Power Rankings - Week 1

1. Repeatabull. The unquestionable king atop these rankings. Came two steals shy of pulling off the unthinkable, a 9 – 0. Few teams could have topped its fg % (.483), points (524), rebounds (214), and assists (107) and the rest of its stats also seem firmly entrenched in the “above average” zone.

2. Where’s Leon. Yes, the team barely held onto a one point victory, but it posted superstar numbers at scoring (512 points), rebounding (219), and assists (105), to go with astoundingly low turnovers (48). Even its mediocre stats, like its fg % (.465), threes (31), and steals (25), seem fairly impressive. It’s hard to imagine this team losing much this season.

3. Cliphairs. Posted a 7 – 2 drubbing which must be highly valued and respected since fantasy is a game where it’s better to be lucky than good. But tempering the positivity is the fact that this runaway win came against Big Country, the league’s lowest ranked team, and that most of the Cliphairs’ numbers were mediocre to slightly above average. Nevertheless, a great start to the season.

4. DreamTeam. It’s unclear whether this Dream Team is akin to the 2002 nightmare that won nothing and humiliated itself, or if it’s the Dream Team of gold medal winners past. What does seem clear is that the roster has an intriguing collection of elite talent and an ability to win.

5. Pohn Wall. An unspectacular showing revealed certain obvious flaws (15 blocks, .411 fg %, 85 turnovers). Mediocre points, rebounds, and ft % numbers also indicate this team will need the wire—and badly—during elite matchups. Still, a 6–3 win has turned heads.

6. Cocaine Convict. Chris Bosh-like clutchness… which is to say, this roster has none. Let a 6 – 3 victory turn into a near tie. Time will tell if its competitiveness in every category means that the roster’s talent level is higher than its current ranking.

7. Stitches. A team that can’t score, can’t board, can’t assist. So how does it win? Yes, you’ve got to admire any injury-plagued roster that, even in a terribly dire state, manages to eek out victories.

8. Merlness. The best of the losers, posting monster numbers across the board. Ran into the only team in the league that could have defeated it. Sky’s the limit for this unit’s future and ceiling.

9. Dark Horse. Last year’s failed project used to focus on the not-so-flashy stats, like blocks and steals, but wound up falling short in key areas like points and threes. This year’s roster has points and threes covered, but let steals and blocks go to the horses / dogs for some reason.

x-10. Pippen Ain’t Easy. Give this unit credit for wrestling its opposition to a near stand-still and for fighting with character and pride. Call it a moral victory and move on. Next week’s matchup is against Stitches, a team that Pippen Ain’t would have trounced 6 - 3.

x-10. Team Canada. The face-off against America’s DreamTeam has taken its toll. Despite posting mindblowing numbers in some areas (218 rebounds, 102 assists, 30 steals) and leading 6 – 3 heading into the weekend, Canada ultimately cracked up like glass in the clutch. Yet I believe its three point loss would have been a blowout win against some of this week’s winners.

12. Sho’nuff Shamans. Could arguably swap spots with Big Country and / or Tykes for Tyreke on the heels of a blow out 1 – 8 thrashing by Repeatabull. In a league where weekly victories are often slim one point wins, a dismal seven point loss could come back to haunt the holy men further down the road like an invincible demon on the mystical plains.

13. Tykes for Tyreke. If you’re wondering why a roster that outscored Shonuff and Pippen is ranked lower than the two of them, have you seen the numbers? Six blocks. 43 percent shooting from the field. 76 assists. 134 rebounds. This team literally has nothing going for it except a brilliant free throw percentage.

14. Big Country. Basically a poor man’s Tykes. Piss poor numbers in every category except free throw shooting, which was mediocre instead of brilliant. The sixth pick of the 1995 NBA draft was also called Big Country… and he was one of the all time biggest busts. Who cares if the country is the size of Texas? It’s also a landfill.

