Category: Fantasy Basketball (Page 154 of 274)

      Kyle Singler’s problem is positional

      March 4, 2010 /

      Let’s not go off the deep end here. Duke junior Kyle Singler is still having a good year. He’s averaging 17-7-2 and is shooting 38% from long range. Those numbers are virtually identical to his sophomore season. The difference is in his overall FG%, which dropped from 44.1% last season to 40.7% this year.

      Having watched at least half of Duke’s games this season — including last night’s 79-72 loss to Maryland — I think Singler is struggling with his accuracy because he is now playing a ton of minutes at small forward. Over his first two seasons, he played mostly power forward and even some center, and while he was at a disadvantage on Duke’s defensive glass, he had a big advantage on the offensive end.

      Singler is a classic face-up forward. He has a very nice perimeter game in that he is accurate from long range and can take it to the basket when he gets his defender out of position. And over his first two seasons, he faced a lot of opposing 4s and 5s that weren’t comfortable covering someone on the perimeter. This season, in addition to Lance Thomas, Duke is giving big minutes to Brian Zoubek, Miles Plumlee and Mason Plumlee, which means that Singler is playing more small forward than ever. This allows the defense to cover him with their own small forward, who is generally quicker and far more comfortable defending on the perimeter.

      As a result, Singler is getting far fewer good looks on penetration than he has in years past. During his first two seasons, it was relatively easy to get a bigger defender out of position on the wing and drive past him for a layup or short jumper. Now, his defenders are sticking with him on those drives and forcing tougher shots. Hence, the reduction in field goal percentage.

      Duke certainly has more size this season, and that’s helping on the glass, but it’s hurting Singler’s efficiency on the other end of the court. It’s a trade-off that Coach K is apparently willing to live with, but I’m guessing that if Singler shoots 41% or less in the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils won’t be making a Final Four appearance this season.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Basketball, Fantasy Basketball, March Madness, NBA Draft

      Knicks preparing for Plan B?

      March 4, 2010 /

      The title of Marc Berman’s New York Post piece — “LeBron-to-Knicks hope fading” — says it all.

      With each passing day, as the Knicks disgrace themselves and the Cavaliers march to their potential first NBA championship, the Knicks’ chances of free-agent glory in landing LeBron James this summer gets more remote.

      A bit dramatic, don’t you think? What if the Cavs lose in the Eastern Semifinals — wouldn’t all this talk just start back up again?

      James clung to his mid-November policy of not talking about his free-agent options, but he has left enough hints to New York fans that the Knicks’ bid is a longshot.

      In his lone appearance at the Garden, Nov. 6, James said in strong terms the only factor is whether he can win at his new destination. At All-Star weekend, he reiterated, “It’s all about winning.”

      Well, it’s not all about winning, is it? I thought LeBron’s #1 goal was to become a “global icon.” But there’s a strong argument that says that to truly become a global icon, LeBron needs an NBA championship.

      As bad as the Knicks may be, if LeBron sees a scenario where he and, say, Chris Bosh can play in New York (or even the LeBron-Wade-Bosh trio) then it’s hard not to think that the Knicks would be vastly improved in just one season. Throw in a few savvy vets willing to play for the minimum for a shot at the ring and suddenly the Knicks are an Eastern Conference power.

      Team sources indicated D’Antoni would be very pleased to add overshadowed free agent Joe Johnson as a fallback. D’Antoni thinks Johnson is a great piece to build around.

      But Johnson, the potential re-signing of David Lee and another mid-level free agent, does not put the Knicks in position to compete for a championship.

      No, it doesn’t. I like Joe Johnson, but he’s turning 29 this June and Basketball Prospectus predicts Johnson’s three-year value to be the least amongst this summer’s big-name free agents.

      It sounds like the Knicks are already doing some damage control in case the Cavs win a title this summer and LeBron stays put. In that case, I suspect Chris Bosh would join Dwyane Wade in Miami and the Knicks would be looking at the likes of Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, David Lee and Rudy Gay. Two of those players would probably get the Knicks to the playoffs, but they aren’t going to win a title anytime soon.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Why did the Rockets trade for Kevin Martin?

      March 4, 2010 /

      Richard Justice (of the Houston Chronicle) wrote an interesting piece about the Kevin Martin trade and the immediate aftermath. He discusses Martin’s tough start, how the Rockets almost traded for Amare Stoudemire and how Martin settled in in his 33-point performance against the Spurs.

      According to Morey’s evaluations, Martin has been one of the NBA’s most efficient scorers in the last 30 years. He’s the only player who has shot 40 percent from the beyond 3-point line and averaged eight made free-throws a game in the course of an entire season. And he has done it in two of his six NBA seasons.

      Basketball-Reference.com confirms that Martin is the only player in league history to average better than 40% from 3PT and make at least eight free throws per game. And he did it twice.

