Oklahoma City’s rookie with a veteran’s game (and beard), James Harden, returned to action Wednesday night after missing six games with his recent hamstring injury. For the playoff-bound Thunder, it couldn’t be better timing. For any managers still in the fantasy championship mix, it also couldn’t be a better time to return to the floor.
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?
All the hype surrounding the collaboration between Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones in bringing the 2010 All-Star Game to Dallas wasn’t completely misguided, as the event drew a record crowd of 108,713 people to Cowboys Stadium. The entirety of the weekend proved to be more of a letdown than anything though, with two events in particular standing out as big-time busts.
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.
Vote for me!
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.
As we arrive at the mid-point of the season, it becomes apparent that the early season success of a few players is more than just a fluke hot start. These players may have been decent contributors in the past but never gained mainstream attention outside of their own team’s fan base. These are the players that should be considered for the Most Improved Player Award.
The big news coming out of Week Six was unequivocally Greg Oden’s latest major injury (fractured left patella), which has most likely put his season to an abrupt end. All fantasy ramifications aside, you have to feel terrible for the young Blazer and hope he can overcome this latest setback and salvage his promising career. The worst part about the entire situation is that Oden has been playing by far the best basketball of his career when he went down Saturday night. Of course, this once again brings the elephant in the room to the forefront: what if Portland had selected Kevin Durant instead of Oden (there, I said it)? Tough break for both the organization and the fans.
Week Seven Schedules
Four Games: CHI, CLE, DEN, GSW, MIN, NJN, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA
Three Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, DAL, DET, HOU, IND, LAL, MEM, MIL, NOR, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHX, SAC
Two Games: LAC, MIA, NYK, WAS
Add List
Joel Przybilla (C – 26%) It’s official: Greg Oden legitimately deserves the “injury-prone big man” label, which does not bode well for his career trajectory. With Oden down and out, it is Vanilla Godzilla time for the foreseeable future. Przybilla provides very specific fantasy help, giving solid value in boards and blocks and modest value in field goal percentage (the impact of his very high percentage is moderated by his low number of attempts) with low turnovers. His career per-36 minute averages are 7.3 points on .555/.557 percent shooting, 0.0 threes, 11.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.7 blocks and 1.7 turnovers so run out and snag him off the wire if you need big man help.
Luke Ridnour (PG/SG – 37%) Luke makes a second consecutive appearance on our add list based upon his extremely strong play recently for the Bucks. Over the past two weeks (eight games), Ridnour has averaged 13.8 points on .518/1.00 percent shooting, 1.1 threes, 2.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.0 blocks and 1.5 turnovers per game. Many managers have avoided Luke until this point because they are worried about how Michael Redd’s return will affect Ridnour’s PT. Those numbers are good for top fifty value so grab him while you can and enjoy the hot streak while it lasts.
C.J. Watson (PG/SG – 7%) It is always dangerous recommending a player who is lives in Nellie’s World and is subject to the Coach’s whims. The X-Factor now is that the Warriors are so short-handed that Nelson can only do so much damage by playing Frankenstein with his rotation. Watson is just starting to hit his stride this season after suffering a strained MCL during the offseason and overcoming the H1N1. Over the past week, he has averaged 15.3 points, .558/.875 percent shooting, 1.5 threes, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.3 blocks and 1.3 turnovers. Those are some excellent numbers off the wire and are good for 30th in per game value according to Basketball Monster.
Vladimir Radmanovic (SF/PF – 9%) Re-read the above Nellie disclaimer and proceed with caution. Over the past week, Vlad-Rad has also shown enough to warrant a roster spot. As a further incentive, the Warriors play four games next week, which makes Radmanovic a nice pickup for a manager that needs threes, boards and steals. Over the past week, Vladimir averaged 11.8 points on .475/1.00 percent shooting, 1.8 threes, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.0 blocks and 1.5 turnovers. Based on these numbers, Radmanovic deserves a roster space until his next snowboarding accident.
Watch List
Carlos Delfino (SG/SF – 7%) Not sure yet if I’m convinced that Delfino will be worth a roster spot but his recent play lands him on my watch list. Playing almost exclusively at the three this season, Delfino has played well enough to stay out of Coach Scott Skiles’ doghouse. He has regularly seen over 30 minutes per night and has responded with some decent production. Over the past week, Delfino has averaged 12.5 points on .426/.600 percent shooting, 1.8 threes, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks and 1.5 turnovers. The biggest threat to Delfino’s playing time (and thus fantasy value) is teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s recent return from a foot injury. Keep an eye on the Bucks’ forward rotation over the next few games for any changes in fantasy values.
