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No Monta Out of the Gates...No Problem

I get the feeling that lots of people are viewing the loss of Monta Ellis for the first four to six weeks as an insurmountable blow to the Warriors' season. Yes, we will be minus our best player (Baron Davis) and arguably second best player (Monta) from a year ago, but it's not as bad as it could be. Monta was set to take over as starting point guard this year, a position he'd never held in the NBA prior or one that comes natural to him. When a player comes back to a team after missing a considerable amount of time to begin a season, they come in at pre-season form when everyone else has already entrenched themselves in their roles with the team.

Picture this... It's December 15th, Monta started basketball related activities two weeks ago, has been practicing with the team for the last week and is ready to come off the bench in his first game of the 2008 season. The team is 9 - 12 after struggling a bit out of the gates, but has started to gel the last few games thanks to more court time together. Marcus Williams is just getting the hang of the point guard role for an uptempo squad and he's starting to find a little bit of his offense.

Now, if you have faith in Monta like I do, you can see him fitting right into this sort of team. Instead of starting out and having to deal with the growing pains of a new squad trying to find cohesiveness, he steps onto a team that is coming together nicely and slowly but surely becomes the engine that drives it. Many great players have done it—come back from injury and dove into the "best player" role. The question that needs to be answered is — Is he on that level yet?

My gut tells me he is.

With Williams' confidence at an all time high, Monta gets to spend that much more time scoring and not worrying about point guard duties. I'm not saying that Stephen Jackson will be happy or Al Harrington will still be with the team. Only the future knows that. But I do believe his unselfish nature will allow the team to continue it's progress unhindered, and his confidence will enable him to accept a lesser role at first without losing faith in his game or importance to the team. Yes, the Warriors can make it without him to begin with...but will thrive under him in the end.

The Top Ten Fantasy B-Ball Sleepers You Need to Know: 2008

(Side note: this article will be part of the Fantasy Lounge Draft Kit coming out very soon)

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In no other fantasy sport does the amount of game time a player receives have such a direct impact on their fantasy production. But in a league whose players display such a wide range of talent, it is so easy to forget that when considering whom to draft in a fantasy basketball league, a player’s ability comes second behind their opportunity.

Coaching changes, trades, draft picks, off-season injuries, splits, progression, and now the trendy phenomenon of European NBA outsourcing. These are the things you need to consider when hunting for sleepers. Luckily for those of you who’ve chosen to read this article, I have taken the time out of my increasingly busy schedule to do some of that homework for you. So sit back, relax and enjoy the always-entertaining guesswork that fuels a fantasy sleepers' article.   

*Players are ranked in order from highest to lowest of where I expect they will go in fantasy drafts this season

Al Thornton (F – LAC)

Take a look at the Clippers’ roster heading into the ’08 season and you’ll get the feeling that Thornton is in line to see a whole lot of burn. After the All Star Break last season Thornton stepped into a starting role and saw his numbers absolutely spike. In 32 games he averaged over 34 minutes to go along with 16 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.7 3s, 0.7 steals and 0.8 blocks. Those last few numbers are a strong indicator that soon enough he could enter the elite 1+ blk/stl/3 club

John Salmons / Francisco Garcia (GF – Sac)

By trading Ron Artest for a rookie wildcard the Kings are tapping into the underutilized resources that were their pair of bench warming wing players. The team was made aware of their value last season when each were given a chance at big minutes due to the injuries of Artest and starting SG Kevin Martin. As starters they each averaged over 36 minutes per game and far out produced their current draft positions, while being top notched ball hawks in the process (1.6 and 1.7 SPG respectively). One pause for concern is that each of their numbers was stronger as starting guards than forwards, but still sleeper worthy nonetheless. In drafts this year, you can expect each to be picked in close proximity to the eighth round, with Salmons going earlier because he’s likely to start.

Beno Udrih (PG – Sac)

Staying in Sactown, Udrih has to be considered a sleeper this season not because of his age (26), but because of what he did last season when given the opportunity at considerable minutes for the first time in his career. Putting this experience under his belt will only make him stronger going into next year. Given the Kings lack of depth at point guard and that in 51 games as a starter Udrih averaged over 35 minutes, 14.4 points, 5 assists, nearly a steal and a three per game, to go along with great percentages, this international sensation becomes a lock to outperform his draft value.

