Musings from last night

28Oct09

Rondooooooooo

The NBA season opened last night with four games: Boston overcame an early deficit to beat Cleveland 95-89 despite 38 from LeBron, Portland beat Houston 96-87, the Lakers beat the Clippers 99-92 and in the upset of the night, the Wizards, who I wasn’t picking to do much this year, won in Dallas 102-91. Here are my musings from opening night:

- Rondoooooooo! My favourite stat-stuffer (yes, he’s on my fantasy squad) put up eight points, six boards and 10 dimes and Kevin Garnett had 13 and 10 in his first regular season game since March. How about Boston, though? A lot of people are sleeping on them and there’s no better way to wake them up than with a win in Cleveland (where the Cavs were 39-2 last season) on opening night.

- Baron Davis boasted that he’s ready to bounce back after a nightmarish first year with the Clippers. Way to get started then, Baron: 1-of-10 from the field for two points. Surprisingly, the Clippers were in it until the fourth, trailing by just one entering. Kobe, by the way, had 33 to lead the Lakers.

- Yeah, so how about those Wizards? I said last week Gilbert Arenas is going to have to ditch his shot-happy approach for Washington to be a winner, and he did a bit of that last night, dishing out nine assists in the upset over Dallas.

- Looks like Trevor Ariza isn’t set to come in and be the focal point in Houston. His line tonight: 3-of-8, 12 points, three boards, two assists and four turnovers. Of course, that’s just one game, but I don’t see Ariza putting up the numbers many are predicting him to.

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Tags: opening night, rondo

Unsigned Marbury doesn’t want your stupid contracts

17Oct09

Marbury won't even be accepting contracts from Tim Bentum this season

Anyone in the market for an out-of-his-mind, washed-up, shoot-first point guard that’s generally regarded as the biggest team killer in basketball? If you’re an NBA general manager and answered yes, you’ll have to wait till next season. Stephon Marbury, who has been unable to find a contract for some strange reason this off-season, told the New York Post he’ll sit out the 2009-10 season to “keep building his empire”.

If, by his empire, Marbury means his bizarre series of video blogs, then I wish him all the best. If nothing else, I’ll be more entertained than I would be watching him come off some team’s bench and averaging about four points, as he did with Boston late last season. That, after “building his empire” for the first four months of the season while banished from the Knicks.

Of course, the real reason Marbury is out of the league this year is because no team is willing to take a shot on a guy with a bad track record that has lost his damn mind. The Celtics originally offered him a one-year, minimum contract to backup the great Rajon Rondo, but he turned it down to look for a starting job. Then the videos came out, and the rest was history.

Good luck with the “empire”, Stephon. I’ll be tuned in.

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Tags: marbury, Tim

Kobe on the market

17Oct09

Kobe, upon learning he's no longer wanted on a team named after him

So let me get this straight: Nick Bokma names his team after Kobe Bryant, then puts him on the trade market? Oh, it be.

League insiders have told me Nick’s asking price is high. Reports are surfacing that Brent Minty offered LeBron James, Chris Paul and a pair of first round draft picks but was told to go stuff himself.

Let’s see what happens!

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Tags: kobe, Minty, Nick, the kobe show

Steve Nash for Vitamin Water

30Sep09

Pidge likes these Steve Nash Vitamin Water commercials, and I couldn’t agree more. Strangely, I’d never seen them before, despite watching large amounts of television…

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Tags: Adam, commericals, nash, pidge, vitamin water

Season Preview: Mantel Maddogs

29Sep09

Bargnani developed last season, but is he ready to lead a fantasy team?

Owner: Dave Mantel

2008-09 Record: 114-74-1

Keepers: Ray Allen, Andrea Bargnani, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Brook Lopez, Shawn Marion

It seems like every year Dave Mantel has a bad team on paper. Still, he manages to catch a lot of people off guard, even picking up a Green Jacket in 2007. This season looks like an uphill battle for the Maddogs, but is it really safe to count Mantel out? The only manager to win at least 100 games in three consecutive seasons is out to prove his critics wrong again in 2009-10.

If Mantel wants to continue his successful run this season, he’ll have to use the same shrewd managing tactics that made him a winner the past three years. Without a star keeper and with Jason Kidd headed to Darren Sinke following the draft, he’ll rely on a pair of promising big men (Andrea Bargnani and Brook Lopez) and a trio of over-the-hill veterans (Vince Carter, Ray Allen and Shawn Marion) to keep things competitive. I’m going out on a limb and saying this is the year things fall apart.

Mantel won’t get much out of this year’s draft, either. After picking 10th in the first round, he’s without a pick until the third (28th overall). Though he has gotten by with crafty lineups before, Mantel will be hard-pressed to put together a solid squad in 2008-09.