Mickael Pietrus (SG/SF – 17%) As a team, the Magic have been rolling lately (seemed to coincide with the return of Rashard Lewis — coincidence? — I think not) and Pietrus is no exception. Over the season, he has averaged right about 30 minutes per game, which is enough minutes to make an impact. He has been inconsistent throughout this season and his career in general but seemed to come into his own during last season’s playoffs. What was most impressive, however, was that Pietrus made his presence known on the defensive end of the floor, which certainly puts him in a good position with Coach Stan Van Gundy. Last week, Air France’s play was particularly strong with averages of 15.3 points on .556/.667 percent shooting, 3.3 threes, 3.o rebounds, 0.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks and 0.7 turnovers over the course of three games (33rd in per game value). Did I mention that these three games were against the Knicks (twice) and the Warriors? That reason alone demoted Mickael from the Add List to the Watch List. If he can translate the recent success into solid lines against quality opponents, pick Pietrus up.
Andres Nocioni (SF/PF – 14%) Pretty much everyone, including Sacramento fans, has to be surprised that the Kings’ record has been hovering right around .500 this season. Especially considering the fact that their franchise shooting guard, Kevin Martin, went down for an extended period of time with an injured wrist. The team response to Martin’s injury has been commendable and Andres has played a role in helping Sacramento over-acheive. On the court, Nocioni spreads the floor while providing toughness and the occasional dirty play (every team needs at least a couple of scrappy guys out there). Over the past week, Nocioni has played very well (56th in per game value) putting up 15.3 points on .472/1.00 percent shooting, 3.3 threes, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.0 blocks and 1.0 turnovers. Players putting up 15 points a night with over three threes per game don’t spend a lot of time on the wire so pick him up now if you need threes from the forward positions.
Delonte West (PG/SG – 18%) – Don’t look now, but Mr. West has had 3 solid games in the last four. Considering how significant he was to their team last season and Anthony Parker hasn’t been anything more than adequate, Delonte will be given every chance to succeed. While it’s highly unlikely he’ll garner starter’s minutes, he should be able to put up enough positives in 26-29 minutes for those looking for PG help.
Coming Back From Injury
Tyrus Thomas (SF/PF – 41%) With the Bulls under-achieving so far this season (although to be fair they have had one of the hardest schedules in the league so far this season), Ty Thomas’ name has been swirling in trade rumors with the Knicks being the most commonly mentioned destination. Regardless of whether he is playing in a Bulls uniform or not, Thomas should hold decent value wherever he lands. If he does end up in New York, Thomas’ value could actually increase playing for Coach Mike D’Antoni in his fast-paced offensive system. With Thomas due back sometime soon, now is the time to pick him up and stash him away on your bench.
Yi Jianlian (PF – 21%) Of all the players taken in the the 2007 NBA Draft, Oden is clearly the most injury-prone player of the bunch. However, Yi is trying his damndest to usurp the most injury-prone-player-taken-in-the-2007-NBA-Draft mantle from Oden. While trying to get back into game shape after spraining his MCL in early November, Yi required 50 stitches in his lip and mouth courtesy of teammate Sean Williams. The silver lining might be that this prevents Jianlian from coming back too early from his MCL injury and buy him a few more days of rest while his mouth heals.
Cut List
Darren Collison (PG/SG – 11%) You’ve got to hand it to the rook — he had a hell of a run with Chris Paul out with a sprained ankle, but all good things must come to an end eventually. For managers that have CP3 and can store dead weight on their roster (roto leagues or H2H leagues with deep benches), Collison is a nice handcuff with Paul, as their fantasy values are more or less inversely proportional to one another’s. Collison proved during that stretch that he has a bright future in this League with performaces such as his 22 point, 11 assist game versus the Hawks or his 18 point, 7 rebound, 8 assist game against the Bucks.
Marcus Thornton (PG/SG – 4%) Like teammate Darren Collison, it is about time to cut bait on Thornton and look for more productive fantasy players elsewhere. If Thornton is still on your roster at this point, look for a hotter player (such as C.J. Watson for example) and grab the player with the higher upside going forward. Just make sure and keep an eye on Thornton (and especially his minutes with CP3 back) as he has shown flashes of being a potential big-time scorer in the Association and would certainly benefit from playing alongside a healthy Chris Paul.
