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...

The Draft Review

Well, it's perfect timing for those JBL fans who enjoy my musings...
The family is still in Las Vegas and I am here pondering what took place yesterday at the JBL's 22nd Auction. The biggest contingent of JBL owners were at my place - Idaho, Maui, French, Brussels and Golden all drafted at my kitchen table after consuming 42 pounds of pork products. Awesome.

Let me touch on a few highlights before I look at each of the teams...

The Steve Nash auction was awesome. Why? Because for the 4th straight year he went for $34 dollars. When he was initially brought up for auction I mentioned this stat. The room didn't think it would happen for a 4th year. Slowly as the bids climbed by confidence grew. In my gut, I knew it would happen. The peer pressure in the room on Maui to say $34 was amazing. When Trev clicked the button for $34 the ovation in the room was amazing. You had to be there. Awesome moment.

The Joel Anthony $1 dollar nomination by Bangkok was another highlight moment. The chat room lit up with the comment "PASS" at the exact same time. Priceless. It brought back memories from the round the room auction bidding we used to do. Thank you Bangkok. Great stuff.

OK, let's dive in to my comments on each of the drafted teams...alphabetical seems logical. I'm going to use Halloween candy as my ranking systems this time. Here are my 3 categories explained.

1) Full size candy bar - remember when you'd come to those houses that gave out a full size Snickers?? Those were the best! This is the highest ranking I'm giving out.
2 ) Grab your own treat - when the home owner lets the kid look into the bowl and pick whatever candy they want. Very cool. This is the middle ground.
3) chewy crappy gummies shaped like burgers and pizza - you know this crap candy. Even 6 year olds don't eat this shite. The only good thing is that kids could trade 3 of these pieces for a package of Nibs or M&M's. Even though it's a bad candy - it can become good. This is my worst ranking.

Arctic - I like what Crikker did here. It's a balanced team that will be investing heavily in ankle braces for their best player - Steph Curry. The team has some balanced guard scoring with Curry, Ellis, Parker and DeRozan. The 'monsters' up front include Ibaka, Faried, and Favors. The wildcard is Tyreke Evans. What kind of season will he have?  Arctic can go ahead and grab his own treat from the bowl.

Bangkok -I'm not sure what Bangkok's strategy was this year. He's got some big names - Kobe, Wall, Bargnani, and Bosh but after that there seems to be a lot of role players and question marks. Can Holiday become a star? Can Evan Turner finally live up to the #2 pick? The rest of the roster is filled with solid role players (Dudley, Bass, Vasquez, Gee, Hickson). But maybe too many role guys? Sorry Bangkok - you're that gummy burger for now.

Brussels - another team I kinda like on the surface. I think they have enough steals - Rondo, Conley, Allen, Terry, etc. Will Beasley be able to average 20ppg? I'm not sure there is a 20ppg otherwise? Needs breakout seasons from Valunciunas, Patterson, and Lillard. Big sleeper could be Enes Kanter in Utah as he had a monster preseason. I'm gonna let Timmy grab his own treat.

Chilliwack - score, score, score. A team loaded with PTS. Durant, Griffin, Granger, Thornton and others. I think this team could have a negative ATO if they stayed this way all year. Solid in a lot of categories but I would be concerned abour McGee's role in Denver. Will he emerge? Can Granger stay healthy? I love that Benny is going start Drummond and Sullinger in week 1. Love it. Go on Benny, have yourself a full size Snickers.

French Lick - ahhh, patience young one. It appears French's patience at Auction paid off. This is well balanced team that looks good in all categories. The concern has to be the health of his big names. Gordon and Nene haven't played at all yet and Kaman is already nursing an injury. If they stay healthy - French is hoping last year's heart breaking 2nd place finish can be followed up by a 1st ever JBL title. Gentleman, this is my pre-season favorite to win it all. And yes, you can have a full size Mr. Big.

