Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
I’ve had this post idea in draft-I’m-feeling-too-lazy-to-write-about-it-mode for about a couple of weeks now, but Matt Bonner’s (PF/C, San Antonio Spurs) recent 20-point, 70% FG, 6 trey, 2 steal, no turnover performance versus the Utah Jazz; sort of jump started my writing juices once again. Matt’s performance made me exclaim: “Man! That was one hot white boy!” … OK, that didn’t come across as “fantasy basketball blogging macho” as it should have intelligently sounded. “He was on fire!” or “He was in the zone!” may have sounded less awkward, but oh what the heck, you know what I meant… right guys?
Okay then, let’s move passed that awkward foreword and get to the meat of the matter. White men can jump. Contrary to the title of that basketball cult classic movie in the early 90s that starred Wesley Snipes and Woody Harellson. Mike Dunleavy Jr. of the Indiana Pacers proved last season that “White men CAN Jump!” – well in the fantasy basketball rankings that is… He came out, seemingly from to nowhere, to finish the season in Y! top 20. That was figurative. If you want to talk in literal terms, give Brent Barry a call.
This year Mike’s not the same fantasy stud he was last year, but let’s give him a break because he’s not running and jumping on exactly the same knees he had.
It must go without saying that obviously Dirk Nowitzki is hands down the best white man in fantasy hoops today, but it must be hard for a guy to jump in the rankings if he’s been hovering in the TOP 5 over the last several years.
While these guys aren’t exactly the “keys to success” that Mike D was last season, their improvements this year so far have definitely been a cluster of boons for many fantasy basketball teams. This year we have a crop of white boys who have really stepped up their game and added some pleasant boosts to their fantasy teams and of course making their fantasy owners proud in the process. It’s those big white boys who have come up, uh, big so far and have really improved this year. Here are some of my favorite fantasy basketball white men who’ve shown some improvement so far.
David Lee (SF/PF/C, NY Knicks) – He is currently clocking in at Yahoo rank 26 for the season (totals) so far, he finished last season at 61st. The huge leap in his fantasy and real life productivity can be attributed to his largely increased playing time and of course the “Mike D’Antoni System.” His 15.7 points at 57% FG (55% EFG) and 11.5 rebounds a night are nothing less than solid. Fine he does not really swat the ball on “D” at only 0.3 BPG, but his 1 SPG is a welcome bonus. He is scoring five more points and grabbing three more boards a night. David Lee cult fans, closet and outspoken alike, can now rejoice that their favorite fantasy basketball guilty pleasure is now a true blue solid fantasy contributor. Doneycat from the GMTR mock draft had this to say about David when he drafted (well at this point looks more like stole) him at 78th overall.
Some guys you just like and latch onto – David Lee is my El Guapo, in a good way. While he doesn’t score 20+ like others on my squad (you have to want it, Dave), his percentages are rock solid and he won’t give the ball to the other team, unlike some Knicks (rhymes with Reddy Flurry). A few more defensive counting stats would be nice, but I can see him average a double-double, like he did after the AS break. If D’Antoni doesn’t play him 30+ minutes, he should get his head checked in 7 seconds or less.
David is many a fantasy manager’s “El Gwapo.” I must admit, I am one of those managers. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that David can keep up his solid performances night in and out for the rest of the season. Keep up the good, hard work David!
Andris Biedrins (C, Golden State Warriors) – He landed a whopping 63 million-dollar contract, over six years with the Warriors at the start of the season. A lot of people were wondering if he was worth that kind of money. Well, from a fantasy stand point at least, AB seems to giving his fantasy owners just the right bang for their buck. Now this white boy has some inside game! He finished last season at rank 47, but he’s now currently 32nd on Yahoo based on totals. His 15-point rank jump can be credited to his increased production of 3 more points, 3 more boards, 0.5 more steals and blocks per night at only 0.8 more turnovers. He’s proved that he can now officially join the echelon of fantasy basketball’s elite big men.
