The Top 10 featured the best of the best, the creme de la creme, the 1 percenters. The Top 25 was more Tom & Jerry, Batman & Robin, Mulder and Scully; the players that pair up well with the first-rounders to form a solid foundation. The Top 50 illuminated the specialists. Now we have arrived at the Top 100, where team composition will dictate each team’s direction. As the kids say, hopefully I keep it 100 for this piece. Enjoy!
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Rolling rolling rolling. The list keeps on unfolding. This is where drafts start to get interesting, as everyone should have a foundation of two players in 12-team leagues. Choose wisely. Ok, enough babbling. Let’s get chugging along. Choo chooooo!
Please, blog, may I have some more?The hits keep on coming. Last week, I unveiled the Top 10. This week, we are going 25 deep. Enjoy!
Please, blog, may I have some more?That’s right! WELCOME BACK! It’s been a long, yet eventful offseason. You know the dramas. You know the situations, so no need to go there. You are here for the Top 10, but before I unveil the goods…I like to play hard to get…there are some things I need to do. First and foremost, have to give props to the great and venerable Rudy Gamble, who blessed me with his Excel wizardry. Also, shout out to Viz….Nobody Beats the Viz….who helped me tinker, refine, and make the list what it is. He’s a Jazz fan so guess who got a huge bump? Finally, I’ll give you a brief window into my process. I went through each team individually, mapped how I saw the depth chart playing out, and allocated the 240 minute-per-game pie. The one thing I wanted to do when projecting the players was to weight volume for both FG% and FT%. Therefore, in my projections below, I will use a-FG% and a-FT%, instead of FG% and FT%. I then threw all the players into a list and calculated the Z-score for each statistical category, then added them all up to get my final list. EZ-PZ. Not really, but that’s why I get the big bucks…not really.
Every Wednesday, I will blurb about and reveal more players, culminating in the final release of the entire list, which is 340 deep. I’ll only blurb about the Top 200, though. Hope you enjoy!
Please, blog, may I have some more?We choose to supersize that meal or put cheese on the burger so that our stomachs look like Kuato in Total Recall. That’s our choice. We choose to wear the jimmy hat or live dangerously. That’s our choice. We choose to draft KAT over Anthony Davis in fantasy. That’s our choice. But there is so much out of our control. The world we were born into. Our parents. What we look like. In a videogame, we choose what difficulty level we play on. In life, that has been chosen for us. Some play on hard, while others get cheat codes. Willy Hernangomez hit the genetic lottery. 6′ 11″ 240 pounds, athletically skilled, and good looking. Sure, he worked his ass off to get where he’s at. Lifting weights, running, and plucking eyebrows, but he had a nice base to work with. Last year during his rookie campaign, he was a monster per-36: 16 points, 13.6 boards, 2.6 dimes, 1.1 steals, 1.0 blocks, 53% field goal percentage, and 73% free throw percentage. Unfortunately, he only played 18 minutes per game. Out of his control. Regardless, Willy was viewed as a franchise piece, but then the Knicks acquired Enes Kanter. The minutes plummeted to 9 a game, even though the per-36 numbers were still robust. Out of his control. If you go back to my earlier blurbs regarding Willy, I mentioned that he hooked up with Hornacek’s daughter. I’d hit up the Google machine right now. Wouldn’t you? I’m still not dismissing that angle, so maybe Willy had some control in the matter. Anyways, after bitching and complaining, he finally got his wish and was shipped to the Hornets. Too bad the Hornets had some guy named Dwight Howard. Can’t forget about Cody Zeller as well. So, Willy was not freed and the situation looked identical to the one in New York. But, Zeller is out for the season due to injury and yesterday, Willy played a season-high 22 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 2/3 | 11/14 |
