Fantasy Basketball Advice

It’s not always easy to keep perspective. Like when the 410 lb. orca whale purchasing $30-worth of Burger King for himself double-checks with the cashier that the soda he was served is Diet. But we here at Razzball know how difficult maintaining perspective can be, especially when you’re drunk and trying to sketch moving objects. So from now until the start of the season, we’re bringing you the 2010 Fantasy Team Previews, which will focus on each NBA team in hopes of painting a clearer fantasy picture. Who’s starting over whom? Who might surprise you and who might make you want to hurl yourself off a bridge in a few months. Enjoy! Next up – The New York Knicks

Gained – Amar’e Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony

Lost – David Lee, Al Harrington, Chris Duhon, Eddie House, Jordan Hill

Probable position depth -
PG – Raymond Felton, Toney Douglas, Andy Rautins
SG – Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler, Bill Walker, Roger Mason, Kelenna Azubuike
SF – Danilio Gallinari, Shawne Williams
PF – Amar’e Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph
C – Ronny Turiaf, Timofey Mozgov, Eddy Curry

3 Concerns Heading Into the Season -

1. Will anyone other than Stoudemire, Felton and Galiari play more than 30 minutes this season?
Yeah, but no one will know who until several weeks from now. Smart money says Wilson Chandler is your best bet. Despite the glut of SGs on the Knicks, Chandler is the most experienced and is willing to rebound the basketball, a skill particular necessary on a team with a SF that never gets within 15 feet of the basket, centers who get winded easily and an All-Star PF who can jump out of the gym but has never averaged a 10 rpg season.

2. Why exactly is Stoudemire expected to have the best season of his career this year?
Because he’s playing for fun ‘n’ gun D’Antoni again! In a system that isn’t run by Steve Nash. Because he’s the leader of this team. This suggests anyone was against Stoudemire being the leader of the Suns, which isn’t true. Because the East is weaker than the West! Really? Because New York is going to have to play the Celtics, Bulls, Magic and Heat a total of 16 times and the 2010 Knicks are a much worse team than the 2009 Suns. Because it’s New York, bro! Yup. And let’s see how STAT deals with the media residing in New York, when he goes a few games without a block or pulls down seven rebounds against a weak team.

3. Despite never having done much at the NBA level before, this is the year Anthony Randolph does something at the NBA level, right?
Not any time soon. Mike D’Antoni reminds me of the husband that spent the last six months preparing to divorce his wife only to have her die on him before he could serve her the papers. I don’t doubt that D’Antoni was relieved not to have to figure out what to do with Randolph on top of everything else still being developed with this squad.

Fantasy Disappointment in ’10 – Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari was being drafted in the fifth round of most drafts, which would be great for a healthy shooter, but this Rooster came into the season with a busted wing and when your biggest strength is the fluidity and accuracy with which your wrist snaps the ball toward the basket, you really can’t afford to play with anything less than a healthy wrist.

Biggest Fantasy Contributor in ’10 – Amar’e Stoudemire. Even the Knicks won’t mess this one up.

Deep Sleeper – Ronny Turiaf. If Randolph never pans out and Stoudemire never plays center and Timofey remains as irrelevant as Anfernee, Turiaf could step in to average 24-30 minutes per game. He’s averaged 6.5 boards and 2.4 blocks in 30 minutes over his career. That’s deep league gold

It’s not always easy to keep perspective. Like when the 410 lb. orca whale purchasing $30-worth of Burger King for himself double-checks with the cashier that the soda he was served is Diet. But we here at Razzball know how difficult maintaining perspective can be, especially when you’re drunk and trying to sketch moving objects. So from now until the start of the season, we’re bringing you the 2010 Fantasy Team Previews, which will focus on each NBA team in hopes of painting a clearer fantasy picture. Who’s starting over whom? Who might surprise you and who might make you want to hurl yourself off a bridge in a few months. Enjoy! Next up – The Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors are the team that no one minds because, although they stink, they’re fun to watch. The Bay area sells out every game and management gave the fans new uniforms and a new court this season. Too bad the team still stinks, and everyone thought their style would change with a new coach, but they won 132-128 on opening night.