Draft Winners & Losers Rounds 8-13

Round 8

1.         Nicolas Batum (Por - SG,SF)             DWade's Miam...

2.         Rodney Stuckey (Det - PG,SG)         Dark Horse

3.         Elton Brand (Phi - PF,C)                    DreamTeam

4.         Marcus Thornton (NO - SG)             Cliphairs

5.         Carl Landry (Sac - SF,PF)                Sho-nuff Sha...

6.         Emeka Okafor (NO - C)                    **TeAm CaNaDa**

7.         JaVale McGee (Was - PF,C)            Merlness

8.         Mike Conley (Mem - PG)                 Le Knickerbo...

9.         J.R. Smith (Den - SG,SF)                 Pippen Ain't...

10.       Al Harrington (Den - PF,C)             Where's Leon

11.       George Hill (SA - PG,SG)               Repeatabull

12.       Andris Biedrins (GS - C)                  Pohn Wall

13.       J.J. Hickson (Cle - PF,C)                Tykes for Ty...

14.       Mike Miller (Mia - SG,SF)              BigCountry

Winners: Tykes for Ty comes up big with J.J. Hickson.  Antawn Jamison is banged up and Hick has been starting during the preseason and putting up sizeable numbers.  At the pace he's going, he's more than likely to keep that job into the regular season where opportunities will be aplenty on the Cavs. Dark Horse makes a solid 8th round selection with Rodney Stuckey.  Stuckey is likely to be Detroit's leading scorer and should average above 18 points at a conservative estimate.  Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Tay Prince - the remnant of the one-hit wonder '04 Pistons, are fizzling out faster than the can of Coke I opened and left in the fridge last night.  Ben Gordon won't threaten Stuckey until he gets his head on straight and starts taking higher percentage shots. Le Knicks' Mike Conley may end up being one of the steals of the draft.  Starting PG getting plenty o' minutes.  He is an excellent FT shooter and will knock down the occasional 3-pter.

Losers: Cliphairs. Too easy. Marcus Thornton is now behind Willie Green on the Hornets, which may have been ok if not for the fact that Green plays behind Chris Paul and Marco Belinelli. BigCountry the country may be big, but the team ain't big enough for the likes of Mike Miller who put up stupendously low numbers last year on a far less talented Wizard team.  He's likely to see his value plummet even further this year where he'll be nothing but an afterthought.

Round 9

1.         Jose Calderon (Tor - PG)                    BigCountry

2.         Tyson Chandler (Dal - C)                   Tykes for Ty...

3.         Terrence Williams (NJ - SG,SF)         Pohn Wall

4.         Linas Kleiza (Tor - SG,SF)                 Repeatabull

5.         Rasual Butler (LAC - SG,SF)             Where's Leon

6.         Reggie Williams (GS - SG,SF)           Pippen Ain't...

7.         Louis Williams (Phi - PG,SG)             Le Knickerbo...

8.         D.J. Augustin (Cha - PG)                   Merlness

9.         James Harden (OKC - SG)                 **TeAm CaNaDa**

10.       Mehmet Okur (Uta - C)                      Sho-nuff Sha...

11.       Anderson Varejao (Cle - PF,C)          Cliphairs

12.       Drew Gooden (Mil - PF,C)                 DreamTeam

13.       Brendan Haywood (Dal - C)             Dark Horse

14.       Josh Howard (Was - SG,SF)             DWade's Miam...

Winners Cliphairs Anderson Varejao  is likely to put up consistently solid rebound numbers, not to mention high FG % put-backs.  He probably went in the middle rounds for most leagues so this has to be considered a bargain in the 9th round.  He was solid with Lebron trolling rebounds last year and he's sure to see his numbers tick up so long as Hickson doesn't siphon too many rebounds away. Merlness with Shawn Livingston still trying to come back from his devastating knee injury - DJ Augustin has been getting a bulk of the preseason minutes.

Losers: DWade's Miami perhaps think his team is solid enough to keep Josh Howard on the shelf until he comes back from ACL surgery, but it's very likely that Howard will return to a Wizard team that will have him coming off the bench - especially if the youngsters are playing solid.  There has been no mention of a timetable when it comes to when he may return. Team Canada unfortunately mailed this pick in. Thabo Sefalosha is standing between Harden and the lionshare of minutes he needs to be effective.  May not matter if he can find a waiver diamond in the rough.