Marvin Williams (GF – Atl)

The 2005 second overall pick has to reach his potential sometime, right? Heading into what should be his prime years, Williams’ fantasy prospects have been given a solid boost by the departure of Josh Childress to Greece. The former Tarheel’s numbers improved nicely from year two to year three, however, not drastically. Bottom line is Williams was a pick based on potential from day one, and this year he is in prime position to realize it. Considering nothing else he is worthy of the sleeper title heading into this season.

Ramon Sessions (PG – Mil)

Even before the Mo Williams trade Sessions was considered a sleeper to many. Now with the move he becomes a must-grab in the later rounds. Last season, as a rookie, he missed a majority of the year with a broken hand. When finally given a chance he started putting up solid numbers until Mo Williams went down for the last seven games of the season, at which point his numbers became absolutely ridiculous. In those games he averaged over 42 minutes, 13 points, 13 assists, 1.7 steals, but 3.6 TO, as well. In return for Williams the Bucks received a solid veteran point guard in Luke Ridnour who will be Sessions primary competition for the starting job. Fantasy owners everywhere are praying Sessions wins that battle. Given what they saw last year, many believe at some point this season they’ll get their wish.

O.J. Mayo (G – Mem)

While Mayo enters an overcrowded backcourt this season, he is all but guaranteed to start and will be the best player in a quartet comprised also of Conley, Crittenton and Lowry. It is widely speculated that one of those three will be traded because at this point Memphis is a little desperate for a big man. Picking the former Trojan may require some patience, as Mayo has just scratched the surface of his potential and will continue to get better as the season progresses. If you’re getting late into a draft (especially a H2H one) and are in search of an upside pick take a shot on Mayo — his points, threes and steals will be a worthwhile supplement but be willing to take a pretty big hit in the FG% and TO departments, as well.

Nene Hilario (FC – Den)

Over his career, as a starter, Nene has posted very nice numbers: over 31 minutes, 55 FG%, 12.4 points, 7 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per contest. Courtesy of Nuggets charity work, a starter he will be next season at 26, entering the prime of his career. The key here is opportunity. The Nuggets have pretty much bet the house on his health, relying only on Steven Hunter and Chris Anderson to back him up. In upcoming fantasy drafts, I fully expect him to last until at least the ninth round, at which point you’re entering the realm of potential waiver-wire material. This off-season he sat out the Olympics due to complications after cancer surgery. It's been rumored that he's spending the off-season working with the Nuggets trainers and should be ready for the start of the ’08 campaign.

Jeff Green (F – OKC)

Green’s second half splits last season were a marked improvement over his first. Over the final three months the 22-year-old’s PPG went up at a steady rate, maxing out at just under 16 in April. It’s safe to say you can expect more of the same next year, as there is no one to stand in his way but himself.

Marcus Williams (PG – GS)

The youngster felt he didn’t get a fair shag in Jersey, being passed over for J-Kidd then Devin Harris. He’s got all the opportunity he’ll ever need in the first chunk of the season, running the highest scoring team in the league with a number of sources for assists. When Monta Ellis returns Williams could have cemented himself as the starting point guard, allowing Monta, a natural scorer, to play the off guard position. More than likely he’ll become Monta’s backup and take a significant hit in value. Either way this late in the draft you cannot miss.

Kevin Love (FC – Min)

The biggest knock on Love was the question of whether or not he could handle playing against NBA bigs. Although it was not the Western Conference, Love fared very well in his only four summer games in Vegas, posting 18 points and 13.5 rebounds per game — slightly better than his numbers at UCLA. The soon to be 20-year-old will see a whole lot of burn this season stepping into the starting lineup of one of the league’s worst teams in Minnesota. Many will be picking Al Jefferson a little higher for the pressure Love will take off of him in the post. With this pick you’ve got to hope that knowledge works both ways.

