for the past three years, my colleagues at xavier school have been playing fantasy basketball to give ourselves our daily fix of nba basketball and at the same time to have a venue for trash talking in the workroom. this rotisserie league has been a good past time for most of us who have been fans of the nba since time immemorial. the league has seen people come and go, gms retire and make a come back, and champions change every year.
for the first two editions, i finished second in the end, often falling short at the end of the season. last year, i finally claimed my championship trophy and the bragging rights until the next nba season.
this year, the league returns despite the shortened nba season. as the commissioner for the fourth consecutive season, i tried to make the number of general managers go beyond ten in order to make the competition greater and fiercer. with thirteen gms this year and several players returning, the stakes are surely higher, and the trash talk definitely noisier. and with me as the defending champion, everyone would surely want to topple me from the top of the fantasy league. hahaha!
unfortunately, i was pegged last to draft, which is a pity considering that i'll go back to back and will have to wait 25 picks before i draft my players. well, here are draft picks for this league:
13th: Pau Gasol, LAL PF/C
14th: Dirk Nowitzki, Dal PF
one of the key ingredients to my victory last season was taking control of the first (or second) spot in rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentages. that's why i usually stock my team with big men. and so i began the draft with the top two european players in the nba who can give me these numbers.
39th: Jrue Holiday, Phi PG
40th: Andre Iguodala, Phi SG/SF
interestingly, i picked the philadelphia duo to fill in the guard spots. jrue holiday was part of my team last year and he has provided solid numbers in points and assists, though sometimes he shoots plenty of bricks on a bad day. andre iguodala can also provide points, threes, ft%, and fg% on a good day.
65th: Greg Monroe, Det PF/C
66th: Danilo Gallinari, Den SF
greg monroe is said to be a sleeper pick this year, as a solid source for rebounds, blocks, and fg%. the problem so far with my team is the hole in the small forward position as well as the lack of 3s and assists. danilo gallinari would hopefully fill that lack and give me fantasy worthy numbers in those categories.
91st: Rodney Stuckey, Det PG/SG
92nd: Derrick Williams, Min PF
i tried to balance bigs and smalls in drafting. with the draft pool getting slimmer, i had to pick an old reliable in rodney stuckey, who can provide points, assists, and steals. i also drafted derrick williams, who is expected to give minnesota a big lift in the inside. i just hope he can contribute in points, rebounds, and blocks.
117th: Thaddeus Young, Phi SF
118th: Kemba Walker, Cha PG
it sucks to wait for 25 picks before i get my back-to-back. i picked thaddeus young, though my concern here is that he blows hot and cold in stats and only contributes in points and rebounds... and nothing more. i decided to take another rookie in kemba walker to give additional manpower in the guard spot.
143rd: Carl Landry, Nor PF
144th: Taj Gibson, Chi PF
169th: Evan Turner, Phi SG
as the final few picks of the league, i had to get those that can at least give something to keep my rating moving. carl landry is expected to start at power forward for the hornets with the departure of david west, taj gibson can start for the bulls if carlos boozer gets injured, and evan turner can hopefully break out this season after a forgettable rookie year with the 76ers.
assessing my picks, i've collected too much forwards, but i failed to secure quality guards and a good stock of small forwards in the roster. i'm just hoping that i can make good use of being 1st in the waiver wire (by virtue of being last pick in the draft) to snag careless drops from other gms. i expect to take a lot of points in categories like rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage, but will suffer a lot in 3s, steals, and assists. well, i've got until april to defend my title and hopefully, with a good turn of events, get a back-to-back in our fantasy league.
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