Honorable Mentions: He’s no Carlos Boozer, but Mehmet Okur (0.9) came close to the LotN with 26 points, 9 boards and a couple steals. Ride him like a Turkish prostitute while Boozer is out; Raymond Felton (0.8) had a sweet 23/7/5 and I think we can safely say that the D.J. Augustin/Felton line is here to stay (sorry Matt Carrol fan club); and Chris Paul (0.75) had yet another triple double with 14/10/17.

Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Eric Gordon (0.97) – who is currently owned in 12% of Yahoo leagues – and DJ Augustin (0.91) – who is owned in 31% of yahoo leagues – should be picked up if they are available in your league. Augustin went for 25 points and 11 assists and has gone insane in his new starting role and Gordon had 25 points and 4 steals while starting at shooting guard for the Clippers.

Pick this boy up if you see him on the street

Lighting Round! If someone else is busy riding Okur, you may want to give Paul Millsap (0.54) a run while Boozer is out. He had 21 and 10 last night off 8-12 shooting; I really cannot recommend Joel Przybilla (0.64) to anyone, but the big guy got 28 minutes to Greg Oden’s 19 and double-doubled in a Blazers win; Spencer Hawes (0.57) – 15 points, 5 boards, 3 steals – is here to stay; and if you’re in a deep league and in need of a super short-term add, Tyronn Lue (0.36) will get some play as long as Ridnour is out (he’s day-to-day with a sore knee). Lue got 27 minutes in the Bucks last game and had 14 points and 5 assists.

Glorious Return of the Night: Yesterday, Manu Ginobili (0.1) returned from an ankle injury that had kept him out of the Spurs first 12 games. And while he didn’t start and only got 11 minutes of play, the dude already looks in mid-season form with 12 points off 3-4 shooting, 4 rebounds and a three. The Spurs are going to ease him back into the rotation, but get him back into yours now, because he’s already contributing.

The Biggest Loser: Hakim Warrick (-0.62) is my starting PF in the GMTR Monster League. I wasn’t expecting much from the guy, but more than 6 minutes on the court and 3 points would be nice. Warrick is now 3rd on the Grizz depth chart behind both Darko and Darrell Arthur. Excuse me while I scour our free agent list for three hours straight looking for any forward who is half decent.

Dishonorable Mentions: There is still a lot of season to go, but Greg Oden (-0.51) owners have to be getting impatient seeing him get less than 20 minutes game after game. Last night he scored 3 points and had 6 boards in 19 minutes; and Thaddeus Young (-0.41) shot 2-10 from the field and finished with 6 points.

All Eyez on Me: Golden State (5-8) @ Washington (1-10) – Eddie Jordan becomes the second coach to be fired this year after the Wizards got off to a 1-10 start. Interim coach Ed Tapscott intends to focus on improving the Wizards defensively, but it is not going to happen tonight against Golden State. Also, expect Jamal Crawford to suit up for his first game with the Warriors.

Cleveland (10-3) @ New York (7-6) – Al Harrington should make his debut tonight for the Knicks, but New York has delayed the Zach Randolph trade by making a stink about Cuttino Mobley and his physical – likely because they want additional compensation for Randolph. You do not play chess with Donnie Walsh and expect to win…

So, expect Nate Robinson to have another big game.

New Jersey (6-6) @ Los Angeles (11-1) – LA is the top scoring team in the league, averaging 105.9 points a game, ahead of both the Knicks and Warriors. Every Laker starter is averaging double-digit scoring, except for – surprise – Vladimir Radmanovic. Interestingly though, Kobe is only averaging 24.7 points a game. His assists and rebounds are also down compared to the last couple years, which I guess is to be expected on a team full of talent like the Lakers. Kobe is currently 10th on the GMTR rater.

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So, I searched the all knowing internet to look for what people were saying way back in the fall of 07 about the upcoming fantasy basketball season. Then, I ignored all the stuff that made people look smart and I cherry picked all the most embarrassing stuff I could find. Here’s what I found:

Boy, Ray Allen was getting some mad fantasy love before the start of last season. Slam Online ranked Ray Allen as the second best fantasy shooting guard in the league (while leaving Chris Paul off their list of top five fantasy point guards). And our friends at Dropping Dimes drafted Ray Allen in the second round of their annual mock draft. Even this idiot told you to take Allen in the second round. He ended up ranked #52 on the rater. I don’t think Allen will be getting as much love this season.

