The Best of the Best

Well, I thought I would look at who is the cream of the crop so far this NBA season. As usual, there have been lots of injuries across the league and some notable players have missed some games. The biggest superstar to be injured? I think it's Chris Paul. He's only managed 10 games so far this season, but what a 10 games. Look at those numbers.
http://www.dougstats.com/09-10/NOrleansHornets.html

So, who are the top 10 Fantasy studs as we near the 1/4 poll of the 09/10 season???
Well, it's impossible to say that one player is clearly better than the other based on individual game plans on building a squad...so, I decided I would break it down into 2 tiers. The first 10 guys are super studs in the Fantasy world and can be the cornerstone to any team. The second tier are also very good Fantasy stars but fall just a notch short of being elite. And yes, I know it's early in the season...but I'm basing it on what's happened to date. I also threw a couple of other categories in there just for fun...

Here we go....

The top 10:

1) Lebron James - the King
2) Chris Paul - impossible to perform at his 10 game level all season...isn't it?
3) Dirk Nowitzki - look, the steals and blocks are back!
4) Carmelo Anthony - holy cow, he's good.
5) Dwyane Wade - slow start and yet look at those cats
6) Kobe Bryant - 37 steals in 16 games. wow.
7) Dwight Howard - 18ppg, 12reb, 64%, and 36 blocks.
8) Steve Nash - no steals, no problem...look at those %'s and ATO
9) Chris Bosh - 25 & 12 and looking for a BIG contract
10) Kevin Durant - 27 & 7 but his %'s are down slightly. Great scorer.

The Honorable Mention Studs:

• Josh Smith (27 steals + 46 blocks already and he no longer jacks ill-advised 3's)
• Marcus Camby (healthy and a defensive monster again)
• Tim Duncan (18/11 and some blocks - yawn, boring, same every year)
• Monta Ellis (scoring machine does it all with 36 steals and good %'s)
• Carlos Boozer (20/11 and 55% and now some steals - wow, big year)
• Deron Williams (another All-Star type season)
• Marc Gasol (surprise Fantasy baller of the season - 16ppg, 10reb, 21stl, 29blks)
• Rajon Rondo (4:1 ATO, 43 steals, 54% FG, sure he could score more)
• David Lee (18/10, 20 stls, 54% shooting)
• Andrew Bynum (18/10, 27blks, 57% shooting)

The I Wanted More from You Fantasy Group:

• Al Jefferson (16 & 8 for $50+ bucks??)
• Amare Stoudamire (20 & 7 is all you got? And your 18/48 ATO is terrible)
• Anthony Randolph (everyone's favorite sleeper hasn't lived up to the hype....yet)
• David West (just 15 & 7 so far this season)
• LaMarcus Aldridge (15 & 7 and steals and blocks are down)
• Andre Miller (Portland spent big FA money to get 10ppg and 5ast???)
• Elton Brand (11 and 6 so far)
• Chris Duhon (you are the PG on the run-and-gun Knicks and you shoot 28% and 22%?)
• Paul Millsap (curse you Carlos Boozer!)

The Surprising Fantasy Players:

• Marc Gasol (see above)
• Ben Wallace (22stl, 21blk, 10rpg - come on - no one saw that one coming)
• Brandon Jennings (bet the Knicks regret passing on him)
• Channing Frye ( could he lead the league in 3-pointers made?)
• Danilo Gallinari (D'Antoni did say he was the best shooter he's ever seen)
• Chris Douglas-Roberts (16ppg?? Really?)
• Mareese Speights (Brand will lose his job to ____? This guy)
• Joakim Noah and Greg Oden (these 2 young centers are having great seasons)
• Andrei Kirilenko (having a resurgent AK47-type season)
• Trevor Ariza (leading the Rockets in scoring, steals, 3-pointers made)
• Tyreke Evans (19-5-5 and he's getting better)
• Chris Kaman (almost 20 & 9 - he can't keep it up)

I know there are lots of guys who could have made each of those lists but it's late and I ran outta steam. That's all for now...I will try to get some comments on the French & Yuma trade that went down today in the near future too...