Oklahoma City Thunder Fantasy Preview

With all the talk of the lawsuit former Sonics owner, Howard Schulz has filed in an effort to bring the team back to Seattle, fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder have forgotten altogether that basketball season is slowly creeping onto the horizon. Heck, when you’re talking about a team that went 20 – 62 last year you can almost understand why. With the NBA and the city of Seattle on board it appears very likely the move will stay permanent, now the only question is will those same fans who packed Ford Arena to watch a playoff-contending Hornets team come out in the same droves to watch the team formerly known as the Super Sonics?

Now while there’s a new city, a new name, and the next stop being new jerseys, the player personnel affected by these changes remains pretty much the same. The Thunder are officially moving on to year two of the rebuilding process after trading out their two star players for a pair talented rookies last off-season. One of those rookies happens to be a sure-fire star in the NBA, a franchise player you can build a contender around.

On draft day no one in the building was happier than Kevin Durant when the name “Russell Westbrook” was called. Durant, who was there representing the team, had to have some say in whom the Thunder were going to choose. And you could tell by his ear-to-ear smile after their selection that he got his man. Westbrook, a talented combo-guard out of UCLA is exactly what the doctor ordered in Oklahoma City. He was one of the best players in the Orlando summer league and fills the hole of playmaker for a team that was in desperate need of one.  Now with Durant, Westbrook and the improving Jeff Green to build around it looks like Oklahoma City landed itself a promising young team for the future.

Fantasy wise not much changes for this team. A week ago they traded away one time franchise point guard Luke Ridnour for a pair of veteran role players in an effort to make room for Westbrook. The additions of Joe Smith and Desmond Mason will be a decent boost to a team in need of a better front line.  The main thing to consider here with a very similar roster is the progression of the young guys and the opportunities for the vets.

Depth Chart

PG Russell Westbrook / Earl Watson
SG Kevin Durant / Damien Wilkins
SF Jeff Green / Desmond Mason
PF Chris Wilcox / Joe Smith
C Nick Collison / Johan Petro 

Value Picks

Kevin Durant His second half was a solid improvement over his first mostly because he raised his FG% more than seven points. He accomplished this by taking better shots and cutting down on his three point attempts by nearly two-thirds. He progressed slightly in points, rebounds and assists during this time as well. Factoring in that he’s had a whole off-season to lift weights in hopes of reaching his rebounding potential and that the team is adding a good young point guard, 23 PPG becomes a solid baseline for next season. Combine all that with last year’s average of nearly a steal and a block per game and you’ve got to feel he’s worthy of a look in the first five rounds.

Jeff Green The former Hoya also was better in the second half, improving in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. He raised his scoring average in each of the last three months, nearly eclipsing 16 PPG as his minutes increased to 37 per contest in eight April games. Green was also lights out in Orlando this summer, averaging 22.8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in four games. People said he looked in great shape and was aggressive going to the basket, which are two very good signs heading into next season.

Chris Wilcox When he came to the Sonics just before the trade deadline three years ago, Wilcox was an absolute beast, averaging about 14 and 8 on 60 percent shooting and 79 percent from the line. Since then…not quite so much. Because he entered the league back in ’02 it’s easy to forget Wilcox will only be 26 next season. However, in pretty much the same scenario as last year it’s tough to see his stats improving dramatically.

Nick Collison When given the minutes Collison is a poor-man’s Al Horford, averaging close to a double-double with a steal and a block. It is likely that with Wilcox and Joe Smith taking up time at power forward, Collison will be asked play a lot of center, where he should score slightly more and rebound slightly less. Bottom line is the soon to be 28-year-old is the last line of draftable fantasy big men before you reach waiver-wire material.

Free Agents / New Acquisitions

Joe Smith With the Thunder Smith should see between 20 – 25 MPG. Their front-court is pretty thin, especially at the center spot. Robert Swift is as a wild card and Johan Petro’s minutes and value increased at the end of last season. If those two start earning more court time it hurts Smith’s value.