People love player rankings, which is why you see them everywhere. You’d think that 82games would know a thing or two about projecting player stats. But when you rank the top 100 fantasy players like they did in 2007, you’re bound to have some misses. Some big misses. Again, Ray Allen makes an appearance at #22 on their list. Just scanning the rest of it quickly and I see Stephon Marbury showing up at #70, Boris Diaw at #79, and Ben Wallace at #89.

Basketball Suite 101 only ranked the top 20 players, but hopefully you didn’t draft Jason Kidd at the number 8 spot like they had him ranked. Then again, this idiot was pretty high on J-Kidd too.

Coaching changes are fun! But unless the change involves Don Nelson, try not to put too much weight on how a new coach is going to affect his team. For example, RotoWire felt that the addition of Reggie Theus would mean a big season from Mike Bibby and that Jermaine O’Neal would benefit from playing under O’Brien. Both aren’t even on their respective teams anymore.

The draft/avoid sleeper/dud list is always a conversation generator (which is why we like to do them), but even with Vulcan like logic, shit is going to happen that is out of our control.

Fantasy Basketball Café liked Charlie Villanueva as a super sleeper going into last season. A “David West in-the-making type of player.” Unfortunately, a little Yi got in his way and screwed things up. With Yi gone, maybe this will be a better year for Charlie.

Fantasy Basketball Guy liked Dwyane Wade and Yao Ming going into last season (he was also high both on Chris Paul and Al Jefferson). This year, I think the Ming bandwagon has finally run out of gas (which means he’s going to have a great year, of course).

Fantapedia thought that Monta Ellis was one of the most overrated players in the league (although the rest of their overrated list is pretty good looking back).

Talkin Fantasy Sports had an unfortunate list of sleepers: Darko Milicic, Randy Foye, Jamal Magloire, Charlie Bell, and Jason Maxiell (although Monta Ellis does make an appearance). If you look at the first comment on the post, it’s a GMTR trackback which praises the picks.

However, in terms of the sheer amount of incorrectness, nothing comes close to Risks and Rewards from NBA.com. It’s a tour de force in incorrect predictions and recommendations: Guys on the up: Smush Parker, Brevin Knight, Kendrick Perkins, and Morris Peterson. Don’t draft Al Jefferson or Kevin Durant. Good things were ahead for Matt Barnes. A big comeback year was in store for from Bonzi Wells. Take a long look at Travis Diener and Steve Francis, but make sure to avoid Kenyon Martin at all costs, because he’s going to be a bust…

I’ll let you know when I find the rewards.

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I’ll breakdown some of the over/under performing players a little later. Until then, enjoy the list.