Frustration Sets In...

OK, I know I have 916 points and shouldn't be whining..but what the hell, it's my blog and I'm frustrated with the Golden boys this week. Currently, through 5 days of Period 5 this Golden Showers squad is in last place for the week! Unacceptable. What's going on? Well, the boys suck right now and I'm not a fan of some of the guys.

Carl Landry is a good player. Heck, he may even be a contender right now for 6th man of the year. He's averaging 15 and 5 while shooting 56% from the floor. But come on man, stick your hands in a passing lane and get the odd steal (only 6 in 16 games).

The Centre debacle in Golden continues to frustrate me. Pryzbilla has 10 pts, 17 rebs, and 1 block in 3 games this week. I guess what that really means is that Oden is for real and Joel is purely a C-graded backup. Maybe I expected too much out of him.

The rest of my guys all seem to be struggling at the exact same time. Eric Gordon's shot is off since his return from injury; Dahntay Jones has thrown out 2 stinkers after 12 good games; Brandon Jennings is playing how I thought he would play all along (he had just set the bar so friggin' high earlier); and the biggest culprit is Boris Diaw.

Diaw, in 2 games this week has scored - ready for it - 7 points. Are you kidding me? Horrible. He's been a huge disappointment this season. He's averaging just 12 and 5. He's a better player than that but we have seen Boris go through some very frustrating stretches. Hopefully this one doesn't last very long. I will be watching his performance very closely today and one more stinker may find him on the bench for week 6. And just because he's struggling doesn't mean I will accept a Daniel Gibson or Ryan Gomes straight up offer.

I am going to have to ride this horrible play out as I really don't have any other options with Jameer Nelson out for another 4+ weeks. My bench has players that are more likely to help me next season than this one. James Harden and Omri Casspi have both earned some playing times on their NBA teams but I don't know if they can be counted on to get a week in the JBL yet (especially when they both have short weeks coming up). A side note, this is now the 3rd time I've had Casspi on my team. I drafted him for $1 and then had to drop him, re-signed him, dropped him, and now re-signed him again. Why do I keep bringing him back?? I believe he could be their starting SF of the future. Nocioni is more suited as a bruiser of the bench to provide some hustle and muscle. Garcia is still months away so I really do feel that this kid could be the answer. What I don't understand is how such a pure shooter can't make his free throws?? He's 17/36 (47%) on the season while he's 15/32 (47%) from downtown. Go figure. The Nets even went to the Hack-A-Omri strategy in last night's game (he went 3/4). Weird.

French Lick has pulled ahead with another stellar week in the JBL. His team is really good. All 12 guys are productive right now and that always helps. Balance and depth...gee, where have I seen that before? And Marcus Camby? Oh my goodness. Amazing. Well done Hildy, I like the looks of this team a lot.

Big trade in the JBL last night as well. No, I'm not talking about Drew Gooden & Beno Udrih for Udonis Haslem (which I will comment on in a second)- I'm talking about Dwyane Wade for Chris Paul. Now that's a JBL trade.

Trev, who is currently freezing his ass off in Quebec (guess he's preparing for Chicago weather) right after he was cooking his ass in Maui, pulled the trigger on this blockbuster. Can't say I blame him. Trev's teams (including last years) has been devastated by injury. Chris Paul's injury apparently wasn't worth waiting for and when you can grab an equal talent like Wade I guess he thought he had to do it. Wade helps him more than Paul does in a few categories. Wade will block more shots (19 blocks already) and he will score more. Rebounds and steals will be about the same. Where Wade will hurt Trev is from downtown as Wade is taking a lot of 3's this season. And obviously, Paul is a LOT better in ATO. Wade is currently 1.600 ATO but that should get better. If anything, I think Wade has actually had a slow start to the season as his numbers are down from where they will be (in my opinion). The big question is how long will Chris Paul be out for? Is it another 2 weeks, 3 weeks? More? And how long will it take him to get back to full speed? Anyways, it's clear Timbo was after the ATO and is willing to chance that Paul will be back sooner rather than later. And look, both Paul and Wade are top 10 Fantasy talents - so this is really a win-win trade. I think one of my next blogs will be about who are the top 10 fantasy talents this season....ya, I like that.