Golden - my pre-draft plan was followed almost to the letter. 11 of the 15 guys on the Golden roster were targeted. Golden is hoping for big seasons from Dragic, Young, and Big Baby. 4 players on this roster are playing for new contracts (Smith, Pekovic, Mo Williams, and Calderon) so hopefully they'll be motivated.
Golden will be looking for one more PG at some point but right now I'm very pleased with the group coming out of the Auction. I'm gonna grab myself a full size Eat More for my efforts.

Idaho - The young one is all grown up. He's built a balanced roster that looks pretty good on paper. The biggest concern has to be Bynum's health as there is no one else on this team to block shots.This team will likely have various top performers on a night to night basis as they are very well balanced. The post-draft NBA trade sending James Harden to Houston just made him a Fantasy start. Can he become elite? Idaho will also have the biggest trade chip in a $3 dollar Derrick Rose. Go on Tuna - here's a full size Mars bar for your great draft.

Juan de Fuca - Here's another high scoring team poised for another good season. After a money finish last year Juan looks ready to challenge for another title. All 12 of his starters are projected to average double digit points. Led my Westbrook, Cousins, and Deron Williams this team should be very good. The rest of the roster is filled with very solid role players who can stuff a stat sheet. I like what they've done and for that I'm handing out my last full size candy bar. I'm going with a big old Caramilk bar for you guys.

Manhattan Beach - The Ballers have again gone with the big name stars to lead the team. Lebron is joined by Chris Paul and Brook Lopez as the studs. The rest of the roster is filled out with solid role players but I'm not sure there is enough great talent yet to contend. Can 3 players emerge as fantasy factors - Morris, Derrick Williams, and Meyers Leonard? Can J-Rich find his 3PT stroke? Can gunners Crawford and Gordon find their outside stroke? If those things can happen the MBB could climb the rankings. However, for now, you are a gummy pizza.

Maui - I think Trev did a nice job bringing in guys with good fantasy histories. Wade, Nash, Carmelo, Dirk, and Paul Pierce are all veterans who can help a fantasy team. Can they stay healthy is the question. Anthony Davis could be the next Tim Duncan. I also like some of the role players - Rush, Varejao and Chandler Parsons. Some work to do in some areas but this might be the best Maui team we've seen in a couple of years. Go on Trev, reach in my bowl and pick out something you like.

Montreal - First of all, I have to say I'm impressed with their draft this year. The Poutang have paired two mammoth men in the middle Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson will lead the way in 2012/13 for this squad. Kyrie and Lin will anchor the backcourt. Solid players in Joe Johnson, Kirilenko and Stoudamire (if healthy) could make this team dangerous. Will Byron Mullens be able to be the breakout star? Is there enough in the backcourt as Ridnour and Augustin have questionable roles? Will Tayshaun Prince last the season in Detroit? Will Royce White be a factor or waiver wire fodder? Go on Marko/David - reach into the bowl and find yourself a treat.

Seoul - I don't think I've ever written a negative review of the 5 time champion. But on thew surface, I'm not a fan of this Seoul draft. It has the requisite balance up front (Horford, Gasol, Gay, Millsap and Garnett) but that backcourt is absolutely scary. The saving grace for Philly Woo is his ability to wheel and deal during the season. He does have 5-6 big names he can leverage and improve the team. That being said - you know what's coming. Phil - you get those darn sticky taffee candies that stick to your teeth for hours. Yuck.

Yuma - I like the Thurmans. I really do. I don't think they're outstanding in any category - but they are very balanced across the board. I like the pairing of Pau Gasol and David Lee. They complement the PG's Lowry and Jennings. Jordan should block a lot of shots in the middle. There are several breakout candidates on this team (Leonard, Henderson, Afflalo and Collison). I think this team will be in the thick of things. Well done Pat. So, while I'm fresh out of full size candy bars - I'm going to let you reach into the candy bowl and take a couple extra pieces because of how cute your costume is.

That's it fellas...Free Agency starts mid week. Whoever you drafted yesterday will have to get you through week one. Remember, you have $130 bucks of Free Agency money to get you through the entire season. Best of luck to all the teams!!