It's almost perfect that you posted this on this day, because, since you came up with the idea, I've been thinking about players who would be in it and I actually thought about Gary Payton more than just about anyone else… and the reason that matters for today is, because, for a while now I've thought of Gary Payton as the Michael Jackson of the NBA. Okay, so it's not quite perfect, and there are probably other players who fit the analogy better, but I see it like that… Payton was (as you can see from the numbers) one of the best players of his time, and while not on Jackson's level in terms of international fame, he was one of the better known and respected players… until he started to go downhill, and then, while his game, much like Jackson's, was still solid, everyone knew it was only a matter of time. And it seems to me that Payton, like Jackson, tried to hang on a little too long, when he should have just accepted that he wasn't what he once was and been content with letting others take over.

And you know you've got another weak class when the second best fantasy player in it is Doug Christie.

Whoops, stupid wordpress didn't save my changes. Should be fixed now. If you wanted to vote for more than 1 person, let me know and I can add it to the results.

thanks for pointing that out.

GP was a no-brainer, obvs. But I feel Jalen Rose merited a vote too. He was one of the first true multiple-position eligible players back in the day when they were a rarity, playing PG through SF. His rebounding, scoring and especially blocks were strong for a PG and his assists were sweet from the SF spot. He also hit the deep ball.

While he might not have had Christie's steals, Rose's swag, style and versatility were better than Christie's non-scoring, SG-only, whipped-harder-than-a-racehorse game. Plus, he went to Michigan. Go Blue!

Okay, who voted for Uncle Cliffy?!??!?

And you know you've got another weak class when the second best fantasy player in it is Doug Christie.

Whoops, stupid wordpress didn't save my changes. Should be fixed now. If you wanted to vote for more than 1 person, let me know and I can add it to the results.

thanks for pointing that out.

I threw Cliff a vote and here's why: he was a versatile and incredibly durable player and you knew what you were getting from him. For the bulk of career he was a GREAT fit for the small ball strategy. Was he ever a fantasy superstar? No, but he was an exceptionally useful player for a very long time.

Some of his career numbers are diluted by his extraordinarily long career. However, take a look at the 8 years between '94-95 and '01-02. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.8 boards, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.4 3PM. He played in 606 out of a possible 624 games during that stretch (in fact, he is arguably one of the more durable players of all time).

As we all know, 1/1/1 guys are rare, and Cliff was generally eligible as a PF/C. I think the C eligibility is a big key to his value and one that doesn't show up in the raw numbers. In his prime his 3s, assists, and steals were all well above average for a C – in fact, during those 8 peak years he would have often been a top-5 C (or close to it) in all three of those categories while also putting up solid points and a serviceable amount of blocks. He just produced year after year in a shallow position and rarely missed games – who wouldn't want that on their squad? Granted, he had some weaknesses (notably his percentages and boards from a C) but even with those you knew exactly what you were getting and could build a small ball team around him.
That's why I thought he deserved at least one vote.

Ah, the elusive “triple-single” of 1 steal, 1 block and 1 three per game. Someone should look this up: which is there more of, players who had a triple double last year or players who averaged a triple-single?

I'm a Blazer fan too, and I have to admit I wasn't playing fantasy BB back in Cliff's heyday, as I didn't get into it until his latter career when he wasn't really useful anymore.

When he retired, though, I read about how he was the all time leader (I believe) in career 3s for players over 6'10″. After going back and looking at his numbers I realized how good he was as a fantasy player for quite a while.

I threw Cliff a vote and here's why: he was a versatile and incredibly durable player and you knew what you were getting from him. For the bulk of career he was a GREAT fit for the small ball strategy. Was he ever a fantasy superstar? No, but he was an exceptionally useful player for a very long time.

Some of his career numbers are diluted by his extraordinarily long career. However, take a look at the 8 years between '94-95 and '01-02. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.8 boards, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.4 3PM. He played in 606 out of a possible 624 games during that stretch (in fact, he is arguably one of the more durable players of all time).

As we all know, 1/1/1 guys are rare, and Cliff was generally eligible as a PF/C. I think the C eligibility is a big key to his value and one that doesn't show up in the raw numbers. In his prime his 3s, assists, and steals were all well above average for a C – in fact, during those 8 peak years he would have often been a top-5 C (or close to it) in all three of those categories while also putting up solid points and a serviceable amount of blocks. He just produced year after year in a shallow position and rarely missed games – who wouldn't want that on their squad? Granted, he had some weaknesses (notably his percentages and boards from a C) but even with those you knew exactly what you were getting and could build a small ball team around him.
That's why I thought he deserved at least one vote.

Ah, the elusive “triple-single” of 1 steal, 1 block and 1 three per game. Someone should look this up: which is there more of, players who had a triple double last year or players who averaged a triple-single?

I'm a Blazer fan too, and I have to admit I wasn't playing fantasy BB back in Cliff's heyday, as I didn't get into it until his latter career when he wasn't really useful anymore.

When he retired, though, I read about how he was the all time leader (I believe) in career 3s for players over 6'10″. After going back and looking at his numbers I realized how good he was as a fantasy player for quite a while.

I've got Wade, Granger, Francisco Garcia, and LeBron as the triple-single guys from last year. Bron, Paul, Kidd, Rondo, Dre Miller, Kobe, Dwight, Pau, Westbrook, Capt. Jack, Sessions, Vince, Joe Johnson, and T-Mac all had triple doubles.

Count me in on the Cliff bandwagon – he's probably my favorite player on this list (although I didn't vote for him). Even in his late 30's, he could still get it done, thanks to the previously mentioned 1/1/1 club. I remember whoever drafted him always got a round of harassment and Uncle Cliffy jokes. That never got old for some reason.

Yeah, it's all coming back about Uncle Cliffy now!! “CLIFF ROBINSON? Isn't he like 80?” A triple-single with C eligibility that would routinely be available in drafts way later than he should have been. Players like that should be honored! Shane Battier is a more recent guy in that mold. Until this year when he sucked, there is no way he should be going as late as he always does. Guys like Cliffy probably don't get into the Fantasy Hall of Fame and it is a shame. It's sort of like how Robert Horry probably won't get in the Basketball Hall Of Fame, yet he altered the course of so many seasons and careers that he probably deserves to be enshrined.

Even though he's usually playing for teams that I don't want to win, I wonder what the NBA would have been like without Big Shot Bob. As Patrick uses in his fantasy HOF analysis, what is the value of a replacement player for Horry? Would anyone else have been in the right spots and made the kind of shots he's made?

Even though he's usually playing for teams that I don't want to win, I wonder what the NBA would have been like without Big Shot Bob. As Patrick uses in his fantasy HOF analysis, what is the value of a replacement player for Horry? Would anyone else have been in the right spots and made the kind of shots he's made?

Even though he's usually playing for teams that I don't want to win, I wonder what the NBA would have been like without Big Shot Bob. As Patrick uses in his fantasy HOF analysis, what is the value of a replacement player for Horry? Would anyone else have been in the right spots and made the kind of shots he's made?

Thanks for looking into it. Nice work! It turns out that the triple-dip happened more often than i thought last year. That triple-single is elusive. I thought that Rudy Gay might have made the list, but alas. He didn't break out as expected.

Even though he's usually playing for teams that I don't want to win, I wonder what the NBA would have been like without Big Shot Bob. As Patrick uses in his fantasy HOF analysis, what is the value of a replacement player for Horry? Would anyone else have been in the right spots and made the kind of shots he's made?