Anyways, on to the other Brussels trade from yesterday. Gooden/Udrih for Haslem. Hmmm. A bit of a head scratcher really. Here's my opinion on it. In the long term, Haslem is the best player in the deal. He has the least amount of competition for playing time. Gooden will have to share with Dampier and Humphries and Udrih is a 4th/5th guard in my books. Now, that being said, all players are serviceable. Brussles is hoping for the consistent play that Haslem usually brings (without the steals - 1 steal in 13 games) while Belgrade is adding depth. Gooden has poor ATO but has blocked 17 shots this season and Udrih provides some PG depth and can be ridden while hot (16ppg over his last 10 games). I get the trade from both sides. The only thing I wonder is whether Timbo gave up too much? Was Haslem really worth both players? I mean he's good, but he is still just 10ppg and 9reb. Those aren't earth shattering numbers. Anyways, enough rambling, this is a classic JBL trade where both teams saw the benefits from their end and pulled the trigger. Bravo.

And finally, I'm going to see Philly Woo in VGH today. I spoke with him yesterday and he sounds much better again. He will be in VGH for another couple days though so I am heading down to visit and drop off a "JBL care package". For all you guys who have sent along well-wishes, they will be passed along today to lil Phil.

Well, that's it for this morning. Next up...who are the top 10 Fantasy talents so far this season??

Thursday Tidbits...

Well, I just got back from Kelowna. Drove up Wednesday afternoon, ate dinner, drank a lot of beer, watched the Raptors game on TV, slept, woke up and presented at a Conference for 2 hours, drove home. Good times.

While I was in Kelowna I got a call from Philly Woo. He sounded much better. He was still in hospital but said he was a lot better in the last 24 hours. Great news. He said he would still be in hospital for a few more days and I will try to go see him on Saturday after Ryan's soccer game. Great news that Philly is better. I miss his JBL phone calls and daily analysis.

So, what's on my mind tonight?? Well, a few things....

