? And since Idaho likes to be greedy – what about a return to 2017 form for Victor Oladipo? Or how about a trade for Marvin Bagley? Idaho’s like the kid who walked into Hamley’s in London and wants a hundred gifts from every floor.  

 

Seoul – the former champion is fading away with all these man-games missed. Seoul has now played the fewest JBL games in the league. When that happens, the counting JBL categories – points, rebounds, steals and blocks are really impacted. Seoul is now last in Points so when you only get 20 points from that category – winning the title is going to be tough. So what does Seoul want to Christmas. How about a magic 8 ball so he can determine if Zion is going to be of any use this year (or next)? Does Seoul keep him and just reside himself that this year is over and he can start again with Zion and others next season. Or does he go for it – sell Zion off for major assets and try to make a run?  I know what I would be doing – but a magic 8 ball that could confirm the best route to go would be very handy right about now.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Les52Y0QIzQ

 

Arctic – while the shine has come off the Circle Jerks recently due to players missing time – there is still hope.  That hope comes in the return, for away games, from Kyrie Irving. Arctic must be hoping that Santa brings him 30ppg games from him – since he’s got to make up for lost time. As currently constructed, I think 5^th to 8^th and 3 keepers is a good target to shoot for. Also, could Santa maybe talk some sense into Kyrie? But hey, to each their own. Please Santa – bring Arctic some hyped up Kyrie for Xmas. https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-basketball-news-just-kyrie-irving-things-4-instances-of-him-saying-some-absolute-weird-stuff/

 

Vancouver – a recent mover to the left hand side of the Scoreboard, the Jizzlies are starting to climb the ladder. I think the 2 things the Jizz would like under the tree is for the Cade breakout to continue and for CJ McCollum to either find his game or a new home. Cade is up to 19-6-6 with 17 steals in last 10 games. He’s also shooting 44% from deep. So yes please, some more of that. That’s like getting more gravy on your turkey and mashed potatoes. Please sir, may I have some more? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex2r86G0sdc. Also, it does appear Portland is ready and willing to shake things up. It has to be CJ doesn’t it? So what does he play like without Dame? Will he expand his game? Or will he still be 2^nd fiddle? A big move for CJ could be most excellent for the Jizzlies.

 

Juan de Fuca – when you look at the Juan roster you won’t find many true point guards. Is it any wonder then this team is 13^th in ATO? So Santa, how about bringing Juan some ATO. Juan is 1^st in blocks so maybe they could move a shot-blocker for some ATO? There could be some good trading partners out there as some teams have decent ATO and need blocks. Now, has Juan been the initiator of any recent offers? I wonder.  Juan hasn’t made many trades lately in the JBL – likely because they need all 3 heads of the syndicate to agree on things. And we all know what that’s like! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxRkHXisdzU  

 

Brussels – our defending champ is currently in 6^th place. Guess what he wants from Santa. I think it could be one of two things. Either a new brain for Daryl Morey and/or a trade for Ben Simmons. How long is this going to drag on for? Everyone knows who Ben is and what his strengths and weaknesses are. No one needs to see him return to the court to see what he can do. Get on with it already. How many different trade offers and permutations of a deal can be thought of? It’s getting to be too much. I feel like my brain is starting to fail me reading all of this nonsense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_AOfzrQYV0

 

Golden – sitting in the worst possible spot in the standings – 5^th place currently. Why is this the worst spot? Firstly, you missed out on a ‘money spot’ – if that really matters to anyone anymore. You also missed out on 4 keepers and now just get 3 players. And to top it off – you only get 5 ping pong balls in the rookie lottery. If you are going to miss out on the money spots and only get 3 keepers  - you might as well shoot for 8^th. 3 keepers and 8 lottery balls. Anyways, Golden needs some stocks for Christmas. Plain and simple. Golden’s steals have been better this week but there are still no blocks in site. Nurkic and Holmes and Beef Stew have not been pulling their weight at all. It might be time for Santa to bring the Godfather some of this guy. Mother of Pearl!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY2nVQNlUB8

 