Steve Blake (PG/SG – 14%) Recently, Blake has certainly not made a very strong case for himself in his position battle with Andre Miller for Portland’s starting point guard position. Blake has not topped four assists or scored in double figures since November 21. In contrast, Miller scored 24 points on Saturday night in a tough, one point victory over the Houston Rockets (the same game the Blazers lost both Oden and all of their hope for the season). Also, Miller had 18 points and six assists in Portland’s prior game. It is safe to say that Miller has thoroughly outplayed Blake recently and the minute distribution has reflected that fact.
Stay the Course
Ersan Ilyasova (SF/PF – 46%) Owners had to deal with a disappointing week by Ersan as he was in foul trouble for most of the last three games. However, don’t despair! The Bucks are in dire need of his production so they’ll stick with him and eventually he’ll learn to stay on the floor. Besides, there can’t be too many more potentially appealing options on the waiver wire that can fill up most of the stat sheet. His top-100 ranking for the season and averages of 11.3 points on .455/.789 percent shooting, 1.2 threes, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.2 turnovers merit hanging on to him until he can buck this foul-prone streak.
Jarrett Jack (PG/SG – 19%) Jack has been struggling a bit since the big loss against the Atlanta Hawks (146 to 115 in case you forgot what a serious beat down it was). However, the encouraging sign has been that the minutes have been relatively steady for the other JJ. Even including the three mediocre games, Jack’s averages over the past two weeks haven’t been terrible — they’ve just been relatively pedestrian at 10.1 points on .478/.833 percent shooting, 1.1 threes, 2.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.0 blocks and 1.9 turnovers. The upside is there (especially in the case of a Jose Calderon injury — another nice handcuff possibility) and the minutes are consistent, so ride out Jarrett’s mini-slump. Oh, yeah, and did I mention he has four games in Week Seven?
Deep League Specials
DeJuan Blair (SF/PF – 11%) – Chances are he’s sitting on your waiver wire. After a monster preseason, he’s been quite uneventful for most of the regular season. However, it seems he might be looking at a boost in minutes. Barring last game due to a ton of early foul trouble, his minutes have been trending upwards. In the Spurs recent loss to the Celtics, he was one of the lone bright spots. Antonio McDyess, on the other hand, has been seemingly M-I-A. The upside is clearly there, as evidenced by his per-36 minute averages of 15.7 points on .607/.450 percent shooting, 0.0 threes, 13.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 1.4 blocks and 2.8 turnovers. If you are looking for double-double potential off the wire, look no further the D. Blair.
Nick Collison (PF/C – 5%) – Nick appears to finally be healthy and ready to contribute in his typical fashion again. However, some lucky owners may get rewarded even more as Nenad Krstic’s health is unknown at this point. Nenad had been suffering from a sore Achilles, but several games ago, he twisted his ankle. In that particular game against Philadelphia, Nick garnered 18 points (on 8/9 FG’s and 2/2 FT’s), 7 rebounds with 1 steal/block. Last game against the Celtics, many prospective owners were probably turned off as he didn’t do anything in 11 lousy minutes. However, I suggest you consider that an aberration. Nenad will probably be given some time to get his ankle right so go ahead and cash in on Collison.
Regardless of league type or scoring settings, one should always consider the relative risk factors associated with drafting a player who is considered injury prone. You have to consider the type of production you can expect relative to what round he is being drafted in. If the player is heavily injury prone you may not get full value out of your pick.
A great example from last season would be Amare Stoudemire. He was universally considered a top four pick last season and was drafted as such. After missing 29 games due to a retina injury, he failed to produce value even close to a first round pick, let alone top five value. If a top pick goes down due to injury, even the most savvy fantasy manager can find themselves in a predicament.
In order to ease some of the confusion and turmoil associated with draft day, consider some of the league’s most injury prone players. Guys you might want to think twice about before drafting. Not to say that they are bad players, but they can’t help your team sitting on the bench in street clothes (I’m looking at you Mr. Arenas and your fancy ascot).
Now the criteria to determine who is an “injury risk” and who is not is no clear-cut science. It is not as simple as saying that if you missed x number of games the last season(s) then you automatically go on to a list. Conversely, we also are not saying that just because you have only missed a few games doesn’t mean that you are not an injury risk.
There is simply no substitute for doing your own research and reading up on players yourself.
