I only bring up the sad, sad Bulls because… well, I live in Chicago. What more do you want from me? I need to suffer with my team a little. I have already been to DraftExpress, though, to see what the prospects look like for the Bulls.
On a completely unrelated side note (while I’m waiting for NBA.com to update their stats from yesterday), did you realize that Baron Davis has actually taken over the 4th position on the NBA.com Player Rater? That’s for the season, folks. These are the kinds of things you need to start thinking about for next season. Fear the Beard.
On another completely unrelated side note (still waiting), the Heat won their 2nd straight Dance Team Championship. They should bring their dance team to NY for the draft. I mean, the draft is pretty hyped already, but why don’t we go ahead and just make it an all out spectacle?
Line of the Night: There you go. Baron had the best performance last night with a 1.1 according to BM. B-Diddy, The Beard, The Rollerskater, had 33 points on 50% shooting including 4 threes. He had 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Should he be in the Fantasy Basketball MVP talks now?
I’m going to skip the Honorable Mentions today - sorry - because it’s already 1pm Central, and … if your players did well, you know it. If someone else’s players did well, what are you going to do? Trade for someone?
Waiver Wire Line of the Night:Mr. NBA Roto has already picked up the WWLotN Channing Frye (0.84). Frye had 22 and 11 with 2 threes, and some pretty good shooting for any position. He started the game and played 38 minutes. He should be a good play for the rest of the season, since Joel The Vanilla Gorilla Przybilla broke his hand on the rim, and is probably out for the rest of the season.
If Ricky Davis (0.70) is somehow still available, he’s about the only person on the Heat who is qualified to play in the NBA, so he’s probably worth a look.
Wilson Chandler (0.55) has probably been picked up after his game on the 6th, but since we’re down to the end, a lot of people might not be paying attention, and so he could still be out there.
While we’re looking at BasketballMonster… let’s took a look at the schedule grid for next week, so if you have someone who’s only playing 1 game next week, you can think about replacing them with someone who will be playing 2 (unless, of course, the guy who’s playing 1 game is worth 2 games from whoever you’d be replacing them with).
Teams Playing 1 Game Next Week: Dallas, Denver, LA Lakers, Seattle. There’s definitely people on those teams who you might consider playing next week even though they’ll only be playing one game. With Dirk, AI, and Carmelo caught up in trying to make the playoffs, it’s probably a safe bet that those guys will going all out until the end of the season. But keep an eye out, because if Dallas or Denver gets that last spot in the playoffs, they might take a game off at the end of the season.
Another thing to consider is how much PT the guys who are playing 2 games next week are actually going to get… e.g., Boston, Detroit, Orlando (those guys are young, though, so they seem more likely to keep playing). The other teams in the East and West are likely to keep fighting it out since there is a lot of playoff positioning that could happen still.
I have to give Jeff Wong a shout-out here for bringing up this very important issue. I was too busy wallowing in the Bulls chances in the lottery to really think about anything outside of the one team I still have in the DroppingDimes Experts League.
And finally…
The Biggest Loser: I’m going with this one because it’s interesting, and perhaps somewhat educational. Leon Powe bottomed out at -0.92 on the BasketballMonster scale, despite scoring 14 points on 66% shooting with 4 rebounds. How did he do it? It’s not magic… it’s Free Throws. Powe shot 54.5% from the line, taking 11 free throw attempts. Those are the kind of numbers that kill a potential free agent pickup in the last week.
Today’s Out of Context Quote: “Right from the start we had no sharpness to ourselves at all… I’m lost… I don’t get this game”
-Portland coach Nate McMillen (more or less)
Line of the Night: Technically, today it’s a tie. But since I like Baron Davis’ (6.4) 38/9/8 line with 6 threes and 3 steals a lot more than Amare Stoudemire’s (6.4) 36 and 11 with 4 blocks (10-12 from the line), I’ll give this one to Davis despite the fact that the Warriors lost to the Suns 123-115 yesterday.
Honorable Mentions: Amare; Ron Artest (5.4) is a simple man who likes to shoot the ball (22 points) and rip the ball from your cold, preferably dead, hands (6 steals); 21 points with 13 assists and 4 threes for the (Steve) Nashster (5.2); and Brandon Roy (4.6) had 21/9/6 with a couple steals.
Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Aleksandar “Sasha” Pavlovic (3.9). Like the Sonics, the Cleveland Cavaliers have learned that the best place for Wally Szczerbiak (2.0) is anywhere but on the basketball court. Yesterday, Devin Brown got some play and earned the WWLotN, and today it’s Pavlovic who appears to have been fully worked back into the Cavs rotation. He got 28 minutes last night and finished with 5 threes and 24 points.
