I’ve had the itch to do one of these posts for the last couple of months, and there is nothing I like “wasting” my time more in than in fantasy basketball (yes Facebook, even better than you). With that being said, with Fantasy Football in its early stages, it only means one thing…the NBA is just around the corner.
After a rough first year playing in a Yahoo league (one in which Justin’s Rising Suns did surprisingly well for his first year), I’ve come into my own the last three years…winning two championships and coming in third in another (Justin came on strong at the end of a season I dominated from the start…too bad my big men all had a “Let’s-get-injured-at-the-most-inconvenient-time-pow-wow”…but I digress).
So without further ado, here is George’s Fantasy Basketball Top 50 Cheat Sheet of the year!
THE TOP TEN
1) Kevin Durant, SF-OKC: He is the consensus number one pick in this year’s draft. 2009’s scoring champ has proven himself in many facets of the game: testing the Lakers in the first round of last year’s playoffs, leading team USA to a FIBA gold medal, and being the unquestionable “MAN” on his young Thunder’s squad. He has youth, a world of confidence, and the greenlight to scorch the league on his way to his first MVP.
2) LeBron James, SF/PG?-MIA: The second pick is a debatable one. Many think that a healthy Chris Paul would be the smarter pick, (since he was the number 1 fantasy stud in 2008, ahead of a Cleveland’s Bernie Madoff…) and those pundits could make the argument on behalf of CP3. However, Lebron IS healthy, and he STILL is the NBA’s most physically gifted athlete. Plus he has more weapons surrounding him…and with rumors of James running some of the point guard duties for the Heat, the idea that he could average a triple double is hard to pass up as a fantasy…even if he only manages just 20-25pts per game. Now that is fantasy gold!!!
3) Chris Paul, PG-NOR: If Lebron is number 2, then CP3 is 2b. He is healthy, he is content (at least latest reports say he is happy now, we’ll look to Twitter for more updates…), and he has some talent around him to make his life a little easier with Thornton, Ariza, and West there to distribute too. Although the Hornets will flounder, CP3 has something to prove…that he is worthy of Top Dollar when his contract is up after the lockout. Can you say Big Apple? Expect high points/assts/steals/and a couple of threes a game- that’s something only Chris Paul does.
4) Dirk Nowitzki, PF-DAL: Maybe the most conservative, top-tier talent to take after the top three. He shoots the 3, rebounds, scores, tallies a block or two, and has fantastic percentages across the board. Choosing Cuban’s cash cow can leave a fantasy owner with a lot of options when filling out the rest of his (or her) fantasy roster.
5) Kobe Bryant, SG-LAL: There are risks in taking the Black Mamba this early. For one, he just finished his now third surgery on his knee. He is entering his 15th year in the League and has plenty of miles on those legs. Is he past his prime? Probably. Is he starting to slow down? A little. But a 90% Kobe is better than most, and rest assured, Kobe is gonna play through pain. And with many questioning his status as King of the League, KB24 will relish the thought of proving his doubters wrong. Let’s just hope his finger isn’t as bad as last year, for his FG% may hurt a little…
6) Deron Williams, PG-UTH: According to most fantasy experts, this ranking is a little high for DWill. But with few PGs around that offer his insane assist numbers coupled with his scoring (which may increase even more with Boozer gone), I think Deron is worth the reach at 6. Now if he could just get a few more steals or hit a couple more threes, he’d be in CP3’s class. But at least we know he’s fairly durable.
7) Dwyane Wade, PG-MIA: With Chris Bosh and LBJ joining forces with Wade in South Beach, some question if there will be enough balls to go around for Dwyane to get his stats from previous years. The answer is yes, and last time I checked, this was still HIS team. Sure, PPG will go down, but his efficiency numbers should go up (FG%, TOs). Rest assured, Wade won’t be seeing as many double and triple teams this year.
8) Amare’ Stoudemire, PF/C-NY: Reunion with Mike Dantoni. Run n’ Gun. New York. Spike Lee. “The Man” status. He got what he wanted, now it’s time to prove he can be the best player on his team. He has the greenlight, and he is playing in a weaker conference. Plus Amare’ has always been reliable when it comes to efficiency stats that many big men lack (FT%). Pts, FG/FT%, some Blks, Steals…they will all be there. But will he get David Lee-type boards. Hmmm, not sure. But either way, he has the opportunity to shine- in fantasy and in real life.