• I have a man-crush on Luol Deng. I know the Bulls are really bad right now but this guy, who isn't the most handsome man in the world, continues to be their best player. 26pts, 8rebs, and 4 steals tonight vs. Utah. Nicely done. The guy looks so awkward out there but always seems to find a way to score. Fun player to watch. Can't wait to see him in the United Centre in 2 weeks.
• I put Chris Bosh "on the block" last night just to see what his market value was and if there was any interest. OK, it was the beer talking. I did get one offer from Idaho. A classic too. Rodney Stuckey AND Roy Hibbert. Gee. How long do you think it took me to reject that one. Why even bother with those offers Tuna?
• I see French Lick and I were/are tied atop the JBL standings with 942 points (or we were last time I looked). We've never had a tie at the end of the season for 1st place. We have had a tie for other money spots a long time ago. How is the tie broken you wonder? Simply look at the head to head of the tied teams in each category. There are 7 categories so that should get you a winner right there. If, by the freak chance, you get a case where the 2 teams each win 3 categories (so it's 3-3) and they say tie in steals...how do we break the tie? It goes to the POINTS category since it is weighted the most (20%) and if for some reason they had the exact same number there then it would go to REBOUNDS. If, after all that, the teams are still tied - we will have co-champions. Trust me, won't happen.
• I'm getting a little frustrated with the CBS website and their lack of urgency to fix the chat board. Come on already. We're missing out on good banter and Idaho bashing. I still laugh watching Chris's video.
• I'm still frustrated with my 3-headed Centre mess. Shaq apparently is ready to play and Dampier may play some time next week. I really hate carrying 3 centres, especially when they are all #2 guys at best. Man, I should have drafted Noah or Haywood - both guys I had targeted as having breakout/comeback seasons.
• Watched part of the Hawks/Magic game tonight with Ryan. He's so funny, he'll always cheer for the team in the lead. Also, really like those ATL jerseys. Very nice. Why does Josh Smith wear a headband?? He continually adjusts the thing when he could be going for rebounds. Come on man.
• Boozer had another stellar game. If he could only block more shots he would be studly. Still, he's a top notch PF in my books. I was thinking of offering Bosh for Boozer and someone from Belgrade - but not sure it would really be much of an upgrade. I think I'd be making a trade for the sake of making a trade.
• My teams lack of 3-point shooters certainly can have it's advantages. I take so few 3 pointers that on a night when they shoot 2/3 I move from 33.6 to 34.0. Up .4 percentage points on 3 attempts and 2 makes??? Incredible. Now, if I can only get Gordon and Nelson healthy to carry the load. I have a feeling that there will be many poor stretches ahead of Brandon Jennings. I may need to add one other 3-point specialist here once my centres get healthy and I can drop one of them.
• The other night I had thoughts of a Brandon Jennings for Monta Ellis offer. Then, Moped Ellis went off for 35+ points in 3 straight games. I would now have to offer Jennings AND Bosh to get Scooter.
• While I was sitting in my hotel room in Kelowna looking at JBL rosters I thought of another potential deal...and it wasn't even involving my team. How about this one....Arctic and Boston swap Chris Paul for Dwight Howard. Chris could use the steals as he's last by a mile and Trev could use the rebs/blks/FG%. The deal probably helps Boston more than Arctic - but what a blockbuster that would be. Oh well, won't happen.
• Speaking of Boston...Trev is getting hosed again this year on the injury front. No Prince, no Chris Paul, Iverson retires, Okur gets sick, etc...Plus, Trev forgetting his laptop cord on draft night really hooped him. He ended up with guys he probably wouldn't have otherwise drafted (ie. Artest). The auto-draft was not kind to him at all. With the right moves and some healthy bodies he can move up in some categories. He's already very good in 3PT% and ATO and with the return of his injured guys he can improve in PTS, FG%, and STLS. He will have to make some trades though to get the rebound and block numbers up...that's why I was thinking he should move Chris Paul.
• And finally, what's Idaho going to do?? He keeps making deals and I keep thinking he's crazy. I mean his last deal, in my opinion, didn't really help him at all. He moved Okafor and Parker for Arenas, Ilgauskas, and Andre Miler. So, in this case, Arenas is the best player you are bringing onto your squad. Arenas is shooting 39% and 35% respectively and these aren't going to get much better. He also got Shaq's backup in Ilgauskas. Wow, a backup centre. Even with Shaq missing the last 6 games and Big Z getting the starts, do you know what his numbers are over his last 10 games? Try 7PPG, 7REB, and 33% shooting. Brilliant. And finally you bring in Andre Miller. Another backup player. Don't get me wrong, I think Miller should be on a JBL team but I don't think he's really anything more than a #4 or #5 guard. He's 10 and 5. Meanwhile, you gave up an underachieving Okafor who is averaging 10 and 10 with 31 blocks so far. And in Parker, despite his ankle injury concerns, he gave up a solid PG who will shoot 50% and average in the high teens. Tuna did comment that he "may go small" and try to climb back into the JBL race. I got news for you young one, you have already gone small. If I was Tuna, I would be selling high on Monta Ellis and trying to get 2 good players for him. Or, how about this one - Monta Ellis for Dwight Howard with some filler on both sides to make the salaries work.

OK, enough rambling for one night...time to hit the sack. And one more time, come on CBS, fix my chat board!

Monday Nighter...

Well, after the ribbing that Tuna just took from Crikker you knew there would be a trade coming soon from the Idaho camp. It came tonight...

Idaho gets Gilbert Arenas, Andre Miller, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Brussels gets Emeka Okafor and Tony Parker.

Who wins this trade? Make sure you vote on the JBL website.

Just watched the Blazers vs. Bulls game. Big win for PDX. Oden and Aldridge had monster games. French Lick was the team to take the risk on Oden this season. He actually paid $21 for his services. This after Oden missed his 1st year with a bad knee and then all the injuries he had last season. But that didn't scare French away. I'm a big Blazers fan but I didn't think he would go for that much. He's averaging 10ppg, 8reb, and 2.3blks...not bad at all. That being said, he did go for more than guys like Chris Kaman, Joakim Noah, and Brendan Haywood. I like Greg Oden and think he is a key for the Blazers to be successful - but why did he go for $21 bucks? And don't get me wrong, I like the pick. Michael Redd, a potential 25ppg, also with a history of injuries only went for $20 bucks. Why? Anyways, I find it interesting to look at salaries of guys during the season and thinking of what they would go for now...

