Just joking. I'm farther from an expert in this thing than anything else I write on here (though it should be noted even this guy can see that UAB DOES NOT pass the eye test). I haven't really been competitive in the bracket since the days of Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott and Brian Oliver. For a while I was picking the winner one year too early (Michigan State 1999 and Maryland 2001 were two of my premature calls), but I can't even do that anymore ( I picked Kansas last year). So, why am I even publishing my picks? I want to at least show you how great I am just in case the sun shines on this dog in March.
One thing that has become apparent to me as the quality of that talent in the NCAA has eroded do to early NBA defections is that upperclassmen win in this tournament. It almost doesn't matter anymore how high a profile your school has, it just matters that you have experienced players in your rotation. Kentucky couldn't win with all those Freshmen last year, and neither they or Carolina will do it this year. Purdue would have been my easy choice all year long, but the Hummel injury squashed that. So, which teams does that leave? Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes, who start three seniors, one junior and an All-American freshman will best the Irish who may be the most unheralded great team of the year and start an amazing five seniors.
The rest of the picks...
East Region
Ohio St.
UNC
Kentucky
Syracuse
Upset Alert
Washington over UNC?
West Region
Duke
Texas
UCONN
SDSU
Upset alert
Texas over Duke
Southwest Region
Kansas
Louisville
Purdue
Notre Dame
Upset Alert
Richmond over Vandy
Southeast
PITT
Wisconsin
St. John's
Florida
Upset Alert
Utah St. over Kansas St.
Cheers,
TFAM
Showing posts with label Fantasy basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fantasy basketball. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
NBA Trade Deadline
With the NBA trade deadline little more than a month away (February 19), I figure its time to get back into the fantasy hoops swing of things. Speaking of the deadline, you're not going to find another opportunity for the remainder of the season where you'll be able to predict with any accuracy who may be in for a rise or fall in fantasy worthiness. Below is a list of guys who may be in for a serious change in value sometime on the next month or so.
Andrew Bynum--If the Lakers deal him for Bosh, you want him on your squad, without question. Bynum would average 15 boards a game playing 35-40 minutes alongside Bargnani, who is among the worst rebounding bigs in the league. He could easily go 20-14 with a couple blocks in Toronto.
Troy Murphy--On the flip side of things, it is highly likely that Murphy is going to move at the deadline, and it is even more likely that the move is going to drain his fantasy value. Indiana is among the most friendly fantasy destinations, much more so than, say, Cleveland.
Chris Bosh--Count me among those that would want to deal Bosh now if I knew he was going to be moved to LA. Competing with Kobe for points and with Gasol and Odom for boards doesn't get me too excited.
Tracy McGrady--I'm not sure how many minutes he'll get, but his expiring deal is reportedly in play, and T-Mac is available in a ton of leagues.
Paul Milsap--Boozer is a free agent at the end of the season, and it's possible the Jazz could move him now. If he goes, Milsap becomes, well, Carlos Boozer.
Other teams/players/situations that bear watching...Kings (Kevin Martin), Wizards (Jamison, Butler), and Nets, where everyone but Lopez is likely available. Could be fantasy gold to be had for someone in the Nets lineup.
Cheers,
TFAM
Andrew Bynum--If the Lakers deal him for Bosh, you want him on your squad, without question. Bynum would average 15 boards a game playing 35-40 minutes alongside Bargnani, who is among the worst rebounding bigs in the league. He could easily go 20-14 with a couple blocks in Toronto.
Troy Murphy--On the flip side of things, it is highly likely that Murphy is going to move at the deadline, and it is even more likely that the move is going to drain his fantasy value. Indiana is among the most friendly fantasy destinations, much more so than, say, Cleveland.
Chris Bosh--Count me among those that would want to deal Bosh now if I knew he was going to be moved to LA. Competing with Kobe for points and with Gasol and Odom for boards doesn't get me too excited.
Tracy McGrady--I'm not sure how many minutes he'll get, but his expiring deal is reportedly in play, and T-Mac is available in a ton of leagues.
Paul Milsap--Boozer is a free agent at the end of the season, and it's possible the Jazz could move him now. If he goes, Milsap becomes, well, Carlos Boozer.
Other teams/players/situations that bear watching...Kings (Kevin Martin), Wizards (Jamison, Butler), and Nets, where everyone but Lopez is likely available. Could be fantasy gold to be had for someone in the Nets lineup.
Cheers,
TFAM
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Hardcourt Season
I won't be devoting a ton of blog space to hoops this year (unless there is more demand), at least until football is over, but I thought I'd share the results of my recent fantasy hoops draft being that it's opening night. There are 12 teams in the league, and I have to start a center, three guards, three forwards, and two utility players. I have four bench spots, and the eight scoring categories are points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, threes, FG%, and FT%.