9) Danny Granger, F-IND: ESPN has Granger ranked as high as 4 on their list. I’m less optimistic. Granted he is healthy (for now) and he now has a legitimate point guard facilitating in Darren Collison. Plus he has the added experience of Team USA under his belt which could only help Danny. IF he plays the majority of the season, healthy, you’re looking at 25-26 ppg, 5 rbs, 3.5 assts, 3 threes a game. Nothing to scoff at.
10) Pau Gasol, PF/C-LAL: Quite possibly the most efficient, skilled big man in the game…even with Kobe on the same team. Pau gives your fantasy squad solid points, percentages, blocks, rebounds, and a good deal of assists for a big man (something extremely coveted in fantasy). Great Value for the end of round 1.
THE REST
11) Stephen Curry, PG-GSW: Sophomore year should prove he is ready to produce the all-around fantasy numbers he produced last year.
12) Rajon Rondo, PG-BOS: Pts/Rebs/Assts and the Steals king. No brainer for me at 12.
13) David Lee, PF/C-GS: Lots of balls in Golden State to grab. Same double-double averages should be expected.
14) Carmelo Anthony, SF-DEN: His offensive prowess translates anywhere, even if it’s not Denver.
15) Dwight Howard, C-ORL: His defensive and rebounding numbers are unmatched. In a H2H league he may be ranked even higher because his FT% impact is first to no one.
16) Brooke Lopez, C-NJN: As efficient as Yao Ming in his prime…just less foot problems.
17) Josh Smith, PF-ATL: His block/steals totals reached that of his best a couple years ago. Other than his FT%, he is a true box-score stuffer.
18) Jason Kidd, PG-DAL: A year older but still provides those coveted Assts/Rebs/Steals category the FEW pgs match. Plus he’s become somewhat of a 3-point specialist of late.
19) Chauncey Billups, PG-DEN: With questions surrounding Denver, there is plenty of distractions in the Mile-High City. But with Mr. Big Shot leading the way, it shouldn’t be that bad, at least fantasy wise (pts/3s/steals)
20) Gerald Wallace, F-CHA: Finally, a healthy season from Crash last year. If he can repeat his health from last year (knock on wood), his rebounding/blocks/steals stats are valuable in those starving categories.
21) Steve Nash, PG-PHO: Who can argue with 50/40/90? His percentages are fantastic, and his assists numbers will always be there, but will this be the year Phoenix limits him in favor of more minutes for Dragic. The Suns want to conserve Nash for the playoffs, but even Nash is too hard to pass up here.
22) Al Jefferson, PF/C- UTH: A bit of a wild card, but he is now had a full year under his belt since his knee surgery. 18/12/ 2 blks isn’t preposterous.
23) Andre Iguodala, SG/SF-PHI: Always a triple double threat player, but will Evan Turner steal his thunder?
24) Brandon Roy, SG/SF- POR: Hopefully, he is healthy this time around as his pts/3’s/assts are needed at 24.
25) Joe Johnson, SG/SF-ATL: Still the man on the Hawks and is still one of the top swingmen in the game.
26) Nene Hilario, PF/C-DEN: In my opinion, he is a bit underrated in terms of fantasy. He shoots terrific percentages, rebounds, and steals a ton for his position…unique skill set.
27) Chris Bosh, PF/C-MIA: Double-double machine last year. Less possessions, however, in South Beach. As the third amigo, he should have decent stats (perhaps 16 pts 10 rbs) and his percentages should go up with less double teams.
28) Carlos Boozer, PF/C-CHI: Playing on a strong team, in a weak conference. Expect solid double-double number…yes even with Joakim Noah.
29) Al Horford, PF/C- ATL: Good Big men are scarce in fantasy, and with his skillset 29 is a reasonable pick here.
30) Tyreke Evans, PG- SAC: Should see increased scoring averages and good FG% in his sophomore campaign. If he can limit his TO’s and prove to have improved his outside shot, he could be of great value at 30.
31) Andrea Bargnani, PF/C-TOR: No Bosh, no expectations, no one watching. Plenty of opportunities for now the Best Player in Toronto. He has the greenlight and his Rbs/3’s combination with increased scoring average should be of some value.
