Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
Among the many good reasons to play fantasy sports (and there are many), two that would rank highly are “having fun” and “for the competition.”
Joining a fantasy basketball league because you want to have a good time is great. I have no problem if that’s your primary reason for playing. And you don’t need my advice to help you have fun (ok, one piece of advice: Step 1: Add the Miami Heat Dancers, Step 2: Instant Fun).
However, if you’re primary goal is to play to win, then one of the most common mistakes that someone can make is letting their emotions fog up the decision making process. It happens in one of two ways. The first usually occurs when someone first begins playing fantasy basketball. Let’s call it homerism. You know the guys on your hometown team the best, so you’re more likely to draft them and overvalue them compared to the players you don’t know as well (the rest of the league, for example). Suddenly, Paul Pierce is the second best player in the NBA behind KG, and your sleeper list includes Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Big Baby, Leon Powe, and Antoine Walker.
I’m sure most everyone reading doesn’t have to worry about homerism much anymore. Play fantasy basketball for any length of time and you’ll start to develop a different kind of bias: favoritism. Don’t lie, it happens to us all. We all have guys that for whatever reason. They helped us win a league, we took a chance on them and they delivered, they fit our playing style, or we just like their names. I always end up with Mike Miller on just about every team I’ve ever had for some reason.
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with favoritism, as long as you don’t overrate your boys and can draft them in the right round. Although, I have seen a few people with the problem of drafting their favorite players a little too high. It’s cool if you think Deron Williams is as good or better than Chris Paul and want him on your team, just don’t draft him in the first round if you’re goal is to win your league.
But the flip side of favoritism is the common strategy of avoiding players you hate – and I think is where people get into the most trouble. It’s safe to say that a lot of people do not want someone like Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady or Ron Artest on their team. But these guys do have fantasy value and often times they become good buys in a draft because no one else wants them.
Most people don’t go out of their way to create a “guys I despise and am not going to draft” list before a draft. It’s more of a subconscious decision when we’re on the clock with our next pick. Suddenly, when making the draft decision between Vince Carter and Joe Johnson, we tip the scales towards Johnson and make up some reason why when Carter is much more likely to outperform him this season.
Again, this tip is all about winning at all costs and the best way to get started in that direction is to draft for value. Draft the players everyone hates (including you) if they fall because no one wants them. So, maybe Artest screwed your team back in 2004. Forget about it. If he can help your team, draft him and live with the hurt.
Creating a pre-draft ranked list is also important here, because it will help you stay on track and help you see more clearly on the Carter vs. Johnson type decisions. Pre-draft lists and cheat sheets also give you more time to think objectively about a player and weigh his pros and cons. It is less fun playing this way, no doubt, but it will help you win.
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