I'll be honest and say I haven't watched a whole helluva lot of preseason basketball. They don't start showing Warriors games until the regular season and I've only had time to catch so much of what's been on NBA TV. I don't have any inside sources with NBA teams and I don't go out and interview any of the players. What I do is look at box scores, read AP write ups and use my ever increasing fantasy knowledge to determine who has a chance to make a blip on the fantasy radar this season.
This year I will be writing a column for Fantasy Lounge Sports called Jumping the Waiver Wire in which I will give the viewing audience a few names that I think will be good pickups for the upcoming week. The past few years I've done the research anyway, only this year I'll write about it.
Next week I will be submitting my first article which takes a look at guys who have impressed this preseason that managers may want to consider jumping on once the first few games have been played. Thus the title Jumping the Waiver Wire. I've always tried to jump on the hot players before anyone else got the chance and I'm encouraging you to do the same.
Here is an extra close look at a few guys I've been eying so far to wet your palettes:
Mike Taylor (LAC - PG) Owned in 1% of Yahoo! leagues — The first rookie to be drafted out of the NBDL could have worked himself into a battle with Jason Hart for the role of #1 backup to Baron Davis. As most of 
us Dubs fans know, Baron is always a candidate for the injured list because his left knee is a ticking time bomb. In the Clips first three preseason games, Taylor has averaged 28 Min, 61 FG%, 18.3 PPG, 5 Ast and 1.6 Stl. His minutes have increased an average of nine per game. Now since Taylor has come off the bench in all of these games it's highly likely he's going up against the other team's reserves at most times. It's also important to note that Davis has missed the past two games with flu like symptoms and Hart has started, thus explaining Taylor's leap in minutes. Taylor has significantly outproduced Hart this preseason and in tonight's game Hart only played eight minutes and did not score. To make a long story short, Taylor should not be touched yet unless you are in the deepest of leagues but once King Baron goes down, which, despite not missing a game last season, is highly likely to happen at some point, it would be wise to pick up Mr. Taylor.
Corey Brewer (Min - GF) Owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues — Last season was a rough going for Brewer.
He averaged less than six points on 37.5% from the field. From what I've heard, he's worked hard this offseason to
improve his erratic jumper and from the preseason results it appears the hard work is paying off. In four games, he's averaged 25 Min, 50 FG% and 14 PPG, while going 6 - 8 from three point land. Ryan Gomes and Brewer will be splitting the SF minutes this season. Each brings slightly different aspects to the position. Gomes is a tweener forward who can play inside but still ventures out to knock down a three every now and then, while Brewer is more of a slasher who is small enough to play off guard, as well. Gomes is the favorite to start at this point but with Brewer's new-found consistency from the field and the talent that made him the #7 overall pick in last year's draft, expect him to be given every opportutnity for success. He is currently owned in 5 percent of all Yahoo! leagues but by the time the first couple of weeks are in the books, I expect that number to grow tenfold.
Etan Thomas (Was - FC) Owned in 6% of Yahoo! leagues — With Brendan Haywood out four to six months everyone is waiting to see who will win most of the center minutes for the Wiz this season. The 
tricky thing when analyzing the Wizards' preseason stats, other than the obvious, is Antawan Jamison is also out but will return for the regular season. This means that the three main candidates to replace Haywood — Thomas, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee — all have an extra position they can rotate in and out of. Andray Blatche is a power forward in a center's body and I'm predicting he will only play the position next to Jamison sporadically. Despite all the talent and the relatively great preseason numbers, McGee is a rookie who struggles on defense. Meanwhile, Eddie Jordan is a veterans coach who stresses D. That's why no matter what you see this preseason you have to know that Thomas will get his once the regular season starts. In four games, the ex-Orangeman has averaged 19 Min, 61 FG%, 8 PPG, 3.5 Reb and 1.3 Blk. You should remember that these are preseason numbers and that over his career, Thomas has averaged 5.8 boards in just over 18 minutes per game. These numbers won't set you hair on fire but If you're in need of boards and blocks once the regular season starts, Thomas is your man.
Look for my column Jumping the Waiver Wire at the Lounge every Monday morning once the regular season starts.
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