French Lick – slowly but surely the 4-time champ is climbing the points totals. Up to 4^th now and anxiously awaiting the return of Klay Thompson. Who? That’s right. He’s the forgotten man. Does anyone remember how French acquired Klay? It was last year in a deal with Idaho. Klay for Duncan Robinson was the deal. I know. Easily forgotten. Anyways, I’m sure French is asking Santa to the return to glory Klay Thompson. He’s been out of the league for 2+ years and it’s hard not to route for this unknown guy.  Good luck Klay.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t40e3kaHmrs

 

Bangkok – still in 2^nd with a firm grasp on his….2^nd place.  The Kok needs blocks. Plain and simple. I bet Kok would like Santa to bring him some Mark Eaton or Tree Rollins or maybe this guy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtXtOuxBuvQ. Did you know Bangkok is 1^st or 2^nd in 4 of the 7 JBL categories right now. Very impressive. There’s another 26 points easily available in the blocks category and the return of Capela will help that. But can the Kok also manage his role players effectively to make a push on Maui. We’ve already seen him drop Cody Martin. Who is next? Does Luke and Herbert overstay their welcomes too? Some delicate management will be needed over the holiday season. But please Santa, bring the Kok some blocks.

 

Maui – the Ribs are 1^st or 2^nd in five JBL categories right now. What a year this has been for the 31 year JBL veteran. Maui has weathered the storm already missing games from Embiid, LaMelo, and now Mobley and VanVleet all missing time. Maui should be wishing for a groundhog day like effect from now until the end of the season. Just keep this gravy train rolling. No changes. Keep going strong. I’m not sure any of us believed this could be happening. I’m not sure Maui realizes the position he’s in. The opportunity is there. I know I saved the WhatsApp comment (Oct 28) that Bangkok stated he would be off to Vegas to drown his sorrows in a seedy dive bar if Maui wins the title. Which of course, only reminds me of this….the greatest rejected commercial of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUdMEe4DmyQ

 

There you have it. Christmas Chronicles. Enjoy the holiday season my friends. All the best to you and yours from your JBL Commish.

Week 9 - The way too early list of keepers I like....

Here’s my WAY too early list of potential keepers for 2022/23 (JBL 32).  As I’ve said here many times before, having a good crop of keepers heading into the Auction can set up teams for great success. So, ask yourself this, do I have great keepers for next season? By the way, the keeper deadline, as always, is All Star weekend. If you want to potentially protect a player for next season he must be on your roster by the Sunday midnight PST after the All-Star game (Sunday, February 20^th).

 

So, what makes a good keeper? I would say a couple things factor into who to keep for next season. First and foremost, do you like the player or enjoy watching him/his team play? Fantasy basketball is supposed to be fun so I do think this plays a small part. But be careful, don’t just keep someone because he’s on your favourite team. You have to use your head as much as your heart. Second, how much do you think you are saving in terms of what you would pay for the player as well as what you think the astute JBL owners would pay for that player? What is the players actual value versus how much you can protect him for? You should also consider category scarcity. If everyone is protecting shot-blockers and you are on the fence about your guy – maybe you should keep your shot-blocker too otherwise you’ll have to pay $33 bucks for someone like Isaiah Stewart. This can also backfire if you think there is a lack of big men in the auction so you protect Jusuf Nurkic instead of Tyrese Haliburton. So, there is no sure fire method I guess is what I’m saying. Do what you want!! HAHA

 

OK, enough about what I think makes a good keeper. Let’s get into some of the top keepers for 2022/23 (in my humble opinion). I’ll include their keeper price (add $5 to current JBL salary) as well as how many more years they can be protected (which should be a factor). Stats up to Dec 16/21.

 

1.    LaMelo Ball – Maui – keeper price = $22 dollars – 3 years

How good has he been? The numbers are elite at 20-8-8 with 55 stocks in 24 games. He’s shooting 39% from downtown on 7+ attempts per game. What does he go for at auction? $40? $50? More? An absolute gem and I’ve got him at #1 since he has another 3 years of protection availability. And just for comparison (cause you know I like those) – here’s another elite player/keeper – 26-8-8 with 33 stocks in 21 games while shooting 45/33. Who is better? LaMelo? Or his comparison – Luka Doncic?