Here is my team, with each player preceded by the overall pick I took him with.
2-Chris Paul
23-Brook Lopez
26-David West
47-Tony Parker
50-Carlos Boozer
71-Mike Bibby
74-Anthony Randolph
95-Paul Milsap
98-D.J. Augustin
119-Richard Jefferson
122-Danilo Gallinari
143-Kendrick Perkins
146-Carl Landry
I love Paul with the second pick. He was a no brainer, of course, after LeBron went one. Lopez is going to be big this year. I like him for blocks and he is a good free throw shooter. I bet he has comparable numbers to Pau Gasol this year. West was a nice safe pick in the third. I wanted to lock in assists, so Parker was my next choice. Boozer was just begging someone to take him, so I did and I think he could provide top three round value if he stays healthy. If he doesn't, I protected myself later with Milsap. I also really like my Augustin, Jefferson, and Landry picks. Randolph was a reach, but I had no one else I liked there. I just hate Don Nelson and am afraid Randolph's minutes are going to be a bit schizo this year. Gallinari was an auto pick. I ran out of time.
Overall, I'm strong in assists, both percentage categories and I should be okay in rebounds. I have the league leader in steals and I may compete in points also. I believe my two weakest areas are blocks and threes. Hopefully Perkins can score enough to justify a roster spot. I need his blocks to go along with Lopez and Randolph. Jefferson and Bibby will help out on threes, and Augustin could be huge all across the board if he starts beating out Ray Felton for more minutes.
As far as the rest of the draft, I'll list five picks I loved and five picks I hated.
Loved...
56-Andrew Bynum
68-Jeff Green
78-Luis Scola
102-Leandro Barbosa
108-Jason Thompson
Hated...
4-Danny Granger (over Kobe, maybe, over Durant, no way)
17-David Lee
28-Gilbert Arenas
36-Michael Redd
37-Andrea Bargnani
Cheers,
TFAM
Here is my team, with each player preceded by the overall pick I took him with.
2-Chris Paul
23-Brook Lopez
26-David West
47-Tony Parker
50-Carlos Boozer
71-Mike Bibby
74-Anthony Randolph
95-Paul Milsap
98-D.J. Augustin
119-Richard Jefferson
122-Danilo Gallinari
143-Kendrick Perkins
146-Carl Landry
I love Paul with the second pick. He was a no brainer, of course, after LeBron went one. Lopez is going to be big this year. I like him for blocks and he is a good free throw shooter. I bet he has comparable numbers to Pau Gasol this year. West was a nice safe pick in the third. I wanted to lock in assists, so Parker was my next choice. Boozer was just begging someone to take him, so I did and I think he could provide top three round value if he stays healthy. If he doesn't, I protected myself later with Milsap. I also really like my Augustin, Jefferson, and Landry picks. Randolph was a reach, but I had no one else I liked there. I just hate Don Nelson and am afraid Randolph's minutes are going to be a bit schizo this year. Gallinari was an auto pick. I ran out of time.
Overall, I'm strong in assists, both percentage categories and I should be okay in rebounds. I have the league leader in steals and I may compete in points also. I believe my two weakest areas are blocks and threes. Hopefully Perkins can score enough to justify a roster spot. I need his blocks to go along with Lopez and Randolph. Jefferson and Bibby will help out on threes, and Augustin could be huge all across the board if he starts beating out Ray Felton for more minutes.
As far as the rest of the draft, I'll list five picks I loved and five picks I hated.
Loved...
56-Andrew Bynum
68-Jeff Green
78-Luis Scola
102-Leandro Barbosa
108-Jason Thompson
Hated...
4-Danny Granger (over Kobe, maybe, over Durant, no way)
17-David Lee
28-Gilbert Arenas
36-Michael Redd
37-Andrea Bargnani
Cheers,
TFAM
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hoop Dreams
With the start of the NBA regular season less than two weeks away, it's time to reveal my award winning fantasy hoops advice for 2009-10.
I've had mixed success in hoops leagues in the past, winning a few and tanking in a couple others. Last year, I took a step up in class, race horse style, played against tougher competition, and flopped. This year, I'm back to defend my 10th place finish and right my wrongs of a year ago.
The main problem with my team last year was that I botched my draft in embarrassing fashion. I picked Dwight Howard, decided to dominate blocks, field goal percentage and boards and punt free throw percentage. However, I made the all too common mistake of not building a strength. I thought Howard alone would carry me in those three categories and he didn’t. When you build strength in a category in hoops, you need to back it up. Howard is a beast, but you need to pair him with a couple other block/board guys to really do it right. To my defense, it was the first time I had played in a head-to-head category based league. I usually play rotisserie basketball, where balance across the categories trumps building a strength in a few.
