Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
I was pretty proud to win the GMTR Readers League last season, especially since it coincided with my rookie signing with the best fantasy basketball site in the Universe, ever. – That would be Give Me The Rock – Just in case someone has a smart-ass comment to make. Joining the elite echelon of fantasy experts such as Nels and Patrick, has indeed been an honor. Since GMTR is one of the Internet’s more renowned authorities on fantasy basketball (and NBA Cheerleader postings), Nels and Patrick often get invited to join Experts Leagues.
A week or two ago, sorry my mind’s been one big blur over the past couple of weeks, Nels forwarded an invite from RotoCommunity.com for him or a colleague to join a 12-man, standard 9-cat (PTS, REB, AST, 3PTM, STL, BLK, TO, FG%, FT%), weekly set, Head to Head league. Each team has 13 rosters spots with the standard PG, G, SG, SF, F, PF, C, C, Util, Util, 3 Bench set-up. I quickly emailed Dave of Roto Community to secure a spot and so, like the U.S.S. Enterprise, my journey began to “boldly go where no man has gone before…” Well, at least this man (me), since this was the first experts league I have ever been invited to. Technically, I was invited by association, but like Rhett Butler said: “Frankly darling, I just don’t give a damn.”
I was then instructed by Dave to pick an NBA city that I am from or live close to and add on my website’s name. I was at a loss, but completely understood that he likely did not know that I live in a 7,100-island archipelago that’s 12 timezones ahead of Eastern United States. And since Dirk brought me home the gold trophy in the readers league I decided to honor him, and name my team: “Dallas GiveMeTheRock.”
As I watched the league slowly fill up and saw the sites that were joining, I quickly got nervous. Here is a list of the sites, their managers and the draft order:
1. CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
Yup, big names in the industry. I then quickly ran to Papa and, uh, Papa to show them the little “boo-boo” on my knee that I was worried would give me leptospirosis. Yes, I do feel like that little Asian kid, adopted by a white gay couple who felt they wanted to get their Brangelina or Madonna on. I emailed Nels and Patrick, half wanting to drop out and have one of them be the one to represent GMTR. Like a kind and loving daddy, they both emailed me with some pep talk and “Expert League Draft Advice”, and reassured me that the 40+ mock drafts I did would be enough practice. With their fatherly fantasy basketball advice tucked in my pocket, I decided that it was time to step-up and boldly carry the banner of Give Me The Rock into what I am sure will be a battle of expertly epic proportions. The best and possibly only way for me to be considered an expert in this industry, is to obviously beat other experts… and stop any innuendo that the boss who hired me is gay, even jokingly. So on October 23, 2009, 8:30 AM my time (GMT+8, you do the math), it was “Game On, Experts!”
My overall strategy coming into this particular draft was to do a qualified BPA (Best Player Available) for the first four rounds and then begin focusing on categories from the fifth round onwards.
20 or so minutes before the draft actually started I messaged Nels that I had the third pick and consulted with him regarding pick options. I assumed the obvious and did not even consider LeBron or Chris Paul. I was contemplating between Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant. Wade is the popular mock draft choice. Kobe is an iron man who played 82 games last season with a broken finger and can likely still drop 25-5-5 in the midst of events in the upcoming movie 2012. Kevin Durant obviously has the word “upside” virtually tattooed on his fantasy basketball butt, by pretty much everyone and their resident fantasy expert. Here is how the draft eventually played out.
Round 1
1. Chris Paul – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. LeBron James – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Dwyane Wade - DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Kevin Durant – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Deron Williams – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Kobe Bryant – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. Danny Granger – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Dirk Nowitzki – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Amar’e Stoudemire – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Dwight Howard – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Chris Bosh – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Brandon Roy – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
I opted to go with Wade, because between the three guys I was considering, he had the most assists, steals, points and blocks; plus a contract year. Unfortunately, he also has the most TOs, injury risk, and worst combined effective shooting percentages. I decided to take the bad with the good and hope for the best. As you can see the round played out in a pretty standard fashion, of course with the sole exception of the Deron Williams fifth pick, which I found to be interesting. I was also slightly surprised that Dwight Howard fell all the way to the 10th pick.