The Warriors are a fun bunch of guys, kinda like the “Saved By The Bell” cast, as it was not a quality show, but you still had fun watching the episodes. They have some nice pieces, including two members of Team USA, not including Monta Ellis who dropped 46 on opening night.

Lost – Kelenna Azubuike, Raja Bell, Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, C.J. Watson, Anthony Tolliver, Ronny Turiaf

Gained – David Lee, Jeff Adrien, Lou Amundson, Rodney Carney, Ekpe Udoh, Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric, Jeremy Lin, Dorell Wright

Probable Position Depth -
PG – Stephen Curry, Jeremy Lin
SG – Monta Ellis, Rodney Carney, Charlie Bell
SF – Dorell Wright, Reggie Williams, Vladimir Radmanovic
PF – David Lee, Lou Amundson, Brandon Wright
C – Andris Biedrins, Dan Gadzuric

3 Questions regarding the GSW -
1 . Will the backcourt of Steph Curry and Monta Ellis work?
Contrary to popular belief, we think it will work. Monta dropped 46 opening night, while Curry had 25 and 11 dimes. Not too shabby for a backcourt that was not supposed to work. Whoever thought having two young studs in your backcourt would not work in an … Go Warriors!

2. Will David Lee keep doing the damn thing?
Yup. Dude was born to rebound, and will average around 15 PPG, with a few dimes too. He will be a league leader in RPG, and is another very good player on the Warriors that does not play any defense. It is crazy to see how far Lee has come along. He was a McDonald’s All American, who did nothing in Gainesville. He was a late first round pick of the Knicks and not much was expected out of him. A few years later, he’s making $10 million per year, while a member of Team USA. Crazy.

3. Wasn’t Dorrell Wright the Ellen Degeneres fish from “Finding Nemo?”
No. And he’s not the popular explorer with a show on Nickelodeon either. Wright is an L.A. kid that committed to DePaul University and came out of high school in 2004. He was a Heat first round pick in 2004, but never got to play much. Perhaps because he was never very good, but that did not stop the Warriors from paying him $10 mil for three seasons guaranteed. Wright has had an adventurous NBA career so far, and he is only 24 years old. He starts for the Warriors and put up 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in his first game in the Bay Area. Keep an eye on him as he is a versatile G/F who is finally getting an opportunity to play.

Fantasy Disappointment in ’10 – Remember two years ago when Andris Biedrins was a high level pick? When he averaged 11 PPG and 11 RPG, while handing out two APG, with over one BPG? It seems so long ago, but Goose seems to have lost something on his way to the beach. The 6’11″ Latvian star is getting paid handsomely while he has not played well in two seasons. You still need to keep an eye on him, not because of his amazing tan, but because he is still young and has game. We hope he can find some consistency this season but it is gonna be hard with another great rebounder in David Lee. P.S. Biendrins’ form at the FT line is so much fun to watch.

Biggest Fantasy Contributor in ’10 - Pick between Monta, Curry, and Lee. All of them should be in consideration for Team USA, but Monta has the ability to drop 40 PPG and play 48 MPG, but Coach K does not think he is good enough for Team USA. Monta gets a bad rap and is a good kid, but sometimes can do some silly things on and off the court, which does not help his case to make the best team in the world. Lee and Curry are both All-American boys, great teammates, and motivated to win, but play no defense. I suddenly wonder how much do they really want to win?

Deep Sleeper -  Dorell Wright. He should have his best season as a pro. Although that is not saying much, there is no denying Wright’s talents. He is versatile at 6’9″ and can do a lot of things on the court, which means he will see a lot of run for the Warriors. There is not too much behind him, so keep an eye on Wright and do not be surprised if he ends up playing on your team.

It’s not always easy to keep perspective. Like when the 410 lb. orca whale purchasing $30-worth of Burger King for himself double-checks with the cashier that the soda he was served is Diet. But we here at Razzball know how difficult maintaining perspective can be, especially when you’re drunk and trying to sketch moving objects. So from now until the start of the season, we’re bringing you the 2010 Fantasy Team Previews, which will focus on each NBA team in hopes of painting a clearer fantasy picture. Who’s starting over whom? Who might surprise you and who might make you want to hurl yourself off a bridge in a few months. Enjoy! Next up – The Toronto Raptors.