Instead of looking at many of the more well-known injury-prone players such as Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Caron Butler, Manu Ginobili, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, etc. This list is reserved for some of the less obvious players who still have the unique ability to either lead a team to victory or tear down a fantasy franchise if injured.
The first player on our list is not only the highest ranked player but probably one of the more well-known injury prone players that we will comment on. This spot is reserved for Indiana Pacer Danny Granger. Going into his fifth NBA season Granger has established himself as one of the best go-to-guys in the league.
As the Pacer’s number one option, he holds plenty of fantasy value and will be a top ten fantasy pick this year in virtually every format. He can score from the inside or beyond the three point line. He has size, athleticism, passing ability, and is only 26 years old. Most importantly he has incredible heart and hustle.
He has increased his scoring average output by five points in three consecutive seasons (the first player in NBA history to do so) and was an All-Star last season. With 2008-09 season averages of 25.8 points on .447/.878 percent shooting, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists,1.o steals, 1.5 blocks and 2.5 turnovers per game it is easy to see why he is such a hot fantasy commodity.
Another aspect of Danny’s game that has also increased incrementally each season since his rookie year is his minutes per game. His rookie year Granger averaged over 22 MPG and during the past two seasons he has averaged over 36 MPG. This is a substantial amount of minutes for any NBA player to average over the course of an 82 game season.
Granger has a history of ailments dating back to his college days. His junior year at the University of New Mexico he had surgery on his shoulder. He had arthroscopic knee surgery on his left knee as a senior, which caused him to miss a few games. Last year Granger missed 15 games including a stretch in February and March where he missed eleven straight games. This comes after only missing a total of six games in his first three seasons combined.
What caused him to miss the eleven straight games was a tendon tear he sustained in his right foot. As a result, he was constantly hampered by soreness in his right knee during the second half of last season. With at least 36 minutes per game coming to him again this season, be sure to monitor Granger’s health routinely.
Don’t not avoid Danny on draft day because of his injury history because he will more than likely be fantasy gold next season. Just realize that you are most likely drafting a few DNP’s throughout the season if you go with Granger in the first round. This is one of the main reasons it makes sense to draft Kevin Durant ahead of Granger in most formats.
The second player on the injury docket is Brazil’s own Nene. Now Nene is the true definition of an injury risk and has only been able to complete 80 or more games once in his seven year career (his rookie season in 2002-03). Going into his eighth season, Nene has managed to miss a staggering 204 games, or an average of just over 29 games missed per season.
Last year he played in 77 games and had his greatest fantasy year by far (and a career year in real life) after averaging 14.6 points per game on .604/.723 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.9 turnovers per game. This stat line probably represents Nene at, or very near, his fantasy ceiling. With well-rounded production like that it is easy to see the value in drafting Nene in the early middle rounds of drafts.
But be careful; his injury istory is no laughing matter and is not overstated. In 2004-05, Nene missed 23 games due to injury (he suspended for four games). Damage to his left knee’s MCL caused him to be out thirteen games. Then he was out ten games due to a right hip contusion and a strained left hamstring.
On opening night in 2005-06, he tore his ACL three minutes into the season and went on to miss the entire rest of the season. In 2006 he missed 18 games, 16 of which were directly related to inflammation from a right knee contusion.
And to keep the injury streak alive and strong, in 2007-08, he managed to play in just 16 games. This time a combination of testicular cancer (he is more than just injury prone), a right groin strain and a torn ulner collateral ligament in his left thumb. These ailments kept Nene out of action for a combined 66 games.
These are major injuries and illnesses that should not be taken lightly. Just keep all of this in mind when reviewing Nene’s statistics from last season. Nene needs to stay healthy in order to justify this years average draft position, which is 51 according to Busersports, making him an early fifth round selection.
In the end, no one can predict which players will miss a significant amount of time next season. There are always freak injuries that simply cannot be predicted (see Francisco Garcia’s recent weightlifting accident). Just make sure that if you are drafting a player with a significant injury history you know exactly what you selecting (and how many games you are likely to miss out on).
For some managers, there is no more exciting and challenging experience than a competitive keeper league. In certain respects, a keeper league mimics the idea of managing a team more realistic than a standard redraft fantasy league. The same can be said for dynasty or auction leagues to an even larger degree.