Round 2
1. Al Jefferson – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
2. Pau Gasol – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
3. Chauncey Billups – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
4. Jose Calderon – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
5. Steve Nash – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
6. Andre Iguodala – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
7. Caron Butler – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
8. Joe Johnson – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
9. Devin Harris – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
10. Jason Kidd – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
11. Tim Duncan – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
12. Gerald Wallace – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
My goal in the second round was to secure a high tier PG. Jason Kidd was the best PG available. He improves Wade’s REB, AST, STL, and 3PTM. Since he is NOT Steve Nash, the TO situation is not as so bad. Since Dwyane led the league in scoring last season and will probably be at least in the top three this year, Kidd’s deficiency in that category was easily offset. The second round looks pretty much like your garden variety one. Most guys went for quality players.
Round 3
1. David West – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. Kevin Martin – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Brook Lopez – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Josh Smith – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Kevin Garnett – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Antawn Jamison – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. Carmelo Anthony – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Gilbert Arenas – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Vince Carter – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Paul Pierce – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Troy Murphy – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Jason Richardson – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
I went for the best available center for the third round. Brook Lopez was it. Grabbing a solid PG and C within the first four rounds is generally a good plan, well at least I believe so. Brook rounds out what I have going so far. He adds boards, blocks, and helps mitigate Kidd’s poor FG%. Hopefully his good FT%, when added to Kidd’s, will help improve on Wade’s. Picking him now gives me options, something that is always good to have in a draft.
Round 4
1. Carlos Boozer – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
2. Rajon Rondo – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
3. David Lee – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
4. Andrea Bargnani – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
5. Monta Ellis – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
6. Rashard Lewis – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
7. Shawn Marion – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
8. Elton Brand – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
9. Derrick Rose – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
10. LaMarcus Aldridge – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
11. Andrew Bynum – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
12. Baron Davis – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
Keeeping true to my first four round BPA approach, I went with LaMarcus Aldridge. He is a 1-steal and 1-block guy who gives me good percentages and low TOs. What more could I ask for? This is, by far, the farthest I’ve seen him drop in ALL of my mocks and previously concluded real drafts; and I think he is an excellent value pick in the late fourth round.
Round 5
1. Andris Biedrins – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. Mo Williams – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Al Harrington – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Russel Westbrook – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Marcus Camby – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Jameer Nelson – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. Greg Oden – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Al Horford – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Charlie Villanueva – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Mehmet Okur – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Eric Gordon – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Emeka Okafor – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
Now that I was done with my first four round BPA rule, I was ready to Big-ball since I grabbed Lopez and Aldridge in the previous rounds. However, the late fourth round Bynum and early fifth round Biedrins picks through me off and I was kind of at a loss. I didn’t feel like grabbing Al Horford, because I was afraid his low scoring would compound Kidd’s drawback in that category. Camby was not a consideration for me at this point, because of the reason I just stated plus I didn’t want to add more injury risks to what Kidd and Wade already brought to the table. The clock was ticking and panic was slowly setting in, but gaining momentum as each second slipped by. In a split-second decision, I opted to look for points, a category I felt was going to be difficult to fill in the later rounds of the draft. I knew I also wanted some peripherral contributions in other categories. Al Harrington’s 20 PPG; 1.2 SPG; 2.4 3PPG; and PF/C eligibility stared me down and I caved. While he was debatably not BPA for that spot, and in hindsight Jameer Nelson, Ray Allen, or Tony Parker would have been solid G-spot fillers (ha ha! I got to write “G-spot“), I think Al kept my options open while keeping the team a solid conteder in the PTS category. Hindsight and a review of the draft guide tells me that Ray Allen, Mehmet Okur, or Jameer Nelson may have been the best players available.