Desmond Mason After last year’s return to Milwaukee, the only thing stopping Mason from his second second go round with a city is the team’s move to Oklahoma. With Durant, Green and Wilkins eating up most of the time at the wing positions, the only way Mason becomes valuable is if one of these guys goes down for an extended period of time. 

Rookies

Russell Westbrook His sophomore numbers at UCLA (12.3 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.6 SPG) were nothing to write home about, but after his play in Orlando, some international scouts were asking, “How was Derrick Rose drafted higher than this guy?” In his only four summer league games Westbrook averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest. With Earl Watson out with a thumb injury that will sideline him until the start of training camp, the dynamic young rookie could already have been given all the daylight he needs to take the starting job. 

D.J. White As a senior at Indiana White averaged a very respectable 17.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting over 60 percent from the field. If given the time and space, White has enough game to be an effective offensive player in this league. Look for his time to come after the trade deadline, maybe after Joe Smith is moved?

Projected Stats

Russell Westbrook – 45 FG% / 75 FT% / 0.7 3PG / 10.5 PPG / 2.8 RPG / 4.2 APG / 0.8 SPG / 0.1 BPG / 1.6 TO

Kevin Durant – 45 FG% / 85 FT% / 0.7 3PG / 23.7 PPG / 5.0 RPG / 3.6 APG / 1.4 SPG / 1.2 BPG / 3.3 TO

Jeff Green – 44 FG% / 76 FT% 0.6 3PG / 14.3 PPG / 5.5 RPG / 1.8 APG / 0.8 SPG / 0.8 BPG / 2.2 TO

Chris Wilcox – 53 FG% / 67 FT% / 0.0 3PG / 14.0 PPG / 7.2 RPG / 1.2 APG / 0.6 SPG / 0.7 BPG / 1.9 TO

Nick Collison – 51 FG% / 74 FT% / 0.0 3PG / 10.4 PPG / 9.2 RPG / 1.4 APG / 0.7 SPG / 0.9 BPG / 1.6 TO

Earl Watson – 42 FG% / 75 FT% / 0.8 3PG / 10.2 PPG / 2.7 RPG / 6.3 APG / 1.2 SPG / 0.2 BPG / 2.1 TO

Damien Wilkins – 43 FG% / 81 FT% / 0.9 3PG / 9.5 PPG / 3.2 RPG / 1.8 APG / 0.8 SPG / 0.2 BPG / 1.3 TO

Joe Smith – 48 FG% / 80 FT% / 0.0 3PG / 8.8 PPG / 5.8 RPG / 0.8 APG / 0.4 SPG / 0.6 BPG / 0.9 TO

Lookin' Wright at Ya

This is exactly how Warriors fans want to see Brandan Wright next year—cool yet still pumped and ready for action. He's no zen master and from the brief episode of Warrior rookie hazing I saw last year he's no singer either. He's a down-to-earth kid who grew up to be one hell of a basketball player. The second-year forward isn't likely to change the Warriors' fortunes all by himself, but two things are guaranteed for next season: 1) He will continue to get better and 2) It should be a fun thing to watch...

Since his senior year of high school, Wright has stood at 6'9'' and has patrolled the lane with a 7'4" wingspan. It was his size and natural ability that made him the third ranked high school prospect in the class of '06. The other two are pretty well known: Greg Oden and Kevin Durant.

There is one thing very zen about Wright on the court however — he let's the game come to him. Instead of rushing through the process, Wright is content with enjoying it as he steadily gets better at the game he has always loved. Some view his patience as a lack of drive, a lack of effort. Those people want him to be someone he isn't. They want him to take over games because in getting him the Warriors lost a player who could do just that...but that's not Brandan's M.O.

Not only is BW the consumite team player, he feeds off of his teammates. He has trouble creating his own shot at the NBA level, but has the potential and has been working at it in the offseason. For now, with Ellis, Maggette, Stack Jack, Harrington and Randolph doing the creating, Wright can fit in as a finisher. Rather than taking people off the dribble, he should work on being a big who can spot up at about 15 feet and knock down open J's.