 

2.    Kawhi Leonard – Bellingham - Keeper price = $7 bucks – 2 years

We all know what Kawhi can do when healthy. We’ve seen him go for over $50 bucks at auction. Maybe even $60+ if memory serves. The key word with Kawhi has always been ‘health’. We saw in 20/21 that a healthy Kawhi Leonard was able to help Brussels win his first ever JBL title. If he can come back healthy, then you’re getting a potential superstar at a fraction of the price. It means your $260 budget is really more like $300 bucks when you factor in the potential savings. He would be the #1 keeper if always healthy.

 

3.    Evan Mobley – Maui – keeper price = $17 – 4 years

Staying in Maui to create a potential dynamic duo with LaMelo we find ourselves looking at Evan Mobley. The Cavaliers have thrown him right into the fire and he’s responded with 14 and 8+ with almost 2 blocks a game. He can shoot (48%) and even his ATO is respectable for a rookie big man. Skies the limit for this kid I think.

 

4.    Scottie Barnes – Bangkok – keeper price = $14 – 4 years

Another outstanding rookie who could be on your team for another 4 seasons with $5 incremental salary bumps. Ummm, yes please. Averaging 15 and 8 with good stocks and shooting really well in TO. Plus, under Nick Nurse, as with most Raptors, he’s playing 36 minutes a night as a rookie!

 

5.    Cade Cunningham – Vancouver – keeper price = $20 bucks – 4 years

While his stats haven’t measured up to some of the other rookies this year, his potential is sky high and he appears to be figuring things out. He’s up to 16-6-5 with 43 stocks in 21 games. His 3PT% is climbing and he’s the cornerstone piece for a rebuilding Detroit franchise.

 

6.    Ja Morant – Chilliwack – keeper price = $27 bucks – 2 more years.

Good luck prying him away from the Wack as Benny must be drooling over the Ja/Luka potential pairing in 22/23. Before his injury, I felt like he was on his way to the MIP award. He’s averaging 24-6-7 while shooting 48/36 and most impressively finally started to get those steals (30 steals in 19 games). Plus he’s fun to watch and a nightly highlight reel.

 

7.    Robert Williams – Cali – keeper price = $14 bucks – 1 more year

The Timelord was actually projected very highly coming into this season. He hasn’t lived up to all the hype but is still averaging 9 and 8 while shooting almost 75% from the field. Add in 50 stocks in 20 games and he can be an anchor in the middle for any contending JBL team.

 

8.    Anthony Edwards – Bangkok - $19 – 3 more years

The kid is having a solid 2^nd season averaging 22ppg and almost 6 rebounds. The %’s are getting better and while the ATO isn’t the best he’s added 64 stocks in 28 games!! On many nights, he’s become the #1 scorer in Minnesota and we all know how valuable scoring can be in the JBL.

 

9.    Jakob Poeltl & Alperen Sengun – Brussels – keeper price = $16 and $10 – 1 year and 4 more years

Don’t shake your head at me. Brussels is defending champ and if I want to put 2 of his guys at #9 – I can do that – get your own blog. Mr. Poeltl already played an essential role in Brussels championship squad last season. And now, he’s even better. 12 and 9 and shooting over 60%. He’s averaging 1.6 blocks per game as well. The only downside is you’d only get to protect him for one more season. The upside play here is Mr. Sengun in Houston. I swear the Houston coaches have been told to limit his minutes because they aren’t playing him very much. The thing is, if you follow along on Twitter, everyone is saying he’s ALREADY their best player. The season long numbers are lower because he only plays 18 minutes per game. He’s averaging 9ppg, 5rebs, has 49 stocks in 27 games, shooting 50% and has a respectable ATO. And he’s doing that in 18 minutes!! The kid (aka The Gun) is a star in the making.

 

10. Bobby Portis – Juan de Fuca – keeper price $11 – 2 years

Another one you might not have seen coming but Crazy Eyes has been amazing this year. While Brook Lopez fades away into the sunset, Portis has taken full advantage of his opportunity and posted 16 and 9 with 45 stocks in 23 games. He’s also shooting 47% from the field and 41% from downtown (which is actually down from last season). He’s not the big sexy name but he’s providing value way above his JBL salary.