Gained – Linas Kleiza, Leandro Barbosa, Ed Davis

Lost – Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, Marco Belinelli

Probable position depth -
PG – Jarrett Jack, Jose Calderon, Marcus Banks
SG – DeMar DeRozan, Leandro Barbosa
SF – Linas Kleiza, Sonny Weems, Julian Wright
PF – Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson, David Andersen, Ed Davis
C – Andrea Bargnani, Joey Dorsey, Solomon Alabi

3 Concerns Heading Into the Season -

1. Ed Davis is going to be a bust, isn’t he?
Compared to the guy he was drafted to replace? Yeah. He’s out indefinitely after having knee surgery which, as 1/3 of this season’s forwards and centers will tell you, is bad news. The bright side here is that no one really believed Davis was going to do anything this season anyway, so your not drafting him isn’t affected by his not playing. Everybody wins! … Except Ed Davis.

2. Are the days of Jose Calderon as a top 10 PG gone?
Was he ever really a top 10 PG? I dunno, man. It’s your question. Well then, I’m thinking he wasn’t. Even in 2007, his best year, he only averaged 11/3/8. Great. So you wasted a question to build a straw man argument. Well, not exactly. The question is more about whether Joe Kettle continues his decline (20.5 PER in ’07, 18.7 in ’08, 15.5 in ’09) or stages a big of a resurgence. Okay … well? Yeah, not if he’s going to be playing equal or fewer minutes alongside Jarrett Jack. In the last three season, his minutes have been cut almost in half. Unless his situation changes, consider Calderon a PG outside the top 20.

3. What is a Linas Kleiza and where can I get four more just like it?
As I said in Kleiza’s fantasy sleeper post, Linas will be given every opportunity to succeed and help a lot of mid-sized and deeper fantasy teams. He’s not a stat-stuffer, but he will offer the standard 1 trey, 14 points, six rebounds that comes industry standard in many late-round SF picks. The difference with Kleiza is for most of the offseason, no one even saw him coming and snatched him up far later than he should have gone. Don’t be surprised if Kleiza’s stashed at the end of a a lot of championship fantasy rosters this year. Yeah, but … where can I get four more just like him? Oh. Uh … I’m sure K-Mart carries Kleizas. I haven’t seen a K-Mart since the ’90s, bro. Oh. Uh, Target then. You’re making this up, aren’t you? Just everything after “… rosters this year.”

Fantasy Disappointment in ’10 – Andrea Bargnani. He was drafted somewhere in the third or fourth round of most drafts on the strength of his position and the fact that he shoots threes. And threes are neat-o keen and all, but he only made 1.5 treys last season in 35 minutes. What’s more, all of earth predicts Bargnani’s stats to go through the roof with Bosh out of the way, as if Bargnani and his 6 rbd/1.5 blk would have just loved to play down in the block if Bosh wasn’t in the way. Blaming Bosh for Bargnani’s über-European style of play is like blaming immigrants for taking all our tobacco-pickin’ jobs. He’s drafted to be a fire-balling center with a 30 points per game average and they’re going to be stuck with a center with a poor FG%, poor rebounding numbers and no assists to speak of.

Biggest Fantasy Contributor in ’10 – Andrea Bargnani. … But, he will be the scoring leader of one of the five worst teams in basketball. And a probable steady source for blocks. In the land of the blind, you can’t spell “Bargnani” without one “i.”

Deep Sleeper -  Would it blow your mind if Bargnani was listed here too? Amir Johnson. Right now, Amir is raw. Raw enough that Reggie Evans is a sturdier pick to toss in the starting lineup, which is like a barnacle scoffing at a barrel-bottom. But Johnson’s per36 was 13/10 and 2.7 blk+stls last season. He has a career PER of 16.1 and was only used 14.6 percent of the time he was on the court. The talent is there if he can get the touches. Can he get the touches? Go ahead and scroll back up to that list of Toronto’s bigs and judge for yourself.