You only have to look as far back in Warriors history as 1997 to be able to draw a parallel here. Antawn Jamison, another former Tarheel involved in a controversial Warriors draft day trade, came into the league unable to create his own shot and unable to shoot with extended range. With two more years of NCAA experience than Wright had and a bit heavier, Jamison too was a very hard worker with a passion to improve. He used that passion every offseason to work on one new thing to improve for the next season. As the years piled up Jamison developed a three point shot, dramatically improved from the free throw line and learned how to create for himself. He still has that unmatched awkwardness to his game that will forever be unique to him, but the moral is he let the game come to him, worked hard and got better. That's all that Brandan Wright preaches in interviews: hard work and steady improvement.

There are differences between the two though. Brandan came into the league with a less polished game and onto a team where he wasn't a top 10 option versus Jamison who was needed to be option one or two. At UNC, Brandan was option three and this year he will be a top seven option. Some might view this as a recipe for failure because the best way to get better is through experience, which in this league comes from opportunity via the avenue of need. The year Jamison went to Dallas and was asked to come off the bench he took a slight step back in his progression and that is similar to what is happening here. But Jamison was 25 and BW is 20. Does he need to have the weight of the world on his shoulders just yet? The answer is no. He is in a great situation—not absolutely necessary but a positive contributor.

So as I said, Wright won't singlehandedly get the Warriors to the playoffs but he will be a postive factor on this team, which needs all the positivity it can get after losing its best player. He has been pumping iron this summer, preparing himself for the grueling schedule he now knows lies ahead of him. The young man from Nashville, Tennesse never saw himself making it this far, and in this league of superegos that's exactly what makes him so special.

Sacramento Kings Fantasy Preview

Check out previews for the rest of the league at Fantasy Lounge Sports in a few weeks...recently I finished this one for the Sacramento Kings:

Hiring Head Coach Reggie Theus last season was just the beginning, but with the trade of Ron Artest to the Rockets the youth movement is officially on in Sacramento. Since parting ways with Chris Webber the Kings have been slowly evolving in this direction, but now truly convinced how tough things are in the West they have shed their biggest star and ego and have compiled a solid core of young players, making for a much brighter future in Sactown.

In exchange for their aging star the Kings acquired the expiring contract of local fan favorite Bobby Jackson, this year’s 28th overall pick, Donte Greene, and Houston’s first rounder in 2009. With Artest the Rockets are favored to content heavily in the West, making next years pick about as valuable as this year’s.

This summer the Kings spent their lottery pick on Jason Thompson, a 6’10” senior out of Rider who flew up team draft charts with impressive pre-draft work outs and interviews. If he develops soon enough Thompson could see decent burn after the All Star break.  In addition to shoring up the power forward spot, the Kings re-signed 26 year-old first year starter Beno Udrih to man the point. Combine all this with last year’s lottery pick Spencer Hawes and three relatively young and talented swing-men and the Kings figure to be competitive for quite some time.

Now to the fun stuff...

Fantasy-wise the most intriguing part of Sactown are the wing positions. Three guys will be rotating out of the two spots, with incumbent starter Kevin Martin figuring to see big minutes. Last season with Artest injured John Salmons got the nod, making him the likely starter at small forward this year. Nevertheless, Francisco Garcia should still see close to 30 minutes per night since he can play any position one through three, making him deserving of a late round flyer in any league this season.

The Kings are also loaded with bigs, and it will be really interesting to see how the minutes shake out. It’s only a matter of time before elder statesmen Kenny Thomas and Mikki Moore lose time to the new guard that is Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Shelden Williams. The question remains how soon will their time come. Meanwhile, fantasy favorite Brad Miller still has too much game to figure into this equation just yet. But make no mistake about it change is a comin’.   

Depth Chart

PG Beno Udrih / Bobby Brown
SG Kevin Martin / Bobby Jackson
SF John Salmons / Francisco Garcia
PF Mikki Moore / Jason Thompson
C Brad Miller / Spencer Hawes

Value Picks

Kevin Martin After receiving a hefty raise last off-season Martin continued his solid play, progressing mostly in scoring. Battling injuries throughout K-Mart II hoppled through the ’07 – ’08 season before finally tapping out in the last week to the tune of 61 games, the lowest total of his three-year career. The boy can score and will see even more shots this year without Artest. To move up the fantasy ranks, he needs to continue to evolve as a rebounder (4.5 last year) and get the turnovers under control because he’s coming off of a season with an A/TO ratio of less than 1:1, which isn’t good for an off-guard.