 

Honorable Mentions:

I’m going to include all the injured guys drafted at auction (or protected) who haven’t played yet.

So, I’m talking about Zion $30, Jamal Murray $15. Kyrie $22, Thomas Bryant $8 and Klay $15. All of these guys would go for way more than these salaries if they are healthy. But that’s the risk and reward factor. Can you really risk taking a chance on one of these guys and then get nothing from them? Getting a good keeper should be a major building block for your team in the coming year(s) so is it worth the risk keeping guys like this?

 

Anyways, there’s my annual way-too-early keeper ranks. I looked back over the Chronicles and it looks like I did keeper lists quite a bit – so I’m just keeping with tradition. And I know there are many more players worthy of protection. I see you Cole Anthony, Tyler Herro, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Trae Young, Terry Rozier, Richaun Holmes, Miles Bridges and on and on….

So - make sure you have yourself some guys you like for next season. Lots of time to still grab some - the deadline isn't until the NBA All Star break. 

Week 8 - The Role Player

We all love a good role player. We all need good role players. Plural. Just like any real NBA team our JBL teams need good role players to help balance out the roster. Sometimes JBL teams need 7-8 role players and sometimes we need just 3-4. Whatever the number, let's look at our JBL teams and give credit to the unsung heroes. I'm going to define a JBL role player as either a later round draftee for low dollars or a waiver wire pickup who has performed well so far this season. With that, let's dive in...

Arctic has a few good candidates in Maxey, Mills, and Davion Mitchell. Maxey has been singled out before because of just how good he's been in Philly without Simmons around. But I'm going to shout out Patty Mills here. A $1 dollar late round pick who would be playing more minutes with Kyrie out, Mills has been amazing from downtown shooting 46% from deep. He also has a 3:1 ATO and scoring 12ppg. We could all use a little Patty in our lives.

Bangkok found a couple gems in Cody Martin and Herb Jones on the waiver wire. So, let's look at another player comparison.

Player A - 6ppg, 2reb, 49/27 shooting, 20/19 ATO, 35 steals and 21 blocks

Player B - 7ppg, 3reb, 48/39 shooting, 41/29 ATO, 35 steals and 20 blocks

I don't know about you but Player B gets the nod for me as to who is the better fantasy asset. 

Player A is considered one of the best young wing defenders in the NBA. In fact, he was named to the ALL-NBA 2nd team last season. Player A is Matisse Thybulle and Player B is a 2021 2nd round draft pick named Herbert Jones. The kid is a defensive dynamo already. 

Bellingham found the breakout role player in Cole Anthony this season. Drafted for just $6 bucks none of us clearly expected him to put up 20-6-6 with a steal a game. Sure, the %'s aren't the greatest but it's these $6 dollar gems that get paired with big dollar stars that make for good fantasy teams.

Sometimes the key to a good role player is signing them just before they go on a hot streak. Brussels did just that when he snagged Kentavious Caldwell-Pope off the wire. In the 10 games KCP has appeared for Brussels he's shooting 48/47. On the year though, he's shooting just 43/40. So, that tells me Brussels picked him up at the perfect time. KCP is a solid role guy for the Wizards and is now proving his worth for the Muscles as well. 

Cali struck gold with Lu Dort off the waiver wire. Brussels drafted him and was hoping for the breakout season for the Montreal native. Instead, after 3 games, Brussels cast him aside. Cali swooped in and Mr. Dort is scoring almost 20ppg in Cali while shooting a very respectable 45/36. 

I didn't think he could be this good but Pat Connaughton has been a very nice addition in Chilliwack. Since he's been in the Wack he's shooting 47/42 and averaging almost 12ppg. He can grab a few boards and even gets some nice steals. And hey, his Tendex is 12.7 so he's doing a nice job. 

French's find was the Vandalorian - Jarred Vanderbilt. A per-minute monster last year has finally been turned loose in Minny and French is reaping the rewards. He doesn't score much but averages 8 rebounds per game and has 33 steals and 18 blocks in 24 games. I like him!

Golden prides himself with trying to find waiver wire gems and has done well this year with Caruso, Beverley, and Grayson Allen for a bit. But the real find on the opening night of free agency when FA money were thrown around like dollar bills in a strip club - was Jalen Brunson. He's averaging 14ppg and shooting 49% from the field. His ATO is an amazing 3.562. 

