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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.
I chat with Ryan Turner, a high-stakes fantasy basketball player. We delve into his fantasy history and he expounds on his big man strategy.
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.
While the day's headlines will surely focus on the Kyrie Irving's score-la-palooza right after KAT's err, score-stock, right after Lebron went on Fyre? I think I'm running out of festivals. Regardless, with there being only 16 50-point games this season, with half of them coming in the last 17 days, today's content will not focus on any of that. Shunning the SEO gods, that always works... but Tyler Herro's recent performance deserves at least some attention. And positive metrics! Coming off the bench against the Pistons, Herro managed 29 points on 8-15 field goals and 9-11 from the free throw line. Obviously it's hard to apply the sixth man label here when Herro is averaging the same minutes played as Giannis Antetokounmpo, but not only is he a huge part of the Heat right now, the future remains bright for this young point guard.
While the trade deadline is now a distant memory as we quickly head toward the play-ins, playoffs, and... play-ons? Yeah, why are there no play-ons or even play-outs? Maybe we just haven't evolutionized (totally a word) enough yet? Regardless, for those of you who remember (where were you when the Kings were peak Kings?), Sacramento ended up trading their most cost-controlled asset in Tyrese Haliburton (along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson) for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick. And it just so happens that right after the trade, I took a look at Sabonis and the Kings separate from any analysis of the trade itself. Basically, Sabonis is a big man with some big skills that would continue being that. And while the Kings haven't really succeeded with their "win-now" strategy (2-8 in their last 10, 4 losses behind the 10 seed), there's been nothing but confirmation that the Pacers made out like gangbusters (dated reference ftw) with Tyrese flourishing with his new team.
We're back to our regularly scheduled Tuesday night programming after a bit of travel to sunnier climes, and I hope the time away has been as good for you as it was for me. In case you missed it, Son and I just did a pod yesterday that covered all things RazzJam. It was good fun and I think I might have said something useful? After faceplanting in my first attempt last year, this year's campaign is going much, much better and I find myself in the hunt for a title as we come down the home stretch of the season. Son and I chopped up how such a dramatic turnaround came to be and maybe even figured out some viable strategy for next year. And speaking of Cam Payne...
While the title is a bit clunkier than my normal "flowful" (totally a word) attempts, I feel the metaphor carries some extra oomph, if only so I can type out the word oomph. Keep in mind that the pun is based on power hour, a term loosely defined as the last part of an investor's trading day and with the recent Clipper's acquisition (fleecing?) of Norman Powell (and Robert Covington) from the Trail Blazers, it seemed apt to sacrifice flow for accuracy. (That's what she said.) So many parenthetical statements, so little time! And with Powell's debut last night to the tune of 28 points on a 56/50/86 split in just 23 minutes, we'll take a look at Powell, the Clippers, and try and answer the question why anyone still picks up the phone when Jerry West calls...
Variety, they say, is the spice of life. So while there were monster games on Tuesday night from all the usual suspects -- Joker, Joel, LeBron, Harden, Anthony Edwards, the Boston Boys -- I'm bowing out on trying to split those hairs and passing on the opportunity to bestow the lede player honor on one of these repeat customers. Instead, we'll spice things up by going off the beaten path and checking in on a number one pick who feels like he's flying a bit under the radar.
Hey Jack, it's a fact: 1) Paprika is for men. 5) You snooze, you lose. B) ReSpEk ThE SuN. VII) Wiggins is an All-Star! What a time to be alive, especially if you are Andrew Wiggins. And watching this slow-moving transition has been quite the experience, filled with a bunch of memes and "what?" mutterings thrown about. From a young and a wild shooting wing several years ago to perhaps one of the better three-and-d players right now is quite the journey, and take it from this writer, the next stage should probably be an All-Star appearance (his first)...no? Okay, okay, that might be going a little too far, but what this post presupposes is, what if I'm not? This calls for a jiggy jump! You know, because the "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" reference and jumping from the lede to the full post with the link below... yeah, exactly.
Look, if I have a chance to go Trek, imma go Trek. Famous last words from a nerd (I think the best jingles rhyme), but what else should I do with a player named Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland that isn't sexually explicit? Sharing the same naming conventions of Duncan Idaho or perhaps the more-widely known Hannah Montana, Bones Hyland has been making a name for himself lately, which seems redundant in this context. For a rookie that has set career-high for point in his last four games, one might wonder what his true ceiling is, and while he wasn't considered in the highest tiers in this past draft class, surely that sentiment is changing and for good reason. So while he might not ever reach Doctor McCoy levels of stardom, one has to be happy with the fact that he actually might become an NBA star, which you know is probably more important since, well, yeah, spoiler alert, this is a basketball site.
I'm not the biggest AC/DC fan... which is probably an understatement. But of course, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't feel a smidgen of hype by the time "Thunder" is said seven straight times, and in a way, perhaps a metaphor for the actual Oklahoma City Thunder. I've never actually met a Thunder fan, have never seen one outside of Paycom, and I have a hard time finding a reason to retain any information of the team from year-to-year, yet at certain times, usually the playoffs, I find myself getting hyped by their ability to just grind. And while this was not actually one of those games (WHAT A TWIST), I do find it absolutely compelling when watching a team come down from 26 points to defeat a Lakers team that oddly has a few players which might have played for Oklahoma at some point and time? As I said, Thunder retention has been at an all-time low for me, but the fact remains, after four straight losses and allowing the Lakers 41 points in the first quarter, under 27 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a double-double by Josh Giddey, the Thunder were able to pull out an implausible victory against the Lakers and a quadruple-double from Russell Westbrook. I mean, even the Knicks had a 27-point lead the other day against the 76ers and managed the win so... ahem.
Here's what else I saw and hopefully retain (crosses fingers) with last night's games...
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