Rank/Player/Rating/Games
1. Monta Ellis (6.4) – 2 games
2. Marcus Camby (5.2) – 3 games
3. Gerald Wallace (4.9) – 7 games
4. Dwight Howard (4.7) – 6 games
5. Rudy Gay (4.7) – 6 games
6. Allen Iverson (4.3) – 6 games
7. Kevin Garnett (4.2) – 6 games
8. Manu Ginobili (4.2) – 4 games
9. Martell Webster (3.8) – 7 games
10. Vince Carter (3.8) – 5 games
11. Shawn Marion (3.5) – 8 games
12. Dirk Nowitzki (3.1) – 6 games
13. Amare Stoudemire (3) – 2 games
14. Joe Johnson (2.9) – 7 games
15. Lamarcus Aldridge (2.9) – 6 games
16. Corey Maggette (2.8) – 6 games
17. Ronnie Brewer (2.7) – 7 games
18. Kevin Martin (2.7) – 7 games
19. Steve Nash (2.7) – 8 games
20. Baron Davis (2.5) – 4 games
21. Josh Childress (2) – 6 games
22. Chris Paul (1.8) – 8 games
23. Chris Wilcox (1.8) – 7 games
24. Josh Smith (1.7) – 8 games
25. Al Jefferson (1.5) – 7 games
26. Kelenna Azubuike (1.5) – 5 games
27. Andrei Kirilenko (1.4) – 7 games
28. Carmelo Anthony (1.3) – 5 games
29. Jermaine O’neal (1.2) – 3 games
30. Jason Kidd (1.2) – 1 games
31. Jason Richardson (1.1) – 6 games
32. Chris Kaman (0.8) – 6 games
33. Leandro Barbosa (0.8) – 6 games
34. Paul Pierce (0.7) – 6 games
35. Eduardo Najera (0.7) – 4 games
36. Carlos Delfino (0.7) – 4 games
37. Andre Iguodala (0.7) – 7 games
38. Mike Dunleavy (0.6) – 8 games
39. T.J. Ford (0.2) – 4 games
40. Andrea Bargnani (0.1) – 4 games
41. Delonte West (0.1) – 4 games
42. Rashad Mccants (0) – 5 games
43. Anthony Roberson (0) – 5 games
44. Andris Biedrins (0) – 2 games
45. Travis Outlaw (-0.1) – 7 games
46. Jamaal Tinsley (-0.1) – 7 games
47. Kevin Durant (-0.1) – 6 games
48. Kobe Bryant (-0.2) – 6 games
49. J.J. Redick (-0.3) – 5 games
50. Andre Miller (-0.3) – 7 games
51. Hilton Armstrong (-0.3) – 8 games
52. Grant Hill (-0.4) – 8 games
53. Bostjan Nachbar (-0.5) – 6 games
54. Al Horford (-0.5) – 8 games
55. Mo Williams (-0.5) – 6 games
56. Damon Stoudamire (-0.5) – 4 games
57. James Jones (-0.5) – 2 games
58. Brad Miller (-0.6) – 7 games
59. Josh Howard (-0.7) – 7 games
60. Boris Diaw (-0.7) – 7 games
61. Brent Barry (-0.7) – 5 games
62. Linas Kleiza (-0.8) – 6 games
63. Ricky Davis (-0.8) – 6 games
64. Marvin Williams (-0.9) – 8 games
65. Chauncey Billups (-0.9) – 6 games
66. Luke Ridnour (-1) – 7 games
67. Hedo Turkoglu (-1) – 6 games
68. Brandon Bass (-1) – 8 games
69. Andrew Bynum (-1.1) – 7 games
70. Ray Allen (-1.1) – 7 games
71. Jarrett Jack (-1.1) – 7 games
72. Daniel Gibson (-1.2) – 4 games
73. Theo Ratliff (-1.2) – 5 games
74. Al Harrington (-1.2) – 5 games
75. Jordan Farmar (-1.3) – 7 games
76. Al Thornton (-1.3) – 8 games
77. David Lee (-1.5) – 6 games
78. Carlos Boozer (-1.5) – 4 games
79. Mike Bibby (-1.5) – 7 games
80. Earl Watson (-1.5) – 6 games
81. Deron Williams (-1.5) – 7 games
82. Raja Bell (-1.6) – 8 games
83. Chris Duhon (-1.6) – 7 games
84. Louis Williams (-1.6) – 7 games
85. Ike Diogu (-1.6) – 8 games
86. J.R. Smith (-1.7) – 6 games
87. Shane Battier (-1.7) – 6 games
88. Lebron James (-1.7) – 7 games
89. Wally Szczerbiak (-1.7) – 6 games
90. Darius Washington (-1.7) – 6 games
91. Jose Calderon (-1.8) – 4 games
92. Sam Cassell (-1.8) – 6 games
93. Troy Hudson (-1.8) – 4 games
94. Tyrus Thomas (-2) – 7 games
95. Damien Wilkins (-2) – 7 games
96. Anthony Parker (-2) – 4 games
97. Charlie Villanueva (-2) – 8 games
98. Rajon Rondo (-2) – 8 games
99. Juan Dixon (-2.1) – 4 games
100. Francisco Garcia (-2.1) – 7 games

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That Big Green Line is the Chicago Basketball Bulls. In my four leagues this season, I drafted 7 Bulls, which is 3 more than I took from any other team. What can you glean from this? Well, I’ll let you know at the end of the season when I see how my bullish teams do.