Idaho was a little harder to identify the "best" role player. You see the Pimps have already used 38 different player this season and most of the guys could be considered role players. Idaho had Herb Jones - but dropped him. Idaho had Kevin Love. Dropped him. He had Otto Porter. Dropped him too. Kevin Huerter? Yup. Briefly. Now the current crop of role guys consists of Bagley, Robinson-Earl, Jaden McDaniels, Doug McDermott and Terrence Davis. All have had their moments but Idaho needs more consistency from them as soon as possible. If I had to pick one - keep an eye on Terrence Davis - he's carving out quite the role in Sactown. Queue multiple Terrence Davis offers...

Juan de Fuca keeps hanging around. No Sexton and now no Michael Porter Jr. but they keep pushing for the top 4. While I like the Alec Burks signing I'm going with the $6 dollar Bobby Portis. He was set to play his off-the-bench role behind Brook Lopez but since the big man went down with back issues - Crazy Eyes has filled in admirably. 15 and 9 and shooting 47/40 and he's even blocked 20 shots in 21 games. Big year Bobby is in full force. 

Maui has been so good this year he almost hasn't needed to sign any role players. That said, he did find some late round gems that I've mentioned before. Desmond Bane ($7) and De'Anthony Melton ($3) have been very serviceable guys for Trev this season. Another couple under the radar types who've carved out more minutes because Dillon Brooks was out for so long. Now, they've shown to be too good to just go back to spot minutes. Maui is loving his Grizzlies. 

Some might argue that Norfolk is the JBL's role team this season. Nevertheless, the find for the appropriately named Norfolk 'n' Chance has been Cedi Osman. He's scoring 11ppg and shooting 46/41. A small glimmer of hope for Norfolk in otherwise dark times. 

Seoul is usually pretty good at finding some late round gems or waiver wire steals. Last year it was Terry Rozier for $1 in the late rounds (you're welcome) and this year he snagged Josh Hart and Gary Trent Jr. for $1 each. Trent is 4th in the NBA steals and Hart is always one of the better rebounding guards. Both are solid role players for the underachieving Brothers squad. 

Alphabetically last but not least our Vancouver Jizzlies may have found some real value in JaVale McGee. While he doesn't always post lines like he did tonight - anytime Ayton is out or in foul trouble - he's shown to be a very serviceable role player for the Suns and in the JBL. McGee is averaging 10 and 7 and has blocked 20 shots in 24 games. And he's doing all that in just 15 minutes a game. Yes, just 15 minutes a game. 

So there you have it Gents - a little dive into the world of JBL role players. You need them. You have to have them. And you need to identify the next guy who can help your squad. Wouldn't it have been nice to take a flyer on James Bouknight this week with all those Hornets out? Or maybe Caleb Martin in Miami while Jimmy rests his sore tailbone? Find those gems, use them for a week or two and then move on to the next hot commodity. Good luck to all in the hunt for the next breakout role player who can help your squad. 

Week 7

 

Week 7 NBA Thoughts

 ·         Watched the Suns and Warriors game. My takeaways:

o   Chris Paul is Mr. Clutch. Mid range master

o   Mikal Bridges will get some votes for DPOY. The job he did on Curry was spectacular. As the commentators said – that might have been the best 2 point game ever. Mikal had 4 steals and a block

o   I love Gary Payton II. Energy. Defense. Dunks. Great role player

o   Ayton continues to get better. He must be pissed he didn’t get that contract extension so now he’s ballin’

·    How much longer can the Kings go on like this? They just lost to the Lakers by 20+ points. Years ago that would be expected – but this is the 21/22 Lakers – the shitty version, with no LeBron. They’ve fired Walton and they are still getting destroyed OK, no Harrison Barnes last night but still. A trade has to be coming. Fire up the De’Aaron Fox for Ben Simmons rumours again. The hold up is probably due to the Kings insisting on the other team taking Marvin Bagley in the deal and the other teams saying ‘no way’.