Round 10

1.         Leandro Barbosa (Tor - PG,SG)         DWade's Miam...

2.         Mike Dunleavy (Ind - SG,SF)            Dark Horse

3.         Dorell Wright (GS - SG,SF)               DreamTeam

4.         Evan Turner (Phi - SG,SF)                  Cliphairs

5.         Yao Ming (Hou - C)                           Sho-nuff Sha...

6.         Shawn Marion (Dal - SF,PF)             **TeAm CaNaDa**

7.         Boris Diaw (Cha - SF,PF)                   Merlness

8.         Wilson Chandler (NY - SF,PF)          Le Knickerbo...

9.         Beno Udrih (Sac - PG)                       Pippen Ain't...

10.       Matt Barnes (LAL - SG,SF)               Where's Leon

11.       Kyle Korver (Chi - SG,SF)                 Repeatabull

12.       Ron Artest (LAL - SG,SF)                 Pohn Wall

13.       Will Bynum (Det - PG)                       Tykes for Ty...

14.       Taj Gibson (Chi - PF)                        BigCountry

Winners:  Dark Horse Mike Dunleavy's minutes have been reaching the upper 30s in the preseason and if he can sustain this for the better part of 82 games - this may end up being THE steal of the draft.  All of this is contingent however on how well he meshes with Granger and Hibbert.  This year's draftees kept away from him like kryptonite, but it may be their loss and DH's gain.   Pippen Ain't has another potential "steal of the draft" here in the 10th round with Sac's starting PG Beno Udrih. 

Losers: Repeatabulls Kyle Korver hasn't played much due to some pre-season injuries, but that's not what makes this pick a loser.  New Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau hasn't been enthralled with Korver's poor defense from what little he did see - which doesn't bode well for the 3-pt specialist since his coach is almost exclusively known for his defensive prowess.  Where's Leon While Matt Barnes has been a great mid-late round fantasy pickup, this year he has joined a system that is known as a fantasy stat killer.  I'd dare so not many great players that aren't the focal point of the offense would see much uptick in their fantasy value.  Barnes, while a heady player, is not known for his basketball IQ which is desperately needed if one wants to thrive in the triangle in their first year.  Barnes should do a splendid job for the Lakers, but for your team he may be more of a millstone.

Round 11

1.         Greg Oden (Por - C)                           BigCountry

2.         Courtney Lee (Hou - SG,SF)             Tykes for Ty...

3.         Michael Redd (Mil - SG,SF)             Pohn Wall

4.         Udonis Haslem (Mia - PF,C)             Repeatabull

5.         Jamario Moon (Cle - SF)                     Where's Leon

6.         Tiago Splitter (SA - SF,PF,C)             Pippen Ain't...

7.         Travis Outlaw (NJ - SF,PF)                Le Knickerbo...

8.         DeMar DeRozan (Tor - SG,SF)          Merlness

9.         Grant Hill (Pho - SG,SF)                    **TeAm CaNaDa**

10.       Jarrett Jack (Tor - PG,SG)                  Sho-nuff Sha...

11.       Darko Milicic (Min - PF,C)                 Cliphairs

12.       Marvin Williams (Atl - SF,PF)            DreamTeam

13.       Richard Jefferson (SA - SF)               Dark Horse

14.       Wesley Johnson (Min - SF)                 DWade's Miam...

Winners:  Merlness Meet Toronto's starting SG, DeMar DeRozan - while he is a FG% liability, he is getting a good chunk of minutes and with Canada's lone team in full-blown rebuilding mode that likely won't be changing any time soon.  DWade's Miami made an excellent sleeper pick with Wesley Johnson.  Rambis loves the grinders and while he isn't full healthy, Wesley Johnson has been grinding this preseason.  The TWolves are another one of those rebuilding franchises that have nothing to lose - and will likely let their promising rookies get as much on-the-job training as possible.

Losers: Pohn Wall, I know it's the 11th round - but this is definitely on the short list for Worst Pick Of The Draft.  Redd has played with the Bucks for his entire career which spans nine seasons, but given his recent slew of injuries and surgeries it wouldn't shock me if he never plays another game making this pick as good as a 'Pass.'  Here's another guy whose career that's likely to be chalk full of injury - Greg Oden. Making BigCountry our other loser of the 11th round.  The future looks very dim for young Greg Oden, which is really a tragedy given the amount of potential he had coming out of college.  I have a feeling that durability and injury likelihood in the next crop of big men will be a huge factor when scouts roam the country.  Will we see Oden in 2010? I'm going to say, probably not.