32) Troy Murphy, PF/C-NJN: Depending on how the Nets brass wants to deal with Favors development will determine exactly how much run Murphy will get. But his ability to spread the floor with threes and open up the paint for Lopez is great for NJ. Should see solid rebounding/3’s numbers.
33) Tim Duncan, PF/C-SAS: Getting old, real old. Still should post solid pts/rbs/blks and decent assist numbers, but keep in mind, he is a first-half fantasy stud and a Popovich bust when he rests for the second half of the NBA season. Is that worth it at 33?
34) Zach Randolph, PF/C-MEM: This headcase showed he could still score and rebound with the best of them. And the fact he played the whole season was just as surprising.
35) David West, PF-NOR: Unquestioned number two and go-to-guy for Chris Paul.
36) Darren Collison, PG-IND: This year’s favorite sleeper (sounds oxymoronic, no?). Indiana finally has a legit commander in the backcourt. He filled in nicely when CP3 went down posting close to CP3 type numbers (with horrific TOs). However it is unlikely he produces those kind of numbers over the course of a season. But what do I know?!
37) Monta Ellis, SG-GS: Needs to concede the number one spot in GS to Curry, but is steal a top 10 talent in the box score when TO’s and injury history aren’t taken into account.
38) Russell Westbrook, PG-OKC: Love Westbrook! Love him. If you’re willing to punt FG% and TO’s, then Westbrook provides solid points, great assists, solid rebounding and steals for a team.
39) Marc Gasol, C-MEM: Quite possibly better than Nene. If he can stay consistent and post those reliable pts/rebs/assts/blks/steals numbers. Gotta love em.
40) Stephen Jackson, SG/SF-CHA: A resurgence of some sorts for him on the Bobcats. He became a leader and workhorse for this team. Great pts/threes for him…and LOTS OF MINUTES.
41) Rudy Gay, SF-MEM: Good player, let’s hope he lives up to his contract.
42) Kevin Martin, SG-HOU: Should see increased efficiency with Yao’s presence back. Always a scoring threat. Health, like always, an issue.
43) Joakim Noah, PF/C-CHI: 43 is a tremendous opportunity to get top tier value at the Center spot. Rebounding and blocking are excellent sources of wealth from the Bulls Center. Is the plantar fasciitis fully healed?
44) Andrew Bynum, C-LAL: If it wasn’t for his injury history, he would be rated higher…
45) Derrick Rose- PG-CHI: Better NBA player than fantasy player. Great scoring and FG% for a PG, but his peripheral stats are vanilla to say the least…he needs to get better in his assists/steals/3’s category if he truly is to become a PG fantasy stud.
46) Paul Pierce- SG/SF-BOS: Older, slower, and crankier. Nonetheless, he is the number one offensive option on one of the Best teams in the league.
47) Mo Williams, PF-CLE: The clearcut fantasy winner Lebron’s departure. Should see solid scoring, 3’s, assists for Mr. Williams.
48) Kevin Love, PF/C- MIN: Possible sleeper. He is on a terrible team, with infinite opportunity.
49) Jason Richardson, SG/SF-PHO: Scoring threat and beneficiary to Stoudemire’s leaving of the Desert. Should see an uptick in possessions.
50) Yao Ming, C-HOU: With news of him getting no more than 24 minutes a game this year, plus the fact he has been out for a whole season, makes Yao less of a top tier center he was a couple years back. But he could prove valuable at 50.
Just missed the cut: John Wall (WAS), Kevin Garnett (BOS), Blake Griffin (LAC), Baron Davis (LAC)
SLEEPER ALERT:
· Danilo Gallinari, SF-NYK: Predicted 3 point champion in 2010-2011 season
· Marcus Thornton, SG-NOR: Solid scoring and threes option in New Orleans.
· Anthony Randolph, SF/PF/C?-NYK: Sleeper in 2009-2010 can now live up to expectations in Dantoni’s run in gun offense. That’s unless he brings a Marbury attitude with him…
· Hedo Turkoglu, SG/SF-PHO: Phoenix seems to bring new life to aging stars…he seems to be a prime candidate for such resurgence.
· Eric Gordon, SG-LAC: Probably my number one sleeper of the year. His showing in FIBA Team USA showed confidence and leadership. This is the year it comes altogether for him this year. Don’t be surprised if he ends up as the scoring leader for the Clippers. Plus the fact he is solid in both percentages, 3s, and he limits his TOs for a swingman.
Good Luck!