The Basics
In keeper leagues, managers get the opportunity to build teams around a core of players instead of assembling new teams each season. Honestly, both formats are fun and challenging but the idea of putting together an awesome keeper core and then building a championship-caliber squad around them is an extremely rewarding experience.
With dynasty leagues, you get the opportunity to draft and retain an entire team of players, replicating the actual general manager experience to a greater degree than a standard keeper league. Dynasty leagues strongly reward managers who can identify talent and secure talent. It separates those with an eye for talent and devotion to the game from those that get the entirety of their hoops knowledge from SportsCenter (no disrespect to SC at all).
And auction leagues take dynasty leagues to a whole new level of complexity by forcing managers to bid against each other for talent and then to live with the teams they assemble and the salaries they pledged. The key to auction leagues is finding value on the cheap. That’s how you secure the hardware.
So, how do you spot talent and sign them cheaply?
That is pretty much like asking for the fantasy holy grail. For starters, you have to have NBA League Pass. Second, you need a lot of free time and a patient and understanding significant other. Then you need to do your due diligence (and no shortcuts either). Finally, you need a serious dose of luck.
Pretty simple, eh?
League Settings and Variations
Keeper leagues themselves are not by any means universal. They can be roto or head-to-head. They can be standard eight or nine category or they could be entirely different combinations of categories. There really is no such thing as a “plain vanilla” keeper league.
The main distinguishing factor between keeper leagues, however, is the number of players kept from year-to-year. The most common number of keepers is probably around four or five, but the number can really be all over the map and can range from one to nine. Leagues that keep more than ten players are probably closer to dynasty leagues than to keeper leagues.
Beyond the previously mentioned differences, there can also be other variations for keeper leagues. One of the most common way involves forfeiting draft picks based upon who is kept. Let’s say that last season you drafted Dirk Nowitzki in the first round, Paul Pierce in the third round, Kevin Durant in the sixth round and Wilson Chandler in the twelfth round. In a normal keeper league, Nowitzki, Pierce and Durant would be the no-brainer keepers.
However, under these league settings, you would have to forfeit your first, third and sixth round picks to keep those three players. So then you have to consider the value you are getting (i.e. the keeper) versus the value you are paying (i.e. the draft pick). Under these circumstances it might make sense to keep Chandler over one of the other three players based upon value alone. In this case, you can only really consider Pierce as Nowitzki and Durant are locks to post first round value.
Thus, the dilemma becomes would you rather have Paul Pierce, a twelfth round pick and no third round pick? Or, would you rather have Wilson Chandler, a third round pick and no twelfth round pick? There is no right answer here but it basically depends upon how you value the two players and their future outlooks and team situations.
For dynasty leagues, the treatment of rookies provides one source of variation. In some leagues, rookies are thrown into a pool with all players not rostered at the end of the preceding season. Thus, rookies are drafted with veterans in the redraft to fill rosters at the start of next season. The other common way of handling rookies is through a separate rookie draft. This can be a one or two round mini-draft, depending upon the number of managers in any given league. This method also mimics real life to a large degree and rewards managers that follow college or do their research before the rookie draft. This is good way for managers with an eye for talent to lock up premier talent on the cheap.
The basic lesson from this discussion of some of the common league settings and variations is a simple one. Know your league and the various nuances of its scoring and settings. This is often the difference between the average managers and those standing tall on the winners podium at the end of the season.
Critical Strategy!
Regardless of league type (keeper, dynasty, auction), scoring type (roto, head-to-head, points) or league settings (number of keepers, forfeiting draft picks, treatment of rookies), there is one common mistake that is prevalent. In fact, it’s practically an epidemic and it can absolutely cripple a fantasy team. It is the mistake of overvaluing youth and building for the future.
Keeper league and dynasty managers often build with a timeline of years laid out in front of them. Call it the Portland or Oklahoma City model of team building. They draft the most talented rookie first and plan on waiting years until that player blossoms into the Man. However, this model ignores the fundamental purpose of fantasy basketball and why we participate.
We play fantasy sports to win; simple as that.
Every manager, all of the time, should be gunning for the gold. It doesn’t matter how bad your keeper core is or which team has Lebron James, Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade, your goal is to beat everyone, everyday. It takes a truly outstanding manager with a focused vision and realistic game plan to beat a team with vastly superior keepers (not to mention a little goodwill from lady luck). And these wins are often times the most satisfying of all fantasy basketball victories.