Other info you can get includes:
1. Teams with no players drafted by me: Kings, Cleveland, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Denver, Minnesota.

And to help you understand that, here’s my explanation:

• Don’t draft Kings. Plain and simple. I have no faith in anyone on the Kings. I am not willing to risk my team by drafting any of them.
• Cleveland has one good player. If I had the chance to take him, I would have. So really, that’s just random luck. I wouldn’t take anyone else on the team, though.
• Milwaukee: I’m sure I thought about drafting Michael Redd. I don’t think I thought about drafting anyone else on the Bucks. I picked up Redd for my NBA 2K8 fantasy team.
• San Antone: Tim Duncan is good. He’s worth drafting if you can take the hit in FT%, and he’s the best player on the board. That was never the case for me in any of my leagues (this is more of a small sample size issue). I’m not convinced that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli can be had in rounds where I feel they are appropriately valued.
• Minny: I could swear I drafted Al Jefferson in one of my leagues, but maybe it was just in some other mock draft or something. Weird. Other than Big Al, though, I just feel there’s too many question marks floating around the Wolves roster.

2. Highly drafted teams besides the Bulls:

Golden State, Seattle, Toronto

• Golden State: These were mostly late round picks for guys like Monta Ellis (who I’m not completely sold on, but took him in my first two drafts), Matt Barnes, and Marco Belinelli.
• Seattle: For some reason, I took Kevin Durant, Nick Collison, and Delonte West all on one team. Maybe not such a good idea. Picked up Jeff Green late in another league.
• Toronto: Took Jorge Garbajosa twice and Andrea Bargnani twice. I almost had Bargnani 3 times. I did not pick Chris Bosh. Take that for what you will. I do feel like I got a good value with where I picked JG and AB.

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Tier 1
Gilbert Arenas (PG) – 5
Steve Nash (PG) – 7

Very different players here, but both are strong first round picks. Nels said he was willing to go number one overall with Arenas, but I don’t believe he ever got the chance to back that statement up this year. I’m not quite that in love with Arenas – fifth overall sounds about right – with Nash following shortly thereafter.

Tier 2
Jason Kidd (PG) – 13
Chris Paul (PG) – 13

The tier two point guards are worthy of back-end first round or early second round picks. I may have publicly stated my preference for Jason Kidd, who has been healthier over the past two years, but I ended up with Chris Paul in two leagues and I’m ok with that decision.

Tier 3
Deron Williams (PG) – 27
Baron Davis (PG) – 28
Chauncey Billups (PG) – 32

Again, you’ve got three guys going around the same spot in drafts. It all depends on your style I guess. Do you want the young stud who is likely to improve, but doesn’t have the track record of the other two, the best of the three who always seems to kill fantasy teams with his injuries, or the consistently solid franchise guy who you can count on?

Tier 4
Kirk Hinrich (G) – 40
Leandro Barbosa (PG) – 46
Tony Parker (PG) – 51
Raymond Felton (G) – 52
Andre Miller (PG) – 57
Mo Williams (PG) – 58
Mike Bibby (PG) – 60
T.J. Ford (PG) – 64

Like the shooting guards, there is a lot of value in the mid-rounds for point guards. Hinrich is the best of the bunch, but I’d be happy with every single one of these guys. Bibby especially seems to be flying under the radar and could bounce back after a somewhat disappointing year.

Tier 5
Stephon Marbury (PG) – 74
Rajon Rondo (G) – 80
Jameer Nelson (PG) – 83
Mike Conley Jr. (G) – 93

Tier five gets a little risky, with Marbury, Rondo, and Conley as picks who may or may not have good years. Damon Stoudamire is still the starter in Memphis, but Conley has been playing well this preseason, so much so that he started the in the Grizzlies last game. Just so you know, Rondo averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game over the last month of the Celtics season. I’m just sayin’.