Per-36 in CHA, Willy is at: 17.7 points, 14.9 boards, 1.8 dimes, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks. The Hornets are out of the playoff picture and there’s no reason to push Dwight, so Willy should see significant run to end the season. Free at last….free at last….Willy is free at last.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
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When my wife was pregnant, the experience was…..interesting. At least for me. I can’t even begin to try and understand what my wife was feeling. All I know is that women are the GOAT. Anyways, after the initial gamut of emotions, things became very business-like. Doctor’s office. One month. Two months. Three months. Everything was mapped out and the “ride” was slow and steady. Then, the due date approached and….well, I was Robert DeNiro in Heat. The bags were packed and the routes were mapped out with contingencies for all possibilities. At the same time, though, I was like my five-year-old son in the back of the car on a long trip: “Are we there yet? When will we be there? Why is it taking so long?” Damian Lillard and his girlfriend had been expecting the birth of their child for the past few days. Lillard had been struggling a bit with his shooting efficiency, but the raw production was still there. It could have been the matchups or anxiousness with the pregnancy. Regardless, it was Lillard Time for the whole family last night.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 41 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3/9 | 18/33 | 2/2 |
A 40-burger!!! On Damian Jr.’s birthday. Y’all know what time it is.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
Please, blog, may I have some more?I was born and raised in Los Angeles, a city that is 47.5% Latino. A beneficial thing would’ve been to study the Espanol. I was a knuckle head, though. In many respects, I still am, but that’s a conversation for another day. You know who also lives in Los Angeles and does not speak the […]
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Average. Middle. Meh? I guess it all depends on perception. Someone born into poverty would be praised if he/she achieved average economic status. On the flip side, if you are a one-percenter, I assume that average would prompt seppuku. Average is often associated with boring. He/she was average in the sack. The higher above the line probably correlates well with intenstity of orgasm. For flip side? Supplant higher with lower. Why does average get such a bad rap? It ain’t great, but it puts food on the table. It often gives 1.5 children and a white picket fence, if you are so inclined to have either. With that said, we are a “what have you done for me lately” society. We are all about celebrating the highs, while conveniently eschewing the trials and tribulations. Well, yesterday Joe Harris was not your Average Joe.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6/7 | 11/14 | 2/2 |
The CLE defense is atrocious, but let’s not forget about the……REVENGE!!!! Harris was drafted by the Cavaliers back in 2014. He played two seasons there, never averaging more than 10 points or scoring 3 points a game. During the 2016 season, though, Joe underwent surgery on his foot and was traded to ORL a week later. Then he was immediately waived. BKN picked him up and the rest, as they say, is history. Two years with the Nets has produced…..wait for it (an homage to HIMYM)…..average results. This season, in particular, Joe is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 boards, 1.5 dimes, and 1.8 downtowners in 25.1 minutes a game. He’s scored double figures in 41 of 71 games played, but has not eclipsed the 20 point threshold once. Anyways, I clowned him earlier in the season, but Harris is no Average Joe, and the Nets don’t think so either. Even with all the wing players that they have, Joe has been getting consistent playing time for most of the season. He can shoot and is able to drive strong to the rack and finish. An Average Joe on most nights, but yesterday, he was anything but.
Here’s what else I saw yesterday:
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Kemba: The King of the Grizzlies
March 23, 2018 | Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes | 12 Commentsby: Son
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba…..Sithi uhhmm ingonyama. Anyone recognize? How about now?