·    The Blazers are 11-11. Dame is missing time. They clearly aren’t a title contender – so is he in the trade mix for Simmons again? Nurkic is a free agent. Some big decisions need to be made in PDX.

·    There was a lot of talk about the players who signed this offseason and cannot be traded until December 15^th. If the 76ers are waiting on this group of players – Morey is losing his mind. https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/09/players-who-cant-be-traded-until-december-15-5.html

·   The Clippers have 6 players averaging between 9.6 and 9.8 points per game. Weird.

·   Golden State is #2 in offense (113.1 ppg) and 1^st in defense (100.5ppg)

·   Phoenix is #4 in offense (112.2) and 7^th in defense (104.6)

·   Charlotte is #1 in offense (114.4) and last (30^th) in defense (114.9)

·   OKC is last in offense (98.5)

 

Week 7 JBL Observations:

 

We’re at the ¼ poll of the season. 25% of the year completed and we’re starting to see some separation between the contenders and the likely pretenders. Of course, injuries, JBL trades and NBA trades will still play a major part of the remaining 75% of the JBL season.

 

Maui continues to lead the way and this week he was able to get Embiid and Mobley back in this lineup. To be over 1100 points while missing 2 weeks from your #1 fantasy guy is quite impressive. The Ball brothers are fantasy dynamos. Add in guys like FVV, DeMar, Draymond, Lowry, Gordon, Bane and the list goes on. Maui is top 3 in five categories; 5^th in points and 8^th in FG%. Amazing start to the season. Maui is like the Cubs were….all those years in the league with no title. Could this be the year?

 

I was looking for some blocks on the waiver wire. Tough to find. But then I noticed something. Look at these block totals for the ENTIRE season.  

o   Drew Eubanks 17

o   Alex Len 15

o   Taj Gibson 14

o   Charles Bassey 7

o   Bam Adebayo 6

 

I know Bam isn’t on the FA wire and I’m not attempting to trade for him – but WHAT THE HECK? How does he only have 6 blocks? He’s played 592 minutes and has 6 blocks? Bassey has played 81 minutes and has 7 blocks. And I know that Charles Bassey isn’t a household name. But come on Bam!! I’m sure Brussels wants more. And now the news that Bam could be out for 4-6 weeks. The year of Bam just isn’t happening.

 

Bangkok continues to climb. At the time of this post he’s over 1000 points with a firm grip on 2^nd.  Strong in all categories except for blocks but with Capela’s arrival I see he could easily gain 3-4 spots in that category. I’d have to go with Dejounte Murray as his 25% MVP. He’s at 19-8-8 with 38 steals in 19 games. And his ATO is 3.477. And have you seen the steals this team is cranking out?? Dejounte, Edwards, Haliburton, Barnes, Mitchell…..I’ve seen them go 20+ steals in a single night (multiple times already). This is a dangerous Kok team. Kok’s best finish ever was a 2^nd place back in 2010 and he also had a 4^th place finish in 2017. I think this team can be a money team. Does he have enough to win the JBL title? That remains to be seen. He does have assets he could leverage to make additional improvements to the roster.  Would he really part with Edwards or Barnes to grab a bigger fish?

 

The Wack is in 3^rd and hanging around. Besides dealing with floods they are also dealing with no Ja Morant and no Harrison Barnes right now. I saw Morant on the sidelines of their game last night and he was moving around pretty good. Initially everyone thought it could be a torn ACL and now it looks like a fairly minor and short-term injury. The Wack is thankful.  Wack is 13^th in ATO and 10^th in blocks so there is room for improvement.

 

Golden is back in 4^th (at time of writing) but I wanted to mention just how bad my 3PT% has been recently.  Using my good friend Doug Stats I looked at the last 10 games for some of my jackers. Look at these results:

o   Miles Bridges 16/54 = 29.6%

o   Gordon Hayward 12/39 = 30.8%

o   Josh Giddey 10/40 = 25%

o   SGA 14/55 = 25.5%

o   Darius Garland 25/94 = 29.8%

o   Alex Caruso 10/32 = 31.2%

o   Brandon Ingram 12/41 = 29.3%

Those are just hideous results and it’s pretty much like a bad rash. It’s infecting the whole team. And because it’s everyone, it’s almost a category that I cannot recover.

