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The young season has already provided some serious ups and downs, surprises, and plenty of excitement. We’ve seen several 50-point games, a Derrick Rose time machine experience, some thrilling overtime finishes, and one Javale McGee three-pointer.

One thing I don’t get is why players need rest when they have been chilling on the beaches of Jamaica, hanging out in Paris, or making some extra change running basketball camps, which they don’t really run, but is a way for their high school buddies to capitalize on their name and make a few dollars.

Yet, here they are resting in week 2. Gordon Hayward, I get. I certainly don’t get Kawhi resting. He rested all last year!

In this piece, I will provide some info on the basketball and fantasy trends of the teams in the Association. We will start this week with the teams located on the Left Coast.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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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In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be Dwight: and there was Dwight. Dwight Howard was vintage D12 against the Suns (I know, it’s the Suns) and tore them up for 30/12/1/1/4 on 10-for-15 FG (10-for-15 FT) with only one TO. He was fantastic across the board, and the FTs weren’t even that bad, all things considered. Dwight’s still one of the more valuable centers in the league, especially if you’re punting FTs, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down as the Hornets are still hanging on in the playoff race. As long as he doesn’t get hurt, he should be good to go every time. Anyway, here’s what else I saw last night in fantasy basketball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“ Winners never quit and quitters never win.” (Vince Lombardi)

We’re now in the final week of the regular season with a lot of teams fighting for the last spot of the playoffs. This is my first season playing against our Razzball readers and friends, and I’m enthusiastic about the great level across all the leagues. The best part of the season is coming, but first an electrifying last week. Good luck guys!

 

Here is how the action went down in Week 20 across our 12 RCL Leagues:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

I usually reserve the lede for the best statistical performance of the night, as numbers don’t lie. Neither do hips. I learned that from Shakira and my elementary school basketball coach. Anyways, last night James Harden‘s line was:

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
25 3 7 2 1 4 3/10 7/14 8/9

For Harden, that’s one half of basketball. No matter, though, because Harden went Cobra Kai on Wes Johnson and put him in a body game. Literally. Figuratively. Twitterively. Spiritually.

Damn…….

Here’s what else I saw last night:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“Champions keep playing until they get it right” (Billie Jean King)

The trade deadline offers weird results, with teams in both fantasy and reality changing rosters. The biggest moves over the past week in the RCLs involved those players that moved in real life; Larry Nance Jr., Jae Crowder, Rodney Hood, George Hill, Emmanuel Mudiay and D.J. Augustin.

I’m happy to announce the creation of a Champions League for next year, which will pit all of this year’s league winners and some Razzball writers against each other. I will keep you all informed as things progress.

 

Here is how the action went down in Week 17 across our 12 RCL Leagues:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” (Michael Jordan)

 

With the trade deadline, leagues can change in a flash. Boban Marjanovic can be an example of that, from an irrelevant place in Detroit, he can be a top 50 guy with the Los Angeles Clippers. On the other side, one of the great surprises this season, Tyreke Evans, a top 30 fantasy player, is a trade candidate and his value is likely to drop in a big way. Others like Willy Hernangómez, Marcus Smart, Lou Williams, and DeAndre Jordan are in the same situation.

 

Here is how the action went down in Week 12 across our 12 RCL Leagues:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“You never know who’s swimming naked until the tide goes out” (Warren Buffett)

This week researchers in China cloned two monkeys using the nuclear-transfer technique employed to make Dolly the sheep. Sadly, we can not clone a healthy version of DeMarcus Cousins. Before his injury, he averaged 25.6 points, 13 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. Only three players (Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in NBA history had ever averaged at least 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. The impact in our leagues will be instantaneous and twelve of our teams never will be the same.