So, when drafting in a keeper or dynasty league, always remember that the ultimate goal is to win the upcoming season. Obviously you don’t want to handcuff yourself in the future but don’t ever forfeit an entire season before it begins. It is amusing to see how early players with “upside” or “potential” get drafted over a proven veteran with a very high chance of continuing their fantasy production. A good example would be drafting Hasheem Thabeet when Ray Allen is available in the redraft.
In head-to-head leagues, continue to compete up until you are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. As soon as this happens, then you can start to plan for next season. Open up negotiations with all of the managers in the playoffs and see what they need. The idea is to trade all of your depth (i.e. non-keepers) for star power. Trade three, four or even five players to a contender to get their star. Do anything you can to compile and consolidate star power. That is how unstoppable keeper teams are made.
Once you exhaust all depth for star power trades, explore avenues for acquiring draft picks. The same rules apply; trade any non-keeper to those in the playoffs (or teams with weak keeper cores) for draft picks. This puts you in the best possible position to dominate next season. Because as soon as the playoffs end, you lose the leverage of being able to trade with players who are still trying to win it all this season.
Competing in dynasty and keeper leagues is not difficult if you follow a couple of basic rules and are willing to devote enough time and effort to besting your opponents. First, make sure and know your league settings and all of it’s nuances. Second, avoid the all-too-common pitfall of overvaluing youth and potential at the expense of trying to win now. Finally, have fun and try and not take it too seriously.
This article originally appeared at Barracuda Fantasy Sports. Check out their redesigned home page with tons of solid fantasy sports articles and analysis.
With Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball up and running early this season, there is plenty of time to examine the data and prepare for drafts and the upcoming season. One important aspect to consider before drafting and assembling the perfect fantasy squad is position eligibility.
Each season is different and each season certain guys gain extra eligibility at a position you normally wouldn’t expect. Likewise, there are players that for some reason or another are missing a position eligibility they had last season or that they should have. Each fantasy sports provider has its own quirks and nuances and uses different criteria to make their position eligibility judgments. Make sure and examine your own provides list carefully.
Or, if you use Yahoo!, just continue reading. Your welcome.
Before getting into the nuts and bolts, take a step back and do some cursory research. Find out what the criteria are used to determine and assign position eligibility for your specific provider. The criteria will be laid out somewhere on their website. Or again, just continue reading.
Initial position eligibility for each player was determined based on past participation and information supplied by NBA teams during the off-season.
Players are eligible at one or more positions during the current Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Basketball season depending upon their real-life participation.
All position eligibility requests are reviewed by Yahoo! Sports and confirmed with our NBA sources. Due to the nature of the review process, we’re unable to comment on each individual player request.
Source: Yahoo!
So the eligibility is somewhat based upon real life and is subject to Yahoo!’s discretion. The Yahoo! Help page also lays out how position eligibility can be added throughout the regular season. This is also important to note because the eligibility is supposed to mirror real life to a certain degree. So when you see position changes in real life, Yahoo! is supposed to mimic that change as well.
Updates are made during the regular season based on changes to the lineups and official team rosters. Players don’t lose position eligibility when moving from one real-life position to another. So, if a forward starts to play regular shifts as a center, he’s eligible for the remainder of the season as a forward and a center.
New positions are added when it’s confirmed that a player’s primary position has changed and that the change is not expected to be a temporary one.
When a player has earned eligibility at a new position, it will be displayed wherever player positions are shown.
The key to Yahoo!’s in-season updates is that new position eligibility is to be assigned based upon permanent changes to a player’s primary position. With that in mind, don’t get too bogged down in the details. Just something to keep in my mind as you review the position eligibility list. I definitely recommend perusing the list for yourself as different changes will stand out to different managers.
I reviewed the top 250 players (according to Yahoo!’s O-Rank) examining only their position eligibility. I compared their assigned eligibility to a combination of last season’s eligibility and my expected position eligibility for each player. Not exactly hard science. Then, each player was classified into groups.
Here are the results.
The Rookies
This season’s first pick overall, Blake Griffin (SF/PF), also provided the first eligibility surprise for rookies: small forward status. Griffin seemed a lock to gain power forward status but also could have been though of as a longshot for center eligibility if the Clippers decided to play small ball. Small forward status is just icing on the cake as he is not pigeon-holed into the “PF only” category.
