First of all, I’d like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported us here at BFFA last season. We loved the feedback from all of you and had a really great year. With that said, it is somewhat sad to (officially) announce the end of Basketball Free For All. However, the good news is that a few of us (Oleh Kosel, Phil Londen, Justin Phan) will be contributing to Yahoo!’s Roto Arcade this season. Check us out at Roto Arcade.
I compiled a quick list of some guys who might be of use in the short term to help your teams this week. Hopefully everyone is already aware of guys like Toney Douglas, Jrue Holiday and Anthony Tolliver. Good luck!
Matt Bonner (PF, C – 7%) – His role has increased a bit of late so he could help the deeper league team in a few cat’s but mainly 3’s.
James Harden (PG, SG – 26%) – see Phil’s article.
Chris Hunter (SF/PF/C – 2%) – As Golden State’s only true center still standing, expect Chris to see decent time down the stretch. On his productive nights, expect points (on great FG%), boards and an occasional block.
Serge Ibaka (C – 5%) – He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now and can help you with boards/blocks.
Kyle Lowry (PG/SG – 9%) – As his ankle has strengthened, he’s gone back to being more effective again. In addition, Battier continues to miss time to a hyper extended knee. Kyle will help with points, assists and steals.
Jason Maxiell (PF/C – 23%) – Don’t let his last game scare you off as he got into foul trouble. By many accounts, Ben Wallace is done so Max will get a lot of run putting up great boards with decent points/blocks.
Wesley Matthews (PG/SG – 12%)/CJ Miles (SG/SF – 13%) – Points, 3’s and steals available here but expectations should be tempered a bit as Andrei Kirilenko is slated to return Friday.
Darko Milicic (PC/C – 12%) – Over his last 4 games, he’s averaging just over 30 minutes. Boards/blocks are good with decent points and FG%.
James Singleton (SF/PF – 8%) – Flip just stated he’s going to be inserted into the starting lineup. He’s a rebounding machine but can help in points and defensive categories on certain nights. Must add for those looking for boards as he’s got a very fantasy friendly schedule down the stretch.
Bill Walker (SG/SF – 8%) – Juicy matchup against PHO and going forward the Knicks play 10 games with Wilson Chandler still sidelined and Tracy McGrady always ready to go down. With decent run, he’s usually good for points, 3’s and steals.
Earl Watson (PG – 19%) - TJ Ford continues to miss games so Earl could be a good source of assists/steals with a 3 or two. However, do so as a last resort as Ford is slated to be back any day now.
Reggie Williams (SF – 19%) – Nellie loves anyone who can put the ball in the hoop and currently Reggie is converting at a very efficient clip (sorry Anthony Morrow owners). Get his scoring (on good percentages), 3’s and rebounds while he’s still hot!
Usually 8 points and 8 boards is not something you’d get overly excited about — especially in the fantasy playoffs. But throw in 2.5 blocks per game, 11 percent ownership and plenty of minutes at the five in Memphis and you have rookie center Hasheem Thabeet with the best opportunity to produce of his young career.
It’s almost shocking to hear it but the season is over 80 percent complete. That means the basketball world is focused on one thing and one thing only: the playoffs. Every single game is meaningful for the few teams that are lucky enough to still be in the mix for a playoff berth. Similarly, the fantasy managers that are clever enough (some might add lucky enough) to still be in the hunt for a title are focused on adding digits to the W column.
One of the things we admire about great coaches is their ability to take in hundreds of different variables and quickly assess which are the most important. Even more impressively, they make these decisions in fractions of a second under incredible duress and despite adversity. But that is human nature. We are hard-wired to make sense of a lot of data quickly in pressure (read: survival) situations.
Image Courtesy of John Marcus
With yet another NBA trade deadline coming and going, a lot of excitement and hope was generated among the fans and media. Some teams were looking for that final piece that makes them championship material. Others simply were looking for a player that helps them get into the postseason. Lastly, there were a few who look at this time of the year as the highlight of the season as their team struggles to even be competitive on a nightly basis so might as well position themselves for the upcoming lottery. Whatever the reasons, all fans hoped their team would have made a trade or two that improved future prospects. Question is, how often can these deadline deals really be coined successful?
Everyone ready for the home stretch? We’ve got 3 weeks left before most fantasy playoffs begin in Week 22. However, don’t view this as a time to coast as it could be more important than ever to pay attention to your teams. Whether you’re fighting to make the playoffs or simply looking to make those final tweaks to bring home a championship, the moves you make now could potentially decide your entire seasons. So FOCUS! 
When one door closes, another one opens — or so the saying goes, anyways. With the trading period closed in the NBA, it is time to scour the waiver wire and see if the trades opened up any doors for your fantasy teams. As my distinguished colleague Oleh pointed out in his breakdown of the fantasy fallout from last week’s trades, there is plenty of value to be had as a result of trades, injuries and everything in between.
The All Star break is always a good time to start reviewing and analyzing the current season, as we are starting to acquire large enough of a sample size to begin to make decent judgments. With the season over 60 percent complete, the Coach of the Year (COTY) race is starting to take shape, with two coaches in particular rising above the rest of the pack: Atlanta’s Mike Woodson and Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks. However, this season there are a decent number of qualified coaches so we’ll break down the other hopefuls and also examine the COTY’s recent (and in some ways dubious) history to get a full picture of this season’s race.
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When discussing the best shooters in the game today, two names are commonly mentioned more often than others: Steve Nash and Ray Allen. Both are proficient from virtually anywhere on the court, including from the free throw line and from downtown. They are often in the games during clutch situations and both players have an impressive portfolio of clutch shots on their resume. Even more telling, both players are often heralded for their jump shots by coaches and analysts alike.
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