Also Rising: If Delonte West (4.1) is available in your league, pick him up, because he shouldn’t be; as Farid of Fantasy Basketball Pros noticed a couple days ago, Mickael Pietrus (3.7) is starting for the Warriors over Andris Biedrins and has been putting up some good board and steal numbers (8 and 2 yesterday); and, I’m just throwing this out there, do whatever you want with this information, but the Vanilla Gorilla Joel Przybilla (3.6) had 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. I’m just saying.
Welcome Back: Caron Butler (2.6) returned to the Wizards on his birthday and played a whopping 42 minutes, scoring 19 and adding 6 boards. I’m all for getting the guy back on the court, but 42 minutes after missing the previous 16 games? Isn’t that a tiny bit excessive?
The Biggest Loser: Today, it’s Kevin Martin (1.8) by the distance a Zach Randolph three misses the rim; it’s not even close. Martin scored 6 points off 2-11 shooting, adding 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 turnovers in 25 minutes of play. You can blame this one on Tom Ziller, who predicted Martin would go off against the Blazers (it was almost as good as my Louis Williams prediction).
Friday’s Tiny Dancer: I will try and do Nels proud with today’s selection. In honor of Baron Davis, today we have Golden State Warrior Girl Alexis.
There’s a lot to like about Alexis. Not only does she blog, but her favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber, her favorite food is hamburgers, and her favorite kind of dancing is street jazz. Yes, street jazz. That’s my favorite too! We should meet, I’m a big fan of hamburgers as well. Oh, and I almost forgot, Alexis has a twin sister named Lauren. Mmmmmmmmmm……….
Line of the Night: I know think fantasy basketball rating thing can be confusing. I admit, it even confuses me at times. And if you thought Monta Ellis’ (4.92) 39 points on 13-18 and 13-14, with 3 steals to boot, would have been the Line of the Night last night, that would have been a reasonable assumption. But still, a wrong one.
Baron Davis clocked a 6.08 by hitting up the trip-dub with 25, 12 and 10, then added 5 steals (take THAT Monta Ellis). So, the Warriors not only get the W (who cares, right? this is fantasy basketball), but they get 2 players out of the top 3 last night.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Redd (5.05) was 2nd on the night with 37 points, 5 threes, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. We read you 5×5. Timmy D (4.79) had another big game with 30 points and 11 rebounds, and managed to only take (and make!) 2 free throws. That’s what fantasy owners like to see from a free throw shooter like Duncan.
Waiver Wire Line of the Night: Jason Williams (4.36) was right after Duncan with 14 points, 4 threes, 4 assists, and 4 steals. We read you 4×4. I’m not saying I’d pick him up. I’m just saying, he’s probably on the Waiver Wire, and he had a good night. I hate to keep bringing it up like this since Patrick doesn’t really ever complain, but when there’s only 2 or 3 games played in a night, it makes a lot harder to find Waiver Wire Lines of the Night, as well as Biggest Losers.
The Biggest Loser: Tony Parker (2.03) only had 12 points last night. Considering that the Spurs had to come back in the 4th quarter to beat the Heat by a point, I expected more from Tony than 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal. I read you 1×1, Tony.
For most fans, the NBA experience consists of watching games on TV and in person, with the occasional special event or autograph signing thrown in. But this guide will help you maximize your enjoyment of the NBA. To use this guide, simply locate your skill or skills and then do what’s listed there. It’s really that simple.
IF YOU ENJOY WRITING FAN MAIL: Email your favorite Dallas Maverick player.
IF YOU’RE BETWEEN THE AGE 7 AND 16 AND HAVE ACCESS TO $100.
Go to a summer camp hosted by Sean May, Dell Curry, Brevin Knight, or the Carroll Brothers.
IF YOU’RE A PUPPETEER, VENTRILOQUIST, OR HAVE ANOTHER SKILL THAT PEOPLE PRETEND TO FIND ENTERTAINING:
Become an in-game entertainer for the Hawks or Bobcats.
IF YOU OWN A CAMCORDER AND ENJOY WATCHING THE CLIPPERS: Make a fan video.
IF YOU OWN A CAMERA, A COPY OF PHOTOSHOP, AND A GRILL OR OTHER HIBACHI-LIKE DEVICE
Enter the “Are you Hibachi enough?†contest.
IF YOU’RE AN ATTRACTIVE FEMALE WITH DANCE SKILLS
Audition to become an NBA dancer, preferably for the Lakers, Mavs, Heat, Spurs, or Rockets
IF YOU’RE A FORMER CHEERLEADER OR GYMNAST AND ARE ATTRACTIVE (FEMALE) OR ENJOY TOUCHING WOMEN IN INAPPROPRIATE PLACES WITHOUT THE THREAT OF GOING TO JAIL (MALE):
Try out for the Detroit Work Force or Utah Jazz Stunt Team.
or: Things to do in the off-season, when it’s not the off-season and you’re really just waiting for the Bulls to play in their first Eastern Conference Semifinal game since the Jordan Era
I’ve been meaning to post about this since I first went to Homecoming at my wife’s high school about 3 years, but never has it actually held me interest long enough to get home and post about it. But last night, I went to my wife’s high school’s Spring Fling.