Beno Udrih With Mike Bibby out of the lineup last season Udrih averaged upwards of 35 minutes per night over roughly 50 games to the tune of 14.5 points, 5 assists and great percentages. Similar numbers can be expected this season now that he is the man at point with only rookie backups to steal his thunder. He’s never been a premier distributor so it’s safe to guess six assists is about his ceiling. He’s definitely in the top tier of backup fantasy point guards.

John Salmons Last season “Buck” Salmons was the major beneficiary of Martin and Artest’s nagging injuries. As a 41-game-starter he averaged a silky smooth 17.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals to go along with good percentages. With those career numbers impressed on his resume Salmons should be going into the season fully confident for a repeat. 

Francisco Garcia Last season when given the minutes Garcia proved himself to be a worthy fantasy contributor. As a 20 game starter he put up similar numbers to Salmons, posting a line of 16.4 points, 4.6 boards, 2.6 assists, 1.7 steals with mediocre percentages. Factoring in his progression and taking away a bit of the 36 minute average these numbers reflect you can expect slightly less production than this but still great steals from a late-round flyer.

New Acquisitions / Free Agent Additions

Bobby Jackson Considering the youth movement and the fact that Jackson is 35 you can temper your expectations here. B-Jack’s value as a Sacramento King lies in the pre-trade deadline era. He should see about 20 minutes per until the Kings trade his expiring contract away to a contender or flat out bench him for a younger player. Why keep the aging vet around when you aren’t contending other than for nostalgia?

Bobby Brown The 23-year-old Euro league vet was a big hit this summer in Las Vegas with the Hornets, averaging 15.2 points and 6.3 assists over six games. He attracted more than a few suitors by outplaying first round picks Mike Conley, D.J. Augustin and George Hill, including a rumored multi-million dollar deal with the Spanish team Barcelona. But in the end he signed with the Kings after they upped the ante. Brown will likely own the backup PG role but will only have fantasy value if Udrih goes down for an extended period of time.

Rookies

Jason Thompson His entire basketball-playing career Thompson has been a big fish in a small pond, making him a bit of a wild card in the NBA. He has stated that once the season starts he will silence those saying he was drafted too high. He’s still experienced though, having stayed all four years in college, averaging over 20 points, 12 rebounds, one steal and 2.7 blocks his senior year while shooting 56 percent from the field. Thompson is a hard worker who will earn his minutes as the season wears on. Look for him to be splitting time at power forward with Mikki Moore towards the end of the season, but until then his fantasy value is limited.   

Donte Greene Unlike Thompson Greene slid down team draft boards at the last minute due to the rawness of his game and a slight fall off to end his freshman campaign. This summer he became infamous by posting 40 points in his first summer league game with the Rockets. Greene is an uber-athletic combo forward with a nice touch for the deep ball. In his only year of college he averaged nearly 18 points and over 2.5 threes per game. Minutes are a bit tight at the forward positions at this time. Greene should see most of his time at small forward where he’ll be lucky to get 15 minutes a night until the Kings decide to give him a real shot. He can score in bunches though so if you’re in need of a scorer late in the season and don’t mind a hit in the percentages you might want to look his way.