The next group of rookies contains players that obtained eligibility at both guard positions. This group includes Johnny Flynn (PG/SG); Stephen Curry (PG/SG); Tyreke Evans (PG/SG); and James Harden (PG/SG). Some of these are more surprising than others. In particular Flynn and Harden are both surprising but for different reasons; Flynn surprisingly gained shooting guard eligibility and Harden gained point guard eligibility.
The next two players’ eligibility was very surprising indeed. Both DeMar DeRozan (SG/SF/PF) and Terrence Williams (SG/SF/PF) were given eligibility at shooting guard and both forward positions. This means these two guys can be played at shooting guard, guard, small forward, power forward, forward or utility. Now that is versatility.
Other notables: Jordan Hill (SF/PF) and David Andersen (SF/PF).
Single Position Only
Of all the fantasy stars out there, no one gets overlooked and undervalued more often than Dirk Nowitzki (PF). That is scientific fact although no scientific studies were actually undertaken. Normally, it wouldn’t be surprising that Dirk only obtained power forward eligibility with his well-known preference to play the four and not the five. However, with Shawn Marion (SF/PF) on board, there is widespread speculation that Marion might spend some quality time at the four with Dirk at the five. Stay tuned and keep an eye out for added center eligibility for Nowitzki.
In an about face, the next guy is one guy people can’t stop talking about and overvaluing. As of now, Gilbert Arenas (PG) is slated to be have point guard eligibility only. While not entirely unexpected, it is important to note that and not rely on Agent Zero having dual guard eligibility. In fact, it is probably a good idea not to rely on Arenas for anything.
Everyone’s hottest sleeper of the summer, Anthony Randolph (PF), has been given only eligibility at the four. This is surprising because of Randolph’s real life versatility. It is compounded by the fact that Anthony plays for Coach Don Nelson, who is known for his unconventional lineups and could potentially play three (or more) positions. For a system, that is supposed to mimic real life, Randolph having power forward eligibility only is certainly an airball on Yahoo!’s part.
Other notables: Kevin Garnett (PF); O.J. Mayo (SG); Trevor Ariza (SF); Shane Battier (SF) Kenyon Martin (PF); Yi Jianlian (PF); Keyon Dooling (PG); and Jose Juan Barea (PG).
Bonus Time!
Every season, there are a certain number of players that maintain eligibility for a certain position when the probably shouldn’t (bonus!). That is a great thing, because the more flexible your squad is the greater your chances of building a championship caliber squad are. This season, Kevin Durant (SG/SF) has maintained his shooting guard eligibility even though he has played almost totally at the three since Coach P.J. Carlesimo was fired early last season after a rocky start. The switch also coincides with the Durantula’s ascent to fantasy god status.
Similarly, Memphis’ Rudy Gay (SF/PF) plays almost exclusively at the three so the power forward eligibility can be viewed as an added bonus. With new addition and black hole Zach Randolph around, Gay will most likely spend even less time at the four next season (Darrell Arthur should also be picking up scrap minutes behind Z-Bo).
Other notables: Emeka Okafor (PF/C); Udonis Haslem (PF/C); and Darrell Arthur (PF/C).
Big Men with Small Forward Eligibility
This season, there is a group of big men that received small forward eligibility. For some, like Utah’s Paul Millsap (SF/PF), it comes as a surprise. If anything, Millsap should have eligibility at power forward and center, not small forward. But you can only hope that Yahoo! fixes that during the season, which would make Millsap extremely versatile with SF/PF/C eligibility.
Other notables: Tyrus Thomas (SF/PF); Jason Thompson (SF/PF) and Brandon Bass (SF/PF).
Point Guards with Shooting Guard Eligibility
The final group of players is guys who have eligibility at both guard positions. Most of these guys should come as now surprise, including the newest Timberwolf, Ramon Sessions (PG/SG). He should see some run at the two guard alongside rookie lotter selection Johnny Flynn. The real mystery is how Flynn walked away with eligibility at both guard positions but it’s usually a good idea to never question a good thing.
Other notables: Allen Iverson (PG/SG); Rodney Stuckey (PG/SG); Lou Williams (PG/SG); D.J. Augustin (PG/SG); and Rudy Fernandez (PG/SG).
A roundup like this is a useful reference but cannot subsitute for actually sitting down and reviewing the position eligibility list yourself. Take careful note of where eligibility assignments differ from your own opinion of position eligibility and keep these issues in mind when drafting.
The next step in breaking down the pre-draft data is scouring the Yahoo! O-Ranks and average draft position lists to see which players are being overvalued, undervalued and slept on.
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