Round 6
1. Tony Parker – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
2. Anthony Randolph – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
3. Ray Allen – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
4. Luis Scola – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
5. Nene Hilario – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
6. Rudy Gay – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
7. John Salmons – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
8. Rodney Stuckey – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
9. Spencer Hawes – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
10. Jason Terry – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
11. Michael Redd – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
12. Boris Diaw – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
The center run that followed my Al Harrington pick was brutal, bloody-brutal. Seeing Spencer Hawes go just before my turn in the sixth round told me one thing – “Abandon Big-ball, Erik.” And so, I changed gears and at this point was committed to go small, but not at the expense of fantasy value. I planned to get the “best small-ball player” available every round from this point and onwards. Based on our draft guide projections, Jason Terry is a good value, small-ball pick late in the sixth round. He preserves percentages; is TO-friendly; chips in a steal per game; and is capable of lobbing the ball from the outside like there’s no tomorrow. He had premium value to me especially, because if anything nasty should happen to Jason Kidd *knocks on wood* I know who will get the starting PG minutes over at Dallas.
Round 7
1. Wilson Chandler – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. Tyrus Thomas – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Jeff Green – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Paul Millsap – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Manu Ginobili – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Ben Gordon – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. O.J. Mayo – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Stephen Jackson – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Leandro Barbosa – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Andre Miller – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Blake Griffin – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Josh Howard – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
Now that I was able to calm myself, thanks to a decision to commit to a direction, I was able to clearly take stock of what I had. I had two PG/SGs, one PG, and three PF/Cs; and so I felt I wanted to secure a solid SF to round out my starting lineup. I had Wilson Chandler on my queue but you can see how that idea panned out. Jeff Green then landed to me. I smiled, when I saw that the potential of getting 6.7 RPG or more this season from my SF meant that my team was now competitive in rebounds. I think Jeff Green will be a quiet, soft-sleeper this season and I happy to get him in the seventh round. Securing five proven scorers plus Brook Lopez’s potential in the first seven rounds kept me at ease that I would be able to challenge most teams in the PTS cat.
Round 8
1. Michael Beasely – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
2. Ron Artest – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
3. Zach Randolph – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
4. Trevor Ariza – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
5. Hedo Turkoglu – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
6. Mike Bibby – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
7. Rasheed Wallace – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
8. J.R. Smith – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
9. Andrew Bogut – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
10. Mario Chalmers – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
11. Raymond Felton – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
12. T.J. Ford – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
Seeing Mike Bibby leave the board reminded me about my assists category and that Kidd and Wade may not be enough to hold the fort considering that AST is supposed to be one of my team’s strengths. The choice came down to Mario Chalmers and Raymond Felton. Since Patrick and I are high on Mario’s upside this season, I went with another Miami Heat player. Unfortunately, I cannot apply my “just in case something nasty happens to (x)” statement to Wade-Chalmers in the same way it did to Kidd-Terry. Nonetheless, Mario is a pet-pick of mine this season and he helps lock down the steals category very nicely as well as threes and assists.
Round 9
1. Shaquille O’Neal – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. Roy Hibbert – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Richard Jefferson – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Jason Thompson – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Thaddeus Young – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Joakim Noah – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. Nate Robinson – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Mike Conley – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Courtney Lee – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Chris Duhon – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Ronnie Brewer – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Kevin Love – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
To get to the point, this pick was both a mistake and an accident. I briefly lost connectivity with the draft applet. So I was frantically clicking on Jason Thompson, you know, the guy picked immediately after my error. Actually I would draft anyone in this round after my RJ pick over RJ. Well… maybe not Chris Duhon, but yes, I would take an injured Kevin Love over RJ under normal drafting circumstances. No offense to RJ and his basketball skills, but his fantasy game lacks more dimensions for my tastes. That being said, RJ does not hurt my team in any way. There is that fact that I can no longer say “I have never drafted Richard Jefferson.” I hope the experts are not reading this. They will most probably offer me someone much less than who I want. Que será, será.
