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We have some more clearly defined tiers at this point in the Writer's League.  Edge, PB And G, and Kostas are clearly the top 3, followed by seven teams within five games of each other.  We all have a chance!  Of course, I arbitrarily cut off the five games number there to include myself (why are you all reading this, he's clearly a narcissist!  Wait, quiet down 13 year old daughter.  And how do you know such big words?)  Even Son, Mr. Hooper, and the Oracle (the last three teams) are only like 6 back. https://www.fantrax.com/fantasy/league/3l3er6yal84ps3ep/standings  These are the standings here, I have no idea if this will work!
Welcome to the fourth installment of Weekly Yinteresting Thoughts (WYT). In these posts, I’ll be sharing some of my random thoughts, opinions, and questions about the NBA landscape as it pertains to fantasy basketball. Feel free to drop your comments and questions below! Let’s get started. For me, typical offseasons in fantasy basketball involve closely following NBA news, trying to predict ADP’s for next year’s sleepers, and a fair bit of theorycrafting. This year, I explored and tried to execute an idea that I’ll call Categorical Invulnerability. 
Welp.  Went up against the first place team and predictable things happened. JokerSmoker outclassed the Infector 6-2, but I did manage a glorious tie in the blocks category!  I was within ten points in every category.  My strategy of well-rounded guys to start, then fill in the gaps has failed. What do do when your plan fails?  Trade!  Scottie Barnes, Jayson Tatum, and Anthony Edwards should be able to fetch good big guys.  I’m in good shape with rebounds and blocks.  I’m finna make some bad offers on paper but try to magnify my strengths and maybe get some Ws.  I’m also guessing none of the writers read this site trying to defeat an Infector.
As the early part of the NBA 2022-23 season churns on, a lot of storylines and off-the-court drama permeates. Some of these were built off the back from previous seasons; the trending bewilderment of Ben Simmons, the Lakers continued struggles while inadvertently tanking for Wembanyama while the Pelicans have the rights to their first-round pick also remains a bold strategy. Kyrie Irving is still a hateful idiot. But there are also new and interesting storylines being created right now, like the Jazz competing with the Spurs and TrailbBlazers for the number one seed (early, but you can talk about it!), the Clippers being a mess, the resurgence of James Harden... and the Bucks continue their quest for 82-0, squeaking out a win last night. While there's a lot to ridicule (mostly the Nets), there's a lot of interesting items both on and off the court that have made this season already special. Here's what else I saw last night:
"A River Runs Through It" is a 1992 American drama film directed by Robert Redford and starring Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt and Tom Skerritt that focuses on a coming of age story between two brothers; one studious, the other rebellious. "The West Runs Through It" is a 2022 National Basketball drama directed by Adam Silver and starring the Trail Blazers, Spurs and Jazz that focuses on a coming of age story between three teams who refuse the temptation of drafting Victor Wembanyama, rather focusing on reaching the playoffs. Just like we all expected... You have Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons going a combined 60/9/13 on 21-33 shooting and 11-19 from beyond the arc in a blowout against the Nuggets, yet another Spurs win fueled by Devin Vassell's 23/9/7 and of course the powerhouse Jazz team where you can't tell the starters from their bench, netting their first loss may have slowed them down, but still, at 3-1, who else was I going to put here in the lede? The Lakers? (ROFL.) Here's what else I saw during last night's games...
The Golden State Warriors, somehow, enter the 2022-23 season as unsteady defending champions after winning what nearly everyone described as their sweetest championship a season ago. A championship that came after two years in the wilderness of abject failure and mediocrity due to injuries to Thompson and then Curry and then Thompson again. Last season's championship run also unfolded in the absence of all the "you broke basketball" talk that surrounded Kevin Durant's arrival in the Bay and it saw Steph Curry win his long overdue finals MVP after a historic series in which there was no doubt he was the best player, not only on his own team, but on either team in the Finals. And yet, here we are.
If you were ever wondering what the process was for how team previews get assigned, it's essentially a modern day duel to the death, but digital with way less death and way more clicking. But for the most part, we do get some say on which teams we cover, which for me is a strange thing to admit as I've now covered the Bulls, Rockets and now the Wizards. I've begun to question my very core ethos... am I masochist? Do I love to suffer from watching lost causes and rebuilding projects? Granted, the Bulls are kinda breaking out of their shell, Ninja Turtles metaphor for all the senior citizens out there, but there's no denying that being a fan of the Rockets and Wizards franchises has its challenges. And while the Rockets have committed to a full rebuild and have essentially forfeited the next few seasons in order to quickly regenerate their team, the Wizards have chosen the meandering method (Or how I make love). With the re-signing of Bradley Beal, the Wizards look to be competitive for some weeks before returning to their middle-of-the-ground wasteland. The real question is, how many weeks and how much meh-basketball will be generated in that span? Enticing, I know!
I figure y'all don't need reminding that these aren't your father's Rockets. I don't even think these are your brother's Rockets either, especially if you don't have a brother. That kinda eliminates you out of the metaphor. But the point stands, the Rockets are basically last year's Rockets in that this is a team still in rebuild mode. But, as one of the dozen or so Padres fans from another ball sport (heehee balls), one can be accustomed to a bad team and still like the parts on it. In this, I guess "mechanic" type metaphor, parts are people and before I start getting too random, yes, the Rockets will be terrible, but that doesn't mean there won't be some non-terrible things on it. I guess I could have just said that and saved 250 words of bad metaphors. Hmm.
That's right! We Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' on forward. The players listed below should round out the first two rounds in most drafts and will be the foundations for teams. In roto, you're likely trying to build a significant base in particular categoires to cushion later-round selections, but that is dependent on what path you follow. Some of the Son Pods I recorded in the offseason delve into the different strategies employed by some of the top players on the NFBKC streets. For head-to-head leagues, which punt path you venture down should be apparent now and will dictate which players get elevated in value.
For much of my life, balance has been a core tenet. Get good grades. Play an instrument. Be athletic. Yadda yadda. That permeated into my fantasy life as well. I want the elite guard paired with a towering big situated alongside a multi-cat wing as if creating a Dungeons and Dragons squad to slay the dragon. Now, for roto games, that is the way to go. There is no room to punt in those games. For head-to-head, though, punting is not only viable but could be The Way.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_SixH-y8wI Most head-to-head games are set up so that the team that wins the most categories out of nine is the winner. Winning 5-4 gets the W. Sure, going 9-0 could affect overall standings but what are the chances of winning 9-0? Slim to none. In addition, there is so much variance if employing a balanced approach in head-to-head leagues, not only from your own squad but in terms of matchups as well.