Round 12

1.         Omri Casspi (Sac - SG,SF)                 DWade's Miam...

2.         Charlie Villanueva (Det - PF)             Dark Horse

3.         Jeff Teague (Atl - PG,SG)                  DreamTeam

4.         Francisco Garcia (Sac - SG,SF)          Cliphairs

5.         Jason Thompson (Sac - PF,C)             Sho-nuff Sha...

6.         DeJuan Blair (SA - PF,C)                   **TeAm CaNaDa**

7.         Tyler Hansbrough (Ind - PF)             Merlness

8.         Jonny Flynn (Min - PG)                      Le Knickerbo...

9.         Kirk Hinrich (Was - PG,SG)               Pippen Ain't...

10.       Derrick Favors (NJ - PF)                     Where's Leon

11.       Corey Brewer (Min - SG,SF)             Repeatabull

12.       Shane Battier (Hou - SF)                    Pohn Wall

13.       Spencer Hawes (Phi - C)                     Tykes for Ty...

14.       Gordon Hayward (Uta - SG,SF)        BigCountry

I gotta admit - not one single pick from this entire lot stood out - as a complete miss or hit.  If anything, more were misses.  Looks like most of us were mailing it in by the 12th round.  Look for most of these players to be tossed back and forth among each other's teams as add/drops.  Very few will likely see their owners all the way till April. 

Round 13

1.         Josh Childress (Pho - SG,SF)             BigCountry

2.         Ersan Ilyasova (Mil - SF,PF)             Tykes for Ty...

3.         Chris Andersen (Den - PF,C)             Pohn Wall

4.         Tayshaun Prince (Det - SF,PF)           Repeatabull

5.         Glen Davis (Bos - PF,C)                     Where's Leon

6.         Martell Webster (Min - SG,SF)          Pippen Ain't...

7.         Mario Chalmers (Mia - PG)                Le Knickerbo...

8.         Thaddeus Young (Phi - SF,PF)          Merlness

9.         Quentin Richardson (Orl - SG,SF)     **TeAm CaNaDa**

10.       Ramon Sessions (Cle - PG,SG)          Sho-nuff Sha...

11.       Steve Blake (LAL - PG,SG)               Cliphairs

12.       Marco Belinelli (NO - SG)                  DreamTeam

13.       Mike Bibby (Atl - PG)                        Dark Horse

14.       Richard Hamilton (Det - SG,SF)        DWade's Miam...

Winners:  DreamTeam and Merlness: Marco Belinelli is the best of this shoddy bunch.  He seems to be getting most of the minutes at the SG/SF position in the preseason rotation.  With Marcus Thornton sucking, he should be good for a few stats.  Pohn Wall may have the real winner if Andersen comes back sooner rather than later and dominates the glass like yesteryear.  Thad Young is a good pickup if only because his minutes will be higher than most on this list.  Specer Hawes is injured and if Young can play well he could become a fixture in the Philly lineup.

Losers: Tough to single any one person out.  Blake isn't liable to get much of anything.  Bibby is only getting time because Jeff Teague is injured. Tay Prince and Rip Hamilton have been garbage this preseason in a team full of wings fighting for time.  Glen Davis? Martell Webster's back is starting to tighten up. Mario Chalmers - anyone on the heat not named James, Wade, or Bosh can forget about it.  Q. Rich has proven - even when given time on the court - he is completely unreliable. Josh Childress is another injured mug.  Ilyasova could actually get an honorable mention since he has potential and with the Bucks' slew of injuries he'll see an uptick in his minutes.  It'll be interesting looking back at this draft come playoff time to see who were the real difference makers.  The real steal may still be out there, waiting to be discovered.