Tier 6
Jarrett Jack (PG) – 100
Chucky Atkins (PG) – 102
Jamaal Tinsley (PG) – 110
Devin Harris (PG) – 115
Rafer Alston (PG) – 119
Acie Law IV (G) – 120
Brevin Knight (PG) – 135
Sam Cassell (PG) – 135
Derek Fisher (PG) – 137
Jose Calderon (PG) – 140
Luke Ridnour (PG) – 150
Earl Watson (PG) – 155
Mike James (PG) – 169
Earl Boykins (PG) – ND
Jannero Pargo (PG) – ND
Jason Williams (PG) – ND
Steve Blake (PG) – ND
Chris Duhon (PG) – ND
Javaris Crittenton (G) – ND
Nate Robinson (G) – ND

Alright, I admit I just threw a bunch of guys into tier six because I’m lazy. The one thing they do have in common: there are no sure things here. Jarrett Jack is talented guy who had a nice little year in 2006-07, but he’s likely going to be splitting time with Steve Blake. Jamaal Tinsley racks up mad assists when healthy, but I’d be surprised if he can match the 72 games he played in last year. Looks like Chucky Atkins is losing his starting job to Allen Iverson, mostly because he’s been hurt this month. It only a matter of time before Brevin Knight takes over for the corpse of Sam Cassell, but he’s another guy who has had trouble staying healthy. Devin Harris is my sleeper du jour as it appears Dallas intends to make him more of a focal point in their offense.

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Tier 1
Kobe Bryant (SG) – 2

As much as I hate Kobe, he’s in a class by himself among shooting guards. Of course, there is always a chance he walks away from the Lakers to go play on Pluto, but don’t worry, chances are much better that he sticks around and continues to annoy us from LA for years to come.

Tier 2
Dwyane Wade (G) – 9
Allen Iverson (G) – 19
Ray Allen (SG) – 26
Vince Carter (GF) – 23

When healthy, Wade can come close to matching Kobe in terms of fantasy value, but his shoulder injury will keep him out to start the season and that drops him into the second tier. There is some uncertainty around Ray Allen and what his role will be on the Celtics, but if he can put up anything close to his career averages, he’ll be a steal in the late second round. Vince Carter just signed a new contract this summer. The last time he did that, things didn’t work out so well for the Raptors.

Tier 3
Gerald Wallace (F) – 29
Tracy McGrady (GF) – 33
Michael Redd (GF) – 33
Joe Johnson (G) – 34

I considered combining tiers two and three because there is not much separating them. But, Gerald Wallace and his style of play frightens me a little, Tracy McGrady and his back scares me a whole lot, and Redd and Johnson are just a notch below the guys in tier two.

Tier 4
Brandon Roy (G) – 41
Kevin Martin (SG) – 46
Manu Ginobili (SG) – 53
Jason Richardson (GF) – 53
Ricky Davis (GF) – 58
Monta Ellis (G) – 68
Ben Gordon (SG) – 61
Jason Terry (G) – 61

If you wait until the middle rounds to grab a shooting guard or two, you won’t be disappointed. Some crazy value in this tier – I particularly like Martin (don’t overlook those percentages), Richardson (new team and healthy right now), and Ricky Davis (besides him and Jefferson, who else is going to score).

Tier 5
Stephen Jackson (GF) – 81
Richard Hamilton (SG) – 82
Randy Foye (G) – 84
Kyle Korver (SF) – 87
Raja Bell (SG) – 98
Jamal Crawford (SG) – 103
Matt Carroll (GF) – ND

Based upon the Adam Morrison injury, I’m bumping Carroll up from tier six to five. He’s a good late round sleeper and, if you’ve already drafted, grab him off waivers if you’ve got the space. Tier five had got a good mix of established vets that are going to deliver exactly what you expect, like Hamilton and Jackson, and some nice upside guys, like Foye and Carroll.

Tier 6
Anthony Parker (GF) – 105
Delonte West (G) – 105
Marco Belinelli (G) – 116
Steve Francis (PG) – 119
Corey Brewer (F) – 122
Larry Hughes (G) – 126
Cuttino Mobley (SG) – 127
Charlie Bell (GF) – 136
Luther Head (G) – 163
Jason Kapono (GF) – ND
John Salmons (GF) – ND
DeShawn Stevenson (SG) – ND
Rasual Butler (GF) – ND
James Posey (GF) – ND
Wally Szczerbiak (GF) – ND

The funny thing about shooting guards, since much of their value is derived from, you know, scoring, they kind of fall off the map pretty fast. Unless they are particularly good at something else, like threes or steals, no one really wants a backup shooting guard who averages 12 points a game. But there’s a little something to be found here: Anthony Parker did average 12 points a game last year for the Raptors, but he’ll be starting and should improve; in the past Delonte West has racked up the stats when he’s gotten playing time; Corey Brewer has looked good so far in the preseason for the Wolves; and Marco Belinelli can shoot the three, if you’re team is in need of that kind of thing.