It’s not always easy to keep perspective. Like when the 410 lb. orca whale purchasing $30-worth of Burger King for himself double-checks with the cashier that the soda he was served is Diet. But we here at Razzball know how difficult maintaining perspective can be, especially when you’re drunk and trying to sketch moving objects. So from now until the start of the season, we’re bringing you the 2010 Fantasy Team Previews, which will focus on each NBA team in hopes of painting a clearer fantasy picture. Who’s starting over whom? Who might surprise you and who might make you want to hurl yourself off a bridge in a few months. Enjoy! Next up – The New Jersey Nets.

Gained – Troy Murphy, Derrick Favors, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, hope

Lost – Yi Jianlian, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Trenton Hassell, Josh Boone, Keyon Dooling, countless other scrubs

Probable position depth -
PG – Devin Harris, Jordan Farmar, Ben Uzoh
SG – Anthony Morrow, Terrence Williams, Quinton Ross
SF – Travis Outlaw, Stephen Graham, Damion Jones
PF – Troy Murphy, Derrick Favors, Joe Smith, Kris Humphries
C – Brook Lopez, Johan Petro

3 Concerns Heading Into the Season -

1. There are only four Nets in 2010 who were Nets in 2009. Are the old Nets going to tell all the new Nets how much it sucked being a Net last year?
Not if they’re smart. Besides, Troy Murphy was on the Pacers last year. He already knows. Although it’s no guarantee that this Jersey Nets is a playoff-bound Jersey Nets, it’ll be nearly impossible to continue being the scourge of the league Jersey Nets . Fantasy-wise this should have an uplifting effect on the entire team.  Which is good. Because a bored February Derrick Favors is one who is not developing. A frustrated Troy Murphy is one who is not trying and and a hopeless Jordan Farmar is one who isn’t hungry to get playing time. 

2. Will Devin Harris disappoint fantasy owners this season because of injuries or because of his attitude?
Oh, random concern generator, you slay me with your pessimism! No, but seriously – injuries.

3. If Anthony Morrow is one of the most natural shooters in the league, why did he shoot .400 in the preseason?
Rust. I don’t mean in his mechanics. I mean, Morrow went from San Francisco to New Jersey. He’s just not used to the stench of rust being on everything. It’s not easy transitioning from Bay breeze to, well … breeze from the Hudson Bay.

Fantasy Disappointment in ’10 – Anthony Morrow. This isn’t due only to his poor shooting, but to Terrence Williams’ promising performance near the end of last season and into the preseason. Morrow will start, but I imagine Williams – playing a little SF too – will average more mpgs. And this would be fine if Morrow were being drafted where Williams is being drafted, but he’s not. Morrow’s ADP is around 102, Williams is about 128. Should be the other way around.

Biggest Fantasy Contributor in ’10 – Brook Lopez. The only thing that could make BroPez more likable in this blogger’s eyes is if he insisted that Springsteen be played in the locker room before each game. Until I hear otherwise, I’m going to assume this is what goes down.

Deep Sleeper -  Travis Outlaw. Between 2007 and 2008, Outlaw’s stock was on the rise. By the end of the 2008 season, he was averaging 13/4 in 28 minutes and looked as if he were only going to improve. Then he got hurt last season and Portland gave up on him (otherwise known as “traded to the Clippers”). The Clippers didn’t use him correctly and *POOF* it was as if Outlaw had never existed. Even here on the Nets, he’s among the least discussed prospects on the team despite earning a starting role. The first month of the season will be the most important in Outlaw’s career. If he performs well, we’ll hear his name as often as we did two seasons ago. If not, we’ll probably be hearing Terrence Williams’ name a lot more than we already are.

It’s not always easy to keep perspective. Like when the 410 lb. orca whale purchasing $30-worth of Burger King for himself double-checks with the cashier that the soda he was served is Diet. But we here at Razzball know how difficult maintaining perspective can be, especially when you’re drunk and trying to sketch moving objects. So from now until the start of the season, we’re bringing you the 2010 Fantasy Team Previews, which will focus on each NBA team in hopes of painting a clearer fantasy picture. Who’s starting over whom? Who might surprise you and who might make you want to hurl yourself off a bridge in a few months. Enjoy! Next up – The Philadelphia 76ers.