Raise your hand if you now think my wife is in high school. Now slap yourself with that hand. She’s a teacher, stupid.
When we go to dances at said high school (with the exclusion of Prom, since the boys and girls usually tend to actually cover their bodies for that one), I take note of what jerseys the students are wearing. Yes, it’s a Chicago high school and students wear jerseys of professional athletes to school dances. If it helps, the dances are in the gym, so they could theoretically just be ready to get their game on at a moment’s notice.
Usually, the jerseys are plentiful and surprisingly varied. The predominant sport represented is basketball - which causes me no small amount of happYness. I’ve seen everything from McAdoo to Kobe to LeBron, and even some Bulls jerseys - would you believe?!?
Last night was an aberration in two respects:
There were only four jerseys worn, and two of them were on female students. Now, there weren’t as many students there as there usually are at such dances, so that is a likely contributor to the small number. I hear that students were trying to scalp tickets to the dance so they could buy tickets from a scalper for Spiderman 3. Or you could just go see Spiderman 3 some other time. It’ll be there for a while. Anyway…
The second aberration is the reason I’m writing this post in the first place. Read on.
Usually, when a student is wearing a jersey to a dance, I assume they at least know something about basketball and what is going on in the league in general. I also assume that if someone is - as they were last night, for example - wearing an Allen Iverson 76ers jersey, that either they couldn’t afford a new jersey (those things are pretty damn expensive), or that I’m just not cool enough to understand that as soon as a player gets traded, his old jersey becomes an official throwback, thus making it cool - possibly even cooler - to wear. [As in, “I’ve been down with Iverson since he was on the 76ers.” Which does in some way make sense to me in the same way that “I’ve been down with Jordan since he played for UNC” does. Of course, the “I’ve been down with Jordan since he played for UNC which was before I was even born” argument holds slightly less sway.]
But last night, oh last night, I’m sorry. One of the only four jerseys present at the Spring Fling dance was that of a one Mr. Jason “JET” Terry.
Yes indeed. I’d spent at least an hour yesterday reading and watching clips of the Gully State Warriors taking out the Mavericks in six games and then someone rolls in with a Jason Terry jersey. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, this was not an Atlanta Hawks Jason Terry jersey (but those might still be available at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx). This was not an Aguirre, Blackman, Harper, Perkins, Tarpley era throwback with Jason Terry’s name and number on it. No, it was a Cuban, Nowitzki, Howard, Stackhouse, Terry era Jason Terry jersey.
My wife (who, bless her heart, recognized the significance of the Warriors toppling the Mavericks) asked the student what was up with that? His reply was something along the lines of “I gotta represent.”
No, boy. You gotta put that jersey in the back of your closet and keep it nice and clean and white for when the Mavericks season starts again in October.
Aight, I haven’t played video games in so long I think I might have forgotten my GamerTag. I’m out.
Having only been to about 2 playoff basketball games, my most enduring memory of live basketball games was when Jannero Pargo scored the 100th point on a floater in the lane against the Bobcats of Charlotte. That was the loudest I’d heard the UC get until that OT game against the Cavs just about 2 weeks ago now. Yes, sir. I can remember that moment as well as I can remember just about anything else that has occurred in my life. And not just because it was loud. Because everyone in that stadium wanted the Big Mac.
That game against the Cavs, I wanted a Big Mac, sure. But I wasn’t sweating and jumping out of my seat and yelling and almost crying because of the Big Mac. I was doing all that because it was a close game and not a 30 point blow out.
So if the Knicks, or just Stevie and Nate Rob, want to complain, then they should provide better fucking entertainment. They should make people cheer for the Bulls to win the game instead of having to even take an interest in getting a free Big Mac. That’s on you. Eat ‘em dry.
I guess the one thing us Baron owners can be thankful for is that he’s out for sure. So, we don’t have to worry about whether he’s going to play 1-2 games in a 3-4 game week, missing the others with “minor” injuries.
The other thing Baron owners can do is pick up Sarunas Jasikevicius, which I’ve already done. (Sorry, sometimes I feel like I’m doing some insider trading or something) Another possible pickup is Kelenna Azubuike, but his minutes and resulting stats have been very inconsistent. Hmmm… did Don Nelson have anything to do with that?
Basically, this means that the breakout seasons for Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes will continue. Those who were worried about Stephen Jackson’s value declining after the trade can breathe a sign of relief (at least until Jason Richardson returns).
As GSoM points out, Baron will most likely be out until the Warriors are out of contention for the playoffs, so he may not return at all this season, and that means you can count on the guys mentioned above for at least a month, and maybe 2 or 2 and a half. Hey, like I said, I’m at least happy that Baron will be on the IR list rather than just “questionable.” And his draft status for next season is no longer “questionable” either.