Also, back to the Bulls/Blazers game. Deng had a nice game for Golden tonight although my 2 Bulls only play one more game this week. Not much choice at the moment for reserves in Golden. Once I get my centre situation sorted out I think I will have to add some depth.

My final point about the Bulls...I wouldn't consider Vinny Del Negro "safe" in terms of coaching. The Bulls appeared to quit tonight. And I don't think you can use injuries as an excuse because they are only waiting on Tyrus Thomas. Yes, he's a starter, but he shouldn't be the difference. I mean really, do you think anyone in the Bulls organization is really saying, "I know we're 6-7, but once Tyrus comes back that will all change." No way.

Oh, and finally, it's just under 3 weeks until Boston, Chilliwack, and Golden meet in Chicago for the big road trip. Check out this schedule...

Thursday, Dec 10th - fly from Seattle to Chicago
Friday, Dec 11th - Warriors vs. Bulls (center court, row 9)
Saturday, Dec 12th - Celtics vs Bulls (center court, 1st row upstairs)
Sunday, Dec 13th - Lightning vs. Blackhawks (center ice, row 15)
Monday, Dec 14th - fly home

While we're there it appears we will be doing a lot of eating...check out these places that we are hitting up...and yes, we have already scheduled our meals!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu-oobRhesU
www.hugosfrogbar.com
http://www.chicagochophouse.com/noflash.htm

The Funniest Video...

Leave Him Alone...

Are you kidding me?? Just when I thought the JBL couldn't get any better, Crikker creates one of the funniest videos I've seen in a LONG time. The whole idea stemmed from a weirdo named Chris Crocker who defended Britney Spears awhile back when she was going through her 'crazy time'.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc

Well, Chris has done his own parody defending our own Anthony Grills. Being completely honest, I laughed so hard I cried. I have watched it at least 6 or 7 times already. First he created the JBL podcast and now this video. Unreal. Talk about wrapping up the JBL owner of the year early this season!

Anyways, I do have to say that Tuna has been a good sport about it. I think that's what makes this Fantasy pool unlike many others - people can take a joke. I know a few former JBL owners who would not have been able to handle the good natured ribbing that occurs in this league. A couple of these guys would just have up and quit the pool if they were the target of a video like that. So, well done Chris and well done Tuna for being the good sport.

In other news, I spoke with Philly Woo today and he is in VGH recovering from a near kidney failure. He has been in hospital for 3 days now and will be there for a couple more. I will be going to see him tomorrow. He sounded tired and out of breath on the phone and is obviously nowhere near 100% at the moment. But good ole Philly Woo, despite being very ill and in hospital, still has concerns over Mike Miller's calf injury and making sure that Pau Gasol is in his lineup for the coming week. I told him I would take care of everything while he is under the weather. I told Benny this morning as well and Ben called Woo on his cell...so the JBL ownership group is a tight-knit bunch even when things aren't going so well. Get better Philly Woo.

Fast Forward to 2010 in Vegas...

So far I know that Benny and I will be drafting from a Vegas hotel room in October 2010. It will happen. Who will be there with us? Will the defending champ be in Vegas? Will we have more owners in Vegas or in Surrey? Oh the possibilities. And who will be on my Golden squad? Well, I thought I would have a quick look at each team and some of the potential keepers out there. I'm sure, as the year goes on, a lot of these guys will get traded - especially in February.

Anyways...let's check it out.

Arctic - J-Rich $11, Nash $34, Ben Gordon $11. Nash and J-Rich make a nice Phoenix pairing. And if Calderon goes for $40 bucks on draft night you can damn well bet Nash is worth $39 bucks. And isn't it nice to get 20ppg guys for $16 dollars?