 

5^th place French is currently 10^th in 3PT% and steals and 11^th in scoring. Missing games from Jaylen Brown and now LeBron is starting to add up. That said, I will never count this team out. Too much talent. Too much history. I’ll say it again, 1^st or 2^nd place in the JBL for 7 years in a row!!!

 

Seoul is now in 6^th. Just 3 weeks ago they were bottom-feeders. 10^th in scoring and 12^th in 3PT%. They’ve recently added Zach LaVine and Ayton and it looks like Zion will be back in December – so they should rise in scoring. The bargain pick here was Will Barton. What a year he’s having with Murray and MPJ out of the equation.

 

Arctic and Juan are still hanging around. 7^th and 8^th respectively at the moment. Arctic is doing far better than I projected while Juan has been hit hard by the injury bug. Juan lost Sexton and MPJ which is 40ppg combined really. I thought Juan did really well to snag Alec Burks and he’s been hot as of late. And Bobby Portis has been huge for the Bucks. Arctic could use some rebounds. If we turned back the clock about 3-4 years you wouldn’t think a team with KAT, Aldridge, Love, and Anthony Davis would be hurting for rebounds. Imagine if Arctic’s bench all came back healthy and to form – John Wall, Kyrie Irving, TJ Warren and Jalen Green.

 

Is anyone else enjoying the nightly flip-flopping of Idaho and Brussels? The defending champs are rising from the ashes (despite missing their highest priced player) while the gritty Idaho squad has taken the ‘Stars and Scrubs’ approach to new levels. Brussels could use some rebounds, steals and ATO (uhhhh, hello, Ben Simmons) while Idaho has 5 potential All-Stars and then maybe 4-5 guys who could be waiver wire fodder – or they could be impactful role players on any given night. We’ve seen Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have back-to-back double doubles and then go for 2 and 7. Isaac Okoro plays loads of minutes but is the 5^th option in Cleveland when he’s on the floor. Marvin Bagley, who the Kings can’t give away, could probably put up 14 and 7 if he was given 30 minutes somewhere. I’m not really a Bagley fan but why doesn’t OKC see if they can pry him away for a late 1^st round heavily protected pick and see if they can revive his drowning career. He has to be better than Darius Bazley doesn’t he?  

 

Speaking of our good friend Mr. Bazley. Let’s just take a quick look at some numbers in a 10 game sample size:

 

Player     PPG   REB    FG%  3PT%   ATO  STL   BLK

A             6.6      6.6     28.1% 25.7%  1.857     4      14

B             8.7      5.1     70.4%   --        3.600     4      10

C             5.0      6.9     47.7%   --        1.750     6       8

D             8.6      5.1     44.6% 39.5%  1.250     9       2

 

So, one of those players is Darius Bazley over his last 10 games and the other 3 are current Free Agents. (hint: Bazley is player A). 

I feel I can rag on Bazley because I watch him a lot. I had him on my team last year. I watch OKC games because I have SGA and Giddey. He’s not a good fantasy player. I’m not sure he’s even a good basketball player.  If Idaho dropped him – would someone else pick him up?  Now, based on JBL law, the moment I post this – he will go for 20 and 10 tonight vs. the Rockets. Book it. Tuna, you're welcome. These comments can sometimes light a fire under players. So enjoy Mr. Bazley!

 

The Jizzlies are experiencing the Cade Cunningham awakening. The shooting still isn’t great but he’s starting to assert himself on a nightly basis and produce some good box scores. If there was any chance of trading for him, the window may have just closed. 

 

Bellingham got Kawhi Leonard in a trade. He can be protected for $7 dollars. Bellingham has his cornerstone for next season. Unless things improve with the Birch Bay franchise they might be looking at just 1 keeper spot. And that's Kawhi. 

 

And a quick look at the good Doctor in Norfolk. Things are, well, how do we say….not good. Looking at the last 3 weeks they’ve been 13^th, 4^th, and 10^th. So it’s clearly up and down. If the season ended today there would be no keepers in Norfolk. Now, that said, as the season winds on, Norfolk does have assets that contending teams would be interested in I’m sure.

 

OK, that’s it for another week. Stay safe and dry!