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Please tell me that some of you lived through, or at least recognize 90’s Hip Hop. I was a teen in the early 90’s, rocking the Adidas, Raptors cap way down low, and nodded to the illest hip hop, thinking I was fly. Well, I now know without any doubt that I was far from OG, but the hip hop was divine, the golden age of the art, some might say. And as hip hop and New York basketball culture are closely intertwined, I bumping beats while I was watching some outstanding point guard play in our beloved NBA last weekend. I heard a dope joint by House of Pain, called On Point, which seemed to be serendipitous, even cosmic. This had to be a sign that I was to do an all point guard edition of the BUY/SELL, obviously. I was chosen, gentle reader, it’s out of my hands, I am merely a vessel. Woe to thee who ignores such a powerful connection, I don’t need that caliber of bad JuJu on my plate. So I give to you, an all PG edition:

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This fantasy team you’ve assembled is still settling into place, like the foundation of a new building. As someone who knows nothing whatsoever about construction beyond my adventures in Ikea assembly, it stands to reason that if the foundation isn’t sound, if the footprint is comprised of poorly poured concrete, the building won’t stand. Or maybe it will, I haven’t the foggiest clue. But in terms of your squad, I proudly assert that I am marginally less out of my element. Look at it this way: we all need to take these early weeks as seriously as the later ones, particularly for securing those cumulative stat categories, if we wish to compete for a championship, right? So I say, perhaps recklessly, that even entering week 3, improving your foundation should be everyone’s goal, particularly those employed in the concrete business. Check out these cornerstones I’ve poorly stuck into this analogy:

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I’m just going to say it: I missed you. Er, not you, gentle reader, although I guess you’re cool, too. I meant NBA basketball. Sexy, sexy fantasy basketball. I tried to see others, like the FIBA tournaments, it was just because I have needs, but they meant nothing to me, I swear NBA! But you’re back home where you belong, and just as alluring as ever. And make no mistake, good reader, this is the honeymoon stage of fantasy basketball. Just about every fantasy GM can see the beauty of our squads, like Shrek seeing Fiona after the curse was lifted, and envision a glorious future together. We are at the fantasy equivalent of not farting in front of each other, all lingerie and high heels, and us all pretending granny panties don’t exist. Speaking of panties, if you happen to follow the REL Dynasty, My team is Hardenouttherr4apimp. I’m number three in the league, but number 1 in your hearts. And I’m aware that the panty segue made no sense whatsoever, but it is in itself a clear indication of what to expect from me.

This is a tough trading environment, to be clear. Most GM’s ain’t ready to blow it up just yet.  Just because we cool, supple reader, because we have some history, I’ll recommend a few potentials. A caveat: while these pearls clearly have value, it has been my experience that not too many GM’s want to play nice in week 1.  So don’t be a schmuck and come on too strong and overplay your hand, drowning yourself in Axe spray and desperation.  That never works, trust me. So with that mixed message, put on your best break up music, and take a gander at these honeymoon heart-throbs:

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If you take the time out of your busy day to read my weekly articles here at Razzball, I am thankful. And to that end, I hoped to give back by informing you in my last week’s piece of the impending trade deadline in fantasy basketball. Armed with this information, I hope you made all the necessary adjustments to your squad, as unless your league has custom settings, the trade winds have blown by. But I give and I give, because you deserve it, beautiful! So if you have a Wesley Mathews, or some such setback, fear not, gentle reader, you have options. I just hope you didn’t blow your waiver on the Javale McGee rumour that he was signing on again. We still can peruse the waiver wire, and hopefully find some waiver wire gold out there in the fantasy panhandle. I had a gander, and this is what I came up with:

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It week 19 in the land of fantasy basketball, which means, depending on how your league is set up, you have 4 or 5 weeks left until the playoffs. You may have a custom league design, but in Yahoo, the default trade deadline is March 5th, so make sure you know what the dilliyo! If you still have time to make a last minute acquisition, get on it, son! Seeing as I don’t have much time to wax poetic, as the trade deadline is tomorrow, I won’t be my normal prose infused self, and get right to it. Rest assured, I will write about waiver guys after this week, so step back from that ledge, my friend. As I always say, don’t trust the man! Words to live by, but my other favourite saying that’s only slightly less important: with trades/injury comes opportunity. With that in mind, lets take a look at this weeks opportunity:

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Sometimes you’re the last guy to the shindig. Sober while everyone’s not, trying to crack topical jokes that stopped being funny some time ago. I know this role very well, gentle reader, very well indeed. Some socialites might argue that I have made a veritable career out of this process, that I take the Borat “very nice, I like” and “not” jokes well past their expiry, or that I’m trying to keep the “wasssssaaaaaaaap” phenomenon alive. It’s the curse of the fella who thinks himself more amusing than he likely is. Which brings me to the trade deadline: of course it falls on a thursday, so I have to wait a week to talk about the busiest deadline ever, right about the time that the trades are receding in every fantasy GM’s mind. Well, prepare yourself for all the trendy topics to be kickstarted once again, fella. I’m giving you the fantasy equivalent of clear pepsi, delivered in some zoomba pants while dancing the macarena, because I am not letting this one go, people. On the plus side, maybe the week will give some perspective on how cats are fitting in, in their new environments. Very likely not, but we can always hope, can’t we? So without further ado…