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Might be a good time to see if Matt Carroll is available. Also, if for some reason your league hasn’t drafted yet, I’d say move Walter Herrmann (sleeper candidate extraordinaire) up your charts a bit.

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Tier 1
LeBron James (SF) – 4

James is in a small forward league by himself. He finished last season ranked in the 20’s on the player rater, but that was solely due to his horrible free throw percentage. Can he improve that that this year? It’s the only thing holding him back from being the best fantasy player in the league.

Tier 2
Josh Smith (GF) – 16
Andre Iguodala (GF) – 17
Paul Pierce (GF) – 24
Rashard Lewis (SF) – 21
Carmelo Anthony (SF) – 26

A lot of different types of players in this tier. Smith’s percentages are horrible, but he is a rebounding and blocking machine. Iguodala is the man on the Sixers and will be one of the league leaders in steals. Pierce and Anthony are a great source of points, while Lewis averaged 2.5 threes a game last season.

Tier 3
Caron Butler (SF) – 32
Kevin Durant (GF) – 43
Josh Howard (GF) – 47
Ron Artest (SF) – 48
Mike Miller (GF) – 51
Luol Deng (GF) – 52

Much more so than power forwards and centers, the third small forward tier delivers some real studs like Bulter, Howard, Miller, and Deng. Durant is a wildcard, but he’s been basically been given the reigns of the Sonics, so the points, rebounds, and assists should be there for him. Artest is insane and has already been suspended for the first 7 games of the season, but hey, if everything else works out…

Tier 4
Andrei Kirilenko (F) – 66
Danny Granger (F) – 68
Corey Maggette (GF) – 77
Richard Jefferson (SF) – 81
Rudy Gay (GF) – 80

Tier four contains three guys looking to bounce back from off years and two young guys who should take big steps up this season. But only one of these guys gets a free poon card once a year.

Tier 5
Josh Childress (GF) – 79
Tyrus Thomas (F) – 92
Andres Nocioni (F) – 99
Peja Stojakovic (GF) – 100
Morris Peterson (GF) – 101
Tayshaun Prince (SF) – 105
Shane Battier (SF) – 114
Walter Herrmann (F) – 120
Mike Dunleavy (GF) – 131
Marvin Williams (GF) – 133

I put Childress in tier five because he’s not going to be starting this season. He’s always been the type of guy who needs a lot of minutes (35+) to get his. Walter Herrmann was a stud at the end of last season and his stock is rising now that Sean May is done for the season. Peja’s back is still hurting him, but if you’re up for the risk, there is always the chance he could be a top 50 player again. And I like Nocioni this year for some reason that I can’t explain.

Tier 6
Jeff Green (F) – 110
Luke Walton (SF) – 121
Travis Outlaw (F) – 135
Quentin Richardson (GF) – 135
Hedo Turkoglu (GF) – 150
Grant Hill (GF) – 150
Gerald Green (GF) – 157
Matt Harpring (GF) – ND
Jerry Stackhouse (GF) – ND
Ruben Patterson (F) – ND
Matt Barnes (SF) – ND
Adam Morrison (GF) – ND

Someone out of tier six is going to break out this season, but your guess is as good as mine as to who that is going to be. Jeff Green is going to get big minutes on a young Seattle team. Luke Walton racks up the all round stats… when he’s healthy. Travis Outlaw could be a good source of steals, blocks and points, but I don’t think the minutes are going to be there this year. Q-Rich was also good when healthy last year. Dare I mention the name Grant Hill? He’s looked good in the preseason.