Anyway, Howard is one of those divisive players (a la Shaq a few years ago) who changes your entire vibe if you get him. If I end up with him again, I’m punting FT % and building a real strength. However, I’m hoping I get a top five pick this year where I don’t have to make that call. I’m zeroed in on Paul, Lebron, Durant and Wade, in that order. Gun to my head I take Kobe at 5, but I’m, hoping someone takes him before that. If I’m in the bottom half of the draft, I may have to suck it up and take Howard, or maybe Deron Williams.
So, to keep this short and simple, I’m going to list a bunch of players I like this year. That’s it. If you have strategy questions, make sure and hit me up.
Players I like for 2009-10:
Kevin Durant
Deron Williams
Amare Stoudemire
Carmelo Anthony
Caron Butler
Brook Lopez
Mehmet Okur
Andris Biedrins
Luis Scola
Kevin Love
Carl Landry
Anthony Parker
Stoudemire should bounce back with Terry Porter and Shaq out of town…Anthony could average 30 this year if he wants to…Lopez could go 20 and 10…I have a soft spot for Okur’s boards and threes…Landry and Scola will benefit from no Yao…Parker could be a multi-cat stat stuffer in Cleveland, particularly with Delonte West doing his best OJ Simpson impersonation.
Before I go, let’s go over some lists.
Dead to me
Rudy Gay
Greg Oden
Randy Foye
Jason Richardson
Al Thornton
Avoiding due to injury
Kevin Garnett
Baron Davis
Marcus Camby
Gilbert Arenas
Tracy McGrady
Overrated
OJ Mayo
Elton Brand
Trevor Ariza
Vince Carter
Allen Iverson
Underrated
TJ Ford
Michael Beasley (strong possibility I take him and he ends up on the dead to me list next year)
Ronnie Brewer
Andrea Bargnani
Marvin Williams
Best rookies
None—rookies are overrated in fantasy. Only Blake Griffin can really be counted on to produce starter caliber numbers. Others will, but you don’t know who they are, and most will likely kill your FG %.
Cheers,
TFAM
I've had mixed success in hoops leagues in the past, winning a few and tanking in a couple others. Last year, I took a step up in class, race horse style, played against tougher competition, and flopped. This year, I'm back to defend my 10th place finish and right my wrongs of a year ago.
The main problem with my team last year was that I botched my draft in embarrassing fashion. I picked Dwight Howard, decided to dominate blocks, field goal percentage and boards and punt free throw percentage. However, I made the all too common mistake of not building a strength. I thought Howard alone would carry me in those three categories and he didn’t. When you build strength in a category in hoops, you need to back it up. Howard is a beast, but you need to pair him with a couple other block/board guys to really do it right. To my defense, it was the first time I had played in a head-to-head category based league. I usually play rotisserie basketball, where balance across the categories trumps building a strength in a few.
Anyway, Howard is one of those divisive players (a la Shaq a few years ago) who changes your entire vibe if you get him. If I end up with him again, I’m punting FT % and building a real strength. However, I’m hoping I get a top five pick this year where I don’t have to make that call. I’m zeroed in on Paul, Lebron, Durant and Wade, in that order. Gun to my head I take Kobe at 5, but I’m, hoping someone takes him before that. If I’m in the bottom half of the draft, I may have to suck it up and take Howard, or maybe Deron Williams.
So, to keep this short and simple, I’m going to list a bunch of players I like this year. That’s it. If you have strategy questions, make sure and hit me up.
Players I like for 2009-10:
Kevin Durant
Deron Williams
Amare Stoudemire
Carmelo Anthony
Caron Butler
Brook Lopez
Mehmet Okur
Andris Biedrins
Luis Scola
Kevin Love
Carl Landry
Anthony Parker
Stoudemire should bounce back with Terry Porter and Shaq out of town…Anthony could average 30 this year if he wants to…Lopez could go 20 and 10…I have a soft spot for Okur’s boards and threes…Landry and Scola will benefit from no Yao…Parker could be a multi-cat stat stuffer in Cleveland, particularly with Delonte West doing his best OJ Simpson impersonation.
Before I go, let’s go over some lists.
Dead to me
Rudy Gay
Greg Oden
Randy Foye
Jason Richardson
Al Thornton
Avoiding due to injury
Kevin Garnett
Baron Davis
Marcus Camby
Gilbert Arenas
Tracy McGrady
Overrated
OJ Mayo
Elton Brand
Trevor Ariza
Vince Carter
Allen Iverson
Underrated
TJ Ford
Michael Beasley (strong possibility I take him and he ends up on the dead to me list next year)
Ronnie Brewer
Andrea Bargnani
Marvin Williams
Best rookies
None—rookies are overrated in fantasy. Only Blake Griffin can really be counted on to produce starter caliber numbers. Others will, but you don’t know who they are, and most will likely kill your FG %.
Cheers,
TFAM
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