Troy Murphy (PF/C, Indiana Pacers) – Before the season began I wasn’t all that high on drafting Troy in any of my fantasy leagues. I saw him as a guy who could occassionaly flirt double-double (10-10) every now and then. He’s small ball type of big man who can be a decent source of treys from a fantasy team’s front court. I was only able to draft him in my Battle of the Bloggers 10-man, head to head league for the small ball game I wanted to orchestrate. I go “OK, not bad, he will do.” when I picked him. Honestly, I now must admit that I didn’t see this season’s Troy Murphy coming. Wow! Two treys and eleven and a half rebounds a game from your team’s center at only one and a half turnovers a night is simply fantastic – or should I say “Troytastic?” Now this white man can really box out guys and jump up to grab those boards. He is currently Yahoo ranked at 33 as far as totals are concerned but finished last season all the way at 81st. Now that, boys and girls, is one heck of a jump in the rankings! He is by far my favorite among the white boys who are currently jumping up in the rankings this year. He’s even one of the key players I like to keep on my NBASE roster.
Troy’s presence, along with Mehmet Okur, Andrea Bargnani and Brad Miller’s in my small ball team in the above mentioned league has granted me an epiphany to conceptualize a different fantasy basketball drafting strategy. And thanks to Troy, I shall dub it “White Ball!”
What is white ball exactly? Well you can call it modified small ball if you like. Well how does it differ from your garden variety small ball, you may ask? It’s a strat that pays particular attention to the big men who work well in the small ball strategy. These are normally white guys, hence the strat’s name. Of course you will still need quality PGs and SGs to make it work, but grabbing/drafting/sniping the small ball big men at the proper rounds gives your small ball team a back door “W” in the rebounds category versus other teams. These guys are also relatively lighter on the TOs department compared to the “truer” big men and can actually offset your high turnover guards for a win in that cat every now and then. I know they’re not white, but you should add Al Harrington and Boris Diaw to that list.
Mehmet Okur (PF/C, Utah Jazz) – He is simply making the most of Carlos Boozer’s extended absence. He ended last season at 67th on Yahoo but is now currently chiming in at 41st in terms of totals this year. He and Paul Millsap have really stepped up their intensity and their game to make up for Utah’s void in the paint. Okur’s numbers may drop slightly when Booze eventually returns some time after the All-Star break, but he should still remain a solid force for any fantasy team. He is Nels’ pick as his favorite rank jumping white boy and this is what he has to say about Memo:
Since Erik is going with Troy Murphy, I’ll pick the next best small ball white boy Center. If you could somehow manage to get Murphy and Okur as your 2 Centers on a small ball team, you’d practically have it made right there. While a couple of Okur’s small ball cats (threes and assists) are down a bit this year, his FT% is an outstanding (for a Center) 82%, and he’s even close to being a decent big ball center with a nearly 48% FG%, 8.4 rebounds and 17 points.
Yes, yes, I know Carlos Boozer is injured, but Okur is doing his job of taking that and running with it. So ride him while you can like the Lone Ranger rode Silver, or like I ride my white unicorn to work every day, or like an albino centaur rides itself.
Mehmet and Yeliz Okur
Thankfully, I DO have both Troy and Mehmet in my White Ball strategy team in the Battle of the Bloggers league. Now that my key guard assets, Deron Williams and Kevin Martin, are healthy and fantasy functional; I fully expect my team to snag some Ws from here on out.
Matt Bonner (PF/C, San Antonio Spurs) – Now that he’s officially claimed the starting center the job, edging out Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas; Matt’s shown that his touch from the outside can prove to be rather useful for the Spurs’ offense. He finished last season at a lowly 246th playing most of his minutes off the Spurs bench. Now that he’s a starter he’ currently at 69th on Yahoo for season totals. He’s got the biggest rank leap of them all. He may not score or rebound in bunches, but his 1.5 treys and 0.6 steals a game for the meager cost of 0.5 TOs are pretty darn good for any small ball strat that’s trying to win the turnover cat.
Well that’s it. I just wanted to honor those men in white (skins) who have brought a higher level of basketball play and effectively more fantasy impact for the season so far. These guys simply make me want to get up, grab a trombone and dance like this White Boy
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