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Since so many players qualify at multiple positions (at least in Yahoo leagues – CBS Sports and NBA.com are much more stringent), I’ve updated the GMTR player tier spreadsheet to include all the positions that a player is eligible in for Yahoo leagues. So, even through Boris Diaw is listed under the power forward column, you can see in the spreadsheet that he also qualifies as a center.*

Tier 1
Kevin Garnett (F) – 3
Shawn Marion (F) – 3
Dirk Nowitzki (PF) – 5

You can’t go wrong with any of the three guys in tier one. I’m partial to Garnett myself, because I think he’s going to be rejuvenated on the Celtics and Marion’s future with the Suns is a little uncertain. But they’re all mid to top first round picks.

Tier 2
Chris Bosh (FC) – 13
Pau Gasol (FC) – 14
Tim Duncan (FC) – 16
Carlos Boozer (FC) – 27

Somehow, Tim Duncan qualifies as a center in Yahoo leagues, even though he only started in about2-3 games a center last season. That’s so unbelievable that I left him out of the center rankings. Bosh, Gasol, and Boozer also appear in the center tier post and they’re all pretty damn good.

Tier 3
Antawn Jamison (F) – 42
Lamar Odom (F) – 55
Rasheed Wallace (PF) – 57
David West (PF) – 58
Zach Randolph (PF) – 62

There’s a pretty big drop off between tier two and tier three. Tier two guys should all be gone by the early third round by the latest, while the first tier three guy shouldn’t go until the fourth/fifth. I think Jamison has been going a little early in mock drafts, he’s been missing a few more games every year since he joined the Wizards.

Tier 4
Andrea Bargnani (FC) – 77
Al Harrington (FC) – 81
David Lee (F) – 102
Paul Millsap (F) – 100
Boris Diaw (FC) – 109
Al Thornton (F) – 106
Al Horford (FC) – 106

There is a lot stuff to like in tier four. The rookie Al’s stock have been rising in the preseason. Thornton scored 23 points against the Suns on Saturday and Horford scored 22 against the Bobcats last Thursday. I usually try not to put much stock in the preseason, but for some reason those numbers make me feel good. David Lee was so good last season that he might be worth a pick simply to see if he can get the same amount of minutes he did last year. If Millsap can get the minutes (no guarantee behind Boozer), he could be a top 50 player.

Tier 5
Charlie Villanueva (F) – 114
Drew Gooden (PF) – 119
Chris Wilcox (FC) – 120
Nick Collison (FC) – 123
Jorge Garbajosa (FC) – 136
Hakim Warrick (F) – 135
Tim Thomas (F) – 144

If you’re in need of a back end power forward in a draft, any one of these guys should do. None have significant breakout potential like the guys in tier four, although Villanueva is a decent buy low who could bounce back this year and Gooden is young enough to keep improving for the Cavs.

Tier 6
Antonio McDyess (PF) – 118
Ryan Gomes (F) – 124
Udonis Haslem (PF) – 144
Channing Frye (FC) – 143
Yi Jianlian (PF) – 142
Kenyon Martin (PF) – 156
Sean May (PF) – 152
Anderson Varejao (FC) – ND
Juwan Howard (F) – ND
Chuck Hayes (F) – ND
Eduardo Najera (F) – ND

Like the centers, tier six power forwards should only be drafted in the deepest of leagues. As of this moment, McDyess should be starting for the Pistons, but he’s only been averaging 20-ish minutes a game for the past couple of years. Gomes is a solid player who could get some big minutes for the Wolves. Yi Jianlian has had a pretty good preseason, although I’m not ready to believe in him quite yet. I’m not a big Drew Gooden fan, so I like Anderson Varejao as a deep sleeper in roto leagues. For guy who was a top 50 fantasy player a couple years ago, Kenyon Martin hasn’t been getting a lot of respect.

*One reason why player positions are retarded in fantasy: Boris Diaw who basically plays every position for the Phoenix Suns, qualifies only at center and power forward in Yahoo leagues. Yet, the Yahoo depth chart has Diaw listed as a small forward on the Suns team page. So, which one is it Yahoo?

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In addition to the spreadsheet itself, I thought it might be useful to give a quick rundown of the tiers for each position on GMTR. Note that I’ve included the mock-draft average draft position for each player in parenthesis (that’s in the spreadsheet too).

Up first: Centers.