Now, let me make a few alterations and….Voila! Nants inKemba bagithi baba….Sithi uhhmm inKemba. Translation? There comes a Kemba…..Oh yes, it’s a Kemba. At least I think that’s how it translates. Anyways, Kemba Walker was the King last night. King of the court. King of the Grizzlies. And King of the hearts of fantasy owners everywhere…..at least the ones that had him on their squads.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 46 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10/14 | 13/18 | 10/10 |
He did all of that in 28 minutes, outscoring the Grizzlies 17-14 in the first quarter. He almost outscored them for the half, but fell 7 points short of the feat (42-35). The Kembas defeated the Grizzlies by 61 points! 140-79. Insert Ron Burgundy impressed meme. For all the other contestants in the 2018 Tankathon, take notes and watch the tape. That’s how you tank. As for Kemba, he had been struggling a bit, failing to eclipse the 25 point threshold in eight straight games. With that said, he does have three 40-burgers on the season, so the potential is always there. I’m just not sure he’s going to get crazy run down the stretch, as the Hornets are out of the playoff picture and will want to get the young kids more playing time.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
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Back in 2004, Dwight Howard was an affable kid with human heads as shoulders. Selected #1 overall by the Orlando Magic out of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Dwight looked to be the next superstar of the NBA. Look was an understatement. He averaged a double-dub, played in every game his rookie season, and was named to the All-Rookie Team. The next three years, Howard got bigger, stronger, and led the Magic to the playoffs. In 2008, he became Superman when he donned the cape in the dunk contest. All was good in the world of Dwight. But then things began turning the other way. The Magic couldn’t advance in the playoffs and the league started to employ the Hack-a-Dwight, due to his atrocious free throw shooting. Then, in 2012, he asked to be traded, tried to get his coach fired (allegedly), but ended up signing with the Magic and hugging his coach. Huh? It got worse, though. Dwight had back surgery and missed the rest of the 2012 season. Then, asked to be traded to BKN, but got shipped to LA instead, where Kobe ripped him a new one. Houston for three years, then Atlanta, then finally Charlotte. I can’t wait for the ESPN 30 for 30 on Dwight, but I’m not writing about that. I’m writing about that fact that Dwight went:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 32 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10/17 | 12/21 |
The first 30/30 game since Kevin Love accomplished the feat in 2010. Harvey Pollack, the Sixers’ Director of Statistical Information back in 2010, told John Hareas of NBA.com that “there have been 131 30/30 performances.” Wilt Chamberlain did it 103 times! Ha! Well, add Dwight to the list.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
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Basketball is a funny game. The Atlanta Hawks were riding a six-game losing streak and heading to Utah to face off against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Dennis Schroder, the point guard for the Hawks, had failed to score 20 points in each of the six losses. Then, a funny thing happened. The D went missing. Did Dennis change his name to Ennis? No!
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 41 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/7 | 16/28 | 6/10 |
Forty burger! Against a team that was 8th in defensive efficiency against the point guard position. Against Ricky Rubio, who was 10th in defensive real plus minus. Schroder had a 42.7 usage rate last night! Going forward, though, I wouldn’t expect too many performances like last night. Taurean Prince, who had been the alpha in terms of usage, got Prince’D, so someone had to step up. In addition, while Schroder has had a couple of big games this season, they have been too few to count on. Expect scoring to be in the 18-20 point range with 5-7 assists, and 2-3 boards.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
Please, blog, may I have some more? LeJuggernaut Has Been Unleashed
March 20, 2018 | Fantasy Basketball Daily Notes | 15 Commentsby: Son
The Marvel Universe has been on quite a heater lately, culminating in the recently released Black Panther movie. With that said, an underappreciated and rarely talked about character is The Juggernaut. Possesses superhuman strength and durability, is virtually unstoppable once in motion, and immune to mental attacks when donning a helmet. He’s fought and taken on all comers. Sounds alot like LeBron James aka LeJuggernaut. Possesses superhuman strength? Check. Is durable? Has played 1130 career games and missed 111, with many of those due to “rest.” As this fivethirtyeight.com article stated, LeBron has “never missed a playoff game” even though he has the “sixth-most regular season minutes of all time.” He’s in the top 3 all time of games played per season as a percentage of the player’s teams’ total regular-season and playoff games. Among active players, “no one has gone to the free-throw line more than James.” I think that’s a resounding Check. Is unstoppable once in motion? Check. Immune to mental attacks? He had his moments early in his career when it seemed like LeBron was mentally fragile, but as time has gone on, he’s shown to be impervious to distractions both on and off the court. Check. Last night, LeJuggernaut messed around by rampaging through the Milwaukee Bucks.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 40 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3/7 | 16/29 | 5/8 |
There are 12 games left in the regular season and the Cavs are currently the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference. IND, WAS, and PHI are only one game back in the loss column. It’s winning time and LeJuggernaut has been unleashed for the stretch run. If you don’t believe me, take a look below:
| PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | |
| OCT | 24.6 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| NOV | 29.6 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| DEC | 27.5 | 8.2 | 10.3 | 0.8 | 1.9 |
| JAN | 23.5 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 |
| FEB | 27 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| MAR | 30 | 10.3 | 9.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
Here’s what else I saw last night:
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