Projected Stats

Beno Udrih – 45 FG% / 87 FT% / 0.7 3PG / 15.3 PPG / 3.4 RPG / 5.4 APG / 1.0 SPG / 0.1 BPG / 2.3 TO

Kevin Martin – 46 FG% / 85 FT% / 2.1 3PG / 25.0 PPG / 4.8 RPG / 2.3 APG / 1.3 SPG / 0.1 BPG / 1.9 TO

John Salmons – 46 FG% / 80 FT% / 0.6 3PG / 15.7 PPG / 5.1 RPG / 2.9 APG / 1.1 SPG / 0.3 BPG / 2.6 TO

Mikki Moore – 56 FG% / 72 FT% / 0.0 3PG / 8.5 PPG / 5.4 RPG / 1.0 APG / 0.5 SPG / 0.5 BPG / 1.1 TO

Brad Miller – 47 FG% / 82 FT% / 0.4 3PG / 10.6 PPG / 7.6 RPG / 3.5 APG / 0.7 SPG / 0.9 BPG / 2.0 TO

Francisco Garcia – 45 FG% / 80 FT% / 1.6 3PG / 16.4 PPG / 3.9 RPG / 2.4 APG / 1.5 SPG / 0.5 BPG / 2.2 TO

Spencer Hawes – 49 FG% / 66 FT% / 0.1 3PG / 9.4 PPG / 7.2 RPG / 1.6 APG / 0.4 SPG / 1.3 BPG / 1.0 TO

Jason Thompson – 49 FG% / 68 FT% / 0.1 3PG / 7.5 PPG / 6.6 RPG / 0.8 APG / 0.3 SPG / 0.4 BPG / 0.9 TO

B-Ball: Taking the game from the court into your living room and back again...

Playing the Game

Basketball is my favorite sport of all time. But it's more than just a sport. It's a dance, really. Just you and your man. Your mission (should you choose to play the game) is to find a way to dance around him to get to the basket. If you can do this going both to your right and your left you have a nice leg up on the competition. Being ambidextrous in the sport I have that advantage. The ability to use both hands is a fun thing to boast, but it does come with a price.

In every activity I do other than playing my favorite sport I use my right as my dominant hand, but when I shoot using my left just feels natural. In fact I've been doing it for so long that I can now look back and realize when I was learning the game I didn't even understand the importance of using my weaker hand. The only problem for me is that I've got all my touch in my right hand, so when I shoot one handed, drive, or spin away I do so better using my right side. The further I am from the basket, the less that right hand can play a part in my shot and the less accuracy I have, limiting me to be an 18-foot-and-in player. Sad story, huh? If you've read anything I've written before or know me at all you'll be able to sniff out the sarcasm. But seriously for someone who loves the game as much as I do and the hours I've put in practicing my shot, it is a shame that God didn't give me the gift of being able to shoot with my natural hand. Practicing lefty has been like banging my head against the wall of progress.

What else though?

Like everyone else I play better and enjoy the game more when I'm looser. When I'm nervous (usually in bigger games) I shy away from the ball on offense which causes me to pause midway through the game with the question, "Why am I even playing?" At this point I start to feel like that old man who's lost almost all of his ability and mobility and just plays the game because it brings back those warm old feelings, poor play and all. What I have to do more of is take reference from my memory rolodex of Steve "Snapper" Jones' voice saying "No matter what the circumstances, you play better when you're not worried about messin' up." That quote hasn't quite made the cut yet, but maybe after this blog it'll stick.

I'm tall for streetball — 6'2". I've got long arms, which can piss off any offensive player when I choose to play good defense. I like to jump into the passing lanes (ala Jason Kidd) and snag the ball. I've got a below average first step on offense and defense, while making up for that by finding interesting ways to either get to the basket or back to my man defensively.

I play against girls and guys but we always say "that's my man."

Watching the Game

Only when I've been balling a lot recently can I watch a game on T.V. and envision being out on the court with the players. I'll pick out a guy who makes a play I like and watch him for a while exclusively. When hearing about how good the defense is that Jason Kidd brings to Team U.S.A, during a pre-olympic game I'll start to focus on every move of Kidd's and see what he does that I don't. Maybe today he'll show me how to move my feet better and not get beat off the dribble.  Watching during this special time gives me ideas on how to improve my game.

On offense you don't need to focus your eyes on the ball the entire time like most people do. Watching Rip Hamilton or Reggie Miller run his defender from one side of the floor to the other, through screen after screen and seeing how that defender goes about ducking around those guys while making his own route to the shooter can be as entertaining as anything the game has to offer.