Tier 1
Amare Stoudemire (10)
Yao Ming (11)
Chris Bosh (13)
Pau Gasol (14)

You can build a team around tier one centers (and feel good about it). The top tier are all players who have gone in the mid to end of the first round of drafts. If you have the opportunity to draft any of these guys in the second round, pull the trigger and give yourself some positive verbal feedback (if you’re looking for something, you can use what I use; “Patrick [or fill in appropriate name], you are a magnificent specimen of human perfection, you have been carved from the hand of god himself and have been gifted from him the superhuman ability to redefine fantasy basketball greatness as it has never been known from the beginning of time itself”).

Stoudemire should be the first one taken out of this group, followed by Ming/Gasol and then Bosh. Note that both Bosh and Ming have some injury concerns, with Bosh’s knee being the most serious.

Tier 2
Dwight Howard (20)
Marcus Camby (23)
Carlos Boozer (27)
Jermaine O’Neal (33)
Al Jefferson (33)
Tyson Chandler (46)

By the end of the year, Jefferson might actually be the class of this group of centers. Howard’s fatal flaw is his free throw percentage, but he’s perfectly suitable for H2H leagues. No one seems to think that Camby can recreate his solid 2006-07 season health-wise, but he’s the best of the tier when healthy. Boozer increased most of his stats across the board last year and played in 74 games. Like Camby, his health is the only thing that can hold him back. Chandler had an amazing second half of the year after adjusting to his new team and should pick up where he left off.

Tier 3
Emeka Okafor (42)
Mehmet Okur (44)
Samuel Dalembert (62)
Andrew Bogut (68)
Andris Biedrins (77)
LaMarcus Aldridge (72)

While tier two centers are all guys you wouldn’t mind having anchor your team, tier three leans more towards role players than studs. If you can get your second center out of this group, you’re in great shape. Okafor, Okur, and Bogut are the non-sexy picks in tier three, but they are solid additions to any team. Aldridge has the most potential here, but despite all the hype, he’s still going to be very inconsistent this season. Andris Biedrins is another young guy who went from waver wire material to starting center last season. Samuel Dalembert, no stranger to inconsistency himself, currently has a stress fracture in his foot that may cause him to miss the start of the season.

Tier 4
Ben Wallace (68)
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (80)
Al Harrington (81)
Nene Hilario (86)
Eddy Curry (87)
Darko Milicic (89)
Chris Kaman (94)
Brad Miller (106)

Tier four is where we start speculating. You probably don’t want to wait to pull your first center out of this group as there are a lot of “ifs” here. Wallace is on the down slope of his career, but he can still grab 10 rebounds and block over 2 shots a game. Ilgauskas and Miller had disappointing years in 2006-07, but they could bounce back (I have better expectations for Miller than Big-Z). Kaman also took a step back in 2006-07, but he’ll get a big opportunity with Brand out. It looks like Al Harrington may be coming off the bench in Golden State. And Darko. Burn me once, shame on you, burn me six times, well, I just may have a problem.

Tier 5
Shaquille O’Neal (88)
Nenad Krstic (102)
Andrew Bynum (104)
Al Horford (106)
Boris Diaw (109)
Chris Wilcox (120)
Troy Murphy (122)
Jorge Garbajosa (136)
Zaza Pachulia (150)
Elton Brand (NA)

While Yahoo doesn’t think much of Shaq, he still has use in some fantasy leagues as a backup center. Krstic, Murphy, Garbajosa, and Pachulia are solid backups as well. Diaw had a disappointing last year, but is a good low buy. Andrew Bynum and Al Horford probably have the most upside in this tier if you’re looking to grab a center late in the draft. If you’ve got the bench spot and the patience, Brand could be a nice second half catalyst.

Tier 6
Sean Williams (142)
Erick Dampier (150)
Robert Swift (160)
Mark Blount (161)
Alonzo Mourning (165)
Anderson Varejao (ND)
Kendrick Perkins (ND)
Jamaal Magloire (ND)
Spencer Hawes (ND)
Mikki Moore (ND)

Avoid having to take a center out of tier six if possible. With the exception of Robert Swift and possibly Anderson Varejao and Sean Williams, tier six contains centers with little upside. You should only have to reach into this tier in the deepest leagues.

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