Draft Night Winners and Losers

Round 1

1. Kevin Durant (OKC - SF) BigCountry

2. Chris Paul (NO - PG) Tykes for Ty...

3. LeBron James (Mia - SF) Pohn Wall

4. Dirk Nowitzki (Dal - PF) Repeatabull

5. Kobe Bryant (LAL - SG) Where's Leon

6. Dwyane Wade (Mia - PG,SG) Pippen Ain't...

7. Stephen Curry (GS - PG) Le Knickerbo...

8. Deron Williams (Uta - PG) Merlness

9. Dwight Howard (Orl - C) **TeAm CaNaDa**

10. Amar'e Stoudemire (NY - PF,C) Sho-nuff Sha...

11. Danny Granger (Ind - SF,PF) Cliphairs

12. Pau Gasol (LAL - PF,C) DreamTeam

13. David Lee (GS - PF,C) Dark Horse

14. Josh Smith (Atl - PF) DWade's Miam...

Winners: BigCountry’s Kevin Durant should average around 30 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists with some blocks and steals thrown in. Tykes for Ty, who has Chris Paul, the crème de la crème of all PGs. Pohn Wall, who picked up the league’s triple double machine. I should also mention that I liked Team Canada’s value pick of Dwight Howard at #9. In a H2H league, Howard’s beastly rebounding, blocking, and fg % numbers greatly offset his weakness at ft %. He should have gone within the Top 5 picks. Round 1’s main advantage is, if you’re picking at the very top of it, you can grab players whose production will be unmatched by any one else in the league… so you can imagine my chagrin when I got stuck with the #12 pick.

Losers: Nobody screwed up, which is unfortunate because I would have loved to gloat. You'd have to be a complete nincompoop to blow a first round pick, and surprisingly, no one in our league did that.

Round 2

1. Brook Lopez (NJ - C) DWade's Miam...

2. Steve Nash (Pho - PG) Dark Horse

3. Gerald Wallace (Cha - SF,PF) DreamTeam

4. Jason Kidd (Dal - PG) Cliphairs

5. Carmelo Anthony (Den - SF) Sho-nuff Sha...

6. Rajon Rondo (Bos - PG) **TeAm CaNaDa**

7. Al Jefferson (Uta - PF,C) Merlness

8. Chris Bosh (Mia - PF,C) Le Knickerbo...

9. Derrick Rose (Chi - PG) Pippen Ain't...

10. Andre Iguodala (Phi - SG,SF) Where's Leon

11. Monta Ellis (GS - PG,SG) Repeatabull

12. Joe Johnson (Atl - SG,SF) Pohn Wall

13. Brandon Roy (Por - SG,SF) Tykes for Ty...

14. Tyreke Evans (Sac - PG,SG) BigCountry

Winners: Shonuff grabbed Carmelo’s 30 points per game after too many others passed. I guess people don't realize that Melo has evolved since his early days of impersonating Zach Randolph. Now he also gets you 1.2 steals per game, a decent amount of boards (7) and assists (3) and even hits a three every game. Team Canada. Added Rajon Rondo, who is a marvelous addition if you're punting ft % and looking for a PG to pair Dwight Howard up with. Tykes for Ty. Brandon Roy is a slightly better fantasy performer than Iggy and Joe Johnson, both of whom were drafted earlier. Of course, I realize Roy has injury concerns but you could do a lot worse at the end of Round 2. Tykes for Ty’s backcourt one-two punch of Chris Paul and Brandon Roy seems fearsome.

Losers: Merlness. Al Jefferson is a free throw % killer and injury prone big man in a crowded rotation that includes the likes of Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, and Paul Millsap. Even if that knee holds up over the course of a season, bigger and safer talents were available (Chris Bosh and Tim Duncan, for instance). And while I really do hate to comment on another Bulls fan / owner's choice to support the beloved Bulls, Pippen Ain't rolled the dice a little too early. Rose may be a dominant force on the court, but let's face it: the fantasy game doesn't measure intangibles, clutchness and will power. A PG who does not hit threes, load up on assists, get steals or even perform all that well at ft % should not get drafted this high.

