Friday, September 25, 2009

NBA Fantasy

Note: This is an old post from my Multiply site last November 19, 2006.

It has been years since I first knew of NBA Fantasy. It has been one of the most talked about pastimes to ME people (aside from DotA and chics). I could still remember those times when I was hanging out at the Beach feeling a bit left out when a group of my friends were chatting about the latest stats of NBA players. I do watch NBA. But, I do not religiously follow through the games because I have no team to cheer for unlike in UAAP. However, I would be rooting for a team starting this year. Miami Heat? Hmmm… I have rooted for them in last year’s NBA finals because of the amazing Dwyane Wade, but I have to go for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. The truth is, the Cavs were really the team I was rooting for last year but LeBron and company fell short to the Detroit Pistons. If things screw up, then there is always Miami Heat to cheer for.

The 2006-07 NBA season started three weeks ago, and this year I would be viewing and following it in a much different perspective as its past few seasons. I do not know what struck me but I had joined the fantasy league in our company. Perhaps, it’s because my brain was dead during that North America shift when I decided to join the fantasy league. It was actually a hasty decision because I would risk my two hundred bucks on a fantasy league to which I have no prior experience. I have been an NBA fan since I was in Grade Three but I was not an avid follower of it especially in the recent years. The NBA legends that I was familiar of (i.e., Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler) are already retired. It was just this year when I learned of Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace. Drafting is easier because of the availability of player rankings but I have no idea of the histories behind the rising NBA stars. I had to consult to my NBA fantasy friends so that I would get good picks. It sucks being a newbie.

Thank God, I got the first draft pick. Getting the best player is almost a no-brainer. With Amare Stoudemire returning and Kevin Garnett getting a bit older, King James was the pick for me. His failure to win the crown and his success to lift his team to the playoffs makes him hungrier this year. And because I am a LeBron fan ever since he entered professional hoops, I picked him as my premiere player. I had to wait for the next 19 picks after that. I maybe a newbie but I know of some dominant players. But still, I had to consult my college friends as to who would be the best steals in the next rounds. I was fortunate to get Yao Ming, Andrei Kirilenko, Michael Redd, Raymond Felton, and Deron Williams in rounds where they could have been picked earlier. I remembered being in a dilemma at Round 8 and 9 when I was supposed to be getting two big men (as Yao and Kirilenko where the only ones I had). Instead of going for it, I went for the steal as I picked Deron Williams after picking Tyson Chandler.

The draft ended and I had a good starting lineup. Thanks to Mikey, Ron, Miko, Mond, and JR… I would have wasted my PhP 200 if they were not there. My being a first-timer was pretty noticeable because I made questionable picks in rounds 12 to 15 as I did not consult for further advice in those points. Nevertheless, my starting lineup is potent enough to make me one of the league leaders (I was tied 2-0 with the other team). I am having some problems in week 3 as Kirilenko went down with an injury. But since most of my opponent’s players are also injured, I am positive that I can pull off a 3-0 win-loss slate.

For the sake of sharing my current lineup, here it is:

1) LeBron James
2) Yao Ming
3) Andrei Kirilenko
4) Michael Redd
5) Jason Terry
6) Raymond Felton
7) Morris Peterson
8) Tyson Chandler
9) Deron Williams
10) Darko Milicic
11) Andrew Bogut
12) Wally Szczerbiak
13) Josh Childress
14) Quentin Richardson
15) Randy Foye

So far, it was nice reaping the rewards off my steals – Yao Ming, Michael Redd, Wally Szczerbiak and Deron Williams. LeBron James continues to be the dominating player that he is. Andrei Kirilenko was a disappointment but his blocks are very much needed. I still need to get more from Felton especially now that Brevin Knight is having health problems. I guess I have weighed too much on Bogut’s and Milicic’s potentials but I am holding on to them. Wally makes my team a scoring machine as he is good in all categories that touch scoring – points, fg%, ft% and 3 point shooting. Chandler continues to deliver but he is lacking in blocks this year.

But whatever happens, I am happy at the current state of my fantasy team. I just hope I pull this one through until the end of the season. It’s hard because it is a high risk, high return team where a lot of players had health issues.

