Fantasy NBA Mythical Five: Week 3

Fantasy NBA Mythical Five: Week 3

The Director

Steve Nash (1) - 62.5 FG%, 1.3 3FG, 21.7 PPG, 12.7 APG, 1.0 SPG

The Skywalker

Manu Ginobili (1) - 50.0 FG%, 100 FT%, 3.3 3FG, 21.8 PPG, 1.5 SPG

The Triggerman

Kevin Durant (1) - 1.7 3FG, 29.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG

Captain Lionheart

Carmelo Anthony (1) - 93.8 FT%, 25.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.7 BPG

Tower of Power

Zach Randolph (1) - 63.0 FG%, 22.3 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG

Wild how the PG's played this last week. Top 3 players were PGs, and Nash just edged John Wall for the top spot this week. Here are their other stat lines.

John Wall - 1.7 3FG, 16.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 10.0 APG, 4.3 SPG

Russell Westbrook - 28.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 9.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG

It's the best time of the year and I'm back!

It's playoff time already.. and I've been so busy that I only start sharing my thoughts and it's already the 2nd Round. What is up with that?!

Anyway, just some thoughts on a couple of things before I get into the 2nd Round of the Playoffs.

1. Fantasy Basketball

I won 2 leagues this year. Better than my previous seasons, and considering I have less leagues too. So, a hgiher percentage probably comes from being able to manage each team better since I had 4 to 6 teams in previous years. Now, for the Fantasy All-NBA First Team:

PG - Dwyane Wade
SG - Kevin Durant
SF - LeBron James
PF - Chris Bosh
C - Andrew Bogut (Surprised? He was more efficient and delivered somewhat similar numbers.)

2. NBA Awards

The list of the regular season awards have been released and I pretty much agree with everything except ROY. Brandon Jennings should've gotten the award simply for winning, considering there are only 2 lottery picks on the Bucks (Bogut and Jennings), compared to Tyreke's Kings (Thompson, Evans, Hawes). But as a recap, here are the awards:

MVP: LeBron James
DPOY: Dwight Howard
MIP: Aaron Brooks
COY: Scott Brooks
6MOY: Jamal Crawford
ROY: Tyreke Evans

3. All NBA Teams

Here are my predictions for the All-NBA Teams. For those asking, I do value winning.

1st Team: Wade, Bryant, James, Durant, Howard
2nd Team: Nash, D. Williams, Nowitzki, Stoudamire, Gasol
3rd Team: Rondo, J. Johnson, Anthony, G.Wallace, Bogut

D 1st Team: Rondo, Bryant, James, J. Smith, Howard
D 2nd Team: Kidd, Billups, Duncan, Hoford, Bogut

R 1st Team: Curry, Jennings, Evans, Collison, Blair

4. Playoffs 2nd Round

East
1. Cleveland v. 4. Boston

I, like many a basketball fan, hope that The Truth, KG, Ray and Rondo can muster up enough fight to make this competitive. We know their veterans smarts and championship swagger can push the Cavs every game, but the question is if it can actually translate to wins. And as for LeBron's elbow, the Celts will hammer that thing so that he'll feel it, but he's strong enough to survive for this round. Maybe we'll see how much it hurts next round.. Cavs in 6.

2. Orlando v. 3. Atlanta

Maybe the best thing that happened to the Hawks is that they hit 7 games with the Bucks. It's been a week since the Magic have played, and maybe they cooled off considering they were playing so well even if Howard wasn't scoring. Plus, the Hawks got Crawford on track. They might stretch Orlando, but I still think that we'll be seeing a rematch... Magic in 7.

West
1. LA Lakers v. 5. Utah

For some strange reason, everybody thinks that the Lakers are more vulnerable this year as the hunger isn't a strong any more. This I think is sort of true, especially on the support guys (Brown, Farmar, etc.), but Kobe, Gasol and Fisher still have it. Unfortunately for Utah though, they're missing a lot of players and Deron and Boozer are dinged up some way. The Lakers will beat down on the Jazz and eventually squeeze out in the series... Lakers in 6.

3. Phoenix v. 7. San Antonio

As a Suns fan, it would only be appropriate that the road to the championship would go through the Spurs (and eventually, if ever, LA). These two teams have been contrasts of each other ever since Charles Barkley and company shot themselves over David Robinson in 1993. For the previous match-ups t's been Offense vs Defense, Flash/Fancy vs Fundamental. This year though, the Suns have improved their defense and the Spurs have more scoring. Pretty interesting ain't it? So, as a fan, I will not jinx the series by making a prediction... 7 games.