Round 3

1. Al Horford (Atl - PF,C) BigCountry

2. Zach Randolph (Mem - PF,C) Tykes for Ty...

3. Andrea Bargnani (Tor - PF,C) Pohn Wall

4. Chris Kaman (LAC - C) Repeatabull

5. David West (NO - PF) Where's Leon

6. Joakim Noah (Chi - PF,C) Pippen Ain't...

7. Stephen Jackson (Cha - SG,SF) Le Knickerbo...

8. Russell Westbrook (OKC - PG) Merlness

9. Kevin Martin (Hou - SG) **TeAm CaNaDa**

10. Chauncey Billups (Den - PG) Sho-nuff Sha...

11. Nene Hilario (Den - PF,C) Cliphairs

12. Darren Collison (Ind - PG) DreamTeam

13. Marc Gasol (Mem - C) Dark Horse

14. Tim Duncan (SA - PF,C) DWade's Miam...

Winners: DWade's Miami. The team picked up Tim freakin Duncan, who put up 18 / 10 / 3 with 1.5 blocks and excellent percentages in 78 games last season. Talk about getting value at the tail end of the third round. You can't top that. Also, Shonuff. Chauncey Billups despite his age, should have gone one round earlier. Billups performs like a prototypical point guard, grabbing the assists, threes, ft %, and steals. He’s everything we want from a player at that position. He also keeps turnovers at a minimum. What a sneaky pick. Sho’s team is really starting to shape up. Where’s Leon. David West is basically Zach Randolph without the team cancer issues, and Randolph went three picks earlier. What’s more, if / when Chris Paul leaves town, West’s probably gonna be the main man in New Orleans.

Losers: Nobody. Yes, you may have snickered when Pohn Wall selected Andrea Bargnani at #3 in this round, or when Dark Horse chose Marc Gasol over Tim Duncan, but I didn’t. Bargs is in line for a career season with Bosh out of town and no other proven scorer in Toronto. Meanwhile, Marc Gasol has improved year after year. His fg percentage is out of this world (58 % vs. Duncan's 51 %), he gets more steals and blocks than Duncan, and has sky's the limit potential (while Duncan is ever-so-slowly declining). Would I have made the same choice as Dark Horse? No. Do I think the decision to pass on Duncan for Gasol was reasonable? Yes. The third round reveals the overall experience and moxie of our league owners.

Round 4

1. Troy Murphy (NJ - PF,C) DWade's Miam...

2. Kevin Love (Min - PF,C) Dark Horse

3. Andray Blatche (Was - PF,C) DreamTeam

4. Manu Ginobili (SA - SG) Cliphairs

5. John Wall (Was - PG) Sho-nuff Sha...

6. Blake Griffin (LAC - PF) **TeAm CaNaDa**

7. Jason Richardson (Pho - SG,SF) Merlness

8. Carlos Boozer (Chi - PF,C) Le Knickerbo...

9. Rudy Gay (Mem - SF,PF) Pippen Ain't...

10. LaMarcus Aldridge (Por - PF,C) Where's Leon

11. Aaron Brooks (Hou - PG) Repeatabull

12. Gilbert Arenas (Was - PG,SG) Pohn Wall

13. Jamal Crawford (Atl - PG,SG) Tykes for Ty...

14. Paul Pierce (Bos - SG,SF) BigCountry

Winners: Dark Horse. Kevin Love is basically a three-point shooting David West or Zach Randolph. He could have easily gone in Round 2, and definitely should have been off the board in Round 3. Love posted monster numbers in the second half of last year before he got injured—and that was back when Love had to fight Al Jefferson for touches. Al’s now in Utah, which clears the way for Love to post some fantastic numbers. Pippen Ain’t. It’s hard to explain Rudy Gay’s free fall. Rudy is one of those rare swingmen who get blocks, steals and threes along with about 20 points per game. This selection helps the team’s misstep in Round 2. BigCountry. Paul Pierce may no longer be the only option for the Celtics, but his 18 / 4 / 4 with 1.2 steals, 1.5 threes and excellent percentages make him worthy of round 3 selection. That a player of his caliber nearly made it into Round 5 should be a crime.

Loser(s): LeKnick's gamble on Boozer is a little sketchy, since the PF will miss a month and a half of play and is constantly finding ways to hurt himself. Tykes for Ty's decision to draft Jamal Crawford is ten times worse than any other choice in this round. Considering the minutes crunch in Atlanta, and Crawford's pathetic sixth man of the year role, J-Craw will no doubt fail to match the performance of Raymond Felton in New York, or Mo Williams in Cleveland, and both of those guys went one round later. He probably won't even match the performance of Jameer Nelson, who went 3 rounds later. Just a bad selection.