It's like that thing you always hear from young NBA stars when they're interviewed and they say they learned the game by watching Michael Jordan. Another example that will be talked about endlessly during the Olympics is how the Dream Team in the '92 Barcelona games inspired children across Europe to put down the soccer balls and pick up a basketball. Watching the game can carry over to how you play the game, and as I have found it works both ways.

A Break for Reality: Looking at the Off-season in Warrior Country

After a long, long hiatus due to a number of excuses, I am back. But not to talk about fantasy. For now I want to talk NBA and whats going on with my favorite team. You see, when the fantasy baseball season rolls around I am honestly much better at taking advice than giving it, so I've found myself at a loss for things to write about.  But thanks to some friendly advice I'm going to take a look at how the Warriors summer of wheeling and dealing has shaked out.

At the end of the '07 season, for ever the briefest of moments, the Warriors became America's team. They toppled the 67-win Dallas Mavericks, had the wildest fans to ever frequent an NBA arena and played the fastest version of basketball the sport had to offer. I was amazed when I was visiting D.C. during the Western Conference semifinals and a motel security guard actually told me, "Wow, that's Warrior Country," when I told him I was from the Bay Area. Those words were music to my ears, for I had been watching every game the team played through ten years of dismal failure. It was then that I knew my team was doing something special. But not only the team, the fans too, who were almost as well known with their yellow "We Believe" t-shirts.

So now you get a glimpse of what I felt when we fell just short of returning this year. The only good news being I can save my voice from all the screaming and my heart for the attack that would happen if and when we went out then the break that would shortly follow.

The Warriors have made a plethora of moves in the offseason that were instigated by the departure of our superstar point guard Baron Davis. You see, Baron was a special type of point guard who fit our style of play to a T. Some say his star was too bright to stay trapped beneath the fog that is the Bay...he was meant for the bright lights of Hollywood. But I know where Baron would rather be and what team he'd rather play for, but that's a story for another day.

When he left the Warriors were in a bit of trouble. We needed to fill the void that Baron left while trying to build towards the future. Win now and win later...difficult sounding task. So how'd Mullin do? He brought in Corey Maggette to replace Baron's scoring and Marcus Williams to replace Baron's size at the point. Two players to make up for one. In the process we lost a conditional first round pick in three years and ended any chance we had at signing one of the big restricted free agents of the offseason whom we probably wouldn't have gotten anyway.

The best thing Mullin did this offseason though was re-signing Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins and to a lesser extent Kelenna Azubuike. Monta is officially the franchise now and has finally recieved his long awaited pay day. On top of that the Warriors drafted a real basketball player in Anthony Randolph who has the drive and passion we wish would carry over into the spirit of Brandon "You" Wright. Randolph looked great during the summer, like a slender raw version of Lamar Odom spliced with a bit of Derek Coleman (aren't NBA comparisons fun?). With him, Wright and Biedrins up front the Warriors future looks very bright...shining with long, lean athletic southpaws. All with seven foot plus wing spans. All whom can block shots. All very talented.

To add a new dimension to the team the Dubbs brought in a couple of bangers: Ronny Turiaf (signed for 4 years and $18 million) and Richard Hendrix (that Paul Milsap-like player everyone looks for in the draft these days). Ronny is athletic and has a big heart. Seriously though in 2005, his rookie season, the guy had to have open heart surgery to take care of an enlarged aortic root. He shows no ill-effects of it on the court though. The man has a motor that never stops, and will be a sure-fire hit with the Bay Area faithful.

This coming year will not likely result in a championship ring, but it will bring an intense level of excitement even without our most exciting player, the one dawning the heading of this out-dated blog. We'll get to see our veterans coach, Don Nelson, in his last season coaching a very young team...and he'll make it work. Monta will shine through and be this years Warriors snub for the All-Star game. And the big controversy over how he will handle the point will be put to rest after the first half of the first game when Stephen Jackson helps lighten the load and eventually Anthony Randolph comes in for added support. We still have Captain Jack, aka the King of Klutch, aka the Night Club Terror, aka the Palace Rumbler...And we still have Rick Barry and the sweep of '75...And last but certainly not least We Still Believe!