It has been years since I first knew of NBA Fantasy. It has been one of the most talked about pastimes to ME people (aside from DotA and chics). I could still remember those times when I was hanging out at the Beach feeling a bit left out when a group of my friends were chatting about the latest stats of NBA players. I do watch NBA. But, I do not religiously follow through the games because I have no team to cheer for unlike in UAAP. However, I would be rooting for a team starting this year. Miami Heat? Hmmm… I have rooted for them in last year’s NBA finals because of the amazing Dwyane Wade, but I have to go for the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. The truth is, the Cavs were really the team I was rooting for last year but LeBron and company fell short to the Detroit Pistons. If things screw up, then there is always Miami Heat to cheer for.

The 2006-07 NBA season started three weeks ago, and this year I would be viewing and following it in a much different perspective as its past few seasons. I do not know what struck me but I had joined the fantasy league in our company. Perhaps, it’s because my brain was dead during that North America shift when I decided to join the fantasy league. It was actually a hasty decision because I would risk my two hundred bucks on a fantasy league to which I have no prior experience. I have been an NBA fan since I was in Grade Three but I was not an avid follower of it especially in the recent years. The NBA legends that I was familiar of (i.e., Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler) are already retired. It was just this year when I learned of Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace. Drafting is easier because of the availability of player rankings but I have no idea of the histories behind the rising NBA stars. I had to consult to my NBA fantasy friends so that I would get good picks. It sucks being a newbie.

Thank God, I got the first draft pick. Getting the best player is almost a no-brainer. With Amare Stoudemire returning and Kevin Garnett getting a bit older, King James was the pick for me. His failure to win the crown and his success to lift his team to the playoffs makes him hungrier this year. And because I am a LeBron fan ever since he entered professional hoops, I picked him as my premiere player. I had to wait for the next 19 picks after that. I maybe a newbie but I know of some dominant players. But still, I had to consult my college friends as to who would be the best steals in the next rounds. I was fortunate to get Yao Ming, Andrei Kirilenko, Michael Redd, Raymond Felton, and Deron Williams in rounds where they could have been picked earlier. I remembered being in a dilemma at Round 8 and 9 when I was supposed to be getting two big men (as Yao and Kirilenko where the only ones I had). Instead of going for it, I went for the steal as I picked Deron Williams after picking Tyson Chandler.

The draft ended and I had a good starting lineup. Thanks to Mikey, Ron, Miko, Mond, and JR… I would have wasted my PhP 200 if they were not there. My being a first-timer was pretty noticeable because I made questionable picks in rounds 12 to 15 as I did not consult for further advice in those points. Nevertheless, my starting lineup is potent enough to make me one of the league leaders (I was tied 2-0 with the other team). I am having some problems in week 3 as Kirilenko went down with an injury. But since most of my opponent’s players are also injured, I am positive that I can pull off a 3-0 win-loss slate.

For the sake of sharing my current lineup, here it is:

1) LeBron James
2) Yao Ming
3) Andrei Kirilenko
4) Michael Redd
5) Jason Terry
6) Raymond Felton
7) Morris Peterson
8) Tyson Chandler
9) Deron Williams
10) Darko Milicic
11) Andrew Bogut
12) Wally Szczerbiak
13) Josh Childress
14) Quentin Richardson
15) Randy Foye

So far, it was nice reaping the rewards off my steals – Yao Ming, Michael Redd, Wally Szczerbiak and Deron Williams. LeBron James continues to be the dominating player that he is. Andrei Kirilenko was a disappointment but his blocks are very much needed. I still need to get more from Felton especially now that Brevin Knight is having health problems. I guess I have weighed too much on Bogut’s and Milicic’s potentials but I am holding on to them. Wally makes my team a scoring machine as he is good in all categories that touch scoring – points, fg%, ft% and 3 point shooting. Chandler continues to deliver but he is lacking in blocks this year.

But whatever happens, I am happy at the current state of my fantasy team. I just hope I pull this one through until the end of the season. It’s hard because it is a high risk, high return team where a lot of players had health issues.

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