Fantasy NBA Draft 2003
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Well, here's my team in the Teaneck league.
I missed the first three rounds. In the first, my paranoia about getting a center who could score resulted in picking Jermaine O'Neal in the first round. I'm happy with him on my roster, but he isn't worth taking when Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson and Paul Pierce are still on the board. I might have grabbed him in round two.
I was kind of pissed about ending up with Jason Terry and Michael Redd, but both are guys who improved a lot last year and are on awful teams. That means lots of 3's and lots of points.
Then, I appeared and was able to make up for the fact I was lazy with the pre-rankings.
My late rounds were good; Nick Van Exel in round 7 is probably gonna be a steal and with Odom, Olawokandi and Miller gone, my 13th round pick of Corey Magette might be huge in terms of scoring.
Almost a compulsive roster-adjuster, I already made one move — I dropped Jamal Tinsley (too many turnovers) for Kwame Brown, who had a great season last year until Jordan (now gone) yanked him from the starting lineup.
I've also dangled Brian Grant in two trades. Overall, the league's short on big men and I think having four centers gives me some nice leverage.
I have no one from Dallas or the LA Lakers, because I think their players can't all continue to have 20+ ppg; someone has to take fewer shots.
Joe,
Since it's a private league, the link to your team page is not available to the public. However, the Draft Results page IS viewable, so you may want to link to that instead for those who don't feel like digging.
Anyhow, allow me to critique your draft, round by round.
1 - Jermaine O'Neal - Solid first round pick, he'll be good for 20 pts, 10 reb, 2-3 blk per game, and shoots for decent percentages. Turnovers could be a problem though. Personally, I would have gone with Pierce here as he produces in almost every category (and now with Walker gone, his production should go up), but you could have done worse.
2 - Jason Terry - Again, solid pick. I traded Stackhouse for Terry early last year and rode him to the league title (having J O'Neal and Dirk helped a bit too...). Good for 18+ pts and will be among the league leaders in assists, 3's, steals, and FT%.
3 - Michael Redd - Way too early, period. With guys like Gasol, Brand, Mashburn, and Arenas still on the board, this is a terrible pick. But you said you missed the first 3 rounds, and Yahoo has him ranked ridiculously high, so it's understandable. The silver lining is, you should dominate the 3 point category, and he doesn't turn the ball over much.
4 - LeBron James - REACH!
5 - P.J. Brown - Too early. With Reef, Kurt Thomas, Amare, and Murphy still on the board, you could have done much better for your PF.
6 - Eddie Jones - You'll be kicking yourself for this pick in two months. He'll see a drop in production as Butler becomes Miami's primary scoring option.
7 - Nick Van Exel - Don't know if I'd call this a steal, but nonetheless a solid pick in the 7th round, and a good second PG.
8 - Glenn Robinson - Good for points and percentages, but little else. Turnovers will hurt you. Still, in the 8th round, good pick.
9 - Brian Grant - Excellent pick. Good for a double double a game, a few blocks here and there, and doesn't hurt you in any caterogies.
10 - Dale Davis - He'll be off your roster within a month.
11 - Desmond Mason - Good enough.
12 - Jamaal Tinsley - You say you dropped him for Kwame, which was a good move. With Jordan out of the way, he should post good, but not great, numbers. I think 12/8/2 is realistic.
13 - Corey Maggette - An absolute steal here. Somebody's gotta score in the Clip Joint, so don't be surprised to see him drop 20+ per game.
Overall - Not bad, could be better. You've got a bunch of question marks (LeBron, Kwame, Van Exel) and some serious dead weight (Jones, Brown, Davis), but a solid 1-2 with J O'Neal and Terry.
I also noticed that Jamal Crawford and Nene went undrafted, and if they're still available, you should pick them up IMMEDIATELY (drop Davis for Nene, Mason for Crawford). There's probably more since it's a small league, but those two should be on someone's roster yesterday.
-Dave
Posted by: Dave on October 20, 2003 9:20 PM | permalinkInteresting ideas.
PJ Brown gets a ton of offensive boards and a high FG%, FT% and a good dumber of blocks. Jones will get me some 3s and steals, and his turnovers and fouls are low.
I took your advice with D. Davis - Hilario, and Crawford - D. Mason. The latter is a no-brainer, with Jay Williams out for the season. As far as Hilario, I'm concerned about his awful fouls and turnovers, but maybe he'll be better about them in his second season.
I've got plenty of depth with the big men, which was my main concern (why I overranked Jermaine O'Neal -- I wanted to ensure I got one center who can rebound and score).
As far as Redd, all is not lost. He's got a really nice FG% and rebounds for a guard. Plus, he's got solid 3FG and steals. Most of all, he's improved every year he's been in the league and might be poised for a breakthrough, getting a lot more shots with Allen and Cassell gone.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg on October 20, 2003 11:08 PM | permalinkIs this a Yahoo league? I have never done fantasy basketball, but I have done fantasy baseball and am quite good. I think those are the only two sports I know enough about to do fantasy ball.
If you guys need another manager next year, tap me.
Posted by: Daniel Grossberg on October 22, 2003 12:39 AM | permalinkNo more comments! Either someone has violated Godwin's Law, I'm tired of the discussion or, most likely, the ten-week window has closed. You can, however, contact me through email.