PROGNOSIS

Not good. We’ll see if Mantel has any more tricks up his sleeve this season.

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Tags: allen, bargnani, carter, dave, kidd, lopez, Mantel, marion

Season Preview: The Kobe Show

29Sep09

Kobe is back with his own show

Owner: Nick Bokma

2008-09 Record: 100-87-2

Keepers: Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant, Danny Granger, David Lee, Troy Murphy, Josh Smith

Always looking to swing a trade, Nick Bokma somewhat surprsingly stood still over the off-season and returns in 2009-10 with much of the same roster as a year ago. Back are franchise cornerstones Kobe Bryant and Danny Granger, along with rock-solid point guard Chauncey Billups, “Mr. Everything” Josh Smith and a pair of menacing rebounders in David Lee and Troy Murphy. However, Bokma may run into trouble come draft time when he’s without a pick in the second, third and fourth rounds.

Though he’s no longer the scoring machine of a few years back, Bryant remains one of the league’s top fantasy players. Still just 31 and showing no signs of slowing down, Bokma could either rely on him for years to come or pick up great value in a trade, which he actively sought last season. Either way, he’s in good shape with Bryant. Granger, meanwhile, developed into a star in 2008-09 and should put up similar numbers even with Mike Dunleavy Jr. back in the Pacers’ lineup. After missing time to injury early last season, Smith took a step back in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, but at age 23 and healthy should be primed for a bounce-back season.

Lee and Murphy quietly were amongst league leaders in rebounding last season, averaging 11.7 and 11.8 per game, respectively. Though neither blocks shots the way big men are expected too, both contribute in other areas — Lee with a great shooting percentage and Murphy with over two threes per game. The pair rounds out a solid group of keepers.

PROGNOSIS

Bokma will again field a competitive team and manage to get under a lot of owners’ skin with outrageous trade proposals.

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Tags: billups, bokma, bryant, granger, kobe, lee, murphy, Nick, smith

Season Preview: Minty-not-so-fresh

29Sep09

Disco Dirk is looking for back-to-back championships

Owner: Darren Sinke

2008-09 Record: 117-70-2 (League Champion)

Keepers: Paul Gasol, Rashard Lewis, Kevin Martin, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Russell Westbrook

Late in the 2007-08 season and with a roster loaded with injuries, Darren Sinke made the decision to shut down and rebuild for 2009. Needless to say, things went according to plan. After sitting comfortably in the league’s top three from start to finish, Sinke took home the Green Jacket with a tight win over Brent Minty in the 2009 President’s Residence Championship. With a well-rounded group of keepers and an unrivaled dedication to the league, expect Sinke to be right in the mix come the end of this season as well.

Back to lead this year’s entry is Dirk Nowitzki, whose 25.9 scoring average last season was the third-highest of his career. At 31, Nowitzki figures to have at least another couple years as a top-tier fantasy talent. The big German is joined by a pair of reliable foreigners — Pau Gasol and Steve Nash — and Sacramento’s Kevin Martin, who averaged 24.6 points and 2.3 three-pointers per game in 2008-09 (albeit in just 51 appearances).

Sinke will also be picking up a veteran contributor in Jason Kidd, who he’ll receive following the draft as part of a deal with Dave Mantel that was completed earlier this month. Though his scoring numbers are down, Kidd is still one of the league’s top assist and steal men, on top of being arguably the NBA’s best rebounding guard.

PROGNOSIS

Playoffs, and a definite title contender.

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Tags: Darren, gasol, kidd, lewis, martin, nash, nowitzki, sinke, westbrook

Season Preview: Velvet Hoop

29Sep09

With some help, Wade could take DeWeger's squad to the next level

Team Owner: Adam DeWeger

2008-09 Record: 79-109-1

Keepers: Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Baron Davis, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, Dwyane Wade

Considering what he started with (having picked up Rich Brouwer’s abandoned Larry Bird squad), Adam DeWeger’s first season in The President’s Residence could be termed a success. After struggling much of the year, DeWeger came on strong towards the end, coming out with the consolation championship. With a top-three talent in Dwyane Wade and a mostly-strong supporting cast of keepers, expect another jump forward in 2010. Provided DeWeger has a reliable Internet connection, that is.

One setback in a potential playoff push will DeWeger’s poor draft position — having dealt his first and second round picks, he won’t select until the third round (32nd overall), though he somewhat makes up with three fourth round selections. Building a strong roster around Wade will be key and DeWeger’s drafting skills will be tested. Wade, meanwhile, should rival his 2008-09 numbers (30.2/5.0/7.5) with little more support in Miami this season.