 

Here is how the action went down in Week 12 across our 12 RCL Leagues:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Oh yes, The Greek Freak wreaked (havoc), while the Nets D leaked (like a sieve). His future looks un-bleak and he was anything but meek on Friday night, as the Bucks powered past the Nets en route to a 116-to-91 victory. Rhymes aside, Giannis Antetokounmpo went 3-41-13-7-2-2-1 at home in Milwaukee on 14-of-20 shooting and 10-for-11 from the charity stripe.  This was a rare fantasy line that helped you in every single category, and if you own him in fantasy, you’re hoping he can build off of this, especially the free throw shooting. There was a 10-Game slate in the NBA last night so let’s dive on in:

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Bullshitting is bad. Or is it? There are four reasons why people lie. 1) To hide or protect something. Good if you were harboring a Jew in Nazi Germany. Bad if you have a mistress. 2) Fear. Of getting caught. I guess that ties into protecting oneself. 3) To elevate one’s self-perception. You went to which school? You’re how tall? You slept with how many women? 4) It is the wise thing to do. Do I look fat in these jeans? BS’ing is often annoying or straight up lame, but it is an integral part of life. There are many situations in which being brutally honest serves no purpose other than to hurt the other person, which is lame. Damn it, is everything in life lame then? Last night, we had another example of BS’ing being bad….the good bad, though….as in dope. Now that I think about it, sometimes we just BS to mess around, which is what Ben Simmons did last night against the Bulls. Ironic, huh?

PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV 3PT FG FT
 19 17 14 0 2 6 0 6/15 7/10

Simmons has now messed around five times on the season. He had been in a slump lately, looking disinterested and lacking aggression. It’s mindblowing to think that he can dominate a game without being able to shoot from the perimeter. He’s that good. Anyways, BS is a nightly triple-dub threat and will contribute with the D stats. As we established above, there’s good and bad with BS. The bad? Literally no 3s, like he hasn’t made one the entire year. The turnovers are plentiful. As I always say, good if you are high in a pastry shop. Not so good for fantasy. The free throw shooting is abysmal, like 55% bad. DeAndre Jordan, with his 60% on the year, is like, “Yo, Ben. You really need to practice bro.” Simmons is the 75th player for fantasy on the year. For the last month? The 110th. There are just too many holes in his game to approach Top 50 territory, but for punt FT% and 3 teams, BS is lovely.

Here’s what else I saw last night:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

I was watching last night’s game between the Spurs and the Cavs and it was hard to guess which was the team that was missing their superstar, as Cleveland suffered another defeat and are now 3-12 in their last 15 games. Something has to change in C-town and fast, as they have been atrocious on the defensive end (ranked 29th for the season) and their rotation is erratic at best. And no, bullying Kevin Love and implying he was faking an illness is not the way to go. Tyronn Lue stated that a lineup change is coming, so stay tuned.With that said, maybe Jason Kidd was just the first of many Eastern Conference head coaches to be fired this season.

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“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” (Benjamin Franklin)

Another week of fantasy, with the most exciting games so far this season. This week I learned how much you can you miss a player. I miss you Kawhi Leonard. I have Kawhi on three teams, one being an RCL, and they are my worst teams of all time. Curious.

I’m amazed by the quality of the owners in the RCLs. In our twelve leagues, some are more difficult than others, but the average level is very high. This week, I looked at the biggest surprise players this season, where they were drafted in RCLs, and compared that with the average draft position in general.

Player Actual Ranking General ADP Razzball ADP Highest position at Razzball Lowest position at Razzball
V. Oladipo 10  62  48 39 56
L. Aldridge 12  51 56 49 65
Jr.Holiday 17  64 50 41 63
G.Harris 22  90 63 45 74
L.Williams 26 74 79 68 86
T.Evans 35  152 142 127 Waiver x 8
J.Tatum 36 128 137 87 Waiver x 3
D.Mitchell 40 184 140 121 Waiver x 5
J.Richardson 47  161 114 88 138
L.Markkanen 50  148 140 132 Waiver x 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is how the action went down in Week 12 across our 12 RCL Leagues:

Please, blog, may I have some more?