Bangkok - I love the potential keepers here...Evans, Westbrook, Lee, and Thompson would all be on my radar. Evans and Westbrook should be locks - unless of course Bangkok is in the running in February - then he should be leveraging these guys as trade bait. Lee and Thompson would be on the more expensive side, but they are both young and blossoming.

Belgrade - Yes, Carmelo is worth $45 in my books. He's averaging 30 and 6 right now! Ariza and Frye have also had breakout starts to the season. As long as Nash is around and Phoenix is running 'n' gunning then Frye has value. And Ariza is 18 and 5 with over 2 stls per game. I think he could actually get better with the return of Yao.

Boston - Nocioni is a solid role player - but is he worth keeping for $8 bucks? I don't see any real obvious choices at this point. However, unless this team gets healthy real soon, I could see guys like Dirk and CP3 (or even Iverson) get moved for some cheap talent.

Brussels - This team is potentially loaded with great keepers. CDR is $2 bucks; Gallinar is $2 bucks; Jamison is only $21 bucks for a guy who can get you 20 and 10. Plus Arenas could still be a bargain and potentially Ersan Ilyasova is someone to watch progress over the year. He could wind up being the starting PF all season.

Chilliwack - Terrence Williams (my pre-season podcast sleeper) for $1 dollar is developing nicely. Will he improve as guys like Harris and Lee return for injury? Bargnani is becoming the Eastern Conference's Dirk - he's currently at 18 and 7 with 17 blocks. He's a bargani at $10 bucks. (see how I used bargani instead of bargain - genius). And how about AK47 for $6 dollars?? He doesn't score like he used to but he's still at 14ppg with 14 steals, 14 blocks, and good ATO. I'd keep him. And you can't forget Marc Gasol at $8 bucks. He's only getting 15 and 10 while shooting 60%. Umm duh. And let's throw a wild card out there - Tracy McGrady for $1 dollar. What if he was healthy and ended up in a place like New York or Phoenix?? Wouldn't he be a valuable scorer for cheap??

French Lick - this well balanced team as a lot of guys right on the edge of being good keepers. I like Paul Pierce at just $24 dollars. What about Millsap ($15)? If Boozer gets traded or isn't re-signed - then Millsap's value definitely goes up! Guys like JR Smith, Dunleavy, and others should also be watched closely to see if they can up their value over the season.

Golden - Brandon Jennings and Eric Gordon look like locks to be back in Golden. And right now, I would seriously consider keeping Josh Smith ($43). He's having an amazing season and his (steals + blocks = 55) has to be tops in the NBA. Others I will be watching closely are James Harden, Luol Deng, and maybe Derrick Rose.

Idaho - Monta Ellis looks like he'll earn a 3rd year of protection with his current play. Jonny Flynn is progressing nicely but Ricky Rubio's potential arrival could put a dent in those plans. And what about Roy HIbbert? Is he the new beast in the east?

Juan de Fuca - I think Juan will bring back the same 2 guys again - Durant and Lopez - as they are still both greatly undervalued in my books. I think Mareese Speights $1 could also be a good value pick as well. And keep your eyes on Anthony Morrow and Gerald Wallace as well as they both appear to be on the cusp of being good value.

Seoul - OK, I didn't think he would be this good with the cast of characters he should be playing with but Rudy Gay is off to an amazing start. 22 and 6 with big steals and good %'s - I didn't think he could do it. And then there's Woo's 2 big men - Kaman and Nene. Does he sell high on a guy like Kaman or will he ride him out? And Nene is having another great season. What a great pick that was 2 years ago...did you know I took Nick Collison and left Nene to Woo...your welcome.

Yuma - I am a big fan of Mario Chalmers ($4) and Brendan Haywood ($1) and think that both of them are good values. And what about an Aaron Brooks ($11), he's having a good season and could be even better lobbing passes to Yao next season. Yuma will need to get out of the basement though as we have to remember that the last place team won't be able to protect any players.

So...there you have it. Numerous potential bargains for the 2010/11 season. Which ones will be on your team and will you be in Vegas with me and Benny? I hope so.