Basketball Free For All

Golden State Warriors fans had to be displeased watching Brandon Jennings take the League by storm right out of the gates this season knowing that their team passed him up to draft another promising young guard. However, they now understand why, as Stephen Curry has been playing at an incredibly high level amidst incredible adversity. Over the past month, Curry has posted first round value while averaging 19.5 points on .484/.879 percent shooting, 2.4 threes, 4.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.2 blocks and 2.6 turnovers. Congratulations if you drafted Curry or snagged him off the wire early on in the season but this kid definitely deserves to be recognized for his outstanding play as of late.

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From the very outset of media day, the 2009 training camp and preseason has been interesting to say the least. The first shots were fired in the Bay but it didn’t take long for others to follow suit. The Warriors’ neighbors to the north, the Portland Trailblazers, have had their own drama brewing in the form of a bona fide position battle for the starting point guard spot.

After missing out on both Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap earlier this summer, the Blazers faithful were getting restless. Kevin Pritchard had to make a move this offseason. Not only that, he had to make an impact move to appease the fan base and help take the Blazers to the next level. The ultimate aim was to make a move to help guide the young team deep into the postseason.

The move Pritchard eventually settled on was signing unrestricted free agent point guard Andre Miller to a three year deal ($14 million guaranteed during the first two years and a team option for the third year). Logically, it was a very good move. The Blazers are a very young team and can use the calming presence that the seasoned veteran floor general can provide, especially in the postseason.

Prior to signing Miller, it appeared that the Blazers were clearing out minutes for second year point guard Jerryd Bayless to get some additional run next season. Remember, they had sent the occasionally disgruntled Sergio Rodriguez to Sacramento in a draft day trade in order to acquire rookie prospect Jeff Pendergraph, thus opening up the backup point guard spot for JB.

Now, with two point guards on the roster that started last season, Portland is in the midst of an old fashioned position battler. Surprisingly, Steve Blake landed the first punch (and second, for that matter). And he did so by proxy, in the form of All-Star guard Brandon Roy.

At the very onset of training camp, Roy lobbied hard for Blake to maintain starter status next season.  Brandon extolled Blake’s selfless nature and talked about how comfortable he is playing alongside Blake. Round one, Blake. So it looked like franchise player B-Roy was not ready to welcome Miller to the starting unit just yet.

But not having Roy’s support right off the bat is something than can be overcome pretty easily for an old hand like Miller. In a further setback, Miller was the only player with a guaranteed contract in training camp who didn’t pass the Trail Blazers conditioning test. But that’s only part of the story. Blake completed the test in record-breaking fashion, positively dazzling head coach Nate McMillan in the process. Round two, Blake.

Suddenly, the position battle is starting to look grim for the new addition. Luckily for Miller, training camp provided an opportunity for Miller to get on the court with Roy and try and win his support. The early returns from Roy are extremely positive.

Roy said he and Miller formed an instant connection and the team “didn’t miss a beat” with them on the court together. Roy also praised the point guard’s unselfish play, deft passing, strong defense, versatility and basketball IQ. The chemistry between these two stars is one of the most pressing issues of training camp and Roy said a bond might develop faster than some expect.

The article also mentions the defensive versatility a Roy-Miller backcourt would provide in addition to the ability of both guards to play both the point and off guard positions. Improved defense is a surefire way to win Coach McMillian’s heart (they were 13th in defensive efficiency last season) and is one of his stated goals this offseason. If Miller were to make the Blazers’ offense even better too, it would be a scary thought indeed, as Portland already had the league’s most efficient offense last season. The Blazers’ offense gets slept on largely because of the slow pace at which Portland plays (last in the league in pace).

So who is likely to come out on top of Portland’s point guard position battle?

In the end, it seems very likely that it is only a matter of time before Andre wins the position battle for starting point guard in Rip City for one simple reason alone: money. Portland has recently become one of the best teams in the league as far as managing their money despite the fact that Darius Miles is the Blazers highest paid player until Brandon Roy’s maximum salary contract extension takes effect in 201o-11.

For the Blazers to commit $21 million to Andre Miller over the next three years says that they are committed to playing him and that he is going to be key to taking them to the next level. With Blake scheduled to be a free agent next season, his future with the franchise at this point is very much in doubt.

Miller has the front office behind him, is slowly winning franchise player Roy over and has a good chance of winning Coach McMillian over as well. If you ask me, the smart money is on Andre Miller to win out the starting point guard position battle and to be in the starting five on opening night.

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.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ urestricted free agent Andre Miller has recently accepted a three-year $21M deal with the Portland Trailblazers. The deal includes a team option for the third season at $7M.

Portland was known to have been looking for a veteran backup for sometime to help provide some leadership on the floor as well as in the locker room.  Miller appears to be an excellent addition to a team that has recently been spurned by other notable free agents including Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap. Miller gives them a clear upgrade at their point guard position over Steve Blake, who is a decent point guard in his own right.

Miller is a bigger tougher Chauncey Billups-type point guard who isn’t scared to post up smaller guards, get into the lane and draw contact. He isn’t a great shooter and has little-to-no ability to shoot the 3-ball but he is a savvy veteran that makes good court decisions and rarely turns the ball over.

This move allows Portland to play Brandon Roy at his natural two guard spot late in games, where he can wreak havoc on opposing defenses with his wide array of offensive abilities. Miller can act as the distributor to whoever has the hot hand, most likely Roy or LaMarcus Aldridge, while allowing Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless to come off the bench as solid backups.

This is a solid move for Portland. Miller will help them expand on their recent success by winning a few more regular season games and possibly pushing them deeper into the playoffs.  They now have a strong cast of young talent and are deep at every position now with Miller on board.

Fantasy implications of this trade seem to benefit the young 76er back court of Lou Williams and recent UCLA draft pick Jrue Holiday. With Miller out of town these two should be expected to log heavy minutes from the get go with Williams most likely cast as the starting point guard (barring any new free agent acquisitions by the team of course). Williams is more of a pure scorer than a distributor but he could end up averaging around 35 minutes a game with the potential for 16 points per game, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 threes per game. The rookie Holiday is more of a gamble but could present some fantasy value especially later in the season (or especially in dynasty leagues).

The move essentially kills any value Steve Blake or Jerry Bayless would have had, as they most likely will see their minutes reduced. Brandon Roy should still be the fantasy stud he has been for the past few seasons and may prove to be even better with possible improvements coming in his efficiency and a reduced turnover rate as well. Miller should still be the same reliable work horse he has been for many seasons posting similar stats to his time in Philadelphia and Denver (he has only missed five games in ten seasons in the NBA).

After a tough summer for the Blazers, they seem to be catching a late stride and should provide an exciting brand of basketball next season for their fans.

The depth charts and free agents pages have been updated to reflect rosters at the start of free agency (negotiations opened on July 1st at midnight). The depth charts will be continually updated to reflect offseason moves when teams are allowed to officially cut deals beginning next week. Until then, just enjoy the steady churning of the rumor mill and hope your team lands an emerging talent (Paul Millsap or Trevor Ariza anyone?) that puts them over the top. Like if the Suns could somehow land Marcin Gortat (after buying out Ben Wallace of course). That would be a very nice way to close the book on the Shaq era in the valley of the Suns.