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 22

Dwyane Wade (MIA) - 25.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 8.8 APG, 2.8 SPG, 1.8 BPG [6]

Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.3 3FGM, 31.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.0 BPG [9]

LeBron James (CLE) - 1.7 3FGM, 33.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 9.0 APG, 2.0 SPG [13]

Ryan Anderson (ORL) - 3.5 3FGM, 19.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG [1]

Mehmet Okur (UTA) - 2.5 3FGM, 19.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2.0 BPG [1]

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 20

Stephen Curry (GSW) - 3.0 3FGM, 20.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.3 APG, 2.3 SPG [2]

Manu Ginobili (SAS) - 2.8 3FGM, 21.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.8 SPG [1]

Kevin Durant (OKC) - 2.0 3FGM, 32.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG [8]

David West (NOH) - 28.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG [2]

Andrew Bogut (MIL) - 19.3 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 3.7 BPG [4]

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 18

Week 18's Mythical 5:

The Director
Chauncey Billups (DEN) - 3.7 3FGM, 26.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.0 APG [2]

The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.8 3FGM, 27.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG [7]

The Triggerman
LeBron James (CLE) - 2.0 3FGM, 30.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 10.3 APG, 1.3 SPG [11]

Captain Lionheart
Gerald Wallace (CHA) - 1.7 3FGM, 23.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.3 SPG [2]

Tower of Power
Zach Randolph (MEM) - 24.3 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1.3 RPG [2]


Couple of things we must note this week:

1. LeBron James is again the best player in fantasy basketball. Numbers, team's record, overall impact all point to him becoming a back-to-back MVP, especially since Kobe sat down for several games. Plus, Shaq going to be out for over a month means more of the monster numbers for the King.

2. Danny Granger again pays the price for becoming a Small Foward.

3. It was a slow week for point guards. Chauncey Billups didn't put up whoa numbers and yet he was the best at his position for this week.

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 14

The Director
Chris Paul (NOH) - 2.3 3FGM, 26.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 11.0 APG, 3.3 SPG [5]

Unfortunately, people, that is this week's best player in fantasy basketball. To think that Paul actually put these numbers up in just 3 games (while the Hornets had 4). So, for Paul owners out there, this stellar week will be the last for about a month or so. He's down with a partially torn miniscus, and will probably miss the All-Star game, leaving the spot open for Chauncey Billups.


The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.7 3FGM, 34.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG [6]

Durant creeps closer to LeBron's 7 appearances in the mythical 5 with his sixth. Dropping 45 in his last game of this week, Durant solidifes his All-Star selection (the first of many to come). We have seen Durant play bigger this week with more rebounds and blocks. We can probably expect this continuous shifting for small stats (3s, Asts, Stls) to big stats (Rebs, Blks) to go on for the rest of the year since OKC will probably not get a dominating big before the deadline.


The Triggerman
Gerald Wallace (CHA) - 1.3 3FGM, 27.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

Crash is an all-star and is the first Bobcat to do so, an honor he deserves since he's been the only person left from Bobcat Day 1. Always playing bigger than his size, Wallace's rebounding and defense have always been known. Offensively though, he has raised it up a notch this year.


Captain Lionheart
David Lee (NYK) - 24.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.5 SPG [1]

Probably the biggest All-star snub this year, David Lee finally enters the mythical 5. As if to make a statement against his being snubbed, Lee has evolved into also becoming a playmaker for the Knicks, averaging close to 5 dimes per game. Now, if only an East all-star would get injured, a Knick could be an all-star, the first since... Starbury...


Tower of Power
Marc Gasol (MEM) - 19.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 2.5 SPG, 1.8 BPG [1]

Pau's baby brother has been playing great this year. Probably just as deserving as Zach Randolph's all-star nod, he has been the slotman for the Grizz's resurgence in the deep, deep Southwest, which has all his teams over .500. has his emergence made the trade with the Lakers any fairer? Still no...

Fantasy NBA Players of the Week 13

The Director
Chauncey Billups (DEN) - 0.909 FT%, 4.3 3FGM, 25.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 7.7 APG [1]

Finally, Mr. Big Shot arrives. Seems to have perfect timing too as the wind-up to the all-star game is right upon the world. Last year, he got the snub even after turning Denver around. This year though, Tony Parker isn't playing as well, so this would seem to be a lock unless Deron Williams creeps into the picture.


The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.3 3FGM, 31.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG [5]

He's back. He's been here less than just 1 person. Like almost everybody has said, the Thunder were not supposed to be this good this early. Durant is leading the precocious team with his own advanced-for-his-age numbers, and they're in the playoffs. Who knows, they might even leapfrog Portland as the "Young team the NBA is afraid of." He's gonna be an all-star for sure.


The Triggerman
LeBron James (CLE) - 2.3 3FGM, 34.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 10.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.7 SPG [7]



As if last week wasn't good enough, he upped himself and beat Kobe and his Lakers too. Mo Williams is down for the next month or so, thus we can expect more of this from LeBron. The best players in fantasy basketball (and real basketball) is on a different plane these last 2 weeks.