Round 10
1. Luol Deng – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
2. Aaron Brooks – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
3. Marc Gasol – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
4. Tyreke Evans – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
5. Tyson Chandler – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
6. Samuel Dalembert – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
7. Shane Battier – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
8. Jermaine O’Neal – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
9. Chris Kaman – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
10. D.J. Augustin – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
11. Louis Williams – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
12. Andrei Kirilenko – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
With Raja Bell out for a considerable amount of time, I feel D.J. Augustin will have lots of opportunities to blossom and explode – like a mushroom cloud. I had Aaron Brooks on my queue, but I’m happy to end with D.J. as a consolation. He is my back-up Jason Terry of sorts. Was it too early? Perhaps, but I feel his upside is worth this spot.
Round 11
1. Chris Andersen – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. Marvin Williams – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Brandon Jennings – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Stephen Curry – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Hakim Warrick – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Lamar Odom – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. Brandon Rush – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Jonny Flynn – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Antonio McDyess – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Mike Miller – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Channing Frye – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Allen Iverson – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
I planned to get a back-up for each position to fill my bench slots, which I think is generally a good habit to have when drafting in fantasy basketball. Bran-Jen, is potentially a good back-up assist guy and can even possibly exceed Mario Chalmers’ value. Milwaukee is just so lacking in healthy and reliable talent at the moment, I don’t think Scott Skiles will be able to hold this kid back for too long. As long as he doesn’t regrow his “Kid ‘n Play” inspired flat-top fro, I think I will be happy owning him. Back-up PG, check!
Round 12
1. Anderson Varejao – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
2. Anthony Morrow – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
3. Ryan Gomes – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
4. Drew Gooden – MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
5. Richard Hamilton – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
6. James Harden – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
7. Jamal Crawford – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
8. Ramon Sessions – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
9. Jarrett Jack – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
10. Brad Miller – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
11. Mareese Speights – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
12. Grant Hill – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
Regardless of how far you expect Brad Miller’s value to plummet due to Joakim Noah’s improvement, being able to grab a back-up small-ball-friendly center this late in a fantasy draft is still a golden opportunity to squeak out whatever value Brad has left in his tank. Back-up C, check.
Round 13
1. Brendan Haywood – CHI SportsGrumblings.com (Damian Schaab)
2. Kirk Hinrich – PHI HoopsKLYCE.com (David Klyce)
3. Danilo Gallinari – DAL GiveMeTheRock.com (Erik Ong)
4. Yi Jianlian – DET ESPN.com (Tom Carpenter)
5. Corey Maggette – MIA FantasyPros911 (Tony Cincotta)
6. Kelenna Azubuike – SEA Rotoworld.com (Ryan Knaus)
7. Chris Douglas-Roberts – MIL Rotowire.com (Kyle McKeown)
8. Udonis Haslem – BOS RotoCommunity.com (Dave Gawron)
9. Anthony Parker MEM MockDraftCentral.com (Geoff Stein)
10. Tayshaun Prince – ORL RotoRob.com (Buck Davidson)
11. Randy Roye – NY RotoExperts.com (Tom Lorenzo)
12. Delonte West – CLE OpenSPORTS.com (Xavier Villarmarzo)
We all know that Mike D’Antoni has the coaching “hots” for this kid, we just need him to stay healthy long enough for him to get his minutes up. This is actually a bad pick for me as Dan is a long-term investment and will not likely bring in dividends right away. My two dads can attest as to how impatient I am with my team. My “attack the FA pool relentlessly” style is either going to win me a trophy or kick me to the ground. Well at least for the moment, back-up SF, check.
Dallas GiveMeTheRock
1. (3) Dwyane Wade
2. (22) Jason Kidd
3. (27) Brook Lopez
4. (46) LaMarcus Aldridge
5. (51) Al Harrington
6. (70) Jason Terry
7. (75) Jeff Green
8. (94) Mario Chalmers
9. (99) Richard Jefferson
10. (118) D.J. Augustin
11. (123) Brandon Jennings
12. (142) Brad Miller
13. (147) Danilo Gallinari
I think I drafted a decent enough base to be a Playoff contender, at least. I just need to watch the wires closely and pray my guys stay healthy.
Tags: Al Harrington, Brook Lopez, Draft Results, Dwyane Wade, Experts League, Jason Kidd
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