      Dirk Nowitzki shot 39.9% from long range and averaged 7.9 made free throws in 2004-05. Tracy McGrady (02-03), Corey Maggette (07-08) and Kevin Durant (current) all shot 38%+ from long range with at least 7.7 made free throws per game. That’s the closest anyone has come to matching Martin’s feat.

      When you think about it, it’s pretty impressive. Not only is Martin an elite three-point shooter, he is also able to get to the line with regularity. No wonder Morey considers him one of the best scorers in the game.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Evans on pace for 20-5-5 season

      March 3, 2010 /

      In his NBA Awards Watch, ESPN’s Maurice Brooks notes that Tyreke Evans is on pace to join LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only first-year players to average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season. (Note: Evans is actually averaging 20.5-4.9-5.4, but he averaged 5.8 rebounds in February, so if he keeps that up, he shouldn’t have any problem averaging five boards a game.)

      Unfortunately, this fine play has not translated to wins. The Kings have lost 25 of their last 32 games, and are now just 20-40 on the season.

      Still, it makes me wonder how a 2009 NBA Draft Re-Do would go. The last one I saw still had Blake Griffin going #1 with Evans going #2. Would the Clippers really pass on a player like Evans — who really could have been named to the All-Star Game in his rookie season — for Griffin, knowing that the former Sooner was going to miss his first year with a knee injury? Griffin still projects to be a star, but Evans is the proverbial “bird in the hand” at this point, isn’t he?

      In his ROY race, Brooks ranks Stephen Curry second (22-5-7 in Feb) and Darren Collison third (22-4-8 in Feb). Brandon Jennings (11-4-6, 31% shooting in Feb) has lost his touch and is ranked fourth. DeJuan Blair (11-5, 60% shooting in Feb) comes in fifth, but if Antonio McDyess misses any time with a sore knee, Blair should get some extra minutes.

      In my Top 10 Head Scratchers of the 2009 NBA Offseason, I wrote the following about Blair:

      10. Six teams pass on DeJuan Blair IN THE SECOND ROUND!
      When I first heard that there were concerns about Blair’s knees, I thought he might fall into the bottom third of the first round. Even if the guy is missing ligaments in his knees, he was still one of the best rebounders in all of college basketball last season and he ate up #2 pick Hasheem Thabeet in Connecticut. When Blair fell into the second round I was stunned as the Kings, Wizards, Blazers, Nuggets, Pistons and Grizzlies all passed on Blair. A second round pick doesn’t require the same kind of financial commitment as a first round pick, so there’s very little downside if the guy doesn’t pan out. Blair fell and fell, right into the inviting arms of the Spurs, who will be lucky to have him on the roster for the foreseeable future.

      Teams just could get their heads around the fact that Blair has no ACLs in his knees. While I sort of understand not wanting to commit first round money, it doesn’t make any sense for the aforementioned teams to pass on him in the second round, where there is very little financial investment. This goes double for the two “contenders” on that list — I’m looking at you Portland and Denver — who should be worried about the short term and not the long term impact of their second round picks. Blair would give the Nuggets some much needed toughness, and he’d sure help in Portland, where half the front line is out for the season with injury.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft

      Al Jefferson apologizes for DUI

      March 2, 2010 /

      As far as DUI apologies go, Al Jefferson’s is pretty good. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

      “In a way I’m glad it happened, because now I know and I know I’ll never do it again,” he said. “I could have hurt myself. I could have hurt someone else. I’m so upset with myself. I’m sorry for the embarrassment I caused my family, my teammates, myself, my fans. I’m a good person. I just made a mistake. I promise it’ll never happen again.

      “I didn’t realize the danger that I put myself in, put other people — innocent people — in. I’m ready to put it behind me. I keep telling myself how stupid I was and I wish I could turn back the hands of time. But I can’t. Like I said, it will never happen again. I don’t care if I have to walk home. I would never get behind the wheel when I had something to drink again in my life.”

      Asked what he will do differently next time, he said, “Honestly, I was so close to home, I would have walked. I’ll call a cab. I’ll never be by myself again. The crazy thing about it, I was in the process of dialing somebody to come and pick me up and I said, ‘Oh, it’s right down the road from home.’ I’m just kicking myself. There are so many different ways I could have handled it. I wasn’t raised like that.”

      Every few months one athlete or another gets dinged with a DUI and I’m always left wondering — why not hire a personal driver or simply call a cab? Al Jefferson makes $12 million a season and he feels the need to drive home after spending a night at the bars.

      This is something that athletes have to plan for every time they go out, because once the drinks start flowing, it’s tough to make sound decisions. The best way to do it is to take a cab there and back — that way there isn’t the temptation of getting behind the wheel when the night is over.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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