Captain Lionheart
Corey Maggette (GSW) - 0.929 FT%, 30.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.0 APG [1]

The conflict of the week! Andrei Kirilenko was another candidate for this slot, with better percetages and defense. But he only played 2 weeks. So, I went with Maggette since he played more games and his FT% was way up there considering the volume of FT he takes.


Tower of Power
Andrew Bogut (MIL) - 20.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 4.0 BPG [1]

He was the number 1 pick, folks, not CP3 or D-Will. Yes, it might have taken him a couple of years longer, but the Australian is here to stay. Tag teaming with a young spitfire in Brandon Jennings, they seem to make each other better. Let's see if this combo heats up the Milwaukee cold.

NBA Fantasy Players of the Week 11

Just when last week I said that everything was getting back to normal in the fantasy world, it gets screwed up again. LeBron wasn't close to 30-8-8, Kobe was shooting left-handed, Nash and Paul were scoring. You could go on and on.

So this is why we have a pretty weird Mythical 5 this week... Prepare to be surprised.

The Director
Monta Ellis (GSW) - 30.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.3 SPG [1]

For some strange reason, the monicker "The Director" doesn't fit when Ellis is your PG. But then again, he's eligible, so ehhh.. But he had good scoring and somewhat good percentages, so we have to give him the spot.


The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 1.7 3FGM, 30.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG [4]

Kevin Durant installs some normalcy in this week's mythical five being on the list 3 times prior to this. The points are there, but everything else is down. Must be a really slow fantasy week for all the top players...


The Triggerman
Andre Iguodala (PHI) - 1.0 3FGM, 17.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, 2.7 SPG [1]

Iguodala did his LeBron impersonation this week with an 18-7-7 type of deal. Lebron Lite, as I will now call him, gave us good numbers but nothing that will pop out at you. But his efforts will not be unnoticed as he is not the only Sixer on the list.


Captain Lionheart
Channing Frye (PHX) - 3.7 3FGM, 18.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG [2]

Here's where it begins to get fishy. Frye was previously on this list at center but I had to bump him down in favor of another big guy. Frye was draining 3s as is his role with the Suns and at a high percentage compared to the blips he's been having the weeks prior.


Tower of Power


Samuel Dalembert (PHI) - 1.000 FT%, 15.3 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2.7 BPG [1]
This week's Best Player in Fantasy Basketball is Samuel Dalembert. Nope, I am not drunk not high. Dalembert got this week's nod because of his double-doubles and his high-high percantage. Normally, I'm not a percentage guy, but he had a signifcant number of shots per game and he made all of his free throws. Tough to admit but I can't deny Sammy D this week.

Fantasy NBA: Players of the Week 7

I'm slipping out of playoff contention in 1 league, so I had to shift from playing big to relying on 3's and steals. Let's wait and see...

The Director
Raymond Felton (CHA) - 1.3 3FGM, 14.0 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.7 SPG [1]

Felton's 6 steal game is the primary cause of his jump up this week. We see that his numbers are not really that impressive, but he's pretty efficient. It also helped that Nash had no defense this week and Rondo was throwing up bricks.

The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 29.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG [3]

With Kobe dealing with a broken finger, Granger out 4 weeks and Wade missing lots of court time due to blowouts, we could see Durant here for a while. His numbers are stabilizing now and balancing with his defense.

The Triggerman
LeBron James (CLE) - 3.0 3FGM, 36.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 6.5 APG [4]

LeBron stays ahead of Durant for the most appearances in this list. He posted these averages over a span of 4 games, clearly establishing himself as the #1 fantasy pick this season so far.

Captain Lionheart
Dirk Nowitzki (DAL) - 31.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG [2]

It's been a slow week for the often-considered carries of fantasy basketball - the power forwards. Dirk bests them all with these numbers, but they aren't reall that impressive overall.


Tower of Power
Pau Gasol (LAL) - 17.3 PPG, 17.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.0 BPG [1]

Finally, Pau gets to crack this list. He's actually been posting pretty monster numbers the past few weeks, but Camby's defense got in the way. Gasol gave you 52 rebounds this week in head-to-head leagues. We can expect these numbers to be pretty consistent though as Kobe will have less touches due to that finger.

Other notes:
Yahoo actually posted Maurice Evans and Troy Murphy pretty high this week due to their percentages. Now, I'm not really a fan of those stats since it's a weighted average that is used in the head-to-head mode.

Fantasy NBA: Players of the Week 6

9-0 in one of my leagues. That's probably the first time that it's happened in 2 years. We saw several injuries take out a couple of key pieces to teams, biggest of which (literally and figuratively) was Greg Oden going down. He wasn't producing much stats-wise but basketball-wise, he was a major part of what they were doing. Honorable mentions include the Pistons wings ad Jrue Holiday (damn you, Holiday!)