Though Anthony saw his stats drop the past two seasons, he’s still a top-tier fantasy talent. Assuming Gilbert Arenas comes back healthy, Antawn Jamison may see a slight drop in production, though he won’t be far off his normal 20-9 pace and should again put up solid fantasy numbers across the board.

Like a lot of teams in the league, the lower half of DeWeger’s list of keepers comes with some question marks. Baron Davis’ first season with the Clippers was a nightmare — he averaged just 14.9 points per game (down from 14.9 with the Warriors in 2007-08) and shot a dreadful 37.0 percent from the field. Though he claims to be ready to bounce back, Mike Dunleavy Sr.’s offense and the Clippers’ general mess of a team may make that impossible. Meanwhile, plenty of questions surround Utah forward Carlos Boozer as well. With his contract expiring, will Jerry Sloan turn to Paul Millsap?

PROGNOSIS

With a good draft, DeWeger could be in the playoff hunt. Last season’s late run should bode well.

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Tags: Adam, anthony, boozer, d-wade, davis, deweger, jamison, wade, williams

Season Preview: Rochelle Rochelle

29Sep09

Deron Williams hopes to lead Rochelle from Milan to Minsk

Owner: Jerry Schouten

2008-09 Record: 93-91-5

Keepers: LaMarcus Aldridge, Joe Johnson, Yao Ming, Jameer Nelson, Rodney Stuckey, Deron Williams

The lyrics to the opening song in “Rochelle, Rochelle: The Musical” state the following: “You’ve made a long journey from Milan to Minsk/Rochelle, Rochelle”. Jerry Schouten is hoping Minsk is a President’s Residence Championship, something that has eluded him in his five-year tenure in the league. However, with Yao Ming likely sidelined for the season, Schouten will have to pull a few strings to make that a reality.

Aside from the questions surrounding Ming, Schouten finds himself in good shape. After just missing the playoffs in 2008-09, he landed the third pick in this year’s draft and with a pair of selections in each of the second and third rounds will be finished and eating Little Ceasers before fellow manager Brent Minty even makes a pick.

Deron Williams and Joe Johnson headline Schouten’s group of keepers, though the back-end trio of LaMarcus Aldridge, Jameer Nelson and Rodney Stuckey leave something to be desired. Though Nelson had a career-year in 2008-09, he wasn’t much of a fantasy contributor prior to last season. Aldridge is a solid young big man, but can he grab a board or block a shot? Stuckey was far from spectacular as Detroit’s starting point guard last season, though he’ll likely benefit from Allen Iverson’s departure. Still, where will he fit in with Ben Gordon now in the mix?

Schouten will again be relying on Williams, whom he selected late in the 2006 Pres Res Draft, to lead his team to the next level. The Jazz point guard isn’t a bad leader, either. Last season he averaged career highs of 19.4 points and 10.7 assists per game — the fourth straight year he’s seen statistical increases in those two categories.

PROGNOSIS

If he’s able to do something with Ming, the playoffs are a probability for Schouten.

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Tags: aldridge, Jerry, johnson, ming, nelson, schouten, stuckey, williams, yao

Season Preview: Butler Service

29Sep09

PATTY! had no choice but to name his team after Butler after breaking the bank for him last season

Owner: Pat Miedema

2008-09 Record: 76-111-2

Keepers: Chris Bosh, Caron Butler, Tim Duncan, Brandon Roy, John Salmons, David West

Pat Miedema decided to break the bank for Caron Butler last season, and this year we see if it panned out. Luckily, PATTY! has a pair of young superstars that will help along the way. Chris Bosh, Brandon Roy and Butler look to lead PATTY! back to the playoffs in 2010 after a letdown of a 2008-09 season.

Though PATTY! has a solid core of keepers, he finds himself in poor drafting position. Despite finishing 11th last season, he doesn’t make his second selection until the end of the third round (35th overall). After dealing his first rounder, PATTY! was fortunate to pick up the seventh overall pick in a deadline deal for Charlie Villanueva.

Aside from his big three, PATTY! will again rely on a pair of dependable big men. Though he’s no longer the fantasy star he used to be, Tim Duncan still brings a doble-double to the table each night. Meanwhile, David West quietly averaged 21.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last year and should do much of the same this season. PATTY!’s final keeper, John Salmons, produced for both Sacramento and Chicago in 2008-09, though his role in a guard-heavy Bulls’ backcourt will likely be determined during training camp.

PROGNOSIS

Not a bad squad. PATTY!’s knowledge will be tested at the draft, and he could find himself back in the playoffs if he delivers.

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Tags: bosh, butler, cb4, duncan, PATTY!, roy, salmons, west