Round 5

1. Marcus Camby (Por - PF,C) BigCountry

2. Mo Williams (Cle - PG) Tykes for Ty...

3. Antawn Jamison (Cle - SF,PF) Pohn Wall

4. Lamar Odom (LAL - SF,PF) Repeatabull

5. Brandon Jennings (Mil - PG) Where's Leon

6. Rashard Lewis (Orl - SF,PF) Pippen Ain't...

7. Michael Beasley (Min - PF) Le Knickerbo...

8. Raymond Felton (NY - PG,SG) Merlness

9. Danilo Gallinari (NY - SF) **TeAm CaNaDa**

10. Anthony Morrow (NJ - SG,SF) Sho-nuff Sha...

11. Baron Davis (LAC - PG) Cliphairs

12. Devin Harris (NJ - PG) DreamTeam

13. O.J. Mayo (Mem - SG) Dark Horse

14. Anthony Randolph (NY - PF,C) DWade's Miam...

Winners: Merlness. Raymond Felton may be the biggest fantasy steal in this whole draft. D'Antoni's offense turned Steve Nash into an MVP and made Chris Duhon look like an honest-to-goodness NBA starter. Who knows what wonders it can perform for a PG like Felton who has the athleticism and playmaking ability Duhon can only dream about? LeKnicks.

Some people shook their heads this pick, since Michael Beasley was ranked much lower by Yahoo and the Average User but I fully expect the Beas to break out in his sophomore season the way Durant did a couple years ago. Yes, the kid's talent level is that high. Where’s Leon. The Bucks added a plethora of offensive weapons in the offseason, which means higher assist totals for Jennings. The kid already posts a good number of steals and threes and is the face of the Bucks franchise. I love this pick.

Losers: Shonuff. Anthony Morrow is just another one of the many inconsistent chuckers in the NBA. He starts for a crap team like New Jersey where he can get the majority of the minutes but even those league doormats have swingman capable of stealing big chunks of Morrow's PT (Terrence Williams, Travis Outlaw). Morrow bangs in threes at a decent rate but he's going to help very little in any other category. Congratulations, Sho. You've turned a 5th round pick into a 12th round pick. Repeatabull. Grabbing Lamar Odom, who will be fighting Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum for minutes and a role all season long, would make sense two rounds after the fifth. Odom may get off to a fast start, but you better play hot potato with him before that deep Laker team heals.

Round 6

1. Trevor Ariza (NO - SG,SF) DWade's Miam...

2. Eric Gordon (LAC - SG) Dark Horse

3. Luol Deng (Chi - SF) DreamTeam

4. Kevin Garnett (Bos - PF) Cliphairs

5. Jeff Green (OKC - SF,PF) Sho-nuff Sha...

6. Luis Scola (Hou - PF,C) **TeAm CaNaDa**

7. Andrew Bogut (Mil - C) Merlness

8. Samuel Dalembert (Sac - C) Le Knickerbo...

9. John Salmons (Mil - SG,SF) Pippen Ain't...

10. Paul Millsap (Uta - PF) Where's Leon

11. Roy Hibbert (Ind - C) Repeatabull

12. Caron Butler (Dal - SG,SF) Pohn Wall

13. DeMarcus Cousins (Sac - PF,C) Tykes for Ty...

14. Tony Parker (SA - PG) BigCountry

Winners: Cliphairs. A team full of solid choices that weren’t too great and weren’t too awful finally breaks through with an excellent value pick in the 6^th round. KG may not be the fantasy force of yesteryear, but he’s still one of the big-time glue guys that elevate a fantasy roster from mediocre to above and beyond. It’s hard to find a PF this late who posts excellent percentages (52 % from fg, 83 % ft) and gets you 14 / 7/ 3 to go along with 1 steal and 1 block. He’ll help in all kinds of ways. Repeatabull. Roy Hibbert is a really smart pick at this spot in the draft, since there’s a huge drop off between him and the other centers that are left. Hibbert’s a center who should average 15 & 10 & 2 this year, and, unlike most centers that stink at the line, the kid shoots a 75 % free throw percentage. It’s as money as a pick can be at this point in the draft. DreamTeam. Loul Deng’s shooting threes in a new motion offense that the Bulls are installing post Vinny Del Negro. Although Deng’s never shot them before, he’s been scorching the net from the distance in preseason. I fully expect Deng to hit 1.5 to 2 threes a game, and since he’s already a multicategory performer (18 and 7 last year, with 1 block and 1 steal) I consider Deng a major steal.