I say "Damn you, Jrue Holiday!" because it was your chance to finally get the starter role. The Sixers, I feel would be best with Holiday in the 1 with Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala at the wings. But he conveniently got hurt the same Allen Iverson comes rolling back into town. (Sorry, folks. But I've never been an Iverson fan.) Today, Iverson had 11 points on 4-11 shooting with 5 boards and 6 assists... without his wind or legs. We all know Iverson. With the losing streak at 10, it will only be a matter of time before he starts saying "If we don't win, I'm going to have to play my way" or something to that effect. Good luck to Fantasy Owners of the Sixers.

Going back to the business of big shots... Week 6!
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The Director
Jason Kidd (DAL) - 2.8 3FGM, 13.5 PPG, 8.5 APG, 2.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

The man is no longer a walking triple-double, but he still flirts with it every game. In addition to the flirting, he's carrying around things that come in 3's. Pretty good date if you get it 4 times a week.


The Skywalker
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 2.7 3FGM, 32.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.7 SPG [2]

He was the only 30.0 PPG man this week (oddly), and 2.7 steals isn't shabby considering he's primary role in the Thunder is to score the ball. Not crazy about the 0.5 assist-to-turnover ratio though.

The Triggerman
Danilo Gallinari (NYK) - 3.5 3FGM, 18.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG [2]

I was actually conflicted with this pick since Rashard Lewis put up close (if not better numbers). But it's a head-to-head league that we play in and 4 games vs 2 for The Italian Stallion. We just hope he really starts hitting his stride so that he can get Al Harrington off his timesheet.

Captain Lionheart
Carlos Boozer (UTA) - .600 FG%, 27.7 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 3.0 APG [1]

Boozer put up very good and efficient numbers this week from the field. Thie FT line, not so much though. The 3.7 TOs are a bit of a downer too. But he still delivers, ala the mailman.

Tower of Power
Marcus Camby (LAC) - 10.5 PPG, 18.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 3.0 SPG, 2.0 BPG [2]

Guess what, people? It's him again! He's healthy and doing what he does best. 18 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks are nuts. I'm hoping that Griffin plays a lot at the 3 this year so that they can keep on hammering people on the inside.


Comeback Kids:
Chris Paul (NOH) - 16.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 15.0 APG, 8.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG (I thought he was hurt?)
Kevin Love (MIN) - 2.0 3FGM, 14.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG (It has got to be the glove he's wearing.)

Fantasy NBA: Players of the Week 5

So what happens when I praise a player for his stellar play, the dude goes down... Kevin Martin, CP3 and most recently, Elton Brand. Dammit! Haha

For the fist time this season though, I was able to post 3 wins of 5-3-1, 6-3 and 7-2. Looks like either my fantasy teams are getting healthy and hot or my opponents have all been hit by the injury bug as well. At the rate the NBA is going though, it's more likely that it's the injuries. I think every NBA team has had a decent fantasy-relevant player miss games this year. I'll look into this in a related post.

Now, the players of the week...

The Director
Steve Nash (PHX) - 1.3 3FGM, 13.3 PPG, 14.3 APG 1.0 SPG [2]

It's been frustrating how the Suns have actually been blowing people out of the water as Nash is getting less minutes to pile on the stats. But even with the decreased minutes, the assists have actually stayed the same. It's just that the points and 3's have gone down. Any week that Nash posts a steal per game, that's a bonus.

The Skywalker
Kobe Bryant (LAL) - 2.3 3FGM, 28.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.3 SPG [2]

Kobe also shows up on this list for the second time because of his consistent play. Known to have a groin injury, he can actually play consistently since he does not have to carry the team every game. Thus, the numbers keep on coming. 3.3 SPG isn't a bad help either.

The Triggerman
Kevin Durant (OKC) - 28.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG [1]

Finally! I've been waiting for 4 weeks to finally have this guy perform well enough to be on the list. The scoring and the rebounds are very much expected of him in the team. It's his high potential for D that finally puts him up here. 3.3 combined Steals and Blocks per game is great from the offensive machine.

Captain Lionheart
Gerald Wallace (CHA) - 25.3 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG [1]

Crash seems t be the only one among the Bobcats who ha remained unaffected by the Capt. Jack trade from Golden State. Aside from him, the rest of the Bobcats fantasy value has tanked - Felton, Diaw, Augustin, etc. Damn you Larry Brown!

Tower of Power
Marcus Camby (LAC) - 12.0 PPG, 15.5 RPG, 2.5 SPG, 3.0 BPG [1]

The resurrection! Camby again proves that WHEN HEALTHY, he is one of the biggest stats stuffers there is. Defense is what Camby is known for and he did it for 4 games this week. I just wonder how this will figure in when Griffin returns.


Here's a list of who's been able to appear multiple times on the list this year:
3 - LeBron James
2 - Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Chris Bosh