Gained – Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, Andres Nocioni, Darius Songalia

Lost – Samuel Dalembert, Allen Iverson, Jason Smith, Willie Green, Francisco Elson, Rodney Carney

Probable position depth -
PG – Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams
SG – Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner, Jodie Meeks
SF – Thaddeus Young, Jason Kopono, Andres Nocioni
PF – Elton Brand, Mareese Speights, Darius Songalia
C – Spencer Hawes, Tony Battie, Craig Brackins

3 Concerns Heading Into the Season -

1. If I had to choose one PG likely to go from off the radar last season to possible top 10 by season’s end, am I going with Darren Collison or Jrue Holiday?
Collison because he spent 2/5 of last season proving he could do it, while Holiday spent the first three months of the season being mistaken for Lou Williams by Eddie Jordan. Having said that, Holiday averaged 5.5/2/2.5 before the All-Star Break and 12/3.5/5.5 after it in twice as many minutes. He’ll have the full confidence of Doug Collins and the rest of his team and, after a summer’s worth of development, is expected to improve his efficiency. Look for 13.5/3.5/7, which would put him at just about the 10th or 11th best PG in the league.

2. Wait, why CAN’T Elton Brand be his 20/10 former self again?
He’s hurt all over (shoulder, knee), he’s getting older (31) and the Sixers are stacked at the PF/C position. Oh, okay. Just askin’. Hey, keep your chin up, little fella. Brand will still have his best season since 2006 and has been a 10th-round steal in many leagues. Gee willikers, mister No foolin’? Honest injun. Swell.

3. Over/under that Evan Turner at least matches his freshman output at Ohio State this season (8.5/4.5/2.5)?
Over. I don’t question why people are down on Turner this season, but I do question why they’re so quick to dismiss a guy who averaged 21/9/6 last season? Those are not stats of a kid that can’t learn and grow into a system. I wouldn’t recommend taking him in the seventh or eighth rounds as people have been doing with Anthony Randolph, but I would recommend them keeping a similar mindset for Turner as they have with Randolph. Even if Turner is a mess for three months while getting acclimated to the NBA, that’s about how long it took Stephen Curry. Turner isn’t going to explode right out of the box, but it seems pound-foolish to leave him for some other team to grab in the late rounds of your deep draft. It wouldn’t give me tummy trouble at all if he were to become a top 50 pick this time next season.

Fantasy Disappointment in ’10 – Evan Turner. I know, I know. This comes off as confusing and hypocritical to say what I said 1/4-inch above and then to call Turner a probable disappointment. Caress and slap. Lace and leather. Tough it out. Elton Brand almost took this distinction. Both Brand and Evans are being drafted near one another (Brand’s ADP on ESPN is 106, Turner’s is 111), but when people draft Brand at 106 it’s a cautious pick. When they draft Turner a few ticks later, it’s with hope for an upside worthy of the No.2 selection in this season’s NBA draft. So when Brand disappoints, no one will really feel all that slighted. When Turner disappoints, bottles of Heineken go through television screens.

Biggest Fantasy Contributor in ’10 – Andre Iguodala. Remember how good Iguodala was last year? He played almost 65 percent of his season at SF, where he had a 16 PER. He played 33 percent of his season at SG (where he will log most of his minutes this season) and averaged a PER of 21. Blackjack!

Deep Sleeper -  Lou Williams. If Eddie Jordan can be excused for anything, it’s not knowing who the starting PG of his team should have been. While I do think Holiday is the correct way to go, if he happens to go down with an injury, I fully anticipate straining numerous ligaments in my leg during my mad dash to my computer and the fantasy leagues that reside there in an attempt to grab Screwy Louis and his 16/4/3.5 and 1.4 stls as a starter. You see, I would not have stretched before breaking into the sprint, as I would have no way of knowing that Holiday was about to become injured – unless I make the decision to stretch before and during each Sixers game this season. I will not likely do that.