Losers: LeKnicks. Stocking up on injured guys makes sense only if they are worth the wait. Samuel freakin Dalembert will be injured for the first one and a half to two months of this season, and he’s a mediocre player at best. To make matters worse, Dali is not even assured a spot as a starting center since DeMarcus Cousins plays the same position, and is far more talented than Dali, the 7 ft dud. Dali also has to wrestle minutes away from Jason Thompson and Carl Landry. I wouldn’t pick this guy up if he was on the waiver. Pohn Wall. A lot of people were touting this pick, but Caron Butler on the Mavs ain’t Caron Butler on the Wiz. Butler is a timeshare with the Matrix, neutralizing a lot of his fantasy value. It’s like when Ron Artest went to the Lakers and dropped from a guy worth a 2^nd or 3^rd round pick, down to a guy worth a 10^th or 11^th round pick. Bank on a guy who has an established role… like Hedo Turkoglu in Round 7 or Linas Kleiza in Round 9.

Round 7

1. Andrew Bynum (LAL - C) BigCountry

2. Corey Maggette (Mil - SF,PF) Tykes for Ty...

3. Hedo Turkoglu (Pho - SG,SF) Pohn Wall

4. Andrei Kirilenko (Uta - SF,PF) Repeatabull

5. Jrue Holiday (Phi - PG) Where's Leon

6. Channing Frye (Pho - PF,C) Pippen Ain't...

7. Ben Gordon (Det - SG) Le Knickerbo...

8. Robin Lopez (Pho - PF,C) Merlness

9. Jameer Nelson (Orl - PG) **TeAm CaNaDa**

10. Ray Allen (Bos - SG) Sho-nuff Sha...

11. Jason Terry (Dal - PG,SG) Cliphairs

12. Tyrus Thomas (Cha - PF) DreamTeam

13. Vince Carter (Orl - SG,SF) Dark Horse

14. Andre Miller (Por - PG) DWade's Miam...

Winners: Where’s Leon. Jrue Holiday was taken this late only because of his bench-warmer type season averages of 8 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and one steal. It’s easy to forget what a brilliant performer he was as a starter (18 & 7 with 1.5 steal and 1.5 threes), and those numbers will be what we see this season from him. Consequently, Jrue is head and shoulders above the rest of the quickly dwindling point guard pool. You’re not gonna get such heady stats out of a Jason Terry or Andre Miller. Merlness. Robin Lopez may be mediocre, but he is the only real bigman the Suns have, and will put up numbers based solely on minutes logged and the fact that he’s playing with Nash, the game’s best passer. Shonuff. If you’re looking for a swingman in the 7^th round, you could do a lot worse than Ray Allen, who is still shooting 90 % at the ft line, 47 % from fg, and hitting 1.8 threes a game.

Losers: BigCountry. Sorry, but any time you let your computer autopick while being present at the live draft, you’re in this column. Tykes for Ty. I love Mags, but he’s in a crowded rotation where John Salmons, Carlos Delfino (last year’s starter), Ersan Ilyasova and Jerry Stackhouse are all fighting for minutes. Mags should still get over 25 minutes per game, but he won’t be the 20 ppg scorer we saw in Golden State, and he doesn’t contribute enough in other categories to make up for his potentially steep decline in scoring. LeKnicks. Ben Gordon is a fairly good gamble, but in Round 7, you're not at a point where you have to take these gambles for a run of the mill swingman. Not when there are so many run of the mill swingmen still around who don't have Gordon's PT issues. The Pistons are in a minutes crunch and while BG will probably earn more minutes than Rip Hamilton or Will Bynum, when you add the minutes crunch to the fact that he doesn't do a whole lot more than score and chuck threes, you realize the team probably should have gone with someone else.