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I’m not what you would profile as a “PC”, “everyone gets a trophy” type. I’m not a raging “right winger” either, but the “politically correct” epidemic is taking over, and I’m not going to stand for it any longer. Besides, I much prefer “sitting down”. But the “all star” “process” has gotten a little too “concerned” with “inclusiveness”. I believe that you can feel my sarcasm at this point, so to further the snarky quotations would just be douchey of me. And speaking of douchey, the NBA has changed the all star weekend to the point where it’s too silly. I propose the following rule changes be reverted to their original order:

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Contrary to what JB has written, we Canadians watch the Superbowl. We love it, and we do everything you do: prop bets, stupid gorging on simple foods, excessive drinking, the whole nine yards (which, ironically, is all you need to get a first down in the Canadian Football League). Even if we were luke warm on the game up here, no other sporting event will go up against it, so unless you wanna watch reruns of the World Poker Tournament, you’re dialed in to the Superbowl. So I saw what you saw. And what can we take away from Sunday’s big game, hmmmm? The KISS principle, which is: Keep It Simple, Stupid! It works in virtually every facet of one’s life, but in relation to fantasy basketball, it means don’t get all “Inception” in your approach to a trade, or acquisition, or conversely, don’t overvalue, or hold a cat too long because of what you think will happen 6 weeks form now, you dig?  There are some running principles we need to adhere to to have the best chance of success, and the main one I focus on in this here article is Buy Low, Sell High.  BLSH. I’m going to try and get that one to catch on. So, with out further ado, BLSHers, lets take a look at who we can BLSH:

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So, I don’t know how old you guys are, obviously, but I’m at the age where I have “lost youth’ moments. Most recently, I was at the local TargWalmar-conglomerate, and happened to see some of my favourite hip hop acts in the bargain CD bin. Ice-T’s “Power” album for $2? Big Daddy Kane, Eric B and Rakeem, tossed away like so much trash? My blood began to boil, but then I remembered that my doctor told me to watch my angina (don’t worry, I have pills for that), so I shuffled off to the suspender aisle to find my zen. But there is a lesson to be gleaned from this experience, beyond me cantankering about the youth today, and that is: you can find gold in the bargain bin, if you know what to look for.

Remember, the NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and that fact should remind you to be aware when your fantasy trade deadline is, if you don’t already know. It’s always difficult to slow-play, counter, or reject a trade if you have 48 hours to pull something off, and it puts more pressure on both you and your trading partner. I know this isn’t any great revelation, but it happens every year, some dude in the league sends out an email after the deadline complaining that he/she (he/she?…  even I’m not taking the obvious joke there) wasn’t aware, and should be allowed to make one last trade. Don’t be that he/she! What you can do right now, is try and start building the big trade, if you’re in contention. If you’re not (and in a keeper), analyze your team, and start trading assets for picks before the guy in second last does it before you. The third thing to do is pay close attention to the waiver wire gets, as they will be all that’s left in that post-trade apocalyptic wasteland. Guys rise and fall, due to injury and the subsequent opportunity, and you need to be aware of those streamers who can fill those voids. Keep your eye on the following bargains and fool’s gold:

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We’re in week 13, people. Where does the time go? Seems like a mere 3 months ago that the season started. Ahh, memories… Say, do you guys like going to see the ponies? Not my-little-pony, brah, I’m talking the track, where they race the horses. For money. You get to see dirty, desperate people throw their last few shekels on an equine dream, which mostly ends sadly, but sometimes, just sometimes, you get to see a moment of pure excitement, approaching ecstasy, when a long-shot filly comes in, and someone wins big. It’s glorious to see a seemingly sad little man so happy for once. I want you to be that sad little man, gentle reader, it too would be glorious. So lets take a stroll down to the stables, and take a look at the stallions, and see whom we should hitch our cart to, and who’s destined for the glue factory, shall we?

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We all love fantasy basketball, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and if you’ve run marathons, you know that you get tired after half of it is done. I mean, I don’t have any clue at all, but it stands to reason, right? Doldrums is the running term for that. And doldrums is also a sailing term, and not at all related to running actually. But I get a little frustrated, depressed, let down, etc. this time of the season, realizing the cats who have under performed, or acted just plain goofy (I’m talking to you Kevin Garnett! you used to be so damn beautiful, and you’re tainting your legacy a bit with this sucky stuff). But like G.I. Joe said, knowing is half the battle, and we can turn our frowns upside down with a little creative trading and/or acquisition. Take a gander at these booms and busts:

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I’ll admit it – I have very little to say of importance about the trade in relation to fantasy basketball, but the Cavs did get better, if Iman Shumpert can get (and stay!) healthy, he may have deep league defensive potential. Think a poor, poor man’s K.J. McDaniels. Poor. Maybe I’m reaching here to find some fantasy relevance, but to be clear, this is a “take stock of the flat top”, not “drop flop for flat top”, as he isn’t guaranteed the starting job when he comes back. I know JB already wrote something similar, but Dion Waiters is gonna have to show me he can get touches before I even speculate on him, as he’s clearly going to be coming off the bench. Really, unless you’re a fan of the 3 teams involved, it wasn’t really all that spectacular for any one team. So the Cavs won the trade, as they only gave up a 2019 second rounder, and nothing much else, (got J.R. Smith as a replacement for Waiters, so that was a lateral move) and got a potential defensive upgrade for the starting 5. We should all take the cue from the General Managers in our beloved NBA, and look at our fantasy squads and see who could be had, and who should be shipped out. If you’re considering making a move, have a gander at these fine fellows:

Please, blog, may I have some more?